TR Would like to thank the Green Bay Packers for participating in the 2008 NFL Season

Please take your commemorative Lombardi trophy and Super Bowl collectors programs and have a nice off-season (just make sure you beat the Lions should they be 0-15 the last week).

Mitt makes his points

More cutting and pasting here. Mitt Romney hits the nail on the head in regards to the auto bailout with last week's Op-ed from the NYT:

IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.

I love cars, American cars. I was born in Detroit, the son of an auto chief executive. In 1954, my dad, George Romney, was tapped to run American Motors when its president suddenly died. The company itself was on life support — banks were threatening to deal it a death blow. The stock collapsed. I watched Dad work to turn the company around — and years later at business school, they were still talking about it. From the lessons of that turnaround, and from my own experiences, I have several prescriptions for Detroit’s automakers.

First, their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors like BMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers.

That extra burden is estimated to be more than $2,000 per car. Think what that means: Ford, for example, needs to cut $2,000 worth of features and quality out of its Taurus to compete with Toyota’s Avalon. Of course the Avalon feels like a better product — it has $2,000 more put into it. Considering this disadvantage, Detroit has done a remarkable job of designing and engineering its cars. But if this cost penalty persists, any bailout will only delay the inevitable.

Second, management as is must go. New faces should be recruited from unrelated industries — from companies widely respected for excellence in marketing, innovation, creativity and labor relations.

The new management must work with labor leaders to see that the enmity between labor and management comes to an end. This division is a holdover from the early years of the last century, when unions brought workers job security and better wages and benefits. But as Walter Reuther, the former head of the United Automobile Workers, said to my father, “Getting more and more pay for less and less work is a dead-end street.”

You don’t have to look far for industries with unions that went down that road. Companies in the 21st century cannot perpetuate the destructive labor relations of the 20th. This will mean a new direction for the U.A.W., profit sharing or stock grants to all employees and a change in Big Three management culture.

The need for collaboration will mean accepting sanity in salaries and perks. At American Motors, my dad cut his pay and that of his executive team, he bought stock in the company, and he went out to factories to talk to workers directly. Get rid of the planes, the executive dining rooms — all the symbols that breed resentment among the hundreds of thousands who will also be sacrificing to keep the companies afloat.

Investments must be made for the future. No more focus on quarterly earnings or the kind of short-term stock appreciation that means quick riches for executives with options. Manage with an eye on cash flow, balance sheets and long-term appreciation. Invest in truly competitive products and innovative technologies — especially fuel-saving designs — that may not arrive for years. Starving research and development is like eating the seed corn.

Just as important to the future of American carmakers is the sales force. When sales are down, you don’t want to lose the only people who can get them to grow. So don’t fire the best dealers, and don’t crush them with new financial or performance demands they can’t meet.

It is not wrong to ask for government help, but the automakers should come up with a win-win proposition. I believe the federal government should invest substantially more in basic research — on new energy sources, fuel-economy technology, materials science and the like — that will ultimately benefit the automotive industry, along with many others. I believe Washington should raise energy research spending to $20 billion a year, from the $4 billion that is spent today. The research could be done at universities, at research labs and even through public-private collaboration. The federal government should also rectify the imbedded tax penalties that favor foreign carmakers.

But don’t ask Washington to give shareholders and bondholders a free pass — they bet on management and they lost.

The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.

In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.

Where are they now: Youppi!

This article is three years old but as you will hopefully soon see (as long as MM saved the email) there is a point to it.

“With the Expos no longer in existence and him needing a home, I think the Montreal Canadians and Youppi! will fit nicely together,” Gainey said at a news conference as the mascot sported the team’s famous red jersey.


LETS GO HABS!

These pirates don't just want pewter

Anyone who is not fascinated by the Pirate attacks in Somalia needs to either lighten up or drop whatever hobby is keeping them from being un-fascinated.

Check out this must-read article:

Dhows rest on a white sand beach in front of a few dozen ramshackle homes. A creek cuts inland, traced by a dirt road that runs to a craggy fishing settlement two miles away. Until recently Eyl was a remote and rundown Somali fishing outpost of 7,000 people. Now, thanks to some spectacular ocean catches, it is a booming mini-town, awash with dollars and heavily armed young men, and boasting a new notoriety: piracy capital of the world.

At least 12 foreign ships are being held hostage in the waters off Eyl in the Nugal region, 300 miles south of Africa's Horn, including a Ukrainian vessel loaded with 33 tanks and ammunition that was hijacked last month.

They are being closely watched by hundreds of pirates aboard boats equipped with satellite phones and GPS devices. Hundreds more gunmen provide backup on shore, where they incessantly chew the narcotic leaf qat and dream of sharing in the huge ransoms that can run into millions of pounds.

In a war-ravaged country where life is cheap and hope is rare, each successful hijack brings more young men into the village to seek their fortune at sea.

"Even secondary school students are stopping their education to go to Eyl because they see how their friends have made a lot of money," Abdulqaadir Muuse Yusuf, deputy fisheries minister for the Puntland region, said yesterday.

The entire village now depends on the criminal economy. Hastily built hotels provide basic lodging for the pirates, new restaurants serve meals and send food to the ships, while traders provide fuel for the skiffs flitting between the captured vessels.

The pirate kingpins who commute from the regional capital, Garowe, 100 miles west, in new 4x4 vehicles splash their money around. When a ransom is received the gunmen involved in hijacking the particular ship join in the splurge, much to the pleasure of long-time residents. Jaama Salah, a trader, said that a bunch of qat can sell for $65 (£44), compared with $15 in other towns. Asli Faarah, a tea vendor, said: "When the pirates have money I can easily increase my price to $3 for a cup."

Somalis in the diaspora - especially in Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and the UK - finance the pirate gangs and keep a large chunk of the ransom money, estimated at more than £20m this year alone, far more than Puntland's annual budget. But the gangs of gunmen sometimes split hundreds of thousands of pounds between them.

In the region's bigger towns, such as Garowe and Bosasso on the Gulf of Aden coast, a successful hijack is often celebrated with a meal and qat-chewing session at an expensive hotel.

One successful pirate based in Garowe, Abshir Salad, said: "First we look to buy a nice house and car. Then we buy guns and other weapons. The rest of the money we use to relax."

The pirates appear to have little fear of arrest by the weak administration, who many suspect of involvement in the trade. By spreading the money to local officials, chiefs, relatives and friends, the pirates have created strong logistical and intelligence networks, and avoided the clan-based fighting that affects so much of the rest of the country.

And though few believe the pirates when they claim to be eco-warriors or marines defending Somali waters from foreign exploitation, their daring and wealth has earned them respect. It has become something of a tradition for successful pirates to take additional wives, marrying them in lavish ceremonies.

Naimo, 21, from Garowe, said she had attended a wedding last month of the sort "I had never seen before".

"It's true that girls are interested in marrying pirates because they have a lot of money. Ordinary men cannot afford weddings like this," she said.



Beware of Captain Jack Abdul Al Asi Sparrow

Spoilin for a Fight

As I listen to AC/DC's Black Ice for about the 3000th time this week I wanted to follow up on a conversation with MM last night involving the greatest albums of all time.

This came up because the bar we were in- that shall remain nameless- played some Michael Jackson and I remarked that Thriller is one of the 5 best albums of all time. When asked to name the rest of top 5 I came up with Who's Next (The Who) Pet Sounds (Beach Boys) Back in Black (AC/DC) and then MM added some Billy Joel crap to round it out.

So I ask my loyal reader(s) what have I missed? What are your top 5 albums of all time?

London's Calling

So Fabio Capello is at the Newcastle-Fulham match at Craven Cottage...HUH??? Michael Owen is not playing and Barton could never be selected without creating an international incident. So did Capello really go all the way out to west London to see Bullard or is there nothing else to do on a Sunday evening in the greated London area?

Meanwhile, NUFC is atrocious in the midfield, Fulham has controlled the first 21 minutes of this match.

COME ON NEWCASTLE!

Now for something completely different

It's time for my Big Ten Power Rankings!!!!!!!

1. Penn State: The #3 team in the country and the undisputed #1 in the BT

2. Ohio State: By virtue of their crushing of MSU

3. Michigan State: Because they are better than anyone else who is left

4. Northwestern: Their impressive win over the weekend gives them this spot- could a NYD Bowl game be in their future?

5. Minnesota: The Gophers need to be careful to not let the rest of their season turn into a massive tailspin all the way to Tempe

6. Iowa: The Hawkeyes played the Illini tough in Champaign and they handled the Badgers

7. Wisconsin: By virtue of beating the Illini and since they should have won in East Lansing

8. Illinois: They are on about the same level as the 2 in front of them and way better than the remaining 3. A disappointing year for the Illini

9. Purdue: A fitting way for Joe Tiller to go out

10. Michigan: Some fire over the past few weeks from the Wolverines, look for them to get one more win before the end of the season

11. Indiana: Hope they enjoyed their bowl trip last season

Last dance

My favorite line from last night, from DP at about 6PM Central:

"You know the sad thing is that if Obama wins tonight he'll take all of these people with him to Washington and they can do for this country what they have done for Illinois."

God bless America...we need it.

Winners and Losers,

Since anyone and everyone seems intent on doing a winners and losers list today I thought I would throw my hat into the ring:

WINNERS:

Mark Kirk and Chicago area congressional incumbants. Biggert, Roskam, Bean, Kirk, and Foster completely rolled their opponents. A big thumbs up to Mark Kirk whose 6 point win hopefully ended the political career of Dan "My ads are incredibly boring" Seals. Dan, you will not be missed.

Rod Blagojevich: Blago and his 13% approval rating gets a chance to be loved and appreciated for the next 6 weeks. He he can bump those numbers up and jump start his re-election campaign with a good selection

The Virginia Democratic Party: Those guys might have had the best night of any state party- winning congressional seats, a blowout in a Senate race, and delivering the state to Barack Obama. The GOP is going to need to get this state back in the fold by 2012.

Mitch McConnell: Never been a fan of Mitch, but he got a good win and he is now the most powerful Republican in the country

Moderate Democrats: Sure we just elected the most liberal President and congress ever, but at the same time the GOP continues to kill off their moderate representatives. That just means an easier playing field for moderate dems across the country

Right Wing Talk Radio: The influence of guys like Limbaugh really took off after the election of Bill Clinton in 1992. It should happen again, especially if the Dems in congress do try and push the fairness doctrine.

Chicago 2016: The election might have just delivered the 2016 games to Chicago

Americans Traveling Abroad: We are all loved by the French now...for whatever that is worth

The Palestinians: The softest Pro-Israel President in a generation.

Senator Sarah Palin: Yeah, like she's going back to being Governor of Alaska.


THE LOSERS:

Mark Begich: Buddy, how do you lose this one?

Minnesotans who wanted the election to go away: sorry, not for another 6 weeks

Suburban Chicago Republicans: Losing 3 seats on the DuPage County board and watching Melissa Bean and Debbie Halvorson roll up big wins does not bode well for districts that were once considered safe.

The Wisconsin Republican Party: What has happened up there since I left?

Challengers to candidates prone to "foot in mouth" disease: Bachmann and Murtha both get wins- great, cleaning up the dead weight in Washington is more difficult than ever.

The Reputation of the state of Alaska: A beautiful place with nice people, but I'm not terribly impressed today by your voting choices.

The Woman who believes Obama will take care of her every needs: Good luck with that one.

Patrick Fitzgerald: Yeah, Obama and his cronies are not going to let you keep that job, sorry. You might want to think about that political career of yours.

First Thoughts

So at about midnight last night I asked for a group of our most ardent supporters to meet up in one of the rooms of the suite at the Hilton (one that did not overlook Obamarama) in an effort to put closure to the campaign and YP's for McCain. Here is a recap of my remarks:

I wanted to quickly get everyone together tonight just to thank you all for everything that everyone in this room has done. Every person in this room tonight worked hard and busted their butts to help John McCain, Tony Peraica and our Republican candidates. We went to Ohio, to Missouri, and to Wisconsin, and we made thousands of calls into houses in both of those states to help John McCain. So thank you again, it was great meeting so many of you over the past 9 months and I wouldnt trade this experience for anything in the world- well, maybe except for a win.

You know, someone earlier tonight told me that he's moving to Canada. That's garbage, we do not ever quit, we get right back up and we try again. We work harder, we get smarter and we get it done. And I know I speak for everyone in this room when I say we have only begun to fight. Two years from now we will have a competitive senate and gubernatorial race, not to mention several congressional races that we can impact and win for our side. I'm not giving up and I know no one else in this room will give up.

So with that I have two toasts I want to make tonight. First, to John McCain- one of the bravest men this country has ever produced, a genuine hero, a great statesman, a great man, and someone who dearly loves his country. I only wish tonight would have been better for him and for us- to John McCain...

My second toast is to President-Elect Obama- may God grant him the wisdom he needs to be the best president that we need him to be- to Barack Obama...

Thank you all so much.

Hello Again Everybody

One more "Steve Howe" chance here. Let's get it done, kids.