Redistribio's Pizza

As most Americans know, Congress recently found a temporary agreement to the imminent "fiscal cliff" debacle. In its attempt to salvage the American economy, Congress made a compromise in the form of a short-term solution, but what does that even mean for us Americans and the future of our economy?

Over break, my father showed me an op-ed by P.J. O'Rourke in The Wall Street Journal. O’Rourke, my father told me, used to be a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. Entitled "Dear Mr. President, Zero-Sum Doesn't Add Up," the opinion piece argues that redistribution of American's wealth from the richer to the poorer does not build a stronger economy. Rather than claiming that "there is only so much money," O’Rourke does not believe that America’s wealth is finite. He raises a legitimate question: why not have "more pizza parlors baking more pizzas"? That way, everyone has a stake in more pizza, or more money.

Relating this back to the fiscal cliff, I think that although the agreement is a compromise, it is not good enough.  Because of their unwillingness to cooperate, government officials on both the right and the left have contributed to America’s economic problems. Although conservatives are certainly not perfect, as their unwillingness to compromise on such areas as defense spending attests, Mr. O'Rourke raises an interesting point in his column: "The evil of zero-sum thinking and redistributive politics has nothing to do with which things are taken or to whom those things are given or what the sum of zero things is supposed to be. The evil lies in denying people the right, the means, and, indeed, the duty to make more things" [emphasis added].

Now, in my American Studies class, we were recently talking about rights and how suppressing those rights can run counter to what a country stands for. While few people will object to these tax hikes for the wealthy, I agree with Mr. O'Rourke that we must be careful to avoid “denying people the right. . . . to make more things."

So I ask you, the reader, what is your take on the recent fiscal cliff drama?

Do you agree with P.J. O'Rourke that President Obama's economic stance is redistributionist? Is the right to make things a right that America should protect?

A Forgotten Saint?

This past weekend I found myself in Alabama for a club soccer showcase tournament. It put me out of my usual flow of the school week: study during the week, and enjoy a break on the weekend, concluding with taking Sunday off to watch football. A New York Times article about the forgotten Tim Tebow made me think about hagiography, a term I just recently learned in my high school course, American Studies. It is the writing of saints, and I think that Tebow can be viewed as a saint over the past year or so.

Tebow is known as a very pious man, and the way he has held himself resembles a saint. This may be a stretch, but in the realm of professional sports, a devoted Christian can be viewed as a saint. In this article, it describes Tebow as "Northern Florida's favorite son". I connote son to mean a son of God, and many have seen Tebow in this holy light since his time in the NFL.

Just last season, the Denver Broncos season took a turn for the worse, and the playoffs seemed out of their reach. However, their executives and coaches made the call to listen to the fans and put in Tebow:

The Broncos listened to popular demand, and put in the awkward quarterback. Call it luck, or a sign from a God above, but Tebow was able to turn things around in Denver and led them to the playoffs down the stretch of the regular season. The believers: I told you so. The haters: awestruck. Tebow had done the unthinkable, and no one could understand how.

In class, we talked about how in the new movie "Lincoln", Abraham Lincoln is portrayed as a saint in the way that he would never threaten anybody and still seemed like the good guy even when he got fired up about something. Tebow has always carried himself in a similar manner, and in his press conferences, he always is selfless and talks about God and his team/teammates.

But what happened to this saint-like figure in the NFL? He is now rarely brought up on sports talk shows, and when he returned to his hometown of Jacksonville this past Sunday with the New York Jets, "Nobody stormed the gates or flew a plane over EverBank Field to demand that Tim Tebow run one measly play in the Jets’ Wildcat offense that for the most part this season has been locked in a cage." Yes, it does feel like Tebow is locked in a cage now, and this saint has been forgotten. Who knows if he will ever get another shot as a starter in the league, but he is certainly a lost saint for the time being.

Cyber Monday? C'mon Man!

I was recently watching TV when I heard something about this "Cyber Monday" phenomenon going on, and I was confused. I then was informed by my mom that it was an online sale day, the Monday following Thanksgiving and the infamous "Black Friday". Now, my family and I agree that the whole marketing ploy is just ridiculous (in our opinion). I realize that it can help stimulate the economy, but after this weekend is over, then what? You are left with smaller margins for retailers and costumers anxious for more great deals like they just encountered: "heavy discounting may pressure retailers' profit margins, online and offline." (To see the full story, click here. Now, I think that "pressure" is the last thing we want our retailers to be going through. With all the 'hoopla' about a fiscal cliff we are approaching and the president and Congress struggling to get along, I think this dinky little annual sales days are ridiculous and unnecessary (for further coverage and opinion on the fiscal cliff, see my last blog post).

When I first found out about Black Friday, I thought it was a joke how much coverage it got. While watching football on Thanksgiving this year, I painfully had to sit through commercial after commercial telling you to come in early to get the best deal. Also, I think it is even coming to a retailer "late", because I started seeing ads that told the viewer sale prices started as early as TEN AT NIGHT! So it really isn't Black Friday, it is Thanksgiving Thursday, Sales Saturday, Save Cash Sunday, and now also Cyber Monday?!? I think my opinion is loud and clear, but what do you think of the sales weekend in late November that is now becoming an annual occurence? Over the top or not?

You stay classy, San Diego.

Can we work together?

President Barack Obama was reelected yesterday night, November 6, 2012, in a convincing fashion. As Americans, we have to think: what does this mean for me and my country? Well, there were other key elections also going on which will keep things in Washington complicated. As the Christian Science monitor tells me, partisans in Washington will likely hold their ground. Jake Sherman and Manu Raju of Politico.com put it in the wee hours after Tuesday night’s election results were known, “Obama’s convincing reelection, the Republicans’ sustained majority in the House, and Democrats’ hold on the Senate only further complicate the prospects of cutting any kind of deal on expiring income tax rates, massive pending cuts to Pentagon spending, and entitlement reform.”

Many are seeing the democratic incumbent's reelection coupled with a conservative majority in the house and a liberal majority in the Senate as "only further complicating the prospects of cutting any kind of deal on expiring income tax rates, massive pending cuts to Pentagon spending, and entitlement reform". I think Washington needs to become bipartisan, because doing something is usually better than nothing. We need to work together as a country and figure out the best ways to tackle our biggest problems and issues.

With a "fiscal cliff" looming for our country, having a Congress and President at a stalemate is not acceptable at this time. Our national debt and wishes for the people and jobs of this country need to be top priority, and this requires cohesion from top to bottom. However, this idea is not obtainable, but understanding a common goal is necessary. If we do not work together, things will not get better. Plain and simple.

Obama is not the "Right" type of Christian?

I was recently reading an article on CNN about President Barack Obama's religion, and how some claim he is a different kind of Christian. Furthermore, I was blown away when a reverend said the following about Obama, that "he's never heard Obama say he's 'born-again'. There's no emotional conversion story to hold onto." Firstly, this pisses me off because I think the fact that a president pretty much has to be a Christian in order to be president is wrong and against what America stands for. I think anyone who lives in America and has the right ideas for the country as a collective should have a fair and equal chance of being president. Seeing something like this makes me think we are still stuck in the era the Puritans were in at the same time the book "The Crucible" was set in.

Relating to "The Crucible", I think Obama is similar to the accused witches and 'Devil's Helpers' such as John Proctor. Many are viewing Obama as a "wrong" breed of Christianity, in which his faith is a combination of over three different sects of the religion. In The Crucible, John Proctor was questioned about his faith just because he did not attend church recently and that he had worked on Sunday's. Obama is getting similar knocks, which I believe to be total stretches. People like Rev. Cass, who criticized Obama earlier in the post about never telling the public about being "born-again", believe Obama to not be truly engaged with Christianity regardless of the fact he goes to church every weekend.

This is total B.S.; just because someone goes to church or does not go to church doesn't mean you can label them as a certain kind of person or certain type of Christian. Everybody has their own rhyme or reason for doing what they do with their life, and I believe God does not discriminate against one who can't or doesn't choose to go to church or whatever place of worship on a regular basis. So, would one who argues with me say that someone who goes to church MORE than once a week gets a spot in heaven before someone who just goes every Sunday? The idea that your attendance at church influences your religious views can be true in some cases, but I do not want to see America or anyone in the world labeling people based on this assumption.

What are your takes on Obama and never being "born-again" in his conversion to Christianity? Do you think one's attendance to their house of worship influences their "place" with God or their worshiper?

Doping and Loyalty- Doing What is Right

"By not saying anything, you're part of the problem". This was said by former masseuse of Lance Armstrong and the entire United States Post Office cycling team, Emma O'Reilly, in 2000. Ms. O'Reilly has since admitted to being apart of the underground doping system Armstrong and his teammates ran. This primarily took place outside of the states, but purely to avoid domestic security and issues.

Ms. O'Reilly for some time remained loyal and trustworthy to Armstrong, but has since turned against him, and for the right reasons. She understood that she would be "part of the problem" if she did not speak out against the team, and she believes this purity in her life will give her better things to come.

I believe Ms. O'Reilly shows a couple of american values in her story. First, that Americans cannot get away with everything just because of the ego our country holds. Armstrong admitted that O'Reilly had enough information from her time on the team that she could "bring [him] down". So Armstrong knew that O'Reilly could be the mole in their doping scandal, but possibly could have had this strong individualistic ego and a nationalistic idea that he would remain clean. This clearly has backfired. Also, O'Reilly's story can show one how Americans ultimately have enough pride in their country to do what's ethically right and right under the Constitution. It took courage for Emma O'Reilly to come forth and say what she has seen in the Post Office cycling team camp, and she did what was right. She just wants to spring forward a new cycling generation, and it is taking the necessary steps to get there. What do you think Armstrong and O'Reilly tell you about America and cycling?

To see the full article, click the follow link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/sports/cycling/lance-armstrong-aide-talks-of-doping-and-price-paid.html?pagewanted=2

Replacements Gone: NFL is restored

Most football and sports fans saw this iconic play last Monday night involving a hail mary pass from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to wide receiver Golden Tate. Here's the clip:

We can dive into the logistics of the NFL rules about a joint catch between an offensive and defensive player, but long story short is that Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings clearly had control of the interception and then Golden Tate stuck one hand on the football on the ground and the replacement refs gave him the touchdown. The play even went to review where the refs still saw no need to reverse the call, giving the Seahawks one of the luckiest and bogus victories in NFL history.

But it is the refs that we are here to talk about. The replacement referees were officiating NFL games for the preseason and the first 3 weeks of the 2012 season. No one was thrilled to have them up to this Monday Night Football game, but once this one was over, there was no doubt that they had to go. The replacements were in commission because the "real" refs were on strike in their union against the NFL. They wanted the pay they thought they deserved, and the league wasn't caving in; well, not until this Monday night outrage.

I think this dilemma and resolution shows how the American public can create a revolution against something, in this case the NFL, and influence it with our numbers to change things to the way we think they should be. The days after the Packers-Seahawks game, social media was blowing up with hate towards the replacement refs and the NFL for not paying up for the officials we trust and now love.

 There is a reason why the original referees are qualified and experienced enough to take on the hardship of officiating in the NFL, and the support of the public and their strength as a union proved as a powerful example of how strength in numbers can be effective. What is your take on the recent agreement between the NFL and the referees?