School Board needs to investigate Flores-Lewis

Former Husker Fullback Lance Lewis facing
multiple drug felony charges

I write this with a note of somberness. I know Lance Lewis, mostly in passing after a day's work when we would swap stories over a glass of suds in one of the local pubs. I did not know him that well, nor certainly to the degree that would have understood or predicted he would be the kind of person who would purchase or use hashhish or pot.

Having said that, If he broke the law, the minimum punishment he should get is to be banned from dealing with kids. It is hard to believe that the quantity he had in his possession was solely for personal use. I also find his statement improbable that he sold portions periodically to pay for gas.

Perhaps more disturbing that Lewis' possession of such a quantity of drugs, is the statement that his wife, Tanya Flores-Lewis, a school board member, had knowledge of such prior possession and use. Where was the duty to the kids in the school system to prevent Lewis, a past Husker footballer, from being placed in situations whereby he could potentially influence these kids.

The school board has a duty to investigate this statement and to examine Flores-Lewis's knowledge of the statement provided by her husband to authorities during his arrest. If true, the school board member should apologize for failing to protect the students of the school district and she should be asked to resign or removed by the board for this gross dereliction of duty. I would even go further to suggest that the school board should commence its own investigation into whether or not the Lewis' received any gas funds originating from a student.

I am truly sad to learn of this turn of events, but the duty of the school board and the is clear. Once found guilty of these charges, or any lesser versions thereto from them, Lewis should be banned from any interaction with Sidney Public school children as a coach, mentor or life advisor until such time as he can demonstrate a contrite heart and get himself cleaned up. Flores-Lewis just needs to resign before someone's litigious parents connect Lewis to their drug-abusing teen.

Living well is its own best reward

I must admit that for the 20 months I was vastly under employed, I felt like time dragged on and on. Since picking up two jobs and relocating to the southeast, I have finally taken a much needed break from the toils of my daily grind.

The economy is still not good, but It isn't as bad as some lazy people would have you believe. The nature of the conflict in the Occupy movements has gone from those angry at Wall Street fat cats who make multi million dollar salaries, to magnets for drug use, sexual abuse, murder and a general disconnect between solid hygiene and peaceful redress of any legitimate concerns they might have had.

Newt Gingrich perhaps has best stated the matter as one whereby the occupiers are believers in all that is wrong with the left in this country. They take over parks they do not pay for, use bathrooms in places they do not pay for and beg food from merchants that they do not pay for, all the while demanding an end to the capitalism that makes the very platform they use possible.

It is incredible to my mind to understand how these people can continue to believe that a government already saddled with the promises of the left for the last 70 years, can somehow be in a position to extract enough wealth from any class of person in this country that will somehow continue to afford the false dreams they continue to be sold by their would be political masters.

The solution to the problems of this nation is to drastically scale back the size of our government, entitlement programs and get back to doing for this nation what the founders believed to be the core principles of self reliance and entrepreneurship. By enabling business to succeed, we empower people to obtain and sustain meaningful employment and we drive future competition and idea growth. Poor people never gave anyone a job and the ironic thing about the occupy movement is that there are people at the top of the movement who act just like the despots they claim to hate so much. The money guys for Occupy Wallstreet are staying in 5 star hotels and depositing hundreds of thousands of dollars in Wells Fargo and other fat cat banks.

It is time to get off the ground, dust one's self off and start all over again. Take a bath, cut your hair, beard or other areas and see what an honest attempt to secure any meaningful employment will do for your sense of self worth.

Sometimes the truth hurts

I awoke this morning to a news report that a three star general in the U.S. military was relieved of command because he, "Disparaged," Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Major General Peter Fuller apparently stated that he hoped the next election cycle in Afghanistan would "produce a leader that's more articulate in public.

Karzai's comments that sparked the generals comments, included that he (Karzai) would side with Pakistan against the U.S. in a war situation.

Instead of  propping up a corrupt man such as Karzai and pussyfooting around with countries such as Iran and Pakistan, the U.S. destroys the career of honorable servicemen who have made sacrifices spanning decades.

It is another example of how our own government has lost site of what is truly important. We have spilt blood and spent treasure in a nation bereft of any ability to care about the costs we have borne on their behalf. The same can be said of the freaks who populate "Occupy Wallstreet" and other areas of the country with their demands to strip from the so-called 1% to benefit the other 99%.

I have news for all of the 99%, of which I am one: Get the hell over it. If you are tired of not working, get a job. If you can work and can't get a job, I have to believe that you are not interested in working, or the work choices you have are not up to your requirements. Beg the government to extend unemployment for another 26 weeks? or do something else.


How about Occupying Washington, DC and the lobbyists and politicians who made it legal for Wall Street to screw the economy. These people have no idea why the economy is in the shape it is currently in, much like President Obama is clueless as evidenced by sacking General Peters.

For people in the Occupy movements and also in our own government. Get a clue please. As for General Fuller, I wish him the best and thank him for his service to this country. It is a fair bet that Afghanistan will fall into civil war within months of us getting boots of the ground. As for Karzai: he has proven to be the despot so typical of such backward countries. The general was right in his assessment of Hamid Karzai. Our government sacrificed one good man, trying to appease a bad one. Typical PC horsecrap.

No small reflection

I lost my job at Cabela's in 2008. I was a respected manager by my employees, delivered excellent return on investment for the company and was even recognized by the CEO as the top corporate manager.  I wasn't bitter, nor angry. It was more shock than anything else. I took my severance and continued to live my life, searching for a new position at or above my previous level. It was just before the economy turned badly, and I held out, drawing a meager unemployment check that was one fifteenth my previous salary, thinking that I would secure employment in my field soon enough.

Reality intruded finally, not uncoincidentally, when my unemployment ran out. It was interesting to note that when you have nothing, and you are not a piece of trash, how willing you are to do anything to earn a living. In my case, I was fortunate that my ability to relate to people on a personal level was able to be translated into a new career choice, which I jumped into with both feet.

I had given up any serious thought of returning to my chosen profession in technology, when I was approached by a former co-worker in Pennsylvania. It seems my particular area of expertise in workflow design and project management, was needed to bring some order out of chaos borne of over extended employees and increased acquisitions.  Having lost my house to foreclose the year before, I sold the only other possession I owned outright, a 2010 Kawasaki Vulcan motorcycle, and purchased a program car from my then current employer, Wolf Auto in Sidney. The word came in that my new employer wanted me to be in PA on or about February 1st.

The salary was about 65 percent of my prior technology salary, but it was more than twice my current salary and more than 5 times unemployment. More important to me however, was the fact that it was technology related, and the validation afforded me by coming back to a prior employer who sought me out for my expertise was quite rewarding.

Since I have been in my new place, I have traveled internationally on my company's behalf. I have been asked to participate in discussions and testing programs that will set the stage for future success for the entire creative platform and designed and implemented an automation tool that will save significant costs and increase accurate, real-time communication for my business unit.

Throughout all of the turmoil I have been through, I never once thought to blame my situation on anyone, nor sought a bailout from the government. The "Occupy Wallstreeters," and the democratic politicians who soil themselves with love for this movement fail to capture the essence of self-reliance.

By definition, we will most likely not be one of the one percent that people are railing against. It is impossible to redistribute enough wealth from this group (or even the tope 70 percent) to not leave someone out of the goody bag. This country was founded on a different set of principles, ones that have become quite foreign in today's world.

The notion that we are obligated to help our neighbors has been co-opted by the left in this country. Charity no longer begins in your home, but the White House. If your house is underwater, don't worry, just wait for the government to "forgive" your debt principle. It's ok, we'll (leftists) will take it from those who need to, "pay their fair share."

One only has to look at the healthcare debacle, the failed stimulus package, and the continuing failed episodes of quantitative easing (printing and putting into circulation more money) to see that we are still in desperate times. All states, including Nebraska, need to examine with scrutiny, the voting records of their elected representatives.  Senator Ben Nelson is up for election next year and I keep hope alive that people will remember all the hollow promises made to people in this state that have not come to fruition by him, just so he could prop up his political party, that somehow, people will realize that actions speak louder than words.

The government that governs least, governs the best. The Lord helps those who help themselves. Both of these sentiments are rooted in the believe that self reliance and self actualization are the key to individual success. It was never the design of our founder's that this government should be the provider of hearth and home, but to be the land of opportunities. We are what we make of ourselves.

Perhaps it is time for the Occupy movement to actually occupy something worthwhile. Occupy yourselves with something that builds and does not tear down. Occupy yourselves with something that brings opportunity to find self fulfillment and inner happiness.