The Polo Report
By Steve Crowder
It is a new decade. Is it going to be as exciting as the last one? Nobody knows. For all the bad in the last 2 years there were some huge pluses and we forgot about them by the end of 2009. That was the last decade and that is history so look forward. The lights are not bright, but maybe they will get some more power soon.
Polo is underway in ‘10. It is a little bit smaller as Palm Beach, Indio, Sarasota, Gulfstream are all feeling the same. Some of the action over the past weekend was in Palm Beach at IPC where it was 40 degrees and a bit windy. No one was happy about it, but cold weather teams were Brilliant. A former local CA team, the Hawks, absolutely destroyed the Equator team from Venezuela. The Mannix combo of Fred and Julian from Calgary rolled all over Lechuza. That was the first game of the Joe Barry Memorial 20-goal Tournament. In the finals of the first 20-goal it was Patagonia led by Gonzalo Avendano of the winter wonderland of Argentina beating the local Palm Beach people of EFG. So it was not bad for all.
In Indio it was Antelope and ERG, with Captain Scott Woods of Texas, both winning Friday and Sunday in a nice 75 degree weather. They are heading for the first finals. The weather in California has been on the average the first 11 day’s with temps 8 to 10 degrees above normal with 75 F and 50 F being the range even in the coast areas. A little nicer than our Southern friends are receiving in Florida, but it could change as soon as tomorrow and it probably will.
The economy has not improved so much as far as I can tell and the Govt. people seem to be cutting no wages or the banks. Our Speaker of the House from California could on her own cut her travel budget. Just for a plane she could cut 5.7 million to fly. No other expenses, just the plane costs. That would pay for 1/2 the police budget cuts in most of CA, but no, she gets a raise and goes back and forth to CA every week on a private jet. They probably took it from GM for free. As if we need her in CA. It already has its problems and then she shows up every week for the spa on the Taxpayers. Maybe they could hire Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Warren to organize their schedules and calendars for all of our fine politicians and they might learn how to make ends meet.
SOME GOOD NEWS . . . CALIFORNIA HAS PEOPLE ON THE U.S. POLO TEAM!
Good luck to these young players. CA Players have been left off this team for a while.
Chris Collins, Jr. out of Rancho Santa Fe
Carlos Galindo out of Indio
Nicolai Galindo out of Indio
Nick (the stick) Morrision out of Indio
Jared Sheldon out of Poway
Collin White out of Santa Rosa
I think all of these gentleman will show up great in the Polo. Just do not tell them your address until later. Good going Gentleman.
Now for a theory of mine:
If we took the money we are spending on the war over in Iraq and Pakistan, Afghanistan and did 2 things with 1/2 of it, I think we could see progress for real. Use the money to educate our own children and set up a western (American City) over there or nearby and pay local Americans to live there and show them our way of life. Or bring all the high school kids we could from there and let them live in America for 2 or 3 years. I bet in 3 years they would change their own Country a 100 times faster than us trying to bully them into changing. I really think that had a lot to do with China changing and no doubt Americans influenced and educated Japan for many years. Maybe they will not change, but they will appreciate that we are not trying to make them change and save a lot of money and lives, which I think are being wasted in this effort to whip them into line . . . our line which is not the greatest thing on Earth, but we are HAPPY.
If you go to the Coachella Fest and see the variety of people and the peacefulness of it you will know what I am talking about. In one half hour you will see gang members, bikers, hippies, bankers, social butterflies, millionaires and politicians and it may be a 100 degrees outside with sweaty bodies, beer stench, marijuana and no trouble. Why? Nobody says you have to go.
So be Happy
See ya.
Crowder