We previously discussed the racist comments of Clippers owner Donald Sterling. We discussed the possible sanctions under the NBA rules, which are confidential. This afternoon NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that Clippers owner Donald Sterling will be suspended for life and fined $2.5 million. That blows away any prior sanction of the NBA.
Silver announced “I am banning Mr. Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers association or the NBA. Mr. Sterling may not attend any NBA games or practices, he may not be present at any Clippers facility, and he may not participate in any business or decisions involving the team.” That is pretty much a demand that he sell the team though he could use his general manager for some of those functions.
The $2.5 million fine will be donated to anti-discrimination organizations, which is a particularly nice touch.
I have little sympathy for Sterling and found his comments deeply disturbing and unsettling. However, it will be interesting to see if Sterling, who is a lawyer, will fight the fine. He is being banned and fine for private comments that he did not intend to be released publicly. While this is not the government (raising first amendment issues), it is a free speech questions. We have been discussing how government employees like teachers and police officers have been punished for statements and activities in their private lives. I have opposed that trend. In this case, Sterling did not even intend for this comments to go to anyone other than his girlfriend.
The question is where the line is drawn on private comments. No one would suggest sanctions Larry Johnson for (after the Sterling comments) reportedly called for all-black teams and league or his prior comments calling players “rebellious slaves.” He was clearly upset with the news and venting on social media. I understand that. Indeed, his call for some black owners of NBA team is understandable given this controversy and reflects a long-standing objection to the paucity of black owners in the NBA. Yet, those were intended to be public comments and might be viewed as offensive by white players or owners or fans. If the NBA rules extend to private communications, I am curious as to how it distinguishes between comments both public and private. When it comes to free speech, we tend to favor bright line rules but this is a rule that is neither published nor clear. Sterling may be the easy case due to the vile nature of these comments but Silver does not address the standard that has been and will be applied to owners and players.
The counter to this argument is that, as a NBA owner, Sterling agreed to comply with the rules, including the undisclosed rules of conduct. His comments clearly created an embarrassment for the NBA and other teams. Yet, my guess is that these rules are vaguely worded and this sanction is far beyond prior punishments. He probably could challenge it under contractual and even anti-trust theories.
In the end, he is being banned for being a racist (which he vehemently denies). However, if he did not act in a racist manner to the team or fans, should his private views be the basis for a ban. What is owners are anti-gay or anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim in private? Can they all be banned if a third party reveals their views or a private conversation surfaces?
What do you think?
whocares:
I was just curious and apparently it is some fufu class or you would have answered the question and boldly.
whocares:
“Your assumptions and simplistic bravado of intellectuals never having done menial worked is insulting and ignorant.”
It was meant to be insulting, I think very few intellectuals picked cotton, washed dishes, swept floors or had paper routes when they were young. It is why they are intellectuals and not business owners.
Karen said:
Here is a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats want to just give everyone more money. Republicans want people to be able to get a raise and move up the ladder. The vast majority of minimum wage earners get a raise in less than a year. There is a tiny fraction of people who remain at minimum wage.
It was never designed to support a family of 5 in a middle class lifestyle on a single wage-earner’s salary. It was the first rung of the ladder only. Historically, your babysitter, the kid who mowed your lawn, and a newspaper boy did not expect a middle class salary. These were first jobs.
But here we have a recession where jobs are scarce and unemployment is high. We have people taking lower jobs just to make ends meet. Democrats want those jobs to pay a middle class lifestyle flipping burgers and pushing brooms. Republicans want to improve the job market to give these people somewhere to go up the ladder.
You are supposed to work hard, stay in school, and try to be a success. But if you can have a house and a car flipping burgers, why climb at all?
==================================================
Sentence #1 and #2: I thought we were concerned about generalizations and memes. These are pretty good examples of political advertising.
The vast majority get a raise in less than a year? I don’t think that’s true of fast food workers. I’m not sure but wonder about big retail chains. Rhetorical question – just how big is that fraction that remain?
Paragraph 2. I agree.
Paragraph 3. High school graduates aren’t going to go very far. A good resume is not made by pushing brooms and flipping burgers. I don’t think kids are covered under minimum wage. Straw man?
If you can have a house and a car flipping burgers you sure as hell don’t live in SF and those bankers and mortgage brokers are putting together some terrible deals again.
That last paragraph is right out of a playbook.
Troll night. How about giving Jonathan a break, whocares.
I landed in Chicago and found a series of comments from Whocares who appears to be the latest alias openly contesting our civility policy and trying to start a personal fight on the blog. As I warned earlier, we have had a slew of such appearances. Please ignore them and simply bring them to my attention by email. In this case, the poster profanely dismissed the need for civility. That should be an instant clue to trolling. We are trying to watch the site but obviously anyone with the time and lack of maturity can engage in such posts. It is important that we do not take the bait and focus on our own discussion of these issues and stories rather than be pulled into attacks on personalities. Thanks for your patience.
BTW, while I am here with my daughter, there may be delays in responding to trolls. Please do not take matters into your own hands and take the bait. They are here to disrupt but need responses to succeed. I appreciate your assistance.
I have been loathe to comment on Hoffer since I have not read his books, but I did see some of his interviews and his sayings some of which are good, but most are praises to the status quo. I really found the first one pretty bad and not much truth in it. I guess he did not much like dissidents, Russian or American or any other kind if you wish to believe that about biting the hand that feeds one.
I am particularly struck by his lack of knowledge on most things. I had to laugh at his criticism of JFK which was so far off the mark saying he had not crossed the Appalachians or had done so few times, yet Severeid would not correct him! THIS from a man who never left the USA! Yet he thinks he is an authority about foreign policy, affairs and can praise the Vietnam War from a guy who never was in the military. This is the kind of “journalism” that made our country weak in mind and fact. I also have to state that it takes no courage or particular talent to praise the ruling power. Maybe somebody can shed some light as to his philosophical contributions to our knowledge base.
It is even more absurd to note that his book the True Believer came out in 1951 at the height of the McCarthy witch hunt. That made the US an effective police state FAR worse than anything we have NOW! The US imprisoned about 100 members of the CPUSA for their political opinions, cost hundreds of thousands their jobs, careers, and livelihood. Plus while HIS book was published, the US BANNED many books, destroyed IF Stones book The Hidden History of the Korean War which came out about the same time. I got to read that book from a copy that was smuggled into the US from Canada. It is quite an experience to read a book sideways because it was photocopied. Later it was reprinted after the era was over. At the time he wrote, black Americans had NO rights the white race was bound to respect in most parts of the US. In Texas of course, blacks and Mexican Americans had no rights and even when I came to Texas in 1971 that was not too far from the case since desegregation had only come recently. I was stationed in Laredo in 67-9 and politically little had changed then. I made some disparaging comments about the local political leadership, and my fellow bar patrons were actually AFRAID because I had said something like that.
I am sorry, but I only respect those who have some demonstrated knowledge and competence and courage to contribute to our corpus of knowledge. All that I have seen simply shows Hoffer to be a political hack like the true believers he dislikes. I really had to laugh at his last part of the interview in which he criticizes the Communists for trying to destroy TRUST of the American people. Looking back now with current events, I think we ALL KNOW WHO destroyed that. It was not the communists! All they did while much of their propaganda was poor, they did sometimes reveal the real crimes and injustice of the US government. I also have to remind people that it was the US government that would not let the only American to win TWO Nobel prizes leave the US. They did so because Pauling was deemed a national security threat and revoked his passport because he advocate nuclear disarmament. That move probably cost him another Nobel since it prevented him going to the UK to look at the X-rays that enabled Crick to figure out the molecular structure of DNA. Since Pauling had done most of the work on that technique of analysis, he could have figured it out quicker than they.
If you can give me some reason to read his books, such as increasing my store of knowledge of FACTS or novel philosophy, then I will definitely take the trouble. I took a course in philosophy in college and rather enjoyed it. The prof was a Hegelian some of which I liked and might explain why I am a Marxist. I also rather like the logical positivist views of Ayers, and Russell. So I take from them what I think is best and use it.
I have complimented Karen several times on her intellect and my respect for her as a small biz owner, as was I. I am a positive person and pass out kudos whenever I deem them appropriate. I always answer Karen’s questions, they are smart and specific. And, Karen always affords others the respect of keeping up w/ a thread, reading comments and understanding points already made. We have a history, Feynman.
Feynman,
I get ya. Every Advanced Directives meeting I’ve been involved in had family members present, or a court ordered person.
http://www.caringinfo.org/files/public/brochures/Understanding_Advance_Directives.pdf
whocares:
What does he teach?
One thing I know, Karen S is one very smart woman. I bet she is quite capable of forming her own opinions and if she has questions she will ask us.
But thanks for your help, Nick.
Feynman,
Keep up the good work.
Catch one if you can.
Karen
In my town there are very few docs in private practice – the hospitals (which are gobbling each other up and will be a problem in the very near future) have hired all the docs. Works out veeery nicely for the hospitals. – fee for service business model.
Anyway, they are salaried – no worries about any cuts. Answer only if you are comfortable – was your pediatrician in private practice?
And Karen you are a stream of consciousness woman. What’s next for this thread, fly fishing?
Karen, You don’t understand the words not said but included in many minds here, “Doctors are RICH they need to make less, cooks are poor, they need to make more.” It’s called income inequality. It failed in the Soviet Union but they want to give it a shot here.
Byron, Those a “demeaning” jobs.
I wish I could do a better job at this death panel discussion….
Annie, it is my understanding that all medical procedures have a code. That code is very specific. Every procedure done during an appointment is electronically logged into the patient’s medical record . Each of those procedures has a code and generates a charge. I don’t think there is a code for my conversation about my failing health and how I am going to die. – what I am calling my death panel conversation.
Neither the AD or Living Will or POA is what I am talking about. I have a pretty good idea of what they are and they are not what I want. AD and LW are boiler plate and I don’t think they begin to help a patient with how they are going to die.(Most doctors hate that conversation, too.) My death panel discussion will take at least 15 minutes. The insurance company is going to want to know how those 15 minutes were spent if they are going to pay that bill. The doc needs one of those codes to bill that time. He can’t cheat because he has to make an electronic medical record of those 15 minutes. Also, this conversation works a lot better when a family member is part of that appointment. It is easy for the mind experience white out when discussing death.
Have I made it any more understandable?
Karen S:
you can have a very nice life flipping burgers if you are willing to take a risk. Look at Ray Kroc and Dave Thomas.
I worked for an architectural engineering firm for free to get experience when I was in college. I got the better end of that deal.
If you have a hot dog cart on a corner in a decent size city I bet you can make 100k per year and I know you can make $200/day cutting lawns for yourself and doing odd jobs like painting.
But you have to be willing to relocate if necessary.
People who cut lawns, delivered papers, babysat, caddied, did odd jobs, washed dishes, etc as children seem to be able to find work as adults.
My daughter moved to another city and had a job in one month right out of college. In fact she had 2 offers.
I imagine the professors at UC Berkley never cut lawns or washed dishes when they were children.
Karen S:
In regard to minimum wage, small businesses will just waive a magic wand and everything will be ok.
I guess you and your husband didnt get that memo from UC Berkley?
Karen said
To my knowledge, insurance companies do not currently refuse covered treatment based on patient age. Otherwise, why would people pay for insurance when coverage would be denied to them anyway based on age?
But IPAB would, theoretically, be able to do just that. This is already a problem with HHS in UK
Karen, “theoretically”. Not yet. We haven’t taken guns away, and people aren’t in FEMA camps. (insert smiley face).
Go get a glass of wine. Let me know when I should just shut up.
Annie – check it out and tell me what you think.
Obviously, the doctors who refuse Exchange policies just don’t want a 30% pay cut, so some of their opinion is based on how this affects them personally.
I don’t like how it’s made health care unaffordable for the middle class.
Feynman:
Minimum wage is routinely increased to account for inflation/cost of living, etc. That is not what I’m opposed to. In fact, it should be tied to inflation so that there is no need to separately catch up every few years.
Arbitrarily increasing it by a huge amount, such as from $7.25 to $10, is not an inflationary adjustment. That’s when we run into trouble. There is no magic money tree that sprouts to pay for it, and the cost is significant.
Here is a link with average earnings for small business owners. Depending on the business, startups earn from around $35,000 to $75,000. You can see that taking a hit of $5720 per minimum wage employee, and possibly having to match that raise for everyone else to make it fair, can possibly remove all earnings for the owner. Small businesses and startups have a tight budget. It also makes them less likely to give someone with zero experience a chance when it’s going to cost them $10/hour instead of $7.25 to push a broom.
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/average-income-small-business-owners-5189.html
Here is a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats want to just give everyone more money. Republicans want people to be able to get a raise and move up the ladder. The vast majority of minimum wage earners get a raise in less than a year. There is a tiny fraction of people who remain at minimum wage.
It was never designed to support a family of 5 in a middle class lifestyle on a single wage-earner’s salary. It was the first rung of the ladder only. Historically, your babysitter, the kid who mowed your lawn, and a newspaper boy did not expect a middle class salary. These were first jobs.
But here we have a recession where jobs are scarce and unemployment is high. We have people taking lower jobs just to make ends meet. Democrats want those jobs to pay a middle class lifestyle flipping burgers and pushing brooms. Republicans want to improve the job market to give these people somewhere to go up the ladder.
You are supposed to work hard, stay in school, and try to be a success. But if you can have a house and a car flipping burgers, why climb at all?