@Jerry – wait, I missed a Jerry drinking engagement at Laurel? What was I doing? How did I miss that? Can’t wait to buy you a beer at the track one day, buddy.

@Alex – it’s an honor to have you stop over, Alex. I know how much you care and that’s why I encourage folks to speak up and make sure you hear. I’m betting that sometimes folks may think I’ve drunk the kool-aid and just become a total NTRA mouthpiece/spokesmen – but I challenge anyone to meet you face to face and not walk away convinced that you are the only guy that can get us back on the right track.

I’m also comforted to know that you can now see I’m not usually mono-paragraphic in my insane ramblings. I do ramble on, sometimes incoherently, but I do usually try to incorporate sentence and paragraph structure.

@Brian – of course I checked you out, buddy! Well done! I”m always proud to be able to say I know you. Ironically, your musing about “existing and desired state” – if I didn’t know better I’d think we work at the same company. I actually work for a certain famous Japanese auto-manufacturer and that kind of problem-solving analysis has been ingrained in our culture for as long as they’ve been around (don’t worry, I’m not a car salesmen, I work in a cubicle in an office supporting processes flows and being involved in improvements/initiatives – tings like that). Basically what I’m saying is – “you a speaka my language!” (now if only I could smile and give you a vegemite sandwich)

….gratuitous “Men at Work” reference…it came from the 80′s!!!!

Don’t let my perhaps too politically correct blog confuse you. It is intended to stir new ideas and to provide a platform for those like yourself who want change in this business. But as you have learned the hard way, be prepared that your comments and ideas may not always be presented in indented paragraph form.