Tuesday's column

In this new era of responsibility, I'm hoping that somehow our state and our nation get through the crisis before us.

Seems like they are going to do it by focusing on sports.

I both fear and loathe the tactic. It's as if our elected leaders see us as nothing more than dumb animals easily distracted by shiny objects.

Both Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, seem to have deployed the tactic in recent days.

If you watched Pomona's own "Sugar" Shane Mosley dominate and ultimately destroy Antonio Margarito on Saturday evening, you probably saw our governor there. He was siting ringside with his celebrity friends, just behind Mosely's corner.

Obviously he can't be working to fix the state budget crisis on a Saturday night. Even so, if you ever needed any indication of how out of touch Arnold Schwarzenegger really is with the common man, there's the touchstone.

Can he be expected to feel our pain when taxes go up?

He can't.

Especially when he can afford upwards of $20,000 for the privilege of watching the fight first hand.

Can he be expected to know how difficult it is to make a house payment? A car payment? A utility bill?

No.

Not when he's hanging out with Sylvester Stallone, Christina Aguilera, and Marky Mark at the Staples Center.

Then there's Congressman Miller. He's chosen to take on the Bowl Championship Series, college football's flawed attempt to crown a national champion.

On Jan. 16, Miller introduced a bill that would cut off federal funds to universities who refuse to eliminate the BCS and participate in a playoff.

Since when do we send folks to Washington to worry about college football?

I know President Obama has spoken of his dislike of the BCS. I doubt that with the thousands of layoffs occurring daily, the standoff in Gaza, the presence of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan he's proposing to tackle the problem in the first 100 days of his administration.

Miller's flak Jessica Baker said Monday that her boss put out the bill to address the unfairness of the system.

I asked, "Since when does a Republican proponent of free markets support the use of federal power to address a problem in the public sector?"

Her answer: "Congress has a role to make sure there's fairness and equality."

I've got another plan I'm guessing would work just as well.

Rep. Miller, if you want fairness and equality in sports, just propose legislation that mandates all college football games will end in ties.

It's simple really. I do it with my boys when we play football in the backyard. If Thomas, who is 11, racks up too many touchdowns, I, as all-time quarterback, change the rules midgame so Matthew, 7, has a chance.

That's fair, equitable and removes the shiny object distraction so that you guys can get back to work fixing this country's real problems.