Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Braves Trying to Stay in the Race
Leading 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth last Thursday, the Braves called on Rafael Soriano to close the game out. But with the top of the Dodgers order up, I knew instantly in my gut things wouldn't turn out right. Three batters later, Andre Ethier sent a Soriano offering over the right field fence giving the Dodgers a 5-4 win, seemingly putting a fork in the Braves playoff chances. But baseball is a funny game of ups and downs, and three days later, with the help of clutch hitting and excellent pitching and defense, the Braves had swept the final three games of the series against the National League's best team. Now entering tonight, the Braves find themselves just 4 1/2 games behind the division leading Phillies and four games out in the wild card race. And knowing the Braves will be getting better with the return of Omar Infante and of Tim Hudson in a couple of weeks, it's realistic to think they may have a shot at the playoffs with 50 games left. But that can all evaporate quickly. There's a big series this weekend when the Phillies come to Turner Field, but first the Braves must take care of the Washington Nationals. The Nationals have played better against the Braves than just about anybody else, taking 16 of 27 dating back to 2008. And earlier this year, when the Braves jump-started their stretch of better baseball by sweeping the Phillies at home, they turned around and lost two of three in Washington. And now they face an improved Nationals team that has currently won eight in a row and is under the leadership of a new manager in Jim Riggleman. Given the Braves up and down tendencies and their incompetence when it comes to the Nats, I'm still not holding my breath on the Braves making a serious run. They could just as well be out of the race at the end of the week. Eighteen of their next 22 games are against the National League East, and now they may have a better shot at the division than the wild card. But either way, they need to continue hitting consistently, and they need to win the games they're supposed to. Otherwise, they'll be another disappointment. It starts tonight.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Obamacare = Epic Fail (SOME BAD LANGUAGE)
"Do I really look like a man with a plan?"
- Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight
There are so many things to address with this, so it may take a little while. A quick disclaimer: there is some language, not much, but some. Don't judge me.
There's been quite a ruckus at town hall meetings across the country, as opposition to the President's socialist health care plan has risen substantially. And as would be expected, the supporters of the policy and the president, these democrats in Congress, and to a large extent, the media, have cast these protesters as extremists. And they call these town hall meetings theatre. Paul Krugman, columnist for the New York Times even shocks everybody that has bothered to breathe by citing racial fears of a black president as the reason for the opposition to universal health care. I'll have to check with Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell, JC Watts, Walter Williams, Condi Rice, and well you get the drift, to see if their opposition or at least criticisms of such a plan are motivated by the fear of a black president. So Mr. Krugman, do us all a favor and stick to teaching economics at Princeton, so college juniors such as myself don't embarrass you on a regular basis.
Anyway, it is quite remarkable how these democrats have suddenly turned cold against the idea of town hall meetings, letting citizens speak their voice, and dare I say, some damn CHANGE. This past week, a controversy was stirred up over a poster with Obama on it, sporting the Heath Ledger joker-style makeup. The accompanying word was socialism. "Politically mean spirited" was how I heard it described. More politically mean spirited than the tired old "Bush Lied, People Died" shirts, posters, bumper stickers, hats? Once again, get over yourselves. The health care plan is socialistic in its design. And it's a joke. What's there to discuss? One of the things that was always so frustrating about George W. Bush was how his biggest supporters blindly defended him. And now we are seeing that surpassed under President Obama.
But let's get to the actual plan and its flaws and contradictions, and the hypocrisy of these people.
1. The President's position is that the "status quo" can no longer remain. This current system bankrupts families, business and government. However, as he puts it, "if you are happy with your plan and doctor, stick with it." So let me get this straight. It's an irreversible disaster, but we can stick with it if we choose to and not be harmed. Hell, give me one of those joker posters.
2. Another main supporting argument behind this plan is that it will save money and be a cost-cutting measure, despite the fact that the Congressional Budget Office (about as non-partisan as you can get in today's political world) says that these proposals will increase health care spending, putting us even further behind budget.
3. Barack the Magician says we can cut down health care costs while theoretically providing health insurance to approximately 50 million more people. If any of you believe this, here's what you do. You take some aluminum foil, put it on your head, go sit in a closet, and turn out the lights. Then just sit there and think a while.
4. Now let's get to the uninsured, who won't have the option to get covered by the government plan. No, they will be MANDATED to get it. So people in my age group, who are healthy and rarely sick and choose not to be covered right now get stuck with paying increased premiums that will be more than any medical expenses in the long run because they didn't get the mandated coverage. Mr. President, if you can sense my middle finger pointing in your direction, I'd say you're a good guesser.
5. It's understood that the health care issue is critically important, and getting it right is critical, regardless of whether you support the universal system or not. But rather than making sure it's done right, these buffoons want to ram this legislation through Congress, not allowing time for it to be READ (wow, there's a radical freaking idea) and debated thoroughly. "We don't have time for that! It's morally imperative!" goes the generic democratic response. "And it will work just like the stimulus did when we rushed it through." (Even though the stimulus has done the complete opposite.) Well, it must not be too pressing, seeing as we can keep our plan and doctor if we want..supposedly. How about you put the entire thing on the Internet for us citizens to see? Isn't that what you promised, Mr. President? More transparent government? Bull.
6. One of the main determinations of the health care reformers has been not to screw it up like they did in 1994 with President Clinton. They say they have strayed away from all the tactical and procedural measures that doomed it the first time. But the plan itself hasn't changed much. Mandates, more regulations of insurance companies, government-managed markets. And a bonus "public option" open to all people and run by our government, which does such a wonderful job running things. The bottom line (That's what Joe Biden says all the time, usually when he is lying, but I'm not lying.) is that it is intellectually dishonest and condescending for these people to tell me that this plan will cut costs of health care by expanding coverage to 50 million more people and that even though this current system is unsustainable, I can still keep my plan and doctor and not be harmed.
7. Really one of the big goals is to bankrupt the insurance companies. It's people like John Edwards who constantly gripe about the way these companies pick and choose what to cover and what not to cover. Under this proposed system, these companies will be forced to cover everything. Let's use a little damn common sense. That will only bankrupt the insurance companies. And if the companies don't go bankrupt, by covering all this extra stuff, they will have to raise the cost of insurance. So assuming the CBO's estimates are accurate, and assuming this proposed system goes into effect, that means the government will be forced to look at cost-cutting measures. It most likely will be a combination of significantly high tax increases (making it harder on the people they claim to want to help) and DECIDING WHAT PROCEDURES AND MEDICINES TO COVER AND NOT TO COVER. It's amazing how stand up comedians even make a living in this country. If people just turned on the news and opened their ears, they'd get all the comedy they need.
8. Essentially, you're going to have a government-run bureaucratic system with all these assholes in suits overruling experienced and trained doctors on what to do all for the reason of bringing down the costs of health care. And by the way, where do you get all the new doctors to cover all these extra people?
9. Sometimes it's best to look at countries with these systems in place. Take Canada for instance. There are thousands of Canadians crossing over to get medicines and treatments here that it takes way too long to get over in Canada. And the reason they do that, plain and simple, is because despite what our politicians and President say, we have the best quality of medical care in the world.
10. This whole idea of the government controlling what procedures you can get covered for, what medicines you can get, what doctors can do is nothing new. It's just the same old tired business of the government getting a little more control of our life. A direct slap in the fact to the country's founding documents.
11. This is really for a different blog, but no matter how politically correct or rhetorically appealing it may sound, health insurance is not a right.
These politicians need to understand this opposition is not just from what they try to make people perceive as extremists. It's real opposition that may very well cost the democrats the House of Representatives in 2010 and worse in later elections. It's important for us citizens to educate ourselves about this issue and be able to call this bullshit when we see it. We just need to ask ourselves these basic questions.
1. If this system will be cost-effective and productive, then why are there so many problems with systems that are government-run, such as medicare, medicaid and veterans hospitals?
2. How can you cut health care costs by providing insurance to 50 million more people?
3. If it is imperative to fix the system, why do they insist we can keep our plan and doctor if we like? Does that imply if we choose the government option, which why wouldn't we if it's supposedly more cost effective, that we will be an overload on the system, thus throwing the plan on its face?
4. And finally, why are so many people coming over from countries like Canada to PAY for care here?
Many people in this country are acting like dogs running for a stick, but I'm not these people's dog.
- Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight
There are so many things to address with this, so it may take a little while. A quick disclaimer: there is some language, not much, but some. Don't judge me.
There's been quite a ruckus at town hall meetings across the country, as opposition to the President's socialist health care plan has risen substantially. And as would be expected, the supporters of the policy and the president, these democrats in Congress, and to a large extent, the media, have cast these protesters as extremists. And they call these town hall meetings theatre. Paul Krugman, columnist for the New York Times even shocks everybody that has bothered to breathe by citing racial fears of a black president as the reason for the opposition to universal health care. I'll have to check with Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell, JC Watts, Walter Williams, Condi Rice, and well you get the drift, to see if their opposition or at least criticisms of such a plan are motivated by the fear of a black president. So Mr. Krugman, do us all a favor and stick to teaching economics at Princeton, so college juniors such as myself don't embarrass you on a regular basis.
Anyway, it is quite remarkable how these democrats have suddenly turned cold against the idea of town hall meetings, letting citizens speak their voice, and dare I say, some damn CHANGE. This past week, a controversy was stirred up over a poster with Obama on it, sporting the Heath Ledger joker-style makeup. The accompanying word was socialism. "Politically mean spirited" was how I heard it described. More politically mean spirited than the tired old "Bush Lied, People Died" shirts, posters, bumper stickers, hats? Once again, get over yourselves. The health care plan is socialistic in its design. And it's a joke. What's there to discuss? One of the things that was always so frustrating about George W. Bush was how his biggest supporters blindly defended him. And now we are seeing that surpassed under President Obama.
But let's get to the actual plan and its flaws and contradictions, and the hypocrisy of these people.
1. The President's position is that the "status quo" can no longer remain. This current system bankrupts families, business and government. However, as he puts it, "if you are happy with your plan and doctor, stick with it." So let me get this straight. It's an irreversible disaster, but we can stick with it if we choose to and not be harmed. Hell, give me one of those joker posters.
2. Another main supporting argument behind this plan is that it will save money and be a cost-cutting measure, despite the fact that the Congressional Budget Office (about as non-partisan as you can get in today's political world) says that these proposals will increase health care spending, putting us even further behind budget.
3. Barack the Magician says we can cut down health care costs while theoretically providing health insurance to approximately 50 million more people. If any of you believe this, here's what you do. You take some aluminum foil, put it on your head, go sit in a closet, and turn out the lights. Then just sit there and think a while.
4. Now let's get to the uninsured, who won't have the option to get covered by the government plan. No, they will be MANDATED to get it. So people in my age group, who are healthy and rarely sick and choose not to be covered right now get stuck with paying increased premiums that will be more than any medical expenses in the long run because they didn't get the mandated coverage. Mr. President, if you can sense my middle finger pointing in your direction, I'd say you're a good guesser.
5. It's understood that the health care issue is critically important, and getting it right is critical, regardless of whether you support the universal system or not. But rather than making sure it's done right, these buffoons want to ram this legislation through Congress, not allowing time for it to be READ (wow, there's a radical freaking idea) and debated thoroughly. "We don't have time for that! It's morally imperative!" goes the generic democratic response. "And it will work just like the stimulus did when we rushed it through." (Even though the stimulus has done the complete opposite.) Well, it must not be too pressing, seeing as we can keep our plan and doctor if we want..supposedly. How about you put the entire thing on the Internet for us citizens to see? Isn't that what you promised, Mr. President? More transparent government? Bull.
6. One of the main determinations of the health care reformers has been not to screw it up like they did in 1994 with President Clinton. They say they have strayed away from all the tactical and procedural measures that doomed it the first time. But the plan itself hasn't changed much. Mandates, more regulations of insurance companies, government-managed markets. And a bonus "public option" open to all people and run by our government, which does such a wonderful job running things. The bottom line (That's what Joe Biden says all the time, usually when he is lying, but I'm not lying.) is that it is intellectually dishonest and condescending for these people to tell me that this plan will cut costs of health care by expanding coverage to 50 million more people and that even though this current system is unsustainable, I can still keep my plan and doctor and not be harmed.
7. Really one of the big goals is to bankrupt the insurance companies. It's people like John Edwards who constantly gripe about the way these companies pick and choose what to cover and what not to cover. Under this proposed system, these companies will be forced to cover everything. Let's use a little damn common sense. That will only bankrupt the insurance companies. And if the companies don't go bankrupt, by covering all this extra stuff, they will have to raise the cost of insurance. So assuming the CBO's estimates are accurate, and assuming this proposed system goes into effect, that means the government will be forced to look at cost-cutting measures. It most likely will be a combination of significantly high tax increases (making it harder on the people they claim to want to help) and DECIDING WHAT PROCEDURES AND MEDICINES TO COVER AND NOT TO COVER. It's amazing how stand up comedians even make a living in this country. If people just turned on the news and opened their ears, they'd get all the comedy they need.
8. Essentially, you're going to have a government-run bureaucratic system with all these assholes in suits overruling experienced and trained doctors on what to do all for the reason of bringing down the costs of health care. And by the way, where do you get all the new doctors to cover all these extra people?
9. Sometimes it's best to look at countries with these systems in place. Take Canada for instance. There are thousands of Canadians crossing over to get medicines and treatments here that it takes way too long to get over in Canada. And the reason they do that, plain and simple, is because despite what our politicians and President say, we have the best quality of medical care in the world.
10. This whole idea of the government controlling what procedures you can get covered for, what medicines you can get, what doctors can do is nothing new. It's just the same old tired business of the government getting a little more control of our life. A direct slap in the fact to the country's founding documents.
11. This is really for a different blog, but no matter how politically correct or rhetorically appealing it may sound, health insurance is not a right.
These politicians need to understand this opposition is not just from what they try to make people perceive as extremists. It's real opposition that may very well cost the democrats the House of Representatives in 2010 and worse in later elections. It's important for us citizens to educate ourselves about this issue and be able to call this bullshit when we see it. We just need to ask ourselves these basic questions.
1. If this system will be cost-effective and productive, then why are there so many problems with systems that are government-run, such as medicare, medicaid and veterans hospitals?
2. How can you cut health care costs by providing insurance to 50 million more people?
3. If it is imperative to fix the system, why do they insist we can keep our plan and doctor if we like? Does that imply if we choose the government option, which why wouldn't we if it's supposedly more cost effective, that we will be an overload on the system, thus throwing the plan on its face?
4. And finally, why are so many people coming over from countries like Canada to PAY for care here?
Many people in this country are acting like dogs running for a stick, but I'm not these people's dog.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
More Braves Stuff
Okay so once again, it's been a month since I have posted on this blog. I've been struggling with time and haven't been as inspired to write. And clearly I don't have a lot of people reading this blog, so I'm trying to link people to it from my Facebook. But with a new football season getting ready to start, I'll be providing a lot more on the sports front, and there's plenty to talk about the political world and many other subjects. Within the next week or so, I'll be giving some pre-season picks on football and be analyzing the baseball pennant races a little more closely.
The Braves were 38-40 when I wrote my last blog on here. Since then; 17-13. At 55-53, they are now officially two thirds through the regular season. Coming into play today, they are 6.5 games back in the National League East race and 5 games back in the Wild Card. With 54 games left, they theoretically still have a chance. But the fact hasn't changed that the Braves are still a .500 baseball team that I'm not convinced is capable of going on the tear they need to make the playoffs.
Let's look at the Wild Card leader San Francisco, who at 60-48 would finish 90-72 if they were to continue their current pace. To get the 91 wins needed, the Braves would have to go 36-18 the rest of the way. That's a .667 winning percentage. Two wins for every three games. It's not impossible but very hard to do. Clearly the many games the Braves blew earlier this year, as well as the three games they blew on the road right before the All-Star break are coming back to haunt them. They got a brutal wakeup call last weekend when the MLB-best Dodgers came into Turner Field and dominated, outscoring the Braves 17-5 and taking two out of three games. In reality, the Braves were very fortunate to win the one game they did.
And now tonight they start a four game series in Los Angeles. They'll need at least a split, and probably three out of four to actually convince me they're still contenders. My biggest point in that I am not convinced the Braves have a realistic shot is that they are behind four teams in the Wild Card race, five once you factor in that the Cubs and Cardinals are tied atop the Central Division standings. So they have to catch up with at least four of those teams to get in the playoffs. They'll have plenty of opportunities to surpass the Marlins with another 10 games remaining against them. But they have three games left with the Cardinals, and they are done with the Cubs, Giants and Rockies, which makes it harder to directly impact these circumstances. The division provides almost as good as a chance. The Braves also have nine games left against the Phillies, a team which they have gone 7-2 against. However, this is a drastically different Philadelphia team than the one struggling the last time these two faced each other. The addition of 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee has made their starting rotation much better, and on offense, they're killing the ball.
If the Braves are going to make a serious push, the next nine games should settle whether or not they are serious or not. These four games in LA will be followed by a two-game set with the Nationals in Atlanta. And then next weekend, the Phillies will be at Turner Field again. If the Braves are any worse than three games or so out in the division and Wild Card by the end of next weekend, it may be time to look toward next year.
Now if the Braves are going to get serious about making this push, they'll need three things. One is what they've had all year: great starting pitching, a category in which they are second to none. Another is a consistent offense, which obviously has been a big problem. Adam Laroche has provided a spark to the lineup, going 9-18 with some big hits since his return. A glaring hole remains in right field though. As much as I love Matt Diaz, he does not hit right-handed pitching well enough to be out there every day. Ryan Church is a decent player but has not been healthy even though he did get back in the lineup yesterday. The potential solution is in AA, with right-fielder Jason Heyward. At 19 and turning 20 on Sunday, Heyward is hitting well over .400 with an on-base percentage over .500 to go along with 17 extra base hits in 28 games since his promotion to AA Mississippi. He is without a doubt the most highly touted prospect to come through the organization since Andruw Jones, and it's believed he could have an immediate impact if he gets the call-up, similar to how Jones impacted the team in his call-up in 1996. At 6-5 and 230 pounds, Heyward has drawn comparisons to Darryl Strawberry, and he has remarkable discipline at the plate. Heyward may be the shot in the arm the offense needs. And finally the Braves could use more bullpen help. The Braves will also be getting Tim Hudson back, which means that most likely Kenshin Kawakami would go to the bullpen. And when Omar Infante returns, the Braves will have their key bench bat back.
So the chance, albeit a small one, still remains for the Braves to make the playoffs. Should they fall out of it in the next two weeks, there will still be reasons to watch the team. Heyward most likely will be a September call-up if not in August. It's unlikely the Braves would be able to keep both Hudson and Javier Vazquez next season, so it will be important to see how Hudson does coming off his injury. But please Braves fans, when it comes to this playoff race, don't hold your breath. You most likely will wind up disappointed.
The Braves were 38-40 when I wrote my last blog on here. Since then; 17-13. At 55-53, they are now officially two thirds through the regular season. Coming into play today, they are 6.5 games back in the National League East race and 5 games back in the Wild Card. With 54 games left, they theoretically still have a chance. But the fact hasn't changed that the Braves are still a .500 baseball team that I'm not convinced is capable of going on the tear they need to make the playoffs.
Let's look at the Wild Card leader San Francisco, who at 60-48 would finish 90-72 if they were to continue their current pace. To get the 91 wins needed, the Braves would have to go 36-18 the rest of the way. That's a .667 winning percentage. Two wins for every three games. It's not impossible but very hard to do. Clearly the many games the Braves blew earlier this year, as well as the three games they blew on the road right before the All-Star break are coming back to haunt them. They got a brutal wakeup call last weekend when the MLB-best Dodgers came into Turner Field and dominated, outscoring the Braves 17-5 and taking two out of three games. In reality, the Braves were very fortunate to win the one game they did.
And now tonight they start a four game series in Los Angeles. They'll need at least a split, and probably three out of four to actually convince me they're still contenders. My biggest point in that I am not convinced the Braves have a realistic shot is that they are behind four teams in the Wild Card race, five once you factor in that the Cubs and Cardinals are tied atop the Central Division standings. So they have to catch up with at least four of those teams to get in the playoffs. They'll have plenty of opportunities to surpass the Marlins with another 10 games remaining against them. But they have three games left with the Cardinals, and they are done with the Cubs, Giants and Rockies, which makes it harder to directly impact these circumstances. The division provides almost as good as a chance. The Braves also have nine games left against the Phillies, a team which they have gone 7-2 against. However, this is a drastically different Philadelphia team than the one struggling the last time these two faced each other. The addition of 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee has made their starting rotation much better, and on offense, they're killing the ball.
If the Braves are going to make a serious push, the next nine games should settle whether or not they are serious or not. These four games in LA will be followed by a two-game set with the Nationals in Atlanta. And then next weekend, the Phillies will be at Turner Field again. If the Braves are any worse than three games or so out in the division and Wild Card by the end of next weekend, it may be time to look toward next year.
Now if the Braves are going to get serious about making this push, they'll need three things. One is what they've had all year: great starting pitching, a category in which they are second to none. Another is a consistent offense, which obviously has been a big problem. Adam Laroche has provided a spark to the lineup, going 9-18 with some big hits since his return. A glaring hole remains in right field though. As much as I love Matt Diaz, he does not hit right-handed pitching well enough to be out there every day. Ryan Church is a decent player but has not been healthy even though he did get back in the lineup yesterday. The potential solution is in AA, with right-fielder Jason Heyward. At 19 and turning 20 on Sunday, Heyward is hitting well over .400 with an on-base percentage over .500 to go along with 17 extra base hits in 28 games since his promotion to AA Mississippi. He is without a doubt the most highly touted prospect to come through the organization since Andruw Jones, and it's believed he could have an immediate impact if he gets the call-up, similar to how Jones impacted the team in his call-up in 1996. At 6-5 and 230 pounds, Heyward has drawn comparisons to Darryl Strawberry, and he has remarkable discipline at the plate. Heyward may be the shot in the arm the offense needs. And finally the Braves could use more bullpen help. The Braves will also be getting Tim Hudson back, which means that most likely Kenshin Kawakami would go to the bullpen. And when Omar Infante returns, the Braves will have their key bench bat back.
So the chance, albeit a small one, still remains for the Braves to make the playoffs. Should they fall out of it in the next two weeks, there will still be reasons to watch the team. Heyward most likely will be a September call-up if not in August. It's unlikely the Braves would be able to keep both Hudson and Javier Vazquez next season, so it will be important to see how Hudson does coming off his injury. But please Braves fans, when it comes to this playoff race, don't hold your breath. You most likely will wind up disappointed.
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