Balta1701

QUOTE (Felix @ Nov 24, 2010 -> 08:43 AM) The Timberwolves played the Lakers closer than the Bulls in L.A. And we were missing Luke Ridnour, Martell Webster, Wayne Ellington and Jonny Flynn (all of whom might not be great players, but are far better than the alternatives that were in the game instead.. Mo Ager? Lazar Hayward? Sebastian Telfair?). Just saying. Clearly, this means the Timberwolves are a better team than the Bulls? Unless it's possible for a good team to play down to the level of its opponent sometimes.

A qualifier onto the last post...if we were to hypothetically eliminate the minimum wage, that doesn't mean illegal immigration wouldn't exist. It might somewhat cut it...but really, it's not just the low wage, it's the combination of low wages and job conditions.

That worked for about 33 minutes.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 09:20 PM) The NBA having a lockout doesn't necessarily mean they're going to miss games. If it gets to the point that the doors lock, I'd be surprised if there were any meetings between the lockout starting and the start of training camp. If the owners don't get what they want, they're going to try to break the union again, and they know that the players aren't good enough at saving their money to survive not having regular paychecks.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 24, 2010 -> 08:18 AM) No one is saying SoxTalk is somehow preternatural in identifying trades, or that there isn't a lot of bulls*** here. What we are saying - and its 100% true - is that there are multiple people on this board with inside sources within the Sox, and their inside info has been posted here and then verified multiple times in the past. And yes, at times, the board has gotten local or even national press attention for it. And...just like a lot of the national guys...this board has also been wrong about things too.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 08:48 PM) Albert Belle was probably the last one and that was a while ago. I'd say Konerko in the fall of 05 was a big signing of an unrestricted FA.

Something I thought worth noting...about $7 billion in corn ethanol subsidies come due for renewal at the end of the year. If Congress does not actively renew them, they end. Several Republican senators are making noise about letting them do just that. This of course puts them in the position of having to oppose powerful agricultural state interests.

Perhaps I should have ducked.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 05:58 PM) Which is exactly what I am worried about. We are watching economies all over the world self-destruct because of debt. How people can ignore it here and now is beyond me. Because saying "They're self-destructing because of debt" is as accurate as saying "They're self-destructing because people tried to own land!"

I like the flow chart. Obama Outlines Moral, Philosophical Justifications For Turkey Pardon

Not going to know which bullet is the real one.

Let's shoot them.

Just because you think you're in a great gun state doesn't mean you are. I don't think it's yet legal for you to use the roof of a bar for target practice.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 05:30 PM) Just wanted to point out Balta citing a right-wing hack tank. That is all I figured that if I used a Heritage estimate, I was looking at the top level line, from a place that wants to put a multi-trillion pricetag on immigration reform so that it's done the way they like.

QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 05:26 PM) What act? The only place I read about that is here and it's from the same "sources" every time. I don't buy it. AJ shows up and plays baseball. The only thing I care about is putting down the fingers, blocking balls in the dirt, and hitting a little bit. AJ does all three, but I think because he does it with fire and a little bit of flair people ride him harder. It's unfair IMO. No, some of us ride him harder because he spent most of last season hitting like Brian Anderson.

Hmmmm, I think you and I need to switch states.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 05:23 PM) You want to add millions of people to the roles, most of whom won't contribute anything of merit to the system, and don't think total debt will change? I don't blame you for not wanting to defend that thesis. Oh come on Mike, you know full well that the rest of us can play the same game. "You want to keep spending tens of billions of dollars a year on enforcement while still keeping tens of millions of people locked in a cycle where they're not recognized by the law, and you don't think that the total debt will change"? Reality is..."whether it costs you $2 trillion or you gain $1 trillion depends a lot on how you structure your legalization setup."

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 05:04 PM) He suggested a much better idea in figuring out how to get Steve Nash. I'm not sure they could pull that off as easily as Gilbert though (I also saw the post on this). Bah, even with that large expiring deal they'd have no shot at him. Since teams have no idea what the CBA will look like next year, the Suns aren't going to trade Nash for an expiring unless they get a good haul back in exchange.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 05:07 PM) Great, now tell me what the debt service is now, and how much would be added by adding everyone in the country illegally. According to the Heritage foundation, if you include every potential cost, assume that people who are here and who are already 67 take OASDI, that there are no regulations regarding how they qualify for government assistance, about $35 billion/year. Unlike ballooning OASDI costs due to the baby boom however, that number should stay pretty close to the rate of inflation, because there isn't a retirement baby boom coming in that population. If we're going to be fully rigorous about the math though, then we need to start taking into account the $20 billion+ currently being spent on enforcement along the southern border, the extra revenue those workers would bring through taxation, and the economic stimulus that would come about by allowing that population to suddenly declare that it exists economically. Frankly, at this point, the costs and benefits that people have estimated, making reasonable assumptions, are somewhere within the margin of error of each other. Projected over 20 years, those margins of error become things like "$1 trillion costs!" or "$2 trillion saved!"

Don't forget to drink your ovaltine.

QUOTE (fathom @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 05:04 PM) AJP for 7-8 million would have been an atrocious contract. I'm happy to see them looking elsewhere or trying to get him for cheaper. Yeah, that's the biggest point. Someone else may offer AJ that kind of money...but in our situation, he's not worth that to us right now.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 04:24 PM) Anchor babies are a huge part of the strategy in this. The whole "we can't break up families" tactic has been a cornerstone of legalization. You say that as though "Legalization" is an obviously dirty word.

Bad thing, colds are.

QUOTE (South Side Fireworks Man @ Nov 23, 2010 -> 04:10 PM) As long as we don't go into the season with Flowers or Castro as the starting catcher. AJ at $5M per year for a couple of years would be fine by me. Or maybe more like $4.5M per year for two years with a team option for a third year with a $1M buy out. What options do we have when someone else offers AJ $7/year.

Zip that sweater.