The Rings of Giuliani

NY Times ^ | May 12, 2007 | Jim Dwyer

[jdm]

Rudolph W. Giuliani, who after deep reflection has concluded that he is the best qualified person in America to be president, now owns four gold World Series rings, which, if hit hard enough with a hammer, would yield about 100 diamonds, some of them a half-carat in size.

The rings were created by the New York Yankees baseball team to commemorate their championships from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Giuliani says he bought them fair and square for a total of $16,000 — “I paid precisely what anyone else would pay” — and that he scored the baubles only after he left office.

Well.

Actually, he could not have paid what anyone else would pay because the team does not sell the rings to anyone. The whole point of World Series rings is that they cannot be bought.

***snip***

During Mr. Giuliani’s last years in office and into 2002, the team tried to get out of about $3.5 million in rent by shaving the revenue it reported for concessions, ticket sales and cable income, and by trying to claim deductions for money it owed to Major League Baseball. These maneuvers were spotted by the office of City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr.

***snip***

The rings and free tickets are a reminder of a quality that overtook his administration in its final years: the common human fallacy of infallibility. Whatever good guys did was, by definition, good. We do it, therefore, it’s O.K.

[The Worthless Miracle]

This will be the defining issue of the 2008 election.

[elizabetty]

This will be the defining issue of the 2008 election.

What, the character of the candidates? I certainly hope so.

[decal]

“Rudolph W. Giuliani, who after deep reflection has concluded that he is the best qualified person in America to be president, now owns four gold World Series rings, which, if hit hard enough with a hammer, would yield about 100 diamonds, some of them a half-carat in size.”

How many will he give to his eventual running-mate, that lifelong Yankees fan HRH Clinton?

[calcowgirl]

Crosslink to other article you posted—a must read, IMO.

Lots more detail on the gifts and non-disclosure.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1831151/posts

Rudy: The Yankees’ Clean-Up Man [long, but interesting read]
Village Voice ^ | May 8, 2007 | Wayne Barrett
Posted on 05/09/2007 10:14:15 PM PDT by jdm