Certified Life Coach.org & Coach - Dean Smith: Politics is Just Not His Game...

To call Dean Smith a legend would be an understatement. For many of us who spent our formative years in North Carolina, he was the epitome of a coaching great. I came to North Carolina when I was 13, and I can tell you, to live in Dean Smith territory was considered a true honor for any basketball fan.

During his tenure as head coach of the men?s basketball team at the University of North Carolina, he gained a reputation as one of the greatest coaches in sports history. In fact, he?s the all-time leader when it comes to victories by an NCAA Division I men?s basketball coach. His teams appeared in the Final Four eleven times and he won two national championships. In any sport, that kind of record would be considered evidence of a true champion?a natural leader.

Smith also gained a reputation as a winner off the court. He ran a clean program and didn?t get into the type of ethics escapades that tarnished the records of other coaches. An incredible 96 percent of Smith?s players graduated, indicating his determination to ensure that his players received a solid education. In short, he was the type of coach that any university would be proud to have on its roster.

In 1976, he became a patriot when he coaches the U.S. team to a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Montreal. He?s also a best-selling author, having penned Basketball: Multiple Offenses and Defense?the best-selling technical basketball book in history.

And Smith secured his place in Southern history by recruiting Charlie Scott as UNC?s first black scholarship athlete, thereby integrating the Tar Heels basketball team. This was no small feat at a time when race relations weren?t the best in America. But being a great basketball coach who believes in giving minorities a fair shot in life does not necessarily mean you?re a winner when it comes to politics.

In the 1980s, Smith recorded radio spots to promote a freeze on nuclear weapons. It was a trendy liberal cause at the time. However, what ultimately ended the Cold War and the threat of destruction by the Soviet Union was not a nuclear freeze, but conservative Ronald Reagan?s insistence on a strong defense.

While he was coaching, some members of the Democratic Party recruited Smith to run for the U.S. Senate against legendary incumbent Jesse Helms. Smith rejected the offer. However, in his retirement, he has taken sharp aim at conservative causes ?from the war in Iraq to homosexual rights.

Smith, a diehard liberal Democrat, has failed to post a winning record in the political game. He?s consistently backed the loser in Presidential contests and U.S. Senate races and he has consistently lost everytime. He has donated to losing candidates like Howard Dean, Erskine Bowles, John Edwards and Bill Bradley.

Most recently, a North Carolina Supreme Court candidate, Rachel Lea Hunter, claimed Dean Smith was supporting her candidacy. Dean Smith has denied the claim but his image is still displayed on Hunter?s campaign website and no apologies have been made for the false statements. Rachel Lea Hunter was a Republican in 2004, an Independent in 2005 and now a Democrat. The Republicans don?t want her and the Democrats won?t recognize her candidacy.

And yet, a number of people continue to listen to Smith?s political musings?not because of his intellectual insight, but because of his celebrity status. Let?s face it? if Paris Hilton endorsed Hillary Clinton for President tomorrow, it would be a story on television, in the newspapers, and on the Internet. The media put a great deal of stock in what celebrities say?even if they appear to be talking about topics that are far beyond the red carpet, the Aspen skyline, or, in this case, the free-throw zone.

Dean Smith is a great basketball icon who is very liberal in his politics. He certainly has a winning record on the basketball court, however, having his political support is definitely the political kiss of death.

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Economic Growth Continues - More Than 5.3 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003
On June 2, 2006, The Government Released New Jobs Figures – 75,000 Jobs Created In May. The economy has created about 1.9 million jobs over the past 12 months – and more than 5.3 million since August 2003. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent – lower than the average of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Revised Report Shows Fastest Real GDP Growth In Two-And-A-Half Years. Real GDP grew at an annual rate of 5.3 percent for the first quarter of this year. This follows our economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2005 – the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.

Productivity Increased At A Strong Annual Rate Of 3.7 Percent In The First Quarter.

Real Hourly Compensation Rose At A 3.2 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter.

Personal Income Increased At An Annual Rate Of 6.7 Percent In April. Since January 2001, real after-tax income has risen by 12.9 percent, or 7.3 percent per person.

Real Consumer Spending Increased At An Annual Rate Of 5.2 Percent In The First Quarter.

Employment Increased In 47 States Over The Past 12 Months Ending In April. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states in April.

Industrial Production Increased 4.7 Percent Over The Past 12 Months. Over the past 12 months, manufacturing production has increased by 5.5 percent.

This Week, President Bush Nominated Henry Paulson As Treasury Secretary. Paulson has an intimate knowledge of financial markets and an ability to explain economic issues in clear terms. For the past eight years, Paulson has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Goldman Sachs Group, one of the most respected firms on Wall Street.

The President Has Expanded Tax Relief And Is Working To Make His Tax Relief Permanent. Two weeks ago, President Bush signed into law a bill that extends the tax cuts on dividends and capital gains. This legislation also contains an Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) patch enabling millions of middle-income families to avoid paying higher taxes in 2006.

The President’s Tax Relief Has Helped Spur Growth By Keeping $880 Billion In The Pockets Of American Taxpayers. The Administration reduced taxes for every American who pays income taxes, doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, created investment incentives for small businesses, and put the death tax on the road to extinction.

Growing The Economy And Reducing The Deficit Depend On Controlling The Spending Appetite Of The Federal Government. Every year since the President took office, the Administration has slowed the growth of discretionary spending that is not related to the military or homeland security. The President's last two budgets cut discretionary spending that was unrelated to the military or homeland security, and we are on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009.

If The Emergency Supplemental Bill – Which The President Has Requested To Help Fund The War On Terror And Hurricane Recovery – Includes Non-Emergency Or Wasteful Spending Or Exceeds The President's Set Limit Of $92.2 Billion Plus Funding To Prepare Our Nation For A Pandemic Flu Emergency, He Will Veto It.

In The Long Run, The Biggest Challenge To Our Nation's Budgetary Health Is Entitlement Spending On Programs Such As Social Security And Medicare. We call on members of both parties to join us in a bipartisan commission to address this critical issue.

The President Will Continue Working With Congress To Restrain Spending In Other Ways, Including Passing A Line-Item Veto. A line-item veto would allow us to cut needless spending, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely – or not at all.