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Say It Ain't So                                     #407

By Hank Silverberg 


Take me out to the ball game, please!

The MLB playoffs begin this week, and I am thrilled that my Red Sox are in the mix again. Last year they were eliminated in the first round, and that began the long, sad winter for me without the sport I am addicted to: baseball. 

But this year's playoffs and World Series have something else hanging over them that could change the lives of millions of people.

The collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball  Players Association expires on December 1. 

They will need to come up with a new deal before spring training begins again in February, or the 2027 baseball season will be in jeopardy. 

The two sides are far apart on one big issue, a salary cap.  

The MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, said on Sunday he expects they will reach a deal and the game will go on uninterrupted. But the players want the salary system overhauled, with increases in the minimum salary (now at $780,000), fewer restrictions on a luxury tax threshold for team salaries, and more. For example, the international draft and TV revenue are also issues. 

If they can't reach an agreement soon, it could lead to a lockout. That means no negotiations with free agents, no trades, no extended deals with players or managers, and a  delay in spring training, and maybe the full season. 

So, you are not a baseball fan, why should you care? 

MLB contributed $12.1 billion to the U.S. economy last year and that has increased every year in this century, except for the pandemic season. 

More than 16.7 million people participate in baseball in some way across the country, and baseball equipment sales in the United States topped $307 million last year. MLB directly employs about 15,000  people across the 30 teams, and about 400,000 jobs nationwide are directly or indirectly connected to Major League Baseball if you add in hotels, restaurants and other businesses near stadiums, or providing services to the teams. 

Add to that local TV station revenue, national broadcasters like ESPN and NBC, and the economic impact of a lost season could be devastating, particularly in Major League cities. 

Baseball is not really about money. But MLB is a big business, and a strike or lockout with ANY big business, can hurt our fragile economy. 

So, like millions across the country, I am hoping the cooler heads prevail and they won't destroy the 2027 season. Previous lockouts have done great damage to America's past time, and it took MLB years to recover. In  the current times we need  baseball and other sports as a diversion--now more than ever.  

   https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49711803/rob-manfred-amid-mlb-labor-talks-says-want-play-27

News You May Have Missed! 

President Trump has cited a rarely used law to cut $800 million from programs that were approved by Congress. The cutbacks target services for immigrants and minority groups. Included was  $567 million for the Department of Health and Human Services that went to immigrant programs and Non-Governmental Organizations that provide  services to refugees, those seeking asylum, and other non-citizens.  The White House says the programs encourage illegal migration to the U.S. 

The other cuts included an Education Department 

program to help migrant students, a cut to the Justice Department's program aimed at reducing racial tensions in policing, and a cut to the Department of Housing and Urban Development program that funds housing counseling for immigrants and minorities.  

The cuts are questionable because the funds have already been allocated by Congress, and any take backs called "rescissions" have to be approved by Congress.

The President made the move while Congress is in recess with the mid-term elections approaching.  

Republican Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee says the pocket rescission strategy is illegal.  


https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49711803/rob-manfred-amid-mlb-labor-talks-says-want-play-27

I'm  Not Leaving!

For years, economists have been forecasting a "Silver Tsunami", which is when Baby Boomers would age out of the workforce in one big wave and create a brain drain in many companies. 

Well, it turns out they were wrong. New statistics show that more than 19.2 % of people over 65 are still in the labor force, up from 12% in 2000. 

Why? People are living longer, and according to some

psychologists, a general attitude among older people is that if you stop moving, you die.  

Another factor is finances. According to Money Talk News, most Americans retire at 57, not 62, which is the minimum age to collect Social Security. But three out of four of them regret saving too little for that move.  

At the same time, a bill has been introduced in Congress to lower full retirement age from 67 to 60 for workers in physically demanding jobs like nursing and manufacturing.   

That would put additional strain on the already taxed Social Security system and create a two-tiered system for workers, creating some confusion.  

Add to that the Social Security Trust Fund faces insolvency in just six years, when benefits will be cut by 22% unless Congress steps in to bolster the system.  

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/a-new-bill-in-congress-would-lower-the-retirement-age-to-60-see-who-would-qualify/ar-AA2cUR7E


Dumbest Quote Of The Week!

This week's dumb quote comes from U.S. Attorney General, Todd Blanche.  

Speaking on ABC's "This Week", Blanche was asked about President Trump's order to keep CNN off Air Force One for the President's trip to Tennessee. Blanche contended that it's the President's right to choose who doesn't travel with him. 

"The President has every right to decide who flies on his plane."

Well, guess what, Mr. Attorney General? It's NOT the President's plane. It's a U.S. Air Force plane, and it belongs to the American people, not Donald Trump. 

The Air Force One restriction came at the end of a week where U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly granted a temporary restraining order to restore the access of Politico, CNN and MS Now to the White House after the President tried to ban them. 

It's the same issue I wrote about in last week's blog, a violation of the First Amendment. 

Expect court action on the Air Force One ban as well. 



(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)


My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:  HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)                       

 


https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796


My NEWEST book is now available. It is designed for use in Public Speaking and entry level communications classes. 


                                               

                   You will find the book here:                                                                      https://a.co/d/09fiY9sq

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