Good afternoon, all.I have had quite a week drinking with old friends at Penn State, while summarizing my notes from endless Super Committee meetings in Washington.
To tell you the truth, drinking at Penn State is far more pleasurable than working with those knuckle heads in D.C., even with the horrendous truth and malaise now flooding Happy Valley.
It is hard to believe that we allow the nation or our institutions to be run by people who don't care about the principles of democracy, fairness, and balance. I used to think it was only Congress and the business community. Now, sadly, it has reached out to our universities.
It all comes back to one thing that really should piss us all off ; that there is a body of
citizens ( now designated as the 1%) who, in these United states, openly operate above the law. They can lie to us at will. They make up facts. They are accountable for nothing. They can commit crimes in the name of good business or, "issues of larger magnitude," and get away with them. They get rich on the backs of the 99%. And they believe and behave as though, due to their wealth and status, they are so entitled.
In my humble view, that condition was the way of life for decades in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other places America likes to think we are better than. Not so much anymore, it seems.
Sadly, at State College, Pa., small circles of power and the revenue stream from football, seem to have taken precedence over doing the right thing. The 1% in charge ( read; Board of Directors; Paterno; the President of the University; the CFO ) decided what was best for this fine institution in the face of all counter intuitive instincts, reason, and morality.
The cost of their arrogance is nothing more than the reputation of Penn State. Will those fired lose their pensions, health care and benefits? I think not.
But I digress.
There will undoubtedly be huge and surprisingly sound news from the nation's super committee for us to digest around the dinner tables on Thursday. We will certainly see a grand vision for the country that will restore our confidence and hope.
Based upon my work with the Super Committee, I predict the following changes:
1. Boston will sign Reyes
2. Boston will sign Wilson from the Rangers.
3. Boston will sign Yakitori from Japan ( ok, I don't have the name right )
4. Boston will sign that cigar maker/hitter from Cuba.
5. The Yankees will extend the contracts of A-Rod, Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon
6. The Yankees will acknowledge flaws in their free agent draft evaluations, and fire some 85 year old who gets his food free in Florida casinos.
The only other common ground shared by Super Committee members included; the quality and choice of catered lunches & dinners, rented companions for the evening parties, stretch limo qualities, trading inside information on IPO's, the cost of designer evening wear, how to hedge sovereign currency downgrades, and comparing suites at the Ritz.
See you in Greece.
When I was a young man, I promised myself that I would never become cynical when I became an old man. But now, realistic is the new cynical.
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