Balta1701

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 05:44 PM) Possible. But using Moore as their mouthpiece to limit the firestorm requires a level of sophistication and tact that I am uncomfortable attributing to Lach and his boys. Apparently Wilbon "reported" today that DJ Moore was speaking on behalf of a group of Bears players.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 06:46 PM) I still see little things on hoops hype about them talking to players (the latest being Anthony Tolliver) so they have to have some kind of money (unless theyre just talking to these guys should they swing a Rip trade?)...What did they use the Korver exemption on?? Ive read those exemptions only last a year. Other guys I've read they had interest in are, Michael Redd and Josh Childress They have not used that exemption but it cannot be used to sign a guy, only to trade for guys.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 06:15 PM) You agree to an interim deal (something like 6 months) and if you cant work it out, you strike then. That way you have support in what you are doing. That way you can go "We worked on good faith and Rahm screwed us." Because that is the real question, why cant they work in good faith? At the end of a school year? Then you're almost guaranteeing yourself a 4-month strike every time the contract comes up for renewal. Same reason the NFL didn't get their CBA done until they were really at the threat of losing games. Striking over the summer does nothing.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 05:47 PM) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationw...892291.htmlpage When I read that, I really dont see how this was about the children. They dont even discuss supplies or class sizes until page 3. Length of day is item #1 on the list.

QUOTE (2nd_city_saint787 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 04:03 PM) NBA preseason starts in 21 days...Can the Bulls sign Michael Redd or (no rumors about him but someone I'd love on the bulls) Barbosa already??? I believe it's actually impossible for them to sign anyone right now, they've literally used up all their exemptions IIRC.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 05:26 PM) Buried under the whole "there's no money!" claim is a whole lot of larger taxation and wealth/income equality issues. But its easy to gloss over those and blame the teachers instead.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 03:48 PM) Then again, having to pay more expenses isn't really going to help him keep any schools open now, is it? Well, if it ended the strike, then yes it would?

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 03:46 PM) This is bulls*** and you clearly know it.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 03:21 PM) Some of the AFL guys fall into the on-the-fence category, in my view. Guys who are on the edge of the prospect radar, and the Sox want to see what they have in them. Wilkins, Rodriguez and Taylor Thompson fit in there for me. Salvador Sanchez too, but he's that unusual converted-pitcher scenario (a la Sergio Santos), so it is a little different. Trayce Thompson, Carlos Sanchez and Andre Rienzo fit more squarely into the solid prospect department. Safe to say that sanchez is pitching for a roster spot? (he's out of options right?)

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 03:35 PM) How about keeping them open first. What good is improvement if they close down the next month. I agree, someone should turn around and ask Rahm how he's going to improve the schools if he can't bargain fairly enough to keep them open. Wait, waht's that, it's only the union's fault when a strike starts, never anyone else's? Sorry, my bad.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 03:22 PM) I really wish someone would ask this moronic Lewis lady how the CPS is expected to fill the 750 million-1 billion dollar budget gap next year if they're putting raises in place and restricting CPS' ability to fire teachers/close schools. Will someone turn around and ask Rahm how they're going to improve the schools if they close schools, increase class sizes, and can't afford air conditioning?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 03:18 PM) I thought about that before I pressed "Add Reply", but in my world a 14 game lead in the standings speaks way louder than a 10-5 season series advantage. I just don't want to anger their spirits...

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 03:11 PM) [insert Royals #1 farm system joke here] No joking about the Royals until we can beat them?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 12:18 PM) I still don't think it matters come November. Peoples attention spans are far too short these days. This may not matter to more than a handful of people directly...but where it does matter is...if Obama is currently winning, which by most polls he appears to be...Romney needs to halt that impression. In the last week, he's had the drip-drip of this video, the starting of the "CYA" period of staffers calling out the campaign manager as a failure, and the spectacle of him calling out an embassy for apologizing (which they didn't do) while bullets were still being fired at the embassy, and a couple days of fair is fair stupidity for him not having "thanked the troops" in his convention speech. Obviously there is more to come...but "Continually making yourself look bad" makes the turnaround a lot harder. Oh, and it's also worth noting...mid-September was basically when the last Republican candidate doomed himself, with the insane "I'll suspend my campaign (but all it really means is I'm not going on Letterman)" stunt.

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 02:39 PM) I think he might just really be dumb and/or just wanted to generate some attention (he seems like that type). I don't think he's a leader in that locker room. If it was Briggs/Urlacher/Peppers/Forte, I would be more inclined to think they were trying to ensure Jay got the message. Crossed my mind as well, but also think how much bigger of a story "Urlacher calls out Cutler" would have been.

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 01:25 PM) Frankly, I think that this is total baloney. DJ Moore is just making things worse with his comments. He should just handled it internally and not added fuel to the fire. I also don't think what Jay did was all that startling. Jay Cutler should be criticized for being a slightly above average, sometimes miserable, starting QB. On Thursday he was getting on a guy, trying to fire him up. When Tom Brady/Rodgers/Brees do the same thing, we all love their competitive spirit. The media is highlighting this episode because it fits the "Jay Cutler is an butt hole and a bad teammate" narrative. You should never put your hands on another guy, but the rest is a non-issue. You're correct, DJ Moore should have handled this internally. As should Jay Cutler at the time. But now that it's out there, I'm left wondering what Moore was thinking. Either...he's just really dumb and didn't know how this would be percieved, or he knew exactly how it would be perceived and wanted to make sure Jay got the message.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:44 AM) They started the strike on the pretense that they wanted a pay raise. The CPS has given them what they want on that end, but the delegates are refusing to OK the agreement because they also want the extra stuff - reduced class sizes, no school closings, teacher transfer priority, etc. But 10 posts up I was just told that all the other issues other than the pay raise were distractions and the union really didn't care about them. THat's what I challenged in the first place.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:42 AM) Apples and oranges. Banning child labor and sweat shops and reducing class sizes by 3-5 students are two entirely different things. Unions were needed when coal towns raped their workers in every possible way. That never happens now because of the massive shift in labor laws in this country. Unions now are just as corrupt as the employers they are negotiating with.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:39 AM) The difference between the two is the Chicago teachers aren't allowed to strike because of economic reasons. They had to make up other things to "justify" their strike. Apparently Lake Forest has no such restrictions. Wait, that sounds like the opposite of everything that's been said here? Everything I've raid says that the strike has to be about payroll and that they can't strike over "Class sizes and evaluations", so to deal with the toher issues they have to have payroll issues included. Am I wrong?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:31 AM) This is a completely different argument now. There was once a use for such unions, that use no longer exists.And again, if you can't see that, it's because you're sticking your head in the sand purposefully. Businesses CANNOT and would not, in this country, get away with 7 day work weeks, no-child labor laws, etc...all illegal now, with or without unions. No, it really isn't. You've basically now said that unions are being honest when they fight for things you deem to be useful, like child labor laws, but being disingenuous when they fight for things like fair evaluations for teachers or reduced class sizes. If "Reduced class sizes" and "Better teaching conditions in Chicago Schools" come out of this as a side-benefit of the Unions pretending to argue in favor of that, then the Unions have done a pretty good thing and been incredibly useful. Why do you think those things are illegal?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:26 AM) This was a stupid counter argument. I base it on the fact that this is EXACTLY what unions do via collective bargaining, over and over. You don't need to be a mind reader to see it, either, you just have to open your eyes, which you've shown you won't do with that ridiculous post. And right there we have a good summary. None of the other benefits workers have ever gotten are important. 5 day work week? Child labor laws? Improving classroom conditions? All disingenuous and you have no right to thank unions for any of those, you should be thanking the generous people who granted those benefits. They're the good guys. Unions are just greedy and out for money, totally unlike anyone else.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:13 AM) The only thing the CPS teachers are trying to do is get more money, be it in the form of direct compensation, or added benefits/pension benefits, the same exact thing the LF teachers are doing. The difference, however, is the LF teachers aren't trying to disguise that fact...they're just saying give us more. The CPS teachers are using these added benefits for the students, which would be nice, to achieve their primary goal, and that's better benefits/more money for themselves...they don't actually care about the other stuff, though. They just realize that by tying it all together, strengthens their other positions. I have no sympathy for any of them. You have some impressive telepathic abilities to know for certain from the minds of the teachers that the evaluation stuff and class size stuff are simply unimportant. How many mind-melds did you need to conduct to establish this? Is your selected population statistically significant?

iphone5 shipping dates get pushed back, presumably because of large demand.

Mother Jones may be milking this for a while. More segments of video today, this time discussing Israel/Palestine, Iran, and Obama's personality:

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 17, 2012 -> 05:32 PM) Isn't a significant portion of the non-FIT payers made up of the elderly? A lot of versions of the answer are floating around this morning. Here's a graph.