Representative democracy seems to be too radical a concept for the New Jersey state senate's Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committe to enwrap within its parochial minds. It's sent back for redrafting a bill that would allow Atlantic City casino employees to hold elective office there, too. Dangerous, revolutionary stuff, that.
Most reasonable people know a conflict of interest when they see one, but Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) wants it codified in the statute. GOP Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, of Passaic, went one further, huffing and puffing that allowing casino workers to represent themselves "potentially could be putting the wolf in the chicken coop, where right now the wolf is on the outside."
Geez, if you work in an Atlantic City casino, moving to a leper colony would be a step up, at least when attitudes like Pennacchio's hold sway. Besides, taxation without representation is so 1775, senators.
The Wall Street bailout in 10 words or less: And the winner is … President George W. Bush with, "If money isn't loosened up, this sucker could go down." It won't pass for Nobel Prize-winning economic analysis, but it possesses the virtues of being memorable and succinct.
1999 Mets revisited. A reader points out, "You know, those Mets were not too overachieving. Their Pythagorean W-L was only 2 games worse than their actual W-L. It's the 2000 Mets that were seriously overachieving. By comparison, the 1999 Braves were 5 games over their Pythagorean. The winner on overachieving, however, are this year's Angels … 12 games over!"
Math was, by far, my worst subject, so I'll take your word for it. But — did you have to remind me of the 2000 World Series, which the Mets lost when creepy manager Bobby Valentine hung pitcher Al Leiter out to dry in the final game? (Never mind a possibly steroid-maddened Roger Clemens trying to harpoon Mike Piazza with a broken bat.) I've never teared up at the end of a sporting event … except that once.
