Today's Tids Issue 3,111
Opening Stuff:
 
 
Don’t you love to see a rainbow
Where colors never end above.
And it’s even that much better
When holding hands with a love.
 
The US Open Golf Championship starts today. TDSP, Tids Dedicated Sports Pickers have been up all night analyzing course conditions and matching it to the games of the most prominent players.  This is going to be a tough picking year. The NBC/ESPN networks and USGA are touting Phil Michleson, but that is mainly to increase TV viewership among non-golfers – as in “Tune in to watch big happy guy hit into 6 inch roughs”. This is not Phil’s course. In fact Bubba will have trouble here, as it looks like a no room for error track. I’m thinking the victor will be among the most boring, most mechanical on the tour. Like Zach Johnson, Luke Donald or Henrik Stenson. An exception to that could be Rory McElroy who seems to be regaining his form after shedding his fiancé minutes before the big plunge. Or Matt Kucher could emerge.  And…It could easily be a big surprise, one of those out-of-nowhere young phonons who seem to show up each week; even at this open with tough roughs and concrete lickety split, domed greens. Ouch!
 
So, the RI Senate last night approved a new minimum wage of $9.00/hour. They are mandating businesses to give un skilled employees a 12.5% wage increase. They must think all businesses are run as frivolously as state government. How do you factor a raise of that magnitude into business plans that project 1, 2 or 3% “earned” increases. And what about all of the people who have earned increases over the years that brought them to $10,-$12.00/hr. Nope, the legislature just bought themselves some votes at the cost of sticking a dagger into a business community already among the most beleaguered in the country. To a business it is a 12.5% tax.
 
The Question:
The Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown NY is celebrating it’s 75th Anniversary. Who were the first players inducted?
 
The Headlines:
--al Qaida Takes Second Major City In Iraq; The Rebels Are Moving Onto Baghdad; Malicki Gives Ok To US To Commence Bombing; Iraq Could Become Giant Islamic State In center Of Middle East..
--China/Japan Blame Each Other For Military Jet Encounter.
--Wall Street Awaits May Retail Sales Numbers; Hopes Good Car Sales Bodes Well For Month That Will Negate Miserable April; New Jobless Claims Also On tap For Today.
--Clintons Made $12 Million In Year After White House.
--Texas Governor Perry Compares Homosexuality To Alcoholism; He say they can beat it if they want to.
--Illegal Immigration Seems To Be Surging Again.
--FBI Confirms Criminal Investigation Of Veteran’s Admin.
--Brazil Military Moves In To Protect World Soccer Games Opening Today.
 
“Iraq Developments Catches US Off Guard”! That was a headline this morning. It’s really not surprising to me and many who seem to understand that the objectives of the Islamist effort are extremely long range. I would expect that there are plenty of Fed employees outside the immediate reach of the White House who weren’t caught off guard, but were not allowed to do anything about it. You just can’t tie up these conflict secessions in pretty plaid ribbon and say it’s done in a rose garden full of thorns. Politics is not the real world.
 
Did you hear about Jason Millard? Jason is a regular golfer who through regional qualifying tournaments earned a trip to the US Open at Pinehurst. He drove there, but just as he was arriving he turned around and went back home to watch on TV. You see, something was gnawing at his gut. When in a sand trap during qualifying, he remembered that “perhaps” his club touched the sand before taking away to swing at the ball (That’s illegal). Being a golfer, his conscience would not let him proceed if there was even a hint of rule breaking. Nobody saw him. There were no videos. It was just him and his heart. His honest heart won.  Just think of the harmony in the world we would have if everybody were golfers.
 
The good thing about the Cantor dumping is that it confuses New Yorkers who probably viewed Eric as a Tea Party militant white supremist. So now these cloistered urbanites are wondering exactly what makes Brat more conservative. Will it mean tanks on the bridges into the Apple? Well Brat isn’t really  more conservative. In fact he is simply a real Republican believing in what republicans have always preached – smaller government, free enterprise, earning your way, obeying laws, freedom and opportunity for all. Socialists observe sensibility as weird and rational thinking scares the hell out of em’.
 
I think the Thames street merchants here need a beautification committee. It’s looking pretty seedy on the North end. But then, judging by some of the outfits on tourists, I’m thinking they’ll never be bothered, only seeing the trinkets in the windows and feeling comfortable in the drab. But then, maybe I was spoiled by recent visits to Woodstock VT and Quebec City.
 
Friendly Home-Town banker, Department:
I wanted to have my bank change a ten dollars Canadian for ten dollars American. The woman said nicely, that will cost $12.50! What!. She said maybe the back next door could do it. I went there and asked the same question. The teller with a straight face that it would cost me $20 to get my $10! The bank’s commercials say friendly hometown banker, but the CFO doesn’t watch them.
 
I worry about the Repub chances because research says that the country is pretty much moderate, and tend to avoid extremes. So how come they keep voting for Dems with socialist philosophies of a state run society.
 
Summer must be over because it’s getting colder.
 
The Senate Repubs have blocked Obama’s election year give-away to students. The real answer to the student loans is cutting costs at colleges.
 
Cantor’s biggest problem was that he became Big Government.
 
The Answer:
The Hall opened in 1939, but voting began in 1936, so on opening day in Cooperstown there were foru classes to be inducted. 1936 – Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner and Babe Ruth. 1937 – Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, John McGraw, Connie Mack, George Wright, Cy Young and Executives Bulkeley and Byron Johnson. 1938 – Grover Alexander, Alexander Cartwright and  Henry Chadwick. 1939 – The hero of Brooklyn Wee Willie Keeler, Eddie Collins, Lou Gehrig, George Sisler, Cap Anson, Buck Ewing, Candy Cummings, Charles Radborn and Manager/Execs Charles Comiskey and Al Spalding. Wee Willie was a Brooklyn Icon and important to the Republican party, so much so that my father working as a kid for the party had to deliver a bottle of whiskey to Keeler’s door every Friday. That was before pols could buy votes with welfare.
 
The US Open is to golf championships as a recession is to an economy. It hurts for while, but it feels unbelievably great when it’s over.