Wednesday, August 27, 2008

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

There's been a lot of talk about T-Bone Pickens lately - and with good reason. This, I'm saying, in that the fellow's apparently come up with an energy plan that experts across the political spectrum are lauding. It's comprehensive and, at least from what I can gather, doesn't cave in to any one particular interest. Kudos, in other words............................................Unfortunately, though (and, yes, on a completely different subject), I do have a bone (no pun intended) to pick (again, no pun intended) with Mr. Pickens. I guess that last year some time, Mr. Pickens gave 168 million dollars to his alma mater, Oklahoma State University. Why do I have a bone to pick with this, you're asking? Well, apparently, the man has expressly targeted this money to go for (drum-roll, please) football facilities. Yeah, that's right, football facilities. I mean, don't get me wrong. It's his money. He can do whatever he wants with it (and, yes, he's probably done plenty of good things with his money over the years). But, I don't know, I was thinking more along the lines of an add-on to the nursing-school, a scholarship fund, perhaps - anything but frigging football!.........................................And while we're at it, how does the state of Alabama have the chutzpah to dish out four million dollars a year....FOR A FRIGGING FOOTBALL COACH? I mean, we are talking about a state that ranks near the bottom in terms of educational expenditure, correct? Look, folks, I love college pig-skin as much as anybody but, really, don't you think that maybe our priorities are a little bit off these days? That's what I'm beginning to think.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Will obviously you have never lived down south much.

Football is as close to a secular religion as you can get here.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

I heard one guy say that it wasn't until he was 10 years old that he learned that Auburn and Clemson weren't states.

clif said...

Will, having attended a SEC college for one of my masters, watching the football fever there is something every yankee should witness once in a lifetime.


It's not just what the college did, it is how the entire town around the college reacts, and the fact the mayor and even state governor had their own boxes.

It is a fever most like a cross between a religious revival and political convention.

Anonymous said...

Boone Pickens did just give $100 million to OSU for endowed professorships and chairs in order to draw and retain top faculty. This donation was used to match other donor's contributions, resulting in a landslide of endowments for the university.

He did give to football first, but he didn't stop there!

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

Kudos again to Mr. Pickens. I had a feeling that he had probably done some good stuff (not that football's bad!), too.

1138 said...

I think you started out on the right track with it's his money to do what he wants with.
Quite often money is given by people like T. Boone Pickens and Warren Buffet with the requirement that it NOT be publicized, or that it be given through 3rd partys to hide them.
I understand, I once help someone with a rather large donation as the last thing they wanted to do with they're life - they were not going to die anytime soon but were giving away EVERYTHING but the bare minimum.
I was sworn to absolute secrecy, they didn't want money hungry charities thinking there was more and hounding her and she didn't want her friends feeling all sorry for he because she would in fact now be by her and their lifetime standards poor. She didn't want charity.

Pickens mistake was letting you know he gave anything to anyone, because it was O'Reilly none of your business.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

168 million could provide a lot of vaccinations and food for poor kids. But, like we agree, it's his money.