Bush's Stimulus and the Super Bowl

I'm going over 2 seemingly unrelated topics in this post but in the end I will discuss how they will be similar.

Bush's Stimulus

Disasterous plan that is only delaying the inevitable. Somehow this plan will save America from recession (if it already isn't in one) along with curing AIDS and finding alien lifeform in outer space. Let's get down to it ... all this plan does is to stick more debt onto the future. By issuing bonds to pay off the $150 billion stimulus package (could be more once the Democrats throw in all the additional programs to increase food stamps and bigger Medicaid budgets), you are really paying for immediate gratification and temporary salvation and getting in return a big blurry future. Of course America knows this really well as our nation is one of the poorest in terms of savings and having millions of consumers close to max on lines of credit. Way to go on that plan Bush / Paulson. And they even have the nerves to propose a bill to add personal finance classes will now be offered in a government program for the poor. Yeah, start those classes with a lesson on fiscal restraints won't you. It's going to be my generation and future generations that will shoulder all of this heavy debt. It's no wonder the young nowadays are averaging only 2-3 years on the job as we all know there is little job security left and what's left of Social Security will only go towards the baby boomers. Generation Y should be re-dubbed Generation Debt.

Another item that has been tugging at me is this notion of a recession. Why is that "r" word so heinous? All the meaning of a recession is 2 straight quarters of a decrease in the GDP. 2 quarters ......... only 6 freaking months !!!!!!!!!!! Where exactly is the shame in that? Everyone needs a bit of a down time to calm their nerves. One cannot fully appreciate the good unless there is bad. It's like wishing for sunny skies everyday and then seeing all the plants die due to lack of rain. This is exactly how fickle this country has become due to the "r" word. Now if it's the "d" word as in DEPRESSION, then I would be scared. Before then, don't tell me 6 months of downtime is bad. That is how bubbles are corrected and believe me, there is still a real estate bubble especially in NYC and LA.

And speaking of real estate, if the proposed bill to up the limits that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae may accept on loans with limits to vary depending on the U.S. city, it would cripple a rational economy. All this bill would do is to tell the world that U.S. real estate speculation is okay and that speculators can continue to drive up the prices on housing. Yeah, that's right, let the regular Joe rent while I speculate and try to make a bundle knowing that I have a floor to fall back on. This is total BS. By allowing say the NYC market to have limits of $716K, which is more than 3x the national average, is to allow for a continued real estate bubble. At the end of the day, if Congress really wants the American dream to come true, then leave the limits as they stand and perhaps expand on housing mortgage programs like NY State's SONYMA. Why should there be such a high cap on housing which all but ensures that everyday consumers be priced out of a house they can call their own?

Alright, enough of this economic ranting, it's already making me depress. Now for some fun sport analytical stuf:


Super Bowl

There are going to be several things to look out for this Sunday's Super Bowl matchup between the Giants and the Patriots. Key among such matchup would be the line battle, namely the awesome offensive line of the Patriots, the real success to the Pats, against the amazing defensive front 7 for the Giants. The O-Line of the Pats really deserve the MVP this season and not Brady because any QB can throw behind a line that allows them like 2-3 minutes to throw. Watch any Patriots game and one would notice that Brady just stands in the pocket, calmly waiting for Moss to get deep before throwing the deep ball (or if he's well covered like the SD game, then chuck to Donte Stallworth/Jabar Gaffney. Trust me, any QB would do well standing behind the Pats O-Line. As for the Giants, who lead the NFL in sacks, there has rarely been a team so fearsome in their defensive front 7 where there are 4-5 legitimate pass rushers. It's going to be an amazing battle in the trenches and one that I'm going to be looking at deeply.

As for the keys to each of the team's success they are:

Patriots

If the O-Line can keep the rushers from touching Brady for at least 45 seconds, then the Giants are done. Their secondary is very suspect and trust me that Wes Welker/Stallworth (Moss will be covered well) will shred them. Also look for the Patriots to pound the ball early and then throw late in the game as the Giants will get frustrated with stopping Maroney. In the beginning of the season, Belicheat abandoned the run in favor of the pass to go against conventional wisdom (it worked!) and once everyone buys into the Pats being such a pass happy team, he immediately switches gears and turns Maroney loose. It also helps that Maroney is now free of injuries that was bugging him in the 1st half of the season. It was then no surprise that Maroney has been averaging well over 100 yds in the post season. Giants, be wary!

Defensively the Pats will try to blitz all day as they know they can befuddle and faze Eli with movement. The key reason why they were able to come back from 12 pts down in the last game of the season against the Giants was the fact that Belicheat finally decided to rush and not allow Eli all the time in the world. Once this occurs, Eli became the old Eli, which is just a younger version of Jeff George, and the Pats will have their undefeated season.

Giants

Blitz, blitz, and more blitz. The G-Men must unsettle Brady and not allow him to sit in the pockets all day. Stick Pierce on Welker, double team Moss, watch out for the run and the Giants may manage to survive.

Eli must be the Eli that he was in the playoff run thus far and not make any mistakes. THE GIANTS MUST TAKE RISK meaning no punting once they are in Patriot territory. There is no need to make conservatively. If they are in the Pats' 40 yd line and facing a 4th and long, GO FOR IT. Throw to Toomer who has been on a resurgence this season and is the most reliable Giants receiver. Against the biggest offensive force ever in NFL history, now is not the time to play timid. This is the final game in the biggest stage so be bold, be very very bold.

Of course this is all a big test to the G-Men which is why they are currently 12 pt underdogs. And expecting a conservative Coughlin to take risk in the big game is also going to be tall order.

Good luck Giants, I'll be rooting for you since I hate the Patriots (hate hate hate hate hate Belicheat and Brady).


Now as for how the stimulus plan and the Super Bowl fit, it's easy. With the $1200 families will get (minimum), they can easily afford to pay off the big flat screen HD televisions they purchased with those 12-24 month 0% interest financing store cards. I mean there is a reason why the tv makers such as Sony and Samsung are upping their sales estimates in this supposely downturn in the U.S. economy.