Let's begin with the obvious: Without unions there would have been no viable American middle class. Apparently this has been forgotten by a large portion of the populace. The mere existence of unions--call it the threat of unions if you like-- forced even non-union employers to increase their wages and benefits. With the security of a good job you could buy a house and send your kids to college. America's middle class became both the envy of working people everywhere and a force that drove much of the world's economy. Americans consumed products from everywhere. They bought cars from Japan, Germany, Italy, Sweden, England and France. (The cars from France, Italy and England were pieces of crap--but that's another story...) They took trips to every exotic destination they could find. And they spent US dollars at every stop. The foundation of all of this was an American manufacturing base that kept jobs and production in the U.S. Life was good and it seemed like it would go on that way forever...
The attack on unions that began full force during the Reagan years, and has continued unabated since then, began the decline of the middle class in this country. Couple that with the plague of outsourcing, the amorality of the multi-national corporations that now play such a prominent role in our everyday lives, and the unregulated and unrepentant cowboys of Wall Street and you have a perfect storm aimed at destroying all the progress working people have made during the last century. The events in Wisconsin show that we have reached a tipping point. If unions are weakened to the point of irrelevance, then all bets are off for our future as a nation. Oh, there will still be a United States, but it won't be recognizable to anyone with a memory.
In Arizona the assault on unions began long ago, while Reagan ( a union member by the way--Screen Actor's Guild) was still a shill for G.E. This is a 'right to work' state--or 'right to starve', as the guys I worked construction with called it... And the people here, who have no knowledge of anything that happened last year, let alone last century, have been bombarded with nothing but fear and loathing for anything even remotely related to unions. Unions are evil and corrupt and they smell bad too. Think of Jimmy Hoffa and the Mob! They force you to pay dues and they drive up costs for everyone. Besides, why do you need a union? Your boss will always take care of you, so shut up and get back to work.
People who move to Arizona are shocked by the low pay--but why should any employer pay a penny more than they have to? And without a strong union presence wages remain stagnant, or even decline. Naturally, people who are chronically underpaid see any tax as an unfair burden. And are easily whipped up into a frenzy against the few unionized jobs that still exist. "Why should they have a living wage, guaranteed raises, health care, and pensions when I don't?" People like that honestly believe that getting rid of the unions will improve their lives. To this toxic mess add a large pool of undocumented workers willing to do any kind of work for meager pay, and the fact that laws against hiring illegals are seldom if ever enforced, and you'll begin to understand why Arizona is the way it is.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Music video of the day
The Wisconsin labor battle has had me in such a pessimistic mood lately (along with the fact that I live in a state with Jan Brewer as my governor, but that's for another day), that today I feel the need to cheer myself up. Therefore, this video. The day I graduated from college in 2005 we must have played this song 15 times at my graduation party, it never fails to cheer me up!
Beautiful Day -- U2
Ah, show business...
Is Charlie Sheen the craziest freakin' person on the planet? I've probably seen every episode of Two and a Half Men, my brother got me started watching it and I thought it was funny as hell. I tend to like Chuck Lorre shows in general.
I now guarantee I will never watch this show, or any TV show or movie with Charlie Sheen in it, ever again. He joins my personal boycott list, which now consists of two people -- Val Kilmer and Charlie Sheen.
I really have a problem with a**holes.
I now guarantee I will never watch this show, or any TV show or movie with Charlie Sheen in it, ever again. He joins my personal boycott list, which now consists of two people -- Val Kilmer and Charlie Sheen.
I really have a problem with a**holes.
A letter to Scott Walker from a Wisconsin teacher
A good friend at Greasy Lake just posted a link to this and I think it's too important to be missed -- so I'm just going to post the whole damn thing. If any conservatives reading this can show me where this teacher is wrong, please do. My bet is that you can't, because as I've said before -- Walker's stance isn't about fixing the budget, it's about busting the unions, pure and simple.
To the Duly-Elected Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker (and anyone else who gives a hoot):
It has only been a week, and I grow weary of the political struggle that your Budget Repair Bill has caused. I am tired of watching the news, though I have seen many of the faces of those I hold dear as they march on the Capitol. I am tired of defending myself to those who disagree with me, and even a bit tired of fist-bumping those who do. I am tired of having to choose a side in this issue, when both sides make a certain degree of sense. And so I offer you this desultory (aimless or rambling) philippic (angry long-winded speech), because at the end of the day I find that though this issue has been talked to death, there is more that could be said. And so, without further ado, here are my points and/or questions, in no particular order.
1. You can have my money, but. . .. Ask any number of my students, who have heard me publicly proclaim that a proper solution to this fiscal crisis is to raise taxes. I will pay them. I have the great good fortune to live in a nation where opportunity is nearly limitless, and I am willing to pay for the honor of calling myself an American. Incidentally, Warren Buffett, the second richest man in the nation (and a Democrat) agrees with me. Your proposed Budget Repair Bill will cost me just under $3000 per year at my current salary, with the stated goal of saving $30 million this year on the state budget. I say, take it. You can have it. It will hurt me financially, but if it will balance the budget of the state that has been my home since birth, take it with my blessing. But if I may, before you do, I have some questions.
•According to the 2009 estimate for the U.S. Census, 5,654,774 people live in the state of Wisconsin. Of those, 23.2% are under the age of 18, and presumably are not subject to much in the way of income tax. That still leaves about 4,342,867 taxpayers in the state of Wisconsin. If you wished to trim $30 million off of the budget, that works out to about $6.91 per Wisconsin
taxpayer. So I must ask: Is it fair that you ask $3000 of me, but you fail to ask $6.91 of everyone? I know that times are tough, but would it not be more equitable to ask that each taxpayer in the state contribute an extra 13 cents a week?
•Would you please, kindly, explain exactly how collective bargaining is a fiscal issue? I fancy myself to be a fairly intelligent person. I have heard it reported in the news that unless the collective bargaining portion of this bill is passed, severe amounts of layoffs will occur in the state. I have heard that figure given as 6,000 jobs. But then again, you've reportedly said it was 10,000 jobs. But then again, it's been reported to be as high as 12,000 jobs. Regardless of the figure, one thing that hasn't been explained to my satisfaction is exactly how or why allowing a union to bargain collectively will cost so much money or so many jobs. Am I missing something? Isn't collective bargaining essentially sitting in a room and discussing something, collectively? Is there now a price tag on conversation? How much does the average conversation cost? I feel your office has been eager to provide doomsday scenarios regarding lost jobs, but less than willing to provide actual insight as to why that is the case. I would welcome an explanation.
•Why does your concern over collective bargaining, pensions, and healthcare costs only extend to certain unions, but not all? Why do snow plow drivers and child care providers and teachers and prison guards find themselves in "bad" unions, but firefighters and state police and local police find themselves in unions that do not need to be effected by your bill? The left wing news organizations, of course, state that this is because these are unions that supported your election bid, while you seek to punish those unions that did not; I would welcome your response to such a charge. You have stated that the state and local police are too vital to the state to be affected. Can I ask how child care, or prison guards, or nurses or teachers are not vital? Again, I would welcome a response.
•Though you are a state employee, I have seen no provision in your bill to cut your own pension or healthcare costs. The governor's salary in Wisconsin was about $137,000 per year, last I checked. By contrast, I make about $38,000 per year. Somewhere in that extra $99,000 that you make, are you sure you couldn't find some money to fund the state recovery which you seem to hold so dear? As you have been duly elected by the voters of Wisconsin
, you will receive that salary as a pension for the rest of your life. I don't mean to cut too deeply into your lifestyle, but are you sure you couldn't live off $128,000 per year so that you could have the same 7% salary reduction you are asking certain other public employees to take?
2. Regarding teachers being overpaid and underworked. I don't really have many questions in this regard, but I do have a couple of statements. If you haven't already figured it out, I am a teacher, so you may examine my statement for bias as you see fit. I admit I find it somewhat suspect that teachers are mentioned so prominently in your rhetoric; those protesting at the Capitol are indeed teachers. But they are also students, and nurses, and prison guards, and plumbers, and firefighters, and a variety of other professions. If you could go back to "public sector employees," I would appreciate it. But as far as being overpaid and underworked . . . I grant you, I have a week's vacation around Christmas. I have a week off for Spring Break. I have about 10 weeks off for summer. With sick days and personal days and national holidays and the like, I work about 8.5 months out of every year. So perhaps I am underworked. But before you take that as a given, a couple of points in my own defense.
•The average full-time worker puts in 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, with two weeks' vacation time. That makes for a grand total of 2000 hours per year. Part of the teachers' arguments regarding their time is that no one sees how many hours they work at home to grade papers, or create lesson plans, or things of that nature. I am in a rare state, in that I am not one of those teachers. I work an hour from where I live, and I like to keep my work at work. I, therefore, do not bring work home with me, but rather stay at school, or come in early, so that I can grade papers or create lesson plans while at school. So I am more prepared than most to explain the hours it takes to do my job. I also supervise an extra-curricular activity (as many teachers do), in that I serve as the Drama Coach for my school. The school year, so far, has lasted for 24 weeks. I have, in that time, averaged 78 hours per week either going to school, being at school, or coming home from school. If you remove my commute, of course, I still average 68 hours per week, thus far. That means I have put in 1,632 hours of work time this year, which works out to over 80% of what your average full time worker does in a calendar year. If you include my commute, I'm over 90%. If ikeep going at my current pace, I will work 2,720 hours this school year (or 3,120 hours if you include my commute). That means I work 136% to 156% as much as your average hourly worker.
•As to underpaid -- I'm not sure I am underpaid in general, though I do believe I am underpaid in terms of the educational level expected to do my job. I have two Bachelor's Degrees, and will be beginning work toward my Master's this summer. By comparison, sir, you never completed college, and yet, as previously stated, you outearn me by almost $100,000 per year. Perhaps that is an argument that I made the wrong career choice. But it is perhaps an argument that we need to discuss whether you and others like you are overpaid, and not whether teachers are.
3. Regarding the notion that teachers that are protesting, or legislators currently in Illinois , are hurting the state. Very briefly, if I may:
•Teachers have been accused of shirking their duties by protesting for what they believe to be their rights instead of being in school. The argument has been, of course, that no lessons have been taught when classes aren't in session. I must submit that lessons in protest, in exercise of the First Amendment right to peaceable assembly, in getting involved as a citizen in political affairs, have been taught these past few days. The fact that they haven't been taught in the classroom is irrelevant. Ultimately a very strong duty of the school system is to help students become citizens -- I think that has clearly happened this week.
•As to the legislators, it seems to me as though they feel their constituents deserve to have a length of time to examine the proposed bill on its merits, not vote it straight up or down three days after it was presented. As the current budget does not expire until June, this seems to me like the only response left them in light of your decision to fast-track the bill without discussion. Give them another option, and perhaps they will come back. I can't say that I agree with their decision, but I can say that I understand it.
4. Regarding the notion that protestors at the Capitol are rabble-rousers and/or thugs. Such name-calling on the part of conservatives in the state and the conservative media could be severely curtailed if you would speak out against it. True, most of the people protesting, if not all, are liberals. Historically, liberals have always tended to think that they have far more support than they actually do. They also (in my opinion) have a tendency to get extremely organized about three months too late, if at all. So you can fault them for their decision-making, but I would ask you to speak out against the notion of thuggery. Again, very briefly:
•So far, 12 arrests have been made. Estimates say there were about 25,000 people at the Capitol today, and about 20,000 yesterday. Let's be conservative (mathematically) and say that 40,000 people protested over two days. That would mean that officers arrested .0003% of all protestors. By almost any definition, that is an extremely peaceful demonstration, and of course you are aware that the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of peaceable assembly for a redress of grievances. So in the main, these people have done nothing wrong.
5. If I may provide you with a sense of history. You work in the largest and most magnificiently appointed state capitol in the nation, built by Bob LaFollette (a Republican). You work in the same building where Phil LaFollette (a Republican) helped guide Wisconsin
out of the Great Depression. You work in the same building where Gaylord Nelson (a Democrat) was the first in the nation to offer rights to unions of state employees, rights that you now seek to overturn. And you work in the same building where Tommy Thompson (a Republican) provided more state funding to education than any other governor before or since. Are your current actions truly how you would choose to be remembered?
6. Finally, Governor, a note of thanks. Whatever the outcome of the next several days, you deserve a certain degree of credit. As an educator, I understand how difficult it can be to get young people interested in politics. You have managed to do this in the space of one week. A number of Wisconsin
's youth support you. A number of them do not. But whatever else can be said of you, you have them paying attention, and thinking about voting, and walking around the Capitol, and turning out to be involved. You have taught your own lessons this week, Governor, and that has its own value.
Thank you for your time,
XXXX XXXXX
XXX XXXXXX Street> Endeavor, WI 53930
Here's the link from the facebook page where this was originally posted: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150093484630443&id=737493374
And Diane, thanks for your original post at the Lake. I would hate to have missed this.
To the Duly-Elected Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker (and anyone else who gives a hoot):
It has only been a week, and I grow weary of the political struggle that your Budget Repair Bill has caused. I am tired of watching the news, though I have seen many of the faces of those I hold dear as they march on the Capitol. I am tired of defending myself to those who disagree with me, and even a bit tired of fist-bumping those who do. I am tired of having to choose a side in this issue, when both sides make a certain degree of sense. And so I offer you this desultory (aimless or rambling) philippic (angry long-winded speech), because at the end of the day I find that though this issue has been talked to death, there is more that could be said. And so, without further ado, here are my points and/or questions, in no particular order.
1. You can have my money, but. . .. Ask any number of my students, who have heard me publicly proclaim that a proper solution to this fiscal crisis is to raise taxes. I will pay them. I have the great good fortune to live in a nation where opportunity is nearly limitless, and I am willing to pay for the honor of calling myself an American. Incidentally, Warren Buffett, the second richest man in the nation (and a Democrat) agrees with me. Your proposed Budget Repair Bill will cost me just under $3000 per year at my current salary, with the stated goal of saving $30 million this year on the state budget. I say, take it. You can have it. It will hurt me financially, but if it will balance the budget of the state that has been my home since birth, take it with my blessing. But if I may, before you do, I have some questions.
•According to the 2009 estimate for the U.S. Census, 5,654,774 people live in the state of Wisconsin. Of those, 23.2% are under the age of 18, and presumably are not subject to much in the way of income tax. That still leaves about 4,342,867 taxpayers in the state of Wisconsin. If you wished to trim $30 million off of the budget, that works out to about $6.91 per Wisconsin
taxpayer. So I must ask: Is it fair that you ask $3000 of me, but you fail to ask $6.91 of everyone? I know that times are tough, but would it not be more equitable to ask that each taxpayer in the state contribute an extra 13 cents a week?
•Would you please, kindly, explain exactly how collective bargaining is a fiscal issue? I fancy myself to be a fairly intelligent person. I have heard it reported in the news that unless the collective bargaining portion of this bill is passed, severe amounts of layoffs will occur in the state. I have heard that figure given as 6,000 jobs. But then again, you've reportedly said it was 10,000 jobs. But then again, it's been reported to be as high as 12,000 jobs. Regardless of the figure, one thing that hasn't been explained to my satisfaction is exactly how or why allowing a union to bargain collectively will cost so much money or so many jobs. Am I missing something? Isn't collective bargaining essentially sitting in a room and discussing something, collectively? Is there now a price tag on conversation? How much does the average conversation cost? I feel your office has been eager to provide doomsday scenarios regarding lost jobs, but less than willing to provide actual insight as to why that is the case. I would welcome an explanation.
•Why does your concern over collective bargaining, pensions, and healthcare costs only extend to certain unions, but not all? Why do snow plow drivers and child care providers and teachers and prison guards find themselves in "bad" unions, but firefighters and state police and local police find themselves in unions that do not need to be effected by your bill? The left wing news organizations, of course, state that this is because these are unions that supported your election bid, while you seek to punish those unions that did not; I would welcome your response to such a charge. You have stated that the state and local police are too vital to the state to be affected. Can I ask how child care, or prison guards, or nurses or teachers are not vital? Again, I would welcome a response.
•Though you are a state employee, I have seen no provision in your bill to cut your own pension or healthcare costs. The governor's salary in Wisconsin was about $137,000 per year, last I checked. By contrast, I make about $38,000 per year. Somewhere in that extra $99,000 that you make, are you sure you couldn't find some money to fund the state recovery which you seem to hold so dear? As you have been duly elected by the voters of Wisconsin
, you will receive that salary as a pension for the rest of your life. I don't mean to cut too deeply into your lifestyle, but are you sure you couldn't live off $128,000 per year so that you could have the same 7% salary reduction you are asking certain other public employees to take?
2. Regarding teachers being overpaid and underworked. I don't really have many questions in this regard, but I do have a couple of statements. If you haven't already figured it out, I am a teacher, so you may examine my statement for bias as you see fit. I admit I find it somewhat suspect that teachers are mentioned so prominently in your rhetoric; those protesting at the Capitol are indeed teachers. But they are also students, and nurses, and prison guards, and plumbers, and firefighters, and a variety of other professions. If you could go back to "public sector employees," I would appreciate it. But as far as being overpaid and underworked . . . I grant you, I have a week's vacation around Christmas. I have a week off for Spring Break. I have about 10 weeks off for summer. With sick days and personal days and national holidays and the like, I work about 8.5 months out of every year. So perhaps I am underworked. But before you take that as a given, a couple of points in my own defense.
•The average full-time worker puts in 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, with two weeks' vacation time. That makes for a grand total of 2000 hours per year. Part of the teachers' arguments regarding their time is that no one sees how many hours they work at home to grade papers, or create lesson plans, or things of that nature. I am in a rare state, in that I am not one of those teachers. I work an hour from where I live, and I like to keep my work at work. I, therefore, do not bring work home with me, but rather stay at school, or come in early, so that I can grade papers or create lesson plans while at school. So I am more prepared than most to explain the hours it takes to do my job. I also supervise an extra-curricular activity (as many teachers do), in that I serve as the Drama Coach for my school. The school year, so far, has lasted for 24 weeks. I have, in that time, averaged 78 hours per week either going to school, being at school, or coming home from school. If you remove my commute, of course, I still average 68 hours per week, thus far. That means I have put in 1,632 hours of work time this year, which works out to over 80% of what your average full time worker does in a calendar year. If you include my commute, I'm over 90%. If ikeep going at my current pace, I will work 2,720 hours this school year (or 3,120 hours if you include my commute). That means I work 136% to 156% as much as your average hourly worker.
•As to underpaid -- I'm not sure I am underpaid in general, though I do believe I am underpaid in terms of the educational level expected to do my job. I have two Bachelor's Degrees, and will be beginning work toward my Master's this summer. By comparison, sir, you never completed college, and yet, as previously stated, you outearn me by almost $100,000 per year. Perhaps that is an argument that I made the wrong career choice. But it is perhaps an argument that we need to discuss whether you and others like you are overpaid, and not whether teachers are.
3. Regarding the notion that teachers that are protesting, or legislators currently in Illinois , are hurting the state. Very briefly, if I may:
•Teachers have been accused of shirking their duties by protesting for what they believe to be their rights instead of being in school. The argument has been, of course, that no lessons have been taught when classes aren't in session. I must submit that lessons in protest, in exercise of the First Amendment right to peaceable assembly, in getting involved as a citizen in political affairs, have been taught these past few days. The fact that they haven't been taught in the classroom is irrelevant. Ultimately a very strong duty of the school system is to help students become citizens -- I think that has clearly happened this week.
•As to the legislators, it seems to me as though they feel their constituents deserve to have a length of time to examine the proposed bill on its merits, not vote it straight up or down three days after it was presented. As the current budget does not expire until June, this seems to me like the only response left them in light of your decision to fast-track the bill without discussion. Give them another option, and perhaps they will come back. I can't say that I agree with their decision, but I can say that I understand it.
4. Regarding the notion that protestors at the Capitol are rabble-rousers and/or thugs. Such name-calling on the part of conservatives in the state and the conservative media could be severely curtailed if you would speak out against it. True, most of the people protesting, if not all, are liberals. Historically, liberals have always tended to think that they have far more support than they actually do. They also (in my opinion) have a tendency to get extremely organized about three months too late, if at all. So you can fault them for their decision-making, but I would ask you to speak out against the notion of thuggery. Again, very briefly:
•So far, 12 arrests have been made. Estimates say there were about 25,000 people at the Capitol today, and about 20,000 yesterday. Let's be conservative (mathematically) and say that 40,000 people protested over two days. That would mean that officers arrested .0003% of all protestors. By almost any definition, that is an extremely peaceful demonstration, and of course you are aware that the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of peaceable assembly for a redress of grievances. So in the main, these people have done nothing wrong.
5. If I may provide you with a sense of history. You work in the largest and most magnificiently appointed state capitol in the nation, built by Bob LaFollette (a Republican). You work in the same building where Phil LaFollette (a Republican) helped guide Wisconsin
out of the Great Depression. You work in the same building where Gaylord Nelson (a Democrat) was the first in the nation to offer rights to unions of state employees, rights that you now seek to overturn. And you work in the same building where Tommy Thompson (a Republican) provided more state funding to education than any other governor before or since. Are your current actions truly how you would choose to be remembered?
6. Finally, Governor, a note of thanks. Whatever the outcome of the next several days, you deserve a certain degree of credit. As an educator, I understand how difficult it can be to get young people interested in politics. You have managed to do this in the space of one week. A number of Wisconsin
's youth support you. A number of them do not. But whatever else can be said of you, you have them paying attention, and thinking about voting, and walking around the Capitol, and turning out to be involved. You have taught your own lessons this week, Governor, and that has its own value.
Thank you for your time,
XXXX XXXXX
XXX XXXXXX Street> Endeavor, WI 53930
Here's the link from the facebook page where this was originally posted: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150093484630443&id=737493374
And Diane, thanks for your original post at the Lake. I would hate to have missed this.
Worst Oscars ever?
Last night's Academy Award telecast was quite possibly the worst Oscar telecast in history. Seriously. James Franco and Anne Hathaway tried hard to appeal to the younger demographic, but they ended up appealing to no one. There were virtually no surprises in the awards -- I even guessed right about every major award, and I almost never get them right. The only real surprises of the night were Melissa Leo dropping the "F" bomb and Hathaway actually looking like a gigantic blue beer can in one gown.
I am telling you. This was bad.
I am telling you. This was bad.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Land of 1000 Scams
Sometime last summer, while we were all distracted by the hypnotic sight of Mark Reynolds striking out yet again (rekindling fond memories of Dave Kingman for those of us of a certain age), Governor Jan Brewer* (* a wholly owned subsidiary of Russell Pearce Inc.), did away with the Arizona Department of Commerce, and replaced it with something called the Arizona Commerce Authority. This is another of those public/private partnerships that the "free market, unchain the engines of capitalism, and stand back in wonder" folks are so enraptured by. For those of you who don't understand how a public/private partnership works, in essence a bunch of businessmen (that's the private part) get their hands on your tax money (that's the public part) and use it for..well, that's a secret until they decide to tell you where the money went and why, but trust them, it's all for the best. Crony Capitalism is always a good thing, and anyone who says otherwise is a god damn socialist.
The Arizona Commerce Authority. Just the name conjures up images of unlimited prosperity, a chicken in every pot, and extra gravy for everyone. So shut up and don't ask any questions. They know what they're doing. After all, Jerry Colangelo is involved. What could possibly go wrong?
Someone named Don Cardon was appointed by Brewer to run this thing. I will now pause while you thumb through your copy of Arizona Hack Pols, 2011 Edition, to try and figure out who he is...Couldn't find him? Me neither. Never mind, Colangelo is the name that matters.
Jerry Colangelo has achieved a level of fame and respect that is mind boggling. That he is thought of as some sort of business sage strains my powers of comprehension. His great 'successes', the Suns and the Diamondbacks, where both monopolies. There was no competition. His stadiums were built with public money. His basketball career was 30 plus years of almost, but not quite. (I've been waiting for 43 years for the Suns to have a legitimate NBA starting center. I'm still waiting. And no, the Shaq experiment doesn't count. But, I digress.) 50 win seasons stacked up to the ceiling. Listen to the cash register ring! After all, it's the only game in town. But championships? Not so much. Of course, it's impossible for a small market team to compete with the big boys. That's why San Antonio has never--oh, wait.
Colangelo's baseball career consisted of spending other people's money indiscriminately. His business model for the franchise was based on maintaining completely unrealistic attendance figures, and deferring as much payroll as he could. Guess what--attendance started to fall after the first year and has fallen almost every year since. My own favorite Jerry Moment was when the Diamondbacks announced they were raising ticket prices on Fan Appreciation Day. Stay classy JC. Even though Jerry was the public face of the franchise, and basked in the glory of the 2001 title, he didn't have a lot of his own money invested, and when the people who had real money in the franchise started to feel the pain of seeing their investment repeatedly devalued, Colangelo was shown the door. Naturally, his departure was met with great lamentation by the local media.
But you can't keep a good man down for long. Somehow Jerry, against all odds, and with an underdog team stocked only with the creme de la creme of the NBA, managed to restore America's lost honor by winning the world basketball championship and Olympic gold medal, defeating along the way those titans from Argentina, Spain, and Lithuania. USA! USA! USA!
And now it's time to give back to the state that made him a legend. The Arizona Commerce Authority couldn't be in better hands. Here is a quote from the man himself: "In my business, when I went after free agents, why did we get them? We made them feel like this would be a great place for them to live, to do business, and raise a family. So it's about recruiting." No Jerry, it's about the money. It is always about the money. How much tax money will you have to give away to entice businesses here? And at what long term cost? Unfettered capitalism seeks out the path of least resistance. That means low wages and no regulation. How many sweetheart deals will be cut on the golf course of the Phoenix Country Club? Naturally, in the interest of confidentiality, the public will learn about these deals only after the fact. So who's going to be keeping an eye on you? Jan Brewer? Ha! The Legislature? Double Ha!
The icing on the cake is that the Arizona Commerce Authority was funded with $10 million of Federal stimulus money. You know, that tainted lucre that Obama (my favorite Kenyan Socialist Muslim ever, I think) was handing out so recklessly. The money that any Governor who was a true-blue patriot concerned about the deficit, and not in fact a complete hypocrite, would refuse to accept. Yeah, that money. Which will be supplemented by $25 million more from the state. So, all of you people on AHCCCS waiting for organ transplants should keep your Country Club memberships current and hurry up and send in a business plan to Jerry and Don. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky.
The Arizona Commerce Authority. Just the name conjures up images of unlimited prosperity, a chicken in every pot, and extra gravy for everyone. So shut up and don't ask any questions. They know what they're doing. After all, Jerry Colangelo is involved. What could possibly go wrong?
Someone named Don Cardon was appointed by Brewer to run this thing. I will now pause while you thumb through your copy of Arizona Hack Pols, 2011 Edition, to try and figure out who he is...Couldn't find him? Me neither. Never mind, Colangelo is the name that matters.
Jerry Colangelo has achieved a level of fame and respect that is mind boggling. That he is thought of as some sort of business sage strains my powers of comprehension. His great 'successes', the Suns and the Diamondbacks, where both monopolies. There was no competition. His stadiums were built with public money. His basketball career was 30 plus years of almost, but not quite. (I've been waiting for 43 years for the Suns to have a legitimate NBA starting center. I'm still waiting. And no, the Shaq experiment doesn't count. But, I digress.) 50 win seasons stacked up to the ceiling. Listen to the cash register ring! After all, it's the only game in town. But championships? Not so much. Of course, it's impossible for a small market team to compete with the big boys. That's why San Antonio has never--oh, wait.
Colangelo's baseball career consisted of spending other people's money indiscriminately. His business model for the franchise was based on maintaining completely unrealistic attendance figures, and deferring as much payroll as he could. Guess what--attendance started to fall after the first year and has fallen almost every year since. My own favorite Jerry Moment was when the Diamondbacks announced they were raising ticket prices on Fan Appreciation Day. Stay classy JC. Even though Jerry was the public face of the franchise, and basked in the glory of the 2001 title, he didn't have a lot of his own money invested, and when the people who had real money in the franchise started to feel the pain of seeing their investment repeatedly devalued, Colangelo was shown the door. Naturally, his departure was met with great lamentation by the local media.
But you can't keep a good man down for long. Somehow Jerry, against all odds, and with an underdog team stocked only with the creme de la creme of the NBA, managed to restore America's lost honor by winning the world basketball championship and Olympic gold medal, defeating along the way those titans from Argentina, Spain, and Lithuania. USA! USA! USA!
And now it's time to give back to the state that made him a legend. The Arizona Commerce Authority couldn't be in better hands. Here is a quote from the man himself: "In my business, when I went after free agents, why did we get them? We made them feel like this would be a great place for them to live, to do business, and raise a family. So it's about recruiting." No Jerry, it's about the money. It is always about the money. How much tax money will you have to give away to entice businesses here? And at what long term cost? Unfettered capitalism seeks out the path of least resistance. That means low wages and no regulation. How many sweetheart deals will be cut on the golf course of the Phoenix Country Club? Naturally, in the interest of confidentiality, the public will learn about these deals only after the fact. So who's going to be keeping an eye on you? Jan Brewer? Ha! The Legislature? Double Ha!
The icing on the cake is that the Arizona Commerce Authority was funded with $10 million of Federal stimulus money. You know, that tainted lucre that Obama (my favorite Kenyan Socialist Muslim ever, I think) was handing out so recklessly. The money that any Governor who was a true-blue patriot concerned about the deficit, and not in fact a complete hypocrite, would refuse to accept. Yeah, that money. Which will be supplemented by $25 million more from the state. So, all of you people on AHCCCS waiting for organ transplants should keep your Country Club memberships current and hurry up and send in a business plan to Jerry and Don. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
The more things change...
Is it just me, or would the Koch brothers have fit in really well in 1930's Germany? Let's see, break the unions? Check. A handful of super rich industrialists? Check. A small managerial class? Working on it. An inexhaustible pool of scared, desperate people, willing to work for less, with few benefits, and little chance for advancement? Check, check, and check. Throw in fear of the 'other' and a homicidal anger toward the weak and 'deviant', add a handy scapegoat or two and mix well...all to a soundtrack of Richard Wagner's greatest hits.
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