One For Three

Was It Really Thirty-Plus Years Since The Last One?

A week ago or so we were all worried in Michigan about the UAW strike against General Motors. But before things got too entrenched, it was over in less than two days. Now, time will tell whether either the current members or the retirees or the company will all come out ahead, but negotiations happened and agreements were made.

Unlike...

Just What The Sam Hell HAVE You Been Doing?

It's just after midnight, and the Michigan legislature STILL hasn't come up with a budget. They've known about the deficit for years. They know the state has a constitutional requirement of having a balanced budget. They've cut taxes year after year. They deferred part of the fix for last year's budget to this year. And now this year is here. Now. And the government is going to have to shut down.

The governor was right there -- lobbying, helping, ready to sign a bill when it was ready. It wasn't. UPDATE: The House passed a bill around 12:30am. The Senate about 4:18am.

The governor said she'd veto a continuing resolution which didn't include taxes, because to continue the budget the current way for one more month would just increase the deficit. So they didn't fix the problem, they passed a bill which raises some taxes and then gives themselves another 30 days to fix the budget.

Madness. Madness I say.

West Michigan, which is pretty conservative, answered a poll question on WOOD-AM radio: If the legislature fails to pass a budget, should their pay be docked starting October 1st? Yea -- 86 percent. Yikes.

To be fair, part of the problem in Lansing is term limits -- none of these people has all that much experience doing these jobs and there aren't any oldtime leaders to lead them through the dark alleys. Sure, professional politicians on the Forever Plan can be part of the problem, but so is Newbie Heaven...

Your Hands Are Not Clean Either

Of course Congress hasn't passed a Federal budget either. But they could pass a continuing resolution and not worry about whether the money is there or not because it's not a Constitutional requirement.

So that's what Congress did.

Sigh.

Dr. Phil

Ah, October...

End Of The Regular Season Plus One

The 2007 Major League Baseball season is over now. It's the playoffs! Always in favor of free baseball, we really had a remarkable weekend-plus-one. On Friday morning, even NPR was talking about how the National League pennant races were still wide open -- seven teams vying for four slots. There was a possibility of multiple one-game playoffs to separate up to four teams come Monday.

This Isn't Heaven, But It's On The Way

By Friday night the Chicago Cubs (!) had clinched the National League Central Division, and the Boston Red Sox owned the American League East. Now there's your World Series right there -- or at least the one I want to see. Two oldest ballparks in the leagues, rabid long-time suffering fans. Okay, sure, the Red Sox finally pulled one out, so clearly it's the Cubs' turn to break their World Series jinx. (grin) But this is the matchup I wanted the other year, only to have the Cubs fold out of the playoffs early.

Could still happen, the collapse. (sigh) But right now it's a new season and there's potential in the air.

Yay!

1969 Revisited

The New York Mets managed to complete the biggest swoon in like forever. Ahead of the Phillies by like 7 games, they squandered the lead all the way back to a tie, and then lost one game too many. Philadelphia moves on and the Mets do not.

1969 was the first baseball season we lived in White Plains NY and there was no question which major league team I'd support in the New York area -- after the family allegiance to the Pittsburgh Pirates through both parents of course -- and it would be in the Senior Circuit. What I didn't pay attention to until I went to Northwestern was how the Cubs swooned and let the Mets win and go on in 1969. So I'm sure there are plenty of Northsiders in Chicago who figure that 2007 is just desserts.

Bonus

Last night there was one one-game playoff to determine the last slot in the National League playoffs -- San Diego at Colorado Rockies. I was doing other things and so when the news came on and reported the game tied at 6-6 in extra innings, I wandered over and watched until it was 6-6 in the 12th. But eventually I had to take the kitties downstairs and "put them to bed" in their lovely huge room. By the time I came back upstairs it was 8-8 in the 13th inning and I was just in time to watch the play at the plate. Rockies win 9-8. The "hated" evil San Diego Padres (Cubs fans have LONG memories of playoff slights) would be going home.

Everything is possible now, for the teams left. It's a perfect moment, all the way up to the first pitches tomorrow.

Bring it on. It's baseball.

Dr. Phil