Formula 1 Predictions Revisited

We are less than two weeks away from the start of the 2012 Formula 1 season, which means it is time for the Right Wing Formula 1 Season Predictions!

First Driver to be Replaced: Narain Karthikeyan
I know that it seems odd that Karthikeyan even got a ride this season, but he does bring loads of money to the table for the team. Still, his skill level is not quite that of the other drivers on the circuit. Look for HRT to cut him loose sometime around Round 5.

Surprisingly, it is looking more and more like Massa will be the first replaced, or at least the first confirmed to be replaced.

First Driver to become a Replacement Driver: Sebastian Buemi
This is just an off-the-cuff prediction, as Buemi is a Reserve Driver for Red Bull Renault, and if my first prediction is true, then HRT would be hiring his services away. I think, though, that Buemi is too good a talent to sit out for long.

Will the Bahrain Grand Prix happen? No.
I should qualify that answer by saying that the Grand prix is still on the calendar, but I can see a situation very similar to Indianapolis 2005. Unless the political situations in the Middle East rapidly improve by April 20, I think several teams will sit this one out. It may be the only time that HRT or Marussia get a victory…or even a point.

INCORRECT, kinda...The grand prix happened, and it almost saw a few teams withdraw. The F1 community has since taken a bit of a beating in the press for allowing the race to take place.

Will the United States Grand Prix happen? Yes.
The Circuit of the Americas is still being built, the builders, developers, and moneymen are still arguing, and Bernie still looks like a rejected member of a Beatles cover band. That said, you have to think even Bernie Ecclestone realizes that getting a Grand Prix in the US is too good an opportunity to miss. And I know the plan right now involves getting the Grand Prix to the Port Imperial street circuit in 2013 or 2014, but COTA might be one of the better Tilke tracks outside of Istanbul Park. You can’t deny race fans that kind of excitement.

Will we have a more exciting championship hunt than last season? Yes.
Forgiving the fact that Vettel ran away from the pack last year, the races were darned exciting. The rain-infused Canadian Grand Prix last year was one of the best races ever. And this year, testing showed that the top flight teams are separated by only 1 second on lap times. With six former World Driver Champions on the circuit, it has to be more exciting.

This is already proving true. We've had four different winners in four races.

Can Kimi Raikkonen make a splash in his return with Lotus(Renault)? Absolutely.
I like Raikkonen and fully expect good things from him. I doubt that Lotus can compete for the championship, but stranger things have happened. Seriously, did anyone in 2009 think that Ross Brawn would double up the titles after buying his team one month before the season started? Raikkonen has set some fast lap times. He’ll be on the podium within the first 5 races. CORRECT, Both Lotus cars were on the podium at Bahrain, with Raikkonen finishing third.

Who wins the Constructor’s Championship? Red Bull Renault
This may be one of the tighter Constructor’s Championship races we’ve seen in some time. McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes are all looking for the top spot. I’m picking Red Bull because they know what it takes to get it done, and they have two of the most consistent drivers on the circuit.

Red Bull currently holds a nine point lead over McLaren Mercedes after four races.

Who wins the Driver’s Championship? Lewis Hamilton
The last time Lewis Hamilton won the World Driver’s Championship, his team lost the Constructor’s Title. Hamilton has taken some hits lately and a rebound season is in order. He has as much or more talent than anyone on the circuit, and like Vettel and Schumacher, he’s great in the rain. He might start slow, but he’ll begin to pick up momentum in China, where he always races well. It’ll be close, though, with Vettel just missing out on three straight driver’s titles.

After 4 races, Lewis is four points behind Seb Vettel for the points lead.

Random Predictions (that will most likely be wrong):
-Nico Rosberg will win a race this season. CORRECT, Rosberg won at China
-Mark Webber will not win a race this season. I'm doubting this prediction, as it appears to be anyone's race this season.
-Caterham will score its first point by the mid-point of the season. This is looking doubtful, as Caterham seems to have taken a step back this season.
-Kimi Raikkonen will take the Lotus car to victory at Spa-Francorchamps. If Bahrain was any example of what a Raikkonen-piloted Lotus can do, I'll stand by this. Kimi is good in Belgium.
-The Constructor’s Championship will be decided with one race remaining. So long as different drivers keep winning, or at least keep splitting wins evenly, this prediction looks solid.
-Ferrari will fail to reach the podium in the first five races. INCORRECT, Alonso won at Malaysia

One Simple Question

It doesn't take a Constitutional Law Professor to see that government is inept. It is not unpatriotic to say that. In fact, it is the most patriotic thing the founders could imagine. The Declaration of Independence, written during the colonies' dissension from Great Britain, states:

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

The Declaration of Independence goes on to say:

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

That's patriotism. Being patriotic does not mean being loyal to the government, it means being loyal to the country. Somewhere along the line our government came to the conclusion that they no longer work for us, even though we elect them, and we pay their salaries. Now, they believe they know better than us. They are smarter than the average citizen. They know better than us how to spend our money. They know better than us how to protect us.

But let's be honest. Government is beyond inept. Our current government (say, covering the last ten years or so) exemplify this state of being. The George W. Bush administration brought us to new, unfortunate and frankly sad, levels of spending. After the attacks of 9/11, Bush and the Congress led us into two wars. Regardless your feelings on these wars, they were justified by the intelligence of the time. Remember, though, that under Bill Clinton, through the orders of Jamie Gorelick, walls of separation were built between the factions of the intelligence community. Bush and Congress added around $4.7 Trillion to the national debt in a span of eight years.

Enter Barack Obama. He assumed the office of the President with a completely Democratically controlled Congress. The Senate, still controlled by Democrats to this day, has not passed a budget in over 1000 days. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV), actually said it would be "foolish for Democrats to offer a budget plan." When pressed about their lack of budget action, liberal politicians and pundits resort to two arguments. The first is that Republicans are obstructionists and won't allow a budget to pass. They usually temper this argument by saying that Republicans want to see America fail. The second argument is that of White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, saying that the Senate needs 60 votes to pass a budget. This is a deliberate misrepresentation of truth, as a budget can be passed with a simple majority. The 2009 budget passed by a vote of 48-45.

The Obama Administration and Congress has seen over $5 Trillion added to the national debt in just over three years. Obama has appointed numerous czars and cabinet positions, but then he scolds the Supreme Court, basically warning unelected judges that it was extraordinary and unprecedented for the court to overturn Obamacare, a law he claimed was passed by a strong majority of Congress. The law wasn't passed by a strong majority. If anything, it was lucky to have a majority of Democrats in place at the time, because it got no Republican votes. And also, the Supreme Court has been overturning laws it deems unconstitutional for over 200 years, so it is not extraordinary and unprecedented.

Recently, the Obama Administration started to move against farmers, preparing to make it illegal for children to work in certain places on farms. To enforce the law, the government would send agents to farms to guarantee that children stayed safe. Even a supporter of Obama has to see that this was a gross overstep of Congressional authority, and the backlash forced the Administration to step back from this position and allow families to conduct business on their farms as they have for the last two hundred years.

The Administration told us that the stimulus had to be passed to keep unemployment below 8%. It is currently 8.2%, and that's U4 unemployment, the most commonly cited statistic. The U6 unemployment is actually around 15%. The Administration has gone to religious institutions and organizations and told them that they have to provide contraceptives through their insurance, regardless of their conscience in the matter. This is an administration that has passed a healthcare overhaul law that forces American citizens to purchase a product, the first time Congress has ever assumed that much power in the daily lives of the American people, and if you don't buy the product you face fines or jail time.

Now, I titled this post "One Simple Question," so here it is:

You know that government is inept. You know that government wastes money like no other. So why on earth would you want a bigger, stronger government?

Pro Bowl Ponderings

The NFL League Office has reportedly decided to shelve the Pro Bowl. Let’s be honest, the Pro Bowl was an offensive exhibition game, with defensive players just standing around. There was no hitting, there was no pass defense, and the score to the last Pro Bowl was AFC 59, NFC 41. That’s an Arena League score, not an NFL score.

And lately the players have been dropping out like crazy. None of the Super Bowl team players will be there, because they have a bigger game one week later. Several major stars are usually preparing to get back to health after the long grind of a season. It is an honor to be selected to the Pro Bowl. It was becoming a rarity to actually see the selected player at the event.

So I came up with a plan. Instead of shelving the Pro Bowl, move it to a different point in the season. The first preseason game is the NFL Hall of Fame Game. On August 5, 2012, the recently-lackluster Arizona Cardinals will play the suspension-depleted New Orleans Saints. Or rather, the fourth string of each team will play the majority of the game. This is the game that honors the Hall of Fame. So it seems like a good place to showcase the top-flight talent of the current NFL.

Take the Pro Bowl voting of the previous season and play the Pro Bowl in place of the Hall of Fame Game. This move would accomplish several things. It would better represent the sport as whole, rather than having guys play the majority of the game who will not see a single snap during the season, barring injury. It would bring back the casual fan who only watches for the superstars. It would allow the NFL to honor some of their retired coaches by using them during the game. I would love to see a Pro Bowl, at the Hall of Fame, with Bill Cowher on one sideline and Tony Dungy on the other.

I admit, this will likely never happen. Every professional sport has some form of an All-Star Game. The NFL is the most popular of the major professional sports, but their All-Star Game is among the worst. Part of that is due to league mandates, which have essentially turned the Pro Bowl into a flag football contest. Still, it would be interesting to see in practice, at least once…

Mocking the Draft 2012

It's that time of year again...the NFL Draft. I love the Draft. I'll watch as much as I can. If the Draft came on at 3am, I'd probably get up to watch. I'm not sure why, but I just love the picks, the deals, the surprise moves. At this point, there is no surprise about the first two picks of this draft. Andrew Luck is going first, Robert Griffin III is going second. Then the fun begins. Here is my mock of the first ten picks, plus the hometown Atlanta Falcons' first pick (#55 overall)

First Pick: Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck, QB (Stanford)Sources are saying that Indianapolis has already informed Luck that he will be taken first overall. The Stanford QB is hailed as the best prospect since John Elway. Indianapolis can’t go wrong taking Luck, nor would they be mistaken in taking RG3, either.

Alternate pick: NONE

Second Pick: Washington Redskins (Trade from St. Louis)

Robert Griffin III, QB (Baylor)

The ‘Skins traded up for this exact purpose. Granted, they gave away the far to get RG3, but if Griffin even comes close to matching his potential, the Redskins have a franchise QB for years to come. The biggest problem is fitting a mobile QB like Griffin into a methodical offense that Mike Shanahan likes to run.

Alternate Pick: NONE

Third Pick: Minnesota Vikings

Matt Kalil, OT (USC)

The Vikings want to trade. They want out of the third spot very badly. But it won’t happen. The Dolphins wouldn’t trade up this far for Tannehill when they can land him later on. And the Browns look like they’ll spend another season with Colt McCoy. So if you’re there, and you’re the Vikings, you’re crazy if you don’t take Kalil. He’s easily the best O-Lineman in the draft.

Alternate Pick: Trent Richardson or Justin Blackmon

Fourth Pick: Cleveland Browns

Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama)

The Cleveland strategy this year may be “Play Flat for Matt,” just as Indy last year decided to “Suck for Luck.” Matt Barkley, the USC QB, is already being touted as the consensus #1 next year. So this year, grab him a weapon. Running Backs usually last about 5-6 years in the NFL. By taking Richardson now, and giving him a year to learn, you have a steady safety net for Barkley next year.

Alternate Pick: Justin Blackmon or Morris Claiborne

Fifth Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU)

Tampa Bay is making a lot of changes, and they need to be able to compete in an otherwise loaded NFC South. Six games a year are played against Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, and Cam Newton. If you don’t have a strong secondary, those guys will chew you up. Claiborne is the best Corner in the draft. Sure, he bombed the Wonderlic, but we’re asking him to break up passes, not design NASA rockets.

Alternate Pick: Trent Richardson or Matt Kalil

Sixth Pick: St. Louis Rams

Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State)

The Rams have their Quarterback of the future in Sam Bradford. They now have a stockpile of picks thanks to the Redskins. A weapon for Bradford is in order, and Blackmon fits the bill.

Alternate Pick: Morris Claiborne

Seventh Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars

Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame

The Jags seem set on making Blaine Gabbert a starting QB in the NFL. To do so, they need to offer him protection in the form of a lineman, or a weapon to target downfield. Michael Floyd is basically Justin Blackmon, just a little taller and maybe not as polished, talent-wise.

Alternate Pick: Justin Blackmon or Melvin Ingram

Eighth Pick: Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill, QB (Texas A&M)

Peyton Manning? Swing and miss. Matt Flynn? Swing and miss. Alex Smith? Strike three, you’re out. Three QBs visited Miami this off-season, and three QBs left for the much preferred climates of Denver, Seattle, and San Francisco. Miami needs a franchise QB. They may join Cleveland in the “Play Flat for Matt” sweepstakes, but Tannehill looks to be the pick here.

Alternate Pick: Melvin Ingram or Michael Floyd

Ninth Pick: Carolina Panthers

Melvin Ingram, DE (South Carolina)

Ingram is too good to pass up. He’s basically a local talent, having played in Columbia. He’s terrorized SEC offenses for the last couple of seasons. If Ingram gets past Jacksonville, I can’t imagine Carolina passing on him as well.

Alternate Pick: Luke Kuechly or Stephon Gilmore

Tenth Pick: Buffalo Bills

Riley Reiff, OT (Iowa)

Buffalo loves a Big Ten lineman, especially a corn-fed O-Lineman from Iowa. The Bills need to protect their QB, and Reiff is a good fit for that.

Alternate Pick: Michael Floyd or Luke Kuechly

Fifty-fifth Pick: Atlanta Falcons

David Wilson, RB Virginia Tech

The Falcons have holes in their defensive secondary, but they also have a Tight End to replace and a running back requiring an heir apparent. Wilson was the 2011 ACC Player of the Year, and had a rather strong combine performance. Atlanta would probably be overpaying for UGA Tight End Orson Charles at this point, but if Charles is available when the Falcons pick at No. 84, don’t be surprised if Atlanta grabs him then. The Falcons may look to upgrade their defense through free agency.

Alternate Pick: Kelechi Osemele or LaMichael James

What Hope and Change Look Like After 3 Years...

Nearly 88 million Americans are out of work. Unemployment is dropping because we don't count those who simply give up. If you counted those who gave up looking for work, along with those still looking but unemployed, then true unemployment is around 19%. Even then, unemployment just dropped from 8.3% to 8.2%. Big time stuff there. In the black community, under 57% of men over the age of 20 have a job. Less than 60% of college graduate are able to find a job.

Around 14% of the nation is on food stamps.

More debt has been added to this country in three years under Obama than was added in eight years under Bush.

25% of US homeowners are "under water."

Grocery prices are rising at an alarming rate.

When George Bush left office gas was $1.84 per gallon, down from its high of about $3.65 or so, and every Democrat who could find face time blamed Bush for the gas prices. Now that gas is $3.94 per gallon (and $7/gallon in places in California), we're told that it is not the President's fault. Even though this Administration's own Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, said that we needed to get gas prices here to the same levels as Europe ($8-$10 per gallon).

Obama himself stated that under his energy policies, energy costs would necessarily skyrocket.

Then again, Valerie Jarret told us that Obama would be "ready to RULE from day one" (emphasis added). I guess this is what Democrat rule looks like. Of course, all you have to do to see what Democrat rule looks like is look at Chicago and Detroit.

Another Set of Random Insensitivities

- We thought George W. Bush was bad. We really did. Most of us with any knowledge of foreign policy cringed whenever he "cowboy'd" up. And his spending? Wow, I thought Republicans were for smaller government, but Bush and his administration really raised the bar on government spending...that is, until Barack H. Obama. In just three years, Obama has seen more debt added to this nation than Bush did in eight years. The Congress was under majority Democrat control for most of that time.

And Obama has a penchant for something most Presidents don't do in public. He loves scolding the Supreme Court. He did it during a State of the Union Address after the Citizens United ruling. Now, the Court is debating and ruling on ObamaCare, which is without doubt the landmark of Obama's political legacy. Trouble is, the centerpiece of the legislation, the individual mandate to purchase health insurance, might not be Constitutional. If the Court rules the mandate unconstitutional, then the entire law could be struck down.

Remember, this was a law that was rammed through Congress. It took some political wrangling for Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi to see the legislation to the President's Desk. Pelosi went so far as to mock a reporter who asked about the constitutionality of the bill. John Conyers made up Constitutional Clauses to allow Congress the power to require American citizens to purchase a product. He even admitted that he hadn't read the whole bill (honestly, who had? it was 2700 pages and the Democrats rammed it through with barely time to vote on it).

Now Obama says that the Supreme Court should be careful in this situation. His exact words: "Ultimately, I am confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress... " Let me clarify a few things. First, this law was not passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress. The law barely scraped through both chambers. It received no Republican votes. Secondly, Mr. President, it is the JOB of the SUPREME COURT to overturn laws that it deems unconstitutional. That's part of the balance of power in this nation. And since when is it unprecedented for the Supreme Court to overturn a law? They've been overturning laws since 1803. That's 209 years of practice. The Court is already unhappy with President Obama for his childish behavior in comparison to other Presidents. You want to scold the Court? Fine, do it behind closed doors. Don't air your dirty laundry on the floor of the House.

- The Trayvon Martin case just keeps going. Personally, I love how no one is rushing to judgment without the facts. Okay, that bit of sarcasm aside... Let's get the whole case from the police before we start saying the following:

"Travyon was hunted down like a rabid dog. He was shot in the street. He was racially profiled."

"I really personally believe this is a hate crime."

"He was executed for WWB in a GC...Walking While Black in a Gated Community."

Those three quotes come from elected officials in our federal government. Our President took time out of his busy day to say that if he'd had a son, his son would look like Trayvon. So much for an unbiased approach. Yet none of them mentioned a white teenager in Kansas City being attacked and set on fire by two black teenagers. Not one of them mentioned that NBC news had "selectively edited" the 911 call to make George Zimmerman seem like a racist.

Understand, I'm not trying to sound racist. I don't think it is racist to point out the differing response to these cases. In both instances, a young man was attacked. In one instance a young white man was attacked by two young black men. In the other instance, a black man was attacked by an older half white / half Peruvian man. Only one of these two instances drew the attention of the media, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and our President.

-One last thing on the Martin case... have you noticed how George Zimmerman is constantly referred to as a "white Hispanic?" He has a white father and a Peruvian mother. Barack Obama has a white mother and a black father, yet no one calls him a "white African-American." Just a thought.