From the Files of John Gacek

If I am in a cookie or a cracker kind of mood, you know I’ll be looking out for “Lance” brand snack products - I’d ask that you do the same:

Cookie Factory Re-opens

This is how I’d like to see the economy being stimulated - bring American jobs back to America.

BTW, It appears that they also make the Wal-Mart and Target generic cookies. Which are quite tasty if I say so myself.

I came across this video on the web earlier, absolutely hilarious. Someone took various scenes from Star Wars and overdubbed various James Earl Jones dialogue from other movies (warning, not for the kiddies):

OK, it’s a little late, but I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas anyway! I hope yours was as great as ours was, watching JJ open his presents was one of the best parts, in my honest opinion.

New Year’s is coming soon, be safe!

Shootout at Milwaukee Polka Bar

Nuff said…

You’ve gotta check ths out…

Do you enjoy looking at Christmas Lights? There’s a website on the Internet that uses several webcams to provide a live view of thousands of ‘em.

You can also CONTROL them - yes, turn them on & off with a click of a mouse from your home PC …
plus you can even inflate (or deflate) the giant Elmo, Frosty, Santa, SpongeBob, and Homer Simpson - D’OH! So surf over to the Christmas Lights Webcam to check out all the fun action at the totally free site which also raises awareness about Celiac Disease Research at the University of Maryland.

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope your Turkey was moist and your after-dinner nap restful!

…Apparently it would be CEOs. Specifically the CEOs of companies that are looking for government bailouts. Check this stuff out:  Big 3 CEOs flew private planes to bailout hearings.

In my honest opinion, just like I said with the airlines, let them fail.  Bailing out the auto industry will give you the same fallout as the airline bailouts and the AIG debacle - they will continue to run their companies into the ground and come back again for more handouts.  The downside is that if they fail, millions of people wil be out of work.  That’s not a very good outcome either.  Some people have said to have the government take over operations after the bailout.  Yeah, right - are they serious?  I’d rather they draw wino names out of a hat for the top-level management then let the feds take over.

What would I like to see?  Well, if you want the taxpayers to pay, you have to play.  First, cut ALL top-level management bonuses and perks.  No more planes, trains, cars, spa trips, parachutes - golden or otherwise, no extra 6-figure bonuses for “performance,” nothing.  This includes boards-of-directors, as some companies do not pay them a salary, just a yearly consultation fee.  Next up, cut their salaries.  Let them SHOW the American people that they mean business.  If you are serious about getting your company back on it’s feet then prove it.  Hey, Lee Iacocca dropped his salary to $1.00 when he asked the government to help out Chrysler in the early ’80s.  He probably had other instruments to bolster his salary, but outwardly it showed that he was willing to make SOME sacrifice to turn things around.  I’m not saying remove their salaries, but drop them down to something a little more realistic - 200K-ish.  Hey, they’re the ones asking for OUR money.  If they don’t like it, I’m sure they can find other companies to run into the ground.  Besides, a $10M+ CEO salary can stem quite a few layoffs of workers that may be doing something a little more productive for the company.

Lastly, there comes the worker-bees themselves.  I hate to say it, but there may be fat to trim and if so, cut it loose.  However, you owe it to those employees to give them the opportunity to re-tool themselves for the future.  If you cut them loose, offer an education incentive as part of the severance.   If they take advantage of it, great.  If not, well you tried.  While you’re at it, here’s a chance to whip the unions back in shape as well.  I’m all for fair working conditions, good benefits, and all that stuff; but I’m sorry.  Some of the stories you hear about union contracts, $56/hour janitors who get paid to read a magazine for four days a week?  Give me a break.  Give everyone a break.  Especially before the company goes under and your contracts are worthless.

Just my thoughts, and my opinion.  If you don’t like it, you are free to keep on surfing - it’s not like I get a whole lot of readers anyway…

All I can say is holy crap! You have to read this article to believe it: ‘63 LeMans Tempest sells big!

Congrats to the seller!

Well, have you? Unfortunately if you are in Illinois, and haven’t voted, tough tu-tus. The polls are closed now. If you are north of the Cheddar Curtain, get your butt in line - you still have a half-hour left.

I did, and I’m proud of it (can’t you tell?).

The ability to vote is one of the greatest reasons to thank a veteran for the sacrifices they have made. Wouldn’t you know it, there is a day set aside to do just that (though you shouldn’t need just one day). Veteran’s day is just a week away - November 11th…

Happy Halloween to everyone out there, I hope your night has been a scream!  We’ve had a good time here, JJ had fun trick-or-treating, and he finally had a chance to enjoy his costume: