New York State legislators are working feverishly to bring in an on-time budget. It’s probably not going to happen though. The deadline is April 1st, and that of course is rapidly approaching. So, what’s taking so long? Some in leadership have been spending too much time with hookers than working on budget material.

In another interesting twist in As Albany Turns, the new Governor, David Paterson said over the weekend he’s finished talking about his sordid life and things he’s done. You know, things like extra-marital affairs, having the taxpayers PAY for his hotel night stays with his girlfriend, doing marijuana and cocaine. Little things like that.

Well I’m sorry Governor Paterson, but you’re the one who decided to air all of your past, so now it’s fair game. If you were concerned about how your faulty moral compass would effect your ability to lead, you should have thought of that before you decided to run for political office. You should have also thought of that before you decided to have a girlfriend on the side.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

This just never stops! I addressed this in a blog yesterday, and now she’s at it again. Still complaining about the weight limit. Danica Patrick wants the world to take her as a serious racecar driver.

In a recent article Yahoo Sports article we read…

Indy racer Patrick angry over weight gainMar 27, 6:44 pm EDT Buzz Up PrintMIAMI (AFP) - American racing driver Danica Patrick, one of just two women in the Indy-car championship, has criticised plans which she claims punishes her for being slender.

The 26-year-old, who is still searching for a first victory as her fourth season begins, is upset by a new rule to equalize the weights of each car allowing for differences in driver size.

Some rivals had said Patrick, the slimmest Indy-car racer who is just 5ft 2in tall and weighs in at 100 pounds, had an edge because of her lighter size. Now extra weight will be added to cars for lighter racers and trimmed from tubs for heavier ones.

“If someone is going to take the hit it’s going to be me,” Patrick said. “It’s disappointing the league decided to do that. Just your God-given stature is being penalized.”

Venezuela’s Milka Duno is the second woman in the 29-driver championship which begins a new season here on Sunday.

Danica the bottom line is this. If you want people to view you like this…

Then you really need to stop posing for pictures like this…

And this…

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

IRL officials are considering a weight restriction for all their drivers. No, they’re not concerned about too much weight. Instead, they’re concerned about too little weight. It’s been long argued by some drivers that Patrick has an advantage because at times she weighs in at less than 100 pounds. Some say that gives her an advantage because she can go faster, since she weighs less than most drivers in the series. While that seems plausible, lets stop for a moment and realize she has yet to win a race. Obviously her weight is not an issue making her drive faster. Of course Danica feels this is nothing more than a case of the Indy Racing League making it more difficult for her to compete in the IRL series.

Give me a break Danica. Haven’t you figured out yet that you’re not in the IRL because you know how to drive. You’re in the IRL because they needed a good looking spokesperson to draw attention to what was a struggling series. Now people tune in to the races not so much to watch the race, but simply to catch a glimpse of the IRL cover girl. I know I know, this may sound very sexist, but Danica, you haven’t helped yourself much as far as trying to build an image of a race car driver when you pose for pictures like this…

Tell me Danica… Just what are you trying to sell there?

Stop your crying and complaining Ms. Patrick. You’ve developed an image other than a race car driver. It’s hard to believe you’re really concerned about the weight limit in the IRL because it will effect your racing career. Most people know you’re upset about the weight restriction because you’re more concerned about whether you’ll fit into your swimsuit for the next issue of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Stop posing like that Danica, and then maybe you’ll be taken seriously as a race car driver.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

It’s becoming more and more obvious as to why the disgraced former New York State Governor, Eliot Spitzer, picked the now Governor, David Paterson, as his running mate. They both have no morals and no understanding of what’s right and wrong. If the situation in New York State government wasn’t so bad, this could be laughable. After all, what we have playing out in Albany these days could come straight from a bad script for a soap opera.

It’s the continuing story of As Albany Turns…

New York Governor David Paterson gave his first one on one television interview earlier this week since his inauguration.

As a quick re-cap, Paterson rose to power after former Governor Eliot Spitzer was caught in the midst of a sex scandal. Of course the sex scandal is just the tip of the iceberg and that’s a developing story line in the now ever popular As Albany Turns.

In the midst of his first TV interview, Governor Paterson admitted he not only inhaled marijuana, but he even admitted he was once a cocaine-head! That’s right folks. Unlike other Democratic leaders we know and love for setting great examples of “not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky, and trying marijuana, but not inhaling,” the new Governor admitted to using not only marijuana, but also cocaine. The new Governor, who’s working hard these days to improve his ever failing image and trying to convince people his moral compass is not broken, said it’s important to be honest with the public. Sure, whatever you say Governor Paterson. Reality is you’re just trying to make sure you don’t end up disgraced like your former pal Spitzer.

And in another development in our As Albany Turns story, a recently released report reveals that Governor Paterson may still be playing footsies with a state employee he once had an affair with.

To recap, a couple weeks ago Paterson admitted his marital infidelity acknowledging that both he and his wife had extra-marital affairs. (I guess that’s what you could call an open marriage agreement). But, he said he’s cut off all contact with the woman he had his fling with.

Now, it’s been discovered that Governor Paterson’s so-called ex-girlfriend traveled with him last year to South Carolina while working on Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Not only did he travel with her to South Carolina, but apparently New York State picked up the tab for the trip too. There’s no word yet on whether the Govenor plans to repay the State for that trip. Earlier in the week when it came out that the State picked up the tab for his motel room fling with his girlfriend, he pledged to repay the money. We’ll wait and see what happens next.

Thanks for tuning in for this episode of As Albany Turns. Be sure to stay tuned as you just never know what will happen next in the capital of New York State.

When the news of Spitzer’s broken moral compass made headlines many in Albany were calling for the impeachment of Spitzer because he was unfit to lead. I’d like to know when the impeachment process will begin for Paterson. After all, it’s becoming quite apparent he is unfit to lead.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

In 1887 John Emerich Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton, wrote his now famous words about power in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton. Lord Acton, an historian and moralist wrote, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

If the now disgraced former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer is looking for a phrase to best describe his career, he may want to tap into the wisdom of Lord Acton. Of course we’ve pretty much discovered Spitzer’s moral compass is broken, and has been broken for quite sometime. But now, there’s even more to add to the case of his broken moral compass.

The New York Times is reporting that Spitzer was deeply involved in his administration’s efforts last year to discredit the New York State Senate Majority Leader, Joseph Bruno. Information gathered by the Albany County DA indicates that Spitzer’s participation was extensive and reflected his desire to damage Senator Bruno. The story goes on to say that Spitzer held detailed discussions with senior aides, ordered damaging information about Senator Bruno released and called an aide at home repeatedly to check on the progress of the smear campaign.

Should this surprise anyone? No!

When the whole Troopergate Scandal started I’ve always said Spitzer knew what was going on. He’s a pathological liar who’s now getting caught up in the web of lies he’s spun through the years. He’s watching everything he did throughout his career, come tumbling down around him. I’ve also said from the beginning that Spitzer knew what was going on. All the news jockeys need to do is go back into their files and find one of the very first interviews done with Spitzer when the Troopergate story broke. He was walking along a sidewalk with a can of Coke in his hand. Someone asked him about the investigation and Spitzer’s response was, “My office was simply responding to a Freedom of Information Act request.” In other words, Spitzer was well aware of what was going on, and he even had his pre-scripted response ready. But, when the heat was turned up, Spitzer forget about that lie, and then spun another one saying he didn’t know what was going on.

Lord Acton said “Great men are almost always bad men.” I’d like to amend that statement a little — Bad men are usually corrupt men hiding behind a facade, trying to create the illusion that they are great men.

William Pitt, the British Prime Minister from 1766 to 1778 said in a speech to the UK House of Lords in 1770, “Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.” Once again, one must wonder if those comments came as a foreshadowing of the downfall of Eliot Spitzer.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

New York State government is a mess, and it continues to look worse day after day.

Former Governor Eliot Spitzer disgraced the state when it came out he liked to hang with high-priced hookers. In the midst of that scandal he was forced to step down. Some wondered if he used campaign or government money to pay for his hookers. A recent report says he did not do that. Of course, even though he may not have used government money to pay for the hookers, he certainly used government money to travel to the motels for his late night flings.

But wait…there’s more!

In light of the weekend report outlining the fact that the Associated Press did not find evidence that Spitzer used government money for his hooker flings, another story came out about the new Governor, David Paterson. The more I hear about this man, the more I wonder what’s in store for New York. It’s becoming apparent that his moral standards may be even lower than Spitzers’!

In a weekend news report we’ve discovered that Governor David Paterson has “paid back his campaign for two nights at a Manhattan motel.” Why is he paying the money back? Again, quoting from the story, “Paterson admitted he used a campaign credit card to pay for a hotel stay with his girlfriend.” The story goes on to say that even Paterson’s lawyer admitted that the former State Senator used the campaign credit card to pay for personal expenses of his sex filled night with the girlfriend he was having an affair with. That’s right folks, this is a continuation of his affair fallout.

Does Paterson think he can simply slip out of this huge moral lapse simply by saying he’s sorry? Apparently so. The sad thing is, for the most part, this story is sliding under the radar and very few are concerned about it. But, the bottom line is this, Paterson is yet another example of a leader, who doesn’t know the first thing about leading. A leader sets an example for all to follow. What message are we getting from Paterson? Is this an example that should be set before the State? Paterson’s example says it’s fine to have an affair, it’s fine to pay for it on the company expense card. As long as no one knows about it, it’s all fine. But, if you need to save your skin, then just come out and tell the world of your mistakes, and life will go on as usual.

This is not leadership. New York State should once again call for the resignation of Paterson before we discover even more issues. It appears the new Governor is like an onion with numerous layers. We now see the layers being peeled back. The sad thing is, as each layer of the onion is peeled off, we discover more of the house stinking up from the smell.

Lets stop the stench now.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Spring officially arrived at 1:48am on March the 20th. It may be spring, but someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. The first day of spring brought snow and below normal temperatures. As a matter of fact throughout most of the day the windchill was around 20 degrees! It’s now the 21st, we still have blowing and drifting snow and this time around the windchill makes it feel like 10 to 15 degrees! Spring? Just where is it?

But wait, could it be this is all a figment of our imagination? After all, didn’t Al Gore, the man who claims he invented the Internet and the man who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his made up global warming theory, tell us the earth is in a warming trend? Hey Mr. Gore, are you sure you don’t want to re-think this whole warming trend idea?

But wait, there’s more…

Suddenly it’s all the rage to push the global warming agenda just because Al Gore says it’s real. So, as we find ourselves in the midst of below-normal temperatures in upper New York State, some scientists are doing all the can to push the scare tactis of global warming fear. An Associated Press story, entitled Spring in the Northeast is Getting Earlier, says scientists have noted signs in nearly every state that global warming is affecting plants and animals at springtime across the country. As a matter of fact, they further say that spring “green up” is arriving eight hours earlier every year on average since 1982 north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Yeah, right. As I sit here today looking out my window I see blowing snow, brown grass, and absolutely no signs of any kind of spring flowers. I think the only one warming up is Al Gore who should be blushing with embarrassment as the world is discovering he’s a hoax and a sham.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

In baseball news, Barry Bonds is having problems finding a job this year.

San Francisco didn’t bring back the over-priced-steriod-pumping-cheater-ego-maniac and now no one else wants to sign him either. For the first time in a long time I can honestly say baseball might be doing something right in the midst of the steriod scandal years. Apparently no one wants to hire the steriod poster boy. Opening day is right around the corner, and Bonds remains unsigned.

I wish I could say that’s the end of the story, but I can’t.

Instead I turn my attention to the Players Association Chief, Donald Fehr, who should be ashamed of himself. Fehr says he and his staff are looking into possible collusion against Barry Bonds. In a statement released by the Players Association earlier this week Fehr says, “We always look at the free-agent markets every year and make judgments about them, if we come to the conclusion with respect to any player that there’s a matter worth pursuing, we’ll pursue it.”

Excuse me!? Ummm, Mr. Fehr it’s called free agency for a reason. You spin the wheel take a chance and if no one wants to hire you, well, I guess you hit the unemployment line. Did Barry Bonds, or do you Mr. Fehr, really expect anyone to hire a man who’s cheated his way through baseball? And lets not forget the fact that Bonds was also indicted in November on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. Those charges come from his 2003 grand jury testimony in which he denied knowingly using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

The bottom line is this. Barry Bonds, the cheater poster boy for steriod use in Major League Baseball is washed up. No one wants to hire him, and he certainly does not deserve a job just because he’s a baseball player. Maybe it’s time for Barry Bonds to realize he needs to trade in his bat and get ready for some baseball possibly behind bars.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

What we have here is a failure to lead. What we have here is a disgrace of leadership. What we have here is a leadership vacuum.

History will reveal we’re living in a time of a leadership void and vacuum. Leaders are supposed to know better. Leaders are supposed to set an example of what’s right and wrong. While setting that example they should of course also be doing what’s right NOT what’s wrong. But, such is simply not the case these days. Instead we hear of leaders doing stupid things, behaving poorly, and in many cases, being arrested for their inappropriate behavior. History will reveal this is a generation living on a slipperly slope of immorality, corruption and crime.

The disgraced Eliot Spitzer officially lost his position this week after being caught in an FBI wire tap booking a high priced hooker. Of course that’s just the tip of the iceberg and I’m sure in the days ahead the nation will discover just how big a criminal Spitzer really is. But now, adding insult to injury for New York State, just hours after the new Governor, who was Spitzer’s right hand man took the oath of office, it was revealed in the Daily News in what was an exclusive two day interview, that both the new Governor, David Paterson AND his wife have admitted to having extramarital affairs. That’s right folks, you just read that right. Here we go again. David Paterson, the new Governor of New York State and his wife Cheryl have both had extramarital affairs.

I guess we should have expected no less of a man who was hand picked by Spitzer to be his running mate. It’s now obvious Spitzer has no moral compass, and it’s becoming apparent the new Governor has no moral compass either. In the interview Cheryl Paterson said — quote — “Life is very fragile and you never know what could happen.” That’s for sure. Life is fragile for both you and your husband, and apparently neither of you care about promises or commitment. Right out of the gate the new Governor and his wife have revealed a lack of a moral compass. If they’ve failed in their marriage and commitment to one another, how can anyone trust him to remain faithful to his commitment to the people of New York State? If neither David Paterson nor his wife Cheryl can remain faithful to one another in what’s the most intimate connection, there’s no way they can remain faithful to promises made to strangers.

It’s time for all leaders to take an inventory of not only their lives, but also their moral compass. It’s time for all leaders to ask the question — Am I setting an example of character and integrity for those around me? — If the answer is no, then it’s time for those leaders to step down. The very fabric of a nation, and the fabric of a generation watching them very closely, hangs in the balance.

Maybe the leaders of today need to find a new phrase to live by. Instead of saying - “If it feels right just do it.” They should repeat the following phrase over and over and over again - “You can never go wrong, by doing what’s right.”

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Stop the madness please! It’s amazing what people will spend money on. A recent addition to the wonderful world of eBay is a Frosted Flake the owner says is shaped like the state of Illinois.

Two sisters from Virginia are selling the single flake on eBay and as of today, Monday, March 17th, bidding was at 50 bucks! 23 year old Melissan McIntire of Chesapeake, Virginia says the family is keeping the flake wrapped in cotton in a jewelry box. McIntire’s sister, 15 year old Emily McIntire, pulled the flake from a box of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes. The sisters also promise the flake “has undergone no alterations” to its shape. The listing promises free shipping to Illinois and the girls say they will use the money earned from the winning to bidder to buy more Frosted Flakes. So, just who is the flake here? Could it be the sisters who say they’ve found the Illinois shaped flake? Or, is it the person willing to spend money on the flake!?

Oh wait, this just in, as I filled my cereal bowl with some breakfast I just found an Apple Jack shaped like a Good Year Tire!

eBay here I come!

Just my two cents!
Dr. Rus