GENE

I am especially interested in books which were written in recent times.

Hiring the insane as bus drivers in Los Angeles is what comes immediately to my mind. While some of the best bus drivers in the world work in L.A., there are also a number of drivers who can apply speed and brakes in such a violent manner that there are sure to be serious fractures, bruises, and pile-ups of passengers who don't find something to hang onto in time.

Hiring of the insane as cab drivers in New York City has been a policy for many years: no explanation needed here.

Hire the insane to represent you in congress? Why yes, of course! Senator Preston Brooks was generally admired for the savage beating of Sen. Charles Sumner in 1850 ---- Poor Sen. Brooks broke his cane while beating Sumner, but admiring voters all around the country sent him new canes. Our current bunch of legislators are boring in comparison, but just as insane and any new psychotics to join congress would not even be noticed.

Hire the insane to run our banks? I don't know how they could possibly do any harm. They would only need to allow their banks to fail, then use the taxpayer's bail-out money to pay each other million dollar bonuses. The financial institutions wouldn't skip a beat on their way to joyful oblivion.

Hire the insane as airline pilots? This may seem risky, but JetBlue manages to fill their quota of insane pilots. One recent flight on it's way to Vegas from NYC was forced to land in Amarillo, TX after the pilot was locked out of the cockpit and restrained by passengers. The co-pilot, not being qualified as insane, was forced to land the plane immediately without having reached the Vegas destination.

You get the picture: So what are your best ideas for placing our mentally incompetent into jobs where they cannot fail and can live useful lives?

Now for my tastes, I feel that more than 23% means that I have sold out, I'm lying through my teeth, don't know what the truth is anymore, I'm being a people-pleaser rather than honest, etc....

I'm a little nervous because I'm right at 23% right now, but I just made a visit to the kids who were asking questions and left some answers that are certain to alienate most of them. So, my stock will go down this week (Thankfully).

There are always exceptions to the rule: some people are born scholars and love to complete research that nobody else can duplicate.

Other exceptions: Truly nice people (not my style). People who hang out only in the "Spirituality Section" and they got themselves the spirit of you know who. Truly bright and witty folks (and how many of those have you ever seen?).

Tell me anything you want, but keep it honest and don't pull any punches!

In the 70's I visited a number of communes in the Western U.S... It was fun and educational, but I felt like I was wasting my time. In most communes there were a few people as smart or smarter than I am, but maybe none of the smart ones wanted to work as hard as I did (and that was a problem).

Interestingly, in each commune I visited there were some nice folks who wanted me to team up with them to start a better commune. It was a tempting offer, but I went to college instead.

What are your own thoughts or experiences?

At a cost of 578 million dollars, Robert Kennedy Schools will open it's doors to 4200 students - it is the most expensive public school ever built (K-12).

Meanwhile, the L.A. Unified School District has one of the highest dropout rates in the nation: 2007 graduation rate was at 40.6%, well below the national average of 68.8%.

California is going broke. How did this enormously expensive school ever get built amid the current economic crisis?

It seems to be an epidemic. People continue to cause accidents on the road because they haven't stopped texting and using cell phones while driving. Fatal accidents occur but many thousands of drivers seem oblivious to the problem and I could find 20 offenders inside of 10 minutes of driving on L.A. streets.

I would be in favor of impounding vehicles for 30 days and giving a $1000 fine for anyone seen driving while texting or using a hand held cell phone.

Jaime Escalante lost his battle with cancer on tuesday in Sacramento. Jaime was a great teacher who influenced many inner city students to pursue careers in science, education, and business. He changed forever the expectations of educators for what is possible for us to achieve in tough, inner city schools.

Jaime was the focus of the 1988 movie "Stand and Deliver" and Edward James Olmos did an excellent job of portraying him. Jaime will be missed.

Brit reality game show contestants try to get each other killed or arrested while driving across the great states of ALABAMA and LOUISIANA. Watch the fun as they paint their cars with slogans like N.A.S.C.A.R. sucks, and Vote for HILARY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WN-yFYpVvk&feature...

You also hate banks and don't want to put the cash there, don't have enough to buy a home, but have plenty enough to live on for several years or to have fun on.

This is my very favorite: Malcolm Mclean does Madame Butterfly - very creative and I love playing along with it on keyboard and guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2Drw2_HmK0

I mean, really now, if you found your boss's molecular disintigrator just lying around in the lab, would you risk turning it on and becoming part fly?

Are there other daily experiences that end to break down our human qualities and lead us to pain and suffering? Experinces like the following:

Hanging out with loud and obnoxious people who suck your energy dry.

Constant use of a cell phone.

Tennis.

Daily use of hallucinogenic drugs.

Voting a staight Republican ticket.

Doing a home "Do it yourself Pre-Frontal Labotomy."

What experiences have you had which lead you to un-deserved and surprising consequences?

Is gambling in Vegas safer than the stock market?

Should I leave most of my cash and credit cards at home?

Doesn't the Cosmic Joker OWE ME ONE????

Then I go to Sedona, Arizona - Or, should I hit Arizona first?

Should I wear my yellow hardhat in the casinos?

Are we all doomed to a miserable existance?

Is The Cosmic Joker the cruel reflection of doomed hope??

What about next season?

What other business is so corrupted that they pay their CEO's hundreds of millions of dollars while the business is headed right down the toilet???

When will U.S. auto makers help to end foreign oil dependancy?? Electric cars, hybrids, hydrogen power - when has Detroit made an honest effort to give the American people what they really need?

So the auto CEO's all show up to beg congress for BILLIONS and they get to Washington in their private jets. Does this kind of behavior make you very angry?

I know that we can't ignore the loss of many thousands of jobs when the economy is already going nuts, but how do we make sure the money they will get will not be wasted??

Are there any special goals you have set for yourself?

Are you optimistic about the future?

What would help you most in achieving your goals?

What do you plan to do differently this next year (if anything)?

Have you been most influenced by religion, formal education, reading, life experiences, a mentor, or something else? Please give details.

They let the Nets score 43 pts. in the 4th quarter in Phoenix last night.

How is this possible?? Don't they still have Shaq?

I really miss the days before the big trade for Shaq. I miss the coach who they foolishly let get away to the Knicks. Bummer.

Newsman Tom Brokaw says that the candidates missed a good opportunity during the recent debates. They could have asked the public to do the following:

"Go home tonight, call your family together and come up with a plan to reduce your energy consumption by 20%."

Do you agree?

If there is anything else more useful to know, what is it???????