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View Full Version : Interview with "MtnBiker"



jimnyc
12-31-2009, 02:57 PM
MtnBiker is one of the longest standing members from the boards I've been a part of. He showed up soon after the opening of my old board and has continued to post with us here - and of course has been a staff member nearly the whole time. Other than sharing stories about pets and food, we haven't learned too much about him. I thought I would give a shot at improving that with this brief interview....



Whereabouts are you from, and have you lived there your whole life?

I live in Idaho, I have lived there most of adolescent and adult life. I did live in New York for a couple of years.

Are you married? Do you have any children?

Yes I'm married to a wonderful wife and have an awesome 16 month old boy.

What do you do for a living?

I work for the nation's largest broadline food and equipment supplier to restaurants and institutions. I do direct sales to various customers including independent restaurants, a casino and a nuclear testing site, just to name a few. I help customers with menu costing, menu engineering, inventory control, marketing and some training.

Without a direct question from myself... If you had no alternative but to write a short paragraph to strangers, telling them about yourself in a nutshell... Well, can we have that short paragraph now?

Well of course, I'm a 41 year old husband and father with conservative values. I believe in and enjoy capitalism( a good thing with my job). I like helping my customers be more profitable and successful. I'm a Culinary Institute of America alumni and always do the cooking for family gatherings as well as most of the meals at home. I enjoy spending time with my family (looking forward to taking the little guy sledding soon). And yes I do go mountain biking.

Funny short story for you... The other day I told a friend that I thought I could kill a human before ever harming my dogs. He then asked what I would do if I had to choose between one of my dogs, or him. I told him to be VERY grateful that I didn't have to make that choice! Are you not a fellow animal lover? If memory serves me correct you have a dog too. Can you relate to my feelings - AT ALL - or am I completely nuts?

I can relate to your feeling. I actually have two dogs now. The dog you remember is my 9 year old chocolate lab. I have spent more money on his healthcare than I have my own. He has had both of his hind knees rebuilt, his is on a prescribed dog food and arthritis pills. He is a really great dog and is awesome with my son. He lets the little boy crawl all over him, pull his tail and never shows aggression toward him, in fact he will watch over the little boy is no one is in the room at the time. The other dog is a young female shepard lab mix and she is full of energy. She helps keep the lab young. Dogs rule!

I don't see you actively involved in any of our discussions about sports. Are you a fan of any professional teams?

No, I rarely watch sports. I couldn't tell you which teams are in the running to go to the playoffs or who is favored to win the Super Bowl. I do know that in general that the Steelers are a kick ass team. :D

The big news right now, non political, is the scandal involving Tiger Woods. What are your thoughts on the subject?

I hope that for the sake of the family that they are able to overcome this situation. However Tiger, he built a great career with his golf game and turned that into endorsement opportunities. He has done great damage to endorsement potential with his behavior. And the companies that invested in him and his image are also suffering. A projected image can be a dubious thing.

As you know, world leaders have taken over Copenhagen this week to try and come to some kind of consensus on how to combat "global warming" going forward. Your thoughts?

I am a huge skeptic of AGW, from the data gathering to the data homogonizing and climate models that depend on assumptions and bias. So the belief that man is warming the earth or able to "cool" the earth is a stretch. And no matter what man's activities is the earth will always experience climate change. The conference in Copenhagen was more about trying to regulate industry in the western countries and global wealth distribution. China, India and Brazil were prepared to walk out of the talks if to much was asked of them in regards to their industry or CO2 emissions. I did find it rather ironic that a lot of the US delegation had to high tail it out of there due to a huge winter storm that buried most of the north east in snow.

Ok, you knew healthcare was going to be brought up, so I have a few related questions. What are your thoughts on the reform bill going through congress right now?

I'm not sure how the bill improves healthcare, make healthcare more affordable and available to everyone, which are supposed to be focus on reform. Instead people are going to be forced to buy insurance or face a fine and or jail time. Yeah for reform. Competition for insurance in the market place would certainly help bring down costs, yet people are unable to buy health insurance in the same manner that they buy auto insurance. Opening up competition across state lines would be a good start. However this bill does little of that.

Unless I'm being lied to by multiple and reputable news sources, it would appear that the Democrats are locking the Republicans out of talks/debates - and I mean that literally. They won't let the public view the bill for 3 days before voting, and they outright are refusing to let prominent Republicans behind the closed doors. Obama stated on the campaign trail he would have the most transparent government ever. He stated he would give the public 3 days to view such types of bills. He said he would reach across the aisle. Your thoughts? Can Obama fix this, or are Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi running the show?

I suppose Obama could fix that situation if he wanted to. I would guess that Obama and his supports are all to willing to forgive some things he said on the campaign trail in order to achieve a political victory. However when Obama actually does something he said he would do while on the campaign trail, like commit to the effort in Afghanistan his supporters are disappointed. Go figure.

There has been much talk lately on a "Report Card" on Obama's first year as president. How would you grade his work thus far?

Obama C-, Obama's teleprompter B

Who's posts do you look forward to reading the most. You must limit it to 3 - this way lots of people feel left out like I always do! LOL

In no particular order. Kathianne, her outlook on political matters are very much like mine, she posts articles that I enjoy reading. Noir, he posts quite a bit and contributes a lot to the board. I don't always agree with his perspective but admire his stance and sticking up for himself. Hjmick, that guy usually cracks me up, I like his sense of humor.

Outside of politics, what are some of your other favorite websites?

I don't spend that much time online now days when I do I check out wattsupwiththat often it is a climate blog. I will check out food sites from once and a while and if I have time armor games is cool. Warfare 1917 is a fun game.

What would you like to see regarding our community for the new year. What I mean is, are there improvements you would personally like to see.

I would like to see a few more members on the board and a few more with opposing views. Its good to have debate. The free beer program might be a good thing to have, but it might affect the quality of post.

I've been a member since the beginning of Debate Policy and a member of the previous board since 2003 and have enjoyed posting here and talking with people from around the country and world. I find it a privilege to be a part of this community.

Best regards MtnBiker