Posted on 02/10/2009 3:18:25 AM PST by earmarksrus
After reading about Obama's press conference on the stimulus package, I thought did he hit a home run with the press corps?
Some of the highlights (not necessarily in the order) of the press conference:
Number two is that although there are some programs in there that I think are good policy, some of them aren't job creators. I think it's perfectly legitimate to say that those programs should be out of this particular recovery package and we can deal with them later. But when they start characterize something as pork without acknowledging that there are no earmarks in this package, something, again, that was pretty rare over the last eight years, then you get a feeling that maybe we're playing politics instead of actually trying to solve problems for the American people.
On kids and Alex Rodriguez:
Our kids, hopefully, are watching and saying 'You know what? There are no short cuts.' That when you try to take short cuts, you may end up tarnishing your entire career. And your integrity's not worth it," he said.
Home run, stimulus package, Alex Rodriguez, stimulus package, home run, stimulus package.
This got me thinking about baseball, apple pie, and a Field of Dreams.
What were the chances of Obama hitting a home run in his press conference? They were pretty damn good.
Baseball and American Pie
We all know that baseball is big in America and baseball is as American as apple pie. So it should come as no surprise that large amounts of federal dollars are being asked to go to install astro-turf on baseball fields, build concession stands, etc, etc.
Because baseball is as American as apple pie, I have to ask, why are we contemplating spending millions of dollars for baseball fields in Puerto Rico.
How does this stimulate the economy? Is the federal government looking out 10 years in hopes of a baseball franchise opportunity in Puerto Rico?
Acquire Properties for properties city baseball stadium Cost $15,000,000.00
New Mini Baseball Stadium at AGUILITA Ward. Cost $2,000,000.00
Construction of 12 baseball parks to serve 12 communities townwide. Cost $600,000.00
To steal a pharse from Garrett Morris playing a Dominican baseball player named Chico Escuela; "baseball been berra berra good to me". But instead of me, make that Obama.
Wait, make that basketball. I forgot, Obama likes to play basketball jones and travels a bit when talking about the truth when it comes to pork and dreams.
A Field of Bad Dreams
Obama through his campaign talked about dreams. He talked about an era of responsibility. And in this press conference, he blends semantics with lawyer speak in his stories to gloss over the fact that this stimulus bill's financial numbers are built on pork.
I found it interesting Obama brought in kids when he talked about A Rod and short cuts. That is precisely what Obama has done through his political career. He has taken short cuts. And he is taking short cuts on stimulating the economy.
But what I also find interesting in the stimulus package is that we are teaching are children to no longer dream big, because kids today are being taught that there are short cuts to life.
They can have many things now.
As a kid growing up, my friends and I would go around the neighborhood getting a few friends to play a game of baseball at the school baseball field. We would take rakes to clean out the rocks and we would use what ever was handy as bases.
There was a clear disconnect between our reality and professional baseball. Our ball fields back then didn't have astro-turf, concession stands and other amenities that copied professional baseball.
But today, for some reason, many people like Obama are compelled to spend money in a manner that short cuts the dream of many aspiring young kids who want to play professional sports by building baseball parks like the professionals.
Unfortunately, it isn't until baseball fields are built like the professional ones, will many parents go to see their kids play.
And for that, we will reap what we sow. Professional sports players like A Rod and others.
teaching our children
Excellent.
What a shame you Yanks don’t play Cricket. It is a much better sport than baseball, and you’d be good at it.
On kids and Alex Rodriguez:
Our kids, hopefully, are watching and saying ‘You know what? There are no short cuts.’ That when you try to take short cuts, you may end up tarnishing your entire career. And your integrity’s not worth it,” he said.
From a man whose life has been one shortcut after another...
We find it excruciatingly boring to watch. I say this as someone who has spent some time in OZ and NZ. Even our elites, who prefer soccer to American football, haven’t been able to drum up any enthusiasm for cricket.
> We find it excruciatingly boring to watch. I say this as someone who has spent some time in OZ and NZ. Even our elites, who prefer soccer to American football, haven’t been able to drum up any enthusiasm for cricket.
To be fair, it took me nearly a decade to get “into” the Cricket — it was boring to watch and difficult to understand (I’m an immigrant originally from Canada, used to Ice Hockey).
I eventually got used to it — this involved understanding the game itself as well as its “culture”, because it does carry a very strong culture that isn’t obvious. This was achieved with the help of long hot summer days, knowledgeable patient mates, and plenty of ice-cold beer.
And then one day I had a turn defending the wicket.
It is then that I realized that each time the bowler bowls, the batsman stands an excellent chance at getting maimed or killed: the cricket ball is much heavier than a baseball, and it will bounce at the batsman and his wicket from any direction. The bowler gives it a wicked spin and the batsman has no real idea where the ball is until the last second — unlike baseball it can be anywhere, and if it hit the batsman, too bad!
More than that, anybody on the field stands an excellent chance of getting maimed or killed each time the batsman hits the ball: because he will do so, with a heavy willow bat, in ANY direction. More like a heavy 2x4 than a light baseball bat.
The fielders catch his fast, heavy ball WITHOUT GLOVES. And then they throw it hard at the wicket, where the batsmen are trying to run...
So what appeared at first to be a boring game was, in fact, an exceedingly dangerous game played without much protective gear in slow motion, one move at a time.
There is now several variations of the game, to make the games shorter. A test match can take a WHOLE WEEK. There is also now one-day games and limited-overs games, and they are much faster paced.
It does taking getting used to, and probably playing, before anyone would take it up in the US. I think someone over there should.
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