Sunday, February 22, 2009

Letter requesting keeping the current basketball coach at the University of Arizona

Mr. Jim Livengood- Athletic Director
Dear Sir,
I am writing out of concern for the future of the men’s basketball program. You have allowed it to flounder for the past two years to where all of the best recruits have gone elsewhere. You and Columnist Greg Hansen keep talking about hiring a big name coach for next year. Even after the great win over UCLA, in his column this morning he said,” The first priority UA Jim Livengood has in hiring a coach is to get someone who can immediately recruit elite-level players”.
Since no respectable coach would leave his team in the middle of the season, the program continues in limbo. The current coaching staff is hampered if they try to recruit, as they will not be here to coach them. The prospective players will for their own sakes not commit without knowing they would be entering a program with a seasoned staff capable of giving them the coaching they need to develop as players in the sport they love. The ones who are capable of advancing to the pro leagues especially will not take the risk.
I know the bottom line for you is the income the basketball program brings to the Athletic Department. When this year began the interim coaches chosen to lead were told by you that they would not be hired for next year. In spite of that and with the super star recruits not showing up, Russ Pennell and his assistants have nurtured the players they had, and step by step, game after game, there has been steady progress. The fans being disillusioned stayed away early on. There were several thousand empty seats. The USC attendance set a McKale record and today’s game with UCLA was another full house. The players, after being kicked around have bonded with Mr. Pennell, his father, Dunlap and Gerry. What more can you ask? A recruit, seeing what is happening at Arizona, would want to be a part of the famous U of A program, and would be impressed with the current staff.
Russ Pennell’s masterful coaching in the final minute of the Huston game should become a classic training tool for coach’s everywhere. Except for the foolish foul by Horne, the foul called on Wise as he tried to stand up in the first USC game and the technical called on the bench in the ASU game, we would have 21 wins by now and be high in the top 25 rankings.
It is obvious to me and the fans I have talked with, that we admire the job being done by the staff and wonder why you keep insisting on a big name. I am here to tell you that if the current staff is let go, you will have to get by without me and others from showing up next year. The longer you wait, the worse it will get. It is time for you to do the right thing

Sincerely yours,


Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
February 15, 2009
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Photos of coffins

Restriction from publishing photos of flag draped coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base

President Bush ordered secrecy with regards to the remains of our service people who had given their lives for our country. He didn’t want to have our citizens reminded of the true cost of war.
According to news I have read, the new administration is taking this under review. They have expressed concern about the families involved. This is just a cowardly way of not making a firm decision. No names are given to the press. They were just pictures of the coffins as they were unloaded with flag respectfully draped over them.
What is it about leadership in our country today, where every decision is deferred until everyone has had a say. I can remember when it was said that President Clinton waited until poll results were in before deciding. When I was a Plant Manager I made decisions as quickly as possible. We didn’t have time to waste. If the decision didn’t solve the problem, then we would make another decision and move forward.

Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
February 12, 2009
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

Fertility Doctor is Responsible

Nadya Suleman is just a blatant example of millions of American’s who find ways to stick taxpayers with paying for their lifestyles. The real culprit, and the one who should be held responsible, is the doctor that performed the implant procedure that resulted in the multiple births. He should lose his license for reckless and callous disregard of the consequences of a woman having the possibility of multiple births, a woman who already had six children, three of whom required support for disabilities and who was without financial support of her own.
The medical profession should be required to institute guidelines on who should be allowed to have implants.
The State of California should start legal proceedings against the doctor and the AMA for dereliction of responsible ethics. Let them pay for the support of these children, not the rest of us.

Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
February 12, 2009
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

Monday, February 9, 2009

I am disappointed

I have submitted a number of thoughts to our new President. You can read some of them by visiting my blog at http://jackbwalters.blogspot.com. It is predicted that tomorrow the stimulus package he is seeking will be approved.
Our government under President Bush foolishly gave the huge mega-banks nearly one trillion. There were no restrictions. Huge bonuses in the billions have been handed out to those responsible for the depression we find ourselves in. They have even had multi million dollar excursions for their high ranking management without regard to the fact that they were rescued by us, the taxpayers of this country. They continue buying up smaller banks and have not opened up credit to business or individuals, as they promised to do.
I have reviewed the content of the new bill to be enacted. I find little in it to create jobs in business and industry. There will be construction jobs and government jobs but not production. Most of it is to provide unemployment benefits for the entire year of 2009. No doubt that it will be extended for another year beginning in 2010. Let me be clear, I am not opposed to helping those in need, but what is missing is a clear cut program to put people back on the job. It is as if our leaders have given up, and have accepted that jobs already transferred to far away places like China and India, are gone forever. I refuse to accept this idea. I had hoped that President Obama would take bold steps on our behalf but so far he has not. Even his promise to pour funds into alternative energy are not included in this bill in large enough amounts to do anything other than make us believe we are finally serious about breaking away from OPEC and other energy rich countries who do not have our best interests at heart.
In the House version there is a statement about buying American products with this money. I can assure you that it will be stricken from the final document as being offensive to our trading partners and starting a trade war. If there is to be one, then bring it on. We cannot survive as a great power, if we become totally dependent on other countries to provide us goods and services at reasonable cost. We must take care of ourselves first and foremost. A recent example is Russia cutting off natural gas to the Ukraine and Europe in the middle of severe winter weather conditions.
Here is my take on the two parties who are debating this package.
The Republicans are asking for tax cuts, but not the right ones. They should be using whatever leverage they have to lower domestic business and industry taxes, not individual. To compensate they should increase taxes on business and industry that has been sent to other countries. They should be supportive of any program to remove medical costs from industry as the other industrial countries do to increase our competitiveness.
The Democrats are doing what they think is good business and that is to give away funds to as many voters as possible to assure their loyalty at the voting booth. They do not want us to make it on our own. They want us to be dependent on their largess to exist.
This will not work as there are still many of us who do not want handouts. We believe in the free enterprise system and only want government to take care of national interests and get out of our way. By this, I don’t mean there should not be regulation of business. They have proven that left on their own they have created havoc. What I mean is they should do all they can to improve our competitiveness with the rest of the world.
Our leaders continue stressing the need to stimulate us to go shopping. I was disgusted when at the start of the Iraq war our previous President said the same thing. Should we once again forgo reason and spend till we are deeper in debt than we are now, all we will be doing is sending these dollars to places like China and creating jobs there.
The talking heads on television warn us about protectionism. They stress the need for free trade. What this does is shame us into believing that we must keep turning the other cheek and walking the extra mile. They are wrong, dead wrong. How many times must it be said that what we need is fair trade.
Here are a few examples for consideration. Airbus in France receives massive funds from their government. Because of this Boeing and our other aircraft manufacturers are put at a severe disadvantage. Places like Japan and Korea make it extremely difficult for our domestic auto manufacturers to bring their products into those counties. China provides low or no cost electricity to industry. They keep their people’s wages extremely low, do not provide health benefits and have little or no concern about safety, pollution or anything else to improve the lives of their citizens. They maintain a 40% advantage by refusing to allow their currency to float. If Obama really cared he would take immediate steps by raising tariffs on Chinese goods until equity is achieved. Wal-Mart and its millions of customers would scream bloody murder. I say, so what.
We can, and we must bring business back home so that good paying jobs are once again available for willing workers. To spend nearly a trillion dollars and still not create a favorable business climate which could create real jobs is just plain wrong and in my humble opinion stupid.

Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
February 9, 2009
jackbwalters@yahoo.com

Predator Hunt near Globe- letter to editor

It was reported in the Star that this week hunters from all over the country are convening in Globe to kill what they refer to as “predators”. The definition describes animals that eat meat as compared to others who graze. It is all legal and sanctioned by the Arizona Department of Game and Fish. In fact the hunt is specifically encouraged by Randy Rabb of Fish and Game. They are after foxes, coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions. These are all magnificent animals that I have encountered on hikes in our wilderness areas. I have never felt fear but did give them their space.
There are legitimate reasons for keeping the numbers within reason just as there are to keep deer from overpopulating. You can put me down as one of those wimps who cannot understand the joy of killing. Yes. I eat meat, which comes from slaughtered animals, but under most circumstances they were raised for this purpose and were killed humanly.
In my opinion the predators in this operation are those doing the killing and their cheerleaders from Game and Fish Led by Mr. Rabb. By the way Mr. Robb, if things ever get tough here, I am sure you could find employment in Sarah Palin’s Alaska. She loves to kill using aircraft just as the San Carlos Tribe does.

Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
February 9, 2009
jackbwalters@yahoo.com