dagblog - Comments for "Take me out to the (fixed)ball game"

A bigger question, on

NCD — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 16:34:44 +0000

In reply to Wait just one goddamn minute

A bigger question, on football game fixing.

Was deflategate a First Amendment issue?

Speech is hot air, and the Supremes say money is speech and it's Constitutionally protected.

Footballs are full of air and make money. A two-for.

Do NFL rules regulating the amount of air in footballs violate, in the same way, unconstitutional rules about the amount of money put into campaigns? This could be a h--u--g--e SCOTUS case....!

Wait just one goddamn minute

Richard Day — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 08:32:57 +0000

In reply to This is an example of 'free

Wait just one goddamn minute now!

Are you saying my America does not work?

That sounds like a communism.

Now I'm not saying you are a communism, but....

hahahahah

This is an example of 'free

NCD — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 18:56:25 +0000

In reply to Take me out to the (fixed)ball game

This is an example of 'free markets' in action:

-) no overpaid slovenly liberal government over regulating agency to slow down business

-) no job killing taxes to produce the ratings or burden job creators

-) Wall Street debt bundlers got what they paid for, and then some: Marketplace Magic

-) C bond buyers got better returns, or thought they would, at lower price: Marketplace Magic

-) the penalties were chicken feed compared to what was swindled in the deals

-) the Fed trillion dollar taxpayer rescue comes in to bail them all out

-) the GOP voted back into power with Wall Street backing (Koch etc) and the GOP manages to kill off new Wall Street regulations passed by Obama and the Democrats, US Marketplace Magic Election/Campaign Style.

It is amazing. Hi, I'm S&P

Michael Maiello — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 17:59:05 +0000

In reply to Take me out to the (fixed)ball game

It is amazing. Hi, I'm S&P (or Moody's) and I rate debt on behalf of the investment community! Who pays me? Not the investors. The debt issuers. Of course, I have to defend my credibility somewhat, but I am still, in fact, rating my customers.

Oh, I have an idea. Say you want to issue a AAA rated Mortgage backed bond? Complex stuff, we know. What mix will win you the highest rating? Our consulting arm can tell you. Hire our consultants, do what they say and let us rate the bond!

This is, of course, nothing like the relationship that the accountancy/consultants had with Enron. Nothing like it at all!

As I often do I treated the

Flavius — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 12:24:53 +0000

In reply to Take me out to the (fixed)ball game

As I often do I treated the matter with tongue in cheek- which I can easily imagine is considered pretty tiresome. But when even the rating agencies start exploiting their reputation for competence and objectivity to make a buck it's an ominous indication for the future of capitalism..Too bad. .