southsider2k5

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 08:27 PM) I agree. So you're now willing to support my government run healthcare plan. I accept your apology. We already have a government run pension plan that sucks, why not a government run health care plan that falls woefully short... Oh wait, we have that too. Nope. The government still falls short of the private sector in both of those areas, dispite the shortfalls in those areas.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 08:37 PM) Here's the issue with that...almost all of those other factories have started within the past 20 years or less. If I were to compare the number of retirees they have per vehicle produced that they have to cover, they are naturally going to be dramatically lower than the number for a factory that has been operating for 50+ years, because very few of the people originally hired will have worked to retirement age. And given that health care expenditures also rise dramatically as people begin to retire, there is every reason to expect that those same plants will in the future have to assume substantially more costs as their workers approach retirement and have their health care costs go up and begin to actually draw on their retirement plans. Basically, your argument there is that we can just have the companies go out of business every 30-40 years or so when their health care costs get too high, and no one will mind having a large new number of uninsured elderly folks out there, because Medicare will take care of that. The assumption that their legacy costs will even be close is faulty. The people working for the Japanese auto plants in the US don't get NEARLY the benefits, hence their $25 per hour wage advantage over the US workers.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 09:03 PM) Hell, it's even cold here. 32 right now, chance of sleet tonight, and wind chills near 10. Wow. That is minimally different than our forecast. In the Trib today they said that this is the 9th coldest December in the 129 years they have been keep records in Chicago.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 09:07 PM) When you count the arbitration costs and the holds for other people you make up about 1/2 that margin. It's also worth noting that they might decide to put together an extension for Q or Alexei or perhaps one of the other youngins to take advantage of the down market environment by offering them security at this point when security has added value. Good thinking... Maybe even a John Danks extension?

QUOTE (quickman @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 08:42 PM) fathom seriously, this whole climate of economics is changing by the day. Another 50k jobs just got whacked today. Everyday there will be more. This is the time to go young. believe me I hate all this young crap, but it makes excellent business sense. JR is smart. By the way didn't he make his money in realestate, banking? Both of those suck. Just saying. The NFL just laid off 150 workers... Not a team, the NFL itself. The league that is the most financially successful of all sports...

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 08:29 PM) I'll gladly trade my wife for Jessica Alba...it's not going to happen. Thankfully Alba has a full no trade clause.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 08:25 PM) Which is of course why the Japanese companies are bailing out their automakers right now to keep their heads above water during this downturn. Oh...wait... Which is exactly where that extra $2000 a person that is costs to pay a US autoworker would come in handy, wouldn't it. But then again we don't seem to have a problem when a Japanese company undercuts our works, just American ones.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 04:04 PM) I hate this time of year in Chicago. Go to work in the dark, go home in the dark. Cold and wet. Crappy crappy. Preach it brother...

QUOTE (Texsox @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 05:26 PM) How do we know they are such a huge risk? Different banks are more comfortable, or less, lending in different industries. Could this just be BoA is not strong in manufacturing? I know plenty of business owners that spend a great deal of time finding lenders familiar with their industries.Just ask anyone in Ag how it goes when they need capital and LoC. A company in the construction and home improvement industries during the biggest drop in home prices in American history... Nah, they couldn't be a credit risk

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 05:36 PM) This is why any bailout of the auto industry (which I'd rather see not happen at all) would NEED to require these imbeciles to step down. Does he really think that gas will stay at $1.50? And has it not occurred to him that as the economy stengthens, and people buy more cars, that gas prices will also rise, and they will want more FUEL EFFICIENT cars? Idiot. They don't care about fuel effecient, they care about profits. The US automakers made something like 10k off of each of the large SUVs and 5k off of the small ones. They lost money on the small cars. They could give a s*** less about fuel economy. THat doesn't make money.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 03:04 PM) CHICAGO � Bank of America says it will extend credit to a Chicago window and door maker whose workers have occupied the factory for five days. The bank said Tuesday that it's willing to give the Republic Windows and Doors factory "a limited amount of additional loans." That's so it can resolve claims of employees who have staged a sit-in since Friday. The factory closed Friday after Bank of America canceled its financing. Workers were given three days' notice. But they refused to leave and vowed to stay there until receiving assurances they would receive severance and accrued vacation pay. The bank has been criticized for cutting off the plant's credit after taking federal bailout money. Brilliant. We get into this mess by extending credit in places where we shouldn't so when someone does something about it, the bank is forced into extending credit to a company in an industry that is falling apart. That's fixing the problem.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...8&fext=.jsp

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 02:02 PM) I will grant you those points, but without advocating personally for a pardon for Ryan...you do at least understand why a politician might want to make a statement by requesting one for him after his leaving-office death penalty commutations I hope. Its nice and all, but the work he did in office shouldn't excuse his illegal activities. The first part was doing his job to the best of his ability, which is what we were paying him for after all. The illegal part, not so much.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 01:43 PM) Can you name anything done by Blago that would be worthy of a pardon, unlike the other one? I don't think either of them are worthy of s***. Break the public trust and go to jail. Being a public official should hold you to a higher standard, not a lower one. Ryan needs to serve his term.

Apparently Dick Durbin is calling for a special election... So kick one corrupt gov out of office, and pardon the other one? Ummm OK.

My oldest who just turned three, refused to go near Santa, and instead stood about 10 feet away and shouted her list at him.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/o...ends-appraisal/

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 10:19 AM) People say you can tell a man's character by what he says/does when he thinks no one's looking: Wow. How completely Nixon-esque.

Milton Bradley on this team? Hell if Swish couldn't survive here, how would Bradley? No thanks.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 09:10 AM) i'm telling you that i work in the financial services industry and partner with this bank in many of my corporate/municipal lendings with AAA rated credits for equipment lending. These are the cream of the crop lendings with perfect payment history. Think some of the largest and safest entities here in Illinois. I, as well as my industry colleagues, are being told that this bank has been frozen in lending since October and wont un-freeze until post 1/1. This is due to other areas of the bank, who was heavily invested in mortgages and consumer finance bleeding $ like crazy. A lending freeze doesn't necesarily mean they have money to lend, even if they are bringing in a lot of deposits. With the effect of SOX on capital ratios, they may still not have money to lend, due to the still falling valuations of their assets.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 05:06 AM) In Cowley's latest report, he has a major league source tell him don't be surprised to see Freddy back with the Sox if this latest problem goes away, so it is official. Scratch Freddy off the potential #5 starter list. If he is healthy, I would love to have him back. If not, forget it.

Wow. If he is involved in corrupt activity to replace Obama, he might be the planet's biggest idiot. How could you think it would be a smart idea to pull a stunt WHEN THE ENTIRE WORLD IS WATCHING YOU? He deserves whatever he gets, and probably more.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Dec 8, 2008 -> 09:09 PM) i will let you know that I know of a large bank in the Midwest, who has naming rights on an MLB stadium, who received a butt-load of $ in the bailout plan who has not changed their lending freeze that's been in place since October. Doesn't matter who the customer is, consumer, municipal, corporate, etc. Executive management won't decide on who/what to lend to until post January 1st at the earliest. at the same point, banks are taking in deposits at a record level. Thus the extremly low rate of returns in CD's, Money Markets and Savings Accounts. So at the end of the day, their is a ton of capital that is available to be leant (either by consumer deposits or via bailout plan) that are sitting in the banks and not moving. Are you telling me that you know this bank's capital ratios? Do you know their asset valuations on the books to know that they really have capital that they could lend?

QUOTE (juddling @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 06:01 AM) a bit more about the upcoming season.....Lost The reference to the Stand really piqued my curiousity.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 9, 2008 -> 05:10 AM) Considering KW's MO is "under the radar", Dye's availability and rumored destinations have been anything but. KW said he considered JD a friend and respects him greatly, I just wonder why he'd have him twisting like that. Its kind of strange. You mean not lying to him? Kenny has said he would trade his own son if he thought it made his team better. Why would Dye be any different? To me it sounds like Kenny has just told him exactly what is going on. As for the leaks to the press, it is a large assumption that somehow Kenny is responsible for them, after all there are at least two parties privy to any set of trade negotations, not to mention how many people each party brings to the table. If there is a leak on the other side somewhere, Williams can't really be held responsible for that.