sandomir_span Capitalism is not dead. Just look at baseball. The recently bailed out CitiGroup paid $400M to put its name on the new Shea Stadium in New York. Some players will make more than anyone at their position ever has.

One of those players is C.C. Sabbathia. In a recent Buster Olney column, he made an attempt to draw a weak line between C.C. Sabbathia signing with New York and LeBron potentially jumping there in 2010 due to their friendship. In doing so he cited a conversation with the pitcher in which he was left with a few significant impressions. One was the complete asinine statement that “C.C. is very aware that he’ll never be able to spend the money he receives in his next deal”.

You might think I’m offended at how C.C. could make such a careless statement at a difficult time. Or how it’s terrible for baseball to throw this type of money around when we are in economic dire straits. Well, I do have an issue with this comment - but maybe not how you’re thinking. I have no issues with C.C. making this money (outside of the ridiculuous fact that professional players make this much). However, I do have an issue with his apparently being embarassed by it. You are the type of person that characters in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged hate - one who apologizes for his money and his ability to make it.

Afterall, if fans are dumb enough to continue to pay for tickets, gear, etc., then players should never feel bad about being able to spend all their money. They should take every cent they can get - that’s what this country is founded on - the ability to set up a business or brand (themselves in this case) and make a profit off their intended audience. Well, I would say they’re succeeding. And in some cases they’re doing it despite the fact they’re producing a subpar product. Just look at the people who pay for Browns tickets.

So, don’t believe the recession fears. Instead, go buy jerseys, gloves,  hats, shirts and tickets. We’re already bailing out the banks; soon we’ll be paying for the automotive industry - why not foot the bill for professional sports while we’re at it.

john-lennon-statue_of_liberty1 In a move to show it’s in-tune with what’s going on today and ‘hip’ to what the kids are listening to, the Catholic Church has forgiven John Lennon for his 1966 remark that the Beatles are more popular than Jesus.

In unrelated news they have also declared the world is round, dinasours are extinct and tomatoes a fruit.

Going through withdrawls caused by the end of the election? Missing Palin? Wondering how a party backed by Joe the Plumber could have lost to ‘that one’? Well, I have found the perfect ail to your illness - and the conversation piece for your holiday parties. I give you, Joe the Plumber - Tijuana style:

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No political parties were injured while writing this blog. Signed, your friendly neighborhood Independent.

When I was working my way through college, I had a job at a lumberyard/do-it-yourself store. I was hired by a friend whose management style was to let us do what we want as long as our stuff got done. We were extremely productive (and efficient) and never had so much fun. However a few months after accepted a promotion at another store. Taking his place was militant, keys on a chain short guy with a bad case of the Napoleons who tried to micromanage everyone to the point where we worked harder avoiding him and work than actually getting things done. Then one day, something amazing happened - my friend was back as the head manager of my store. And the guy who took his place was demoted to night manager. It was like our own little era of good feelings. We didn’t have a care in the world; life was good again.

I tell you that story because I felt that way again, on November 5, the day after Obama was elected. And this is where we start my list of top five observations of the 2008 election.

5. As long as your last name isn’t Bush…. I’m serious. The day after the election everyone was walking around like a college freshman whose girlfriend finally got her period. Nothing could ruin the day. Even people who voted for McCain admitted to feeling some happiness, some change. Me? I attribute it to the fact that the President’s name is no longer Bush.

4. Hypocrisy Rules. I don’t recall ever having seen more blatant, unapologetic hypocrisy then I have in the past month. From the simple (McCain ripping Obama for his pork belly spending when his running mate is the governor of the state with the highest pork belly spending) to the sad (James Dobson’s Focus on the Family organization releasing a ‘Letter from a Christian in 2012′ claiming Obama had torn America apart. Uhhh….wasn’t that the basis of McCain’s whole campaign? I.E. ‘real’ v. ‘fake’ America) to the innaccurate (Palin claiming she is a federalist - but is in favor of anything that enforces abortion on a National level) to the infuriating (Obama is a Muslim/African/Black guy/insert offensive word here yet promoting Piyush “Bobby” Jindal as the future face of the GOP - so, let me get this straight, democratic minorities bad, republican minorities good?).

3. Rachel Maddow has arrived. Oh Rachel Maddow. Has anyone ever risen through the ranks faster than you? I didn’t want to like you. I was fine with my hour of Hardball and hour of Olberman. However, I slowly started to get hooked on your biting and funny (sometimes more so than your lead-in) commentary. Then you landed an interview with Barry himself. And finally, you locked me up with your Twitter presence. Your future is bright and I look forward to watching you be ‘talked down’ for years to come.

2. SNL’s writers are terrible. Don’t get me wrong; I loved the show and political impressions. It was can’t miss for me. But the material (literally) wrote itself every week. Where was the imagination I used to see with the SNL of the 90s? Seeing Perot drive Stockdale into the wilderness? Bill Clinton stopping off at a McDonalds during a campaign visit? Bill and Hillary on C.O.P.S for domestic disturbance? The acting was great and it was enertaining but you guys left a lot on the table. (But thank you for the genius of Seth Meyers for writing the ‘Palin Rap’.)

1. America is alive and well. I know that sounds as crazy as McCain’s ‘the fundamentals are strong’ comment. But what I realized this election - what I thought had passed - is that America still cares about those things that make us great. Like freedom of speech, the democratic process and passion to a cause or party (of which I wish there was more of). Even when I disagreed with someone I was thankful for the chance to discuss it. I didn’t cry or get emotional during Obama’s acceptance speech - I don’t feel I have earned it - but I did get a tingle when I walked up to my polling place at 6:30 a.m. and saw a line out the door, a line consisting of blacks, white, old, young, men, women - all standing in line to cast a vote for something they believe in. Love it or hate it, that’s what makes us unique. And it was great to see.

My friends, I need to focus on the worst financial crisis of our time, so I’m flying immediately to Washington the day after next to see how much I can mess things up.

Before I go though, I want you to know that I’m holding a pen. It’s old and dry, like me, but it will work enough for me to tell you their names and make them famous. Who? My vpilf herself, Sarah Palin, whose state is first in pork barrel spending. Ridiculous considering my state is last - kind of makes you why I picked her. Oh, that’s right, I didn’t - Karl Rove and Dick Cheney did. Fortunately for them (sorry for you) I battle a reoccurence of skin cancer, the deadliest form that has a life expectancy rate of 2 - 4 years should it return, daily and could potentially be leaving the country in their hands, I mean her hands. Yikes!

Seriously, the potential of John McCain becoming president scares the bejeebers out of me. Why?

1. His shoot first, ask later mentality demonstrated by his desire to rewrite the rules anytime he is down (picking Palin, suspending his campaign)

2. His continuance of the ‘fear’ factor that has been used for eight years to control us

3. His admitting that he would suspend all spending except military, veteran support and other programs, whatever that means; so, if you’re a teacher, in public service or on welfare, well - sorry

4. His refusal to talk about my class - and 95 percent of the the country - when discussing who will be dinged by the economic rebuilding

5. An apparent belief that $5k is an ample amount for healthcare - scary considering the average newborn is a  sweet $15k bundle of joy - who is this guy, rain man?

6. His selection of Sarah Palin, period. That should be enough for anyone not to vote for him - if he goes, she’s in. My God.

This is being written by a 32-year old near lifetime republican. I stayed up late to watch the 84 election results (I was 8). I wore Bush/Quayle buttons and tshirts in junior high - before I could vote. I made my government teacher take me to the town hall the day of my 18th birthday so I could be registered in time to vote straight ticket. I picketed abortion clinics with the republican church-going faithful. I got into a huge fight with my first girlfriend because she went to the RNC in 96 without me. I voted for Pat Buchanan in the 96 primary. I fought the entire staff of my college newspaper - including the editor - because we didn’t need four more years of a democrat. I played golf with republican-branded golfballs. I…….I was an idiot.

But now I can make up for it. I’m sick of being scared into letting the government act in our best interest. I’m tired of Wall Street getting the benefit of the doubt and paid to go away. I’m ready to stop reading about all the lives of National Guardsmen who have been ruined or put on hold because they haven’t been back to their jobs for four or five years. I’m terrified of what the world will be like for my kids when the rest of the world hates us. I have nightmares about 45 new nuclear powerplants in the next 20 years - before the appropriate equipment exists to process waste and reusable material.

I’m not telling you how to vote - I would never do that. Because if I was, we’d all be campaigning for Ron Paul. However, we can’t look at it that way. It’s not a question of who is better; it’s a question of who’s worse. Have we come to that? Yes, unfortunately - but only for now, I hope. Be careful. Read up. And think long and hard before punching your chad. I have been. And I don’t like what I’m finding.

The anniversary of 9/11 passed last week with little fanfare. I always try to take some time on that day to remember how I felt as chaos unfolded around us. One thing that sticks out to me - and still does today - is how willing we were to part with our civil rights and personal freedoms to ensure safety. In one quick motion we were ready to undo what our forefathers had spent centuries trying to accomplish.

Here we are, seven years later, stuck with Homeland Security and The Patriot Act, giving the Government permission to monitor Web activity and redefine airport security. I’ve gotten use to these things, but as I was thinking this year I realized a new, unsettling fact: if someone had asked you in the young hours following the attack would you sacrifice personal freedoms AND your fourth grader (if you had one) would you have been as anxious to say yes?

See, some of the fourth graders who were witnesses to that attack are now in their senior year and being recruited for the military to fight the war resulting from 9/11. That kind of blows my mind. We entered a war that is now falling on the shoulders of the Tickle Me Elmo generation.

At least these kids still have a choice if they want to enter the military. That might not always be the case. Think about that as election day draws closer.

This just in from BBC - the Italian priest who was planning a beauty contest for nuns has called it off. He is claiming that he was misunderstood. For some reason people focused on the physical aspect of the contest - go figure - rather than the inner beauty he wanted people to recognize.

Hey fella, these ladies are NUNS! They have outstanding inner beauty and goodness - they became nuns! We didn’t need a beauty contest to see that! Dude, you held the contest because you wanted some pub and it backfired on you. And now all of us who wanted to see sisters answer questions like ‘how would you solve world hunger’ and ‘what nations need our support’ (suchas), juggle flaming batons and bowling pins and be judged on how they looked in a habit and swimsuit are SCREWED! Thanks a lot.