I once had a boss who preached that business is a game and you play it to win, no matter what the cost. To him all of life was a game and you had to learn to play the game in order to make it in this world. To them it was throw ethics to the wind. To an extent, this practice worked for him but it never seemed quite right for me, my conscience could not get used to that type of business. Maybe that is why I still struggle to make a living daily, at least I feel good about what i do. Business is a game, but a game played with ethics.

Along comes a company like Google. A company started by two men, Larry Page, Sergey Brin in 1998. They had a vision and an idea and they went with it. No one thought at the time that a search engine such as this would become such a big corporation and money maker. These two had an idea and they let it grow and grow - it grew quickly. By June of 2000 they were the worlds largest search engine. The searches were much more accurate than previous search engines. They have fought many battles along the way and one thing I always noticed is they operated with a set of ethics, standards they held the company to. They have stood their ground and have become more successful than even they had imagined.

Now, they take a big stand and pull the plug on China. A country with well over a billion people, a virtual money pit for a company like Google. They shocked many in the business and technology field with this move. They did it in the sake of ethics - showing the world they understand and know right from wrong. There is no room for censorship of the web and a country controlling what can or can not be seen on the web.

So now I wonder, will other companies follow suit? Will they put ethics over profits? Or - will companies like Microsoft's 'Bing" try and capitalize on this move by Google. Will other companies remove themselves from an oppressive society? I applaud the actions of Google. I applaud them many times over. They have proved my point - Ethics are a core part of any business - doing what is right and forsaking profits. So will others follow suit?

Senator Reid and Nevada

In the state of Nevada - Sen. Harry Reid's overall approval rating has fallen from 35 percent in January to 29 percent. Among Democrats in Nevada, it has slipped from 57 percent to 45 percent. Reid is facing a stiff challenge in his reelection bid, approval in his home region has dipped to 23 percent. His state has seen staggering unemployment rates, steep declines in home prices, one of the highest percentages of foreclosure rates in the country and near zero jobs creation. This is not a slide that has happened overnight, it has been going on for a few years now. As a Senator wielding as much influence as he has in Congress, he has done little to help bolster the economy of his state. He has done little for education in his state. The overall graduation rate in Nevada is one of the lowest in the in the nation with approximately 55% of students graduating. He has been tied up with pushing a very unpopular Health Care Reform bill through the Senate and has virtually abandoned his home state.

It is widely thought that he has planted a candidate as the “The Tea Party candidate” in order to help siphon off some of the Republican vote this November. The Tea Party candidate, Las Vegas businessman Jon Scott Ashjian, a former Republican, came out of the blue to announce his candidacy. A Democratic lawyer is handling the paperwork for the candidate. This was somewhat of a surprise to the national movement of The Tea Party, they never heard of this person and have not even endorsed him as their candidate. The Republican GOP was taken aback also, it has been wooing The Tea Party group, a conservative, anti-tax, anti-big government group.

Currently the Polls show that Reid is slightly ahead in the running. But Sen. Reid is winning against nameless, faceless people," said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon. "It's easier to win against nameless, faceless people than real people."

Sen. Reid has been in hot water for more than his States’ economy lately. He moved quickly to show remorse after a book, "Game Change" by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin revealed that he made comments in 2008 suggesting that Barack Obama could be elected president because he is “light skinned” and lacks “Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” Somewhat of a racist remark if I ever heard one. Nevada has not been known for it’s welcoming of African Americans over the years, Sammy Davis Junior was not even allowed to enter through the front doors of a Casino, although in the last 10 years the relationship has improved. Still Nevada’s population of African Americans is only at 7% compared to 19% for Hispanics and 72% White. Now what is disparaging is the fact that about 30% of Nevada’s prisoners are African American. African Americans in Nevada are incarcerated almost 4 times more than whites in that state. Most drug offenders are white, yet African Americans as well as other minorities are much more likely to serve time for their offenses.

For Nevada, I would say that now is a time for change. Now is a time to find a new candidate with fresh ideas, one who cares about the state. I am not saying who you should vote for, that is something to decide for yourself, but examine the record and listen to all that are running, make your choice and go out and vote. Remember the person you vote for should represent you, your ideas and your state. This is only my Explosion of Thought!

Chile Earthquake relief

An 8.8 earthquake hit just off the coast of Chile early on Saturday morning 2/27/2010, killing at least 802 people and injuring many more. Many thousands of people have been left homeless due to the widespread destruction of buildings. While this may not be a humanitarian crisis similar to what was seen in Haiti, a great amount of money and charity will still be needed to rebuild damaged builds, roads, and return Chile back to normalcy. Please do what you can to help in this relief effort.

Here is how you can help:

•Save The Children -- https://secure.savethechildren.org/01/2007_match?source=hp_tab_donate&WT.mc_id=1109_hp_tab_donate Save The Children is sending an emergency assessment team to Chile, and they are asking for contributions to their Children's Emergency Fund to aid these efforts.

•Habitat for Humanity -- https://www.habitat.org/cd/giving/donate.aspx?link=1&r=r Habitat for Humanity has a continual presence in Chile, where they've helped construct over 1,300 homes. They will be essential element in reconstruction efforts, especially in hard-hit rural areas. Donate to Habitat For Humanity or text CHILE to 25383 to donate $10.

•AmeriCares -- https://secure.americares.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5820&5820.donation=form1 Vice President of Emergency Response, Christoph Gorder, says AmeriCares is sending medical supplies and humanitarian aid to Chile. Make a direct contribution to AmeriCares' Chilean earthquake fund.

•Direct Relief International -- https://secure2.convio.net/dri/site/Donation2?idb=1593451692&1170.donation=form1&df_id=1170 Direct Relief International has offered to provide assistance in the form of medical aid to Chilean authorities and to emergency relief organizations in the area. Give to Direct Relief International and type "Chile" in the "Designation" field if you wish to specify your donation.

•International Medical Corps -- https://www.imcworldwide.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=878 IMC has a presence in dozens of countries around the globe, providing immediate medical care to those affected by natural disasters. They are currently deploying resources to Chile. Contribute to their emergency response fund. SMS text “CHILE” to 85944 to donate $10 to International Medical Corps

•Unicef -- http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/chile_52926.html
SMS text “YOUTH” to 20222 to donate $10 to UNICEF

•Un Techo para Chile - http://www.untechoparachile.cl/?page_id=999 With a cadre of more than 15,000 volunteers, Un Techo para Chile works with families living in slum communities as they struggle to improve their lives. In the aftermath of the earthquake, their struggle now includes rebuilding — and your donation can help make this happen.

Health Care reform forced down American's throats

President Obama’s enjoyed a victory on health care reform Sunday night — but the win was a split decision for Democrats, not a knockout. House Democrats, who have endured months of draining debate and attacks from tea party activists, including a deriding jeers from a group of protesters outside the chamber Sunday, were more relieved than overjoyed — and many may have been casting votes, for their own political extinction. Out of regard to the very possible consequences for House Democrats, the White House publicly refrained from expressions of jubilation or even relief.

President Obama commented: It's a victory for the American people, and it's a victory for common sense." How is it a victory for the American people when many independent polls showed that most American’s were against it. A “victory for common sense” what a phrase, who’s common sense does this refer to? They say this will not incur any cost to the Federal Government – that is very true. Guess who is paying for it – the American Middle Class – the same group of people who always get beat down. Now when I say middle class, I am not speaking about those families who make over $200,000/year. In my mind, that is not the true middle class. The true middle class getting hurt here are those with a family of 4 or 5 that make between $45,000 - $90,000 per year. That is the group that continually gets beat down and struggles to move up the ladder. Number one is that in my book, if you have a family of 4 and make under $55,000 per year, you should be in the poverty class.

Now the Senate must now pass a set of complicated reconciliation packages to defuse political fallout from the "Cornhusker Kickback” ($100 million in Medicaid funds for Nebraska which was removed from the bill after so much bad publicity) and other controversial deals made to get the bill passed there — and postpone an excise tax on high-end “Cadillac” health plans (this tax hits many middle class American who currently have good insurance through their employer). Still alive is special spending for Connecticut and Montana that was included in the health care bill that the Senate approved in December. The projects from Montana and Connecticut were items President Barack Obama wanted removed. There was push back from two influential committee chairmen, Democratic Sens. Max Baucus of Montana and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, and to guarantee their votes, their projects have survived. Many democrats in the House went along with the vote in hopes that the Senate will follow through and reconcile some of the provisions. If they do not accomplish this in the Senate, the law still takes effect with all the current provisions intact.

Attorneys general in 11 states have warned that lawsuits will be filed to stop the federal government overstepping its constitutional powers and usurping states' sovereignty. States are concerned that the burden of providing health care will fall on them without enough support from the federal government. Ten of the attorneys general have plans to band together in a collective lawsuit on behalf of Alabama, Florida, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington.

In Virginia, Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli, is formulating plans to file a lawsuit in federal court in Richmond, Virginia. He stated that Congress lacks authority under its constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce to force people to buy insurance. The bill also conflicts with a state law that says Virginians cannot be required to buy insurance, he added. "If a person decides not to buy health insurance, that person by definition is not engaging in commerce," Cuccinelli said in recorded comments. "If you are not engaging in commerce, how can the federal government regulate you?"

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, many pending lawsuits, bills and resolutions have been introduced in at least 36 state legislatures that seek to limit or oppose various aspects of the reform plan through laws or state constitutional amendments.

I do not understand all of the provisions of this Bill, but I do sense that some of them will be quite costly to the American Middle Class. What will the effects of this Bill passage be in 2 years, 5 years and 10 years down the road? It does not look good for the stability of our children and of our children’s children. Out grandchildren will most likely take the brunt of the fallout. Change for changes sake is not a good way to proceed.