Economics: I've finally found a way to get the economy rolling - make the Super Bowl a series, the best of 52 games. If it goes the distance, it would take a year. The Super Bowl champions will be the first team to win 27 games. To spread the wealth we can move the games to different venues throughout the nation. Why do I believe this will work? I went shopping early on Super Bowl Sunday and the market was mobbed, chips and dips were flying off the shelves.
You may think a Super Bowl is small potatoes, but consider the following. In this lousy economy, NBC still sold out the ads for a record $206 million. This year's event is estimated to generate "only" $150 - $200 million in direct and indirect spending it's nothing to sneeze at. The players aren't doing too badly either. In 2008, the total payroll for the champion Pittsburg Steelers was $128.8 million and the median (midway) salary was $1 million. The Arizona Cardinals had a total payroll of $121.1 million and the median was $931,000.
The highest total payroll in the NFL belongs to - surprise - the Oakland Raiders at $152.3 million. I bet most of you got that wrong. There is good lesson for state and local governments; it proves once again that you can't spend your way to success.
Crime: According to recent information from the FBI, gangs are responsible for up to 80 percent of the crime in the U.S. and there are a million members of organized gangs. They are getting more sophisticated using the Internet, including encrypted e-mail, to recruit and to communicate with associates throughout the U.S. and other countries according to the report. Violence is also increasing.
Illegal immigration provides a revolving door as these criminals - they come in or come back as fast as they are identified and deported. If you think this is a big-city problem you are wrong - the report notes that the groups are moving to avoid the scrutiny of larger metropolitan police agencies. When they leave the big cities, where are they going? I think you know.
To understand our local policy on gangs one must turn to science. The gangs are moving at the speed of light - 186,000 miles a second. They make a decision and they go out and do something, which is always bad. Our counter action is moving at the speed of government - a furlong per fortnight (that's an eighth of a mile every two weeks). It took many wasted months to decide that the Gang Task Force was not effective, now it's taken more months to arrange funding and it will be more months to search for a coordinator and so on. Before we have an effective program in place, today's gang-bangers will be on Social Security. But don't worry - the gang-bangers of tomorrow will have taken their place.
Multiple Personality Disorders: The federal government's plan for economic recovery is to lower taxes and increase spending. The state's plan is the opposite, to raise taxes and reduce spending. The county's plan is to raise fees and get more money from the state, and the city's plan is to use the money from a previous tax increase to hide more of the structural deficit. The deficit comes from overspending on pay and benefits including $600,000 in overtime.
Is it any wonder the citizens are confused? Since the Feds have the printing presses running around the clock and all the other governments are squeezing the taxpayers, I'm surprised they let us even touch the money before passing it on. I've have heard of tax and spend, and just tax and just spend, but I never heard of tax-don't-tax and spend-don't-spend, all at the same time.
Marty Richman Got a question or a comment? Send us an email.
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