Medical Card

As one who is approaching the 'seventh age ', 'sans eyes , sans teeth ..etc' , and not considering myself 'comfortable' , either financially or physically , I can understand the anger that has arisen due to withdrawal of the medical card for the over 70's Most people who are objecting also point out what the Government DIDN'T do , , taxing the super -rich , telling us whats really happening with the Banks and most of all apparently doing nothing about curbing public expenditure .. , . If such action had been taken at least my age group would be less outraged . , and more prepared to take the 'hit' . But , of course that would have meant the Government taking on the public sector and in particular the civil service . What are the chances of ANY elected Government taking on the very people that they depend on , to stay in power , as Sam Goldwyn would have said '' they can be summed up in two words.... imm.-possible.''So if anything .is to be done it will have to done by a group of people who are outside and above politics . Say 10 or 12 people who have already shown their worth and served the state honourably , whom we all know and trust , who have nothing to gain by their involvement ... . Make hard decisions that politicians cannot . Seanad Eireann should be the pool from which this group are drawn , of course , but unfortunatly the Senate has become so polluted by has -been , and wanna be politicians, and miscellaneous appointees , that is not feasable. There are some in the Senate who would be acceptable , but not many . Not the Council of State , these would have to be an executive group . This group could be appointed for a fixed time , say , eight years , and the general public fully informed about who they are and what they are proposing An Emergency Cabinet , if you willWe , the public , and the fourth estate , could allow the elected Government to get on with the day to day job of running the country without continually calling them to task at every turn . .We can all call to mind the type of people we need ....one suggestion woild be Peter Sutherland , who got himself into trouble recently for speaking out of turn on school teachers , his critics ignoring the fact that he was talking about only bad teachers , another and I can't believe I'm saying this , would be Mary Harney , no matter how much she is disliked in some quarters , no one can doubt her courage and commitment....she would be wasted in Europe .We could come up with this group and instead of continually harping on about greed and fat cats and bloated public servants let them guide us out of our troubles and maybe in in 5 or 6 or 7 years when we open the 'box' again we might find that the Celtic Tiger ,like Schrodinger's cat is still alive and kicking....or maybe not..

Joes' hope

Joe Blogs sat quietly playing his game of Solitaire , at this point it was the only game in town . A knock at the door signalled the arrival of Joe Soap . Now Joe S. was a very quiet fellow , probably could be described as a 'grey man'.Pays his taxes , raises his family , gets on with life practically unnoticed by the world at large , a cautious card player . So the two Joes played a dangerous game of ' Snap' (Chemin de Fer , Blackjack , and good old Pontoon , were too sophisticated for our Soap ), just to pass the time , very little small talk . Next to arrive was Joe Sixpack , (sometimes called ''Smokin'' Joe ) , now he was a different kettle -of-fish .Joe S/p was bounced into the headlines by a pushy woman , who , herself , was best known for the fact that she put make-up on her pet pig ( just like that woman in 'Misery' ) . Joe S/p would be described in some circles as 'trailer trash' , torn , grubby T- shirt , carrying his usual six-pack of cheap beer , coughing , with the ash of his Marlboro dangling precariously . We played Sixpack's favourite game of 'Shoot' , an even more dangerous game than 'Snap'. Joe The Plumber made his usual boisterous entrance , next . Joe the Plumber has no connection at all with the equally famous Paddy the Plasterer . Joe became known to the world at large through the good offices of a 72 -year-old politician who used him in an example of the best way to distribute wealth (unlike Paddy the Plasterer who allowed a politician distribute his wealth for him ).


A great game of Texas -Hold-'Em commenced . the Plumber showed the others HIS way of distributing wealth by winning everything on the table .
The small talk during the game covered the important topics of Faith , Hope and Charity , in todays world . All agreed that Faith had been given a good kicking in recent years due in part to the actions or lack of action within the various churches , the general state of the world and advances in science etc , Charity ( giving to others ) was already under pressure , even before the credit crunch . So we are left with Hope.....we must convince ourselves that things are so bad that they can only get better....so went the discussion...
When the game was over and everyone was packing up , three Joes nursing their losses , one counting his winnings . Joe Soap slipped out the door before anyone noticed , Joe Sixpack drained his last can of beer ,belched , stretched , and rolled off into the night , in a cloud of cigarette smoke . Joe the Plumber mopped up all the cash on the table , grinned and went off , probably to redistribute his winnings among the local bookmakers .
Joe Blogs , emptied the ash trays , sat back down and returned to his game of 'Solitaire' and as he dealt them out again , he wondered why the 5th Joe , Joe McDoakes , the original guy behind the ''8'' ball , hadn't turned up ......Joe McD . was usually the loser......

The Professionals

A few years ago I heard some nurses getting very angry because what they did was being described as a vocation rather than a profession . They seemed to feel that somehow being described as a member of a profession gave them a higher status , that the very fact of having degrees or other academic achievement made them professionals .Academic achievment is not enough .
A person who is dedicated to their job to the exclusion of everything else , who enjoys and gets satisfaction in going to work to my mind is the professional . Nurses who are prepared to give attention to a patient , even though they may have no obligation to do so at the time are more professional than the ones who say 'sorry, thats not my job , see somebody else...'.
The teaching profession is another example . We all know teachers who are just marking time on their way to retirement , on the other hand we also know teachers who are shining lights in the profession . I can remember a primary teacher I had , almost 60 years ago , I can still clearly see his face , a truly dedicated man , way ahead of his time . Not that he gave any particular attention , or favouritism to my self , in fact as 'the cane ' was still the order of the day I had my fair share of that too . Its just that he had an ability to pass on knowledge and encourage all his pupils .Professionals like that will leave a positive legacy , long after they have passed on .
About 40 years ago I met another , newly graduated teacher and asked her what she thought of her job , 'I enjoy it so much , that at the end of the month I think ''I get paid for this as well /''
Similarly with doctors , lawyers , even accountants . No one has the right to demand respect .Respect has to be earned . A truly professional person will be obvious to all around him or her simply by the way they carry out their job.
Again many years ago I had just got a job as assistant-accountant in a large company and in a moment of weakness , to ingratiate myself with my new employers I' volunteered ' to do the accounts of Sports and Social Club , in my own time . ......Biggggg mistake , as any one who has ever done the accounts of a S&S club will realise.Someone arrived carrying shopping bags full of invoices , bank statements , cheque stubs , and miscellaneous pieces of paper etc....
You see S&S clubs are for fun , fun , fun , and they only thing that the outgoing treasurer seemed capable of balancing were mugs of beer on his head at the Christmas party.As I was about to give up in dispair Kyote Adabayou arrived at the door and offered to help . Adabayou was a Nigerian , a few years older than myself , who had already acquired various accountancy and legal qualifications and was being groomed to take over the Nigerian operation of the company .So without being asked , and having no obligation to do so he stayed and helped me to sort out the paperwork , it was like trying to do a huge jigsaw puzzle without seeing the picture on the outside of the box . Hours later , we completed the task . This was a man who genuinely enjoyed what he did , he showed a great example by giving all his attention to a relatively unimportant task.

Wherever you are today Adabayou ,good luck and thanks...

Texas

On the desk beside me is a sort of a 'coffee-table' book entitled ''Heroes , Heavies and Sagebrush '' subtitled '' A Pictorial History of the "B" Western Players ".
Since the 1940's I have been a fan of all westerns . The "B" westerns were my initiation into these films . Most people will have heard of Roy Rogers , maybe even of Gene Autry , but who now remembers Allan 'Rocky ' Lane or Monte Hale , Lash La Rue and a myriad of other cowboy heroes , all of whom had their own comics ( some Dell , some DC ) , Bill Boyd who was the actor who played Hopalong Cassidy had a comic in his own name as well as the Hoppy character .
So I always wanted to be a cowboy , well at least see the real western landscape ( lot of these "B" westerns were actually filmed in and around a ranch on the outskirts of Hollywood in California , which , having fallen into disrepair , was used by the awful Manson Family in the 60's , as a hangout during their murderous forays....not a lot of people know that ...as my former co-star Michael Caine would have said....)
Where was I .........?.
My eldest son met and married a girl from Texas and I eventually saw some of that state .
I wanted to see the Alamo of course , so I caught a Greyhound (?) Bus from Austin to San Antonio . Alright , alright all the scenery in the state is not remarkable , except for its sheer vastness , so on the trip I evesdropped on the conversations of my fellow passengers , who seemed to be mostly women . We stopped at a small place , I think it was called San Marco , a dusty Sheriff's car (the car and the Sheriff were both dusty ) was parked at the bus-stop , the sheriff was obviously seeing off a man who stood beside him ...as the bus continued on , with the new passenger on board , he gradually started a conversation with some of the women at the back, still eavesdropping , I gradually learned that most of my fellow passengers were travelling to El Paso on the Tex.Mex. border to visit their husbands/partners in the prison there and the newcomer was a 'good-will' prisoner in transit....I turned up my collar and scrunched down in my seat and stayed deadly quiet for the rest of the journey...
Despite my uneasy introduction to travelling in the state I found the people and the countryside when I got to know it fascinating . San Antone , for example , has the famous old Alamo Mission slap-bang in the middle of a thriving city , like St.Stephen's Green in the centre of Dublin....I had visualised it being out in the desert among the cactus.... , the Riverwalk in the city is actually below street level and the shops and boulevards are lined on either side of the river while the hustle and bustle of the city goes on above .
I was taken on a trip to the Hill Country to try horse-riding .I was introduced to a beautiful quiet horse called LBJ , except when some young horses escaped from the corrall and caused him to get a bit skittish he behaved perfectly.The strange thing about that part of Texas is that everything seems so tough and harsh , ready to scratch or scrape or bite , both landscape and animals....no tall cactus...just small prickly stuff , the branches of the trees , which LBJ easily avoided by putting his head down , caught me full face , look out for rattlesnakes they said ,,,,,are they just jokng ? No ...this is Texas...small loose rocky shale underfoot....now I know why they wear leggings , high heeled boots , denim , and wide brimmed hats , not for show ....just practical clothing for an unforgiving landscape.....in Ireland when driving in the country one often sees roadkill , like rabbits , crows , sometimes badgers.....in Texas roadkill consists of ...armardillos....( slow moving creatures like badgers and armardillos are not made for modern roads .) It was WB Yeats who first used the expression 'no country for old men' , I think he was talking about Byzantium or somewhere but he really , really meant Texas .
At another time we visited the Big Bend on the Rio Grande , camping in the open , with little wild ( and apparently dangerous ) pigs running about all night , but Don soon told us how to deal with them ....who's Don , I hear you ask ......well somebody else will tell you that story....
Since George W Bush was elected president the USA and Texas have been getting a bad press around the world , some justified , a lot unjustified . One example Texans driving huge gas-guzzling cars......the history of Texas is oil , anyone who has travelled on the vast , seemingly endless highways through the state will immediatly visualise that travelling on those same highways in farty little cars designed for shopping , would be a nightmare .Sometimes people outside the USA complain that comparativly few Americans have passports , however if you live on a continent of 350-4oo million people covering various timezones , same language , same legal tender , same government , where you can literally find a place 'where the weather suits your clothes ' at any time of the year , why go to the trouble of travelling 'abroad'when you can find all that you need at home ?
On visiting a 'souvenier' shop in Fort Worth , which was' manned ' by retired people , willing to tell us the history of the city and incidentally sell a few souveniers. Exceptionally friendly , they reminded my wife of the retired men and women who did similar voluntary work at St.Albans Abbey in England , their friendliness and interest ......the one tiny difference was that when we were leaving the shop in Fort Worth , I saw a beautifully made WINCHESTER RIFLE , for only $99 .......the Womens Institute still only sell warm scones......

The Untouchables

There appears to have been an unhealthy relationship between the banking executives / directors , the Financial Regulator , the Central Bank , and the Dept. of Finance . All colluding to tell the poor fools of taxpayers that ''all's going well , my Lady Montmerency '' when they saw or should have seen , this banking , now financial , disaster coming .
These people were not necessarily dishonest , just unbelievably arrogant , because this interchangeable club of insiders believed that they knew it all .Some bank 'chiefs ' were former senior civil servants , who presumably were appointed because of their 'connections ' .
These people considered themselves untouchable as far as our society was concerned .
Maybe now is the time for another group of ' UNTOUCHABLES ' to be formed , as already suggested by David Mc Williams . Just as Elliot Ness formed his Untouchables when tackling gangsters and police corruption during Prohibition in the US , we in Ireland should cast around for (say ) 12 men (or women ) , who are above Politics , have a track record of experience in financial affairs , have already gained the trust of the general public ; not politicians , not bankers , not civil servants , but people of courage and trust etcetc....I'm sure we can all call to mind at least some in our society who fit the bill......these untouchables should be placed on the boards of each of the banks that the taxpayers are now covering , and be given strong regulatory powers and responsibilities ....and only then let the banks continue their business , with the current hydra-heads being chopped off of course......

Oversight

The former chief executive of Lehman Bros , Richard Fuld was 'beaten-up ' by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Monday last .In extracts shown on television the Chairman of this committee berated him for his recklessness and spoke about the huge amounts he took in bonuses from the toppling bank , even listing in detail his assets , including apparently his three or four big houses .
This was greed ! However greed is a moral flaw not a legal one . The only reason for any company's existence is to make profit and , provided no law is broken , morality does not come into the discussion .Greed is a terrible human flaw but have the Oversight Committee committed an oversight themselves by looking at the wrong cause of this terrifying ( now )World collapse ?
The very people who are now asking greedy executives to give an account of their stewardship surely knew that these people were 'taking home ' obscene amounts of money and did nothing about it .
Where were the REGULATORS and for that matter where were the REGULATIONS ?
Are these rich , greedy , bankers , who were really following their predatorial (?) instincts , and are now crying all the way to their bank balances , are they carrying the can for the lack of regulation or sloppy Regulators ? Could this be an attempt to show that 'the powers that be ' are actually doing something , belatedly , simply to satisfy the roaring lion of Public Opinion , when in fact the real blame lies with themselves for doing nothing during the BOOM times ???

Discuss.....

Irish Nationwide

Irish Nationwide is one of those Irish financial institutions bailed out by the Government's guarantee . The Chief Executive is Michael Fingleton , known to his buddies in the corporate bull-pen by the familiar nick-name of 'Fingers' .
Before the € 400 bil. bailout had even become law the son of Michael Fingleton , Michael Fingleton Jr. ( let's call him 'baby'-Fingers ) , was on the internet in a flash touting for business for daddy's ailing institution usuing our Taxpayers guarantee to tell his connections to move their money our of their British banks ( not covered by bailout ) to Irish Nationwide .
When this scam became public knowledge 'daddy's bank ' released an apology....saying that the e-mail 'baby' Fingers sent was.........INAPPROPRIATE......on RTE radio's Pat Kenny Show , Gillian Bowler ( who I respect ), happens to be head of Irish Permanent-TSB , when asked for her comments on the Irish Nationwide incident said it was .....INAPPROPRIATE
Our Financial Regulator in a newspaper interview and on TV said that the Irish Nationwide e-mail was .......INAPPROPRIATE......

Cometh' the time cometh ' the word......