Why Instant Replay Cameras?

Isn’t it interesting that in American football, we have not only added officials over the years to better referee the game, but we have also added instant replay cameras so that we get the calls right? Why isn’t there the same interest in getting the calls right in the world of business in the United States? To be precise, I am talking about business regulation and oversight by governmental agencies.

The asshole right wing idea that regulation should be done away with because it costs business is just so much crap. How much are the bailouts going to cost us all? The mortgage and housing crisis that includes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is going to be back stopped by someone and guess who that someone is going to be?

When they build a skyscraper they dig a deep hole and put in a footer and a foundation and build up keeping in mind the weight that the building will support. Why would anyone with half a brain think that we could build a trillion dollar mortgage market without building a foundation of regulation and oversight? What do lobbyists know about building anything except a mess?

The big guys making the big bucks get the bailout while American families struggle to keep a roof over their heads after they were sandbagged by bad, and perhaps illegal, business practices. Now, the politicians get into the act and want to know how much the taxpayer is on the hook for, like they give a rat’s ass about the little taxpayer picking up the check so the big executives of the mortgage meltdown can continue to enjoy their rich lifestyle.

Perhaps some day when money and lobbyists lose their advantage in the political arena, regulation will come back into vogue. The argument that regulation costs business profits may be true, but what are we looking at now? How many trillions of dollars in bailouts is the taxpayer expected to be good for? When enough members of congress get their pink slip this November, perhaps the new members will give more thought to what is necessary in the way of regulation and oversight when trillions of dollars in mortgages are in play, and the economic survival of a nation is at stake.

I never hear any right wing zealots calling for the elimination of the instant replay camera as too much regulation of professional football games. Why does the NFL have instant replay cameras in the first place? Hell, isn’t it only a game? Why not just put one zebra on the field with one weak whistle and let’s see what happens? And, let’s get that green dot off the back of quarterbacks’ helmets too. Aren’t all men created equal? What in the hell is so special about the quarterback’s head?

If there is some great philosophical lesson to be learned from less regulation, why not incorporate that same philosophy in our sports. How about one referee in the NBA instead of three? Think of all the money that the NBA could save for the bottom line with just one referee doing a game. And, while we are at it, Major League Baseball just needs one umpire standing behind the pitcher calling balls and strikes and the bases as well. Think of all the money MLB can save on their budget as well.

When you take supports out of a structure, any kind of structure, the integrity of that structure to support whatever the structure is suppose to support is compromised. I am sure Boeing could build a plane with fewer supporting pieces in the wings and the fuselage and save some money in the process, but would the plane support a payload and a couple of those GE jet engines mounted under the wings?

How bad do things have to get before people start to think about what it takes to properly regulate an economy the size of the United States’ economy. All those that embrace laissez-faire economics in the complex 21st century, in my opinion, are dangerous idiots. I just hope that some of the brighter members of congress wake up before we are all living in tents.

Stay tuned.