Monthly Archives: July 2019

Equality?

Members of the US Woman’s National Soccer Team are suing their governing body for gender discrimination regarding compensation levels they view as unfairly low, compared with their male counterparts.

 

In the every-day world of business, figures of between 18 and 22% are commonly bantered about as the pay differential between men and woman.

 

Assuming that all of the above is true, the question becomes, so what?

 

Men and woman aren’t properly measured in groups; we are all individuals, not interchangeable monolithic commodities.  If there is one defining factor unique about America, it is the importance of the individual over the concept of groups.

 

As for wage disparity, anyone can bargain for higher pay.  If athletes, or anyone else, feel they are under-paid, they are free to perform for another organization that agrees on their value and will pay more for it.  If folks can’t or won’t do that, their perceived value is less than the marketplace is willing to pay, and it is the marketplace that ultimately determines value.

 

Each of the 28 named plaintiffs are individuals.  Each of these individuals signed a contract agreeing to the salary and benefits package they are currently enjoying.  None of these woman are claiming they signed under duress, so what is the problem?  Signing that contract was undoubtedly one of the highlights of their careers, so what changed?

 

Perhaps it is jealously of the men’s ability to apparently better negotiate?  Maybe it is embarrassment for failing to be a good negotiators on their own behaves?  Could it be that the marketplace of consumers doesn’t value the woman’s program of soccer as highly as they do the men’s?

 

None of the 28 named plaintiffs would enjoy any notoriety if not for their membership and affiliation with the US Soccer Federation.  It is on this national platform from which they gained access to the wider world audience, a privilege afforded to them courtesy of the United State of American.  That world stage was created by each nation’s national governing body, culminating with the World Cup, sponsored by the international governing body of the sport, FIFA, (International Federation of Association Football.)

 

The 211 member nations governing bodies have built the international platform that the athletes stand upon.  Those nations own that space, the athlete’s job is to perform upon it, not use it as their own bully pulpit.  They are free to do that on their own time, their own dime, and to make perfectly clear, they are expressing their own opinions as individuals,  the terminally disgruntled Primadonna athlete with a chip on her shoulder, not as members of a national team that represents all of America.

 

 

Thanks ladies, for demonstrating the concept of the Ugly American while grossly over-celebrating the shellacking of Thailand, or carelessly dragging the US flag on the ground while hamming for the camera.

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Before the girls get too excited about direct comparisons between male and female competition, let’s have a reality check on performances.  Let’s give credit where due, to the FC-Dallas, boy’s under 15 team who put a thumping to that same US Woman’s team back in 2017 in their preparation for international competition.

 

The US Soccer Federation has been in existence for over 100 years, and 4 years from now, when the next World Cup is played, today’s whining poor sports will be as unrecognizable as the 2015 team, not a single player from which 99% of fans can name.

 

The 2019 World Cup belongs to the United States of America.  Not a single athletes name is engraved on that trophy, not even the country; it simply says FIFA Woman’s World Cup and thank goodness for that.  No one wants to be associated with militant poor sports throwing the F-bomb in public comments.  Good grief these woman had many cheering for the Netherlands!

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And on behalf of the millions of decent, hard-working proud American who play by the rules and enjoy a healthy rivalry, to the rest of the world watching this, I’m sorry; these women don’t accurately represent who we are.

 

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How Conservative Revenue underwrites Liberal Talk Radio

Local talk radio is a luxury only afforded by the revenue streams of the Limbaugh’s, Hannity’s and Levin’s of the national airwaves.  These powerhouses of conservative talk collectively generate the lion’s share of income to some 1300 radio stations serving the entertainment and information needs of over 42 millions listeners each week.  Local radio WNBF-1290AM is one of those outlets.

 

Here in the Southern Tier, the WNBF talk-host is Bob Joseph.  Instead of finding a host with unfettered opinions and the willingness to express and defend them freely, Joseph also doubles as a reporter, pressed into action when the former talk host unexpectedly fell ill some years ago. Because Joseph needs to be sensitive to his credibility as a straight news reporter, this compromises his ability to openly and freely share his opinions, especially on news items he reports on when he wears his reporter’s hat.  Add to this dilemma the fact that while Joseph is a garden-variety liberal in the wide world of conservative talk, he wobbles when taking positions using snarky and sarcastic undertones suggesting insincerity while affording him a comfortable distance from his own words.  Not many of the listener’s share his personal views, which he attempts to disguise through the over-use of sarcasm and being openly facetious.

 

You would think that the abysmal failure of the Air America network of “progressive radio” in 2010 would serve as an example to Joseph, but instead, he doubles down on liberal-leaning rants, no so cleverly cloaked in sarcastic nuance so to provide a convenient escape if and when a listener calls him out.

Levin

How can you have as mentors, the three giants in the arena, and still manage to misunderstand your audience?  When half a dozen callers represent a five days a week regularity to the point that other listeners know them by name, you know your show is in the tank.  After listening and learning from the greats in the business, why would any host stray too far from the successful format they demonstrate each day?

Hannity

Without the steady income provided by the big-boys, the lights would soon flicker and the power would be shut off to the transmitter on Ingraham Hill and the swan song of Bob Joseph would trail off into the ether, left to the dredges of Twitter and the stream of photos showing pet dogs and dilapidated old EJ buildings reminiscent of the “good old days.”

 

Truth be told, there is Pulitzer Prize level scandal all around the Southern Tier, just ask John from Binghamton, a daily caller/contributor.  The fact is, Joseph doesn’t have the stones to report it so instead, we get three hours of snark and sarcasm while waiting for the varsity to play.  Joseph ought to end his show every day with a big thanks to Rush for making it all possible, and the bad actors in and around Broome County should thank him and all the other local media midgets for turning a blind eye.

 

Local talk radio is a luxury only afforded by the revenue streams of the Limbaugh’s, Hannity’s and Levin’s of the national airwaves.  These powerhouses of conservative talk collectively generate the lion’s share of income to some 1300 radio stations serving the entertainment and information needs of over 42 millions listeners each week.  Local radio WNBF-1290AM is one of those outlets.

 

Here in the Southern Tier, the WNBF talk-host is Bob Joseph.  Instead of finding a host with unfettered opinions and the willingness to express and defend them freely, Joseph also doubles as a reporter, pressed into action when the former talk host unexpectedly fell ill some years ago. Because Joseph needs to be sensitive to his credibility as a straight news reporter, this compromises his ability to openly and freely share his opinions, especially on news items he reports on when he wears his reporter’s hat.  Add to this dilemma the fact that while Joseph is a garden-variety liberal in the wide world of conservative talk, he wobbles when taking positions using snarky and sarcastic undertones suggesting insincerity while affording him a comfortable distance from his own words.  Not many of the listener’s share his personal views, which he attempts to disguise through the over-use of sarcasm and being openly facetious.

 

You would think that the abysmal failure of the Air America network of “progressive radio” in 2010 would serve as an example to Joseph, but instead, he doubles down on liberal-leaning rants, no so cleverly cloaked in sarcastic nuance so to provide a convenient escape if and when a listener calls him out.

 

How can you have as mentors, the three giants in the arena, and still manage to misunderstand your audience?  When half a dozen callers represent a five days a week regularity to the point that other listeners know them by name, you know your show is in the tank.  After listening and learning from the greats in the business, why would any host stray too far from the successful format they demonstrate each day?

 

Without the steady income provided by the big-boys, the lights would soon flicker and the power would be shut off to the transmitter on Ingraham Hill and the swan song of Bob Joseph would trail off into the ether, left to the dredges of Twitter and the stream of photos showing pet dogs and dilapidated old EJ buildings reminiscent of the “good old days.”

 

Truth be told, there is Pulitzer Prize level scandal all around the Southern Tier, just ask John from Binghamton, a daily caller/contributor.  The fact is, Joseph doesn’t have the stones to report it so instead, we get three hours of snark and sarcasm while waiting for the varsity to play.  Joseph ought to end his show every day with a big thanks to Rush for making it all possible, and the bad actors in and around Broome County should thank him and all the other local media midgets for turning a blind eye.

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