Author Archives: Mark Valentine
Valentine: The Cost of Higher Education
Higher education is so expensive… Our leaders all express concern over student debt. Condoleezza Rice said access to education is, ”the civil rights struggle of our day.” President Obama says we should tax “The Rich” to pay for Community College … Continue reading
Valentine: The Night Before
‘Twas the night before Christmas… And all through Crown Center The Shops were all closed and it felt just like winter The Mayor’s Tree was all lit in a holiday glow And the ice rink was empty, but ready to … Continue reading
Valentine: Judging American History Out of Context
Americans do not approve of torture… That said, most of us are conflicted about “The Torture Report.” There are some big problems with it. First of all, it didn’t stop any of the torture. The techniques were abandoned years ago. Second, … Continue reading
Posted in Mark Valentine
Tagged Dianna Feinstein, KC Confidential, Mark Valentine, The Interview movie, The Torture Report
20 Comments
Valentine: Celebrating Hate & Craig Glazer
I was driving by the new Stanford & Sons comedy club on 119th Street the other day… And it made me appreciate that Stanford’s owner Craig Glazer is an entertaining sports writer. Every week he makes us ride his own personal emotional roller … Continue reading
Valentine: Cracking The Political Code
Words take on different meanings when politicians use them… Sometimes it’s a clever twist meant to put on a better face. Pro-Life sounds so much better than Anti-Abortion. And Pro-Choice sounds much better than Pro-Abortion. Sometimes the official words seem disconnected … Continue reading
Valentine: Islamic Dilemma & Pit Bull Law
How do we deal with the reoccurring violence that finds its roots in Islam? Real discussion is usually punished in our politically correct environment. The fact that we live in a country founded on religious freedom makes these conversations nearly … Continue reading
Posted in Mark Valentine
Tagged Islam, Islamic Violence, Mark Valentine, Pit Bulls, The Catholic Church
6 Comments
Valentine: Why Not Call It, The Seinfeld Election?
The talking heads love the Seinfeld comparison… It is hard to find issues in any of the campaign ads. They’re all about nothing. Over $4 billion spent on invisible issues. On the other hand, it’s easy to understand. Democrats have … Continue reading
Posted in Mark Valentine
Tagged KC Confidential, Mark Valentine, President obama, The War on Women
11 Comments
Valentine: Cognitive Dissonance & The Ebola Scare
Cognitive dissonance is the internal, emotional conflict we feel when we believe conflicting things… It’s a part of everyday life. We hate violence, but we love tough guys. We believe in Science but embrace Religion. We hate to be fat, yet we love ice … Continue reading
Posted in Mark Valentine
Tagged Al Gore, Bin Laden, CDC, cognitive dissonance, Ebola, Fox News, Isis
31 Comments
Valentine: Consider the Source & Dismiss the Facts?
We live in a time where we often dismiss facts by considering the source… For example, the Obama administration’s first move on any bad news has usually been to caution against watching Fox News. So we listen to that warning … Continue reading
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5 Comments
Valentine: ‘Obscene Oil’ is Back
Here we go again… AAA just announced that gas prices nationwide have spiked. What’s more, they’re higher even than last year at this time. No surprise. It’s just part of a “new normal” that’s left us all numb. Like finally old gas … Continue reading
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8 Comments
Valentine: Kansas City in B Reel of a Batman Movie
Is Kansas City trapped in a Batman movie? Suddenly, villains and mayhem are at every turn. The vile stream began with the wild shoot out at The Zoo. It was a nice day in a peaceful setting when evil erupted upon … Continue reading
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3 Comments
Valentine: The Sucky State of the Kansas City School District
What if you had an employee that drove customers away? And what if that employee kept new customers from coming in? What if that employee also had access to your bank account and made decisions that hurt your bottom line? … Continue reading
Posted in Mark Valentine
9 Comments
Valentine: The Deal With The Devil
It is not always as dramatic as a Steven King novel, but a deal with The Devil always takes an evil twist in the end… In the lawmaking business, they use the phrase “Sin Tax” when they make those deals. … Continue reading
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12 Comments
Valentine: Time Traveling to Oz with the KC Symphony
I’m not sure how they took out all the music and left in all the other sounds in the 1939 classic… And I’m not sure how the conductor hit every cue to the second, but the KC Symphony – performing at … Continue reading
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6 Comments
Valentine: The Curious Case of ‘Deadbeat Congressman’ Emanuel Cleaver
Kansas City’s very own Congressman in Washington D.C., The Honorable Rev. Emanual Cleaver is having his wages garnished… I’ve never heard of a sitting U.S. Congressman allowing his reputation to be tarnished like this. Since it would be so simple to … Continue reading
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27 Comments
Valentine: Feeling Like Einstein
He could do the math for Astrophysics to explain how the universe works. But he could not get the same math to work on both. He died searching for a Unified Field Theory. I’m no Einstein, but I feel the … Continue reading
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12 Comments
Valentine: An Open Letter to KC’s Sister City in Japan
A Letter to Our Sister City: Dear Kurashiki, Aunt Google told me about your recent snow storm. She said you were having a tough time with more winter than you’ve had for decades. I know how you feel. That trouble … Continue reading
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8 Comments
Valentine: Consider the Groundhog
The groundhog is a living, breathing, well-loved symbol of disrespect for science… I googled Groundhog Day 2014 and got 259,000,000 pages. The top pages included The Weather Channel, National Geographic, The Huffington Post, USA Today, even CBS News. People seem to … Continue reading
Posted in Mark Valentine
3 Comments
Valentine: All Hail Kansas City’s Greatest Sports Team
Congratulations are in order for Kansas City’s greatest sports team… Over the last 30 years, they have built a dynasty. And when the Atlanta Braves announced that their new stadium will be the design submitted by Populous, a Kansas City … Continue reading
Posted in Mark Valentine
2 Comments
