Sometimes It's Best to Say "I Just Don't Know"

I'm not sure if the case is the same for people living in other countries (perhaps those of you who live outside the U.S. can comment); however, it appears to me that most Americans seem to have a definitive answer for everything.  We tend to answer any question with "I believe...," or "This is the way...," or "I know that...," or "He/She/It will certainly..." I have rarely heard the words, "I just don't know.." or "I am open-minded..." come up in a conversation.  However, we might all benefit if we uttered the latter phrases (or something like them) more often. 

Whenever I make a definitive statement, I find it difficult to backtrack later on.  My ego-my sense of honor-are tied up in my proclamation.  For instance, I have often said, "So and so is going to be a great fantasy football pick...," and I have selected him for my team.  In those instances, I have had a difficult time benching the player when he hasn't performed well.  Even worse is when I say that some important political or cultural theory is correct; I have problems changing my opinion when new data comes out which invalidates my old way of thinking.

It wouldn't be that bad if I were the only person who acted in this manner.  However, it appears that most Americans, including our country's leaders and CEO's of Fortune 500 companies, suffer from the same issues.  They make bold statements like, "It is always bad for the country to raise taxes!" or "Such and such strategy is the best one for this company!"  These individuals find it almost impossible to agree to any plan--however beneficial--that raises taxes, or they steadfastly hold to some outdated strategic concept even as their company goes bankrupt. 

Perhaps we would all be better off if we said, "I think it is an error to raise taxes in this situation; however, I am open to raising taxes in future scenarios," or "This strategy is a good one for the company right now, but I am always open to changing my mind on the issue if the situation changes or new data comes in."  Even better, maybe we should say, "I really don't know which strategy is best.  Let's review all of the data--and I want to get your thoughts on the issue as well.  We will then make a decision based on the data we have."  When we make statements like these, we leave ourselves open to change.  We won't take any hits to our honor-our egos-if we change our plans in the future.  I know that I would be better off if I said, "I am open to change." more often. 

What do you think?

New Blog Design Drives Traffic to Older Posts?

I hope everyone in the U.S. had a happy Thanksgiving (and for viewers living in other countries, a happy Thursday and Friday!)!  Some of you might have noticed that I made a radical change to the blog layout.  I went from using a linear focused blog (eg. 4 articles in a vertical row on a page) to utilizing one that is much more dynamic, providing the reader instant access to any of my blog posts.

In the old format, people who visited the blog would view the first couple of articles; however, they rarely looked at any of my older blog posts.  I felt that many (probably most) of my older blog posts might still be valuable (eg. still relevant) to readers.  However, I could not find a way to bring these older articles to a viewer's attention using the old format.

Hence, I decided to try the current, dynamic format.  The new blog design still favors my most recent blog posts (the posts move in chronological order from the newest in the top left to the oldest in the bottom right); however, it posits the older posts front and center on the screen. Visitors no longer have to dig through the archives to find older posts.

After a few months, I will be able to determine whether the new blog design is more effective than the previous one in increasing traffic to my older posts.  I will provide an update...

Elect Anthony Hopper as U.S. President in 2016

U.S. President Looking Out from Oval Office-Microsoft Office

I took a few moments to envision myself (Anthony Hopper) running for president in 2016 and actually having a chance to win.  What would my campaign speech look like?  Well, I have pasted a first draft of it below (in purple font) and titled it: "Elect Anthony Hopper as U.S. President in 2016."

It is worth noting that many of my frustrations/concerns with the current elected leaders who reside on Capitol Hill (and in the White House) will not be fixed (in fact, cannot be fixed)--they are byproducts of our socio-economic system.  I am fine with that...In fact, I will probably vote for Republicans and Democrats (members of Congress, senators, president, etc.) who fall far short of my ideals (and frustrate me greatly), though I might opt for a third-party candidate or two as well...

So without further ado, here is my speech.  What do you think?

 

Elect Anthony Hopper as U.S. President in 2016

I hope that you will vote for me for president when you go to the polls on Nov. 1, 2016.  I promise you that, if elected president, I will work with Democrats and Republicans to solve our country’s most pressing problems.  I know you have heard that phrase time and time again; however, I mean it.  I can work with both parties because I am a true independent.  I have much more flexibility than either the Republican or Democratic candidate.  I can do what I think is right for the country without worrying about offending my base.  More than either of my competitors, I would be able to represent all Americans. I realize that we must compromise on issues if we are going to get anything done!

I also promise to put the country’s needs above my own self-interests.  I will use the best available data and expert opinions to inform my decisions, and I will not shy away from putting forth legislation that is unpopular if I think it will benefit the nation. Additionally, I am willing to change my views on an issue if new data comes in demonstrating that my previous position was erroneous.

If we want our children and grandchildren to live in a prosperous country, we must be willing to think long-term.  We cannot shy away from passing legislation that will benefit us over the long-term, even if those bills may not do much to benefit Americans in the here and now.  We must also be proactive in finding solutions to endemic problems like illegal immigration and Social Security.  We cannot keep passing the buck on these issues!

If you elect me as the next president of the United States, you will not always agree with my decisions.  None of you will be happy with me all of the time.  Many of you will criticize me for changing my stances on issues-for being a flip-flopper.  That is okay, as long as historians look back on my presidency and say, “He always put the country above himself.”

I hope you will vote for me on Nov. 1, 2016.  If you are unhappy with the current gridlock on Capitol Hill, you can make a difference! You can vote for Anthony Hopper for U.S. president.

My Week 9 NFL Picks

I haven't had a chance (or really much incentive) to review the ESPN, Yahoo, Fox, etc. sportswriters' picks in today's NFL games.  With that said, I thought it might be interesting to see how many NFL games I can pick correctly without doing any specific, in depth research for Week 9 (apart from what I do to set my fantasy football team lineups).  As a caveat, I have been keeping close tabs on most of the NFL teams throughout the season as part of my fantasy football research.  I know (more or less) how each team has done so far this year and have at least some knowledge of each team's strengths and weaknesses.

Ok, so here it goes...My picks for this week (using Yahoo's NFL schedule).  My picks are in boldface.  Let's see how I do...

Miami vs. Indianapolis

Buffalo vs. Houston

Baltimore vs. Cleveland 

Denver vs. Cincinnati

Chicago vs. Tennessee

Detroit vs. Jacksonville

Arizona vs. Green Bay

Carolina vs. Washington

Tampa Bay vs. Oakland

Minnesota vs. Seattle

Pittsburgh vs. New York Giants

Dallas vs. Atlanta

San Diego vs. Kansas City (game has already been played-San Diego won)

Philadelphia vs. New Orleans