Cleatus said:
What I have to say is neither profound nor cutting edge. It has happened before, and it will happen again. But, as I watched "The Smartest Men in the Room" documentary on the Enron Scandal and at the same time the news on Eliot Spitzer was breaking, it was just reinforced.
The tale is age old - man grinds, he is either successful or not (doesn't really matter), he gets bored with life, and he takes risk. Regarding Enron, the risk was also in the form of self-gain. Not the case with Gov. Spitzer. But in Enron, they had a culture of risk - they would take vacations where they would do extreme sports, they would cheat on their wives, etc...
I'm not a psychologist, but I imagine one of the main reasons that Spitzer got a prostitute rather than simply having an affair, is because it was more risk. As in fight club, the mundane grind leaves us desiring something more. Generally, the average person has less than 2 hours a day to pursue what they really want to be doing. In those two hours, they don't pursue their desires because society has told us that these desires are bad. Fight Club is probably the extreme example - they risk their health to feel alive. But Spitzer also risked his health (at least I consider sleeping with a prostitute risky).
In the more day-to-day examples, you probably see people flirting when they shouldn't, investing a little more than they should, betting a little more than their allotted "gambling expenses", etc. But, when you get to guys like Spitzer, who have been successful their whole life, this little risk still doesn't make them feel alive. They need to go over the top. He did.
I'm not trying to make Spitzer or the Enron executives come off as victims - its Spitzer's family and the Enron shareholders who will ultimately lose. But, societal morals accompanied with the day to day grind certainly leaves most looking for more. How you achieve the "more" will probably make or break you. It certainly will break a lot more people than Spitzer. FInally, perhaps we should give him a little pass because DC is America's playground - Nixon, Clinton, Marion Barry, and now Spitzer.
Bill Ray said:
When I read the news, I almost felt sorry for him. I am not judging Spitzer as we are all flawed and I have committed my fair share of sins but I think two things:
1) his risk analysis was horrible, and
2) the true victims here are his family
I have no idea why he did it. Maybe he was bored with life and decided to take on risk. Perhaps the day to day grind simply wore him down to the point that he felt compelled to do some shit just for him. He probably thought using a prostitute was less risky than any other affair. I assume there is less risk of emotional attachment when the sex is essentially a business deal.
Regardless of why he did it, he did a piss poor job with the risk analysis and has negatively impacted his career and family life for eternity. When he was thinking about the pros and cons of his risky behavior, he clearly spent too much time on the pros and not enough on the cons.
As a lawyer, he should have realized that there are different levels of crimes. When a regular man cheats, the repurcussions are potentially enormous. At a minimum, you lose the trust of your wife and you run the risk of losing your wife and family altogether. Spitzer's scenario is far worse. His wife has to not only endure the pain of her husband cheating but also the resulting embarassment of having his infidelity exposed to the world. His kids have to go to school with the knowledge that everyone knows what is going on in their household. Add in the facts that he was considered a "straight as an arrow" politician and had prosecuted prostitution rings himself and the scenario is further exacerbated. Dude should have learned from Slick Willie Clinton.
Bottom line, at least he got some "new" ass out of the entire ordeal, his wife and kids gained nothing. I would also wager that when he has some time to think about it all, he will conclude that the "new" ass was not at all worth the risk. I doubt he will get a pass on this but in his defense, I will say this.......................at least the prostitute was not male. That would have gotten him in even more trouble.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Rappers and Politicians
3 weeks ago, Bill Ray said: While debating the merits of Obama with my wife last Friday night/Saturday morning at 3 am, I came to the following conclusion: there are a lot of parallels involving Obama and Lil Wayne. They include:
-I feel like everyone is forcing Obama as a presidential candidate down my throat just as everyone is forcing the notion that Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive.
-While I certainly respect the hustle of each man and can even support them on some basic level, I am still not ready to drink the kool aid being pushed by the masses. Sure, Obama is a great speaker and has charisma but that does not make him a guaranteed great president. Sure, Lil Wayne has some solid verses and is constantly putting out music but that does not make him the greatest rapper alive. I am sure I will vote for Obama and I have downloaded some Lil Wayne music over time but I am not going out to campaign for Obama and I am never going to own the complete library of Lil Wayne music. Honestly, just due to the overhyping of both men, I am already regretting potentially voting for Obama and having any Lil Wayne music on my ipod.
-Both men are working in areas with limited and weak competition, which inflates their status. If I don't vote for Obama, who do I vote for? If Lil Wayne is not the best rapper alive, who is? Obama is competing against Hillary and McCain and Lil Wayne is competing against the latest ringtone rapper who is entertaining the ignorant masses with overly choreographed dance moves and T Pain in the background. With this level of competition, how great do these two really have to be?
-The people forcing these two down my throats are in no position to do so. The people forcing Obama down my throat are mainly white liberals. The people hyping Lil Wayne as the greatest rapper alive are kids on the internet. All of these people are way too excited. The white liberals expect me to embrace Obama since he is a "black" man (that is a potential additional post) who will bring about change. It seems to me most of these people just do not want to see Hillary in office. The kids on the internet simply need to study their lessons and go back and listen to some truly classic hip hop.
I could go on further but why bother. My time will be better spent analyzing the Wisconsin primary results (I bet on Obama and got 1.5 points) and listening to some old Brand Nubian. Let the haters hate and the truth come to light.
Today, Bill Ray says: Since I assigned a rapper to Obama, I might as well assign one to Hillary and my choice is...............Mr. Jim Jones. The parallels include:
-Jimmy progressed from being Camron's hypeman to a legitimate (at least in these times) solo artist. Hillary has progressed from being the first lady to a legitimate politician (at least in these times).
-Camron plays the role of Slick Willie Clinton. Both are more style than substance and neither seemingly gives/gave a damn what people think about them. How else do you explain Cam's insistence on nursery rhyme raps (when his potential is so much greater) and fascination with pink. Slick Willie's inability to slow down his pimping even though he was in such a visible position shows he doesn't care.
-Back to Jimmy and Hillary, they have essentially taken a ride on the coattails of someone else to get in their present positions while frankly offering very little. Jimmy has the teenagers dressing like rock stars (what is up with all the chains and skulls) and chanting "we fly high" and Hillary has the women pledging allegiance to her (hopefully for some reason other than the fact she is a woman).
-Though they have both worked hard, both Jimmy and Hillary were willing to do whatever it took to get to their present position. Jimmy has gone as far as beefing with Camron and playing nice with the sworn enemy of Dipset, 50. Hillary has proven she will do anything to hang in the race with Obama.
-Most importantly, they have both reached their personal pinnacles and the only way to go is down. Jimmy blew up off "We Fly High" but has been pretty quiet since. Hillary won TX and OH to stay alive but there is no way she is the next president. Karma will not allow it.
The real question is who would make a better president, Wayne or Jimmy?
Cleatus said:
I agree that Obama could be Lil Wayne, but he would essentially have to lose and we'd never have to hear from him again. In 35 years noone will be talking about Lil Wayne. If Obama wins the presidency, hehas already surpassed this. If he wins the presidency and makesmediocre accomplishments, he is Lupe. If he wins the presidency andrevitalizes America's belief in the democratic process, he is Common.
-I feel like everyone is forcing Obama as a presidential candidate down my throat just as everyone is forcing the notion that Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive.
-While I certainly respect the hustle of each man and can even support them on some basic level, I am still not ready to drink the kool aid being pushed by the masses. Sure, Obama is a great speaker and has charisma but that does not make him a guaranteed great president. Sure, Lil Wayne has some solid verses and is constantly putting out music but that does not make him the greatest rapper alive. I am sure I will vote for Obama and I have downloaded some Lil Wayne music over time but I am not going out to campaign for Obama and I am never going to own the complete library of Lil Wayne music. Honestly, just due to the overhyping of both men, I am already regretting potentially voting for Obama and having any Lil Wayne music on my ipod.
-Both men are working in areas with limited and weak competition, which inflates their status. If I don't vote for Obama, who do I vote for? If Lil Wayne is not the best rapper alive, who is? Obama is competing against Hillary and McCain and Lil Wayne is competing against the latest ringtone rapper who is entertaining the ignorant masses with overly choreographed dance moves and T Pain in the background. With this level of competition, how great do these two really have to be?
-The people forcing these two down my throats are in no position to do so. The people forcing Obama down my throat are mainly white liberals. The people hyping Lil Wayne as the greatest rapper alive are kids on the internet. All of these people are way too excited. The white liberals expect me to embrace Obama since he is a "black" man (that is a potential additional post) who will bring about change. It seems to me most of these people just do not want to see Hillary in office. The kids on the internet simply need to study their lessons and go back and listen to some truly classic hip hop.
I could go on further but why bother. My time will be better spent analyzing the Wisconsin primary results (I bet on Obama and got 1.5 points) and listening to some old Brand Nubian. Let the haters hate and the truth come to light.
Today, Bill Ray says: Since I assigned a rapper to Obama, I might as well assign one to Hillary and my choice is...............Mr. Jim Jones. The parallels include:
-Jimmy progressed from being Camron's hypeman to a legitimate (at least in these times) solo artist. Hillary has progressed from being the first lady to a legitimate politician (at least in these times).
-Camron plays the role of Slick Willie Clinton. Both are more style than substance and neither seemingly gives/gave a damn what people think about them. How else do you explain Cam's insistence on nursery rhyme raps (when his potential is so much greater) and fascination with pink. Slick Willie's inability to slow down his pimping even though he was in such a visible position shows he doesn't care.
-Back to Jimmy and Hillary, they have essentially taken a ride on the coattails of someone else to get in their present positions while frankly offering very little. Jimmy has the teenagers dressing like rock stars (what is up with all the chains and skulls) and chanting "we fly high" and Hillary has the women pledging allegiance to her (hopefully for some reason other than the fact she is a woman).
-Though they have both worked hard, both Jimmy and Hillary were willing to do whatever it took to get to their present position. Jimmy has gone as far as beefing with Camron and playing nice with the sworn enemy of Dipset, 50. Hillary has proven she will do anything to hang in the race with Obama.
-Most importantly, they have both reached their personal pinnacles and the only way to go is down. Jimmy blew up off "We Fly High" but has been pretty quiet since. Hillary won TX and OH to stay alive but there is no way she is the next president. Karma will not allow it.
The real question is who would make a better president, Wayne or Jimmy?
Cleatus said:
Obama could be Lil Wayne. But, lets compare him to Chicago artists(since that is where he hails from).
He is most likely Kanye - a force that bridges gaps and brings adiverse crowd to the table. One of Kanye's faults is also whatHillary and the Press cite Obama for - a lack of substance. I thinkit is too early to say he is Lil Wayne (or anyone else), but if hegoes on to be president and we see all flash and no substance, he'llbe Kanye and not Lil Wayne. He probably has already surpassed LilWayne - and will definetly do so if he is elected. I think you are giving Lil Wayne far too much credit, but if Obama loses the primaryand we never hear from him again, the comparison is fair.
He could be Lupe Fiasco - someone that has more substance, but doesn'thave widespread appeal (in fact, Billy Ray himself thinks he sucks).However, he has had some hits. I see Lupe as the in between of Kanyeand Common. If Obama goes on to be president and has some mediocrevictories, he'll be Lupe.
I agree that Obama could be Lil Wayne, but he would essentially have to lose and we'd never have to hear from him again. In 35 years noone will be talking about Lil Wayne. If Obama wins the presidency, hehas already surpassed this. If he wins the presidency and makesmediocre accomplishments, he is Lupe. If he wins the presidency andrevitalizes America's belief in the democratic process, he is Common.
The Beer Bill
This is not from us but is pretty classic:
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten mendrank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement,until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such goodcustomers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beerby $20." Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so thefirst four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But whatabout the other six men - the paying customers? How could they dividethe $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' Theyrealized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted thatfrom everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each endup being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would befair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings) .
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued todrink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to comparetheir savings. "I only got a dollar out of the$20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but hegot $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "Ionly saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!""That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!" "Wait aminute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anythingat all. The system exploits the poor!" The ninemen surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat downand had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, theydiscovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of themfor even half of the bill! And that, ladies andgentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax systemworks. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a taxreduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might startdrinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
DavidR. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten mendrank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement,until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such goodcustomers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beerby $20." Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so thefirst four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But whatabout the other six men - the paying customers? How could they dividethe $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' Theyrealized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted thatfrom everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each endup being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would befair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings) .
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued todrink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to comparetheir savings. "I only got a dollar out of the$20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but hegot $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "Ionly saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!""That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!" "Wait aminute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anythingat all. The system exploits the poor!" The ninemen surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat downand had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, theydiscovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of themfor even half of the bill! And that, ladies andgentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax systemworks. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a taxreduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might startdrinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
DavidR. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Duke-UNC
Bill Ray said:
I am ready for Coach K to stop getting outcoached in big games. Calhoun owns him and now Roy is proving to be quite a nemesis.
Roy had UNC switch off on picks to take away the uncontested threes, something UNC did for the first time all year. The move works as the shooters don't get wide open 3s and are forced to drive the ball. They relied on contested 3 balls and contested shots at the goal (resulting in a ton of blocks). Coach K should have had them attempt to get the midrange game going but of course he did not. Also, the refs were letting them play and UNC was relentless in attacking the goal. Why Coach K did not break out the zone that flustered UVA is beyond me. I know you do run the risk of leaving Ellington and Green open for 3s but when you are getting absolutely killed with offensive rebounds and putbacks, you have to try to switch it up.
A great game, both teams played hard. Hansborough is just too tough for anyone to handle. Duke played him very well and he still got his and was the dominant force in the game. Also, Duke does not have anyone that can deal with Danny Green since they use Henderson on Ellington. 3 in a row at Cameron for UNC.............terrible.
Bing said:
Coach K must recruit an actual big who isn’t a stiff to make Duke battle ready. He needs an EB or Shelden W type and he hasn’t been able to convince them to come. So he makes due playing kids he recruited at the 3 at the 4 (Lance Thomas, Singler).
Bill Ray said:
Yes, Greg Monroe would have helped. Still, Coach K must work with the players he has. I am actually hoping that Zoubek continues to improve and becomes a servicable big man for next year. Otherwise, it will be the same thing next year but with Williams replacing Nelson in the rotation.
I am ready for Coach K to stop getting outcoached in big games. Calhoun owns him and now Roy is proving to be quite a nemesis.
Roy had UNC switch off on picks to take away the uncontested threes, something UNC did for the first time all year. The move works as the shooters don't get wide open 3s and are forced to drive the ball. They relied on contested 3 balls and contested shots at the goal (resulting in a ton of blocks). Coach K should have had them attempt to get the midrange game going but of course he did not. Also, the refs were letting them play and UNC was relentless in attacking the goal. Why Coach K did not break out the zone that flustered UVA is beyond me. I know you do run the risk of leaving Ellington and Green open for 3s but when you are getting absolutely killed with offensive rebounds and putbacks, you have to try to switch it up.
A great game, both teams played hard. Hansborough is just too tough for anyone to handle. Duke played him very well and he still got his and was the dominant force in the game. Also, Duke does not have anyone that can deal with Danny Green since they use Henderson on Ellington. 3 in a row at Cameron for UNC.............terrible.
Bing said:
Coach K must recruit an actual big who isn’t a stiff to make Duke battle ready. He needs an EB or Shelden W type and he hasn’t been able to convince them to come. So he makes due playing kids he recruited at the 3 at the 4 (Lance Thomas, Singler).
Bill Ray said:
Yes, Greg Monroe would have helped. Still, Coach K must work with the players he has. I am actually hoping that Zoubek continues to improve and becomes a servicable big man for next year. Otherwise, it will be the same thing next year but with Williams replacing Nelson in the rotation.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The birth of this blog
Today this blog was born. It was conceived many months ago and arrived somewhat unexpectedly today.
Who knows what type of lifespan the blog will have but we hope to nurture it and Cleatus has graciously volunteered to breastfeed it for the next 2 months.
We hope to have a much more complete blog up by next week but we figured our first post should just list the various names we considered naming the blog:
Bill Ray and the Boys
Organized Confusion
Existential Angst
Jack, Poker and Everything Else We Love
Dope Boys in a Caddy
Supreme Haters
Fast Women and Beautiful Cards
Women, Whiskey and Pessimism
Darkness: The Way We See Things
No Country for Bitter Men
We Wake Up Angry and Confused
The Intoxicated Soul Searchers
The Hateful Prognosticators
Our Truth
Above, Beyond, and Around
Extracurricular Identity
Who knows what type of lifespan the blog will have but we hope to nurture it and Cleatus has graciously volunteered to breastfeed it for the next 2 months.
We hope to have a much more complete blog up by next week but we figured our first post should just list the various names we considered naming the blog:
Bill Ray and the Boys
Organized Confusion
Existential Angst
Jack, Poker and Everything Else We Love
Dope Boys in a Caddy
Supreme Haters
Fast Women and Beautiful Cards
Women, Whiskey and Pessimism
Darkness: The Way We See Things
No Country for Bitter Men
We Wake Up Angry and Confused
The Intoxicated Soul Searchers
The Hateful Prognosticators
Our Truth
Above, Beyond, and Around
Extracurricular Identity
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