I heard a local sportscaster the other night talking about the NHL lockout. As the newscast was coming to a close, one of the anchors remarked, "sounds like what's going on on Capitol Hill." The more I thought about it, it kind of does. Silliness comes in all forms, and these two bodies are no exception. Granted, one of these situations is way more serious than the other, but each one contains elements of the ridiculous.
Both of these situations are, bottom line, about money. And, they are both starting to make the eyes of interested parties on both subjects start to glaze over. The NHL owners will tell you that they only have the players and the fans best interests at heart. The President and Speaker Boehner will tell you that they only want what is best for the American people.
Bull cookies. The President is trying to screw the Republicans, and Boehner is trying to screw the Democrats. The NHL owners want the most out of the players for the least amount of money. The players want a little more of the revenue pie.
Neither side trusts the other to play fair. Some Republicans would take a tumble over the fiscal cliff so that Democrats can own the whole mess. The President and Democrats know that if December 31 comes and goes with no agreement, they, and the Public Relations arm of the Democratic Party, also known as the mainstream media, can scream from the rooftops that it is all the fault of the Republicans. They just want to protect their rich friends.
If you go on any number of sports websites, the threat of a boycott by hockey fans, namely season ticket holders is being talked about. It seems as though fans don't trust players or owners to solve the impasse.
The NHL estimates that it is losing 18-20 million dollars a day, and the federal government is borrowing 46 cents for every dollar it spends. Neither of these factoids seems like sound fiscal policy. Of course, the first priority must be that Washington D.C. comes to some kind of compromise, without "compromise" meaning that Republicans cave into every Democrat demand.
If NHL owners and players come to an agreement soon after a possible Congressional agreement, could that mean that Congress lead by some sort of example?
Silliness comes in many forms.
Both of these situations are, bottom line, about money. And, they are both starting to make the eyes of interested parties on both subjects start to glaze over. The NHL owners will tell you that they only have the players and the fans best interests at heart. The President and Speaker Boehner will tell you that they only want what is best for the American people.
Bull cookies. The President is trying to screw the Republicans, and Boehner is trying to screw the Democrats. The NHL owners want the most out of the players for the least amount of money. The players want a little more of the revenue pie.
Neither side trusts the other to play fair. Some Republicans would take a tumble over the fiscal cliff so that Democrats can own the whole mess. The President and Democrats know that if December 31 comes and goes with no agreement, they, and the Public Relations arm of the Democratic Party, also known as the mainstream media, can scream from the rooftops that it is all the fault of the Republicans. They just want to protect their rich friends.
If you go on any number of sports websites, the threat of a boycott by hockey fans, namely season ticket holders is being talked about. It seems as though fans don't trust players or owners to solve the impasse.
The NHL estimates that it is losing 18-20 million dollars a day, and the federal government is borrowing 46 cents for every dollar it spends. Neither of these factoids seems like sound fiscal policy. Of course, the first priority must be that Washington D.C. comes to some kind of compromise, without "compromise" meaning that Republicans cave into every Democrat demand.
If NHL owners and players come to an agreement soon after a possible Congressional agreement, could that mean that Congress lead by some sort of example?Silliness comes in many forms.
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