Pocketful of Notes

I see where John McCain has chastised President Obama for permitting pork barrel projects, as if the Republicans did anything effective to stop them during the Bush years, and he goes on to promote free market solutions to economic and environmental problems rather than solutions which rely on central government control. Well, Mr. McCain, a free market economy would only work if we got rid of all the crooks in big business. Fifty or one hundred years ago it was much easier to have a free market economy but today there are too many insanely rich people who want even more from Bernie Madoff on down. In fact, recently the daughter of A.P. Giannini, the founder of Bank of Italy, said publicly that her father would be rolling in his grave if he knew what was going at the bank now.

As for the pirates off the coast of Somali, we have Ron Paul, a former candidate of president, suggesting that we permit "Letters of Marque" similar to those issued during the Revelutionary War and the War of 1812. These would authorize private citizens to keep the proceeds if they capture the pirates.

I must meet some of my fellow Red Sox fans of my age some day so we can cry in our beer together. One letter writer to the SF Examiner this morning compared our Red Sox of the fifties with our Giants of the present time. Both teams showed a lot of promise on paper and some individual players are undoubtedly good but as the weeks roll on they are playing sub-500 ball. I remember one game I attended at Fenway Park in which the Red Sox pitcher was giving up hits left and right and the manager did not take him out of the game until the score was something like 15 to 1. Fortunately the Giants' manager doesn't wait that long but still it is a struggle some days to get good pitching here. And then how much did they pay for the "big unit" Randy Johnson? So far he has performed below expectations. Even our ace Lincecum as well as Cain have been struggling. What the heck has been going on guys?

This is enough to drive a person to drinking and I would but it is too early in the day for that right now. Ha!