Since last week’s blog (Self Fulfilling Prophecy) created more stir than normal, I decided to go with another controversial subject today, one about the self indulgent, don’t get it, egg heads who run PETA. If you missed the news this weekend regarding the Kentucky Derby and the terrible accident resulting in euthanization, here is the background.

Eight Belles, a filly, collapsed 1/4 mile after crossing the finish line (after finishing second). The horse broke both front ankles and had to be put down. I’m not a big racing fan but I have been and wagered before so I do understand racing. More importantly, I own a horse (well technically I own it, but don’t tell my 17 year old daughter that I said it’s my horse).

PETA sent a fax to the Kentucky Derby people saying the filly was “doubtlessly injured before the finish.” Well that might be one of the most stupid comments I have ever heard. Apparently the folks who run the organization have never galloped on a horse or they would’ve realized it would be highly unlikely that any horse could go a quarter mile on two broken ankles, as this horse is supposed to have done. This was a tragic accident and to imply that the owner and jockey were so callous is unfair.

To cover up it’s obvious lack of knowledge and demonstrate their real agenda, PETA goes on to say, “What we really want to know, did he (the Jockey) feel anything along the way? If he didn’t then we can probably blame the fact that they’re allowed to whip the horses mercilessly.”

Okay, I get it. You PETA folks don’t like horse racing…why not just admit it?

I’m an ad guy, okay, so I’m expected to be upbeat about what is currently going on in our economy. Sure, I have an economic self interest in promoting the economy.  But I have to tell you we need to stop talking about the end of the world–the high price of a barrel of oil. (Does anyone really know how a barrel of oil converts to our local gas station?) I have a suggestion: buy oil company stock and stop whining.

There is such a thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy and what it does to us. Read this article (http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/01/21/editorial2.html) and maybe you will begin to see what I’m talking about.

I make the new business calls here at the agency and I’m telling you there are some days when it appears I should slit my wrists because everything is so bad.

Wake up! It’s not all bad. Yes, the economy is sluggish. Yes, we owe too much of our debt to China. And yes, we have the Iraq War. But folks, unemployment is under control as is inflation. Rates for borrowing money are down and your President and Congress just sent you some money to play with.  So go play with it.

The economies of all major industrial countries are cyclical and this too shall pass…but maybe we could speed it up by being a little more positive today.

I’m a guy, and as my mostly female staff would attest this week’s topic comes way to easy. My loyal readers realize that there are some days when I want to take on difficult and controversial issues. This is not one of those days. Today is a rant day!

I’m just back from nine days on the road in two large cities (Vegas and Phoenix) and I found something that perturbed me. (Go figure.) There are automatic bathrooms everywhere. In airports, restaurants, tourist attractions, golf courses–you name a location and I found an automatic bathroom there.

What exactly is an automatic bathroom? It’s the one that the door opens automatically as you approach it, brings down the little seat cover paper automatically, flushes the toilet automatically, starts the water faucet automatically (in theory when you put your hands under the spout) and then dispenses paper automatically as you stand there dripping wet!

Has the world become so lazy that we can no longer be trusted to do these functions ourselves? I mean, I have heard of big brother but this is absurd. Okay, for health and environmental reasons I can understand why these functions may “benefit us.” That presumes the functions actually work properly and don’t take three times as long to work as their manual alternatives.

So, if we have gone so far as to automate personal hygiene, here are a few other things that could stand to be automated for the benefit of us citizens: the United States Congress, The President, my golf game, lawyers returning phone calls (now that would be great), grocery shopping, laundry…

Hopefully you get my point…automatically!