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IS IT TRUE? November 29, 2010

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The Mole #??
IS IT TRUE? November 29, 2010

IS IT TRUE that the Thanksgiving holiday unlike many holidays was full of news that was for the most part set aside in favor of family, football, and food?…that this is a good thing?…that there are lots of good pieces of information in the IS IT TRUE columns that were posted on the during the Thanksgiving break and that we encourage you to have look at them today?

IS IT TRUE that there are now 713 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?…..that this plan is an expensive and complex endeavor that needs immediate attention to avoid the embarrassment and expense of another round of fines?

IS IT TRUE that an MIT study of the positive effects of a small city park in Boston (see CCO article) are overwhelmingly supportive of such parks as a place to recharge during the work day?…that the maintenance costs reported are minimal?….that the Old National Bank recently listed the Main Street Park on the corner of Main and 4th Streets in Downtown Evansville for sale?….that this park is what banks term a “non-performing” asset?…that ONB doesn’t even own the entire park?….that the real prime location within the Main Street Park is owned by someone else?…that on most any summer day employees of downtown businesses including many from ONB can be seen during the lunch hour enjoying the park AND maybe just improving their productivity for the afternoon?….that a move is underway headed by a successful local business leader to KEEP THIS PARK A PARK?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer recognizes the value of urban greenscaping and encourages and supports the efforts of an Evansville business person to keep the Main Street Park in its present use?….that uniqueness sells cities and that a park directly on Main St. is perhaps the most unique and highest potential for any lot in Downtown Evansville?… that the park could use some upgrading, some maintenance, and some police presence?….that the beautiful gazebo has been a central location for lunchtime concerts, impromptu poetry readings, and even some weddings?….that with some brushing up and a good maintenance program the Main Street Park can be an island of oasis in Downtown Evansville?….that we may just need to call upon our friends at SMG to bring Joni Mitchell and Counting Crows to Evansville to do a duet of “Big Yellow Taxi” where the lines “They Took Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot” could become particularly appropriate?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer is pleased to hear the local insurance man Martin Woodruff is encouraged at the prospect of securing the financing to construct a Downtown Convention Hotel between the Arena and the Centre?….that we are pleased to hear that the parking lost from the demolition of the Executive Inn parking garage can be replaced by going underground as opposed to buying more land in adjacent lots at post Arena prices?….that we anxiously await the renderings and details from all three of the bidders of this rapidly approaching deadline to submit proposals?

Are Higher Taxes Coming?

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Steven Lowell Smith, CPA, MBA
By: Steven Lowell Smith

Evidence is mounting that high-income taxpayers will face higher taxes in the near future. Sweeping tax reforms enacted in 2001 and 2003 — which reduced tax rates on ordinary income, dividends, and capital gains for most U.S. taxpayers — are set to expire at the end of 2010, which means many Americans could face higher taxes starting in 2011.

And beginning in 2013, single filers with modified adjusted gross incomes exceeding $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers) will face a 3.8% Medicare unearned income tax on net investment income and a 0.9% Medicare payroll tax on earned income exceeding these thresholds.2
If you are concerned about how these and other potential taxes could affect you, the following ideas may position your portfolio to help reduce the effects of anticipated tax increases.

Take Gains Wisely

Through 2010, long-term capital gains will be taxed at a relatively low 15% maximum tax rate. With that in mind, you may want to evaluate your holdings that have appreciated. Also, this may be an opportune time to rebalance your portfolio if it has drifted from its target asset allocation. Asset allocation does not guarantee against investment loss; it is a method used to help manage investment risk.

Invest Efficiently

If your mutual fund gains are causing unintended tax consequences, it might be time to consider mutual funds that strive to control tax ramifications, usually through lower turnover. Tax-efficient mutual funds may begin to attract wider interest if the capital gains tax rate climbs as expected.

Opportunity to Convert

If you believe tax rates will continue to increase in the coming years, you may want to consider converting tax-deferred assets to a Roth IRA. Although there are income restrictions on contributing to a Roth IRA, there are no income restrictions on converting.
You must pay income taxes on tax-deferred assets converted to a Roth IRA, but qualified distributions of any future investment gains will be free of federal income tax.3 To qualify for a tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings (and assets converted to a Roth), Roth IRA distributions must meet the five-year holding requirement and take place after age 59½, or as a result of the owner’s death, disability, or a first-time home purchase ($10,000 lifetime maximum).

Mutual funds are sold only by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the investment company, can be obtained from your financial professional. Be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest.
Understanding current tax rates is an important first step in understanding your tax situation.

Before you take any specific action, be sure to consult with your tax professional.

1) CNNMoney, May 4, 2010
2) Reuters, March 22, 2010
3) Income taxes are payable in the year of the Roth IRA conversion. For 2010 conversions only, the taxes can be deferred until 2011 and 2012, with half payable each year.
The information in this article is not intended as tax or legal advice, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek tax or legal advice from an independent professional advisor. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.

This material was written and prepared by Emerald. © 2010 Emerald.

Steven L. Smith
Financial West Group

5908 Berry Lane • Evansville, IN • 47710
Phone: 812-484-9338 • Fax: 812-402-5024
www.stevensmithfinancial.com • ssmith@fwg.com

Securities are offered through Financial West Group (FWG), Member FINRA, SIPC
2226 S. Airport Road W. #C, Traverse City, MI 49684
Steve Smith Financial and Financial West Group (FWG) are unaffiliated entities.

Louisville Gets New Bridge: Indiana and Kentucky to Share the Costs

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LaPorte-based Walsh Construction Co. will oversee the $103 million project, which is scheduled for completion in September 2012.

The new bridge is being partially funded with a $20 million federal grant, with Indiana and Kentucky paying the remainder.

Source: miltonmadisonbridge.com

News Release

Louisville, Ky. (November 12, 2010) – Preliminary activity is currently underway in staging areas near the site of the new U.S. 421 Milton-Madison Bridge, including archaeological activity and soil sampling. This initial work must be completed before construction can begin.

Project contractor, Walsh Construction Company, has begun setting up portable offices in a staging area along Jaycee Park in Madison, which will be used for the next two years during construction. The staging area will be used to house office space, construction equipment and materials.

Following construction, Walsh will restore the park to its existing condition or better, including, restored volleyball courts, a new picnic shelter, playground equipment, basketball goals and a new riverfront sidewalk on the north side of Vaughn Drive.

Workers began core drilling this week along the Milton riverfront to gather soil samples where temporary bridge ramps and piers will be constructed. That work will continue into next week.

Archeological surveying is expected to begin next week in Milton. Workers will use backhoes to excavate areas along the riverfront to determine the presence of possible artifacts and potential impact by the project.

The official project groundbreaking is scheduled for November 30.

The Milton-Madison (U.S. 421) Bridge Project is bi-state effort between The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). The new bridge, which is expected to be open to traffic by September 15, 2012, will be constructed using two innovative methods: “superstructure replacement” and “truss sliding.” A new steel truss superstructure will be constructed on the existing bridge piers, which will be widened and rehabilitated. Once constructed atop temporary piers immediately downstream of the existing bridge, the new 3,181-foot truss will “slide” along steel rails, moving to its permanent location on the renovated existing piers. This innovative method reduces the originally anticipated 365-day construction-related bridge closure to just 10 days. For more information, visit www.MiltonMadisonBridge.com

MIT Case Study of the Effect of an Exemplary Downtown Park

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Bostons, Post Office Park

MIT CASE STUDY

Post Office Square, Boston

Post Office Square’s highly successful park was built on the site of a parking garage. The garage was moved underground.

Norman B. Leventhal Park at Post Office Square, constructed in 1991, is among the best-loved public open space in Boston. During a spring lunch-break it is difficult to find a place to sit or even stroll through the park because of its popularity. The park occupies 1.7 acres. It is the size of the Big Dig’s Parcel 19, located next to the Edison site at the new Northern Avenue Bridge. Bracketed by the Boston Financial District’s two main streets, Congress and Pearl, Post Office Square provides open-space contrast to the dense concentration of Class-A office buildings that surround it. The park is open to the public, but is privately owned and controlled by the Friends of Post Office Square Trust. The park sits atop a 1,500-car parking garage, which provides part of the revenue to maintain and operate it. The trust also collects assessments from the owners of adjacent buildings.

Post Office Square is maintained to high standards, with a maintenance budget of $3 per square foot.

The Halvorson Company was the landscape architect and designer; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of New York was the master planner; Ellenzweig Associates, Inc. was the architect of the restaurant structure. Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc., were the civil engineers; CMS Collaborative consulted on design of the fountain. J.F. White Contracting Co. was the general contractor; Eastern Irrigation Company provided the irrigation; Schumacher Landscaping Inc. was the landscape contractor.

Concept

Post Office Square was designed as the front yard to a group of Boston’s most prestigious Class-A office towers. It reclaimed land from a dilapidated above-ground parking garage that was a blight on the district. The garage was relocated below ground, under the park. Post Office Square is a park for all seasons, containing more than 125 species of plants and an extensive lawn. Bushes, plants and flowers edge sidewalks. A dense a canopy of large trees protects the park, providing shade in the summer and filtering the light in the winter. The ground cover, shrubs and trees define and reinforce sidewalks, fountains, art, and a restaurant featuring a gamut of building materials — brick, stone, wood, metal and glass.

Features

Building the park on top of the underground parking was made possible by a 54-inch-deep layer of soil and drainage material, allowing the location of the plants and trees on the surface. The park encourages activities such as eating, reading, and people watching. Additionally, the park is designed to hold performances and accommodate supervised day care visits by children. The café boosts activity and helps extend the active hours of the park. On-site services include an information kiosk, seasonal displays, and a flower stall.

The park’s centerpiece is an all-season restaurant that includes 100 outside moveable chairs.
Shrubs, trees, and ground cover define a series of garden rooms offering the visitor a variety of experiences, including a Red Oak tree and two giant Watern Arborvitaes. Ramp access to the underground garage brackets the park on Congress and Pearl streets, successfully masked by flowers, shrubs and trees. A kiosk structure, fountains, and art provide points of interest in the park.

Lessons

The Friends of Post Office Square Trust is the owner and operator of the park, offering programmatic direction and guaranteeing excellence in design. The occupants of every car parked in the garage must traverse the park, ensuring constant activity and maintaining security. The public/private partnership that operates the park demonstrates that commercial interests and the civic values of public realm open space can coexist.

These case studies were researched and written by Zhan Guo and Alex-Ricardo Jimenez of MIT, under the direction of Thomas J. Piper of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. They examine a series of urban open space projects with particular lessons for Boston as it decides the future of the land freed up when the Central Artery moves underground.

IS IT TRUE? November 28, 2010

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? November 28, 2010

IS IT TRUE that there are now 714 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?…..that this plan is an expensive and complex endeavor that needs immediate attention to avoid the embarrassment and expense of another round of fines?

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer is being bashed by certain Democratic officials for reporting the political short comings of elected City of Evansville office holders?….the City of Evansville has 11 elected officials? ….out of the 11 elected City of Evansville office holders only one (1) is a Republican? … that Democratic leadership must expect us to write about Republicans we are not presently city office holders?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that the appointed 3rd Ward City Council person may not be running in the 2011 city council election. ….that the appointed “At Large” City Councilman, Don Walker may run for Evansville City Council in Ward 3 if the current holder of that office Wendy Bredhold decides not to run? ….that one of the leaders in the “STOP THE BALL FIELD” from being built on the Roberts Stadium property may be a 3rd Ward candidate for City Council? …..that we also hearing the the extremely popular Evansville City Clerk is being encouraged to run for this seat?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that the financial audits for GAGE conducted by a local accounting firm are now completed? ….we bet that the leadership at GAGE shall refuse to make public the findings of the financial review of this organization? ….we aren’t worried about their decision not to release this information to the public because we know at least 5 elected officials who will provide us with copies of these reports so we can make them public? …..we shall finally find out if the 2009 Freedom Festival lost $300,000, $400,000, $500,000 or over $600,000 on that event?

IS IT TRUE that soon to be former Vanderburgh County Commission, Troy Tornatta is crunching the voting numbers he received in the November General election to see if he should run for Mayor of Evansville? ….he should bypass the vote count he received in the heavily Democratic precincts (3-9 and 3-11 located in Ward 3 (Roberts Stadium area) because it wasn’t a pretty site?

IS IT TRUE that we won’t be surprised to hear the name of City Councilman John Friend as being pushed to run for Mayor of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that MOLE #3 has confirmed that extremely popular 6th Ward citizen, Al Lindsey shall be announcing very soon that he is it a candidate for City Council? ….that we are not surprised to hear that present City Councilman, B J Watts will announce he shall not seek re-election? ….that if this happens don’t be surprised to see a connection of the” Mosby Family” also run for this city council seat?

IS IT TRUE? November 27, 2010

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? November 27, 2010

IS IT TRUE that there are now 715 days remaining in the two years that the EPA had given the City of Evansville to present an acceptable solution to the Combined Sewer Overflow problem?…..that this plan is an expensive and complex endeavor that needs immediate attention to avoid the embarrassment and expense of another round of fines?

IS IT TRUE that the political Dean of the Evansville City Council, Curt John got it right at the last Council meeting? ….that Councilman John corrected hotel industry executives who want baseball to be built on the Roberts Stadium property?…that they said that the Innkeeper’s tax money belong to the Hotel-Motel owners and not to the Taxpayers? …Political Dean Curt John quickly told them that this tax money belongs to the taxpayers and not to the Hotel-Motel owners? ….that political Dean John’s well timed remarks encouraged B J Watts, Connie Robinson, Missy Mosby and John Friend to join Dr. Dan Adams and Dan McGinn in approving the Hotel before Baseball resolution? …the taxpayers are very pleased with 7 of 9 City Council members standing up for the taxpayers of this community?

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has gotten much positive feedback for the praise that we gave to Department of Metropolitan Development Director Tom Barnett?…that the realization of the magnitude of the blight problems in South Evansville pointed out by Mr. Barnett seems to have gotten some people’s attention?….that recognizing a problem and acknowledging it is the first step to correcting the problem?…that the $1 Billion Albatross of blight along with the estimated $500 Billion Combined Sewer Overflow problem really drives home the size of the problem in South Evansville?….that former County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave and Mr. Barnett agree that the only way to eradicate the Billion Dollar Albatross is through attracting private money to the area?….that it is refreshing to see agreement emerge from disagreement?

IS IT TRUE that dysfunctional sewers, low scoring schools, and high crime rates are the reasons that South Evansville has fallen into such a state of blight?….that building $200,000 houses and selling them for half of that price will remain the norm until the sewers, schools, and crime in South Evansville are acceptable to the majority of our citizens?….that the price to repair these problems along with the blight may just be beyond the capacity of a city like Evansville to correct?…that throwing massive sums of government money at problems like this in other urban areas has not been successful?….that maybe another solution needs to be considered?

IS IT TRUE that much of South Evansville was once a natural wetland?…that the most cost effective solution to the sewer/blight problem may be to demolish vast numbers of dilapidated homes and never replace them?….that the stress on the combined sewers would be eliminated if the neighborhoods are converted to the wetlands that they were naturally?….that this innovative idea may just make the size of the financial solution to Evansville’s Twin Billion Dollar Albatrosses manageable?

Bundling of Public Projects Masks Accountability of Public Finance

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Joe Wallace

By: Joe J. Wallace

Bundling is a commercial tactic that has been perfected by software companies such as Microsoft to sell products and features that are not necessarily things that people would actually choose on an individual basis. Bundling increases prices and provides marginal if any value to consumers but it does increase the profits of the companies that engage in the practice while enriching their shareholders.

It has often been asserted that effective government works in countercyclical ways to the commercial sector. In the case of bundling this seems to be true when it comes to government. Government at all levels has taken the seminar on bundling from the “Bill Gates Academy of Bundling” and has used this practice to daze and confuse the electorate in an expensive game that does not enrich the shareholders of government the way that the shareholders of Microsoft are enriched by bundling products. The recently maligned practice of earmarking and the long term practice of pork barreling are nothing but government bundling. In the case of government bundling, the citizens of this country are continually extorted into borrowing money to buy things they need that are not available unless they agree to buy a bunch of programs or projects that have minimal value or benefit a small select group of self serving elected officials.

Why is it that we are always presented with legislation that essentially says “you can have that highway that you need, but only if you buy a bridge to nowhere, a boatload of $100 hammers, and endow a museum dedicated to buggy whips in the small town where a Senator grew up”? Why do we as citizens tolerate this destructive form of bundling? Maybe it is because in exchange for buying all of the junk associated with a good project that we get to hire someone to watch the grass grow in our little hometown too. Maybe we like the pork from the public barrel or are confused by the complexity of the legislation that we just give up.

There have been two bundled projects floated in Evansville during 2010 that have essentially been ridiculed out of consideration for the cost and lack of practicality that were exposed by the City County Observer and most other local media outlets. Evansville’ bundling projects are of course the Roberts Stadium Ballfields and the recently proposed $2M bond issue.

The Roberts Stadium Ballfields proposal by the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau was essentially a project where the City of Evansville told the ECVB, “We will let you build 8 ball fields if you tear down Roberts Stadium, repair some things in Wesselman Park, and make some infrastructure improvements for the City”. That one for the price of three deal was called out by the media and rejected by the people that lived in the Roberts Stadium neighborhood. It is quite clear that bundling is what raised the price of a ball field to $2 Million in Evansville and it is also clear that this attempt at bundling is what ultimately led to the postponement or rejection of the entire project. This bundling was also a powerful issue in the 2010 elections.

Bundling was recently attempted in a proposed $2 Million bond issue. This time needed parking garage repairs were piled on with three Front Door Pride houses, and a refinancing of some existing debt. This attempt to bundle projects has already had the negative effect of deferring already deferred maintenance that really is needed to make the Downtown Evansville parking garages Arena worthy.

Why were the parking garages and Front Door Pride bundled together with a third refinancing deal? These are separate issues and should have separate financing. Bundling confuses the public and obscures the eventual accountability. Why were repairs to parking garages not included in the budget for the Evansville Arena? The parking garages stand to see a revenue increase when the Arena opens so let the Arena pay for their repairs. Do the garages really only need $500,000 to make them new again or is this another minimally thought through band aid approach to a much bigger need? One thing is for sure and that is that bundling confused the issue to the point that the City Council was not convinced that the proposed financing was the right thing to do. The City of Evansville is now “back to the drawing board” on how to finance the parking garage repairs.

As a customer of the downtown parking garages I can attest to the need for both maintenance and upgrades. My expectation is that to get the City of Evansville garages into Arena worthy condition will be more than a $500,000 proposition but for purposes of the following proposed financing solution I will assume that the powers that be have their planning in order and the list of repairs and upgrades are all that are really needed.

My proposed solution is to charge $5 to park in the City of Evansville garages for Arena Events. Then pledge the incremental revenue for the first 120,000 arena related parking fees to pay off these repairs as collateral for a loan to fix them up. Assuming the attendance numbers that have been predicted the payoff time will be less than 100 events or about 8 months.
This plan would get the garages fixed before the Arena opens, offer an investor 20% return on the $500,000 and avoid adding to the long term debt of the City of Evansville. It also stops the bundling trick before it expands.

Think about it, here is a solution that is cheap, easy, and meets the current needs. What is keeping the City of Evansville from going forward with a common sense solution that meets their stated needs for getting the parking garages into Arena worthy condition?

Evansville based D&F Distributors, Inc. acquired by Texas Company

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November 23, 2010

News Release

HOUSTON, Nov 23, 2010 — DXP Enterprises, Inc. announced today the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all the assets of D&F Distributors, Inc. (“D&F”). The acquisition is expected to close effective November 30, 2010. The purchase price of $13.4 million is estimated to consist of approximately $7.5 million to be paid in cash, approximately $2.8 million in the form of promissory notes bearing interest at a rate of 5%, and approximately $3.1 million in the form of shares of DXP common stock. The allocation of the purchase price between cash, notes and common stock will be determined based upon the amount of D&F debt outstanding on the effective closing date. The cash portion of the purchase price will be funded by borrowings under DXP’s existing credit facility.

D&F is headquartered in Indiana and operates out of six locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. D&F distributes and services industrial, commercial and municipal pumps and fabricates pump packages.

The 2010 annualized sales and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for the acquired business are approximately $22 million and $2.8 million, respectively.

David Little, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “D&F is a quality company with great people and excellent pump product expertise. We are excited with the geography and markets they cover and we look forward to our future success together.”

Mac McConnell, Chief Financial Officer, stated, “We anticipate this acquisition to be immediately accretive to earnings.”

DXP Enterprises, Inc. is a leading products and service distributor focused on adding value and total cost savings solutions to MRO and OEM customers in virtually every industry since 1908. DXP provides innovative pumping solutions, integrated supply and MROP (maintenance, repair, operating and production) services that emphasize and utilize DXP’s vast product knowledge and technical expertise in pumps, bearings, power transmission, seals, hose, safety, fluid power, and electrical and industrial supplies. DXP’s breadth of MROP products and service solutions allows DXP to be flexible and customer driven, creating competitive advantages for its customers.

SOURCE: DXP Enterprises, Inc.

Thai Government Bans Elephants on the Street

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Thai Government Bans Elephants on the Street

The tourist want to see them, Thailand has made them their national symbol, but they don’t belong on the streets of the cities and resorts. Elephants are a important part of Thai history and culture, but their role in Thailand has changed. Once they were the work horses of Thailand, but time and modern engineering has replaced these gentle giants with diesel engines and modern hydraulics.


Thai Elephant on the Street in Bangkok

Elephants helped to build Thailand, but now their natural habitat, is being replaced with development and expanding cities. Work for elephants is very limited these days and these gentle giants still need to eat. An adult elephant can consume 140–270 kg (300–600 lb) of food a day. So the handlers, (mahouts) in many cases have taken their elephants to the streets, selling small bundles of overpriced food to the tourist who delight in the wonder of being close and feeding these wonderful animals. With the profits they purchase the real meals for their elephants.

But busy streets traffic, and elephants do not mixed, and several animals have been injured in the past. A survey found 74 elephants wandering the streets of Bangkok with their handlers. Bangkok and Pattaya have now banned elephants on the streets within the city limits. The New Elephant Act is being put in place in Bangkok, implanting the elephants with micro chips for tracking, and imposing, large finds if the elephants are on the city streets.

Deputy BMA governor Theerachon Manomaipibul said yesterday that repeat offenders would be warned three times after which they would be fined up to Bt50,000 and have their elephants sent home.

In a effort to find safe homes for these elephants and mahouts Ayutthaya’s Wang Chang Elephant Camp and Pattaya’s Suan Nong Nuch Park have offered to buy elephants and hire their mahouts. The Elephant Reintroduction Foundation has also said they will pay Bt500,000Bt to one million for any elephant whose mahout can not afford to keep it. With the ultimate goal of returning some of their elephants to the wild.

So if you want to see these wonderful animals, take a trip to one of the Elephant Parks or wildlife areas and enjoy them in a safe natural environment.

Government Standing Pat on Pat-Downs

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Michael Hume
They’ve Got Their “Safety” Story Down Pat

The day before Thanksgiving – this year, that’s tomorrow – is one of the biggest days for air travel in the United States each year. If you’re one of the millions of people boarding a plane in the U.S. tomorrow, you have a dismal choice to make when you reach the security checkpoint. You can walk through a machine that will give the security checker a picture of every detail of your naked body, or you can “opt out” of that and instead endure a pat-down that many people think amounts to mild sexual assault.

Yes, it’s taken eleven months, but the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) is finally responding to the threat representated by last year’s failed Christmas Day “underwear bomber” attack. And they’re doing it by focusing their energy and resources not on actual terrorists, but on… you.

As a very-frequent international traveler, I’ve had to submit to many types of security checks, before and after the tragedy of 9/11. I remember boarding an American-bound plane in Frankfurt and having to go through security not once, not twice, but three times… with an x-ray AND a “wand massage” each time. I got so tired of removing shoes, belts, and other metal objects that I decided a few years ago to fly in workout shorts and flip-flops every single time – even in the winter. (This got me pulled out of the security line in Munich two years ago exclusively for the purpose of having the security personnel ridicule me – seriously.) And yes, more than once I’ve had a pat-down that made me wonder if someone should be buying me dinner.

I’m a real pro at the security checkpoint. I take it as my personal responsibility to ensure no one ever has to wait one second for me, either before or after the scanner. I show up at the checkpoint with my laptop out, my liquids sealed in my regulation plastic bag, my boarding pass and ID out and ready for inspection, my cell phone and all other electronics safely stashed in my carry-on, and just enough clothing on to keep me out of jail on indecent exposure charges. The amateurs do all their packing and unpacking, dressing and undressing, once they get to the luggage conveyer at the checkpoint. I have to do all that stuff, too, but I do it elsewhere, which is what makes me a pro.

And I’ve suffered all this with what I feel is a good-natured attitude: “I’ll do whatever it takes for you to keep me safe.”

I’ll submit to the naked photo. I’m a former actor. Some actors are flat-out exhibitionists… I’m more in the category of someone who’s changed clothes in front of other people so many times I just don’t care about being seen by people with whom I’m not intimate. But, of course, most people do not have the same perspective, so the naked photo is tougher for most to endure. Several online groups have suggested that travelers opt-out en masse tomorrow, specifically to jam up the system with a lot of slower pat-downs.

That won’t keep the TSA from doing them, though. Get this: you have about a 25% chance of having to endure both the naked photo AND the grope.

The only real way to opt out is to find another mode of transportation.

I’ll submit to the grope, too. Not because I relish it, but because I have nothing to hide, and because I do want them to keep the airplanes safe.

However, there are some things I resent about the way our government has dealt with this.

I resent the unbelievable amount of money the government has spent on expensive naked-photo machines and TSA gropers… especially when they’re willing to raise taxes not only on regular taxpayers, but on the entrepreneurs who take risks, start businesses, and actually create jobs for new taxpayers. Meanwhile, our masters in the government elite – both political parties – grow rich in office.

I resent that I, who have been an upstanding law-abiding American citizen since birth, need to be controlled to the level of intrusions to my personal privacy… but illegal immigrants can get everything from a driver’s license to a home mortgage without submitting so much as a photo ID.

I resent the fact that the TSA gropers wear gloves so that they can be protected from any germs you might be carrying on your clothes… but they don’t wear masks, which might protect your health from whatever bugs they brought to work. When someone’s intimate enough with you to grope you, you can count on airborne germs and viruses from their exhalations.

I resent that they’re locking down the concourse, but they won’t touch the border.

And I resent the fact that, if a real terrorist had to submit to such indignities at a place like Guantanamo Bay, they’d have a real chance to find an ACLU lawyer who would sue the government for violating their rights… but no one thinks grabbing my junk or taking naked pictures of me constitutes the slightest violation of my rights.

Meanwhile, the terrorists must be doubled over in laughter, out there in their caves. Or, dreadfully, in their trendy downtown U.S. lofts.

I know it’s tough to figure out how to keep us all safe. I think most TSA personnel you’ll run into tomorrow are decent enough folks, just trying to do their jobs. They’re not the ones I blame. It’s the government executives who came up with this lunacy.

Want to keep American airports safe? How about starting by keeping the borders secure?

by Michael D. Hume, M.S.

Michael Hume is a speaker, writer, and consultant specializing in helping people maximize their potential and enjoy inspiring lives. As part of his inspirational leadership mission, he coaches executives and leaders in growing their personal sense of well-being through wealth creation and management, along with personal vitality.

Michael and his wife, Kathryn, divide their time between homes in California and Colorado. They are very proud of their offspring, who grew up to include a homemaker, a rock star, a service talent, and a television expert. Two grandchildren also warm their hearts! Visit Michael’s web site at http://michaelhume.net

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