Yonkers High School has no sports and extremely limited music, art, or library.  They average class size has over 27 students (Rye is 21).  There are only two guidance counselors for the whole school (1000 students).  They share a psychologist and a social worker with four other schools (meaning all 1,000 students have access to a psychologist only one day a week).   Rye has three times as many of these staff with 25% less students.   There have been significant cuts in teacher’s aides and support staff.  There is no money for any state-of-the-art technologies or building repairs.  And yes, Yonkers High School has done very well in spite of these obstacles, but high school is about more than just test scores.   I wonder how Yonkers High School compares to these other schools from a more holistic point of view.

Mel Kiper: Andrew Luck is going to be a star.
McShay: How do you know?  You thought  Dan McGwire was the same as Brett Favre
Mel Kiper: Well that was just one mistake.
McShay: Really?  You thought Andre Ware was “going to be great”,  you thought Manning and Leaf were the same, you thought JaMarcus Russell would end up as an “elite top five quarterbacks in this league”
Mel Kiper:  Well, remember what you said about Russell, you couldn’t “remember being in such awe of a quarterback”, you called Vernon Gholston a premier pass rusher, and were dead wrong hundreds of times.  Why should anyone believe anything you say.

But they don’t say anything because they both know how terrible they are at their jobs.  Their whole job is know this stuff and they are just inept.  And to make things worse they never go back and judge their track record.     I wouldn’t mind if they say that this is really hard and they are just doing their best, but instead they are so arrogant about themselves.

I saw this article on what NFL GMs think of Todd McShay.  Let’s just say he hasn’t earned their respect.

At 20/1, Mitch Daniels would make a good choice.  He is a fiscal conservative and the Governor of Indiana.   He is business friendly and well respected.  However, in the end, Bob McDonnell might make the most sense.  He is the Governor of Virginia (remember Obama won both Virginia and North Carolina last time).  He is pro business, pro-life, and pro-NRA, against same-sex marriage.   Or will Romney go with someone completely new.  Perhaps another financial expert,  or a religious conservative.  Or perhaps is doesn’t matter.  My uncle, who is a New York Republican, will vote for “Anyone but Obama”.

Some people suggested that a losing VP candidate is in position to be the candidate for President (4 years later).  Although this person might be the candidate, history tells us that success is not likely.  Since presidential candidates selected a single person to be there VP running mate, there has been only 1 person who lost as a VP and went on to become President.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt lost the 1920 election as the vice-presidential nominee with James Cox to Warren Harding.  He won in a landslide election 12 years later to become President (source).

Or is Greg Smith just selling an idea that will help him convince his GS clients, who have assets of over $1,000,000,000,000 (that’s Trillion) to invest with him and whatever new company or hedge fund he starts.