Comments by Fred_Williams | San Diego Reader

Fred Williams

Ex pros in San Diego: Ron Mix, Todd Washington, Eddie George, Matt Birk, Lamond Murray Geoff Miller

I knew, years ago, a former professional football player working at the same seasonal job making minimum wage plus room and board. He told me how it all came so quick, and left so fast. He was sometimes unable to walk with the unbearable pain in his knees. He had attended three years of "college" before he turned pro. When the job was over, I helped him fill in his unemployment form. He couldn't read or write. He was a great guy, admired and pampered for a few years with clothes, cars and women, then dumped. He left San Diego when I lent him enough money for a bus to Texas where he hoped to get a job as a helper on a construction site. How many college players never even make it to the pros? What do they do after this? If they've neglected to learn much in school, which is reported to be common, how will they contribute to society and care for themselves? More wasteful is the displacement effect. The money we shower on athletics, in effect free training for the professional sports entertainment businesses, is money not spent on actual education. The talents we waste on the ball fields are talents not applied to other areas of life. In this economic crisis, when classes are being cut, could we examine whether it's really wise to continue making semi-pro "college" games a priority in our country? Shouldn't we invest our money, and the efforts of our most talented hard-working young people, in something more worthy?
— November 7, 2009 9:53 p.m.

For Cliff Sitters

JF, right on again. ADA in firehouses?! Uh, if you're in a wheelchair, I'm guessing it's not a great idea to become a professional firefighter. Dispatcher...great. But slinging hose? Nuh uh... You are absolutely correct about surge capabilities. I think we agree that firefighting/paramedic work, though fluctuating daily, has a certain average level...until we're hit with a firestorm and we suddenly require ten times the resources. It would make sense to me that developers in the back country areas, and existing homeowners on canyon edge properties, ought to be able to forward locate equipment and water infrastructure at strategic places. Further, residents of the neighborhood ought to be trained on how to prepare that equipment and basic operations so they're helping before firefighters even arrive. The locals should also have responsibility for evacuation routines, with elderly and vulnerable people identified in advance. So much we could do to improve fire safety in San Diego. So much we could do to improve almost any operation of our local governments. For such a smart and beautiful place, why do we have such corrupt, wasteful, and sometimes criminally stupid government?
— November 7, 2009 8:52 p.m.

Shield for All

Men watching female soccer makes a lot of sense. I, for one, have never understood the men who watch other men on the field, adjusting their crotches, patting each other on the butt... Strangely, not participating in or appreciating these homoerotic sports in modern America is considered somehow unpatriotic and "gay". Strange society. As to welfare cheats, in San Diego it's considerably harder to get benefits from the county than in other places in the state. This is largely the work of a few crusaders a decade and a half ago and some favorable editorials in the UT denouncing the scammers. The unfortunate result, in hard times like these, is the same policies often prevent deserving and eligible folks from receiving these emergency benefits they've paid for in taxes all these years. Meanwhile our glorious political establishment is raiding the grandkids piggy banks to pay for convention centers, city halls, libraries, and stadiums downtown for the benefit of the privilaged few who will blow their profits on extravagances and puffery...and campaign contributions of course. While directing outrage at the little scammers who, as Cuddle pointed out, amount to very small losses, the same politicians and media insiders promote giveaways to big time crooks.
— November 6, 2009 10:55 p.m.

Employment Numbers Worse Than Reported, but Main Street's Pain Is Wall Street's Gain

I read somewhere recently that one of the effects of white collar workers becoming underemployed long term is that recruiting volunteers for political campaigns has never been easier. Intelligent, reliable, hard working, efficient and well connected professionals who would rather interact than sit alone at home can make a big difference politically. Imagine how effective a political force these underemployed can potentially become. Consider the "teabaggers". How many of them are able to participate precisely because they're underemployed?
— November 6, 2009 9:38 p.m.

Did Dominelli Study Ponzi?

Don, the heavens have aligned. Russl and I both agree that it's "poli" rather than "poly". Rather than simply quote some boring old dictionary, let's test it the newfangled way... Go to Google. Type "polisci". Click Search. Note that all the top results are related to political science. Now search "polysci". While there are results that are related to the study of politics, it's mixed in with scientific firms that claim to engage in a multitude of disciplines. This is because "poly" is entymologically "poly- repr Gr. polu-, comb. form of polús, polú much, pl. polloi many" (source http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-poly.html) But "politics" is derived from the Greek word for citizen "polites", which is derived from the word for city..."polis". Therefore poly-sci and poli-sci are logically quite different things. I'm sure Heather and Russl will both agree that although I once studied poli-sci at SDSU, my current responsibilities with a multitude of technologies requires me to understand "poly-science". The shortening of "political science" into "polisci" might have happened after WWII when the acronym accustomed former GIs arrived on campus. But let's be absolutely sure...we'll check what the University of San Diego calls it today -- poly- or poli-sci. The answer is in the web address itself, which is: www.sandiego.edu/cas/polisci/ As to the $10 I could have hypothetically earned for reporting this most trivial misusage by my hero Don Bauder, I'd rather see that go to the commenter who is homeless, studying at City College, and logs on to the Reader at the library downtown. She needs it more than me...any way, oh mighty Reader powers, to get that to her? :-) Fred Williams President Don Bauder Fan Club
— November 6, 2009 9:12 p.m.