Balta1701

The Department of Justice has filed its case in the big BP oil spill lawsuit. This is the part where the law explicitly states that the company owes the government a certain amount of money for every barrel spilled, which could total about $20 billion in this case.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 04:29 PM) For the White Sox sake, I hope Santana never fully heals and we don't have two of the best catchers in the league playing vs. us all season. I'm gonna have to disagree, for baseball's sake. Just like when I wasn't mad when the Twins signed Mauer, I'll allow myself to be disappointed if a kid implodes for whatever reason, even on a rival, because if a guy is truly an incredible, one in a generation talent at a position...I want to see him play.

QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 04:31 PM) Anyone have an idea on how much Grant Balfour would command money wise, he could be the RH setup man we are lacking. Right now, $4 million seems like the going rate for relief pitchers.

The Senate has accepted a motion to begin debate on the new START treaty. It passed with 66 votes in favor, 32 against. 9 Republicans voted to begin debate on the treaty. 1 Democrat failed to vote, Evan Bayh of Indiana. For the treaty to pass, it needs 67 votes; the current 66 + Bayh, with no losses amongst the Republicans who voted in favor of it. That would be by far the narrowest margin of passage of any of the START treaties, and probably by far the narrowest margin of any arms control treaty.

Let me put it another way...I think most of those same descriptors could be applied to Justin Smoak, right? 23 year old, switch hitter, put up a .930 OPS as a 22 year old in AA, top level prospect. Yeah, I'm sure you can give me reasons why Santana is more valuable...he's a catcher, etc, but realize this... Justin Smoak was traded for 2 months of Cliff Lee. You get 2 years of Greinke if you trade for him now. Why should the Royals accept anything less than a player at that level?

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 03:51 PM) Would UHC be similarly Unconstitutional under this ruling? No, because rather than mandating a purchase, the government would be itself providing a service paid for through a tax (although if you follow this judge's logic, taxes are unconstitutional if you don't call them taxes in your public statements).

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 03:44 PM) Whoa! Just caught this. Santana? That would be like the Giants being open to trading Posey. Santana is a monster and isn't going anywhere. Isn't that what the Royals should basically want if they're trading Greinke?

Really glad I took the conversation in this path

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 03:35 PM) It's completely obvious. She's saying that inactivity which MIGHT later lead to activity effects instate commerce. She's changing the standard from "demonstrable effect on interstate commerce" to "any conceivable potential effect on interstate commerce." Somehow she's saying this judge got it wrong because he got the law wrong even though she clearly doesn't apply the law correctly. But there is no written legal opinion which sets the standard as "Demonstrable effect on insterstate commerce" as you just wrote it. The correct standard is "Necessary and proper to the regulation of interstate commerce". Your wording is substantially more strict than the constitution.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 03:33 PM) I'm not seeing much analysis of the decision here. Probably because it is such a gray area. Isn't that what we've been doing for the last page?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 03:28 PM) Anyone thinking that Kenny Williams' saying this and then it being used as a slogan isn't just a big marketing ploy is foolish. The Sox aren't going to change much drastically from where they are right now. There will be a few non-roster invitees to Spring Training, we'll hear how one has awesome "stuff" and then hope someone can get outs in a pretty bad bullpen until Peavy gets back. Really, I disagree with the concept that this is a "pretty bad bullpen". Compared to last year, I feel like it's lost exactly 1 piece of value, Putz, who was ridiculous May through July and bad and hurt in August. Who else have we subtracted? Jenks, Linebrink, and the combination of Threets/Williams. Jenks and Linebrink were at best bad, at worst terrible. The other guys in last year's bullpen...Thornton, Santos, Pena, and Sale, are all still there, and they're likely to be joined by Infante. That means...the Sox bullpen is thin on bodies right now, but it's gotten thin by pulling out the garbage. Re-inserting garbage really won't make it worse. And remember, this was still the #5 bullpen in the AL in ERA last year (#1-4 made the playoffs). The weakness right now is that we have to replace some very good innings by Putz. Frankly, that may already have happened, if either Infante performs, Pena pulls his career out of the gutter, or Santos grows into a solid 2nd year pitcher.

Have you actually made an argument against that logic rather than just swearing at it?

For one more, here's a summary of an early 20th century decision by the Court on how the government could require people to be subject to things like vaccinations even though declining to participate was not engaging in the activity.

Again, you're surprised?

Let me switch constitutional law professors here.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 03:01 PM) "Purchases" being the key. And that's the big difference - saying you can't purchase X versus you MUST purchase X. Let me ask this...where in the constitution do we get the concept that the commerce clause's power ends at the point where it requires purchase of a product? You've granted that the Congress has a right to ban products, which is something not explicitly given by the constitution. The only way this judge was able to write his decision was to basically throw out the necessary and proper clause, such that he could say that Congress didn't have the authority to come up with laws regulating interstate commerce that aren't specifically allowed by the constitution. The judge himself couldn't make the argument that you're trying to make if he admitted that the Congress had a right to make laws that it deems necessary to regulating interstate commerce. If Congress has the authority to write laws necessary and proper to the regulation of interstate commerce, then Congress is fully within its rights to require purchase of a particular product.

To elaborate...here is the direct quote from the judge's decision. Legal precedent for the necessary and proper clause has in fact done the exact opposite. Whether or not the commerce clause directly gives the government the right to require (or ban you) you to purchase a product, the Necessary and Proper clause is generally believed to expand the government's power to give it the authority to make laws that, as long as they don't violate something else in the constitution, enable it to regulate interstate commerce. This judge's opinion basically renders the necessary and proper clause powerless.

Vikings ask their fans to help shovel out the stadium.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 02:37 PM) Like? (ignoring criminal things) Things that the federal government declares to be criminal purchases are a fully appropriate precedent.

The government infringes on your freedom to buy and not to buy things all the time.

Here's our annual study of how guns pouring across the Mexican border from Texas are fueling the violence in that country.

Tex, the short and medium term interest rates right now are still at near record lows, and a huge chunk of the money spent on interest right now is being paid to the federal reserve which owns the bonds, and thus just puts money right back into the government.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 02:15 PM) Ok, call it what you want, but I think Chris Sale will do a great job in the rotation if he takes Floyd's spot, and Gardner will be an obvious improvement over Carlos Quentin. I think we overall get better with that trade, and that's not even mentioning Austin Romine. I think Sale would do well also. I've gotten the impression that Sale will be in the rotation on opening day, taking Peavy's role, and that leaves you weakening your bullpen, with only 4 starting pitchers if Peavy isn't there. Lucas Harrell taking up 10 starts is not all-in.

Senate passes bill, 81-19.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 02:08 PM) Why is it so bad that he would play minor league ball for a year and a half? To my knowledge he is only like 21 years old. But I would really hope Kenny could get Romine and Gardner for something like Floyd and Quentin. Dumping a guy from our current rotation who isn't all that expensive for a guy who won't be an integral part of your team until 2013 isn't even close to what I'd call going "All in". It's what I'd call "rebuilding".