Ask Ping!
Friday, August 17, 2012 | 9:30 AM
ODI dates back to the 1980’s as the leader in grip manufacturing. Focusing primarily on the bmx and mountain bike industries through the 90’s and early 2000’s, ODI re-entered the motocross scene when they developed the patented lock-on grip system that eliminates wire and glue. Continuing to advance the way riders hold on to their bikes, ODI has worked closely with the teams they support such as Troy Lee Designs to create the product that is now being used by some of the top teams in the industry.
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PrintHey Ping,
Just wanted to say I love the work you do for the sport with Racer X. When I was at the Washougal Nationals my buddy and I were walking through the pits and stopped to watch the Dunlop guys at work. This thought had never crossed my mind until my buddy asked me this question: Are the tire compounds that the pros use the same as the average Joes like us could buy? I assumed all these years that tires were tires until the Pulpmx pod cast made a comment about a controversy with Cooper Webb changing his tire for Lorretta's. I know Lorretta's has rules and regulations per class but it made me wonder again if the tires the pro riders use are the same ones we can by minus perhaps some custom tread patterns. Keep up the good work!
Jay
No, not THAT kind of hooking up
The short answer to your question is no. And sometimes yes. Right now there is one specific rear tire that every top-tier rider is using, especially in supercross. It is lighter than a production tire and it hooks up like The Situation at a shady nightclub in New Jersey. Unfortunately for “Joes” like you it isn’t available to the public. The rubber compound is so soft that knobbies start flying off and it literally disintegrates after one moto. That’s no good for anybody who has to pay for tires. Some riders like the way other tires feel though and some of those, like the MX51, are available to the public. Some of the selection just comes down to rider preference. There will always be tires in professional racing that aren’t offered to the public because they don’t make sense to sell. Personally, I’m more impressed with how quickly and easily those guys change tires than the treads or compounds themselves. It takes me at least 30 minutes for one tire and my knuckles looked like I just went four rounds with a brick wall.
PING
Dear Ping,
Why is Suzuki not as accepted in the motocross industry as other brands? Now I am bias because that is all I own, but I bought them with a mechanical background not because I love the color yellow. The motors are sound, valves don't need adjusted frequently (Hondas), they don't grenade during racing (kawis) and they turn on a dime. The new Rmz's only weakness is it's clutch (98 kx 250), same parts, but aftermarket companies make few products for the Rmz.
Your insight is greatly appreciated,
Reece
If the expression, 'What wins on Sunday sells on Monday' is accurate then it was great to be a Suzuki dealer on Monday in the 1970's
Each manufacturer goes through their ups and downs in professional racing. I don’t have stats in front of me but I would guess that Suzuki has won as many or more SX/MX races in the past five years than any other brand. Between RC and Dungey and now Stewart that is one successful motorcycle. And yet before RC came along they couldn’t buy a win. Honda has always been known as a powerhouse but how many titles have they won lately? And Yamaha is certainly in the thick of a PR nightmare right now in terms of their professional racing organization. And poor KTM doesn’t have one single championship here in US racing… yet. But their first one is coming (maybe this weekend) and it looks like they are going to get in the game, big time.
It’s funny to me how a die-hard of any brand remains loyal through good times and bad. You are a Suzuki fan, obviously, and you are buying yellow whether they are winning races or not. And a Yamaha fan hasn’t been swayed by any of the talk that has gone around about their current model. There is no shortage of good bikes right now and in that sense the consumer is winning. Will James Stewart bring back Yellow Magic in 2013 and shoot Suzuki back onto the championship platform? Time will tell. Will it effect what you buy? Probably not.
PING
Pingree,
Obama or Romney? And why. I'm more of a liberal, I think, and being from Massachusetts I feel Romney doesn't have the best reputation around here. Obama doesn't impress me though and I feel like they all say things that contradict themselves.
I'm also a small business owner who has seen how bad the economy really is, working a lot more for a lot less. I was just wonder if you would share your two cents with me on this. I didn't vote last year and want to this year.
Thank you
Bobby B
Vote wisely
This is a critical vote coming in November and I hope that intelligent Americans take some time to understand the candidates’ policies and positions and make an informed vote. No, our political system isn’t perfect but sitting back and doing nothing only makes it worse. My suggestion would be to have a look at a letter I came across recently. Mr. Crowley expresses a sentiment felt by many small business owners in this country lately. He sums it up better than I could…
To All My Valued Employees,
There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job.
What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc.
Please vote for who you think will serve your interests the best. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact, which might help you decide what is in your best interest. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back-story.
This back-story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You saw my big home at last year’s Christmas party. I'm sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't see is the back-story.
I started this company 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.
My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's.
My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business --- with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.
So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day-old baby.
You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back-story and the sacrifices I've made. Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail out all the people who didn't.
The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:
I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a taxman to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.
The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check?
Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.
When you have a comatose man on the verge of death you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the mud of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine.
Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem anymore. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.
You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.
While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back-story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy, Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.
If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.
Signed, Your boss,
Hey Ping,
Just wanted to say I love the work you do for the sport with Racer X. When I was at the Washougal Nationals my buddy and I were walking through the pits and stopped to watch the Dunlop guys at work. This thought had never crossed my mind until my buddy asked me this question: Are the tire compounds that the pros use the same as the average Joes like us could buy? I assumed all these years that tires were tires until the Pulpmx pod cast made a comment about a controversy with Cooper Webb changing his tire for Lorretta's. I know Lorretta's has rules and regulations per class but it made me wonder again if the tires the pro riders use are the same ones we can by minus perhaps some custom tread patterns. Keep up the good work!
Jay
Jay,
The short answer to your question is no. And sometimes yes. Right now there is one specific rear tire that every top-tier rider is using, especially in supercross. It is lighter than a production tire and it hooks up like The Situation at a shady nightclub in New Jersey. Unfortunately for “Joes” like you it isn’t available to the public. The rubber compound is so soft that knobbies start flying off and it literally disintegrates after one moto. That’s no good for anybody who has to pay for tires. Some riders like the way other tires feel though and some of those, like the MX51, are available to the public. Some of the selection just comes down to rider preference. There will always be tires in professional racing that aren’t offered to the public because they don’t make sense to sell. Personally, I’m more impressed with how quickly and easily those guys change tires than the treads or compounds themselves. It takes me at least 30 minutes for one tire and my knuckles looked like I just went four rounds with a brick wall.
PING
Dear Ping,
Why is Suzuki not as accepted in the motocross industry as other brands? Now I am bias because that is all I own, but I bought them with a mechanical background not because I love the color yellow. The motors are sound, valves don't need adjusted frequently (Hondas), they don't grenade during racing (kawis) and they turn on a dime. The new Rmz's only weakness is it's clutch (98 kx 250), same parts, but aftermarket companies make few products for the Rmz.
Your insight is greatly appreciated,
Reece
Reece,
Each manufacturer goes through their ups and downs in professional racing. I don’t have stats in front of me but I would guess that Suzuki has won as many or more sx/mx races in the past five years than any other brand. Between RC and Dungey and now Stewart that is one successful motorcycle. And yet before RC came along they couldn’t buy a win. Honda has always been known as a powerhouse but how many titles have they won lately? And Yamaha is certainly in the thick of a PR nightmare right now in terms of their professional racing organization. And poor KTM doesn’t have one single championship here in US racing… yet. But their first one is coming (maybe this weekend) and it looks like they are going to get in the game, big time.
It’s funny to me how a die-hard of any brand remains loyal through good times and bad. You are a Suzuki fan, obviously, and you are buying yellow whether they are winning races or not. And a Yamaha fan hasn’t been swayed by any of the talk that has gone around about their current model. There is no shortage of good bikes right now and in that sense the consumer is winning. Will James Stewart bring back Yellow Magic in 2013 and shoot Suzuki back onto the championship platform? Time will tell. Will it effect what you buy? Probably not.
PING
Pingree,
Obama or Romney? And why. I'm more of a liberal, I think, and being from Massachusetts I feel Romney doesn't have the best reputation around here. Obama doesn't impress me though and I feel like they all say things that contradict themselves.
I'm also a small business owner who has seen how bad the economy really is, working a lot more for a lot less. I was just wonder if you would share your two cents with me on this. I didn't vote last year and want to this year.
Thank you
Bobby B
Bobby,
This is a critical vote coming in November and I hope that intelligent Americans take some time to understand the candidates’ policies and positions and make an informed vote. No, our political system isn’t perfect but sitting back and doing nothing only makes it worse. My suggestion would be to have a look at a letter I came across recently. Mr. Crowley expresses a sentiment felt by many small business owners in this country lately. He sums it up better than I could…
To All My Valued Employees,
There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job.
What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Of course, as your employer, I am forbidden to tell you whom to vote for - it is against the law to discriminate based on political affiliation, race, creed, religion, etc.
Please vote for who you think will serve your interests the best. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact, which might help you decide what is in your best interest. First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back-story.
This back-story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You saw my big home at last year’s Christmas party. I'm sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don't see is the back-story.
I started this company 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.
My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's.
My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business --- with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.
So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day-old baby.
You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back-story and the sacrifices I've made. Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail out all the people who didn't.
The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:
I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a taxman to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.
The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check?
Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country. The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy. Here is what many of you don't understand... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.
When you have a comatose man on the verge of death you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the mud of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine.
Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep. So where am I going with all this? It's quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem anymore. Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire.
You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.
While tax cuts to 95% of America sounds great on paper, don't forget the back-story: If there is no job, there is no income to tax. A tax cut on zero dollars is zero. So, when you make decision to vote, ask yourself, who understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn't? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of saving your job. While the media wants to tell you "It's the economy, Stupid" I'm telling you it isn't.
If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me in the South Caribbean sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.
Signed, Your boss,
|
Michael A. Crowley, PE |
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Ping, I don't know how you found that letter, but Mr. Crowley (great song, by the way) absolutely nailed it.
Absolutely frickin'n right
Yikes. Mixing moto and politics. This isnt going to end well.
Mr Crowley is spot on, just like the song
WOW! Someone finally put into words the EXACT situation I just went through.
I owned a successful home improvement business in the southwest that I put all of me into everyday and night for 8 years- my wife was is the mortgage business- I lost my company at the same time her company went under!
Lost everything!
Thank you Mr.Crowley!
You have truly spoken for ALL business owners.
P.S.- Still looking for that stimulus check I was promised-
Do not vote this idiot back into office!!!!
Oh man did we really have to get politics involved? My inbox is filled with spam and garbage from my well-intended but clueless relatives blaming someone for something they know nothing about, and now my preferred moto site is recycling the same garbage.
Let's just stick with the motorcycles, please. We can all agree on that.
If our country doesn't concentrate on education & healthcare for all - we won't have any US companies left that are capable of competing in the world market. In MX terms - we are trying to send sick kids that are undernourished out on a professional track with a bike he/she has never rode & expect them to win! Good luck with that. Mr. Crowley should retire now because he's trying to stand in the way of a better future for all Americans.
smiling new faces in DC won't fix SQUAT.....politics....YUCK.
@Ping; Sounds like a solid vote from you for Mitt...
PS I hope he serves you well, as your next president.
Who needs Fire/Emergency/Medical anyway...
I agree with Mr. Crowley' s statement and position 100% but there is one thing to consider. It is not the small to medium businesses that need more taxes. It is the large and international corporations like Apple that move money out of the country to avoid paying their share of taxes that need to be stopped. It seems the larger the company the less they contribute. I haven't seen either candidate address that fundamental flaw in our system. Just my opinion.
Atlas Shrugged!
Who is John Galt? If u don't know, u aren't paying attention .
Wow. Unbelievably poor choice of subjects to put on RacerX.
And here is the best part of that unbelievably biased and skewed "letter". What is somehow not the highlight of the story is.... THE GUY OWNS A MERCEDES, BIG HOUSE, GOES ON APPARENTLY EXPENSIVE VACATIONS, AND HAS THE ABILITY TO RETIRE IN THE CARRIBEAN!!!!!! Rich people don't get rich by giving their money away. If Mr. Crowley was taxed less, he would just have a bigger shiny toy in his 12 car garage, not a bigger bonus or more jobs for employees. GIVE ME A BREAK
Read between the lines. Especially you Ping.
Just FYI I am neither a republican or a democrat because I think they are all idiots. Political parties are just bullies that are too stubborn to see that each side has good ideas and bad, and that the best future would be a blend of all the best ideas. America is in a bad place and NEITHER candidate can or will fix it.
@Kxpwr18; Ditto...
you should prolly remove the signature, from Nov 2008
"IN REFERENCE TO THE "TO ALL MY VALUED EMPLOYEES" LETTER CURRENTLY CIRCULATING THE INTERNET: THIS LETTER WAS FORWARDED TO MICHAEL CROWLEY BY A COLLEAGUE. WHILE THE LETTER MAY INDEED BE AUTHENTIC, HE WAS NOT THE AUTHOR AND HE DOES NOT KNOW THE IDENTITY OF THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR. MR. CROWLEY'S CONTACT INFORMATION WAS MOVED INTO THE BODY OF THE MESSAGE MAKING IT APPEAR THAT HE WAS THE AUTHOR OF THE LETTER. IF YOU CHOOSE TO FORWARD THIS MESSAGE, PLEASE REMOVE ANY CONTACT INFORMATION BEFORE DOING SO.
There Pingree goes again...the best part of all of this Political banter is the jaded view people have of the Presidential power; it's the Congressmen that are making the country the way it is. The Pres can't do much with out Congressional approval. However, so many keep believing that it's the President that actually makes the calls of what gets enacted and how it gets executed. No matter which party's nominees get selected by the Electorate College, the battle with the Congress is the real hurdle. They're the reason the US credit rating dropped and they are directly linked to the crawling pace at which our economy has recovered (not Bush Jr. or Obama).
@cjmx: The first thing I did was validate the company/website, and thought of emailing Mr. Crowley to verify that these was in fact his words.
Then I came to my senses, and got the hell outta there before starting WWIII, at Pings expense.
Good investigative work, dude!
It's not too late to throw your name in the hat for president, Washington is looking for a few good men! ;~}}}
If the race teams were run like our government, they would suck too.
The team owner, the mechanics, and the riders have to work together to reach their potential.
Too bad the politicians aren't more like that. Don't be fooled - they are all rigid nut-huggers willing to do anything for whoever will give them the money for their next campaign, and without any consideration for what is best for the country (team).
Vote for the least-bad one as far as you can tell. But vote!
Jesus... Politics? O.k...
Unfortunately, its way too complicated to be summed up in Mr. Crowley's little letter. What db548 said is also extremely valid.
Its too bad that citizens can't vote on the ISSUES, but instead have to pick 1 of 2 pretty crappy options. The whole system needs an over-haul.
But, people do need to educate themselves on the issues, not blindly follow one party or the other. I agree that progressive taxes are BS. But on the other side, having an largely uneducated population is scary--its already happening, and imagine how bad things will be 20, 30 years from now if this keeps up. Also, having 1 in 3 people without health care simply means that--since you can't let them die on the front steps of the hospital--the state is going to pay out the a** when a problem that could have been taken care of for a relatively small cost (and payed for by insurance) now becomes life threatening and has a price tag of a couple hundred grand. That's what's happening now.
I'm not crazy about Obama either, but education and healthcare are the foundation of a healthy society. A huge reason that this country works is because there is a some-what level playing field (ed and HC are a huge part of this) and that provides a vast amount of ideas, concepts, and competition to be throw into the mix--and the mix is shrinking. If education and healthcare are only for the wealthy, we're going to end up with the intellectual inbreeding of the few "haves" and a whole bunch of moronic "have-nots" just outside the gates, beating on each other with rocks and sticks, just waiting to be mind-f***ed into the next genocide or civil war because somebodies' "God" differs from someone else's or because the bad guys "hate freedom".
Obama fancies himself some modern day Robin Hood, stifling American productivity, while Mitt is some rich-ass, bible-thumping war-monger, whose gonna pay himself and his cronies and leave the rest of us fighting for crumbs.
Pick your poison...
Sorry, (were in fact) My Bad!
Don't believe this shit folks....shame on Spingree for posting this!! You are all being fooled!! Go ahead and vote for the a s s hole who says he'll "cut" the taxes on your business....he's lying...and don't forget, those words are coming from the rich man who pays either no, or a much LOWER TAX RATE than most of you hard working people on here!! That is exactly why he won't show his tax returns, even though he has repeatedly in the past demanded them from others!! Most of you probably pay between 20-30% on your income, and that makes a hell of a difference if you are making 20, 30, 40 thousand dollars a year.......it doesn't really alter the ability of a multi-millionaire to meet his basic needs though.....you should be pissed that he gets away with this shit!!! Government is corrupt kids, and that is the real problem, believe it!! Until you get the money out of politics and end the marriage between government and big business, you can vote whoever you want in to the big chair and nothing will change!! Let go of the political ideologies folks and get real!!
Mr. Crowley nailed it. Way to go Ping for finding and posting his letter!
I'm a little surprised he re-circulated this long, "urban myth" letter credited to Crowley. Not that I don't agree with some of the points, but it's just not real credible, or current.
You're partly right gbs417- 3 branches of government. LIMITED government. Congress makes the laws, President signs the laws, Supreme court interprets the law. You can't have one without the other (unless some get their way)- luckily, we have some decent congressman that are blocking bad legislation like Mike Alessi with the holeshot in a 2 lap dash for cash.
I don't like mixing moto and politics more than anyone else, but it is important to know your government. Sierra club anyone??? ...Bueller
Well, I give this specific, "Ask Ping" column about 20 more minutes before it's removed.
Too Hot To Handle, Ouch!
Like the guys letter but to his backside there is always another backstory just as different. I don't like anyone giving my money away to someone sitting at home making baby after baby. On the other hand there are just as much money going in subsidies to big corporations as to the welfare moms. So many think there business is way over regulated and maybe now it is but you also have to ask the reason for this and more often then not it is because big businesses did so many things it shouldn't have and polluted things so badly that it can't be used anymore.
We have spent billions in New Jersey alone on cleaning toxic land fills that these companies were dumping things they knew they shouldn't. Which who knows how much that has changed peoples lives. How many children have been born in the last 30 years with mental disabilities or autism which is at an all time high. Who should be responsible for taking care of these children the parents who had no idea they were being polluted.
I understand the letter writers feelings but for everyone out there who did what he did i also think there is someone who has also worked just as hard to do every dishonest thing they could do to make there company better. I have had 3 of my friends who started there won business and worked no where as hard as the letter writer, who with a lot of help from his employees make the company very good not because of my friends the owners but in spite of them.
They paid there employees ok not great just ok but after a while all three started acting like they were millionaires with there spending as well as getting hooked on drugs. In a little over a year after they started acting like jerks all three of their businesses went under not because of the 20 or so people working for each of my friends not because of taxes or regulations but because of one person in each company.
So you can see how many things can happen, I am more like the letter writer I work trying to get my business going better and work pretty much 7 days a week, I rarely even take the time to go riding anymore. So putting out a letter like he has isn't a tell all of how to vote because we never hear the whole story or the whole truth.
The only thing I know is neither the republicans or the democrats are doing nearly enough the get things going on the right track and from things I know it seems like no mater how good a bill that the democrats come up with the republicans won't go for it even if it were something they came up with 5 years ago. The government to me seems like a room filled with a bunch of 10 year old's who are fighting over the same toy and if one can't have it then no one can. Moral of my story do yourself a favor and do as much real research as to what is really going on in the government because there are so many lie's out there coming from both sides it is almost impossible to make a dissension based on what you see on TV. We also need to find a why to vote almost everyone out and try and get all new people in who aren't in some big businesses pocket. Sorry about all this but racers should be informed voters also.
I thought this was a MOTO site? I don't need any more Fox News rhetoric.
VOTE OBAMNEY 2012, there's no difference between the two anyway. They are both bought and sold for by their corp keepers. Anyone thinks Romney will turn this place around is smoking crack. And Obama is just Bush 3.
Moto-site... but since Ping opened the door...
... a good letter from Mr. Crowley, but terribly one-sided.
It's healthy and helpful for all to read a story about another American trying to create something from nothing, that will in turn create jobs for many others. (... excuse me... having a bite of some Ramen Pride noodles of my own for lunch right now). It can be done and it is still being done, despite the countries current economic troubles.
He neglected to address something very important: There are employers (not him thankfully) in this country who have gone the route of purchasing and manufacturing opportunities in countries like China and India, etc. This an unfortunate fact, which has in turn, taken away many, many current and future jobs in this country, in all sorts of businesses.
How often these days do you speak with someone in the United States when dealing with a phone bill, a warranty issue or a credit card dispute? And much more often than not, the disputes often revolve around something you paid for (with your hard earned money) that is not stamped 'Made in America'.
While I am in agreement with many small business employers like Mr. Crowley, in my contempt for the litany of taxes paid by those of us still trying to do it the good ol' American way, he seems to think (without naming names the easy one-sided argument that it's the current sitting President's problem only. Unfortunately the already too high/too many taxes issue didn't just begin in 2008-09, but actually decades ago and are still not as high as they were in the (1980's) President Reagan years.
Business owners, Congressmen, Senators, lobbyists are all part of the selling of American jobs overseas and have been guilty of it for decades. Some of those jobs will probably never return. It's a hard idea to swallow but it is what it is. Individually and as a Nation, we need to be thinking forward to tomorrow's technologies and opportunities and not be so focused backwards and holding on so tightly to a business model from another century.
Cutting money from Education programs and balancing the care of elderly people on the backs of elderly people is a problem for me with the challenging party on the Right. Somewhere in the argument the word 'compromise' has be trampled on by both sides. Compromise must happen, for several years/decades, if necessary... if we do not want to fall still further behind other nations who are pouring their money into EDUCATION, the new ideas of tomorrow and taking care of their own. As a Christian, I won't abandon that way of seeing things
Having said all that, the two-headed monster that currently exists in Washington can't seem to crack the complicated, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" problem (taxes vs. loss of jobs) and I don't believe it will be fixed by a simple changing of the guard at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
It's an enormous issue that needs help from too many people with their arms crossed defiantly. The irony is, most of those who won't help fix the problems we face won't really be affected the way the common man has been affected. Their wealth insulates them and their own and that is enough for them.
The pendulum swings and I believe we will resolve this somehow. What we do best as Americans is create and innovate. However, we are not stretching our arms and our minds enough lately. Look into those who you support, who have political power in your state your government... dig deep and find what isn't said in a 2 minute news sound-byte or commercial and vote based on your findings, not somebody else's. Change starts with you. We all wanna' ride. Let's course correct together and make sure our kids's kid's will get to ride too.
No matter what you know, it comes down to 2 simple choices. No one can say for sure what Romney can do, but we darn well know what Obama wants. Bigger Government and more spending. Just tax the rich more and that will solve our problems. What's the lesser of 2 evils? I don't believe anyone can be as bad as the Reid, Polosi, and Obama.
We are being suckered into thinking that we, just like the multi national corporations, are being screwed. Not even close. Somehow we are taking up for thee richest companies the world has ever seen. That is the marketing job of the century! Worse yet, BOTH parties are letting it happen! A ransacking and torching of our economy while Congress fiddles away.
We bail out the absolute richest banks and investing houses and tell thousands if not millions of kids who graduate from college with degrees and no job prospects to pay up. Something is seriously wrong.
yaaaaaawn....... ping you polluted your own collumn
i guess that's your pirogi
Ping, I love everything you do...especially all the podcasts with Matthes. But c'mon, leave your sided views to twitter. This topic belongs to a different column.
If you're going to push anything, why not push education? I know you are all about that. I recently graduated from a Cal State University. And frankly, I'm relieved to be finished. Not because of all the hard work or homework; it's due to all the cut-backs and tuition increases that will be taking affect. The greed and negligence of our entire government is going to be the death of our future nation. How can we expect to have things improve locally, when we are cutting eduction nationally.
Look, now I'm caught up in damn feed.
Touché Ping...touché.
Haha
... But the tire-gate info. was interesting...
xxktm gets it. Not 1 in a 100 gets it that the Banksters run the show, They back right and left and they pull the levers of power. Of course, FAUX News will never educate the public on that fact. NO, it's all those brown people on welfare, those deadbeats.
Government Responsibility: Build roads, protect citizens with police and military and stay the heck out of our business.
Citizens Responsibility: Work hard, help those you can and thank God for the opportunity.
We have no true statesman left and they have been replaced with professional politicians in each party. God help us.....
I LOVE ME SOME MOTOCROSS LIVE ACTION!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad to see Ping making a statement that many should give some deep thought to...
1. It's too bad the good ole US of A' democracy provides the people with a choice of two leaders as viable options. It's also too bad that for someone to run for the senate, congress, or President, your bankroll has to be 10's or hundreds of millions of dollars. Does not sound like a land of opportunity to me.
2. The President does not pass law as some have said, but he holds a great deal of influence, especially over those in his party. Those that support the President, support the policies he tables. He he tables a bill to raise taxes, taxes will likely go up. A bill tables to lower taxes will likely result in taxes going down; though somewhere else they will inevitably be raised to compensate.
3. There are many international G7 examples of governments lowering taxes of businesses and individuals to stimulate economies successfully. Do a little research.
4. Governments need to fair, consistent tax system with NO loop holes, so all businesses are taxed fairly. Perhaps a flat tax for both businesses and persons?
@Big bore fan, Bingo! We have a one party system - the party of BIG Government. Every 4 years it's Tweedle Dee vs. Tweedle Dum. C'mon folks. it's professional Wrestling. You don't think so? Remember Bush 1 vs. Clinton. Oh how nasty. Seen them pal'in around the past several years with their arms around each other and ear to ear grins? Laughing all the way to the bank and at all the schmucks that buy into the show.
Politics is Hollywood for ugly people. If voting could actually change anything it would be illegal. Government is the disease masquerading as the cure.
I will immediately layoff 17 employees if Obama is re-elected.
Idiots need to ask themselves, have you ever been hired by a poor person?
Bleeding heart Liberals are killing this country, and really just need to get out.
Failed Liberal Energy Companies that have failed after Billions of your tax dollars...How has your energy bills been doing? Look into the Bonuses the Executives gave themselves..... get the hell off of this site and learn something.
Amonix Solar-Solar Trust of America-Bright Source-Solyndra-LSP Energy-Energy Conversion Devices-Abound Solar-SunPower-Beacon Power-Ecotality-A123 Solar-UniSolar-Azure Dynamics-Evergreen Solar-Ener1
Motocross should be taxed more!
Being a motocrosser and voting for obama is like being a chicken and voting for Colonel Sanders. Make no mistake, libs hate you riding your motorized vehicle on public land (remember Clinton designating millions of acres as "wilderness'?), and if they had their (fascist) way you would be banned.
You are a fuking idiot pizzacorner...."bleeding heart liberals are killing this country" my ass. You don't know shit dude!! RCRDDW, i have a list i should post of "other" things your government provides you with you idiot, things you are obviously unaware of....god some of you people are stupid!!
Politics....the Entertainment division of big business.
Typical Americans
Yeah boys, keep voting for those job creators (aka business owners) they are really helping out this economy. HAHAHAH
Keep voting for those billionaires you admire so much for being "job creators" and businessmen, they have your back and best interest at heart. HAHAHHAHHA
Keep cowering down to the system that threw you overboard 50 years ago, hand over more of your pensions and social security to them to, they don't mind. HAHAHAH
Americans are so blinded by greed they deserve the situation they're in. They keep voting for these "job creators" businessmen who sell their jobs overseas to other people to help with profit and less taxes, if none at all, yet Americans love them for that. HAHAHAHA
Hey Ping, your boy Romney wants to cut jobs from fireman and cops, you're going to school to be a fireman right? HAHAHA Good luck with that, keep cheering for the man who is going to take everything away from you that you have worked hard for. He's a "businessman" though and a conservative so you have to vote for him right? HAHHAHA You people crack me up, still vote and cheer for the politicians who are going to rob you blind.
Reading these comments is just to funny, no wonder "business owners" take away pensions, overtime, work you more hours, and don't give vacations, Americans are to stupid to say anything about it, hell, they even cheer for it. HAHAHAH
Oh the whiny little Liberals are butt hurt, and the jealous foreigners are squawking........but we are talking about such depressed bleak countries. These Socialist shitboxes that produce soulless sheep cannot even produce 3 decent MX racers, and a country of 300 Million crushes everyone at the Olympics.
American Individualism is what makes us great, and that we do not coddle the lazy......unless you are a Liberal.
Let me inform you about the American "poor", and the guilt Liberals love to put on you:
46% of all poor households actually own their own homes.
66% of poor households have air conditioning.
Only 6% of poor households are overcrowded.
The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
Nearly threequarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
97% of poor households have a color television; 50% own two or more color televisions.
78% have a VCR or DVD player; 62% have cable or satellite TV reception.
73% own microwave ovens, 50% have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.
Overall, the typical American defined as poor by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a microwave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family's essential needs. While this individual's life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by the press, liberal activists, and politicians.
I hate getting involved with this garbage but I get a kick out of how the two side play off each other. Both use ridiculous stories and common sense arguments to justify bad behavior. There is no reason why the left and right can't get along and go after what is best for the people, no reason at all. But still everyone concentrates on the battle between the poor and rich, the "job creators" and the socialists, never does anyone look just a little deeper and realize how ridiculous all this name calling is. Fact: Government has forgotten that is is an institution created "By the people, for the people". Fact: The extreme right and extreme left are playing Americans like fools, they don't care about you, only getting press and satisfying some creepy agenda that has nothing to do with focusing on turning this country around.
Keep arguing, keep throwing insults back and forth, and continue to throw stats like " 73% of poor people own microwaves" really, anyone that drops that statistic is a retard, plain and simple and should not be allowed to comment on the state of the nation. If the "job creators" are so interested in creating jobs why do they instead spend millions to affect policy in our government instead of investing back in their business? Because it is more profitable, and profit is what drives everyone, plain and simple.
Keep arguing people, it keeps your attention from other things, like a balanced approach to solving some problems. No reason for an open dialogue between both sides and some compromise to make it better for the majority, let's just sit back, take a side, and watch it happen.
Ping, shouldn't you leave the "business owner" stuff to people who own businesses and have employees, especially since you're trying to be a government employee (firefighter) with guaranteed retirement and health benefits that us TAX PAYERS have to pay for? Just curious. Seems funny for you to decry government while trying so desperately to become a part of the problem.
Regardless of anyone's political leanings, hothead guys like 'pizzacorner' continue to shoot themselves in the foot and maintain their 0 credibility score with the comments they toss out like yesterday's spoiled milk.
When you can't make your point without injecting a heavy dose of smack talk for those who see it differently from you, you're demonstrating a foolish and uneducated sense of understanding the depth of these issues.
Really nice to hear you're about to lay off 17 employees in November too. Bet their families just love you. Guess you'll be on that same beach in the Caribbean with Mr. Crowley by Thanksgiving. How appropriate. You guys that give up and wanna' pack it in when someone sees it differently... you deserve each other.
Honestly, though..., you're somebody's Boss? Finding that hard to believe. Doesn't sound like a skill-set you could ever possess.