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Let me make this as plain as possible: Any football team that can't win its own conference championship can't be allowed to play for the national championship.Marc
Tony
This Sunday's Washington Post features a lengthy Sally Jenkins article about Patrick Ramsey. The pic on the left is possibly a picture of what Ramsey calls his most severe hit of all time. It occured last year against the Saints. After this three hundred pund plus behemoth thrust the entire weight of his body on to Ramsey, the article describes the aftermath:Finally, Grady Jackson removed his bulk, and got to his feet, but as he walked away, he stepped on Ramsey's shin and dug his cleat into his leg for good measure. Ramsey lay there for a long moment, and then he raised himself to his hands and knees, slowly, and he opened his mouth, and he emitted a primal scream, a long guttural ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
It's worth the read, if only to see how severely he's been beaten up on this year. The Redskins have had 14 different quarterbacks in the past decade, and I desperately want Ramsey to be the future. But, if he isn't protected and the Skins can't manage to have consistency in the Coach's office, that's not going to happen. Unfortunately, what I see for Ramsey is pain in Washington, followed by a trade to a team where he can succeed, which I think he could. I like him, primarily because of his toughness and un-Leonitis. In fact, he hunts deer with a bow and arrow outside of Redskins Park on off days, and has killed three already this year. The article also describes what Ramsey looks like after a game:
"He's got so many bruises that the first thing we have to do is stop the bleeding, and get the swelling to go down," [Redskins trainer] Kleinschmidt says.
In other NFL news, Willis McGhee may see some PT this weekend. Too early? Who cares, it's the fucking Bills, and he's from Miami. I hope he gets hurt permanent
Tony
But when a White House official presented this analysis to a meeting he attended recently, "I nearly laughed out loud," said Heritage's Riedl. He calculates that 55 percent of all new spending in the past two years, or $164 billion of $296 billion, is from areas unrelated to defense and homeland security. Unemployment benefits are up 85 percent, education spending up 65 percent. "It's really an across-the-board thing," he said. This has led federal spending to top $20,000 per household in today's dollars for the first time since World War II -- a jump of $4,000 in the past four years.
Two quick links form the world of politics: Al Sharpton's appearence on SNL tonight will not be seen in Iowa, due to equal time laws. What's most striking here is that there are 4 (four!) NBC affiliates in Iowa. My question is, outside of Des Moines, where are the other three? (I could do some research and find out, but they don't really pay me for that.)
Second, because we all wish it was 1995 again, Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich will be guests on Meet the Press this Sunday. Why? Probably the same reason Gingrich was elected speaker. Newt's a fun name to say.
Tony
Feeney, a former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives whom many see as a rising star in the party, reportedly told Bush: "I came here to cut entitlements, not grow them."MarcSources said Bush shot back, "Me too, pal," and hung up the phone.
Check this out:My email was inspired by the Electoral College Calculator. Take a look!-If the states go the same way as in 2000, Bush picks up 7 EC votes due to Census reapportionment, making it 278-260 Bush.
-Bush lost Iowa (7), New Mexico (5), Oregon (7), and Wisconsin (10) by less than 10,000 votes. Flipping those 4 states makes it 307-231 Bush in 2004.
Marc
Marc
"The city has the right to buy from whomever they want to buy from and at whatever price they want to buy from. That keeps it equal for minorities," said Sharon Bradford, president of B&B.
I don't even know what this means. Is she suggesting that the city has the right (or even responsibility?) to overpay for goods in order to help out a specific minority group? That is such a wrong-headed approach to public policy, I don't even know where to begin. A local government's primary responsibility is 1) Protect its citizens. Baltimore, though improving, does not have a good track record with this. Having been unable to master the first goal of government, they've moved on to other things. Like social engineering, with the taxpayers footing the bill.
This brings me to what I see as the second function of local government: be efficient and cost-effective. Granted, governments require taxes in order to pay for the services that most of us take advantage of, but to be so flagrant in your disregard for the taxpayers is really something. I even understand the desire to help boost minority-owned buisness. But at what cost?
When O'Malley, whom I generally like, and other city officials talk about the "Believe" program they are referring primarily to the city's drug problem. But I think it's these kinds of light-bulb incidents that prevent taxpaying Baltimoreans from being able to believe in the city, or government in general for that matter. To me this whole fiasco really sheds light on why people have been drifting toward the Republican party over the last few years. It is government's inability to gain the trust of taxpayers, highlighted by this example, that makes the Democrats (the party of government) seem so out of touch and risky. When politics comes down to who you trust with your money, the Democrats lose every time.
Tony
Well, that might be true in Vermont, but not here in Charm City. Here's a story from the local fishwrap about how it pays to be in the majority.
It's a little tale about how the city government overpaid for lightbulbs by $40,000 in order to award a contract to a minority business. Isn't this city broke? Here's an entertaining (if you don't pay taxes here) nugget:
Last March, the Baltimore Convention Center bought 240 300-watt incandescent lamps from B&B at $7.45 per bulb, for a total of $1,788. Under the city contract, C.N. Robinson's price was 88 cents each - $211.20 for 240.Ah, the 65% minority. And why can't I get hired by the city?
Marc
Marc
Marc
"This will revolutionize the way the Super Bowl will be viewed", Taylor said. "Who would not want to watch attractive women playing tackle football in lingerie?"Marc
Dean Stretches Lead Over Kerry in New Hampshire Primary to 42% - 12%The Iowa lead seems slight, until you consider (as this post on PoliPundit does) that Dean is not restricted by the public financing spending limits that Gephardt is, and that the Dean campaign is going to put 5,000 people on the ground in Iowa, or one Dean worker for every 20 Iowa caucusgoers.
Dean Regains Slight Iowa Lead in Neck and Neck Race With Gephardt, 26% - 22%
Couple these political facts with the free ride Dean is getting in the media (see this Hardball transcript where Dean refers several times to the 'Soviet Union' - a Quayle moment if ever there was one) - and Dean is unbeatable. The other campaigns are latching on to a post-New Hampshire strategy out of desparation, but it ain't happening.
The seven February 3 primaries are: Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. This AP story reports:
The former Vermont governor has run TV ads in four of the states, more than any other candidate.Don't forget about Dean's internet organization and again, the lack of spending limits.According to a survey conducted by The Associated Press, Dean has more paid staff than his rivals in Arizona (11), New Mexico (nine) and Oklahoma (seven). He and Gephardt have three in North Dakota.
Marc
