Stan Geiger

Corporate Jets

I saw some of Obama's recent press conference. I understand why he doesn't do much of that. He sucks at it. He is practiced at reading a script while staring at a camera. He isn't so adept at spontaneous response.

He spoke of his kids' homework habits. Who cares? Am I to expect the government of the great United States to do business according to the homework habits of the Obama kids?

He spoke of corporate jets. Oh, he spoke of corporate jets a lot. I watched McLaughlin over the weekend. According to that show, Obama mentioned corporate jets six times during the press conference.

I found his comments a bit disingenuous. I mean he has the most expensive "corporate jet" in the world---and he has worn the wings off of it at taxpayer expense. While on point, it is also disingenuous for the absentee president to deride Congress for not spending enough time in Washington.

Don't get me wrong, I have no love lost for America's corporate management. As far as I'm concerned, they are largely a bunch of overpaid, super-pampered, pricks, undeserving of what they gather. But managing private-sector excess isn't the president's job. Shareholders have the job of managing the executives. The big fish---the pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, extremely rich individuals and, in some instances, foreign governments---have to take that bull by the balls. I would that they get started.

It is the president's job to manage the federal government. In that light, corporate jets are an insignificant issue---too much of an insignificant issue to warrant mention. Uncle Sam is borrowing over $100 billion a month. Removing some tax deduction for corporate jets would generate spit in government revenue.

But, if one chooses to make corporate jets an issue, why leave universities out of the discussion?

OU just hired a new basketball genius. His name is Lon Kruger. The university felt the need to hire a new basketball genius because it just fired the last basketball genius it made a millionaire. Kruger's contract, according to KOTV, is a 7-year deal worth $16 million. Amazing, ain't it?

Kruger's deal includes a whole lot of free travel hours on private jets. Bob Stoops, I have read, has free private-jet hours as part of his deal. Most certainly David Boren avails himself of the private-jet perk, as do, I'm sure, a long list of other university officials and favored dignitaries.

Meanwhile, OU just hiked its tuition by 5 percent---again.

Meanwhile, the outstanding student debt in this country has hit a trillion dollars.

Our illustrious president, while being wont to point to corporate excess for political purposes, doesn't seem to consider excess in higher education a problem worth even an honorable mention.

Higher Ed: Blowing It

I've been writing about it for 15 years. It seems the rest of the world is catching up---at long last. A college education---so they say---is no longer worth the cost.

A poll was taken, some weeks ago. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said a college education isn't worth the cost. I suppose that is what led to an edition of Chris Matthews'. Even his panel of major liberals said a college education isn't worth the cost. Dude, that's sayin' somthin'!

One fellow on the panel attempted to crack wise. He said a college education is worth the cost when your kid graduates high school and leaves home, but not so much when your kid graduates college and moves back in with you.

Much truth can be found in humor.

Katty Kay---a Brit---said she has four kids and is thinking seriously about sending them to Britain for their higher ed. She said a kid can get a degree from a top private school in the UK for $45,000. That's a fraction of what such a degree would cost here. In fact, I saw a recent report that said a single year at a private school, on average, costs a student over $36,000 in the US.

Student loan debt has reportedly hit a trillion dollars. There is more student loan debt outstanding than there is credit card debt. That is nothing more than an abomination.

Meanwhile, an employment survey was done. That survey said only 53 percent of people that have gotten a degree in the past four years have full-time jobs. That stat only tells part of the story. How many of the graduates that have a full-time job are getting paid enough to make a living?

Oklahoma State University just upped the cost for an attending student by 5 percent. Hey, who gives a fuck? Lets just allow the scrotums employed by OSU, or other colleges or universities, to make a whole lot more money. Why not? They are more special than the rest of us, right?

I'm not even going to get into the coaches' pay. That's so ridiculous any idiot could condemn it.

Let's look at the OU prez, David Boren. He is worth so many millions I wouldn't dare to make an estimate. He labels himself a "public servant." He has sucked the public teet for decades. How many millions is he worth? How many?

It would be nice if somebody in the real media would take a shot at finding out.

At what point do we put an end to this? Or do we put an end to this at all?

Austin Box

I'm sure everyone has heard of the death of OU linebacker Austin Box, from an apparent overdose of pain medication. He was 22 years old. He's headed for a grave instead of a life. What a bloody shame.

I didn't know the young man, but it doesn't seem he was a problem child at all. I have never heard anything bad about him, like arrests or such. He was recently given his degree. All I know comes from news reports. It sounds to me like he took some painkillers, went out for perhaps some drinking with an old pal, then maybe took some more painkillers before retiring for the night. When it came time to wake up, he couldn't make the trip.

A KOTV report noted knee, neck and back injuries during Box's career at OU. He was reportedly teeing it up for another season.

Question: How does a young man so racked with pain, so beaten up, that he needs narcotics to make it through a day get cleared to play college football?

Where was the administration? Where were the coaches? Where were the doctors? Has college football gotten so about the TV, the trophies and the money that such concerns override any concerns about the life of a 22-year-old kid?

Letterman's Ignorance on Display

Though I am much less of a fan than I once was, I still watch a little Letterman. Old habits die hard, I suppose. Typically these days I watch the monologue and move on; I almost never hang around for the guests. But the other night, Rand Paul was on the show. I watched.

I don't know, really, why I even bother to watch the monologues anymore. They aren't that funny. One of the reasons is Letterman seems to have forgotten that we have a president. Letterman made a living for 16 years pounding away at Bill Clinton and George Bush, but he won't lay a finger on Obama.

At any rate, I suffered through the show until Paul was finally trotted out at the very end. I'm sure Letterman's mission was to discredit Paul. He failed miserably. Paul handled himself very well. Letterman proved---to his national TV audience---he's an idiot.

Letterman got on education. Paul said the average schoolteacher in Wisconsin makes $89,000 a year. I can't swear to that figure, but I'll take his word for it. Letterman quickly interjected that figure should be doubled. What a ridiculous statement.

I don't know if Letterman actually believes an average schoolteacher should be pulling down 180 grand a year or not. He has a TV show. Ratings are important to him. There are millions of public school employees across the nation. If a TV show host says nice things about those millions, he can make a lot of friends. So it goes within the ranks of the PEC.

Whether he believes it or not, it was a stupid comment to make.

Letterman continued to rant and rave about more money for education. Surely, he contended, education should be a place for increases in government spending.

I guess Letterman has been living under a rock for the past 30 years. He seems to have no clue that pouring more money into education has been tried, and tried again, and tried again, and tried again.

Paul noted Washington, D.C. spends $20,000 per pupil but still has maybe the worst public school system in the nation.

As time ran out, Letterman cut Paul off and made another ignorant comment. Letterman said he knew Paul was wrong but didn't know why. Ha, ha. Laugh, laugh.

Letterman displayed the classic liberal attitude. A case is made, logically, cogently, and even though a liberal has no counterargument, he or she will not accept the truth. If it ain't liberal, it ain't right.

Like I said, the political-educational complex, though on its last leg, has yet to disappear completely.

Educators are people with jobs. They keep showing up because they get paid, they get health insurance and they have a pension on the horizon. They do not show up for work because they are "heroes" or because they are dedicated to a "lifetime of giving." It's time we quit glorifying them. And it's time the people that pay teachers start determining how much teachers get paid, instead of letting teachers determine that for themselves.

CBS Blows Wind

Last night, the CBS Evening News ran a story about the current battle over public unions and their excesses. It started with a mention of Wisconsin then jumped to New Jersey. A reporter focused on a family full of educators.

As the story ended, a younger in the family noted that if she was wearing her union T-shirt she would zip up her jacket. She didn't want to be called greedy by the general public. I thought that spoke volumes. If someone is a member of a teachers' union and figures they have the high ground, why run and hide?

The final comment from the reporter was something about "harsh words" for a "lifetime of giving." That comment boiled my blood.

Let's take a look at a couple of facts put forth by the story itself.

The story sought to put a price tag on the proposed increases in a teacher's contribution to his or her own benefits. The salary chosen for the example was $66,000 a year. At 66 grand per year, a New Jersey teacher would have to rank at least in the top 50 percent of wage earners in this country.

Lest we forget, a schoolteacher works a part-time job. I don't care how you slice it and dice it, 6 hours a day for 180 days a year, give or take, is a part-time gig.

The story said New Jersey teachers currently pay a whopping 1.5 percent of their health insurance premiums. Chris Christie wants to bump that to 30 percent. Teachers say that is unfair.

Many people have no health insurance at all. Many, if they have employer-provided insurance, have to pay half the premiums themselves. But teachers shouldn't have to endure what mere mortals endure. They are special.

Though it wasn't mentioned in the story, let's not forget the pension. Once a teacher always a teacher when it comes to getting paid. A teacher can step out of the job early and draw paychecks to the grave. Lifetime compensation doesn't count, though, right?

Would you call drawing $66,000 a year for a part-time job, getting free health insurance and guaranteed pay for life the makings of a "lifetime of giving?"

CBS' story was a giant pile of buffalo bagels. It seems the political-educational complex has yet to gulp its last breath of air.

School Daze

Schools shut down for a couple of weeks due to weather. Now there is a move to figure out what to do about that. It seems the decision has to do with eliminating a day off or two. That's cool enough. But to make up the difference the experts have decided to lengthen the school day. Thirty minutes is the deal in most districts; it's 15 minutes in Sand Springs.

What will lengthening the school day do, as a knee-jerk reaction? What are the kids going to do for another 15 minutes a day? Are they going to spend that time texting each other? Are they going to spend it playing the tuba? Are they going to spend it playing basketball? Are they going to spend it staring at a wall?

We could do something meaningful here, such as adding the lost days to the end of the school year. Or we could just blow off the lost days and dock the pay of teachers and administrators that got to lay around the house scratching butt while normal people had to figure out a way to get to work. What's going on instead is an effort to satisfy some law that says kids have to spend x amount of time in a classroom.

We're getting an excellent look at one of the things wrong with education: too much attention to rules and regs established by a bunch of chair jockeys and not enough attention to teaching.

Banksters and Their Buddies

So I have this credit card, a card that currently has a revolving balance. The revolving balance is busted up into three different deals, all of them special deals done at various times. Recently, one of the special deals ran its course and went to regular interest.

I was operating under the assumption that our new law says all of one's payment has to be applied to the portion of a balance that is being charged the highest interest rate. I was wrong.

The card in question is a Citi card. I compared last month's statement to this month's statement and noticed my last payment didn't go to my highest-interest-rate balance. That balance actually went up. My lowest-interest-rate balance went down. I called Citi and asked about that.

It was explained to me that the law requires that only the amount one pays beyond the minimum has to go to the highest-interest-rate balance. The minimum payment goes to cover interest first with the rest going wherever the bankster wants it to go, which is, of course, the lowest-interest-rate balance.

So much for our beloved politicians passing a law that actually does the average citizen some good.

Some people don't get the message until they get hit in the head with a big stick. I reckon banksters fall into that category. I reckon the only thing that is going to get the attention of banksters and make them deal straight up with folks is folks not dealing with them. If people empty their credit cards and refuse to carry revolving balances, banksters might change their ways, understanding that making some money through honest dealings beats making no money at all.

I think it might be the same in higher education. It seems the only thing that will stop the constant, ridiculous, rise in the cost of going to college is campuses occupied by only a handful of athletes and brainiacs on scholarship and a few rich kids. I kind of figure when the millionaire educators and coaches are staring at empty dorms and empty classrooms, a 'tude change will take place.

It will happen at some point. The grand masses will figure out that a degree isn't worth the cost of signing the mortgage papers.

Maynard's Education

Do you ever watch The Tim McCarver Show? It's a good little show. Should should give it a twirl.

McCarver was a pro baseball player for many years, and has been a sportscaster for many years since. Basically, he brings on sports legends from the past and they chitchat. Even if you aren't a sports fan, you'd enjoy the show. Invariably, these stars of the past have stories to tell that are just golden.

Last night, Frank Gifford and Don Maynard were on the show. Gifford is a well-known character to most. Maynard might be less known to a lot of folks these days. He was a top receiver in the NFL, primarily in the 1960s. He was, in fact, maybe the first real star at wide receiver. He has a book out. McCarver brought up some highlights during the discussion.

Maynard is just a good ol' boy from Texas. He was born in a small town there. But he apparently spent some time in Oklahoma as a young lad. He said he attended grade school here. His transportation to and from school was provided by a mule. The school he attended had one room. There were six rows---one for each grade. There was one teacher. That's right, one teacher.

I'm quite certain no fancy athletic facilities were attached to the school. I'm quite certain there was little in it, maybe a few books and a blackboard. Hell, there probably wasn't even an indoor bathroom.

Maynard was born in 1935. So I guess we're talking about him attending school in the early 1940s. He went on to attend what is now UTEP. He had the ability to catch a football and could run like a turpentined cat. Those two skills provided him with a nice career in the NFL. Of course, players didn't retire rich in those days. He's had to do something for the past 30-plus years to support himself. Now, he's an old man and is a published author. He's done rather well for himself for a guy that grew up in such humble educational surroundings, wouldn't you say?

Compare and contrast.

Today, school buildings are fancier than ever. I know. The educators like to pick one broken-down school in some inner city and show that as the norm. Media lackeys are more than willing to help. That's a false image. For example, a school was just opened in Los Angeles that cost nearly $600 million to build. Six hundred million frog skins for one school.

Athletic facilities are fancier than ever. Even though the vast majority of high school athletes are done come graduation because they just aren't good enough to take it the next level, we pour tons of public money into facilities for them.

Today, kids don't ride to school on mules. Districts provide fleets of buses to pick them up and take them home.

Today, a huge percentage of school kids even get to eat for free.

Today, teachers are the most pampered people in the country. They work part-time for full-time pay; they get free health insurance; they get early retirements and lucrative pension benefits for life. Can you imagine the bitching if teachers were compensated like they were in the '40s while having to teach all subjects to six different grades?

Today, the stats say about 30 percent of an entering high school class will drop out. Meanwhile, just about every state in the union is facing massive budget problems. Education is the biggest money-eater for any state government.

Have we pursued a prudent path?

Henry's Numbers

A recent poll came out that shows Governor Brad Henry's approval rating spiking since the November elections. His approval rating had been in decline for years. I suppose that's normal for a sitting governor. It bottomed at 62 percent---which ain't a bad low point. The most recent poll, however, shows Henry with a 71 percent approval rating. Why?

Henry is a lame duck; he hasn't done much of anything of late. Much was said about "shellacking" in the recent election on the national scene. But in Oklahoma, Democrats were severely shellacked. Republicans made gains in the Legislature. If I'm not mistaken, a Republican won a seat in Little Dixie---an unheard of event. The governor's race wasn't a race. The Democrat was never in it. All statewide races went to Republicans. Yet the outgoing lame duck Democratic governor got considerably more popular. Hmmmm, a bit of a head-scratcher?

Well, not really. Henry came out strongly against the educators' attempted billion-dollar money grab known as State Question 744. The pounding Democrats took at the polls in November pales in comparison to the pounding educators took. Four out of five voters said no to their measure.

People, it seems, have finally had enough of educator whining. Let the word go forth to politicians and media types alike: It's a new day. No longer do you need to kiss educator ass. The political-educational complex is crumbling.

Paying Coaches

USA Today just came out with some data about pay for college football coaches. Every little bit of it is ridiculous.

Coach Saban of Alabama is the top-paid dude in the business. The paper says he is pulling down $5.9 million a year. Where is Alabama this year? Is the school playing for a national title? Is the school conference champs? Nope, on both counts.

Mack Brown, down there ta Texas, is second on the list. He's pulling down $5.1 million a year. This year, that comes to about a million bucks per win. With all his genius, and with some of the best talent available on his team, Mack couldn't find a way to win six lousy games and get bowl eligible.

Bob Stoops, down there ta Norman, is reportedly making $4.3 million dollars a year. Lord knows what he would be making if he had managed to win one of his past five BCS bowl appearances or one of his last three shots at a national title.

Mr. Gundy, down there ta Stillwater, is only making $1.9 million a year. One wonders how the man can survive. I mean how can he afford to keep himself in orange clothing, or pay his hairdresser, on a mere $160,000 a month? But then, I'm sure he doesn't have to worry about it. I'm sure the university pays for his extras, in spite of is enormous salary.

Todd Graham at TU is making a reported $804,253 a year. I doubt TU football nets enough money to even pay the head coach's salary.

Some schools, it seems, don't want people to know what football coaches are paid. Miami and Notre Dame---two programs that have sucked for years---were no-shows in the exam. Southern Cal---a school that is up to its butt in cheating problems---put up no number as well.

Basketball is no different. A couple of years ago, Jeff Capel of OU was handed a new contract. His base salary was upped to over a million bucks per year, and he was given a "stay bonus," that accrued at $100,000 per year for six years. Why was he given the new contract? Well, somebody determined that Capel is a basketball coaching genius that had to be kept at OU.

When last year ended, it was reported that OU had its worst season in 29 years. OU is stinking up the joint this year.

My, how Capel's multimillion-dollar coaching genius seemed to evaporate when Blake Griffin went pro.

But by all means, as the Republican Party argues, we shouldn't tax the proceeds of the aforementioned. That would be bad for the economy. Hell, taxing a bunch of coaching geniuses might even cost you your job.

Shaaaaw, as if!