Although I understand the gist of what you are trying to say, there are still a few points that I need further clarification on….

Some weblog software programs, such as WordPress, Movable Type and Community Server, support automatic pingbacks where all the links…

I’m a little confused; in an earlier post you state that you can’t trust Bill Clinton because of his affair in the Oval Office and that trust is a big factor in your decision making process. What I’m confused about is the fact that Senator McCain has had multiple affairs and at least one of those ended in a child.

His first wife stands by his side the whole time he was tortured as a POW and when he gets back he leaves her for Cindy (whom he marries two months later) after she has been in a horrendous car wreck. That’s a man with “family values” a man you can trust?

I know people make mistakes and I’m all for forgiving those mistakes; but Curt, you can’t possible say you don’t trust Clinton and then turn around and say you trust McCain using the affair as your basis.

McCain should be respected for the terrible situation he had to endure while in captivity (I will never make light of that), but his actions upon return are nothing to be proud of and should not be overlooked if you’re interested in trusting someone.

I’m NOT condoning what Clinton did at all, it was wrong for him to do and even worse to go lie about it…but just remember, he is still with Hillary, and Senator McCain left his wife during a time she needed him the most. That is not a trustworthy man of “character” or “honor”. His war record rightfully paints him as both; but his post-war actions tell a whole different story.

The simple fact is that you have no idea what it’s like to be a middle-class family guy like me, trying to raise four kids and working hard while you watch executive pay and tax cuts for the rich go through the roof as we struggle to get by month to month. I’m sure you came from humble enough beginnings but your adult life has not been like that of 99% of us.

You’re not the first rich athlete who only thinks about his own millions, however, so I wouldn’t want to crucify you for it or anything.

In any case, I applaud you for having the balls to open up your blog for commentary and to take a beating from people like myself. You have your views and I have mine and any guy who’s willing to actually “listen” to opposing views and occasionally even respond to them is better than most.

P.S. I hope you play Horde or I really will have lost all respect for you.

Your premise and the quotes you include about Richardson and Biden’s appear to have been taken from the Fox news article “How low can it go…”, which cited from and reaffirmed portions of a speech by Gov. Palin where she complained, as do you, that Obama’s definition of middle class had been downgraded recently by almost half.

Unfortunately, you and Gov. Palin ( and Fox) are operating under a flawed and illogical perception of the actual facts. All Biden and Richardson did in their remarks was to suggest a subjective level of income that they felt defined where the actual American middle class topped out. The unfortunate and erroneous comparison that you and Palin draw to Obama’s level of $250,000 for implementation of a 3% increase in the tax rate ( back to pre Bush tax cut levels of 39% from 36%) is to the floor benchmark delineating the level of “wealthy” Americans ( such as yourself), not in any way a definition of middle class.

In point of fact, Obama defines the $250,000 figure as comprising the top 2% of the American wealth hierarchy. Common sense, and definition of terms, show that the “middle class” or median, is not defined as being the 97th percentile. John McCain suggested in his “faith” interview with Pastor Rick that he viewed the definition of wealthy as 5 million dollars and above. Again, common sense and logic tell us that McCain does not consider those Americans earning $4 million, 999 thousand and below as middle class, anymore than Obama considers those earning $249, 999 annually as middle class. Therefore the conflation of Biden and Richardson’s figures to define middle class to Obama’s definition of wealthy is a rehash of the old “apples and oranges” argument…not really in the same ballpark

One has to consider the validity and partisanship of their sources before using them to buttress an argument, and I maintain pretty much anything offered by Fox News or Fox News.com should be looked at with skepticism and a grain of salt because of their right wing bias.

Socalsoxman

“(Anyone wishing to use this as a reason for me to vote against him can zip it, I don’t have a job, I am likely retired, and the tax threshold means squat to me. I am now a small business owner in a start up and there is nothing he’s proposed that is going to help me hire new employees or maintain the best health care coverage in the industry my company is in. I’m going to have to do that despite him if he’s elected)”

I am a small business owner. I am soon to be retired. I do care about the tax threshold. And I struggle (yes… STRUGGLE) with all these issues, as well as finding and paying new employees, and maintain quality health coverage.

That you would even IMPLY you’re on the same level with those like me, who don’t make in their ENTIRE LIFE what you made in six months last year, is utterly shameful.

Shut your damned, self-centered mouth and stop insulting the masses, like me, who used to think you were something special.

Whether you accept it or not, I am. Hiring new employees and keeping the premium health care benefits for my current employees is of major concern to me. How does anything else come into the equation? Are you implying it’s not possible for me to have the same concerns as you?

I have several things in common with you but also have several views in direct conflict with your own.

First off, as a former college pitcher, I think you are one of the finest competitors to play the game. I have also been a WoW player for three years though recently retired when my second child was born. I agree with you on gold farming etc. It has destroyed the economy of the game in some respects though I think Blizzard made some mistakes with prices of goods and the time it takes to gather gold in the game to advance your character. I was part of a guild that nearly cleared Sunwell and was first or second to kill all the bosses in Black Temple and other raiding instances. If you have not raided the high end 25 man content it is worth seeing. Though I still argue that Naxx was the best instance ever made. You will see it reincarnated in WOTLK if you haven’t already. My server was firetree though I canceled my account for now to spend more time with my kids!

But on to the areas where we have a huge fundamental disagreement. I am a supporter of Barack Obama as you might guess. I am also employed in the finance arena and have both my CFA and MBA so I think I can speak with some knowledge on the areas you cited in your blog.

Many have commented that you are just spewing vitriol and discussing areas where you have no knowledge. I think everyone has the right to their own opinion so I can’t call you out on that. What I will say is that blame can not be thrown at the feet of any one individual, party or corporation (or set of corporations if you choose Fannie and Freddie).

A crisis of this magnitude (and this is a larger one than many of us could ever imagine) has many at fault. I will list those at fault (in my view) but in no particular order. I will also add a bit of personal commentary.

1) Consumer – the American consumer has leveraged him or herself massively over the past few decades. While you can blame a company for writing mortgages that individuals can’t afford, you have to blame the individuals to some extent for not taking personal responsibility and doing the math themselves on what they can afford. As a Republican, you of all people should agree with that. Even as a democrat I think the consumer is partly at fault. And you can consider any homebuyer a consumer.

2) Mortgage underwriters – (e.g. Countrywide) It is the mortgage underwriter who makes or receives the initial contact. It is the mortgage underwriter who collects the initial information on the person borrowing the money. It is the mortgage underwriter who can be aggressive or more consultative in assessing the loan and the candidate’s willingness or ability to pay. In the old days (100 yrs ago….), the local bank officer knew the person in the town applying for the loan and even knew the house he was buying. They shared friends and shared a history. In our society (inevitable), we got away from this and likely can never return. Too difficult. So underwriters share the blame.

3) Investment Banks – Once Countrywide and other firms wrote the loans, they either A) kept the loans on their books (and they regret this as you recall Countrywide was one of the first firms to fall as it was eventually acquired by Bank of America very early in the crisis) or they sold them to investment banks to be packaged into CDOs etc. The investment banks bought all these crap loans and they packaged them into complex securities, put leverage on them and repackaged them again. This is a complex topic but many of these securities were then sold in tranches that appeared not very risky but in fact were junk all the way through. (see my next contributor to the crisis for more)

4) Ratings agencies – the ratings agencies (Moody’s, S&P etc) gave these CDOs and other pooled vehicles ratings (e.g. AAA, A+ etc). As we learned later, the ratings agencies did not have a good grasp of the risks involved in the securities. They also received a fee for rating the packaged debt. (imagine if they gave it a low grade…would they get the business to rate that investment bank’s debt in the future? Surely you must understand conflicts of interest…. That is Exhibit A)

5) Fixed income management firms – In the end someone had to buy these CDOs and unpackaged mortgage debt. Fixed income management firms were guilty in part because they provided the market for this.

You the consumer get a loan you can’t afford from an underwriter, it is packaged by an investment bank and rated by a rating agency and sold to a fixed income firm. Voilah!! All co-conspirators in this mess.

Now Freddie and Fannie are certainly guilty in all of this, and the Dems and Reps are guilty in letting FNM and FRE run to freely for sure. An earlier poster only cited the Democrat’s mistakes but I can assure you the right and far right is just as guilty in letting the two firms run free. Both sides were successfully lobbied by these firms. Don’t kid yourself in thinking one party is innocent. It only makes you look like you don’t know what you are talking about.

So that is my take on this.

It looks like Barack Obama will win this election. I think this is a wonderful event for our nation on many many levels.

While I do not think that Obama (or McCain) has the knowledge to deal with this economic mess, I have much more confidence in Obama’s economic team than I do in McCain’s economic team. I think Summers, Rubin, Volcker, Goolsbee, Reich, and Tyson all have the experience and knowledge to lead us through this crisis. So while neither candidate is capable in this area, the key is having the judgement to put the right people into place. On that point, Obama wins while McCain’s team has not proved itself. I think McCain even mentioned Meg Whitman for Treasury Secretary or Fed Chairman at one point. I do not think that would be a good idea. She did a decent job leading Ebay, but Ebay is not the U.S. Treasury.

I think when we decide on a candidate to vote for, we should really focus on judgement because it is good judgement that allows our candidates to choose the team around them. It is the team around them that ultimately shapes the policies and actions of an administration.

On judgement I think Obama wins in a blowout. McCain’s selection of Palin shows a bit less judgement and bit more politics in my view. While I am not going to cite her as horribly unqualified to be President, I will say that sheis a surprising choice and her knowledge base must climb significantly (particularly on world affairs/events) for her to match Obama. She could not come close to matching Biden or McCain in that area. So I think any neo con or anyone who just feels that our foreign policy decisisions are important should really step back and think about having her on the ticket and what it might mean if she had to step in as Chairwoman and CEO of America.

Best of luck with the rest of your baseball career and good luck in WoTLK.

if you are wealthy and own more land, assets and can afford anything, why shouldn’t you pay more than those that share a one bedroom dwelling with three others and struggle to pay bills because 33% of your earnings go back to the government?

That being said, I think like most McCain supporters you ignore what a blatant panderer he has become (as I said earlier with progressive taxes & abortion, among other things).

Also… be straightforward. The whole “I’m retired, I’m a small business owner” line is a bunch of nonsense and if you expect anyone to buy that you underestimate the public. You don’t represent small-business America. You don’t know risk… if at anytime in your life, then not anymore. You’ve made over $100,000,000 (according to baseball reference, only 21 players have made more in their careers). Your software company could fail a thousand times over and you wouldn’t worry about what your health care, your mortgage(s), how to get your four kids to college.

If you want to speak for rich-guy America, that’s your God-given right. I respect that. But don’t pretend to understand where the rest of us are coming from… .

‘ Baghdad

- A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in Fudhailiyah neighborhood (east Baghdad). Five people were injured including two policemen.

- A roadside bomb targeted an American patrol in Tobchi (Al-Salam) neighborhood (northwest Baghdad) .One civilian was killed and five others were wounded. No US casualties reported, police said. The U.S. military said that one person suffered minor injuries and no one was killed.

- Police found one dead body in Ur neighborhood (east Baghdad) today.

Diyala

- Gunmen opened fire on Sahwa members in Swghaa village near Buhriz (3 miles south of Baquba). Three Sahwa members were wounded.

Salahuddin

- A car bomb targeted a police patrol in Abu Ajeel village (3 miles east of Tikrit). One policeman was injured. ‘