Mitch Perry
Good morning, y’all, and welcome to the second half of 2015.
So what do we have going on this morning? The biggest story in the world remains what happens in Greece, after the public overwhelmingly said yesterday that they don’t want more austerity regarding their financial situation. Last week the European Central Bank cut off access to more money, meaning Greek citizens have been limited to getting the equivalent of about $67 a day from their ATM’s. What does the ECB do today? Keep the lid on providing more money for Greece?
Meanwhile, things haven’t gotten any better overnight in Puerto Rico.
Last week Puerto Ricos’s governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, said that PR’s $72 billion pile of debt is too much to handle, and the commonwealth won’t be able to pay back all their debts. But as of now, Puerto Rico isn’t able to declare bankruptcy, apparently because of a “quirk” in our bankruptcy laws apparently that apparently left them out of the process back in the 80’s. Chapter 9 of the bankruptcy code gives states the power to allow agencies or municipalities to declare bankruptcy, as happened most recently in Detroit. But the law is silent on territories like Puerto Rico.
The Hill reports that there is congressional support for helping out Puerto Rico in terms of changing the bankruptcy laws, but also some resistance from some Republicans. But the division isn’t along party lines, as Jeb Bush has apparently expressed some support for the commonwealth after he visited there back in February.
Meanwhile, yay for the U.S. women’s soccer team for winning the World Cup last night in Vancouver, 5-2 over Japan, their first title since that classic victory with a penalty kick in the Rose Bowl in 1999. Of course, the game was hyped like a summer’s version of the Super Bowl, and played out like the big game in America used to seemingly all the time in the 70s and 80s – meaning it was a blowout, with the game over 20 minutes into it. By the way, does it make me unpatriotic if I admit feeling bad for the Japanese goalie after the score was 4-0? Sort of reminded me of John Elway against the 49ers in January of 1990.
And in politics, Ted Cruz went on Meet The Press yesterday and told Chuck Todd that he’s not going to play the Gotcha! game when it comes to turning against Donald Trump, for his remarks denigrating Mexicans who come to America.
“I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration,” the Texas senator said. “The Washington cartel doesn’t want to address that. The Washington cartel doesn’t believe we need to secure the borders. The Washington cartel supports amnesty and I think amnesty’s wrong, and I salute Donald Trump for focusing on it. He has a colorful way of speaking. It’s not the way I speak, but I’m not going to engage in the media’s game of throwing rocks and attacking other Republicans. I’m just not going to do it.”
Todd pressed Cruz, but the Texas Republican wasn’t having any of that.
“I like Donald Trump,” Cruz said. “He’s bold he’s brash. And I get that it seems the favorite sport of the American media is to encourage some Republicans to attack other Republicans. I ain’t gonna do it. I’m not interested in Republican-on-Republican violence.”
