Caffeinated Thoughts

Posted: 14 Sep 2010 05:15 AM PDT

Why is it that Rekha Basu and many on the left diminish what is obvious? Homosexual sex, among men, is the greatest risk factor for contracting HIV.

It's not the only way, but it is one of the most prevalent ways. It may not be politically correct to say, but it is the truth. Fortunately I'm not hanging out on a limb here, as the Center for Disease Control agrees with me in a recent report which looked specifically at men who had sex with men (MSM). They found:

MSM account for nearly half of the more than one million people living with HIV in the U.S. (48%, or an estimated 532,000 total persons).
MSM account for more than half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. each year (53%, or an estimated 28,700 infections).
While CDC estimates that MSM account for just 4 percent of the U.S. male population aged 13 and older, the rate of new HIV diagnoses among MSM in the U.S. is more than 44 times that of other men (range: 522–989 per 100,000 MSM vs. 12 per 100,000 other men).
MSM is the only risk group in the U.S. in which new HIV infections are increasing. While new infections have declined among both heterosexuals and injection drug users, the annual number of new HIV infections among MSM has been steadily increasing since the early 1990s.

4% of the population, but they make up 48% of all the cases. Naw, it couldn't be their behavior. The CDC must be a bunch of bigots… homophobes.

I'm *sure* that same-sex marriage will help reduce the rate of those being infected with AIDS as heterosexuals are getting married at younger ages and no longer engage in premarital sex (yes tongue firmly planted in cheek).

Jan Mickelson notes that there wasn't an asterisk or footnote that exempted gay men who were married. Again, let's state the obvious – gay men have the greatest risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.

But that wouldn't be politically correct as it may mean something is wrong with their behavior, and we can't have that.

That would be judgmental.

Share and Enjoy:

Matt Campbell is Out of His Depth Against Steve King in Iowa’s 5th Congressional District Race

Posted: 13 Sep 2010 04:15 PM PDT

Matt Campbell really shouldn't desire a debate against Congressman Steve King in the Iowa's 5th Congressional District… need further evidence?

Consider Campbell's interview with Jan Mickelson of WHO Radio last week. In this interview he said that Gateway should be a model for businesses here in Iowa – "we need to be replicating that, having more business incubation."

Really? I suppose just looking at how Ted Waitt started it in 1985 in his farmhouse outside Sioux City with a loan from his grandma is inspiring. It did take off quickly to be a PC Direct Sales leader, but if Campbell actually stayed in Iowa instead of just moving back last December he perhaps would have kept better tabs.

Should the replication be seeing other businesses leave Western Iowa to South Dakota?

Perhaps the replication he seeks is businesses having businesses leave the area where Iowans can't even benefit from the jobs? Like when Gateway left South Dakota for La Jolla, CA in 1998. Perhaps we want to see the emulation of seeing businesses close all of their stores like Gateway did in 2004, or see the value of their stock plunge like what was seen in 2007 when Gateway was sold to the Taiwanese computer manufacturer Acer going from $84/share down to $1.90/share. Wow, that's awesome… let’s replicate that. CNET staff writer, Erica Ogg, writing of Gateway's downfall said:

When Acer agreed on Monday to purchase the American PC maker, it wasn’t shocking, since more than a few pundits would say Gateway’s acquisition has been several years overdue. But at a $710 million purchase price, it’s a comedown for a company that in 1997 was offered $7 billion to become part of Compaq Computer (which was eventually acquired by Hewlett-Packard).

A string of bad quarters, a revolving door into the chief executive’s office and a schizophrenic business strategy have all led to Gateway’s end as an independent company after 22 years in business…

…To people who’ve watched Gateway’s aimless adventures of the last few years, the new and focused management that will be at the helm is probably a good thing, and a long time coming. "Gateway’s basically been up on eBay for the last couple years," said Samir Bhavnani, analyst at Current Analysis.

Wow from PC Direct Sale powerhouse (which it doesn't even do anymore) to outsourcing American jobs to Taiwan. Awesome plan! Perhaps if they hung on long enough they could have gotten a bailout from the Obama Administration.

If you are going to lift up a company as a model, at least pick one that hasn't been a failure.

Then Campbell has touted himself as a "fiscal conservative" who approves of the stimulus, criticizing Congressman King for not bringing in enough stimulus money or enough earmarks. He also told Mickelson he would have voted for the stimulus package and Obamacare. Huh?

I guess fiscal conservatism has been redefined.

Mr. Campbell I do hope you do get your debate, it would be fun to watch you self-destruct.

Share and Enjoy: