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March 04, 2005
ALL GOOD THINGS...
I've said many times before that I started this blog as writing practice. Somewhere along about the summer of 2003, I realized that the only writing I was doing anymore was business writing, and I got a little concerned about losing my creative edge. I figured that cultivating my own little plot of the Internet, where a select half dozen friends or so could drop by and read -- and push me if I hadn't written anything in a while -- would do the job. I was generally ridiculously happy and optimistic at that time, so it made sense to me.
What's happened since then is that this little community has expanded beyond any expectation I had. I get hits and comments from people all over the country and now even from across the world. I'm no Wonkette or Joshua Micah Marshall, but we do have our dedicated little community here, and it's taken me by pleasant surprise. It's been rewarding to realize that a few people out there who have no idea who I am will make a point of coming by and reading what I've written; that's a gratifying feeling that I've really come to enjoy. And that's why it's going to be so hard to let go.
Beginning tonight, The Chronic Curmudgeon is going on extended hiatus. I have a self-imposed blogxile in mind until Memorial Day at the earliest. I'd like to remain on your blogrolls at least until then, but I'll understand if you send my link to the round file. For those three or four of you who are not breathing a sigh of relief but are actually curious, there are a few reasons why I'm doing this; I offer those explanations below.
1) I'm becoming unoriginal. You know, when this was just something I was just doing to practice writing, it didn't matter what I wrote. I could put anything up here and it wouldn't matter, because the only ones who might see it were the Doc, Tim, the now-Ex, and a handful of others. But then this thing sort of took off, and I stopped being Christopher here; I became "The Mudge" -- complete with readers stopping by not because they knew me but because they actually wanted to see what I had to say. That's a cool thing, but it comes with some pressure: in my mind, if people are going to give me the honor of reading my stuff, I owe you the respect of making sure that it's stuff worth reading.
I don't feel like I've done that much lately. I've gotten repetitive. It's fine to dislike and reject Bush, the extreme right, and conservatives in general -- actually it's more than fine, it's a moral obligation for every American. But only someone with a lot more energy than me can keep hating them that intensely and still be articulate and original, day in and day out. (I suggest JoFish at the Democratic Veteran, Jillian and her crew at Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, or the Political Site of the Day for these articulate rants.) It's fine to offer pithy observations at the news or slice of life kind of essays, but I've been getting lazy in my observations and I've not focused on life enough to be slicing it much. (Pete over at A Perfectly Cromulent Blog writes the blog I wish I did in that vein; Corey over at The Cynic also has a fine blog where sports, entertainment and general musings are concerned.) I'm not saying I've "lost it" and will never find that original voice again -- to the contrary (more on that in a second). I just think I've gotten lazy and need to recharge my batteries a little.
2. This blog's keeping me from focusing. The whole point of writing practice is to keep your keyboard sharp for that day when you finally sit down to write the Great American Novel That Also Sells 3 Million Copies, Gets Optioned For Movie Rights, And Makes You Rich Beyond Your Dreams. But when your practice keeps you from actually getting in the game, you're doing something wrong. I told you at the beginning of 2005 that one of my resolutions was to finally sit down and start writing. I've got anywhere from eight to a dozen solid ideas for novels, stories that I have inside that are just asking me to tell them. But I haven't pursued any of them -- and that's got to change.
Recently, friends have been stepping up the pressure. Doc and Tim have been chastising me with increasing insistance that "it's time" for me to do this; each of them have seen a couple of my ideas and tell me that I'm crazy if I don't write them into a book. And an unexpected source -- a friend from my office who I never really knew believed in me so much -- said something about two weeks ago that I haven't shaken. "Why are you not writing your book?" she asked. "Because once you do, you're out of here. You'll get published. You'll be huge. We all know it; we all talk about it, that if you ever get off your ass and do it, you'll never look back and we'll be bragging that we knew you when."
You know, that's the kind of thing that I tend to dimiss when it comes from my closest friends... of course they think it, they're my friends. They have to. But when it comes from someone who you don't realize even reads your non-work stuff... and when she insists that "everybody" who knows me is just sort of waiting for me to do it... well, that's kind of a club over the head. And when you're spending 90 minutes to 2 hours every night surfing for things to blog about and then writing your posts, that's 90 minutes to 2 hours that you're not writing your novel.
3. Mid-Life Crisis/Burnout. I joked about it when my back went to hell, how when things start breaking down due not to injury but simply to age, it's time for the mid-life crisis. I was only sort of joking. And things like this story don't help... the average male in the US lives 74.8 years now -- which means that once you hit 37.4 years, your life's half over. I'll be looking at that happy little milestone later this year. And as I've been obsessing and scaring myself about the mileage I've accumulated, I've been looking back on the first half and at where I am today... and I give it a 78, but I can't dance to it. There's a lot that I like about where I am in my life now, but there are a lot of things I need to change.
In the beginning of this post, I told you that when I started this blog I was generally ridiculously happy and optimistic. If when you read that you thought that it didn't sound like me, you're right. It doesn't. Things happen the way they do for a reason and I'm better off... but in the year since Ex acquired her current title, I have not only brooded and pouted about that whole situation, I have allowed that mindset to take everything else over -- so that even long after I stopped caring about Ex, that pissed off/miserable outlook remains. Some of that is simply being a frustrated writer who's not doing what he feels he was meant to do, but much of it is just in attitude. I think part of the reason I still am so wistful about my Florida life is that when I give myself the chance, I actually like being happy better than being grouchy -- and Florida represents the last time I was really happy. It's time to do something to get that outlook back -- and there are very specific things I can do.
So the next few months are going to be dedicated to making some serious changes -- doing things I should have done a long time ago, and that I have no valid excuse for not doing now. The time I have been spending blogging is going to now go toward these changes. I'm gonna drop some weight; maybe not all the pounds that would be healthiest for me, but I'm gonna drop something. I'm going to finally start eating right and taking care of myself -- to steal from Jimmy Buffett, I'm going to start treating my body like a temple and not a tent. I'm going to focus my energies on finding ways to help my company from someplace other than New York, because it's time to move... this year. And if that's not possible, well, that also tells me something.
And, most importantly, I'm going to write. I'm going to write a couple of pages every day. I'm going to flesh out plots, draw out characters, take them places or let them take me where they want to go. I'm going to put myself a little closer to the day when you'll all be walking through the airport, pass W.H. Smith and see books with my name on them on display... and you'll pass them by, going "been there, read that, bookmarked the blog." ;-) And once I start getting a few chapters done, I'm going to put them up on this site or maybe another one I start just to get the assistance of a built-in community of editors and critics. (That'd be all of you guys, for those whom I've long since bored to sleep with all this self-indulgent tripe.) I trust your opinions. I'd be interested in getting your thoughts once I have some stuff down, and I hope to engage some of you in that process soon enough.
So that's where I'm going, my friends. I know, it's crazy to walk away now, once I've finally built up an audience and gotten some attention... and if I do start up again, I may never get the readership back once I go. But this is something I need to do. I've truly enjoyed getting to know you all, either in the comment fields here, through your own blogs, or in e-mail exchanges. And I'd like very much to stay in touch with you if you're so inclined. Jill, Corey, Mike, Mileah, MG, Pete, Eden, Brian Seadogs, McRob, and all the other new friends I've made through this blog, this means you. (And for those of you whole already knew me in real life, you know where to find me.) Please feel free to contact me any time:
e-mail: thechroniccurmudgeon@hotmail.com
AOL IM: ChrnicCurmudgeon
Once again, thank you, each and every one of you who's ever read anything here; I'm grateful to you. (The Doc told me that this is the part where I should put in a shameless plug that bound copies of this blog are available through BlogBinders for a small fee... I tend to doubt that anyone would shell out $14.95 for a book of this site, but then I doubted that anyone would ever come read my schlock either, so I'll humor him by mentioning it. Let me know via e-mail if you're interested in The Best of The Chronic Curmudgeon.)
I'll come back around Memorial Day and update you on where things stand... maybe I'll have made enough progress in these changes and on my own writing that I'll feel like blogging again -- and after three months, you know I'll have rediscovered something original to say! Or, maybe I'll decide that The Mudge has had his time and it's best to keep Christopher writing from here on out. Either way I hope to stay in touch with as many of you as possible.
Thank you, and good night.
March 03, 2005
MORE CURMUDGEON'S LISTS
Ain't it embarrassing when you get caught screwing up your own list? I went to lunch with the usual crew at the office today, and was immediately -- and rightfully -- jumped upon for the movies list, mostly for other people's favorite movies that I left off. (See, I told you that it would obscure my lack of creativity!) But where I really got slapped around was for forgetting two of my top five favorite movies of all time. How the hell do you make a top 21 list and then forget two of the movies in your personal top five? Especially when you forget the one that you've always told people is your favorite??? Wow - muscle relaxant-induced moment of amnesia there.
So the movie list changes... while I love The Graduate and Igby Goes Down, they by default fall off the list if I add two more. Schindler's List now ranks 21st, 2001 ranks 20th, and so on... Manchurian Candidate is 7th, L.A. Confidential ranks 6th, Caddyshack ranks 5th (what a glaring omission!), Tommy Boy ranks 4th, Silence of the Lambs 3rd, Shwashank Redemption #2... and my real #1 after screwing up, forgetting it and not even looking at my own damn DVD collection... is Bull Durham.
So now that I have wholly shot my credibility by screwing up last night's list, here are some more for you (again, pay attention to the lists and not my lack of originality!). On the baseball players, I'm not arguing they were the best, just saying they were my favorites -- though some are fading due to post-career shenanigans or revelations. On the guitarists, I'm saying favorites, not necessarily best (though I'll argue forever that Hendrix's reputation outstrips reality and that he's considered the best primarily because we've all been told so many times he is the best). On the women... look, I am very well aware that celebrity images are manufactured, and I know it's superficial of men to judge... oh, hell -- I'm a guy, and we are superficial; besides, like women don't have lists of celebrities too?
Mudge's 21 Favorite Baseball Players From His Lifetime (1968- )
21. Ryne Sandberg
20. George Brett
19. Rafael Palmiero
18. Kent Hrbek
17. Frank Robinson
16. Darren Daulton
15. Nomah!
14. Mike Schmidt
13. Johnny Bench
12. Kirby Puckett
11. Carl Yastrzemski
10. Tug McGraw
9. Paul Molitor
8. Mark McGwire
7. Brooks Robinson
6. Henry Aaron
5. Jim Rice
4. Bob Gibson
3. Albert Pujols
2. Jason Varitek
1. Carlton Fisk
Mudge's 21 Favorite Guitarists of All Time
21. Bonnie Raitt
20. T-Bone Walker
19. Jimi Hendrix
18. Robert Cray
17. Kirk Hammett
16. Chet Atkins
15. Carlos Santana
14. Elmore James
13. Muddy Waters
12. Robert Johnson
11. Ronnie Earl
10. Mark Knopfler
9. George Benson
8. B.B. King
7. Eric Clapton
6. Albert King
5. Slash
4. Albert Collins
3. Eddie Van Halen
2. Buddy Guy
1. Stevie Ray Vaughn
The 21 Celebrity Women Mudge Would Most Like To... Date (photos rated G to PG-13, most work sensitive are *'d)
21. Halle Berry
20. Holly Hunter
19. Virginia Madsen
18. Mira Sorvino
17. Lea Thompson
16. Aishwarya Rai
15. Sarah Michelle Gellar
14. Rachel Weisz
13. Heather Graham
12. Emily Proctor
11. Natalie Portman
10. Charlize Theron
9. Naomi Watts
8. Mary Louise Parker
7. Mariska Hargitay
6. Ashley Judd
5. Tina Fey
4. Liz Phair
3. Jennifer Love Hewitt
2. Diane Lane
1. Catherine Bell
Mudge's 10 Favorite Words That Sound Dirty But Aren't
10. Uranus
9. summa cum laude
8. penal
7. titular
6. exacerbate
5. masticate
4. kumquat
3. cumin
2. fallacious
1. succumb
March 02, 2005
CURMUDGEON'S LISTS
It is one of the tricks of lazy journalists and bloggers everywhere to simply draw up lists of one sort or another -- in the hopes that the debate about those lists will obscure the fact that the writer really didn't come up with much in the way of original thoughts that day. So here are a few lists of mine.
Mudge's 21 Favorite Movies of All Time:
21. The Graduate (1967)
20. Igby Goes Down (2002)
19. Schindler's List (1993)
18. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
17. The Breakfast Club (1985)
16. Singin' In The Rain (1951)
15. Shrek (2001)
14. Austin Powers II: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
13. Clerks (1994)
12. All The President's Men (1976)
11. The Matrix (1999)
10. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
9. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
8. A Few Good Men (1992)
7. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
5. The Manchurian Candidate (1962, not the blasphemous 2004 remake)
4. L.A. Confidential (1997)
3. Tommy Boy (1995)
2. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The 21 People Mudge Most Wishes Would Get Abducted By Aliens For Bizarre and Torturous Experiments
21. Senator Rick Santorum
20. Josh Groban
19. Charlton Heston
18. Jerry Springer
17. Randy Moss
16. Condaleeza Rice
15. Roseanne
14. Michael Jackson
13. Antonin Scalia
12. Rush Limbaugh
11. Donald Rumsfeld
10. Paul Wolfowitz
9. Karl Rove
8. Alex Rodriguez
7. Dick Cheney
6. George Steinbrenner
5. Barry Bonds
4. Kobe Bryant
3. Ann Coulter
2. Tom DeLay
1. George W. Bush
Mudge's 21 Favorite Bars/Places to Drink in the US
21. Mangoes, Key West FL
20. The Dugout, Boston MA
19. Carrie Nation's, Los Gatos CA
18. Whitlow's on Wilson, Arlington VA
17. The Campbell Apartment, New York, NY
16. Backwater's on Sand Key, Clearwater FL
15. Potion, New York NY
14. Neptune's Palace, San Francisco CA
13. Bottle and Cork, Dewey Beach DE
12. Carpool, Arlington VA
11. Union Street Public House, Alexandria VA
10. Stephanie's, Doylestown PA
9. Boston Beer Works, Boston MA
8. Old Key Lime House, Lantana FL
7. The Isles, Ocean Isle Beach, NC
6. The Rusty Rudder, Dewey Beach DE
5. The Giggling Mackerel, Ocean Isle Beach, NC
4. T's Pub, Boston MA
3. The Reliable Source at the National Press Club, Washington DC
2. Buffalo Billiards, Washington DC
1. Boston's On The Beach, Delray Beach, FL
More lists tomorrow.
MARINE'S GIRL UPDATE (as far as I know)
As you may have noticed, since this past weekend Marine's Girl's site has been offline... at first it appeared that she'd been highjacked, but after a few days that seemed less likely. Several of her regular readers sent me e-mails asking if I knew what had happened to her, and at least one concerned reader has been in the comment field here wondering about the same thing. I've also been worried about our friend.
I haven't heard from MG directly, but I have e-mailed with one of her readers who has been in e-mail contact with her. It's not really my place to be giving updates on her, but since many have expressed concern I'll just say that she's okay, but her blog may be down for a while. But, she's still around and dropping by my cyberplace every now and then, so anyone who wants to say hello and wish her well could do so here in the comment field below.
MASTER DEBATER
This story is a sign of either the peak of western civilization or the apocolypse...
In its 183-year history, the august Oxford Union debating society has heard the wisdom of Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan and Mother Teresa. But until now, its members have yet to hear from anyone with quite the same resume as Ron Jeremy, star of 1,700 adult films, including "Bang Along With Ron."
Jeremy... will address the union on Wednesday, joining countless British prime ministers, three U.S. presidents and political figures from the Dalai Lama to Malcolm X in its archival guest list.
I bet I know how this one goes... he gets to Oxford, see, and he orders room service... which is delivered by a buxom blonde in a French maid's outfit. Then when he's on stage, there's this woman kneeling behind the podium... and then after the speech, the pizza delivery girl comes in, and...
March 01, 2005
SWOOSH
I hate giving Nike credit for anything... I don't like them. I don't like how they began the reprehensible trend of turning jerseys into portable billboards and athletes into shills. I hate how they helped create the culture of image overriding substance that pervades sports.
But damn if I don't have to hand it to them for having great advertising. And at the top of the heap is the current TV campaign Nike is running for their line of athletic clothing. Their "For Warriors" commercial is, quite simply, the best commercial on television right now.
You know the one: it features Albert Pujols, LaDamian Tomlinson, Mariano Rivera, Brian Urlacher, Torii Hunter, Ben Rothlisberger, and those kick-ass masks... all set to that slasher movie/martial arts fight scene music. The commercial just bleeds adrenalin; it gets even my fat ass ready to go hit the gym hard. The direction, fast edits, the use of zooms, quick pans and frame speed changes, the CGI masks, the atmosphere the music projects... if this doesn't get your competitive juices going, you don't have any. Pure adrenalin, man.
Not only that, but if you look at the collection of athletes in the ad, you see a virtual Hall of Fame... Pujols and Rivera will end their careers in Cooperstown, Urlacher will be the latest generation of Bears linebackers in Canton... Tomlinson is the most exciting back in the game today and with a few more years like his first few, he could be Hall-bound. Hunter's the most acrobatic, daring, and exciting defensive outfielder of this generation... the jury's still way out on Rothlisberger, but he did have one hell of a rookie season. Picture a commercial a dozen or 15 years ago that featured Mark McGwire, Barry Sanders, Dennis Eckersley, Mike Singletary, Rickey Henderson, and Jim Kelly... that's what this commercial is like.
Best commercial on TV. See it here.
A DISGUSTING DOUBLE STANDARD
Last week, frustrated by what he felt were illegal screens not being called on St. Joseph's University, Temple coach John Cheney ordered one of his players -- 6'8", 250 pound Nehemiah Ingram -- to "send a message" by deliberately committing hard fouls on St. Joe's players. Cheney said he was sending in his "goon." True to his orders, Ingram committed a flagrant and hard foul on St. Joseph's senior forward John Bryant. Bryant fell to the floor and broke his arm -- ending not only the young man's season, but his basketball career (on Senior Night next week, Bryant will not be able to take the floor).
So we're clear here, here's what happened: a college basketball coach not named Bob Knight sent a player into the game to deliberately play dirty, and the result was that a player was hurt seriously enough to end his basketball career.
Chaney has a history of unstable behavior; in 1984 he grabbed the neck of rival coach Gerry Gimelstob in a fit of anger... and no one did anything. In 1994, Chaney burst into then-Massachusetts coach John Calipari's press conference and stormed the stage threatening to kill him... and everyone looked the other way. If John Chaney's name were Bob Knight (or Jerry Tarkanian, or Jim Harrick), he would have been fired for his loose cannon misconduct long before he sent a player into a game specifically to play dirty and potentially hurt people. But John Chaney isn't any of those men. And John Chaney has been allowed to stay in his position despite his numerous and reprehensible trangressions and flaws. Excuses are made for him... he's just "John being John."
Chaney has spent the last week apologizing and making a show of punishing himself; he has offered to pay Bryant's medical bills, has met with Bryant's family to apologize, and has suspended himself from coaching for the rest of the season.
It's not enough. Chaney should lose his job, and frankly should be prosecuted for conspiracy to commit assault just like Jeff Gillooly was when he ordered his friends to assault Nancy Kerrigan, or like Todd Bertuzzi when he blindsided Steve Moore and broke his neck during a hockey game. Chaney should be involved in the sending of a message, all right. It's just that the message should be that there are some lines that still cannot be crossed, not even in today's era where there is no such thing as sportsmanship. John Chaney went too far -- and this time, no one should be making excuses for him.
Unfortunately, many are. The excuses are myriad; most center around the young men whose lives were turned around because Cheney took them off the streets and into his program, or about his 'contributions to the game' (read: winning). As Stephen A. Smith wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer,
I don't know about anyone else, but I can't think about Chaney (or other illustrious black coaches like Clarence "Big House" Gaines, John Thompson or the late John McClendon) without thinking about his past. His character. His contributions to the desolate, the disenfranchised, and all those Prop 48 kids and others who were able to make a life for themselves because Chaney's conscience wouldn't allow him to stop fighting.
Okay, Mr. Smith... but didn't Chaney let all those Prop 48 kids down by tarnishing all of them with his broad brush? Anyone associated with Chaney now inherits the reputation and inherent accusations or judgements that come along with being one of Chaney's. It seems to me that those kids are the ones Chaney let down most of all.
But Smith alluded to something else in his defense -- something that William C. Rhoden in the New York Times came right out and flat out said.
The governor of Pennsylvania, Edward G. Rendell, made the silliest statement. He said that if Chaney were Bob Knight, people would have called for his head. People are calling for his head, and beyond that, Rendell shouldn't be playing those silly double-standard games. Chaney grew up during an era when African-Americans were routinely denied opportunities while their white counterparts thrived.
If Chaney were Knight, he could have played in the N.B.A. and not had to scrounge for a career in the Eastern League while the N.B.A. maintained segregation and then racial quotas. If Chaney were Knight, he probably would be on his third major coaching job. If Chaney were Bob Knight, he could have been the governor of Pennsylvania by now.
In other words, according to Rhoden, John Chaney shouldn't be fired... because he's black.
That's the most demeaning, the most infuriating, the flimsiest defense I've ever heard. I disagree vehemently with Stephen A. Smith and Dick Vitale, but I can at least see their point -- that Chaney has earned a second chance with the good things he's done for his kids, his school, and his sport. (I'd argue that Chaney is on at least his fourth chance, though -- after choking one rival coach 20 years ago and threatening to kill another 10 years later.) I'd argue vehemently against it, but I can at least understand the argument.
But Rhoden is not only wrong, he's insulting every sports fan and every person of color in America. Haven't we been fighting for decades -- centuries, even -- to ensure that every single person out there is held to the same standards, regardless of their race? To make true Dr. King's dream that every man will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character? It is insulting, demeaning and wrong that Chaney was denied the chance as a young man to play in the NBA due to his color. But isn't it just as insulting, demeaning and wrong for Chaney to keep his job due to his color?
Rhoden accused Gov. Rendell (and others making the "if this were Knight he'd have been fired by now" argument) of playing "silly double-standard games." The sad irony is, Rhoden and others making his argument are the ones truly employing double-standards.
Bob Knight was fired at Indiana for putting his hands on one of his own players (and verbally threatening IU students who didn't play basketball). John Chaney ordered one of his players to deliberately play rough with another team's player, and the result was that the opposing player's career was ended. If Knight lost his job for yelling at a couple of kids that they should call him Mr. Knight and for choking one of his own players, what do you think would have happened to him had he ordered the deliberate attempt to hurt an opposing player?
John Chaney's defenders will tell you that he's spent his entire career fighting to make sure that the kids he recruits and coaches have the same chances as everyone else. If his message is to be truly heeded, John Chaney must also face the same consequences as everyone else.
A TALE OF TWO COUNTRIES
Every once in a while I see an article that just makes me shake my head in wonder. I've railed before about the difference between the haves and have-nots in the United States today... and tried to figure out just who the haves really are. Today I saw one such article.
According to a study released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday, second homes accounted for more than a third of residential real estate transactions in 2004. Second homes typically fall under the category of vacation home or rental property, though many owners of vacation homes also rent out their property.
Still, about 23 percent of houses bought last year fell into the category of investment property, meaning that owners use the house primarily as a rental property. The number of sales in this segment increased 14 percent last year. Vacation homes used primarily by the owners represented 13 percent of transactions last year, with the number of sales in this segment increasing nearly 20 percent.
In the meantime, the latest numbers that are available -- 2003 -- suggest that 12.5% of Americans, or one in eight, now live below the poverty line. One in eight live below the poverty line -- currently ridiculously defined as $18,810 for a family of four or $9,393 for an individual. But one in three new homes sold are to the rich.
Think I'm just railing about the poor? Nope. Who do you think is buying these second homes?
The typical person buying investment rental property is 47 years old and earned about $86,000 in 2003, according to the NAR, while the typical vacation-home buyer is 55 years old and earned $71,000.
Meanwhile, according to the US government's own statistics, the average income in the US in 2003 was $43,318. So what we're really seeing here is that one third of the houses sold in the country last year were sold to people making anywhere from 68% to 98% more than the average American.
I went to Realtor.com and did a little calculating... a person making that average income of $43,318 and having NO debt at all (highly unlikely, but for the sake of argument let's say so), getting a mortgage rate of 5.875% (just under the US average of 5.91%), and putting $20,000 down (would 1/2 of your income be doable? Again, let's assume so for the sake of argument) could afford a house that cost no more than $142,910. A person making the average US income could afford a house priced at $142,910.
The government reported in October that the average cost of a single-family home in the US is $264,000. The average house costs almost 85% more than what a person making the US average income can afford.
But meanwhile, more than one third of the houses sold in this country are sold to the rich. Some "recovery" in housing sales, huh? More than a third of the houses sold in the United States in 2004 were rich people buying second homes for their vacations or drive extra income for themselves. Let me say that again: more than one third of the houses sold last year were to people buying a second home and making anywhere between two-thirds to twice the average household income.
I'm lucky enough to be making a good living, well over the average -- but in Westchester County, NY, the average cost of a house in summer 2004 was $660,000... more than twice what I qualify to buy. I'm a professional white collar worker with a Masters' degree, and I'd have to double my income to ever buy a house here. And I'm admittedly doing well -- there are a lot of people not doing as well... what can they ever hope for?
20 years of policies (directed by both parties) designed to help those who already have get even more are having an impact on America. The average American -- not even just the poor, but the average American -- finds owning a home a dream that climbs further out of reach every year... while the rich get to buy beach houses and investment properties.
Something about that just doesn't seem right to me. What do we do about it? I don't know. I just know that the way things are just isn't right.
KESSEL NARROWS HIS CHOICES
The most recruited and highly sought after young hockey player in a generation, Phil Kessel, has narrowed his choices to four remaining colleges: Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Boston University. (Note, Brent, that UNH is nowhere to be found on this list.) He expects to make his decision soon.
Boston College, Kessel said Saturday, is "not really in the mix any more," leaving Boston University, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin as his top four choices.
"It's coming up soon," he said. "I really haven't decided, but I can't keep the colleges waiting. I still don't know where I want to go. It's a lot harder to decide than I thought it would be."
The stakes are high in this recruiting battle: Kessel is said by most scouts and observers to be the best US-born hockey prospect since Mike Modano came along back in 1989 -- and some are already saying he could end up being the greatest American-born player ever before his career is out. He's playing on the US National Under-18 team during it's current tour of US colleges -- and in many arenas fans are cheering against the home team in favor of cheering Kessel. This is a 17 year old kid, folks... and he's that good and getting that much fan attention already.
Put this kid on Coach Jack Parker's already young and promising BU Terriers next year, and you might as well just hand the Terriers the NCAA title without even playing the season.
