First off, let me send out my deepest condolences to the students, their parents, and their friends who were so mindlessly shot on Duquesne’s campus last Saturday evening.

If you’ve ever been to Duquesne’s most unique campus (and most Pittsburghers have NOT, despite the fact that it is literally within walking distance from nearly any place in downtown Pittsburgh), you know just how safe this place looks and feels.

This was just was one of those scenarios which we have become all too “comfortable” with. I don’t know how or why this mindset came to be, but it did reveal itself yet again last weekend.

There can no longer be any argument that life has been greatly devalued in this newest millennium. I’m no sociologist, but one thing that I have thought for a long, long time is that the definition of “frustration” is that gap between what one can achieve and what one wishes he can achieve.

It’s no secret whatsoever that, for so many reasons, our society has become a society where material wealth is far more sought than, say, spiritual wealth.

Individuals who lack the basic ability to achieve material wealth thus become frustrated. Which in turn makes them angry, and that anger is often acted out through violence.

Even when I was flat-out bankrupt, and living by my wits, I never thought that I would not be able to somehow rally. Why? Well, I was educated, and thus confident. Moreover, I had once been a success, and thus I knew that if I could only eliminate the flaws in my character, I would be successful again.

But this is such an impossible dream for those who never even have a chance to succeed. Not only do we ignore these ticking time bombs in our society, but we further devalue them by putting roads through or over their neighborhoods, by virtually insuring that their parents will not be physically available to give them guidance and direction when it is so very much needed.

We can all do our part to throw a monkey wrench into the gears of this “failure machine”. How? By giving our time and our knowledge to mentoring and guiding. NFTE is one such avenue.

Despite my tough times (which, in looking back, were essential to my ultimate success), I have absolutely laughed my way through this life. Why? Well, because I get up every day and make my own way through life.

No one “bosses” me and when I screw up, I know just who was behind that screw-up. All you small business owners and entrepreneurs know exactly what I’m saying here.

But to build and run enterprises, successfully, one must start with some idea as to how this is done.

So, Mr. and Mrs. Businessperson, if you want to do your part to extinguish the frustration-borne anger that precipitates these awful scenarios such as what occurred on Duquesne’s campus the other night, please consider giving up some of your time to mentor a fledgling entrepreneur or small business person.

You’ll sleep a lot better and walk a little taller.

-I was listening to ANOTHER radio station on Saturday morning, before getting ready for my own radio show, when I heard Joe Piccarelli of Iron City.

The host of the show raved about the successes of this company. If you were from the outside world, you’d think Pittsburgh Brewing was the most successful business on the planet.

Then, he says, “But of course, we’ve had a little problem…tell us about the bankruptcy, Joe.”

One thing I did notice was Joe’s statement that, “we’ve never turned down a charity who needs money.”

Notwithstanding what I said above, would not you sort of STAY this charitable giving until you got your OWN house in order? What does the Bible say about “charity beginning at home”?

-Speaking of staying at home, there were two juxtaposing articles on the front page of this week’s Pittsburgh Business Times. First, “We’re Tied For Sixth” in terms of people moving out of the state. (Thank you Mr. Rendell….again.)

Just across from that headline was one that said, essentially, “Union ain’t budging” on its contract negotiating with the Post-Gazette.

Anybody see any correlation here?

And it ain’t really the money, folks. It’s the damned WORK RULES.

When George Santayana uttered his famous words about “thems’ who refuse to learn….”, who the HELL was listening?

Anybody remember the airline work rules?

Or, those of the steel mill (13 weeks?) …couldn’t even sweep up my work area.

Or some of the people at the trade shows and convention centers.

We all know guys who work for the Post-Gazette. We’ve all heard the stories.

Nobody NEEDS this garbage, guys!

And the NEWSPAPER business! Does ANYBODY know just how precariously perched this business truly IS?

I hate to say this…because it’s gonna cost me…but unions, and just like their academic cousins, TENURE, ain’t for GOOD workers. If you’re GOOD, you’ll grow on your own merit.

No, they are for average or BAD workers.

Simple as that.