Texsox

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 08:49 PM) Adding in the endorsement deals does make it a BIT more intriguing...but I still would never consider it a wise investment. There is some room in a portfolio for high risk, high reward, investments. But it would be a small amount for me and I would need some connection to the player, not some random guy.

From my untrained eye, it seems that 100 years ago it took more capital, today it takes a good idea. In other words, we've moved from capital driving success to ideas driving success, and by extension, jobs.

SS, this is more your area, but in your opinion, has the economy changed fundementaly between Carnegie and US Steel and Tumblr?

BTW, how will Republican* birthers react to Ted Cruz for President?

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 11:17 AM) they will make that back when they get control of healthcare by denying benefits to old people and end of life care. Which party? The one that likes to give people things (not denying anything), or the one that likes to leave people's income in their pockets instead of taxing them? It's kind of the same argument I have about social security. Which party will let the system collapse? And my answer is always, neither one.

Which is a roundabout way back to my point. For job creation, I believe we ought to be reducing taxes on the middle class and begin increasing on the wealthiest. The best bang for the buck is having a middle class spending more money.

So no answer? Can we collect more in taxes? Can we spend less? Or is the size of the deficit the most important thing? Should the deficit be higher? Should it be higher by spending more or collecting less?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 12:58 PM) Yes, but to be fair, I'm dubious of everything. Which is appreciated. Now how many middle class folks start and maintain businesses of less than say 50 employees versus those that go on to be mega employers? Without any research, my guess is the real job creators in this economy are middle class folks that start and keep running small businesses. If we put more money in the middle class pockets it will create more jobs than concentrating it with the rich.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 10:28 AM) I have friends like this, too, but they have like 1 employee...so I wouldn't call them prolific job creators. You were the one dubious of my claim that the companies I worked for were started by middle class owners.

So which number is critical, the amount we can collect in taxes, the amount we spend, or the amount of the deficit? In other words, Do we have to collect only the amount we collect, or could be collect more? Do we have to spend everything that we spend? Do we have to run a deficit or if we could increase A while decreasing B and eliminating C?

Good point, I was forgetting that.

OK, how about Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Apple, etc. Where there founders rich or middle class?

Since I was in management and in a couple cases friends with them before they started the companies, I am positive they were middle class. The two companies I worked for the longest were both started by middle class guys. Chuck and Art worked as sales reps in the same industry before striking out on their own. Their initial investment was being able to work a year without drawing a paycheck and a $125,000 line of credit against their homes. Jim worked his way up in the company to President before buying the company. He was living in the same house outside Milwaukee he and his wife bought as newlyweds. Three bedroom with a detached garage. He drove a 10 year old pick up most days, his kids attended UW-M. I was barely middle class when I started my companies. The Boy Scouts of America were started by an insurance agent from Chicago who happened to meet a Scout in London while on a trip. I'm also thinking of friends that have their own companies, two in lawn maintenance who started with less than $10,000 in capital.

The other area we could look at is what drugs are available over the counter. Down here many people self medicate by visiting pharmacies in Mexico for what we could consider basic drugs.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 22, 2013 -> 08:04 AM) How many poor people have you worked for? How many middle class people have you worked for? All have been middle class at best.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 03:38 PM) Nice spin. Spin it back for me. Who are the middle class job creators? We are claiming that the wealthy create jjobs for people. Someone here point out the wealthy person that created their job and when was it done.

With golf, poker, tennis, there is individual prize money to be earned. That makes those investments more straightforward and viable. Without guaranteed money, those people without a stake can't get a steak.

Just so I am clear, Jenks, Alpha, and SS2k5 all believe McJobs and working at Walmart are the examples of job creation we should slash taxes to get. Would Walmart or McDonalds try to get by with less staff if the owner's taxes were higher? What if it meant that the middle class would be paying less taxes and spending that money at McD and WalMart?

Jerry is picking up the dinner tab next time he sees someone from Liberty Media* *This would be a better comment if Ted Turner still owned the team, damn corporations

Build a budget on $10 per hour jobs. $20,000 per year. $1,666 per month gross. Knock off a couple hundred for taxes, social security, etc and you are looking at $1,400. Can you survive? You see some people with smartphones, but they are probably living at home with someone who is paying their rent, etc. Are those jobs really as good as the factory jobs of 115 years ago?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 02:37 PM) Hawk is gonna sell Abreu so hard. I tell ya, Stony, this kid has chance to be a MONSTER. The sound it makes off this kid's bat... I say the best three right-handed hitters we've seen over the last twenty years are TheBigHurtFrankThomas, Manny Ramirez, and Miguel Cabrera -- this guy has a chance to be as good as ALL OF EM. Dead on.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 01:25 PM) Do people really think this move is gonna help sell tickets? Your average fan will probably have never even heard of Abreu. Yes. It keeps the Sox in the news. It is a signal the team isn't accepting 2013 and will make bold moves. What was the marketing going to be without a major signing? "These Kids Can Play"? You can only do so much around Sale. The fact that the average fan hasn't heard of Abreu is actually a positive. What the average fan will know about Abreu is what the team tells the average fan. He is THE GREATEST SLUGGER In CUBA!! The NEXT CABRERA!! BONDS!! Buy tickets now before they are all sold out. Season ticket holders have a glimmer of hope and perhaps the cancellation rate lowers a notch or two. Or they could market buying tickets to see Konerko, Dunn, Beckham, Ramirez, Phegley,

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 01:43 PM) The hole in your logic is that Sam Walton has created millions and millions of more jobs than Carnegie, Rockefeller, Rothschild, or anyone else of that era. Actually. that may add to my point. Walton has added millions of low paying jobs that families cannot live on while driving local companies out of business. Finally, to achieve "always low prices" they are sourcing more and more products overseas. Walton's success was not a win-win for himself and the US.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Oct 21, 2013 -> 12:19 PM) ...and speaking on this thread, this is actually a very interesting subject. I know quite a few people that view me as rich, and I'm really not, but it would be impossible to convince them of that. In comparison, it may appear that way, but a lot of the reality behind it is overlooked. First, my wife is a stay at home mom, we have two kids, etc. Outside of my mortgage, I have no debt. Now, an interesting thing about Facebook, Twitter, and other such social media is it allows us to do is silently observe people. It doesn't take long for me to realize why I'm viewed as rich because I always seem to have money, while they view themselves as poor. All one needs to do is look at their timeline to see where they spend all their money ... which is eating out seemingly EVERY DAY. The last place I ate out at was Buffalo Wild Wings...29$. Meanwhile, I see picture after picture of these "poor" people at Blackhawks games, Bears games, restaurants, etc... Yes, I'm rich then. Because I don't spend more than I make. The worst part ... when your success is attributed to luck. Yes, my company pays me what they pay me because I'm lucky. That's what it is. Guilty as charged. In my twenties and thierties I was making very nice money and spending even more. If I received a $10,000 raise, I would spend $15,000. Stupid. Now I earn, and spend way less, but have more money

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 20, 2013 -> 02:30 PM) When did this actually happen? 2005, the Orioles' offer was about $4,000,000 higher than the Sox offer.