Taking on the Red Queen

NPR doesn't need someone acting stupidly leading them. Vivian Schiller, NPR's Red Queen ("Off with his head."), makes them unhappy since she has stepped in it several times in the past week:

1) Firing Juan Williams because of complaints instead of actually listening to the excerpt, probably. Complaints were from CAIR, a muslum stir-up-the-world group.

2) Firing Williams by having a subordinate do it rudely and crudely on the phone.

3) Initially stating it was for two items in his contract that others had more egregiously transgressed over the years.

4) Changing her story to having had multiple transgressions over the years, thus besmirching Williams' reputation.

5) Making the comment that Williams should have said it to his psychiatrist, thus besmirching his reputation some more.

6) Doing all this during NPR's fund raising week.

7) Doing this the week after getting over $1M from Soros.

8) Going up against Fox News where most of the good looking blonds are ivy-league caliber lawyers.

9) Inflaming the Republicans who have long wanted to cut funding to NPR, and who may well be the power in the House (where budgets are determined) after the next election. She has contributed to Republican voter anger thus increasing Republican turnout.

I really think she will be unemployed shortly, and the best reason I can think of to fire her is that NPR cannot afford to have a CEO that repeatedly acts that stupidly in ways adverse to NPR. And I doubt Williams will agree to a beer summit.

Experience enables recognizing a mistake when we make it again.

“We have undoubtedly expanded the credit structure, spending today and postponing the accounting until tomorrow. We have been guilty of the sin of inflation....Credit expansion results in business activity in full employment, in optimistic outlook and in a flood of gratulatory literature proclaiming us wiser then our predecessors. But the evidence is consistent and cumulative. The past decade has witnessed a great volume of credit inflation. Our period of prosperity in part was base on nothing more substantial than debt expansion.

“When the accounts are footed we shall have learned new lessons respecting the evils of credit inflation. This dear bought wisdom we may place beside our knowledge of the evils of monetary inflation purchased at an equally dear price. We may venture pious hope that the joint lessons will induce growth of the wisdom to foresee, caution to move less rapidly and more surely in the path of progress.” ~ Charles E. Persons, economist, 1930

“Governments never learn. Only people learn." ~ Milton Friedman, economist

“Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.” ~ Franklin P. Jones, reporter, humorist