KAZMIR TO DELIVER KILL SHOT IN FENWAY

It's not going to be easy.

The Sawks will show the heart of a champion at some point in this series. Maybe some point tonight.

I understand and have enormous respect for the theory that the Champ is the Champ until he's knocked out. But the KO is coming, likely tonight and if not Big Game James Shields or Matt Garza down the tracks.

Sorry, but from my POV the Sawks will run out of pitching before the Rays do.

I like the tinkering with the rotation by Maddon, who has pushed all the right buttons. The ??'ng of the strategy and the rearranging of the decks chairs is almost comical.

If it was strictly to avoid having Kaz throwing with Cousens behind the dish that would be insane. Cousens was the umpire Kaz openly criticized after his first start for "making up calls" or some other such nonsense. He was scheduled to be behind the dish for Game 6, so the theory is the change is to avoid Cousens. Does who believes this theory consider that Cousens' crew mates might back him? That they didn't hear what Kaz said about one of the brethren? That the rest of the crew can't read the papers? Ever hear of the blue wall?

More likely Shields being a better pitcher at the Trop while getting pounded at Fenway and having Kaz pitching fairly well at Fenway was the main consideration, maybe the only one. You think?

Anyway it seems a little crazy for the Sawks Nation to be ??'ng any move Joe Maddon makes while they are down to his team 3-1 and facing elimination. As they say, check the scoreboard.

GO RAYS!!!!

JUST ANOTHER CASE OF HISTORY REPEATING

STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929


STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1987

I'm getting the same feeling about this stock market situation as I did when 9/11 occurred. At the time I felt like, "Wow, this must be what it felt like when Pearl Harbor was attacked". You knew that you were experiencing an event that would be in the history books of the future.

The same type of event continues in the stock market today. We experienced this as a nation in 1929 and 1987. The 1929 event was cataclysmic and changed this nation forever with the subsequent Depression and the ushering in of the New deal policies of FDR.

We will apparently go through similar changes today, which will cause government to bring about policy changes that will change our lives, and our children's lives forever.

Luckily, this time we have Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, an acknowledged student of the Depression, to guide us. In fact, one of his famous quotes is that we learned the lessons of the Crash of 1929 and won't repeat the mistakes that were made then which drove the nation into depression.
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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/innovation/2008/1006/1222959318754.html

ON THE occasion of the 90th birthday of the Nobel-prize-winning economist Milton Friedman - celebrated at a symposium at the University of Chicago, in November 2002 - Ben S Bernanke, then governor of the US Federal Reserve Board, lauded Friedman and his longtime collaborator, Anna J Schwartz, for their seminal work, A Monetary History of the United States 1867-1960.

In this classic tome of American economic history, Friedman and Schwartz lay the blame for the Great Depression squarely at the doorstep of the Federal Reserve by arguing that, at the point of acute crisis, its tight policies caused the failure of more than 40 per cent of banks in the US and led to massive deflation.

At the very moment when capital should have flowed into the economy, they argue, the Fed staunched it and by its policies unleashed instead the pervasive suffering that followed.

Friedman's and Schwartz's insights about the role of the Fed contradicted the conventional wisdom at the time, but have stood up well. "This achievement is nothing less than to provide what has become the leading and most persuasive explanation of the worst economic disaster in American history," Bernanke said in his speech. He praised the book for its "development of historical detail" and for its "previously untapped" use of primary resources to craft its argument. "Let me end my talk by abusing slightly my status as an official representative of the Federal Reserve," Bernanke said. "I would like to say to Milton and Anna: Regarding the Great Depression. You're right, we did it. We're very sorry. But thanks to you, we won't do it again."
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Unfortunately, Bennie Boy, that doesn't preclude you as the Fed Chairman and some combination of the Treasury Department and the Congress from making new and improved mistakes that will change this nation forever.

At the rate old "Helicopter" Ben is dropping money on the financial system, he's clearly due for a nickname upgrade along the lines of "C-130 Cargo Plane" Ben.

In seeking to steer the nations monetary policy since he took over from the equally incompetent Alan Greenspan, Bernanke has shown all the skills of a hallucinogenic, teenage diver would exhibit in his first foray down the highway in a high performance sports car.

All of these clowns were only too happy to sit back and watch the Greenspan "housing bubble" deflate when the only apparent losers were homeowners. Now that the blood has splattered closer to home, and by home I mean on the pin-striped suits of the bankers they serve, the crisis reached proportions requiring emergency actions.
And by emergency actions, I mean grabbing for the taxpayers wallet and the savings of middle-class Americans, as well as their children and grand-children.

All of these destructive events happened under the Fed's watch:
- The Great Depression, through monetary expansion of the 20's which burst in the 30's (sound familiar)
- The S&L crisis (sound familiar)
- Long Term Capital Management (a hedge fund, sound familiar) failure of 1998 almost crippled the financial system
- The dot.com bubble burst in the 90's
- The 90's easy money era under Greenspan, brought about the housing current housing bubble that just burst and is spilling blood all over the street

And as we can see, some of the events are clearly repeating. Maybe we should treat the Fed like a dog that continually pees on the carpet. Nah, too good for them.

The first responsibility the Fed has, and the only one the European central banks concentrate on, is inflation, Why is this?: BECAUSE INFLATION IS A THIEF. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE.

- Inflation destroys savings making it impossible to save funds for life purchases like a home, college for he kids and retirement
- Inflation moves wealth from the poor and middle-class to the rich.
- Inflation distorts the economy by providing "easy money" to those who haven't earned it and since it is not "their own" money, they waste it on bad investments.
Think of people who were "flipping" houses and condos because of easy monetary policy. Where are those "flippers" now? Probably hanging out with the "day-traders" from the 1980's in some bar talking about the fortunes they made and lost.
- This economic distortion leads to subsequent unemployment, which affects the middle-class and poor disproportionately. Countries that have low inflation and solid economic policy tend to have very low unemployment (think Switzerland).
- Inflation allows governments to deficit spend. Borrow first, then print money out of thin air to attempt to eliminate or pay-back the borrowed dollars with cheaper dollars down the road.
- Inflation is a hidden tax on future purchasing power and the government spends the money in advance.

I don't even want to get into how the government distorts (hell, why don't I just say it - LIES ABOUT) the CPI figures released to the public. Why would they do this? To keep the public docile and many government payments are tied to the CPI. Think Social Security payment to grandma and grandpa.

It just seems like we get into some of the problems because the Fed also worries itself about economic growth as well. If someone can't handle one task very well, asking them to do two tasks simultaneously seems to be a stretch, right?

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, SEPTEMBER 30,1999:
In a move to help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders. The action will...encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans.

This step by the Clinton Administration, along with groups like ACORN and armed with provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRIA), openly badgered and threatened banks with lawsuits (charging red-lining or racial discrimination) and with threats to block any future mergers the bank might entertain if they did not allow this type of lending to explode.

Combine this with the repeal of Glass-Stegall and the Graham-Leach-Blilley Act that the Republicans in Congress promoted allowed banks and Wall Street firms to run wild. They promoted the "casino" mind-set that we see in the market today that is dominated by short-sellers, hedge funds and other speculators.

The SEC under Chairman Christopher Cox has been almost as incompetent and possibly corrupt as the Federal Reserve. To allow short-selling with little or no restriction (no uptick rule), much less-naked short-selling (you don't even have to borrow the stock anymore) has allowed wanton speculation and wild, irrational trading that we still see daily. There are margin requirements to actually BUY a stock, but no requirements on the short-side. This is completely irrational.

Equally irrational and throwing more gasoline on the growing fire the SEC allowed investment banks to increase their profits by taking on more leverage (risk). We're suffering the consequences of that unwinding of leverage today.

I don't even want to scratch underneath the Federal Reserve and the SEC and get down the Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the mark to market rules that exacerbated the problem. If the above failure do not occur, then mark to market is not even an issue, in fact it's a positive.

So to review, we had:
- The GSE's (Fannie and Freddie) running wild
- The Federal Reserve provide the elixir of easy money
- Wall Street unshackled from regulators
- Government blessing provided by CRIA and the destruction of the regulatory walls provided by Glass-Stegall.
- Lowered mortgage underwriting standards
- Corrupt credit rating agencies violating the public interest
- Predatory borrowers AND lenders

And from our leaders we get finger-pointing, with neither side willing to look in the mirror and point the finger at themselves.

And then we wonder why Congress has a lower approval rating then the President.


From the fiasco of the first Hank Paulson-Ben Bernanke "rescue bill", to the subsequent new-and-improved Pelosi-Frank-Dodd-Paulson bill to the G-7 or 8 or however many clowns-stuffed-into-small-car measures there were, we've seen the market spit all measures back into the bureaucrats collective faces like a colicky new-born.

Is there any wonder why I think the following video would be an accurate depiction of the effectiveness of our leaders fiscal problem-solving abilities?




Nobody is arguing that some of these steps were taken with the best of intentions. Who doesn't want to own a home? In hindsight, now I know how I was able to qualify for a mortgage when--at the the time I applied--using some of the old-school underwriting standards, I was probably not the best candidate for mortgage approval.

But we didn't go for any of those exotic mortgages, using the rationale that if the terms sound to good to be true they probably aren't, we went for a traditional 30-year mortgage with a 10-15% down payment. So, we had some equity stake in the house. It wasn't given to us freely or too easily. People don't value things that are given to them as much as things they have to earn.

The unintended consequence was they devalued the American Dream of home ownership for everyone by turning it into something that was almost as easy to achieve as the prize at the bottom of a Cracker Jacks box. Thanks again, leaders.

NO MONEY DOWN, INTEREST ONLY PAYMENTS, NO INCOME VERIFICATION, NO JOB, NO PROBLEM--HECK, WE DON'T EVEN CARE IF YOU PAY THE MORTGAGE--WE'RE GOING TO PACKAGE IT AND SELL IT ANYWAY.

That's what some of the radio ads sounded like from some of these fly-by-night mortgage companies, and where was the Fed or any of the regulatory bodies when these spiels were flying around the airwaves. I know I thought, "How the heck are these guys going to stay in business?" Now we know, on the backs of Uncle Sam and his seemingly bottomless pit - the taxpayers wallet.

They've all collectively pissed on the American Dream of home ownership.

They've all collectively and continuously pissed on the faith and confidence of the public in our JUSTICE SYSTEM, OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM, AND FINALLY, OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT.

My only question is when are we a nation going to say - NO MAS, NO MORE?

There's an election coming up, we have a chance to put our money (what's left of it) where our mouth is, so to speak.

I have to say, under the circumstances--if any incumbent gets re-elected to go back and FINISH THE JOB--then we do deserve the government we continue to get.

My advice to guys like Bush, Greenspan, Bernanke, Paulson, Cox and their newest best-est buddies in the Congress Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, Frank and others I'm sure I am leaving out should just quietly leave D.C., quietly go home and retire.

Don't write any books documenting your sorry-ass legacies.

Don't go out on any public-speaking tours, telling lies about what you did. We can see and feel the results better than you. We have to live with the consequences.

For all those guys, my enduring thoughts regarding their legacy can be summed up by former Tampa Bay Bucs coach John McKay's famous quote.

When asked about his team's execution during one of their many consecutive losses during their initial season, McKay replied, "I think it's a good idea".

SAME HERE.

I just have one simple question, just one. When do we get to this point, are we there yet?:

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UPDATE-PAULSON EXPRESSES REGRET:

Washington (AP)- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Thursday expressed regret for the many errors made that led to the biggest financial crisis in seven decades, but he insisted the administration is pursuing the correct course now to end the debacle.

"We're not proud of all the mistakes that were made by many different people, different parties, failures of our regulatory system, failures of market discipline that got us here," Paulson said in an interview on Fox Business Network.

Well, at least we have that. I'll give him credit, he's the first one I've heard take some sort of ownership of the crisis. Of course he should. When he was in charge at Goldman Sachs, he advocated heavily for the SEC to loosen the purse strings on the leverage restrictions under the guise of keeping our financial system competitive with international markets. To which of course is the "Mom's Wisdom" logic: "If everyone else was jumping off a bridge would you? Do the right thing, NOT what everyone else is doing"
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Can somebody tell me what is wrong with McCain? Is the Republican strategy to NOT WIN the election?

It seemed in last nights debate as if somebody had to tell him he should be angry and had to coach him up as to what he needed to be angry about. Something like this:

Campaign Flukie: John, tonight we need you to show some anger, some passion about this economic situation we're in. The markets are tanking, people's 401K's are melting away faster then the polar icecaps.

John McCain: That's OK, my friend. That just means they'll need more beer. Did I tell you my wife Cindy is a beer magnate. And she's pretty hot too. ;) ;)

Campaign Flunkie: JOHN, THIS IS SERIOUS. PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT LOSING THEIR HOMES.

John McCain: Well my friend, I'll just explain to them that maybe they should have 7 or 8 homes like me and they wouldn't be so worried. In any event there's still lot's of beer. That should appeal to Joe Six-Pack. It shows I'm a regular guy, except for the glut of homes.

I think he has demonstrated that he's not much more than Bob Dole with a better personal story. And if it wasn't for Sarah Palin, he would have been down by 20 points and this election would have been over a long time ago. Good luck back in the Senate John.
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SPEAKING OF MOM'S WISDOM: YOU'RE JUDGED BY THE COMPANY YOU KEEP. CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY

GIANTS LOOK TO THE FUTURE

Although I am really happy for the success of the Rays this season, it strikes me as sad that I have to hope that an organization with a history and tradition as rich as the Giants may have to follow the Rays path to success.

Lord knows the current game plan of searching out every washed up, has-been, aged free-agent veteran and overpaying him has not been working lately. Unfortunately, the latest rumors have the Giants interested in Derrek Lee, Paul Konerko and Dan Uggla.

Now Uggla might make an impact and he is still young enough, but not if the G-men have to give up any young pitching. PLEASE!!!

A small ray of hope for the organization is contained in the most recent edition of Baseball America (Oct 19th) minor league post season scouting reports. The cover of the issue features "teen sensation" lefty Madison Bumgarner. Great, first a romance novel name and now the term "teen sensation". With all this attached to his name, is this guy destined to flame out like Leif Garret or what?

Seriously though, BA has him ranked as the top Sally League prospect this year. Other quotes I liked attached to his name were "94-95 MPH fastball", "ever-improving breaking ball and change up", "pounds both sides of the plate", "hits his spots with precision" and exhibits a killer instinct".

All good things to hear about the organizations top pitching prospect.

Others mentioned:

Arizona Fall League Participants:
Kelvin Pichardo, P (AA)
Kevin Pucetas, P (A-San Jose)
Ben Copleand, OF (AAA-Fresno)
Emmanuel Burris, INF
Ryan Rohlinger, INF



Nate Schierholtz, OF - 13th ranked PCL (AAA) prospect


Tim Alderson, RHP - 6th ranked California League prospect
"best attribute is impeccable command", "dominates without overpowering stuff", "fastball sits at 88-92", "aggressive and willing to work inside", "changeup is developing".

Pablo Sandoval, C/1B - 7th ranked California League prospect
"equally adept from either side of the plate", "can pull the ball to hit for power or take pitches the other way", "shows good discipline", "looks less comfortable on defense", "threw out 46% of base stealers".

Angel Villalona, 1B - 6th ranked South Atlantic League prospect

"showed tremendous raw hitting ability", "several observers questioned conditioning", "hitting will improve once he gets a better grasp of the strike zone".

Nick Noonan, 2B - 9th ranked South Atlantic League prospect
"sweet swing that produces line drives to all fields", "plus runner", "sound offensive mechanics", "plate discipline slipped", "going to hit for more power".

Conor Gillaspie, 3B - 5th ranked Northwest League prospect

"consistently put the barrel of the bat on the ball", "should hit for average with gap power", "speed and athleticism play up thanks to his instincts and aggressiveness", "so-so range", "soft hands and solid arm strength", "has necessary work ethic to get better defensively".

Ehire Adrainza - SS 4th ranked Arizona League prospect
"terrific instincts, quick first step, above average range and soft hands", "switch hitter with smooth stroke and good bat speed","extreme contact hitter..can develop enough power to hit 12-15 homers per year".

Jose Casilla, RHP - 9th ranked prospect Arizona League

"90-95 MPH fastball", "pitches down in the strike zone", "hard, late braking slider.

Kyle Nicholson, RHP - 17th ranked prospect Arizona League


Maybe in the future, with all these prospects, I'll have something more constructive things to write about the Giants season into October.

HERE IS THE KIND OF CHEATING WE SHOULD BE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT

FROM ST. PETE TIMES STORY - MICKEY MOUSE GETS TO VOTE??

MAYBE IF ACORN HAD THEIR WAY HE WOULD

This is the type of cheating that the media should be exposing.

This is the type of cheating our congressional leaders should be holding hearings on.

This is the type of cheating that people should get worked about and yet apparently they do not. If you want to use terms like "sacrosanct" about the right to vote, I'm with you. People fought and died for the right to vote and many have fought and died to protect that right. Nobody died so Babe Ruth would have the right to set A FREAKING HOME-RUN RECORD.

In fact, people also marched and died fighting for the rights of those who were excluded from having the right to vote to eventually gain that right. As an aside, some of those same citizens were eventually allowed to participate in the game of baseball.

So let's get our priorities straight once and for all, shall we?

Instead, what do we get from our congressional leaders? They wanted to fund the organization responsible for this type of mischievous behavior with the proceeds from the original House bailout bill.

Instead, we get media coverage that seeks to exonerate this type of practice of watering down every one's right to vote because it benefits those who continue to believe that the 2000 election was "stolen" from them. Tit for tat, I guess. That makes sense to a lot of people on some level, but I guarantee you the jails are filled with people who employed similar logic.

I hate to say I told you so, but my goodness, sometimes it's just too easy.

While the idiots in Washington were holding the dog and pony show steroid hearings, our economy was sinking and our financial system was pushed to the brink of Armageddon.

And some of us were asking suspiciously, "Don't these guys have anything better to do with their time?". Apparently not. And so we have an economic meltdown because these clowns don't focus on the things they need to focus on and stick their nose in where it doesn't belong or what it will do little or no good.

It was good to see Rep. Henry Waxman and his committee hold hearings with the principals from AIG ad Lehman after the damage to our financial system had already reached historic, crisis proportions. A case of too little, too late.

Now we have the same people turning a blind eye to the right of every American to have the right to vote, to expect that their vote will be counted and that everyone will play by the same rules and the same principle of one-person, one-vote.

When behavior like this is encouraged or condoned, it puts the faith and confidence of all citizens in our system of representative democracy at severe risk.

We've already seen recently what disastrous consequences follow when there is a diminished confidence in our banking and financial system. It destroys it. And what would follow would be the kind of civil unrest and chaos none of us have ever had to live through. The same type of destructive crisis will follow if there is a similar erosion of confidence in our right to vote.

I don't think we really want to find out what happens when we continue to tear away the fabric of confidence in our voting system. This goes right to the heart of our representative governmental system. And the type of behavior we see here is an attempted knife stab at that heart.

These people are not just playing games here. They are, in effect, counterfeiting votes and lowering the value of the every citizens vote. THEY ARE CHEATING EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN.

We deal very harshly with those who attempt to debase the nations currency by counterfeiting because of the potential dire consequences to the nations economy, why do we not place the same value on individual voting rights?

"The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency." -
Vladimir Lenin

The currency of our representative system of government is the theory of one-man, one-vote. We can't allow criminals and lunatics like this to turn our system into a plural voting system. We shouldn't allow this cheating to continue any longer. I would feel cheated when I register ONCE, and vote ONCE--AND ONCE ONLY--and I see instances where these ACORN knuckleheads are registering people to vote multiple times (as many as 50 times??). What a coincidence that the activity seems to be focused in the key battleground states. Or in areas where they can manipulate or intimidate the polling place employees to allow multiple votes to be cast. I know this is Chicago where the phrase "vote early and often was born" but this is getting to be beyond ridiculous. At least now we don't have to ask what community organizers do anymore.

Our so-called leaders need to look into this quickly and thoroughly to ensure that law-abiding people aren't punished again by people who not only fail to play by the rules but end up profiting by their anti-societal behavior.

This is too important an issue to ignore. Our future as a nation depends on it. We may be on the cusp of turning over to future generations a nation that doesn't look or act anything like the nation that which we grew up in, never mind one that is based on the principles a majority of us still hold dear. God help us if we can't get some of these issues straightened out.

"The goal of socialism is communism." - Vladimir Lenin

The socialists currently plying their trade--from both parties--in the House, the Senate and within the administration need to be fired from their jobs ASAP. It's not enough for Congress to lay all of the blame at Bush's doorstep, when this has been without a doubt the worst Congressional class in the history of the country.

Failure by the electorate to accomplish this governmental housekeeping is to give our implied approval to the path they are taking this country. We will get the type of government we deserve.

RAYS UP 2-1, SOX SEASON HANGING ON A KNUCKLEBALL

If Wakefield's knuckler is dancing consistently like it did two or three years ago, the Sox have a chance to get back in this. If not, the Rays can and will take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Maybe now the nation (and I'm excluding the delusional Red Sox Nation) will start to believe that the Rays have in fact been the better team all season. Maybe now the commentators will stop looking for the "deer in the headlights" look in the eyes of the youthful Rays players and enjoy the immense talent and athleticism that has been a hallmark of their play all season. They did win 97 games this season, that is not a fluke.

Maybe tonight we should begin looking for the look of resignation in the Sox players eyes. After they pound Wakefield's knuckler into the night, all we may have to look forward from this series is a "don't let them celebrate on our turf" type of last stand in Game 5 by the Sox. After that it will be back to St. Pete for a cow-bell ringing, Rays fans singing celebration as the Rays finish them off at home

Where is Schilling and his bloody sock when you need him?

GO RAYS!!!!

RAYS FIGHT BACK, TAKE IT TO BOSTON TIED 1-1

It is really hard to watch AL baseball though. Four hour games are not my style anymore. Call some strikes once in a while.

I know it was a Saturday night and all but still.....I thought we were trying to shorten the length of games?

RAYS ADVANCE TO ALCS TO FACE THE BOSOX

Why not, they've been going at it all year for supremacy in the AL East.

The Rays were in the enviable position of being a visiting team facing an opponent in the playoffs, but having the overwhelming support of a majority of the opposing city's baseball fans.

Cubs fans turned instantly into Rays boosters after being once again unceremoniously dumped in the first round. Their pain would have been compounded exponentially if the White Sox would have been allowed to advance past the Rays.

The Rays have been the best team in the AL virtually the entire season. Their 97 wins is actually an artificially low number based on their pre-season decision to send Evan Longoria down to the minors to start the season. If you'll recall, the move was made to kick a year of service time down the road to benefit the team. The logic of the move was subsequently made moot when the Rays signed Longoria to a long-term deal after seeing him in action for a whole month after recalling him.

This was about the only loony-tunes type move I can recall Rays management making since taking over, and yet it appears to have worked out in spades for them.

The series against the Sox is for all the marbles. I believe the team that wins should be the overwhelming favorite to win the World Series. The Cubs were likely the best team the NL had to offer, and we know the results. The Phillies and Dodgers shouldn't scare either AL team. I think the Rays may be listed by Vegas as the underdog should they get there, but does anyone believe that after beating the Red Sox, either of the two NL teams would pose as much of a threat to them? The high they would be on might carry them to a WS sweep, much like the W-Sox in 2005.

GO RAYS!!!!

<"( );::::::;~ ~;::::::;( )">

SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM...........

FROM RASMUSSEN REPORTS:
In his first inaugural address, President Ronald Reagan delivered a line succinctly capturing the sentiment that elected him:

“Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”

A generation later, that attitude still resonates with a solid majority of Americans. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of voters agree with Reagan, and just 28% disagree.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/59_agree_with_ronald_reagan_government_is_the_problem

Based on the results of last weeks vote on the "bailout bill" it's too bad that 59% of the House and Senate don't recognize this sentiment.

Once again, we see how by creating a chicken-little like crisis and demonizing a select group of bad guys, our leaders can shape the agenda and transfer huge amounts of money and power from one select, favored group to another. SIMPLY AMAZING.

Once again, as usual, some of the same players who failed miserably and worked to create the huge hole we are in are rewarded by having more money thrown at them. But isn't that how government traditionally works? If the initial solution doesn't work, just keep throwing more money at it until it does work. A gross violation of the simple but elegant Rule of Holes:

Rule #1 - When you're in a hole, stop digging.

And so we are left with the poor choices of a candidate on the one hand who advocates a Robin Hood-esque tax policy and a socialist model as the mantra of the kind of change we need. Which is to say: the government to the rescue. And on the other hand, we have a more of the same policies approach that got us to this point in the first place. IT'S INSANE, ISN'T IT?


Maybe I'm the crazy one, but it seems to me that the one person on either ticket that the media likes the least--that the establishment feels is the least qualified to be the VP, much less President--is the one I would most like to see in charge.

And they are giving her the same dismissive treatment they gave to Ron Paul in the primaries. Why? Because both are candidates that the party-elitists on both sides fear will shake the establishment to its core. They will excise the dead, useless tissue from the bloated, necrotic bureaucratic body of our federal government and move power closer to the people where it belongs.

And the elitists fear this result greatly and will do everything they can to avoid it. Don't kid yourself, every candidate has tipped his cap to the "little people" who live on "Main Street" as part of the playbook to get elected. But not one of them achieved their status or feel they can maintain it, without continually prostituting themselves to the so-called "seat of power" in this country.

They may tip their caps to you every four years and pat you on the head and say "There, there now, don't worry. I'll take care of you when I get in". Then they give you a cookie and figuratively expect you to go away and leave them alone for four years so they can take care of the people that put them in their positions of power in the first place.

And trust me, there are no "little people" in those meetings. Nobody that lives on "Main Street". And they don't go to PTA meetings or soccer games or hockey games for that matter either. Have you ever seen them there? I haven't. That's part of the problem and it needs to be worked into the solution.

What we need eventually need is a ticket that is more dedicated to and capable of delivering KICKS to the seat of power and less is likely to have to deliver KISSES to it.

Then maybe we can talk about REAL CHANGE in this country and not the phony artifice we have been getting and will continue to get--REGARDLESS OF WHO WINS.


I get sick when I hear this CHANGE mantra from both sides, because neither side represents real change. And it's silly to hear one side parrot "More of the same" when anyone with slightly more brainpower then a parrot can see that regardless of the eventual winner, we will get a healthy dose of more of the same. There will just be a different name on the White House stationary.

Maybe we need something radical--like a Jesse Ventura-Ron Paul third-party ticket in 2012.

Yeah, that's the ticket!!!

My only fear is that by the time this option is available to us, the powers that be will not only continue to dig us deeper into the hole we find ourselves in--but instead of stepping back and figuring out how to get out of the hole they've dug--will blunder their way into burying us all with the dirt they have excavated.
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UPDATE - Once again from Rasmussen Reports polling:
Coming Soon:
59% Would Vote to Replace Entire Congress

Much like that old lawyer joke, this would be a good start. It would change the tone and the atmosphere in Washington and get these knuckleheads acting like the public servants they are supposed to be.

When you see some of these tools speak to you through the media, do any of them sound as if they view their role as one of "serving the public"? Maybe in the old Twilight Zone - "To Serve Man" episode sense (a truly classic episode), but not in the sense most of us expect that phrase to be applied.

Think of that quality in your elected official the next time you vote and remember one of the popular definitions of character: doing the right thing even when you think nobody is looking.
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HOW WASHINGTON WORKS O'REILLY VS. BARNEY FRANK:


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NOTE TO SARAH PALIN AND THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN STAFF - STOP CRYING:




Katie Couric didn't really engage in a gotcha question by asking you to provide an example of historical Supreme Court decisions other than Roe vs. Wade that you did not agree with. She actually teed one up for you to respond as follows:

The worst Supreme Court decision ever and the one that illustrates the philosophical difference between the two tickets would have to be Helvering v. Davis (1937) which redefined the General Welfare clause of the Constitution and upheld the constitutionality of the Social Security Act.

This allowed the federal government to engage in the type of redistribution of wealth policies which we see today in our opponents tax and economic policy.

James Madison argued the the General Welfare Clause was not an additional power granted to the government but a restatement of the powers enumerated in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution which were to "provide for the common Defense and General Welfare."

Alexander Hamilton held that the General Welfare clause was a distinct source of additional authority which allowed Congress to "lay and collect Taxes" and spend the proceeds for purposes including, but not limited to the enumerated or stated powers. Essentially, this view holds the Congress' powers are nearly all-inclusive.

Madison's view was that only those powers specifically stated or enumerated in the Constitution were intended by the founders and that if the General Welfare clause was intended to be all-inclusive, then the exercise of stating specifically enumerated powers to be granted to Congress would be useless, excess verbiage added to the Constitution.

The broader, Hamiltonian interpretation makes a mockery of the notion of a limited federal government intended by the founders and opened the floodgates for the type of redistributive, overreaching federal government we see today.

Further, this erroneous decision was made by the Supreme Court under the duress of FDR's attempt to pack the Court with New Deal supporters. The Supreme Court erroneously rewrote the Constitution with this decision, which highlights the need to have judges and Supreme Court nominees who would not stray from the Constitution and write laws from the bench.

You would have been able to highlight many of the fundamental differences between a McCain and Obama administration in regards to tax policy, economic policy and judicial philosophy.

In fact you were given a second bite of the apple with your interview with Chuck Cameron of Fox News the day after the VP debate and, although you did cite a couple of other grievous errors by the Supremes, this fundamentally flawed decision remained unmentioned.

I'm not sure who is running the campaign over there, but let me give you guys and gals a word of advice. The idea is to try to WIN. (Unless you are affiliated with the Chicago Cubs baseball team). OUCH!!

To quote Herman Edwards, "You play to win the game. HELLO!!"

HERMAN EDWARDS SHOULD BE IN CHARGE OF THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN:


I will say though, you guys forfeit the right to complain about "gotcha" questions from now on. Be better prepared and do your homework.

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WTF CUBS, WTF????

One-hundred and sixty-two games worth of hope and optimism all dashed in two games? Perhaps.

This is not a good time to be in Chicago.

The Cubs face a sweep in LA-LA land.

The Sox might be in trouble against the Rays unless Mark Buerhle can turn the clock back to 2005 and throw zeroes up for eight innings.

And the Bears.....Well it's still too early to turn to football at this point.

Baseball still owns October. At least that's my hope.

What's with the cowbells St. Pete? I would guess there isn't a freaking cow anywhere within the city limits, unless one hitch-hikes down from Pasco County.

And what's with your boom mikes TBS? Are they engineered by the same folks who designed the two tin cans and a string communication system back when we were kids? The former ThunderDome was rocking, but you couldn't tell that from the TV broadcast. TBS's soundproof booth made the place sound like a mausoleum. We want to feel the noise. If it makes your ears bleed--that's just an unanticipated bonus--we have volume control on the remote, we're OK.

Remove the cone of silence TBS. Don't you know that most fans do not care if they miss an occasional pearl of wisdom that your vaunted announcers drop down on us from on high? We want the atmosphere of the game and the moment washing over us, not the constant chatter of your announcer/analysts. We have eyes, we can see the game. I wish the games were on Fox at this point.

My wife is wearing her Evan Longoria jersey into work today--diving headlong into a White Sox shop with a reminder of the Ray who stuck the biggest dagger into the Sox effort yesterday. I do hope she returns home safely tonight. She's a brave soul and an unabashed Rays fan.

Yesterday, some of her cheering when Longoria went yard was misinterpreted as anti-Sox euphoria coming from a Cubs fan. When you're in Sox country, that kind of diplomatic mis-step can be met with a fate similar to an individual Crip being discovered by a gang of Bloods. Once, they found out she was in fact merely a Rays fan, it was all good. Kicking a Rays fan is kind of like kicking a puppy at this point. That may soon change however.

Good to hear Harold Reynolds is out of the penalty box.

GO RAYS!!!!!

THOME SENDS SOX TO TAMPA BAY

TAMPA BAY RAYS - LOOOOOOOKING GOOOOOOD!!!!!!


With one mighty swing, Jim Thome lifted the White Sox over the Twins and into the ALDS playoff series against the Rays.

I like this match-up for the Rays much better than the Twins. Both teams offenses have shown a tendency to disappear at times, but the Twins can manufacture runs better when they are not bopping the ball. The Sox experience under the heat of the playoffs could be a factor, but this is a team that has seemingly been playing the season on cruise control waiting to flip the switch once the playoffs begin.

The Sox are hurt missing Joe Crede at 3B and Carlos Quentin in LF. These two injuries may be too much for the pitching staff to overcome. Carl Crawford appears to be ready to return for the Rays, hopefully at full strength.

The pitching match-ups should be the key:
Kazmir, Garza and Shields/SonnanStine
vs.
Buerhle, Vasquez and Floyd/Danks

The series should be decided by the set up men and closers of the two teams:
The Rays staff of Trevor Miller, J.P. Howell and Jason Hammel, setting up the trio of Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler and Troy Percival--if he is healthy--gives the Rays a bit of an depth advantage. The Sox offer Scott Linebrink, Matt Thornton and Ocatavio Dotel setting up the ninth inning for Bobby Jenks. The Sox set up men have been relatively inconsistent this season. That may tip the series in favor of the Rays.

Watch out if the Rays advance, especially if they do so easily over the Sox. They have played the Red Sox and the Angels very tough this year, both at home and on the road. If a scenario develops where the Rays sweep or win in four and the Sox-Angels go the distance, I like the Rays to advance to the Series, and hopefully face the Cubs. If that were the case, you might see Cubs fans treat the Rays as conquering heroes for eliminating the White Sox. Just don't expect the loving feeling to last for too long.

I like the Cubs to handle the Dodgers and the Brewers to bop the Phillies setting up a Midwest showdown in the NL between the Cubs and Milwaukee. If that develops, the Cubs advance to their first World Series in 100 years.