John Fenzel

Photograph of a WWI cemetery produced by Rocco of the Military Cemeteries on the Asiago...

Today, I flew on a Southwest Airlines flight from Louisville to Baltimore.  I routinely fly this route, on this airline--but this time it was different.  Profoundly different.  On board, were 38 veterans of World War II who were flying in to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the day.  It's a fabulous program that is run by volunteers and donations under the "Honor Flight Tri-State" organization.

During the hour and a half flight, I listened to the awe-inspiring stories of these great Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.  Most of them had never met each other before--all were from the State of Ohio.  But for some of them, it was a reunion.  One B-17 pilot I met had just learned that the Tuskegee Airman sitting beside him had flown security for some of his bombing missions over Germany and Italy.  Another Soldier had discovered that the Marine sitting beside him was a 3rd Grade Classmate. 

Both boarding the airplane and prior to deplaning, this esteemed group of veterans received well-deserved ovations.  Today, we are losing our World War II veterans by an estimated 1200 per day.

I wondered where we found men of such character and courage...who willingly flew their bombers under the most formidable odds during the Doolittle Raid, who scaled Riva Ridge, who landed into the Normandy surf amidst heavy machine gun fire and artillery?  Who were so willing to sacrifice themselves for our freedom so many decades ago?

My answer came in a quote worn by one of the volunteers who accompanied the veterans:

"Some of us get to stand on the curb and clap as they go by."

-Will Rogers

To learn more about the Honor Flight Program, go to www.honorflighttristate.org

 

In a recent New York Times article, entitled "Where was the Wise Man?" former Treasury and current Chairman of the Executive Committee of Citigroup, Secretary Robert Rubin denies any responsibility for the enormous losses that have hit Citigroup in the wake of the sub-prime and credit crises:

“By the time I finished at Treasury, I decided I never wanted operating responsibility again,” Mr. Rubin, 69, said during a two-hour interview in his office. Sitting in a red-cloth chair and propped against a thick book to support a bad back, he made it plain that responsibility for Citigroup’s staggering losses can’t be laid at his feet.

“People know I was concerned about the markets,” he says. “Clearly, there were things wrong. But I don’t know of anyone who foresaw a perfect storm, and that’s what we’ve had here.”

“I don’t feel responsible, in light of the facts as I knew them in my role,” he adds.

But did he make mistakes?

“I’ve thought a lot about that,” he responds. “I honestly don’t know. In hindsight, there are a lot of things we’d do differently. But in the context of the facts as I knew them and my role, I’m inclined to think probably not.”

I've met Robert Rubin, spent time talking to him in his office, and walked away completely impressed with the man. In fact, they really don't come any better--he's decent, professional, experienced, kind, and brilliant. But in this case, he's dead wrong. When you are sitting in an office on the executive floor of Citigroup's headquarters in New York City, getting paid $15+ million a year, issuing denials rather than accepting one's share of responsibility for poor management decisions (and effectively blaming them on others)...well frankly, it just boggles the mind. As the "Wizard" of Citigroup, he absolutely shares responsibility for the disaster that has hit his organization.

Ultimately, that is the difference between leadership and management. Managers pass the buck. Leaders make the buck stop where they sit. Reading Rubin's statements, I was surprised. More than anything, I was saddened. Rubin is better than that.

And then yesterday, anticipating statistics that would confirm an anemic economy, President Bush also pushed the blame for the nation's economic woes elsewhere, blaming Congress for "letting the American people down." No admission of responsibility there either....

Dear Friends,

On April 26th, our family will be walking again this year to help find a cure for diabetes. As most of you know, this is a cause very close to our hearts because our niece, Madison, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when she was 4. We stay frequently with Madison’s family (my sister) during our stays in Washington, D.C. Being around Madison so often, and helping her with her carb counting at each meal is a constant reminder to us of what this fun, vivacious little girl has to manage every single day … until we find a cure.

We appreciate everyone who donated to Madison’s Mission: Possible! last year, and ask that you consider donating again this year. Scroll down this post a bit and you will find all of the details. If you are in the D.C. / MD area you can also join our team and walk on April 26th. There is information on walk sign up below as well.

If you do anything, please read below to learn more about juvenile diabetes and Madison’s Mission: Possible! and then forward this link on to others. Our mission is to ultimately create more awareness about juvenile diabetes. More awareness we will certainly help raise more money…which will actively contribute to finding a cure for this terrible disease. By sending this on to others, you are helping. Thank you for your generosity.

Warmest regards from our family to you and yours,

John, Ciri, Anna, Erin and Luke

*************************************

Madison with her brothers Nick (7) and Braden (4)
There isn't a day that goes by without us hoping that this disease doesn't effect the boys too.

Dear Family, Friends, and anyone who will lend an ear and a hand:

Since our daughter Madison was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in July of 2003 at the age of 4, we have been very active in volunteering and fundraising for The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). We realized very quickly that there was no known cause for the disease, and thus no known cure. Without so many of you behind us and supporting us along the way, we could not possibly do what we are trying to do in getting Madison, and so many kids just like her, cured.

When the doctor told us that Madison had Juvenile Diabetes, the first reaction was to ask when it would go away (assuming that with the word 'juvenile' in it, she would grow out of it). The solemn response from the doctor was that it was a chronic disease with no cure, only management with insulin. While Madison is so responsible and good about handling all that she has to endure (multiple finger pricks, insulin pump site changes and counting every carb that she eats), these are not the things that a 9 year old should need to be great at.

The one day that we feel like we have power over this disease is when we participate in the JDRF Walk For A Cure. It is a day that we come together with friends and family to actively find a cure instead of wait for one. It is amazing to see the number of people that come out for this event. The sad thing is that the numbers are growing because more and more families are being diagnosed each and every day. We say "families" because it is the whole family that lives with this diagnosis.

It is time for us to walk again on Saturday, April 26th, and we hope you will help us to make this our most successful year yet, both in fundraising and in the size of our walk team.

With our most sincere thanks,

Mike, Lisa, Madison, Nicholas and Braden Zehring

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research worldwide. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.16 billion to diabetes research, including more than $137 million in FY2007. More than 85 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and research-related education. JDRF is consistently among the highest rated charitable organizations for its fiscal responsibility. Click Here for more information about JDRF.

All donations to JDRF for Madison's Walk are 100% tax deductible.

What Can We Do?

It all starts with that question...and grows from there! After we got home from the hospital following Madison's diagnosis, we told her that we would do everything that we could do to find a cure. We found JDRF shortly thereafter, and have been actively involved ever since.

In the past 4+ years you have helped us to raise more than $45,000 to get Madison one step closer to life without diabetes. We have been consistently blown away by the generosity of our friends, family, and people we have never even met.

This year we are hoping to raise even more! We have set our goal this year to raise over $20,000! We cannot do this alone, so we are asking for your help once again!!

Join Our Team!

Madison's Mission: Possible

Sign up to join us on walk day!

We will be walking on Saturday, April 26th at Centennial Park in Columbia, Maryland. We have been so fortunate to have our team grow each and every year, and hope that if you are around and available, that you will join us too! The walk registration begins at 8am, the walk kicks off at 10am, and there will be lots of food, friends, music and fun!

To walk with us, click to Join Madison's Team.

Make A Donation!

If we could find a cure on our own, we would do it. It is so hard to ask others to help sometimes, but when it is something that is as important as our child's health, and the well-being of so many other children and families out there, we have to put our pride aside and just ask.

Madison has asked us when her diabetes will go away. Madison has asked us how much a cure costs. Madison has even asked Santa to make a donation to help find a cure for her (Which he did...What a great guy!). Madison has told us that there is a cure, the scientists just need enough money to find it. This is where we come in, and we cannot do it alone, so all we can do is ask you: Please help us to help Madison!

How?

There are a couple of ways that you can make a donation to support JDRF and to support Madison's Mission:

1) Click HERE to make a donation online.

2) You can mail a check directly to Madison and we will forward it onto the JDRF office for you. All checks should be made payable to JDRF. Mail to:

Madison Zehring
7120 Altford Court
Elkridge, Maryland 21075

If your company is looking for charitable giving opportunities, please share our information with them. If your company does matching donations, please take advantage of the opportunity to double up on your donation!!

With corporate donations of $2500 or more, we can include the corporate logo on the Maryland walk t-shirts, as well as on the signage at the walk! To be eligible for this the donation amount and commitment needs to be made prior to March 3rd! Please let us know if your company would be interested in this sponsorship opportunity!

Whether you can donate $1, $5, $500, $5000 or even $50,000, all of these donations come together and a make a big difference for these kids and their families and are very much appreciated! If you cannot make a donation at this time, please pass this e-mail along to your friends and family, and know that we understand and appreciate all you do to support us and our cause!

Share Madison's Mission

The success that we have had in the past with our fundraising has so much to do with all of you passing our message along to your friends and family, and them doing the same, and so on! So please take a moment to forward this e-mail on to everyone in your address books and keep Madison's Mission going!

We have consistently been touched and blown away by the generosity and kind messages and cards that we have received from friends, family and people we have never even met. We cannot even begin to express how much this effort and outpouring of support has meant to us over the years, and truly gives us hope that Madison will not have to live with this disease forever!

Each year we have a chart in our kitchen that tracks our donations toward reaching our goal. This year we will have another chart...to see if we can receive donations from every state in America!!

What is it like to have diabetes?

Have you ever wondered what it is like for Madison having diabetes? Outside of actually having it, there is no absolute way to have you experience it (nor would we want you to), but if you would like to have a brief glimpse into what Madison has to do on a daily basis, I would encourage you to do this exercise.

~ First, put a tight rubber band around your wrist. (It is important to have it somewhat tight so that you are constantly aware that it is there, as Madison is constantly aware of her disease.)

~ Next, when you wake up in the morning, before you eat, snap the rubber band against your wrist (This is Madison's first finger prick of the day).

~ Now, around 10am, if your stomach starts to feel like you are really hungry, it means your blood sugar may be going low...snap the rubber band against your wrist. (Madison needs to check her sugar any time she feels really hungry, nauseous, shaky, emotional or lethargic to see if her blood sugar is causing these feelings.)

~ Before you eat lunch, snap the rubber band again.

~ In the afternoon, if you are feeling shaky or lethargic, snap it again.

~ Before dinner, snap it again.

~ Before you go to bed, snap it again.

~ Set your alarm for midnight, wake up and snap it again (this is just one last check to make sure you will be ok through the night).

~ The next morning, you can take off the rubber band, Madison can't...she starts all over again.

* If you thought that it was annoying and uncomfortable doing this for a day, imagine being 9 years old and pricking your little fingers more than 11,500 times...several pricks every single day over the past 4 1/2 years! This isn't even accounting for the shots she used to endure several times a day, or the insulin pump site changes that she endures now.

Please help us get this rubber band off of Madison and all the other kids like her!

Thank you so much for your time in reading through this information. If you can make a donation to Madison’s Mission, we thank you! If you would like to join our team for the walk, we welcome you! If you pass this information along, we are in debt to you. For you simply supporting our goal to find a cure for Madison and all the others living with this disease, we appreciate you more than you may ever know!

Sincerely,

Mike, Lisa, Madison, Nicholas and Braden Zehring

If you would like to support our veterans, ask Your Congressman and Senator about their Support for the Veterans Mortgage Stimulus Clarification Act of 2008....

For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, (202) 225-3527

Washington, DC — On March 10, 2008, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), introduced a bill to include mortgages guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the economic stimulus package signed into law by the President on February 13, 2008.

Congressman Buyer and Congressman Michael Michaud (D-Maine) had previously sent a letter to House leadership on January 28, 2008 recommending that leadership include the VA Loan Guaranty program in the Stimulus Bill.

Noting that VA’s loan program was not included in the bill to move the economy forward, Buyer stated, “Unfortunately, in the rush to compile the economic stimulus package, the Veterans’ Loan Guaranty program was not included. As a result, veterans desiring to use the VA program do not have the same advantages as other borrowers using non-VA backed mortgages. My bill, H.R. 5561, Veterans Mortgage Stimulus Clarification Act of 2008, will remedy that inequity and give veterans access to the same increased mortgage amounts as those backed by Freddie Mac.”

The economic stimulus package authorized government-sponsored entities like Freddie Mac to guarantee loans for up to 175 percent of current limits in some high cost areas. VA-backed loan limits are normally tied to Freddie Mac limits but the language in the stimulus package did not maintain that connection.

“The beauty of the VA Loan Guaranty program is that it pays for itself so this change to the stimulus package will not increase the deficit,” Buyer said. “I urge the House leadership to get veterans back into the game as soon as possible.”

From: "Fenzel, Michael R USA LTC USA 1-503 IN BN"
To: john@johnfenzel.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 9:14:11 AM
Subject: A good link

Thought you'd be interested in this link. Had it handed off to me today. Hard to relive this event.

http://www.johndmchugh.com/slides/memorial/

Love you guys,
Michael

We're now hearing that the Federal Reserve is plotting the mass purchases of mortgage-backed securities as a possible solution to our deepening credit crisis. Despite Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's assurances to the contrary, taxpayer dollars are being seen as a key financial instrument to help restore confidence--but the real twist of irony in all of this is that the confidence they hope to reinstate is not with consumers or taxpayers, but rather with themselves.

As the banking system continues to be racked by forced sales, falling prices and asset depreciation that is likely to exceed $1,000 billion, banks are refusing to lend even to themselves. The general panic that has since ensued is reminiscent of the great financial crises in history--to include the Great Depression. Here in the United States nearly 100 mortgage companies have shut their windows in 2007, compared to only 17 instances in 2006. Particularly concerning is how the sub-prime crisis is apparently (and predictably) now spreading to prime mortgage assets, as witnessed last week with the Fed-assisted bailout of investment bank Bear Stearns.

Add to the subprime and credit crises, the steady devaluation of the Dollar and you begin to see an unfolding disaster of tsunami proportions. As the Fed reduces interest rates to boost liquidity, the dollar is devalued further. As a result, foreign bond holders have begun to exercise a collective vote of no confidence in the assets they hold and the policies we are now implementing to salvage the situation. Nowhere was this more evident than at last week's auction of 10-year US Treasury notes, where Asian, Mideast, and European investors simply looked away. As one observer noted:

"The share of foreign buyers ("indirect bidders") plummeted to 5.8 percent, from an average 25 percent over the last eight weeks. On the Richter Scale of unfolding dramas, this matches the death of Bear Stearns."

Former US Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers dismissed the measures Paulson and Bernanke were taking to increase banks liquidity as property defaults continue to rise. "It is like fighting a virus with antibiotics," he said.

So, as the Fed has moved to allow banks to trade their mortgage bonds for US Treasuries, their stated goal is to create an additional $200 billion in liquidity--but is that enough when the total damage is expected to be $1,000 billion? Simply stated: it's a one-fifth solution.

Are we, in effect, bailing out loan sharks?

Bailing out an automaker, airline or steel company can make eminent sense when they have been afflicted by adverse market conditions or inefficient management systems; but as taxpayers, the question we should be asking is whether it's at all justifiable to bail out lenders who knowingly implemented (or purchased) irrational loans they knew borrowers could not afford--based solely on greed. Add to this the excessive bonuses and severance pay that is being awarded to the CEOs who led their firms into bankruptcy, and you begin to see the schizophrenia of it all.

As distasteful as it may seem, nationalizing the offending banks, even for a time, may be the best worst-case solution....

I'm always greeted with expressions of disbelief--even shock--when I tell people that I don't have meetings in my organizations. I explain that they are unnecessary, and that I would rather give that time back to everyone. I encourage people to stop the meeting habit as well. In practice, it works very well, as long as everyone communicates effectively. But the skepticism from those who've never attempted or benefited from this simple management approach continues. Today, I ran across this quote from Peter Drucker that provides a far more eloquent explanation of this philosophy than I've yet been able to deliver....

Meetings are by definition a concession to deficient organizations. For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time. In an ideally designed structure...there would be no meetings.

We meet because people holding different jobs have to cooperate to get a specific task done. We meet because the knowledge and experience needed in a specific situation are not available in one head, but have to be pieced together out of the experience and knowledge of several people.

-Peter F. Drucker, The Effective Executive, pp 44-46