Brett Favre, an AmeriGobble favorite, is back, again! In what is becoming an annual ritual in the NFL off-season, Favre has again retired and then un-retired. I hope nobody threw him a retirement party already. At least wait until the season starts, because it seems he can’t stay away once the pig skin starts to fly each year.
Maybe he likes having a retirement party every year or something. That is the only reason we can think of here at AmeriGobble for his indecision to either retire or not. I mean, come on Brett, you are either retiring or you are not. Make up your mind and stick to it, so you don’t drag us through this drama again.
You say you are coming back for the right reasons, because you love the game, and we at AmeriGobble believe you. Really, we do! Although $12 Million doesn’t hurt either. But why not just say you are not retiring, if you are really not going to retire. If you really were going to retire after last season, why not just sign a one year deal instead of signing for two.
Anyway, it is good for football to have one of the premier players back, but we doubt Favre will make it two more years. We have a funny feeling that a sequel to this movie will be out around February or so of next year. Just a word of caution though, hold off on that retirement party, until, Favre is really retired.
So give us a gobble and let us now if these retirement announcements from Favre the last few years are just PR stunts, or if Favre simply likes retirement parties or something.
With the debate on healthcare escalating into chaos and partisan rhetoric, we at AmeriGobble are wondering if bipartisanship is overrated and even possible any more. Both sides are so entrenched in their ideologies, that it seems impossible to achieve a compromise. And is compromise on things like health care reform, even a good idea any more. Remember, the old saying about too many cooks in the kitchen.
The extreme resistance from the right, complete with misinformation, attack ads and scare tactics regarding healthcare reform may cause the Democrats in Washington, particularly President Obama himself to shift gears and say forget about bipartisanship, and at the stage, really who can blame him if that is the direction he decides to go. Maybe the Democrats will just push through their legislation without the Republicans. If the Republicans want to have any say on healthcare and other legislation in the next few years, they better be willing to compromise.
The effort to reach out and include the Republicans on health care reform has only led to delay and the same old arguments for not doing anything. We just can’t seem to get past the same old arguments. At this point it appears that with Republican participation the only legislation that would pass would really just be health care reform in name only. In other words, this could end up being a bill that does not change anything.
So, we ask are the days of bipartisanship legislation over, with the party in power dictating the agenda and legislation, either liberal or conservative. And, is this all bad if the majority of the electorate has voted for one ideology over the other, which the last two elections seem to have dictated.
Give us a gobble and let us know what you think.
Good news out of Detroit. In response to the increased demand ignited by the Federal “Cash for Clunkers” program, GM will be adding shifts, overtime and reinstating 1,350 workers to help produce an additional 60,000 vehicles this year.
While this is great considering the depths that GM fell to, we hope that they are not overestimating demand, only to left with a plethora of unsold vehicles. Put simply, will the buyers be there. Maybe, maybe not.
In the short term this can only help the economy by putting more money into to pockets of hard working Americans. Considering we have a consumer driven economy here in the US, the impact of this can not be understated. Jobs create spending. The more money paid to employees, the more money the employees spend. While we at AmeriGobble don’t expect that consumer confidence will suddenly skyrocket or that the unemployment rate will drop with this announcement, every little bit helps.
However, in the long term we at AmeriGobble are unsure of the demand for new vehicles and that is where caution in forecasting is crucial. While the “Cash for Clunkers” program has been extended it is becoming apparent that demand for that program is on the decline, as those with clunkers and the money to buy a new vehicle have already largely participated. Mistakes in forecasting can have devastating effects on a company. Remember there is a carrying cost to holding onto an unsold vehicle, and with high inventories layoffs again may result.
So, leave us a gobble and tell us what you think about this move by GM and if you think the demand will still be there for these additional 60,000 vehicles.
Wow, the debate on health care reform led by President Obama is getting out of hand. The opposing views on the subject seem to drifting further and further apart and now the rumor is that the President Obama may actually be caving on the “Public Option” part of the reform package.
It seems all the talk of socialism, death panels and euthanasia from the right is having its desired effect to create fear and confusion. It worked back in the 90’s and it is apparently working today. Can’t we all just have an honest discussion for once and come up with a win-win solution. Misinformation and attack style ads are not helping further the conversation. In fact, it stifles and polarizes the conversation and we are better than that.
While we at AmeriGobble do not proclaim to know what the best solution for health care reform is at this time, we are willing to listen to all the options without a preconceived political agenda. What we do know is that the cost for health care is excessively high for the average American today and something needs to change. Imagine if people paid half of what they pay today for healthcare. The economy would be thriving. We need to get to that place somehow.
So we ask, is the current tone of the healthcare debate out of control and will all the misinformation, attacks and political agendas on both sides cripple any chance for meaningful health care reform?
Well, the unthinkable finally happened. Tiger Woods was beaten for the first time after taking the lead into the final round at a major.
The winner was a surprise too. Ranked 110th in the world, little known South Korean golfer Y.E Yang stormed through the final round in, well, Tigeresque fashion. He appeared to be the aggressor in this round while Tiger looked flat, unemotional, and shocked. All he could do was watch Yang drill shot after shot like a machine programmed to win. Much like Tiger.
Now, let us be clear Tiger did not play all that badly, but it wasn’t enough as Yang was just simply on his game. However, it was primarily Tiger’s usually reliable putter that failed him big time yesterday. A few made puts here or there and things could have different.
With this missed opportunity, Tiger lost his last chance to win a major in 2009. Knowing Tigers competitive zeal as we all do, this has to be one the most painful losses of his career. At the same time, it may be one of golf’s biggest upsets ever. One for the ages. Y.E. Yang deserves tremendous credit for standing up to the pressure of playing with Tiger on the last day of a major and delivering.
How do you think Tiger will respond to this defeat next year? Will he return to the dominant form we are used to and leave nobody else a chance, or is the golf world simply catching up to and taming the Tiger.
Stock market up, consumer confidence down. Home sales increasing, foreclosure at record levels. Corporate profits up, retail sales down. Unemployment rate down, but 227,000 jobs lost in July. We are confused by all the conflicting data here at AmeriGobble so maybe you can help us out.
We are just trying to get an accurate gauge on where things really stand with the economy. We know this is a deep recession, but the recent sentiment by experts and the media almost sounds rosy. Like we have turned the corner. Just the other day Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke issued a optimistic statement hinting that the recession is nearly over, and indicating that interest rates will be kept low for some time. The result, a vigorous market rally continuing the upswing started back in March! Good times ahead for all, right.
Then just today we get reports that retail sales declined and confidence among the consumer is eroding. Result, the market tanks. What gives! If the consumers are not yet ready to start spending, then how can the experts be so rosy. What are we missing?
Anyway, we trust you more than anybody here at AmeriGobble, so give us a gobble and let us know where you think things stand with economy right now, because we can’t tell fact from fiction or head from tails right now. And it seems that the experts and media can’t either!
Ex VP Dick Cheney is Back, Again! This Time He’s Going After Old Pal and Boss, Ex President GW Bush. These Days It’s Cheney vs. Everyone and He’s Not Backing Down!
It’s kind of funny when you think about it. With all the hot issues of the day to discuss, we can’t seem to stop gobbling about Ex VP Dick Cheney here at AmeriGobble mainly because Cheney himself won’t stop gobbling.
In what promises to be a long, media driven run up to the release of his memoirs, an article in the Washington Post has stirred the pot of interest in what could become a Cheney tell all. Love him or hate him, you have to admit that a Cheney memoir would be an interesting read.
The more Cheney gobbles, the more it seems like Cheney has a grudge against, well, everybody. It’s like he has been backed into a corner, so now he’s growling, or should we say gobbling. Even old pal and boss, ex President GW Bush is not immune to the Cheney attack machine. Through comments to colleagues cited in the Washington Post article Cheney basically told the world what he thought of GW and gave a tantalizing subplot to the release of his memoirs. For a guy known for keeping secrets and not saying much, Cheney sure has developed a case of loose lips.
It’s obvious Cheney is ticked off at Bush for not pardoning Scooter Libby. But the recent revelations show a greater divide between Bush and Cheney. Maybe this is just all PR, but with Cheney it always is deeper than that. Leave us a gobble and tell us what you think about the recent revelations that Bush and Cheney were not “on the same page” so to speak.
It just wouldn’t seem like a complete season in Baseball if there weren’t at least a couple of bench clearing brawls. The prototypical “BaseBrawl”. It’s inevitable, it is going to happen, you just know it, you just don’t know when. While baseball may not be the most physical of sports, guys will get angry when they are hit by an errant or sometimes not so errant pitch.
Remember that ball is hard and it is moving fast!
Well, it happened again yesterday. After a few tense games involving numerous hit batters, things finally exploded in “Bean” town last night. Of course the pitcher in the fight, Detroit’s Rick Porcello, claims the pitch to Boston slugger Kevin Youkilis that set off the melee was unintentional. Sure Rick, they’re all unintentional. I mean, come on! Has a pitcher ever come out and said, yeah I meant to drill him, and drill him good!
But, we all know the “Drill” by now. You know, where one hit batter usually leads to another, and then another as each team tries to retaliate for the previous “errant” throw. Eventually the anger builds up, boils over and we get the “BaseBrawl.” The batter charges the pitcher, they collide, both benches clear and end up in a melee around the pitchers mound while the crowd stands on its feet salivating like fans smelling blood at an ancient gladiator fight. The umps eventually break it up while the players and coaches usually stand around yelling profanities and pointing at each other for a while.
This scenario has become so predictable; just change the team names and player names and you’ve got the “BaseBrawl” storyline every time. Compared to some of the most infamous “BaseBrawls”, last night’s fight was more like a wrestling match, complete with a takedown and grappling to boot.
While the brawl itself has become somewhat cliché in baseball, does it have a legitimate place in baseball, similar to fighting in hockey? Give us a gobble and let us know what you think.
Whether the question was a mistake or not, it was clear that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not like it one bit. We have all heard Hillary talk tough before, but nothing like the look and tone we saw and heard the other day in the Congo. When asked to state her husband’s opinion on a trade deal between China and the Congo, Clinton gave a stern, tough response that clearly showed her displeasure with the question. In fact, she looked ticked off!
“Wait, you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the Secretary of state. I am. So, you ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I’m not going to be channeling my husband.”
Wow, now that’s telling them to show a bit of respect, Hillary! While Hillary has received some criticism in the media and blogosphere over this incident, we at AmeriGobble feel her response was justified and composed. It was perfect! She could have absolutely lost it on the student, but she gave a quick, well deserved chastising that I bet did the trick. I doubt anyone will ask Hillary for Bill’s opinion any more, no matter how many heroics Bill pulls off.
Give us a Gobble and let us know if you think the response to Hillary’s comments in the Congo are being overblown by the media and if you feel Hillary handled the situation correctly.
Well, the Terrell Owens era has begun in Buffalo! As usual with TO, it should be interesting. Now that football is back, we at AmeriGobble were just gobbling amongst ourselves about TO and his long list of antics and it dawned on us that he could be our next “Crazy, or Crazy Like a Fox” crew member, joining Cheney, Palin, Kim Jung Il and Putin. TO might even be captain material! Even with this mischievous bunch.
So far TO has worn out his welcome in SF, Philly and Dallas, but he always rebounds somewhere. And he’s always doing something that’s sure to get us Gobbling. Things should be no different in Buffalo, so hold on to your drink!
For better or worse, TO has almost become an American Cultural Icon. AmeriGobble is not ready to fully anoint him with Icon status at this time, but he’s close. Imagine football without TO right now. Something would be missing. He wears every emotion he has on his sleeve. He cry’s, pouts, gets angry, stands up for his quarterback, and plays injured. He snaps! Make no mistake, he wants to win and be the best. If there ever was a guy who wanted, needed the ball more than Owens, please let us know.
For some strange reason though, we find him entertaining. His form of “Crazy” seems real, and there is something to be said for that in today’s plastic world. He’s the bad guy who makes the good guys look good. Without the TO’s of the world we wouldn’t know, well, what the opposite of TO is. Kind of like you need a villain to make a hero. And he’s not faking it either. With TO, what you see is what you get, and we like that.
Give us a Gobble and let us know if you think TO is “Crazy, or Crazy Like a Fox?”
