22 de octubre de 2008

Este rescate también (dicen) es necesario

La Serie Mundial inicia en unos minutos. Hoy, los Phillies de Philadelphia visitan a los Rayos de Tampa (que el año pasado fueron el peor equipo de las Ligas Mayores).

En virtud de ello, y dado que en estos meses nos ha dado por hablar de 'rescates' financieros, Joe Queenan (un polemista) publica un artículo donde señala que el rescate que realmente es necesario es para las empresas que recientemente compraron skyboxes (conocido en nuestro país como palcos).

Aquí el editorial.

Aquí un par de párrafos:

Proponents of the moral-hazard theory will argue that if you bail out the Orioles, you will then have to bail out the Pirates, and if you bail out the Pirates you will soon have no alternative but to bail out the Memphis Grizzlies and the Nashville Predators. Admittedly, it is terribly unfair that hard-working citizens should find themselves in a situation where the only way they can ensure the survival of their society is to pony up millions of dollars so the Commerce Department can lease a couple dozen skyboxes in Columbus, Ohio. But without the emotional uplift provided to the American people by the ministrations of the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and yes, even the Utah Jazz, this society could descend into a maelstrom of depression from which it never re-emerges.

The only positive element in this grim scenario is that a federal skybox bailout will have a salutary effect on luxury-box culture. Luxury boxes are basically clubhouses where fat cats who have no interest in the games themselves try to get their clients hammered so they can rope them into bad real-estate deals in Boca Raton.

A federal luxury box bailout would change all that. The folks who run the Department of Education are not hard drinkers. Employees of the Fish and Wildlife Service do not party hearty. And nobody has to worry about guests getting bombed out of their skulls while watching a football game from their perch in the IRS Skybox. Nor need taxpayers worry about getting stuck with the bill for the refreshments. In the IRS Skybox, if you want something to eat, you'd better bring along a brown bag.



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