Turn down the anti-Obama volume

I have been listening to talk radio and reading what the pundits are saying in the newspapers since President Obama's State of the Union address earlier this week. I am not sure why so many of these folks seem so eager for Obama to fail. To my way of thinking, we all fail if any president continually stumbles. We elected Obama to succeed and should judge him on performance. So far, that performance has been below average in my opinion.

Critics have a right to question many of the president's decisions and cabinet choices. It's his first year and first years are rarely good for any president. I suspect many Obama appointees won't make it through the first term. I think some of his advisers have been a disaster. It appears Obama didn't select his people wisely. As any kind of executive or hiring manager, hiring is one of the most important tasks. You have to have the right people in order to get things done and to enhance the credibility of the administration. You also have to fire people who show a pattern of incompetence.

But more disturbing than the critiques and political rhetoric are the comments by some talk show hosts like Michael Savage, portraying Obama as an threat to this country, an enemy of America. I don't agree with a lot of what Obama has done (and not done) in his first year, but I don't feel he's intentionally working against Americans. I generally like Savage's radio show because he goes after both sides with equal gusto, unlike a Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. He's a native New Yorker who just seems to make a lot of sense to me, and does it in a way that is entertaining to someone who grew up with a father with a similar viewpoint and style. Still, I wish he'd pull back a bit on the bulls eye that he's place on Obama's back.

The danger in escalating the personal hatred on talk radio is that there are unstable people in this country who might get wound up and try to do something about Obama that could end in tragedy. I wish those who disagree with Obama would turn down the volume and just make their cases based on facts and not personal attacks. Of course, those same personal attacks occurred on the left when President Bush was in office, so maybe this is payback.

Lately, it seems we've lost our ability to debate the issues in a respectful manner. Not only does that raise anxieties, it also takes the focus off the things that need to be fixed. I understand the desire to be loud and get noticed in an increasingly competitive media, but I don't agree with inciting folks who can't process it.

McDonnell plays it moderately right

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, sworn in less than two weeks ago, gave the GOP response speech to President Obama's State of the Union address tonight. It's a tough gig and others have gone down in flames trying to provide a substantive opposing view. However, McDonnell's performance, while predictable, wasn't offensive or clumsy. He seemed moderate in his opinions and likable in his demeanor. Like during his campaign, he led his speech off by talking about jobs. A wise strategy that undoubtedly got him elected last November. However, McDonnell didn't reveal a lot of new ideas or details about how he plans to create those jobs.

At times McDonnell seems to be too packaged, but it looks like he might be on the fast track to national politics. He may even have a shot at the presidency if he gets people back to work in Virginia and reduces the state deficit.

As for Obama's address, the president continues to be a master of public speaking. Even when I disagree with Obama, I find him easy to listen to and think his heart is generally in the right place. I was glad to hear him place the focus for 2010 on jobs -- meaningful jobs, as he stated. However, I still can't help wonder why it took Obama a year to become more engaged in the quest to get people back to work or why he continues to take on a campaign-like tone of blaming the previous administration for much of what ails us. He's a smart guy. We elected him to do a job. It's time to stop the George Bush bashing and get on with the business of leading the country out of this economic mess.

Apple takes the next step with iPad

The Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, has done it again. His latest innovation, the iPad, appears to be a revolutionary device in the same way the company's Macintosh computers and iPod music players blazed new trails years ago. This isn't just an over-sized smart phone. This thing appears to have some serious possibilities that move us one step further away from clunky desktop and notebook computers. It has a screen you can actually see and a large virtual keyboard suitable for typing, yet it's still more portable than even the smallest notebook computers. Some complaints about the lack of certain features are already being raised, but with a device like this, I tend to see it as a start rather than a finished product. And it's a significant start that could evolve into various new products.

I can envision people being more likely to take this on a commuter train to read their morning newspaper than lugging along and cranking up a laptop. Is it more convenient than a paper news product? Well, that remains to be seen. Some folks will always prefer the feel of ink and disposable newsprint, I suppose. I will confess that paper and ink will always appeal to me. In some ways, newsprint is more high tech than anything invented to this point to replace it. Nothing loads faster and it has no annoying popups. But I am a realist and know that we can't keep cutting down trees forever. Nor can companies invest in massive printing presses and costly distribution methods.

If one thing could hurt the iPad, it's the cost. Starting at $499 and going up over $800, some will argue it doesn't do enough to justify such a purchase. People still want a real keyboard to type long documents on. They still want their smart phones to talk on and to easily carry in their pockets. I believe Apple will quickly need to update this device so that users can multitask on it. Still, with that said, there is nothing else on the market quite like the iPad. It makes the Kindle already look outdated.

Here's the link to video where Jobs describes the iPad. Along with his still getting it done in the technology field, I also applaud Jobs for wearing jeans to announce the launching of the iPad. Seeing him up there in a suit wouldn't have flown with most Apple groupies. Under Jobs, Apple has always marched to the beat of a different drummer. The jeans, like the iPad, are symbolic of that pioneering spirit.

More cheers for Men of a Certain Age

Last Monday's episode of Men of a Certain Age on TNT is worth a second look if you have an on-demand service or if you happened to record it. It's not up on the TNT web site yet.

Episode 7 is titled Fathers’ Fraternity. As you might figure, it centers on father-son relationships. But the show also touches on three forms of rejection -- obvious rejection based on misconceptions or prejudices (in this case, age discrimination), mysterious rejection where the victim doesn't quite understand why he's being turned down and begins questioning his own self worth, and justifiable rejection where one person is picked over another for logical reasons that are tied to abilities rather than emotions or clouded perceptions. My favorite scene is when the Ray Romano character goes to a large hardware store to speak to the general manager about why he rejected his elderly father for employment simply based on age. The manager explains that the work done in the store requires tasks like climbing ladders and expertise on computers, implying that it's work for younger people. Romano looks around and points to a young but obese employee and asks if the overweight worker is climbing any ladders. Meanwhile, Romano's father is roaming around the store, browsing at merchandise, unaware that his son is talking to the manager.

As that discussion continues near the service desk, a dispute occurs in another part of the store where a customer is trying to get an answer about a product from an inexperienced employee who obviously doesn't know the business very well but is trying to compensate by fruitlessly fumbling around on the store computer. The angry customer is about to leave when Romano's father, who owned a hardware store for many years prior to retiring, happens to overhear the discussion and comes to the aid of the customer.

The manager arrives on the scene with Romano and witnesses the exchange and the now-satisfied customer. Romano makes some funny wise crack to the manager about the kid with the computer, which practically made me stand up and cheer. And yes, the manager, now realizing older workers have a lot to offer, hired the retired hardware store owner.

As I have mentioned in a prior post, I like this show. It touches on a host of small and big topics meaningful to men my age. There's a lot of us, so a show like this is long overdue. But the dark-comedy/drama also should have value to women who try to understand us, younger people who will get to 50 one day and to seniors who have been there and done that.

Still, it's a fictional television show. In real life, would that store manager have hired the elderly retiree, regardless of how much knowledge he had about hardware? Do managers these days have the insight to understand why experience matters? Do companies, desperate to trim payroll in this recession, understand that their bottom lines ultimately aren't going to improve by ditching so much institutional knowledge or that there are many seasoned workers who can be had at bargain prices these days?

Technology is great. I truly enjoy the digital age, various new gadgets and such. I like working with younger, high-energy folks with fresh ideas from different cultures, genders, races and ethnic backgrounds. But I also understand that without men of a certain age (and older) being welcomed in the workplace, American society as a whole is diminished. Being unfairly rejected later in life has across-the-board consequences that rival many other societal problems.

Where will the "thresholders" go?

I learned a new term today. I discovered I am not simply a baby boomer. Folks my age are now being referred to as the "threshold generation" by career advisers. Watch the 25-minute video about the changing face of the workforce. (If that direct link to the clip doesn't work, you can go here and scroll down to the video). There is an interesting segment about folks in their 50s -- the threshold generation. These people make up an enormous segment of the population.

There is some good information in the video for job seekers. But I also think that the values, advice and good intentions of these experts aren't matching up with all of the current realities confronted by job hunters or how the recession has altered what employers are seeking. Until the mindset of employers changes and bottom lines improve, you can take all the Microsoft Office classes you want and "tweet" until you fingers fall off, and still remain unemployed or underemployed.

I am a big believer in all generations bringing value to the workplace. The best companies, in my opinion, have a wide range of ages all working together, learning from each other while growing the business. However, that is not how companies are viewing the workforce. I think it's a tragic mistake -- penny-wise, pound-foolish -- for companies to view older workers as fat that can be trimmed from the payroll. When I was young and breaking into the newspaper business, I truly enjoyed working with older editors who mentored me. I never would have learned as much as I did about journalism without their being in the newsroom. And to their credit, I think they appreciated my enthusiasm and energy. The companies that I worked for in the 80s and early 90s benefited from experienced employees mixing with young talent that could be cultivated. Those companies were family operated and seemed to be more likely to employ folks of all ages. Family-owned businesses, unfortunately, are disappearing.

A friend of mine who works for a major company that provides services to the Defense Department and Homeland Security watched some of his coworkers get their pink slips last week. The layoffs were mostly tied to pay rates. In general, the higher-paid people were let go. That was a real eye-opener. This isn't suppose to happen to the people who do the work that keep the country safe. That is allegedly an industry that is growing. It tells me that the recession is far from over and that once again older workers are being dismissed mostly because of their higher salaries, not because they can't learn PowerPoint. Many companies aren't even bothering to see if these higher-paid folks would be willing to take a salary reduction in order to keep their jobs. It's really quite ruthless and cold. I have to believe some bad karma is brewing. But more importantly, where are these "thresholders" going to go?

High road on easy street

In his farewell address last night, Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien said he hates cynicism. Said it's the worst trait a person can have. He urged everyone to stay positive and even spoke well of his now-former employer NBC. Of course, it's easy to stay positive about the future and speak well of an employer who prematurely let you go when that employer hands you $45 million to go away.

The downfall of the suburbs

"A new study from the Brookings Institution tells us that the largest and fastest-growing population of poor people in the U.S. is in the suburbs."

How's that for a wake-up call. Read more in Bob Herbert's column: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/23/opinion/23herbert.html

Yes, Herbert's opinion piece is very similar to my Jan. 19 post. But note that his column was written on Jan. 22. Guess a lot of people are beginning to reach the same conclusions based on the same realities we see all around us. We are in serious trouble but the politicians still don't get it. Some people just want to continue to stick their heads in the sand or blame unemployed people for not trying hard enough to find work. Some folks live in such a state of being above it all that until some beggar with a master's degree is camped out on their circular driveway, they refuse to open their eyes to any inconvenient truths.

Not only does the economy have to be the top priority, but age discrimination must be addressed so that people over 50 have a fair shot at getting back to work. I've said this countless times in this blog. Laws are being blatantly broken by employers who now openly advertise jobs for younger people. Discrimination violations aren't even being masked anymore. It reminds me of the way real estate ads were once written to distinguish between white and black communities (right and wrong side of the tracks), yet fooled no one. But with job ads, employers aren't even attempting to speak in code words anymore. They are coming right out and saying they don't want anyone over 30 or 40 to apply or are using phrases like "youthful energy" to describe qualities they want in job candidates. Amazing that there prejudice is so transparent. So much institutional knowledge, experience and know-how being flushed from society.

On this same topic, here's something else we better start thinking about. There is going to be a profound need for affordable or free senior-citizen housing soon. With so many 50 and 60somethings out of work or in jeopardy of losing their jobs, a normal, self-reliant retirement is becoming an impossible dream for millions. If the politicians aren't going to fix the economy, then at least start building the shelters now so that we can warehouse older people who have lost everything in this recession. It won't be pretty, but it's better than living on the streets.

Homelessness is already increasing in the suburbs. Just yesterday, someone I know got a memo at work stating that a homeless person's belongings were found in the stairwell landing near an elevator that goes to a parking lot. Other office building managers have noticed similar signs of folks finding shelter in parking garages or anywhere else that protects them from the bitter cold. These reports are coming from middle-class and high-end areas in Reston and Tysons Corner, Va. This was unheard of just a few short years ago in these types of communities.

What's astonishing is that acts of desperation are happening in an upscale, well-educated area like Northern Virginia where the unemployment rate isn't as bad as it is in the rest of the country. However, I think what is leading to this new homeless class is that Northern Virginia is also very expensive. If you do lose your job here, and can't find one elsewhere, you very well could end up on the streets, as I am becoming intimately aware of as my own predicament worsens.

Massachusetts speaks loudly

Scott Brown's winning the special election in Massachusetts tonight is stunning in a historic sense but predictable when you consider all that has gone on nationally in the last year. The seat held by the late Democrat, Sen. Ted Kennedy, will go to a Republican for the first time in decades. While the GOP won upset elections in Virginia and New Jersey in November, this victory is a clear indication of how people are incredibly upset with state and national Democratic politicians.

Here's why the Democrats are self destructing:

1. Health insurance reform should not have taken priority over the economy/jobs for the past year. Health insurance reform is a noble and worthwhile cause, but should have been third on the list of political priorities for the White House and Congress.

2. We are spending too much money on bailouts and wars -- money we don't have. A lot of parents are concerned about what kind of future their children and grandchildren will face as the deficit grows. Folks are tired of propping up foreign governments and greedy executives while endangering the financial well-being of our own families and country.

3. Our federal government seems as inept as ever at protecting our borders, preventing terrorists from getting on planes bound for the U.S., and can't even keep party-crashers from entering the White House. While President Obama is a smart guy, his administration has made some seriously bone-headed mistakes. Remember Air Force One flying low over New York for a photo opportunity, which sent the Big Apple running for cover in fear of another 9/11-like attack?

The election in Massachusetts isn't so much about New England going red, it's about calling out the Democrats for running up the deficit, not getting us out of these wars and most importantly, not putting the same amount of focus and energy into the economy as they have into health insurance reform. Yes, it's still the economy...

Democrats have seemed detached from the economic pain and worry the middle class is feeling. They talk a good game but appear to get derailed by what are lesser-issues for many Americans. Political issues. That doesn't necessarily mean the Republicans are better suited to fix all that ails us. If Republicans are smart, they will, however, at least create a perception that they understand it's mostly about the economy now. It probably will remain that way for several years.

Americans want to feel secure in their jobs and homes. They want opportunities for their kids. They don't want China owning half the country or political correctness going so overboard that we can't stop a member of the U.S. armed forces with ties to a known terrorist from shooting people on a homeland military base. We certainly want decent health care, but who is going to pay for it if no one is working and every job is outsourced to another country? We better start taking care of our own soon.

Voters spoke as loudly and smartly as ever in Massachusetts tonight. And that's a good thing for our country. When push comes to shove, democracy does work. People do wake up. Politicians of any party must understand we aren't going to let them set the agenda for us regardless of what party we might be registered with. We have to set the priorities and our New England brothers and sisters stood up today and did just that. They didn't fall into the Kennedy-legacy nonsense or antiquated ideas of red versus blue states. They saw the serious problems of today, didn't buy into the notion of the recession being over, and they said enough.

I am not a Republican or Democrat. My support goes to the politicians who understand what the issues of the day are and address them in a responsible, intelligent manner. I certainly hope Brown will be a solid senator and cast votes that are good for America and not just for his party.

Ryan has the Jets believin'

It's nice to see a Cinderella team still kickin' going into the NFL conference championship games next Sunday.

While the NFC title game will feature the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds (New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikinings), the AFC matchup will pit the top-seeded powerhouse Indianapolis Colts against the fifth-seeded underdog New York Jets.

First-year head coach Rex Ryan proved that leadership matters. He took over a sputtering Jet team that now has one of the best defenses in the league and players who seem to match the confidence that Ryan exudes. This shouldn't be too surprising for those old enough to remember his dad, Buddy Ryan, a long-time NFL defensive guru who knew how to get players to play with passion and intelligence. Buddy is often credited with the fearsome 1985 Chicago Bears defense that led that team to a Super Bowl win after a 15-1 regular season. While he was sometimes hard on his players, the animated Buddy enjoyed the loyalty of his troops like few other coaches in NFL history. Rex has a slightly different approach and a more positive sideline demeanor than his dad did, but seems to have the same level of respect from his players and assistant coaches.

Congratulations to Ryan and the Jets on getting this far and keeping an underdog presence alive in the tournament. I didn't think the Jets could stop the high-powered San Diego Chargers today, but they did and if they can get after Indianapolis quarterback, Peyton Manning, next week, they might actually return to the Super Bowl for the first time since Joe Namath beat the then Baltimore Colts in 1969. That legendary upset was in Miami, site of this year's Super Bowl. So perhaps fate is on the side of the Cinderella J-E-T-S.

Unreliable news: A recipe for collapse

Here's an interesting article about how downsized newsrooms and the outsourcing of reporting/editing can lead to inaccuracies, journalistic ethical problems and credibility issues in the stories we read or watch on television/online: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/18/business/media/18papers.html?hpw

Credibility is worth its weight in gold to most legitimate media companies. It's the lifeblood of newspapers like The New York Times. The public is well served by media that strive to get it right. So if the trend of errors and embarrassing mishaps continues, it could mean another financial setback for mainstream news organizations. An unreliable product is not a recipe for success. Without the professional newsroom gatekeepers, almost anything the public reads or views will be suspect and less attractive to customers.