Amendment 66: Colorado Voters say NO! to East Coast Elite

Last night Colorado Voters had a choice via Amendment 66; to either become more and more like California or maintain the historic "Right or Center" stance that up until recently was the hallmark of the state. Change that from "Was" to "Is now."

Amendment 66 was a billion dollar tax increase, speared headed by Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston and funded by folks like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg along with special interest groups from Washington, DC and New York City.

This was Bloomberg's second attempt to mess with Colorado politics, earlier getting involved in two recall elections and our 2nd Amendment rights.

Bloomberg now 0-2 in Colorado politics.

Why did Amendment 66 Fail? Let us count the ways.

1. As I write this the vote count is 66% against, 34% for with 85% of precincts reporting. What we call and old fashioned "Butt Whuppin"
2. The man behind the initial legislation and resulting amendment on the ballot, Senator Mike Johnson could never answer the most basic questions. Question like "Just how will the money be spend." Another non-starter in the Q&A department was why there was no focus on things like accountability and things like excellence. When the guy asking for a billion dollar blank check can't answer what it's for, well, you can't fool all the people all the time.
3. Ultimately the voters of Colorado can't be bought. The folks back east tend to look down their noses at us country folk here in the West. The spent 10 million bucks trying to, again, fool us. We in turn decided to thumb our noses back at them and offer them two words, which most assuredly weren't "Good luck.

South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Brackney summed things up rather nicely in a post on Facebook:

"Colorado has pivoted back to it's historic roots of a center right* state. November 2014 early prediction: This change will be cemented for a generation.

We will still be considered one of the most competitive swing states in the nation as "experts" will fail to understand the underlying cultural conversation that is going on in homes, neighborhoods and businesses across Colorado. * but libertarian leaning."

Leading up to the election, John spent every Monday out of the office as part of his "Colorado Common Sense Tour", meeting with fellow Chambers, local news outlets and the folks who live on Main Street. What didn't surprise him was understanding the fundamental disconnect between the rural and metro areas of Colorado. It's something John, as leader of the South Metro Chamber is going to work to fix. Part of that will include and already significant and continuing dialog with our State Legislators.

So to the folks back east, we hope you've learned a lesson. All your money don't mean squat when it comes to Colorado setting it's own course. Sadly, it's a lesson you won't learn. I have no doubt that the likes of Bloomberg will continue to stick their noses in our business.

They might consider however that the next time they try, we just might bite them off.

Brian Olson
Highlands Ranch/Westcliffe CO

Dear Mayor Bloomberg

October 30, 2013

Mayor Michael Bloomberg
City of New York
New York NY

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

Thank you for your continued interest in the State of Colorado. We note your most recent Million+ dollar contribution in support of Amendment 66 which will raise taxes on Coloradans by a Billion Dollars every year.

A Billion Dollar annual tax increase will negatively impact all citizens financially, especially the small businesses along Main Street CO. These are the job creators, not higher taxes. It should also be noted that there is no accountability built into the amendment as to actually how the money will be spent.

As for improving education, innovation beats taxation every time.

Our records also show you contributed to a recent recall election here in Colorado, your motivation and support based on restricting the 2nd Amendment Rights of Coloradans. We hold these truths to be self evident sir, that everything in the United States Constitution is sacred and not to be taken away piecemeal.

Your record of getting involved in the business of the people of Colorado indicates a couple of issues that concern us.

1. Despite being Mayor of a city as big as New York City, you obviously have too much time on your hands. Your focus should be on the citizens you represent.

2. In addition, you obviously don't understand that while you like to micro-manage your constituency, this not the type of government we in Colorado approve of. We have proven ourselves pretty darn capable of running our own affairs without the interference from outsiders. It kind of raises our hackles.

Therefore we must decline your application in becoming Grand Exalted Poo-Bah of the State of Colorado.

We do wish you the best in your future career endeavors.

Yours truly,

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

Amendment 66: Just say NO!

I write this today as an MVP  member of the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Business Leaders for Responsible Government Committee of the Chamber.

There's a $950,000,000 tax increase on the ballot this fall in Colorado. It's called Amendment 66. Supporters claim it's all about funding education. But after multiple meeting at the State Capitol and at the Chamber with State Legislators, members of local school districts and State Senator Mike Johnston who crafted the legislation, we as a Chamber come away opposing Amendment 66.

This tax increase is bad because:

    •    It is in the form of a graduated income tax which will hurt small businesses taxed at the individual rate
    •    It is an 8% tax increase on income below $75,000 and a 27% tax increase on income above $75,000
    •    There is no broad base of support
    •    There is not enough reform or performance metrics associated with the tax increase
    •    This is a statewide issue but the tax increase is Denver-centric

The Chamber has also produced this video outlining the many "Cons" of Amendment 66:



The South Metro Chamber is not alone in opposing Amendment 66. The National Federation of Independent Business has joined in opposition. So are a growing number of other organizations and taxpayers across Colorado.

Not surprisingly there are millions of dollars flowing into Colorado in support of this tax increase, much of it from Washington, DC and ...NEW YORK CITY! Wow, there's a surprise. Wonder why people who don't live here, want to tell us how to run our affairs? Special interests perhaps?

This is a non-partisan issue. We all pay taxes regardless of the letter beside our name. The choice is if you want to pay $950,000,000 more in taxes every year with little if any accountability as to just how and where the money is spent. I've personally asked Senator Johnston 4 times specifically where the money will go and he hasn't been able to give me (or anyone else in the room) a direct answer other than we'll find out after the money is spent. I like Senator Johnston personally, his heart is in the right place on this, but this Amendment isn't.

Supporters are promising a lot, but over and over again when we press for details we don't get any.

So ...we say NO!

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

"Eyewitness News" finally a reality.

The catch/marketing phrase "Eyewitness News" has been used for decades. According to Wikipedia, the earliest use in American television was in April 1959 by KYW-TV in Cleveland.

The whole point was their crews were on the scene of news, seeing it person giving "Eyewitness" accounts which we then watched at home. It was the stations however, who decided what we actually got to witness ourselves, and when we did.

Flash forward to September, 2013 in Colorado and flash flooding. The most compelling images arguably coming from actual eyewitnesses, folks like you and me on the ground with our smart phone cameras, instantly sharing pictures and video to the media or on Social Media.

 

Words not necessary

Time and time again I've seen local outlets thank citizen journalists for their content and encouraging then to send more. The earliest pictures were stunning to see. Sure, some of the shots were shaky but who cares. A wall of water coming down a canyon on city street is powerful stuff. Folks living there got the pictures while traditional news crews were either on the way to the scene, or simply couldn't get there because of the aforementioned walls of water.

 

Impactful

This is a compelling argument of the power of Social Media. Sure, there have been rare instances, at least up until now where folks have posted things on Facebook or Twitter that failed the standards of journalism as to accuracy and fact-checking. But in breaking news situations, even the most seasoned of journalists make mistakes. (Sadly at a growing rate but that's for another blog post)

But today's it's all about the image. A picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth a hundred thousand words. To their credit, Denver area news operations have enlisted us to help tell the story. Because sometimes we are part of the story.

That said, we ourselves become our own news outlets. We can publish accounts, videos and pictures on any number of Social Media outlets. With that, at least morally and ethically comes the responsibility to get the story right.

Nothing spreads faster than misinformation. As with international relations and "Eyewitness News," trust, but verify!

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

College Football: Time for Pay for Play

Aggie QB Johnny "Football" Manziel may just prove to be the catalyst for a seismic change in college football. He's under scrutiny for ....gasp- ...maybe accepting a few bucks for signing a few autographs. Or a lot of money for signing a lot of autographs. None of this of course might be true but it's the stuff of sports TV and Radio up and down the dials.

College football has grown in a multi-billion dollar business. Networks are paying billions of dollars for rights fees to show the games, then charge us for watching. Colleges are selling all sorts of memorabilia with the names and yes, even "authorized" autographs of their players for millions of dollars more.

Everyone is getting rich. Except the players who make it all possible. The argument against actually sharing some of the loot with them is "purity." They tell us the players already get full-ride scholarships, great housing and food and the training facilities are top o' the line. But the players who put on the show we tune into, are required to be amateurs. Play for no pay.

Up until the flow of money to the schools and networks turned into a flood, one could accept the premise.

Not any more. It's time for the players to get a piece of the action.

Here's one solution: Players would earn money based on sales of everything from t-shirts to ball caps. Sure the big stars would get the most, but there could be a fund established for all players equally for a cut of a very juicy pie.

How would they get paid? Not while actually in school, but on a pro-rata basis. Play one year, you get 25% of what's in your trust account. Two years and you get 50%. Play all four and well ...a nice nest egg even for players that don't make it to the pros. Plus a degree which might come in handy if you don't get drafted or picked up in free agency.

The NCAA has long ago lost any power or true credibility. It's a toothless old lion from another time. I won't be surprised at all if the big programs like Texas, 'Bama, USC etc decide to go their own way without the NCAA. Then they can make even more money.

Take Johnny Maziel for example. He's not allowed to receive any sort of money for what he does, but Texas A&M can charge a bunch of money to sit with him at a fund raiser or take part in a meet and greet.

Fair? Hardly.

Time for the money, or at least some of it, to go to who is truly feeding the cash cow called college football in the first place.

The players.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you."

The Hillary Movies. Perception is Reality.

Sorry not to have been more regular with this blog, but I essentially goofed off June and July. Time to re-engage and there is so much to talk about. And wouldn't you know it's political?

Not the least of which are the planned movies about former Secretary of State, former Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton by CNN and NBC.

Back when serving on the Board of Directors of the Radio-Television-Digital News Association I learned when it comes to watching the news, "Perception is Reality" on the viewer's part. What they believe is what they perceive to be true. Regardless of whether it is or not. It's their perception, at least to them, that counts.

Mrs. Clinton's story is certainly worthy of a movie. Like her or not, she is and remains a major political figure. But the timing of the movies is in question. There is no doubt among political experts that she's the presumptive nominee for the Democratic nomination for President in 2016.

NBC is quick to point out, and fairly so, that their news division is separate from their entertainment division. Over at CNN the lines are a little more blurred. Not the least of which is CNN stands for Cable NEWS Network. Neither network has plans for movies profiling Republican political figures.

There is a perception among at least some folks that both NBC and CNN lean a tad to the left. It may or not be true but it's their perception. Which re enforces GOP Chair Reince Priebus in his perception both NBC and CNN are playing partisan politics. His initial reaction is to ban both networks from covering the GOP debates.

This at a time when there is a declining perception/approval of journalists in general. So why push your own news divisions under the perception bus?

Frankly, regardless of one's political point of view, a movie about Clinton prior to the election seems suspicious, or at least coming off as obtuse on the parts of NBC and CNN.

My take on all this is "What's the hurry?" Her story is a legitimate one, and could even be more interesting after the election, win or lose. Why risk the perception you are taking sides in the 2016 election?

All this just muddies the waters when we should be focused on issues instead.

At least that's my perception. But at this point, what difference does it make?

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

"What we've got here is failure ...to concentrate!"

OK, the header is a play off the classic line where the prison warden in Cool Hand Luke lays down the law. Or at least his version.

But the Asiana Airlines Crash in San Francisco and subsequent sub-stories has me wondering about failure to ...CONCENTRATE.

Let's start with the crash itself. It initially appears the flight crew came in too low and too slow, resulting in the landing gear and tail of the Boeing 777 hitting the sea wall, resulting in a terrible crash.  3 people are confirmed dead, many more seriously injured. It could have been worse.

Yes, the pilot in command was relatively new to the aircraft, but still an experienced pilot already checked out on other aircraft like the Boeing 747. His check pilot and relief crew were also highly experienced. Thousands of hours of flying time among the four.

The biggest plane I ever landed was a Piper Cherokee but regardless of the size of aircraft certain principals apply including maintaining proper approach speed and angle of descent. Technology makes it almost automatic but the person flying the airplane has to be paying attention. Landing is a critical time. In this case, the weather was good, and it was a straight in approach. Routine. Perhaps too much so. It can effect ...concentration.

It will take a while for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to sort things out but failure to concentrate likely will be among the findings.

Then we get to the issue of area station KTVU who mistakenly named the flight crew as follows, live on air.

Captain:
Sum Tee Wong
Other crew:
Wi Tu Lo
Ho Lee Fuk
Bang Ding Ow

I'm a former television news director and executive producer, but that experience aside, one quick look/read of the script and you have to know something is wrong. There are numerous people involved in the production of a newscast and at the very least the news anchors should have caught the obvious before reading it live on air. Like reading it prior to air. Failure to concentrate up and down the food chain.

Adding insult to injury is that San Francisco has a significant Asian population who were justifiably ...insulted.

KTVU, while accepting full blame (as they should) did say they "confirmed" the names with the NTSB. Which leads us to even more failure to concentrate.

Apparently the NTSB "Representative" KTVU "confirmed" the story with was an intern! You don't leave such duties to interns, it should be handled by senior communications officers with the agency. Especially involving an incident like this. Failure to concentrate by the very agency tasked with finding out if the flight crew was concentrating.

The Asiana Flight Crew, KTVU and the NTSB. What indeed we've got here ...is failure to concentrate. We all have every reason to be very, very concerned.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations 
"We start the conversation about you!"

"The People" vs Paula Deen

Paula Deen has found herself in what we in the business call a "PR Crisis."

She's a hugely recognizable brand just due to the strength of her personality. To be honest, I didn't watch her now former-show on Food Network but did go to her restaurant once in Savannah, GA. Nice food but not on my bucket list in the future. But millions of others at least used to love her.

Frankly in an increasingly health-conscious world, her butter-rich recipes and own health problems were already a PR issue. But I eat what I eat, and I don't care what other people eat. I dislike the "Food Police."

The real flap happened however when it was revealed she had used the "N Word." Not acceptable. But is it forgivable?

Ultimately that's up to you as consumers to decide.

Today she appeared on "Today" doing an interview with Matt Lauer. I watched it. Lauer was tough, but polite. Ms. Deen obviously is upset by all this and it was a very emotional interview.

USA Today asked some "PR Experts" to weigh in on how she did. Opinions were mixed. But this article in the Huffington Post seems to show her fans are willing to forgive and forget.

If anyone reading this hasn't said or done something stupid in your life, step forward for sainthood. But in this digital word, what you say can, strike that, WILL be used against you. Instantly.

What she said is wrong. She says she's sorry. The question now is, will her fans and business partners find it in their hearts to forgive her?

All this of course is an object lesson for anyone in public life. Fair or not, the rules are different. Fame does sometimes have a price.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

"The Longest Day" Remembered

On this date, June 6th in 1944, troops of the Allied Expeditionary Force under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower invaded Europe landing on the Beaches of Normandy and also from the air. It came to be known as "The Longest Day."

It was the beginning of the end for the Nazi occupation of Europe. History shows what an extraordinary day (and the weeks and months to come) it was. When you read the multitude of books about June 6, 1944, it's a wonder they pulled it off. So much could have gone wrong, and often did. But the Allies won the day and ultimately the war. Troops fighting for freedom are always more motivated than those fighting to protect tyranny.

As a journalist, I learned the best way to tell such a momentous story is often through the eyes of just one person, in this case Carwood Lipton. He was a member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, (Screaming Eagles) 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The "Band of Brothers." Actor Donnie Wahlberg played him in the acclaimed HBO Series.

 

Carwood Lipton (Courtesy CarwoodLipton.com)

I interviewed Carwood as part of the promotional campaign for Band of Brothers working with DISH Network and HBO. I'll never forget it. Too often in the movies, accounts of battles like D-Day and others, the actors have far too much swagger. But having met men like Carwood Lipton and even Paul Tibbets who led the attack on Hiroshima, there is no swagger. They're just regular guys, in fact they're uncomfortable being in the limelight at all. Like most veterans of most wars, they'd just as soon not talk about it all. I don't blame them. They did their job, survived and came home.

 Actor Donnie Walhberg with Carwood Lipton

(Courtesy CarwoodLipton.com)

Carwood was about 5'8" when I interviewed him. He was well into his 80's but sharp as a tack. And such a very nice man. When he jumped out of his airplane the night of the attack he told me he weighed about 130 pounds. He jumped carrying about 160 pounds of equipment. As they boarded the aircraft, the guy behind in line had to push them up into the plane.

Carwood described the jump into pitch black darkness. Scared? You bet, but he made it. Many of his comrades didn't and he would lose even more friends until the Nazis were finally crushed. He lived to tell the tale and I hope you click on Carwood's link above to learn more. Like everyone who fought and survived, Carwood came home and helped build America.

Ultimately what I remember most after talking with Carwood is when I asked him that if America ever came under attack again like it did at Pearl Harbor, would today's generation like his in WWII step up and fight like his did.

He assured me that he had no doubt they would. No doubt at all.

My interview with Carwood Lipton was shot September 10, 2001. We woke up the next morning to a very different world. As did Carwood's generation after December 7, 1941. My two nephews both stepped up like Carwood knew they would, one of them also serving with the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan.

We lost Carwood in December of that year. Just about all of "The Greatest Generation" are gone now. But some are still around, still active and if you get the chance I hope you get to meet one. You'll never, ever forget it.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

How would Watergate have played in today's 24/7 News Cycle?

There have been more than a few comparisons between the current trials and tribulations the White House is experiencing to Watergate. The IRS targeting of conservative groups, hassling reporters for doing their job and of course, Benghazi. I admit to having more than a passing interest just where POTUS was while the latter was going on and why his handlers remain "hesitant" to tell us. I'm absolutely aghast with the 1st Amendment implications of the DOJ targeting reporters. But that's just me.

Watergate started out as a stupid political burglary. It ended up with President Nixon forced out of office in disgrace. Not for the burglary, but for subverting the Constitution covering it up. Those who forget the past are always doomed to repeat it and I'm seeing a lot of repetition.

Carl and Bob back in the Day (That's a typewriter on the desk)

What's got me really thinking however,  is how differently things were covered then and now. During Watergate it was the dogged determination of Woodward and Bernstein and the Washington Post. Real journalism and real personal risk to those covering Watergate. The story took a while to catch the attention of the rest of the news media but when it did, wow. What's really key is we had to wait for news as the story unfolded. We didn't hear about it until the latest edition of the Post came out. There were no websites, Tweets or Facebook posts and 24/7 outlets like CNN or FOX.

Yes, we had to wait for what was "New." But we had time to digest it before the next information dump came as Woodward and Bernstein dug and dug and dug some more. Both being of the belief that news is indeed what's new, they would go several days before publishing new stories. At least early on.

Today, it's non-stop. You can't avoid it. On both traditional and digital media. Regurgitation of old news plus information and misinformation at the speed of light. Then there are the pundits. There are times where I simply say "ENOUGH!" I love a chocolate shake once in a while, but not every minute of the day.

Regardless of whether you agree or not between comparisons of what's happening today compared to Watergate, what's making a difference at least to me, was how we got the news a generation ago compared to today. It was solid, it was backed up and while we had to wait for it, it was worth waiting for. Today, not so much.

If you really study the history of Watergate, how it unfolded and compare it to today's rash of scandals, they are eerily familiar. But is the information overload because of today's technology turning us off to what could be something that is potentially dangerous to our civil liberties moving forward?

In other words is too much of a good thing ...a bad thing? You know, for us?

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you?"

Got a spare hour to save a life?

I reached milestone of sorts today, having donated 7 gallons of blood to Bonfils Blood Center. It takes a while. Just over 9 years at a rate of one pint every two months.

 

I found out years ago my blood is O-Negative. It's rare blood type but the good news is anyone, regardless of their particular blood type can use mine. The folks at Bonfils tell me that on average every time you donate a pint of blood you save 3 lives.

This week's Tornado in Oklahoma, or even closer to home the Aurora Theater shootings demonstrate in the most awful way why having a safe and reliable blood supply is important. But every day people are injured and end up in the hospital. When they arrive, the surgical team needs several pints of blood ready to go. If there isn't any blood available, it's likely the injured will not survive.

Here's a statistic that never ceases to amaze me. In Colorado just 4% of eligible donors actually donate blood. Not 4% of the population, but 4% who can safely donate blood.

4%.

OK, I get it. When you give blood they stick a needle in your arm. Blood comes out in a collection bag. Not everyone's idea of a good time. But it's so easy I urge anyone who has never donated blood to do it at least once. The whole thing takes about an hour, you might feel a "pinch" for about half a second but that's it. Plus they have some great snacks for you when you're done. The Bonfils team is as professional as they come and they make it all a great experience.

Do you have an hour available in your life every two months to save lives? I've done it 56 times. I'm asking you to try it at least once. Please.

You'll feel good when you're done. Promise.

Brian Olson

Owner/Consultant

Conversation Starters Public Relations

"We start the conversation about you"

Relay for Life a Life Affirming Event

Several members of my immediate family and some of their friends have had their lives touched by cancer. As a result, all our lives have been touched by cancer.

Too much attention is paid to just one type of cancer during just one month of the year. Cancer isn't a month, it's year-round. It isn't a color either. And believe it or not, women get more than just breast cancer. OK, I'm venting a bit.

Thus my recommendation to check out the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. We took part in one of the largest, if not the largest such event this past weekend in Gwinnet, GA. It's a suburb north of Atlanta. To put it mildly, we were simply amazed at the thousands of people who turned out including cancer survivors and their caregivers but by people who care. People who care enough to cheer us on and help raise millions of dollars.

Here's a video of the view as we joined so many other cancer survivors and caregivers. Watch and you'll understand truly what a special event it is.



You can find a Relay for Life using the link posted above. It's our hope to see you at one of them. There are incredible displays, booths and oh yes, great food. It's a party, a time of celebration. Once you've gone, you'll never forget it.

Join in the fight against cancer. Help us find a cure. It takes dollars. You can trust the American Cancer Society to put those dollars to the best use possible.

This Caregiver thanks you for helping save some family members I love very much, to be alive and thriving, and able to take part in the Survivor Walk this year and for years to come.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

The Case for Chain Gangs

"That's the sound of the men working on the chain ga-a-ang"-Sam Cooke

I read recently about a Florida Sheriff who has re-introduced chain gangs as part of punishing bad people. Of course, some civil rights "activists" are having a tizzy about this being a mean thing to do.

It reminded me when I worked at KTVK-TV in Phoenix covering Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County. Back in the 90's he was watching news coverage of our troops deployed in the Balkans. It was December, snowing and cold. Our troops were housed in tents.

A lightbulb went off for Sheriff Joe. At the time there was a big debate about how to fund millions of dollars for a new jail for the county. Sheriff Joe figured if tents were good enough for our troops, they sure as heck would work for prisoners. So he went to surplus stores, bought a bunch of tents, surrounded it all with barbed wire and guard towers and even found a "Vacancy" sign at an auction.

He saved the good people of Maricopa County tens of millions of dollars. Heck, the Sheriff even got his food costs per prisoner down to about a buck a day. He also has an approval rating of about 85% of law abiding citizens. You know, voters. People who pay the bills and ask to be protected in return.

Arpaio's logic is sound. Don't break the law and you won't have to live in a tent jail. Don't break the law and you won't have to work on a chain gang. Arpaio says he's in the punishment business, not the rehabilitation business. He says if you don't rob, steal, pimp, sell drugs or shoot people, you won't have to deal with him.

Don't break the law. Fascinating in its simplicity and logic. But people do.

We need more chain gangs. We don't need palaces as jails. We need ugly places. People need to see that if you break the law, a bad thing happens to you. It's called punishment. It's a concept lost more and more in today's "Justice" system. Denver Police report gang related crimes have doubled in the last year. That's because we keep on letting them out of jail instead of keeping them in jail and punishing them. Maybe spending a few weeks/months/years outside in good weather and bad, shackled at the ankles cleaning ditches, filling pot holes and the like just might get some gang banger's attention there's a price to be paid when you do bad.

Here in Colorado child killers get more breaks than the children they kill. Shoot up a theater full of people in full view of hundreds of witnesses? You get the best legal counsel our tax dollars can buy. Paperwork snafus let criminals out of jail early on parole and those in charge don't notice when they slip out of their ankle monitor and go kill people.

Judges aid and abet the system by not allowing cameras in courtrooms. They do their best to hide what's going on in our courts because it's so shameful.

Our "Justice" system clearly favors the bad people. Not the law abiding citizens who are the victims of these vicious animals.

Yep, ugly jails, chain gangs and no parole. But only if you break the law. Behave yourself and none of it has to happen. This has nothing to do with race or gender. It has everything to do about law, order and what we used to call justice.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

News "In the News." A look back at the good, the bad and the F-Bomb.

From Boston to Bismark, the news business came in for some serious scrutiny this past week. It started with coverage of the bombings in Boston and ended with arguably the biggest faux pas in broadcast news history.

Just a week ago, reports started to surface from traditional and digital news outlets, and of course Social Media that the suspect(s) in the terror attacks were in custody. To their credit most news outlets cited, fairly, "sources close to the investigation." Having spent a couple of decades in the news business, if you trust your sources you go with the story and you don't have to name them. Especially if more than one confirms things.

But in a case like Boston, when there are multiple law enforcement agencies involved, there's a lot of stepping on toes. But the word was out, they got the bad guys. BREAKING NEWS!

Wrong. Oops.

To his credit, one reporter, NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams wasn't so quick to pull the trigger. Something wasn't adding up. He opted not to be first, but accurate. So he was one of the very few that held back until he could truly nail down if it was really true. Of course it wasn't and a lot of news outlets ended up with egg on their faces.

Pete Williams-NBC News

I wasn't surprised by the way Pete handled things. We both started our news careers in Wyoming. I was News Director at KGWN-TV in Cheyenne while Pete ran things up at KTWO in Casper. I got to know him professionally and he was/is one solid no-nonsense journalist. (Although he has a terrific wit!) Pete was also my predecessor on the board of directors of the Radio-Television-News Directors Association.

Pete's career later took him to Washington to work for then Congressman Dick Cheney. Pete and I got together a few times when I was in town. Always a great experience. Good journalist, even better guy. Later when Cheney became Secretary of Defense. he wisely chose Pete to become Deputy Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, aka Pentagon Spokesman. Anyone who saw his media briefings could see he was a "cool hand" under pressure. I interviewed Secretary Cheney several times and anytime I was at the Pentagon Pete was just terrific to work with in arranging things.

Pete stayed in Washington, joining NBC News. Essentially he made the leap to network news from Casper, Wyoming. Not the usual "work your way up the ladder" route but his experience working with Dick Cheney was invaluable.

Now as a consumer of news, I have to know who to trust. Pete Williams is among a very small group of journalists I do trust.

Well done Pete. But wait, there's more!

Then came the "F-Bomb" heard 'round the world. As I mentioned earlier, Pete and I started out in small markets. It's the way things work. Start small and work your way up. Such was the case with A.J. Clemente, launching his career as a news anchor in Bismark, ND. His first words on the air weren't "Good evening." Far from it. Instead not one, but two words you never, ever say on live TV. He's now a former news anchor, fired after his first and only newscast. Frankly, I was stunned when I saw it. (On Social Media of course) The most important rule in live TV is "The mic is always on." We all make mistakes, including me and I do hope he learns his lesson and gets another chance.

(Warning! Strong language)

Stark contrasts in how do to, and not do things. Maybe A.J. should watch Pete Williams for a while.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Boston Coverage. Immediacy? Yes. Accuracy? Not so much.

I first saw, make that heard about the events in Boston in a pretty traditional way. Television. The set was tuned to Shep Smith on FOX News. He always includes the proviso in his open saying, "Unless breaking news changes everything."

Boy did his show rundown change. I heard sirens in the background, yelling from crowds of people. After a minute or so I walked over and saw what was happening. Two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Explosions. Death. Deja Vu all over again.

All the networks immediately went into "Wall to Wall" mode, i.e. non-stop coverage. So did Social Media. Facebook and Twitter blew up, with much of what was posted right from the scene by people who saw and felt it happen. Talk about "Eyewitness News."

As was the case with recent events like Newtown, the information being posted on Social Media was immediate but not always accurate. Likewise for traditional media.

It's in our nature to want to know what happened, how it happened and who did it immediately if not sooner. Both traditional and new media are great for the immediate part.

But the storylines changed on the fly. There were reports that another bomb went off at the JFK Library. Not true. There were reports of up to five other bombs found. Not true. There were and are reports of "Persons of interest." Maybe true. Then there is stuff we likely are being kept from knowing. Sometimes it's important in investigating crimes of this nature to keep certain information confidential to help catch the bad people.

Traditional media is good at spreading misinformation too. But at least they attribute the source and add they can't confirm the story. An example being the Wall Street Journal reporting 5 other bombs being found. More than one network repeated the story, attributing the source but adding the proviso "We can't confirm." One can argue, fairly, the merits of reporting something you can't confirm. The WSJ is very reputable. But a great rule of journalism is "Attribution before assertion." It should, but of course can't be enforced on Social Media. The whole "1st Amendment thing."

Social Media doesn't play by the same rules. Stuff is posted, re-posted and goes viral in moments. Attribution? Accuracy? So 20th century.

Then there's imagery. A picture or video clip that says it all. A great example is the now iconic shot of the first explosion going off, knocking down a 78 year old runner to the ground. We saw it over and over and over.

About as fast as the "experts" started appearing on traditional media giving often educated viewpoints, came the online pundits with snarky remarks and potshots. The left picking on the right, the right picking on the left and no useful purpose being served. Then of course, the conspiracy folks. They love Social Media.

On a positive note came the many heartfelt posts from all those in our Social Media Networks expressing their emotions and support for Boston. A trend I truly like are the images that are created almost instantly and shared. For the most part, a positive aspect of Social Media in a situation like Boston. And who would have believed the crowd at Yankee Stadium singing "Sweet Caroline?" A good thing.

 

Certainly a positive impact of the technology we carry in our pockets including the cameras in our cell phones is the very likely chance a picture someone took on their smart phone could help solve the case.

Ultimately, I remember this comment from President Reagan who in very analog times said, "Trust but verify." What he said then, fits well in today's digital times.

Immediacy doesn't always mean accuracy.

Brian Olson

Owner/Consultant

Conversation Starters Public Realtions

"We start the conversation about you"

When a Thousand Words is better than a Picture

OK, to be clear, I'm not blogging about the old picture being worth a thousand words thing. This is about not using the picture in the first place.

Driving home from the mountains Sunday night I heard about the terrible injury suffered by Louisville's Kevin Ware playing against Duke for a spot in the Final 4.  Listening to ESPN Radio the most used word to describe it was "Gruesome." Post-game interviews with the coach and fellow players were emotional to say the least.

I haven't and likely won't see video or pictures of the incident where he broke his leg. I was in Church when it happened, I'm not really a college basketball fan and as Texas wasn't playing, well I just wouldn't have watched in the first place.

But there's the news, highlights shows and of course, Social Media. It's just about impossible to not see stuff even if you're not interested in seeing it.  Reading about the accounts of the injury, it was indeed gruesome.

But to their credit, most media outlets used good judgement and other than the the folks who saw it happen live and couldn't have avoided seeing it happen, the rest of us have been spared. This wasn't about seeing the injury, but the story about it and in the days following.

I did see a picture of Keven being released from the hospital  Here's to a quick recovery for the young man. That's the kind of image I like to see!

Louisville is on their way to the Final 4 in Atlanta, and my guess is Kevin will be there to cheer on his teammates. And ...very likely back on the court next season. Let's hope so.

In this case, a thousand words was worth far more than the picture.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Damon Runyon Award and The B.I.G. Day top April Events!

There are a couple of noteworthy events set for April, both of which we recommend you at take a closer look at. Better yet, take part in.

1. The Denver Press Club honors New York Daily News writer/columnist and ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" contributor Mike Lupica with the 19th Annual Damon Runyon Awars. The date is Friday April 12 at the Marriott Denver City Center.

2. The South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce's 3rd annual B.I.G. Day! You can "Be Involved-Give" Saturday morning April 20th with a great post event celebration sponsored by McCormick and Schmick's.

Mike Lupica, 19th Annual Damon Runyon Award Recipient

Each year, The Denver Press Club is proud to honor a member of the journalism profession with our Damon Runyon Award. This award honors a person or persons who have made extraordinary contributions to the field. The honorees are selected with a special eye towards those whose careers have embraced the highest journalistic standards and who embody the colorful, often irreverent and sometimes flamboyant traits so much associated with Runyon and his characters.
Recipients of The Damon Runyon Award are honored at a ceremony in Denver, the proceeds of which provide a major funding source for our scholarship program and the maintenance of our historic facility.

In addition to his work at the Daily News and ESPN, Mike Lupica has had a versatile writing career, with magazines, novels, sports biographies, other nonfiction books on sports and starting “The Sporting Life” column for Esquire magazine. He co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells; collaborated with author and screenwriter William Goldman on “Wait ’Til Next Year”; “Shooting from the Lip,” a collection of columns, and other books.

It's a great event, with silent auction and of course hear from one of the preeminent sports journalists of our time. The Damon Runyon award is anything but stuffy so join us for a great night.

To register, visit Blacktie-Colorado

The following weekend is the B.I.G. Day. Simply put it's goal is to connect the businesses and non-profits of the South Metro Area. This marks the 3rd year for the event and it gets bigger and better every year. Here's why your business, family, church or civic group should take part:

• It's a great team builder. There's nothing like working alongside co-workers, friends, family or even folks you don't know to spend a morning making a difference. Wear t-shirts with your organization logo, share on social media that you care about community.
• It's a chance for you to learn more about the many non-profits who day-in and day-out make a difference in so many ways.
• It's just fun and takes one Saturday morning.
• This year's post event celebration will be held at the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce sponsored by the super folks at McCormick and Schmick's restaurants. You'll work up an appetite and there will be awesome food waiting for you to satisfy it.

Watch the video to learn just what the B.I.G. is all about!

You don't have to be a member of the South Metro Denver Chamber to take part. Just bring your willingness to make a difference on just one day you'll never forget. Register today!

Looking forward to seeing you at either or both great events!

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

"Rabbit Ears" in the 21st Century.

OK, I'm showing my age here a bit, and maybe you'll admit to remembering TV back in the day. As in back in the late 50's and 60's. We had the first TV on our street. A 13 inch Crosley and we pulled in the couple of  stations available with rabbit ears.

They usually sat on top of the TV and if you turned them just right you could pull in a nice black and white picture on Sundays to watch Bonanza.

More stations came, followed by cable and satellite and rabbit ears pretty much became a thing of the past, especially when television stations started broadcasting in digital format. Digital versions of rabbit ears became available and if you wanted, at least at our house, you could plug them into the back of a satellite receiver and receive all sorts of local programming off-air, in a digital HD format. Or directly into a digital TV.

A new study by the Pew Research Center shows some significant changes in what we're watching and how we're watching it. Especially news. Pew reports "Almost half of those surveyed say they watch local news regularly, but the future is dim for local TV content; "regular" news viewers under 30 dropped from 42% in 2006 to 28% in 2012." Younger consumers are getting their news and information from tablets and smart phones. I doubt that trend will change. It's certainly changing at our house. When we watch TV, it's with iPads in our laps.

At one time we had 4 satellite receivers with a package of 250 channels. A lot of channels and receivers for just 2 people. Also a lot of expense as we maybe watched 10-15 of those channels at the most. To be fair, satellite and cable providers are at the mercy of the program providers who "bundle" programming. That is, if a satellite or cable provider wants a popular channel they're forced to include 6-7 more less popular ones. Regional sports channels, like the ridiculous Longhorn Network are the big culprit.  All the costs of course, passed on to you and me. But enough is enough. There are other choices.

So we began to cut back. First it was reducing our 250 channel package to just 120. Then recently we added Apple TV.  It's hooked up to a 50 inch screen along with a satellite receiver. But gobs of programming available streamed via the Internet to our TV. Last week we bought our first "Smart" TV. It's a 46 inch flat screen that not only receives digital off-air signals and streaming content available via Internet, it's essentially a computer in itself. Even has Apps! The picture quality is awesome.

So then we cut our satellite receivers from 4 to 2. Our monthly bill is now half of what it used to be and we still have more programming than we can possibly watch. But sitting in front of that Smart TV, which only receives programming with rabbit ears and wireless streaming content, it's ironic that rabbit ears have outlived far more advanced technologies.

Ultimately what all this is doing is providing consumers something we've always wanted and deserve. A la carte programming. Just paying for the channels we want. We're not there yet, but getting closer. For us it may mean saying goodbye to ESPN. But it's becoming the norm where we live, that if it isn't available digitally off-air or by streaming, it doesn't exist.

Technology, including those good old rabbit ears is making it all possible.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

This White House Tour brought to you by ...

During the Space Shuttle Program, I often wondered why NASA didn't sell ad space on the boosters and shuttle itself. Like NASCAR. It sure could have generated a lot of money.

I have no doubt, that given the chance Apple or Microsoft would have paid plenty to have their logo on the side of the Space Shuttle.

In these days of "Sequestration" the idea is worth revisiting. The White House has cancelled public tours due to cost cutting brought on my sequestration. Or so they claim.

Donald Trump, among others offered to pick up the tab and open the White House, owned by you and me to ...you and me. The White House said no.

So we ask, why?

The government also warns of delays in opening many of our national parks for the season. The key word being OUR national parks. So why not offer sponsorships? I bet any number of businesses would jump at the chance to sponsor Old Faithful at Yellowstone. Park Rangers could wear sponsor patches on their uniforms just like NASCAR drivers do.

The NFL and NASCAR have made sponsorship an art form. So why not the White House or Old Faithful?

"This tour of the White House is sponsored by Home Depot." Or, "This next eruption of Old Faithful is brought to you in part by Coca-Cola." (Because geysers and things go better with Coke!)

In business it's important to maximize revenue and reduce costs. Government doesn't operate that way. We lose. Over and over again.

That's why we can't tour our White House and might not be able to see Old Faithful this summer. All avoidable.

So what should it be? Sequestration or Sponsorships? I'll take the latter. Government needs to re-think the way it operates. So we again ask, why not sponsorships?

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

The Day Government Officially Went Nuts

Sometime in the future if someone asks you, "When did the Government of the United States officially go nuts?" you can tell them, "Why it was Tuesday, March 5, 2013!"

You might be asked why so here's some crib notes for you.

1. The DOW Jones Industrial Average closed at a record high, up 125.95 points to 14,253.77 at the end of New York trading at 2 p.m. MT, beating the previous record close of 14,164 achieved on Oct. 9, 2007. This even though the week before, even days before all the President's Men and all the President's Women and even the President himself warned of a nation doomed by sequestration.

Oops.

2. This notice was posted by the National Park Service. "Due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration, we regret to inform you that White House Tours will be canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013, until further notice. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reschedule affected tours." 

Really? It's OUR house. Give us a dang map and we'll find ourselves around.

Oops.

3. The same day we were shut out of the White House, again OUR house, we gave our good buddies in Egypt $250 Million Dollars, handed over in person by Secretary of State John Kerry. Our money is being given to Egypt to meet the country's "Extreme Needs." Apparently Egypt's extreme needs are more important than our extreme needs. Which is taking things to extremes.

Oops.

So despite dire warnings of economic doom because of sequestration, the DOW soared to new heights. So despite that great economic news, they shut down the White House to us regular folks although I hear if you write a check for $500-thousand you can get a visit to the Oval. And so despite those previous mentioned cries of economic disaster and government running out of money, we somehow found enough cash lying around to give a nation of people who pretty much hate our guts, $250 Million Dollars.

And finally, the USAF has grounded their aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds. Reason given? Sequestration. Yet the F-35 "Join Strike Fighter"  program is 7 years behind schedule and 70% over budget. We've spent $400 Billion on a plane that has yet to be deployed. Businessweek calls the project a "Boondoggle."

Yep, our government officially went nuts on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. You heard it here first.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Washington: You are Go for Sequestration

Sequestration. It's all over the news. Essentially the definition is, "If Congress cannot agree on ways to cut back the total (or does not pass a new, higher Budget Resolution), then an 'automatic' form of spending cutback takes place. This automatic spending cut is what is called sequestration."

In reality it's yet another example of what an economic mess we're in and government's total and absolute inability to do anything about it.

If both the Executive and Legislative Branches can't act like grownups it all kicks in March 1. 

A lot of folks are saying "The Sky is Falling!" Get real. If this whole thing was such a big deal the President wouldn't have gone golfing with Tiger and Congress wouldn't have gone home to shake hands and raise money for their next campaigns. This is all about politics. The folks with the "Bully Pulpit" are bullies themselves. And they're picking on us.

So let the spending cuts fall where they may. While I strongly disagree the sky will fall, if indeed it does maybe it's exactly the "Wake-up" call government needs to get serious about dealing with a $67.7 Trillion deficit.

A couple of guys who came up with a solution to this mess, and were promptly ignored by the very government who asked them to do it in the first place, are Al Simpson and Erskine Bowles.

Here's a basic outline of their original ideas:

• Replace the current tax bracket system of 10/15/25/28/33/35/39.6 with three brackets: 12%, 22%, and a maximum of 28%.
• Permanently repeal the AMT, the PEP phase-out of personal exemptions, and the PEASE limitation on overall itemized deductions.
• Eliminate all tax deductions; require taxpayers to take the standard deduction.
• Keep the earned income and child tax credits.
• Replace the mortgage interest deduction with a 12% non-refundable tax credit. Creditable mortgage balance would be capped at $500,000 (maximum credit $60,000); no credit for second residence.
• Replace the charitable contribution deduction with a 12% non-refundable tax credit, subject to a 2% of adjusted gross income floor.
• Treat state and local bond interest as taxable.
• Tax all capital gains and dividends at ordinary rates

In other words, if we're really serious about all this we'll need to do more than raise Warren Buffet's taxes.

 Never the type to give up Simpson and Bowles now recommend at the very least, trying this:

"Reform the Tax Code in a Progressive and Pro-Growth Manner. The current tax code is complicated, confusing, costly, anti-growth, anti-competitive, unfair, and riddled with well over $1 trillion of tax expenditures – which really are just spending by another name. Tax reform must reduce the size and number of tax expenditures to reduce the budget deficit and lower marginal tax rates for individuals and corporations. At the same time, tax reforms must maintain or improve the progressivity in the tax code and promote economic growth. Tax reform will make the tax code more efficient, effective, and globally competitive.:

The tax code is 70-thousand pages long, just one of the reasons Facebook is getting a $428 Million tax refund this year. How do you "Like" that?

Such foolishness, so avoidable, so very, very sad for all of us.

So maybe it's just as well Sequestration happens. As the Beatles sang, "Let it be."

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

STUFF POTUS left out of SOTU

"He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary ..."-Article II, Sect. 3 of the United States Constitution.

Essentially what this means, and with help from Kenny Rogers, the President drops in to tell us what condition our condition is in.

In reality it's become an evening of pomp and circumstance with little in the way of substance. Afterwards a representative of the "Loyal Opposition" gives their take on things followed by hours of punditry by Washington Insiders who explain to us folks on Main Street USA what was really said. That crowd long ago forgot we can think for ourselves.

An evening of Hoo-Hah. Ho-Hum.

So with help from some pretty smart folks including a recent presentation by Greg Anton, a nationally recognized CPA, here are the parts the President left out, at least about the deficit. Mr. Anton has even been invited to the White House for his input on our growing financial mess. He said they were polite but didn't pay much attention.

A bit of a preamble is in order. I'll be using the word "Trillion" a lot here as in dollars. So just how much is a Trillion?

• One Trillion Dollars is $1,000,000,000,000.
• A trillion dollar bills stacked on top of each other would reach 68,000 miles. That's a third of a way to the moon. Ask Gene Cernan, he's been there.
• A trillion seconds is 32,000 (thirty-two thousand) years. That's a long time.

OK, hopefully this helps you understand just how big a number a trillion really is.

When President Obama took office, the National Deficit, at least according to the way the government tracks such things was 11.5 trillion dollars. Now it's about 16.5 trillion dollars. The Republicans make a big deal about this. But a fellow by the name of George Bush helped get us to the 11.5 trillion figure and despite all the blather about Bill Clinton and his "Budget Surplus" he chipped in too. This scam has been going on for decades.

So here we sit with a National Deficit of $16,700,000,000,000. Or so the government tell us. Actually they're fibbing a bit. OK, they're fibbing a lot.

Folks like Greg Anton who understand things like balance and loss sheets put the actual deficit at over SIXTY-SEVEN TRILLION DOLLARS! (All caps for emphasis and assuming you've grasped the earlier bullet points by this time)

You see, the government doesn't do its books like we have to here on Main Street. They get to leave out all sorts of short and long term liabilities and stuff. Like, Social Security and Medicare. Well, they are listed, but as footnotes and in no way reflected as liabilities. So a lot of money is "off the books." If we filed our taxes that way, we'd end up in jail.

Here's where we're really at: (Bullet point alert!!)

• The net worth of all the households here in the United States, houses, cars, lawnmowers and assorted knick knacks etc is around $65 Trillion. 
•  Our real debt, including real obligations as a nation is the aforementioned $67.7 Trillion.

If the United States was a mortgage, we'd be underwater. We owe more than the country is worth. So we are underwater. The amount we owe continues to grow, despite what you heard last night and what you've been hearing for years and years and years. It's growing so fast in fact, that countries like China are having a harder and harder time buying up our debt. There's simply too much of it.

I'll be blunt. Our government, both the Executive and Legislative Branches have been misleading us. An irony because they were elected to ...lead us instead. Democrats and Republicans alike.

If you'd really like to dig into all this, check out a non-partisan group of caring Americans at www.FixTheDebt.org. 

I urge you to spend some time and do your own research. You might also want to read the findings and solutions of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Reform. It's about 65 pages long and as they say, a "Real page-turner." Senator Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyoming) and Erskine Bowles (Former Clinton Chief-of-Staff) chaired the bi-partisan group at the request of President Obama. They did their job, presented the report to the President who then stuck it in a drawer after the photo-op.

The report does offer solutions. But there is little if any sugar to help the medicine go down. It's going to take more than Warren Buffett paying more taxes. With around 50% of the population not paying any Federal Income Tax, most will have to start paying something.

Social Security is secure, although retirement ages will have to be raised in the coming years. There will also have to be means testing. Sorry Warren, no Social Security for you or your secretary. As for Medicare and Medicaid, we have simply over-promised far too long. There just is no way to meet coming demands. Defense will have to be cut. Before you get all lathered up over that, we spend more on defense than any country in the world. According to folks like Al Simpson and Erskine Bowles we spend more on defense than the next 15 nations below us combined. And most of them are allies! Also look for stuff like the tax deduction on mortgage interest to be phased out. As a bit of a sidebar, Canada has never had that deduction or anything like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Snoop Snoop Poopy Dog. Yet they have a higher percentage of home ownership than we do.

To be absolutely clear, we have no choice in the matter. Well, unless we want to end up like Greece with 25% unemployment and rioting in the streets. Sadly, it might take something that drastic to really get our attention.

So, all stuff left out last night.

We can get out of this mess if we act now. As in immediately if not sooner. We have a role in all this. If like me, you belong to an organization like the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, you get to meet our elected representatives to Washington. Ask them, politely, to stop lying and start fixing and if they don't you'll work hard to make sure they lose their jobs.

You can also write, phone, e-mail these folks or best of all, show up to their Town Hall Meetings. Be polite, but firm. Tell them to stop lying and to start doing. Don't, I repeat don't count on many of the media to ask the questions. They're too, uh, obtuse to ask. One journalist I do recommend you read is Al Lewis of Dow Jones Newswires. He's done the math.

We're under water. Let's not let this nation drown. Like the Titanic, we're running out of lifeboats.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

How do you watch TV? Is it even ...on TV?

I'm hooked on a news series on NETFLIX. Called House of Cards it's the story of a "Ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood." Think of it as The West Wing, minus the idealism.

Kevin Spacey, arguably one of the best in the business stars. He's also Executive Producer. Robin Wright and the rest of a terrific cast make for great entertainment. NETFLIX obviously believes in it because they've invested $100 Million in the series.

What makes the viewing experience different:

• It's on a streaming video channel which you can watch on your iPad or TV through various devices. You do have to subscribe to NETFLIX to view the series.
• All 13 episodes of the first season are available for viewing at your convenience. Watch when, where and on what you want. I used to watch Entourage the same way. Why subscribe to en entire premum channel when you just want to watch one series?

As someone who is old enough to remember being the first house on our street with a TV, and just one channel that signed on at 4pm, this sort of thing always amazes me. Technology empowers us, including how we watch TV. I watch House of Cards on an iPad mini with Bose headphones. So am I even watching TV? Long answer: No, I'm consuming video content on a mobile device. Short answer: I'm being entertained on my own terms.

There is no difference between watching a program on a 60 inch big screen or an iPad mini because it's not the size of the screen, it's how close you are to the screen.  So kicking back with my iPad a foot or so away from my eyes and the awesome sound from those Bose headphones is as good as any home theater experience.

Of course while I'm watching the show, I'm not watching traditional TV, nor the ads that still run on the bulk of TV whether it be off-air or via satellite or cable. The way we watch programming is changing with the rapid evolution of the technology we use to consume it.

It's empowering and an important step forward for us.

We as consumers are achieving a long-time goal, "A la Carte" programming. Just watching and paying for what we want to watch. Like at our house, if you subscribe to a satellite or cable television service, you buy program "bundles." You buy a package of channels, maybe watch 10 of them but are stuck paying for another hundred channels you never watch. It makes sense as consumers to pay for just what we consume, right? Up to now, those who control content distribution have prevented us from doing that.

To be fair to satellite and cable companies, they're victims to some extent of major programmers who say "If you want to carry this channel from us, you have to also carry these other channels. Take it or leave it." We as subscribers ultimately end up picking up the tab. A growing added cost for us are the so-called regional sports channels. Many cable systems have no choice but to provide them  at extra cost to us, even though we could care less about the teams or sports covered. It's about to change and here's why:

• We can get an amazing amount of digital channels, many in HD using a simple off-air antenna.
• Companies like NETFLIX are providing a huge and growing number of programs like House of Cards via the Internet.
• Technology like Apple TV is yet another video content pipeline. Ditto for YouTube, already producing several series, they've just announced a new country music channel.
• Many networks themselves are providing their shows on-demand. Watch how, when and where you like.
• We're willing to give up a little, to gain a lot AND save a lot. Heck, I'm willing to give up ESPN if they don't stop creating financial and fan-killing monstrosities like the Longhorn Network.

Consumers have a funny way of getting what they want, and these days are more than willing to shop around for what meets most their needs and save the most money. Outlets like NETFLIX get that.

When I told my wife about YouTube's plans, she said it's time to cancel our DISH Network service, or at least cut way back on it. I don't think she was kidding.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

Colorado Energy Office Poster Child of Gov't Waste

As a member of the Business Leaders for Responsible Government of the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, I pay close attention to how government spends our money. Maybe I should say how government wastes our money.

As I write this the national deficit is well north of $16 Trillion. If you still haven't figured out why we're in such a deep, dark and dangerous hole, look no further than the Colorado Energy Office.

In this story by 9News KUSA, we find out the folks at the energy office have been a bit lax in accounting for our money.

Some examples:

• The agency spent $1500.00 to send an employee for training. This after the employee had resigned a month earlier.
• Another line item listed $25,000.00 for "memberships." To what we don't know.
• All sorts of our money was spent on travel, conferences and the like with no expense reports filed by those who went.

It all adds up. Big-time.

The Colorado Energy Office can't account for $252 Million dollars in spending between 2009 and 2012. WTF? (I'm not referring to the last three days of the work week)

The Pueblo Chieftain reports that "Auditors found that between 2007 and 2012, the agency had no comprehensive annual budget for 34 programs and couldn’t determine the amount spent on any of them. Auditors reviewed eight of those programs in depth, finding that staff couldn’t identify goals or whether any of them had been achieved."

Most of the money came from "Federal Stimulus Funds." A better name would be OUR TAX DOLLARS. Where the heck do people, especially at agencies like the Colorado gang think this money comes from?

The bottom line here is this isn't by any measure an isolated incident. Not just in Colorado but the entire government from Federal to the most local of agencies.

Meanwhile Colorado Energy Office interim director, Kevin Patterson, told lawmakers that fixes have begun. Too late Kevin. We don't need fixes, we need to get the money back, we need those who blew it on a good time to be punished. It's called accountability.

But these days, government and accountability is an oxymoron. Thus, "We the People" lose. Every time.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you" (We also love to blow the whistle when called for)

Amazing (Fall From) Grace

For years I believed him. For years I was angry at those attacked them. Boy did Lance Armstrong fool me!

Lance Armstrong cheated. He admitted it to Oprah Winfrey. But only after decades of denying it, blasting/attacking/suing his critics, making millions from his cycling wins and cheating his sport and his fans.

He's a liar and a cheater and in this case, there will be, there must be no redemption. Armstrong attacked those who dared challenge him. He sued news outlets who we now know reported the truth. He received millions from sponsors like Nike who believe he just didn't do it.

Liar, liar, peddle pants on fire.

There was a time, under the right circumstances when a mea culpa on Oprah could help someone out of a self-dug dark hole. But Oprah ain't what she used to be and Armstrong was never what he claimed to be.

He's also a disgrace to cancer patients of all types, everywhere. Much was said about his own fight with cancer. Big deal. Lots of people have and are fighting cancer. They're also honest.  Armstrong wasn't a cancer survivor, just a liar and cheater with cancer. Sure, he formed a foundation. Lots of people are helping in the fight against cancer. The huge majority, unlike Armstrong, are honest.

If Armstrong has the slightest belief in any sort of redemption, he's lying to himself. Just like he lied to us. He also lied to the media, especially sports media and that is the kiss of PR death. They will come after him with a vengeance followed closely by armies of lawyers. Reporters by nature are cynics. It's people like Lance Armstrong that make them that way.

Once synonymous with athletic achievement of the highest standard, he's now a fallen idol to kids who have to be saying, "Say it ain't so Lance." But it is so. He told Oprah so.

The distance from being on top of the world to a late night joke is a very short one.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

Making the case, again, for cameras in courtrooms.

Preliminary hearings are underway this week in the case of James Holmes, the man accused of the horrific shootings last year at an Aurora Movie Theater.

National and local media are on the scene, ably reporting on what's going on inside the courtroom. Just one problem: There are no cameras or microphones inside the courtroom. Instead we get reporters telling us about testimony instead of hearing it ourselves. Instead of seeing the testimony, we get "Courtroom Sketches" which are akin to cartoons. Courtrooms aren't artist studios.

In this digital age, it's shameful that "We the people" aren't allowed to watch the legal process. It's OUR process yet our court has decided we're not worthy of watching it. One can assume the judge thinks we're not intelligent enough to observe. It's one of the reasons we as a society know so little about what goes on in courtrooms, instead basing our perception from watching shows like "The Good Wife." (A great drama by the way, but not the real deal)

As a former Board Member of the Radio-Digital-Television News Association, I spent a lot of time fighting for electronic access to our courts, including speaking twice before the National Judicial College. It's a tough sell. To RTDNA's credit, they keeping up the fight.

Think about it. We have cameras taking our picture at stoplights, yet they're banned in far too many courtrooms.

Some say we don't need to see/hear graphic testimony or evidence. Then don't watch. Judges have told me they worry about the trial turning into a circus. For the life of me I can't see how being able to observe the process creates a circus-like atmosphere. It's the judge's job to control the courtroom. Others say having cameras in the courtroom somehow glorifies people like James Holmes.  Glorifies how? Then there's the oldest and weakest of excuses, that lawyers will showboat in front of the camera. Part of a lawyer's job is to showboat. If it gets out of hand, then the judge has the power to step in.

But to essentially lock us out of what goes in in our court system? No excuse. None.

In this digital world, there is absolutely no reason video and audio, from cameras that do nothing to distract from the proceedings , could be streamed on the 'Net or on numerous digital channels available. Just one camera and mic, shared pool-style for all reporters but more importantly for us.

These types of stories are rough, I know first-hand from covering the Oklahoma City Bombing Trial. Some of the testimony was horrendous. It was a horrendous act. We're being accused as a society of being desensitized to these types of crimes. That may be, and if true, it's due in no small part to being so insulated from coverage of them.

Ultimately it's our justice system. Not allowing electronic access is in a word, shameful. I find the court out of order and in contempt of the society it supposedly serves.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relation
"We start the conversation about you"