Joust The Facts

Is Congress Is Authorized To Do This?

Newsbusters' Noel Sheppard notices MSNBC's Martin Bashir calling on Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to either raise taxes on the "wealthiest" Americans or resign.  That's ridiculous enough, but I noticed another problem or two.  Martin Bashir is, as he proves in the transcript, both economically and politically ignorant.  First economics:

So here’s a message to the House leadership, Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Mr. Cantor. 68 percent of Americans and 68 percent of all millionaires believe that it’s time to raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals so that this nation’s economy can start moving again.

"Raise taxes on the wealthiest individuals so that this nation's economy can start moving again?"  And that's going to jump start the economy and spur hiring how?  Do I need to cite the long list of economists, Republicans, and yes, Democrats who have chimed in that it's not a good idea to raise taxes in a down economy?  I could start with the President himself.

But that's only the warm-up act.  Referring to Congress, Mr. Bashir asks:

But honestly, what have they done? What have they done to address the persistently high level of unemployment? What have they done to reduce the vast gulf between the haves and the have-nots in America.

Is that the job of Congress?  To "reduce the vast gulf between the haves and the have-nots in America?"  Can anyone tell me where the Constitution authorizes the Legislative branch to intervene in that way?  Heck, does the Constitution authorize any branch of government to equalize economic results among the people?

I'm not going to belabor the point.  It's simply a shame that he's in a position to influence the debate on TV.

Oh, wait, sorry, he really isn't.  He's on MSNBC.

These OWS Jokes Practically Write Themselves

I've been watching with amusement the preposterous, unhelpful and ill-informed protests known as OWS, "Occupy Wall Street" as it were.  There are "Occupy" protests in other cities, including our own Boston locally, as well as Toronto, Oakland, Sydney, LA and a host of others.  Most are comprised of a relative few individuals, who claim, without justification, to represent the "99%", as in the 99% who aren't among the top 1% of annual income in the nation.

Every day there's another howler coming out of the movement.  We'll go randomly through a few of the amusing and occasionally disturbing vignettes.

Both Ace of Spades and James Taranto today wrote about the discovery that if you appear to be giving out free food (or anything else, really, for free), freeloaders will want to partake.  Imagine that.  OWS is slapped with the realization that resentment and a feeling of being abused can result from someone usurping your property rights and taking your stuff.  From Taranto a serious take:

In truth, the Obamavillians are learning why Obama is wrong--why socialism doesn't work. A society that makes a virtue of dependency ultimately encourages freeloading and grifting. The instinct to prevent it is a healthy one. A lot has been written about the similarities and differences between Obamaville and the Tea Party, and here is one: Whereas the latter arose out of the instinct to reward self-reliance and discourage dependency, the former is having it awakened by an encounter with the real world.

Ace's more humorous look at the dustup:

Yeah,what right do the homeless and prisoners have to represent themselves as society's downtrodden. Impostors! They're not oppressed like the college graduates with too much debt from pricey private colleges!...

Amazing... they don't want to share their own stuff with people they don't have any particular common bonds with. And they're resentful of Other people coming in and acting like they have the right to take their stuff...

But note within their little society, they themselves set up a hierarchy "those who belong" and "losers and derelicts we wish to exclude."

Do they not get that that's what they are to us?

Here Ace explains why money exists, a concept seemingly foreign to the occupiers.  Short answer: it's a medium of exchange for items of value.

I think you guys (again, the guys in this video) are working for the same reason as Peter Schiff: Money. Which is, in turn, simply a convenient unit of exchange for the most precious commodity in the world: Time.

When you buy a loaf of bread, you are giving up some of your time, in the convenient unit of exchange called money, by which you were paid for your time, for someone else's time.

This is why virtually everybody works.

And have you heard about the drummers?  The percussionists threatened to disrupt the occupation, as if identifying disruption were possible in such a ragtag organization.

The drummers’ refusal to be silenced has opened cracks in the leaderless movement. The general assembly that has formed to oversee the protests proposed to limit the drumming to two hours per day, but the drummers fought back.

Ah, but those cracks were healed when an historic accord was reached.

The Heritage Foundation took a conservative's look at what are, as best as anyone can tell, the demands of the occupiers.  Hijinks ensue.  Here's a snippet, with Demand #9 and parts of its response, but the whole piece is worth a read.

9: Passage of a comprehensive job and job-training act like the American Jobs Act to employ our citizens in jobs that are available with specialized training and by putting People to work now by repairing America’s crumbling infrastructure. We also recommend the establishment of an online international job exchange to match employers with skilled workers or employers willing to train workers in 21st century skills.

James Sherk, Senior Policy Analyst in Labor Economics at the Center for Data Analysis:

Public works projects will not reduce unemployment. Government spending does not create new wealth in the economy, it reallocates existing spending. Some workers get jobs on the public works project, at the expense of jobs that do not get created elsewhere in the economy...

Sadly, government job training programs also do not live up to their hype...  The government has not learned how to do effective job training. Fortunately, OWS do not have to wait for the government to act. Private sector online job exchanges like Monster.com already match millions of employers with workers every year.

Read the whole list of demands.  It's a giant Marxist wish-list.  I particularly like the demand for student loan relief.  Hey, no one held a gun to your head forcing you to go $150k in debt for your degree in primitive cultures, why should others be forced to pay it off for you?  I paid off my student loans, you pay off yours.  You know what else?  My wealthiest friend started out owning a gas station and working construction jobs.  Figure it out.

Finally, perhaps the most unintentinally amusing comment on the OWS protests comes from Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, who claims, with curious pride, that

“I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do,”

"Intellectual foundation."  You keep using those words.  I do not think they mean what you think they mean.

On The Death Of A Dictator: "It Couldn't Happen To A More Deserving Guy"

The rebel/revolutionary forces in Libya and the NATO forces still fighting there have gotten their man.  Ghadafi is - finally and thankfully - dead.  As long-time readers of this blog no doubt know, my brother was one of the 270 who lost their lives when Pan Am 103 was blown from the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland by a bomb that originated with Libyan terrorists.  Abdel Baset al-Megrahi was the Libyan agent convicted in the bombing, and unfortunately, at more than two years after he was given "three months to live" with prostate cancer and given "compassionate release" he remains alive in Libya.  But the man who gave the order, the long-time dictator in Libya, is dead.

Thousands of Libyans poured on to the streets of the capital on Thursday, ecstatic at the news that Muammar Gaddafi had been killed in his birthplace of Sirt. As depicted in several cellphone video images, it was a violent and gruesome death for a man who had ruled this country with an iron fist for 42 years.

Like I wrote, it couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.

After an hour and a half of unconfirmed reports, the news came on at about 3.30 p.m. that Gaddafi was indeed dead. Footage on Al Jazeera Television, showed a bloodied Gaddafi being dragged by his arms on the street toward a vehicle. Images also showed Gaddafi's body, apparently killed in gunfire, his eyes rolled back lifeless. In the lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel, where many rebel officials, as well as foreign journalists, have been based for weeks, many Libyans doubled over, weeping, overcome with emotion.

Many of the family members of the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing are emotional as well.

Hussein.  Ghadafi.  Castro.  Chavez.  Jong-Il.  Dictators, particularly the murderous ones, can survive a long time.  When they are gone they are not mourned by their people (unless, as in North Korea after the death of Kim Il-Sung they are forced to by the next dictator).  Rather, their deaths are celebrated.  They are only mourned by those who romanticize the ideals of their supposedly idyllic society while refusing to see the terror, fear, oppression, want and hatred that lies just beneath a false veneer of majesty.

Here's my first December 21st post, from back in 2004, on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of Pan Am 103.   An excerpt:

Sixteen years ago today Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies over Lockerbie Scotland, taking with it as it fell the lives of 259 passengers and 11 Scots on the ground.  One of the passengers was my brother.  I will be annually reposting my first post on this date, in memory of my brother.  He was 22.  I can think of nothing more vital in this world than defeating the terrorists so that other families will not have to go through what my family, and the other families of the Pan AM 103 victims, have gone through.

As Fenway Turns ...

By now everyone knows about the fried chicken and beer allegations, among other clubhouse issues.  In fact, the Boston Globe published "before and after" pictures asking readers their opinion of which players weren't exactly taking their committment to game-readiness seriously enough.  Now Manager Tito Francona is gone, followed by several kick-him-on-the-way-out the door leaks and comments, and GM Theo Epstein likely isn't far behind.  Epstein, in particular, has been lousy at putting the pieces in place recently, as the acquisitions - for really big money - of John Lackey, Carl Crawford and Bobby Jenks have demonstrated.  So the Cubs want Theo?  Great.  Grab a couple of good prospects and send him on his way.

The Red Sox seem to want Assistant GM Ben Cherington to take over for Epstein.  The only way that works for me is if there is a "director of baseball operations" installed above him.  Cherington has been with the team since 1999, and the minor league system is virtually barren of high-level talent.  How'd it get that way, Ben?  The players that come up from the minors don't seem to be "big league ready" when they arrive, often making several trips between Pawtucket and Boston before sticking.  Why is that, Ben?  If he can answer those questions, and then answer how he plans to turn those problems around, then maybe you promote him.  But I'd rather tap into an organization who successfully comes up with big league levels of talent who arrive ready to contribute.  Like Tampa, St. Louis, Minnesota for example.  You cannot simply follow a "plug in high-priced free agent A" mentality unless you want your disappointments to also bankrupt you.

As for player movement, I stand by most of my assessments, but I think there will be value in breaking up the Lackey-Beckett influence in the clubhouse.  Beckett will be the easiest to trade; Lackey will make you eat millions if you want to move him.  But one of them has to go, and you'll want at least two, preferably three, good young arms in return for a Beckett if that happens.  I'd like to move Kevin Youkilis, who likely could bring more good young talent.  I would bring back Ortiz - YMMV.  The core - Pedroia, Ellsbury, Gonzalez, Crawford, Ortiz, Lester, Bucholz  - are keepers (in Crawford's case you're forced to make it work).  You'll need Bard and Papelbon, and you need a manager who can use them right.  Give Reddick or Kalish a shot in right field; fill the hole at third if Youkilis is traded, and at catcher if you don't think Saltalamacchia and Lavarnway are enough, and rework the bench with solid pros with character.  If you can't find those guys then your major league scouting isn't doing its job either.

I would be surprised if next year's team threatens championship.   They'll be above .500, and that won't be great, but erasing and building will not be simple.  The sensible time frame should be 2013 and 2014 - the core players will still be young and productive, and the bad taste from this years calamity will have been diluted by time.

Not The 99%

Without further comment, a photo I got in an email today.  If anyone knows the source, let me know.

Democratic Activist Hijinks And Bank Of America

I caught a bit of this in the OR lounge on Friday morning.

Wow.  150,000 people signed the petition?  Wow.  And this 22 year-old woman with two part-time jobs started the ball rolling.  Unbelievable.  Wow.  Bank of America must be shaking in their boots at this huge grassroots movement.  Wow.

ABC News ran with it:

Molly Katchpole launched a petition against Bank of America, which was signed by more than 131,000 customers and counting, saying she would take her business elsewhere unless the company drops its plan to charge $5 for debit card purchases.

Yahoo:

Katchpole closed her accounts, cut up her debit and credit card on the sidewalk, and left with $400 cash she says she intends to deposit in a credit union.

And MSNBC was, of course, all over it:

WASHINGTON -- Molly Katchpole has had it with Bank of America.

The 22-year-old cleared out her account, and cut up her debit card after the bank decided to charge customers five dollars a month just to use their debit card.

She's so mad that she started a petition to let the bank know the charge goes too far. In just one week, she's collected 150,000 signatures.

The President has gone after the bank, apparently of the opinion that he should be able to determine their business viability:

For his part, President Barack Obama said consumers were being "mistreated" by the bank.

"You can stop it because if you say to the banks, 'You don't have some inherent right just to, you know, get a certain amount of profit, if your customers are being mistreated, that you have to treat them fairly and transparently,'" he told ABC News.

Sen. Dick Durbin, whose amendment to Dodd-Frank caused Bank of America, among others, to consider this fee, also had his say:

"Bank of America customers, vote with your feet," Durbin urged in outraged reaction to the new "service charge."

"Get the heck out of that bank," Durbin exhorted. "They are overcharging their customers even for this new debit card reform. It is hard to believe that a bank would impose [such a fee] on customers who simply are trying to access their own money on deposit at the Bank of America."

Mr. Durbin mentions that Bank of America received bailout funds (conveniently omitting the forced assumption of the debt of the failing Countrywide Mortgage, Senator Dodd's lender of choice, and Merrill Lynch, preventing Merrrill from Lehman's fate).  And Molly Katchpole, she's just an innocent 22 year old trying to earn a living at two part-time jobs.  As sympathetic figure as you'll find.  Just a young kid struggling to make ends meet.  Well, maybe not.

Here's her LinkedIn profile. 

Molly Katchpole's Summary

Newly graduated gal looking to ruffle some feathers, change minds, and have great conversations with fellow professionals in labor and progressive politics advocacy. [emphasis mine]

Specialties

Persuasive writing and speaking, social media, leadership, research - labor and progressive politics, art and architectural history.

"Labor and progressive politics advocacy?"  Whoa.  She lists her employment as "Account Manager at Winning Over Washington".  So I went and had a look at Winning Over Washington (WOW) to see just what they're up to.  Turns out WOW is a communications and public relations firm.  The list of clients?  SEIU, NEA, AFL-CIO, Democratic National Committee, Democratic Governors Association, EMILY's List.  You know, the usual broad spectrum of interests, from far left to farther left.  Wow, indeed.

So Ms. Katchpole is an account manager at a far-left PR firm.  A firm which might well be interested in demonizing banks in order to deflect blame from the failed policies of a Democratic administration, perhaps?  Here's another website where she lists her job as: online organizing for progressive politics.

Now that took me almost no time at all.  Wouldn't it seem that CNN, MSNBC, and the others that ran with this story could take a second to find out that this grassroots movement is the finest quality astroturf that money can buy rather than presenting it absent that important context?

Bank of America employs thousands and thousands of people.  The cash they earn is how they pay those individuals.  Or are we not all about jobs anymore?  Oh, and about that $5 monthly fee.  If you find that charge outrageous, then individually close your account and move it to a community bank or credit union.  But remember, it's the equivalent of a monthly grande skinny vanilla latte with an extra shot.  I'm fairly certain Ms. Katchpole knows that as well.

You Mean Like ObamaCare And Higher Government Debt?

From the Obama re-election campaign's new attack on the Republican frontrunners:

President Obama’s re-election campaign argues in a memo set to be released this morning that Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney — the two frontrunners for the Republican nomination — have “embraced policies that the American people oppose” on Social Security and immigration.

For example, most Americans, by 63-27, opposed raising the debt ceiling this summer.  Yet not only did Mr. Obama want it raised, he wanted it raised enough that it wouldn't need to be re-visited before the November 2012 elections.

And in the case of health care reform, the polls were roughly 55-35 against just at the time it was passed and signed - "against the will of the American people," as it were.  And it continues to be unpopular.

There are, of course, other examples.  But logical consistency has never been Mr. Obama's strong suit.

Ed Morrissey shows that even on Social Security and Immigration Mr. Obama is out of the mainstream himself.

Francona's Gone, Now What?

I liked Tito Francona as a person, and I think he did a fairly good job during his eight seasons of presiding over a happy clubhouse.  He made only a few questionable decisions in terms of offensive game strategy.  But, as I stated in my earlier post, I repeatedly had to scratch my head over his management of pitchers.  His best he overworked, and his lesser pitchers he too often gave up on.  And, from what I'm hearing, the team had conditioning issues.  Hey, you're a professional athlete, this shouldn't happen.  But, as it turns out, if it does it's something that Francona has to correct.  And he didn't.

Ah, water under the bridge.  He's out, so now the team is shopping for a manager.  And they've got a boatload of decisions to make in player personnel  Hopefully the problems don't stem from some of the high priced talent to whom they have committed millions.

Here's one man's take on what the Sox need to do in the off-season, and what they need to do going forward.

Manager:  Ryne Sandberg, a Hall of Famer, managed the Phillies AAA team this past season.  He'd walk into the clubhouse with the immediate respect of the players, and the ability to look them in the eye and get them to listen.  He'd likely be able to handle the Boston Fishbowl as well as Francona did.  Is he the best guy for the job?  I think a bench coach or pitching coach from a team with strong pitching and fundamentals could be a very good choice, possibly Dave Martinez from Tampa, and there are others.  But Sandberg's resume might just get to some of the individuals that Francona couldn't reach.  I don't see DeMarlo Hale being the guy as he was in the management this year.

Outfield:  You won't have JD Drew to kick around anymore - his $14M contract expires this year.  He's 35, and no one in their right mind will offer him another big deal.  Jacoby Ellsbury is in his arbitration years, and obviously you keep him.  And you are stuck with Carl Crawford, who you can only hope will be much more comfortable, and much better, next year.  There's no downside to giving Josh Reddick first shot at right field.  He's a good fielder who had stretches where he was very dangerous at the plate.  Like a lot of young players he was inconsistent, but experience often fixes that problem.  Another young guy, Ryan Kalish, showed a lot in 2010 then spent the year disabled after injuring a shoulder.  He might be a contributor, but you can't count on him as a pencil-him-in starter.  You need one or two more solid outfielders.

Infield:  With Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez the right side is set.  Kevin Youkilis was supposed to be your third baseman, but played injured much of the year before he couldn't even play injured anymore.  He should be back healthy, but he's 32 and does have an injury tendency, particularly since he gets hit by so many pitches.  Marco Scutaro played very well the last 2 months, one of the few who did, but is 35.  Jose Iglesias in the minors might make the jump up.  But if you're going to make something big happen, third and short are the probable locations.  Youkilis in particular might bring you some frontline pitching.

DH:  Re-sign David Ortiz, two or three years.  Yes, he's 35 and fell off in September.  So did a lot of Sox.

Catcher:  Not sure what to make of Ryan Lavarnway and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  On the one hand, both have pop, and seemed to be able to handle pitching fairly well.  On the other hand, this staff struggled, and some of the guys who struggled this year didn't when Jason Varitek was the everyday catcher.  And neither hits consistently, particularly Saltalamacchia, who was awful at the plate in the last month.  Of the two I like Lavarnway just a hair better.  This is another place to look for help, like the Yankees did last year with Russell Martin.

Starting Pitching:  You've got Josh Beckett signed at $17M per through 2014.  You've got Jon Lester signed for two more years at $7.6M/$11.6M.  Clay Bucholz should be very healthy next year and is signed through 2015 fairly cheap.  You've got John Lackey, unfortunately, signed through 2014 at just under $16M per.  You have the option on Andrew Miller - pick it up.  Tim Wakefield will be 46 next year, but he's Phil Niekro and comes cheap.  Go ahead and keep him, he's a character guy in the clubhouse.  Daisuke Matsuzaka is coming off elbow reconstruction, and was struggling even before getting hurt.  Doubtful he can help.  If you can get another starter who can help you for reasonable money, pick one up.  If you're looking to trade other clubs will start by asking for Bucholz and Lester.  Don't do it.  Exit question: do you try to re-sign Erik Bedard?  He's been pretty good in the past, hasn't he?  Not recently, though.

Bullpen:  This one is tough.  Given how solid Jonathan Papelbon was this year you really have to try to re-sign him.  Daniel Bard ranged from shaky to horrid the last month, but I blame that on overuse.  However, both of these gentlemen need to learn how to get opposing players out with another pitch in addition to their fastball.  They both throw relatively flat fastballs at 96 (JP) and 98(DB).  One of the reasons Mariano Rivera, like Bruce Sutter before him, is so successful is because his primary pitch, the cutter, moves and is often not in the strike zone by the time the batter swings.  If these two fireballers are going to go with the heat they'd better get command of it.  Alfredo Aceves proved he belongs and his enormous flexibility makes the entire bullpen better.  He's in arbitration.   Franklin Morales has got a pretty good arm, and showed flashes.  Felix Doubront could be another lefty starter, but he's also shown he can help in the pen.  Scott Atchison is useful and cheap.  He takes the ball when you give it to him.  And you'll need to make decisions on Dan Wheeler and Matt Albers.  Albers is five years younger.  I think both were hurt by Francona's use, and might be better with more direction and purpose.  On the other hand, maybe not.  The whole group, however, could benefit from Ray Miller's advice: Work Fast, Change Speeds, Throw Strikes.

Bench:  I liked what I saw from Mike Aviles, who plays with attitude and intensity.  Jed Lowrie is a switch hitter who can play third, short and second.  That helps, but stop flirting with him as a starter.  Conor Jackson can play first or the outfield and is a right handed bat.  But you might be able to upgrade on several fronts here.  This group could use some veteran help.

Trade Bait:  Gosh I wish Lars Anderson had just torn it up at every level - you could have saved the money on Adrian Gonzalez.  But he didn't, and there's no room for him at the inn.  Michael Bowden hasn't shown much more than a good arm.  Too many of his pitches are in the middle of the plate.  He needs to learn command of the strike zone.  Perhaps somewhere else.  And there isn't much else at the major league level.

Drafting & Minors:  There's something rotten in Denmark, or rather in Pawtucket, Portland, Salem, Greenville and Lowell.  For all of the "great" drafts that Peter Gammons think the Red Sox have, they have managed to come up nearly empty with what's left of them in the minors.  Jose Iglesias, with his three tools.  Possibly Will Middlebrooks, a third baseman in AA Portland last year (.302, 18 HR).  Bryce Brentz is probably a little further away.  The first pick this year was a very good college pitcher, Matt Barnes.  And why do the pitchers seem to come up unprepared for the majors, and repeatedly have to be sent back down?  Tampa keeps running out pitchers they developed, and they show up ready to throw aspirin tablets and "ungodly breaking stuff."  Does the pitcher development need an overhaul?  How about scouting?

Well, that's about it.  Hope I haven't forgotten anyone.  I might have one more of these posts looking at the free-agent pool when it's a bit more certain.  There's plenty above to like, if you're the incoming manager.  Fitness and attitude need some work, and the pitching deck needs to be re-ordered.

Sources: Salaries Roster