In economics, a bailout is an act of loaning or giving capital to an entity (a company, a country, or an individual) that is in danger of failing, in an attempt to save it from bankruptcy, insolvency, or total liquidation and ruin; or to allow a failing entity to fail gracefully without spreading contagion.

Overview[link]

A bailout could be done for mere profit, as when a predatory investor resurrects a floundering company by buying its shares at fire-sale prices; for social improvement, as when, hypothetically speaking, a wealthy philanthropist reinvents an unprofitable fast food company into a non-profit food distribution network; or the bailout of a company might be seen as a necessity in order to prevent greater, socioeconomic failures: For example, the US government assumes transportation to be the backbone of America's general economic fluency, which maintains the nation's geopolitical power. As such, it is the policy of the US government to protect the biggest American companies responsible for transportation (airliners, petrol companies, etc.) from failure through subsidies and low-interest loans. These companies, among others, are deemed "too big to fail" because their goods and services are considered by the government to be constant universal necessities in maintaining the nation's welfare and often, indirectly, its security.

Emergency-type government bailouts can be controversial. Debates raged in 2008 over if and how to bail out the failing auto industry in the United States. Those against it, like pro-free market radio personality Hugh Hewitt, saw this bailout as an unacceptable passing-of-the-buck to taxpayers. He denounced any bailout for the Big Three, arguing that mismanagement caused the companies to fail, and they now deserve to be dismantled organically by the free-market forces so that entrepreneurs may arise from the ashes; that the bailout signals lower business standards for giant companies by incentivizing risk, creating moral hazard through the assurance of safety nets (that others will pay for) that ought not be, but unfortunately are, considered in business equations; and that a bailout promotes centralized bureaucracy by allowing government powers to choose the terms of the bailout.

Others, such as economist Jeffrey Sachs have characterized this particular bailout as a necessary evil and have argued that the probable incompetence in management of the car companies is an insufficient reason to let them fail completely and risk disturbing the (current) delicate economic state of the United States, since up to three million jobs rest on the solvency of the Big Three and things are bleak enough as it is. In any case, the bones of contention here can be generalized to represent the issues at large, namely the virtues of private enterprise versus those of central planning, and the dangers of a free market's volatility versus the dangers of socialist bureaucracy.

Furthermore, government bailouts are criticized as corporate welfare, which encourages corporate irresponsibility.

Governments around the world have bailed out their nations' businesses with some frequency since the early 20th century. In general, the needs of the entity/entities bailed out are subordinate to the needs of the state.

Themes [link]

From the many bailouts over the course of the 20th century, certain principles and lessons have emerged that are consistent:

Central banks provide loans to help the system cope with liquidity concerns, where banks are unable or unwilling to provide loans to businesses or individuals. Lending into illiquidity, but not insolvency, was articulated at least as early as 1873, in ''Lombard Street, A Description of the Money Market,'' by Walter Bagehot.

Let insolvent institutions (those with insufficient funds to pay their short-term obligations or those with more debt than assets) fail in an orderly way.

Understand the true financial position of key financial institutions, through audits or other means. Ensure the extent of losses and quality of assets are known and reported by the institutions. Banks that are deemed healthy enough (or important enough) to survive require recapitalization, which involves the government providing funds to the bank in exchange for preferred stock, which receives a cash dividend over time.

If taking over an institution due to insolvency, take effective control through the board or new management, cancel the common stock equity (existing shareholders lose their investment) but protect the debt holders and suppliers.

Government should take an ownership (equity or stock) interest to the extent taxpayer assistance is provided, so that taxpayers can benefit later. In other words, the government becomes the owner and can later obtain funds by issuing new common stock shares to the public when the nationalized institution is later privatized.

A special government entity is created to administer the program, such as the Resolution Trust Corporation.

Prohibit dividend payments to ensure taxpayer money are used for loans and strengthening the bank, rather than payments to investors.

Interest rate cuts to lower lending rates and stimulate the economy.

Reasons against bailouts[link]

Signals lower business standards for giant companies by incentivizing risk

Creates moral hazard through the assurance of safety nets

Promotes centralized bureaucracy by allowing government powers to choose the terms of the bailout

Instills a corporatist style of government in which businesses use the state's power to forcibly extract money from taxpayers.

Paul Volcker, chairman of Barack Obama's White House Economic Recovery Advisory Board, said that bailouts create moral hazard: they signal to the firms that they can take reckless risks, and if the risks are realized, taxpayers pay the losses, also in the future. ''"The danger is the spread of moral hazard could make the next crisis much bigger"''.

On November 24, 2008, American Republican Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) wrote, "In bailing out failing companies, they are confiscating money from productive members of the economy and giving it to failing ones. By sustaining companies with obsolete or unsustainable business models, the government prevents their resources from being liquidated and made available to other companies that can put them to better, more productive use. An essential element of a healthy free market, is that both success and failure must be permitted to happen when they are earned. But instead with a bailout, the rewards are reversed – the proceeds from successful entities are given to failing ones. How this is supposed to be good for our economy is beyond me.... It won’t work. It can’t work... It is obvious to most Americans that we need to reject corporate cronyism, and allow the natural regulations and incentives of the free market to pick the winners and losers in our economy, not the whims of bureaucrats and politicians."

Costs[link]

In 2000, World Bank reported that banking bailouts cost an average of 12.8% of GDP. The report stated:

Cases[link]

1970 - Penn Central Railroad

1971 - Lockheed Corporation

1980 - Chrysler Corporation

1984 - Continental Illinois

1991 - Executive Life Insurance Company, by states assessing other insurers

1998 - Long-Term Capital Management, by banks and investment houses, not government (see LTCM page).

2003 - Parmalat

2008 - The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc.

2008 - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

2008 - The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. bailed out by the federal government and Berkshire Hathaway

2008 - Morgan Stanley bailed out by The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ

2008-2009 - American International Group, Inc. multiple times

2008 - Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

2008 - 2008 United Kingdom bank rescue package

2008 - Citigroup Inc.

2008 - General Motors Corporation and Chrysler LLC- though not technically a bailout, a bridge loan was given to the auto manufacturers by the U.S. government, this is referred to by most as a bailout

2009 - Bank of America to help it absorb known losses that were much greater than revealed to shareholders incurred by its buyout of Merrill Lynch

2009 - CIT Group $3 billion by its bondholders in a failed attempt to avoid a bankruptcy. This bailout only delayed the bankruptcy.

2009 - Dubai and Dubai World bailed out by Abu Dhabi

Irish banking rescue[link]

Irish banks suffered substantial share price falls due to a lack of liquidity in finance available to them on the international financial markets. Currently, solvency is being revealed as the most serious concern as doubtful loans to property developers, still undeclared in bad debt provisions, come into focus.

Swedish banking rescue[link]

During 1991–1992, a housing bubble in Sweden deflated, resulting in a severe credit crunch and widespread bank insolvency. The causes were similar to those of the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007–2008. In response, the government took the following actions:

Sweden's government assumed bad bank debts, but banks had to write down losses and issue an ownership interest (common stock) to the government. Shareholders were typically wiped out, but bondholders were protected.

When distressed assets were later sold, the profits flowed to taxpayers, and the government was able to recoup more money later by selling its shares in the companies in public offerings.

The government announced the state would guarantee all bank deposits and creditors of the nation’s 114 banks.

Sweden formed a new agency to supervise institutions that needed recapitalization, and another that sold off the assets, mainly real estate, that the banks held as collateral.

This bailout initially cost about 4% of Sweden's GDP, later lowered to between 0–2% of GDP depending on various assumptions due to the value of stock later sold when the nationalized banks were privatized.

U.S. Savings and Loan Crisis[link]

In response to widespread bank insolvency as a result of the Savings and Loan crisis, the United States established the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) in 1989.

US TARP and related programs[link]

In 2008-9 the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve System bailed out numerous very large banks and insurance companies, as well as General Motors and Chrysler. Congress at the urgent request of President George W. Bush passed the Troubled Asset Relief Program or "TARP", funded at $700 billion. The banks have largely repaid the money and the net cost of TARP may eventually be in the range of $30 billion. The bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, which insure mortgages, totals $135 billion by October 2010, and could be much higher, depending on the future of the housing and mortgage markets.

The issue of federal bailouts of the banks and big corporations became a major issue of the 2010 elections, with the Tea Party movement in particular focusing its attack on bailouts.

See also [link]

Automotive industry crisis of 2008–2009

Bankruptcy

Brown Bailout

Bubble (economics)

Cash flow

Crédit Lyonnais

Debtor-in-possession financing

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

Financial crisis

Financial crisis of 2007–2010

Late 2000s recession

Lender of last resort

Nationalization

Recapitalization

Stock market crash

Subprime mortgage crisis

Lemon socialism

The Great Depression

References[link]

Further reading [link]

"Financial crisis : Carping about the TARP: Congress wrangles over how best to avoid financial Armageddon", ''The Economist'', September 23, 2008

"Behind the Bailout" — ''NOW'' on PBS 09/26/2008

IMF Study Laevan and Valencia September 2008

Wright, Robert E. ed. ''Bailouts: Public Money, Private Profit'' (New York: Columbia University Press, 2009).

Wright, Robert E. ''Fubarnomics: A Lighthearted, Serious Look at America's Economic Ills'' (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus, 2010).

External links[link]

The Bailout Reader - A resource against bailouts from a libertarian perspective

Bailout Bandwagon - Video satire about bailouts and the economic impact on everyday citizens

Toxic Assets Reduction Plan Release by The Justice Dept: 23Mar2009

US bailout total-29.616 trillion dollars

United States [link]

NoBailout.org - An anti-bailout website with an updated list of elected officials in support of bailout

New Deal in the 21-st Century

Category:Debt Category:Word of the year

ar:كفالة إنقاذ مالية cs:Dotace de:Bail-out (Wirtschaft) es:Rescate financiero kk:Дотация, демеу қаржы lt:Dotacija pl:Dotacja pt:Bailout ru:Дотация fi:Pelastuspaketti sv:Bailout uk:Дотація

Name	Curt Schilling
Position	Pitcher
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
Birth date	November 14, 1966
Birth place	Anchorage, Alaska
Debutdate	September 7
Debutyear	1988
Debutteam	Baltimore Orioles
Finaldate	September 25
Finalyear	2007
Finalteam	Boston Red Sox
Stat1label	Win–loss record
Stat1value	216–146
Stat2label	Earned run average
Stat2value	3.46
Stat3label	Strikeouts
Stat3value	3,116
Teams	Baltimore Orioles (–) Houston Astros () Philadelphia Phillies (–) Arizona Diamondbacks (–) Boston Red Sox (–)
Highlights	6× All-Star (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004) 3× World Series champion (, , ) World Series MVP (2001) NL TSN Pitcher of the Year (2001) Roberto Clemente Award (2001) Babe Ruth Award (2001) Branch Rickey Award (2001) Hutch Award (2001) Lou Gehrig Memorial Award (1995) NLCS MVP (1993) }}

Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a career postseason record of 11–2. His .846 postseason winning percentage is a major-league record among pitchers with at least 10 decisions.

After retiring, he founded Green Monster Games which was renamed 38 Studios. The company released ''Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning'' in February 2012.

Junior college years[link]

Schilling graduated from Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1985, before attending Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona.

Career (1988–2007)[link]

Early MLB career (1988–1992)[link]

Schilling began his professional career in the Red Sox farm system as a second-round pick in what would be the final January draft in MLB. He began his professional career with the Elmira Pioneers, a then Red Sox affiliate. After two and a half years in the minor leagues, he and Brady Anderson were traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1988 for Mike Boddicker. His major league debut was with the Orioles (–), and he then spent one year with the Houston Astros ().

Phillies career (1992–2000)[link]

During the Phillies' pennant run in , Schilling went 16–7 with a 4.02 ERA and 186 strikeouts. Schilling led the Phillies to an upset against the two-time defending National League champion Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series. Although he received no decisions during his two appearances in the six-game series, Schilling's 1.69 ERA and 19 strikeouts (including the first 5 Braves hitters of Game 1, an NLCS record) were enough to earn him the 1993 NLCS Most Valuable Player Award. The Phillies went on to face the defending world champion Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. After losing Game 1, he pitched brilliantly in his next start. With the Phillies facing elimination the day after losing a bizarre 15–14 contest at home in Veterans Stadium, Schilling pitched a five-hit shutout that the Phillies won, 2–0.

Schilling was named to the NL All-Star team in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and started the 1999 game. In 1997, he finished 14th in NL MVP voting and fourth in NL Cy Young voting. Unhappy with the team's performance, he requested a trade to a contender in 2000 and was subsequently dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks. His 101 career victories ranks sixth all-time for Phillies pitchers, 20th in ERA (3.35), 23rd in games appeared in (242), sixth in games started (226), 34th in complete games (61), 13th in shutouts (14), fourth in strikeouts (1554), and eighth in innings pitched (1659.1).

Diamondbacks career (2000–03)[link]

Schilling was traded to the Diamondbacks on July 26, 2000, for first baseman Travis Lee and pitchers Vicente Padilla, Omar Daal, and Nelson Figueroa. With Arizona, he went 22–6 with a 2.98 ERA in 2001, leading the majors in wins and innings pitched. He also went 4–0 with a 1.12 ERA in the playoffs. In the 2001 World Series, the Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees in seven games. Schilling shared the 2001 World Series MVP Award with teammate Randy Johnson. He and Johnson also shared ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine's 2001 "Sportsmen of the Year" award. During the World Series Schilling received two other honors, as he was presented that year's Roberto Clemente and Branch Rickey Awards, the first Arizona Diamondback so honored for either award.

In 2002, he went 23–7 with a 3.23 ERA. He struck out 316 batters while walking 33 in 259.1 innings. On April 7, 2002, Schilling threw a one-hit shutout striking out 17 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Both years he finished second in the Cy Young Award voting to Johnson. Schilling finished the 2003 season with a 8–9 record and a 2.95 ERA in 168 innings while striking out 194 batters. In November 2003, the Diamondbacks traded Schilling to the Boston Red Sox.

Red Sox career (2004–08)[link]

The trade to Boston reunited Schilling with Terry Francona, his manager during his final four years with the Philadelphia Phillies. On September 16, 2004, Schilling won his 20th game of the for the Red Sox, becoming the fifth Boston pitcher to win 20 or more games in his first season with the team, and the first since Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley in 1978. Schilling ended his regular season with a 21–6 record.

On October 19, 2004, Schilling won Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. Notably, he won this game playing on an injured ankle—the same injuries that contributed to his disastrous outing in Game 1 of the ALCS. These injuries were so acute that by the end of his performance that day his white sock was soaked with blood, which is now referred to as "the bloody sock". Following the game, Schilling took the famous sock and threw it away in the Yankee Stadium clubhouse. The win forced a Game 7, making the Red Sox the first team in MLB history to come back from a three-games-to-none deficit. The Red Sox would go on to win Game 7 and the ALCS and make their first World Series appearance since . Schilling pitched (and won) Game 2 of the 2004 World Series for the Red Sox against the St. Louis Cardinals. In both series, he had to have the tendon in his right ankle stabilized repeatedly, in what has become known as the Schilling Tendon Procedure, after the tendon sheath was torn during his Game 1 ALDS appearance against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. As in Game 6 of the ALCS, Schilling's sock was soaked with blood from the sutures used in this medical procedure, but he still managed to pitch seven strong innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out four. This second bloody sock was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame after Boston's victory over St. Louis in the World Series. A four-game sweep of the World Series erased the Curse of the Bambino.

Schilling was once again runner-up in Cy Young voting in 2004, this time to Minnesota Twins hurler Johan Santana, who was a unanimous selection, receiving all 28 first-place votes. Schilling received 27 of the 28 second-place votes. Later, the entire Red Sox team was named ''Sports Illustrated'''s 2004 Sportsmen of the Year, making Schilling only the second person to have won or shared that award twice.

Schilling began on the disabled list due to recurrent ankle injuries. He returned in July as Boston's closer. He eventually returned to the starting rotation and continued to struggle. The Red Sox made it to the playoffs, but were swept by the Chicago White Sox in three games.

For the season, Schilling was said to be healthy. He began the season 4–0 with a 1.61 ERA. He finished the year with a 15–7 record and 198 strikeouts, with a respectable 3.97 ERA. On May 27, he earned his 200th career win, the 104th major league pitcher to accomplish the feat. On August 30, Schilling collected his 3,000th strikeout. Schilling has the highest ratio of strikeouts to walks of any pitcher with at least 3,000 strikeouts, and is one of four pitchers to reach the 3,000-K milestone before reaching 1,000 career walks. The other three who accomplished this feat are Fergie Jenkins, Greg Maddux, and former Boston Red Sox ace and teammate Pedro Martínez.

In January 2007, Schilling announced on the Dennis and Callahan show that after talking with his family, he had changed his mind and did not want to retire at the conclusion of the 2007 season. He sought to negotiate an extension to his current contract, but Red Sox executives announced that they would not negotiate with him until after the season citing Schilling's age and physical condition as factors in their decision. Schilling went on to say he would become a free agent at the end of the season, for the first time in his career, and would not negotiate with the Red Sox during the 15 days after the end of the World Series when the team has exclusive negotiating rights with potential free agents. On a June appearance on the Dennis and Callahan Show, Schilling stated he would accept a one-year extension to his contract at his current salary if the Red Sox offered it to him. Questioned on his statement, Schilling said, "I said I wouldn't negotiate a deal during the season, and I'm saying that now. But I would accept that offer."

On June 7, 2007, Schilling came within one out of his first career no-hitter. Schilling gave up a two-out single to Oakland's Shannon Stewart, who lined a 95-mph fastball to right field for the A's only hit. Schilling followed up his one-hitter with two poor starts and was sent back to Boston on June 20 for an MRI on his shoulder and was placed on the disabled list. He returned from the disabled list on August 6, pitching at least six innings in each of his nine starts following the All-Star break.

Schilling continued his career postseason success in 2007, throwing seven shutout innings in a 9–1 victory over the Angels in the ALDS, wrapping up a three-game sweep for Boston. However, he did not fare as well pitching in Game 2 of the ALCS against Cleveland, surrendering nine hits—two of them home runs—and five earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings. He did start again in the sixth game of the series, pitching seven complete innings during which he recorded five strikeouts, surrendering no walks with only two earned runs to gain the victory and force a Game 7. He earned his third win of the 2007 playoffs in Game 2 of the 2007 World Series leaving after 5 1/3 innings, striking out four while allowing only four hits. With this win, he became only the second pitcher over the age of 40 to start and win a World Series game (Kenny Rogers became the first just one year prior). As Schilling departed in the 6th inning, fans at Fenway Park gave Schilling a standing ovation.

Schilling filed for free agency on October 30, 2007. He said he would seek a one-year deal, and according to ESPN First Take and his own blog page 38 Pitches. Schilling later signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox for the season. Schilling missed all of the 2008 season because of a shoulder injury. The injury was first revealed in February 2008 and the treatment options became a point of contention between Schilling and the Red Sox management. On March 13, 2008, the Red Sox placed Schilling on the 60-day disabled list as he continued to rehabilitate his right shoulder. On June 18, 2008, Curt Schilling left the team to be reevaluated after suffering pain when throwing off the mound. On June 20, 2008 Schilling stated on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan show that he would undergo season-ending surgery and that he had possibly thrown the last pitch of his career. On June 23, 2008, Schilling underwent biceps tenodesis surgery, during which a small undersurface tear on the rotator cuff was discovered and stitched, and a separation of the labrum was repaired. According to his surgeon, he could begin throwing in four months.

Retirement[link]

On March 23, 2009, Schilling officially announced his retirement from professional baseball after 20 seasons. Schilling ended his career with a 216–146 record, 3.46 ERA and 3116 strikeouts, 15th-most in MLB history. Having last pitched in 2007, Schilling is eligible for the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.

Scouting report[link]

During the prime of his career, Schilling was capable of reaching and sustaining speeds of 94-98 mph on his four-seam fastball. Throughout his career, he was characterized by a determination to go deep into ballgames, routinely pitching past the sixth and seventh innings. He combined his endurance with pinpoint control, especially on his fastball. Schilling's "out" pitch was a split-finger fastball, which he generally located beneath the strike zone (resulting in many swinging strikeouts). He also possessed an above-average changeup, a decent slider, and mixed in an occasional curveball, though he mainly alternated between his fastball and splitter. Though his velocity decreased in later years (to the 89–93 range on his fastball), his control remained excellent, and he is currently second in career strikeout to walk ratio.

Off the field[link]

Personal life[link]

Schilling considers his family's native Pittsburgh metro area to be home and is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Schilling lives in Medfield, Massachusetts, in Drew Bledsoe's former home. He is one of just 11 players born in the state of Alaska to play Major League Baseball. He is married to Shonda Schilling. They have four children: Gehrig (born 1995), Gabriella (born 1997), Grant (born 1999), and Garrison (born 2002).

Schilling is a born-again Christian.

Political involvement[link]

Schilling campaigned for President George W. Bush in 2004, while certain members of the ownership of the Red Sox campaigned for the challenger, Senator John F. Kerry (D). Schilling said he was encouraged to run for Kerry's seat in the U.S. Senate in 2008 as a Republican (although he declined to say who had encouraged him) according to the ''Boston Herald''. However, Schilling was quoted in ''The Boston Globe'' as saying that he intended to pitch in 2008, which would preclude a Senate run.

He was called to Capitol Hill to testify about steroid use in March 2005, not as a suspected user but rather as a vocal opponent. He has said that Jose Canseco's statistics should be thrown out due to his admitted use of steroids, and has also said that unless he can refute allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs, Roger Clemens should be stripped of the four Cy Young Awards he has won since 1997.

On January 29, 2007, Schilling announced in an interview that he would support Sen. John McCain, who became the Republican nominee in the 2008 presidential election. In the same interview, he criticized then-presidential candidate and Senator Hillary Clinton (D) for her comments criticizing the war in Iraq. Schilling also turned up on the campaign trail several times stumping for McCain.

Schilling was mentioned as a possible candidate for U.S. Senate in the special election in Massachusetts for the seat left vacant by the late Senator Ted Kennedy. However, he ruled out a run during his September 24, 2009, appearance on ''Dennis and Callahan'', a popular Boston sports radio talk show. In 2009, Schilling endorsed Scott Brown for the seat. During the campaign, Martha Coakley, the Democratic candidate, referred to Schilling as a Yankee fan. Coakley was ridiculed for the comment; critics said it showed she was out of touch with the Boston community. Schilling joked about the incident: "I've been called a lot of things...But never, and I mean never, could anyone ever make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn't know what the hell is going on in your own state, maybe you could."

In a Fox News interview on January 18, 2010, Schilling was asked about his own political ambitions. While he didn't rule out a future run for public office, he said that after his family had spent so much time and energy supporting his baseball career, it was time to focus more time at home.

Charity work[link]

Schilling is a supporter of care for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) sufferers. His organization, Curt's Pitch for ALS, allows fans and organizations to sponsor him, donating to the ALS Association for every strikeout he throws. He also donated to the charity his $25,000 winnings in a celebrity version of ''Jeopardy!'' that originally aired on November 9, 2006. In the playoffs, after the operation on his ankle, Schilling wrote "K ALS" (short for "strike out ALS") on his shoe, knowing that the cameras would be focusing on his foot numerous times while he was pitching. He also does a weekly radio show with WEEI in Boston that raises over $100,000 each year for ALS patients and research.

Conflicts with players[link]

Schilling is known for being outspoken, and this has resulted in several conflicts with fellow players. Schilling was publicly criticized by Phillies teammates Mitch Williams, Larry Andersen, and Danny Jackson for his conduct during the 1993 World Series. Whenever Mitch Williams (a hard-throwing closer with a penchant for unpredictability and erratic control) was on the mound, CBS television cameras caught Schilling in the dugout hiding his face with a towel. Although Schilling said he was nervous in the heat of the World Series, others accused him of purposely trying to get more face time on television.

Schilling has also directed comments toward Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, once calling Rodríguez's swat of a tag in game six of the ALCS a "bush-league play" on ''The Jim Rome Show''.

During a radio show appearance on May 8, 2007, Schilling criticized Barry Bonds, stating: "He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes and cheating on the game." Soon after, Schilling issued an apology on his blog, stating "it was absolutely irresponsible and wrong to say what I did," though not actually indicating whether or not he believed the statements themselves.

After the 2008 season, Schilling released a blog post blasting former Red Sox teammate Manny Ramirez and his departure from the team.

Conflicts with management[link]

While with the Phillies, Schilling was a vocal critic of team management, stopping just short of calling the front office incompetent.

During a game as a Diamondback in 2001, he damaged a QuesTec camera with a bat after being told by the umpire behind the plate "I can't call that pitch a strike, the machine won't let me." This led to a fine and a public exchange of insults with Major League Baseball executive Sandy Alderson who accused Schilling of whining and wanting balls to be called strikes. In response Schilling said Alderson was "ignorant to the facts and ignorant about what I said."

Conflicts with media[link]

Schilling has a longstanding feud with ESPN and former ''Arizona Republic'' reporter Pedro Gomez, initially over an article he wrote concerning manager Buck Showalter. Gomez then published a column critical of Schilling, the same day Schilling was pitching in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. In his column, Gomez stated, "During the past few days, the country ... has discovered Schilling's little secret, the one baseball insiders have known for years but has rarely surfaced into the mainstream. Schilling is something of a con man, someone more intent on polishing his personal image through whatever means possible." He is also quoted later as saying Schilling was “the consummate table for one.” A year later he further incensed Schilling by stating that the friendship between Schilling and teammate Randy Johnson "was merely cosmetic."

In interviews in October 2004 and February 2006 Schilling is quoted as saying about Gomez, "There are a lot of [bad people] in that industry, Pedro Gomez, Joel Heyman, to name a few. People with so little skill in their profession that they need to speculate, make up, fabricate, to write something interesting enough to be printed. What makes them bad people? I am sure I cannot nail the exact reason, but I know some. Jealousy, bitterness, the need to be 'different,' I am sure there are others, but those are the ones I know off hand ... You just kind of have to realize that there are people that don't like you and, unfortunately, sometimes those people have a voice, disliking me probably matches my dislike for him (Gomez), but I have a problem with people who don't have integrity and principle, so that stuff happens. You just kind of just have to let it go."

In 2007, Schilling engaged in another war of words with a writer, this time with ''Boston Globe'' sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy in his column and during television appearances has criticized Schilling for the condition he showed up in for spring training, referred to him as "the Big Blowhard" and mocked Schilling's blog and radio appearances. Schilling has responded by using the Sons of Sam Horn forum and his own blog to point out errors in Shaughnessy's columns.

On April 27, 2007, broadcaster Gary Thorne said that he overheard Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli say that the blood on the sock used by Schilling in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS was actually paint. Mirabelli accused Thorne of lying and a day later, after talking to Mirabelli, Thorne backed off his statement saying he misinterpreted what was intended as a joke, "Having talked with him today, there's no doubt in my mind that's not what he said, that's not what he meant. He explained that it was in the context of the sarcasm and the jabbing that goes on in the clubhouse."

Schilling responded in his blog by saying the following:

"So Gary Thorne says that Doug told him the blood was fake. Which even when he’s called out he can’t admit he lied. Doug never told Gary Thorne anything. Gary Thorne overheard something and then misreported what he overheard. Not only did he misreport it, he misinterpreted what he misreported."

Gaming[link]

Schilling formed a deep-rooted interest in the board wargame ''Advanced Squad Leader''.

:"ASL has become his constant companion on road trips, and every National League city is now his playground for baseball at night and ASL in the day. (All of which has become a bonanza for ASL players of his acquaintance, who are sometimes Curt's guests at stadiums around the country.)"

Schilling's disappointment at not being able to attend the ASL Oktoberfest (an annual game convention) led him to create his own, ''The ASL Open'', which debuted the weekend of January 15, 1993, in Houston, Texas. The Open was financed out of his own pocket. Schilling also started his own amateur publication entitled ''Fire for Effect'', a bi-monthly featuring "some of the ASL hobby's best writers".

When his favorite game was sold along with Avalon Hill to Hasbro, Schilling founded the small gaming company Multi-Man Publishing to maintain ASL and other Avalon Hill titles. He also started a new, professional publication entitled ''ASL Journal'' and contributed articles, editorials, and game scenarios.

Schilling has appeared as a playable character in Backyard Baseball 2001, where he complains about being from Alaska, but he comes up with the idea of painting the ball blue so he knows where to find it if hit into the snow.

Schilling has played ''EverQuest'' and ''EverQuest II'', and has reviewed two of the game's many expansion packs for ''PC Gamer'' magazine. Most recently, Schilling has been playing ''World of Warcraft'' and has become a regular guest on the popular World of Warcraft podcast, The Instance, with hosts ''Scott Johnson'' and Randy Jordan. In a July 2008 interview on ''The Jace Hall Show'', Schilling confirmed this: "My time-sink has been MMOs for the most part, all the way back to ''Ultima Online'', where I started, to ''EverQuest'', ''EverQuest II''. Last couple of years I've been pretty stuck to ''World of Warcraft''." In 2006 Schilling created Green Monster Games, which Schilling stated, despite widespread rumor, was ''not'' named after the Fenway left field wall. In early 2007, the company's name was changed to 38 Studios.

In January 2008, Schilling announced that he will be focusing on an MMORPG project after his retirement. The new game is being developed under the code-name 'Copernicus', with a single player RPG set in the same IP Universe titled ''Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning'' by 38 Studios. Comic book creator Todd MacFarlane and fantasy author R.A. Salvatore are working with Schilling on the project.

In July 2010, the Rhode Island Board of Economic Development approved a $75-million guaranteed loan to 38 Studios. 38 Studios has promised to bring 450 jobs to the state by the end of 2012. The company is developing two products. One is a single-player game called “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning,” which was released in February, 2012. Executives from 38 Studios introduced the game at the Comic-Con 2010 convention in San Diego.

Internet[link]

He is an avid web communicator, feeling this is the best way to speak to the fans. Schilling has combined his fight against ALS with his love for ''EverQuest II'', as the creators of the game have made Schilling a special online character. Between June 5, 2006, and June 7, 2006, fans were able to battle a virtual Curt Schilling in the game. Every time the virtual Schilling was defeated, Sony Online Entertainment donated $5 towards ALS research. Before the 2007 season, Schilling started a blog called 38pitches.com in which he answered fan questions, documented his starts, and refuted press coverage about him or the team that he believed to be inaccurate. After retiring, he moved his blog to the WEEI sports radio website. After a disagreement with the station, Schilling removed it from that site. Schilling periodically contributes on the ESPN Boston website answering fan questions about the Red Sox or baseball in general. Schilling can also be found on the popular micro-blogging website Twitter under the handle gehrig38.

Public speaking[link]

He was selected as the commencement speaker for Worcester Polytechnic Institute's 2010 commencement and awarded a Doctorate of Science, honoris causa.

Analyst[link]

Schilling debuted on ESPN as a baseball analyst on April 4, 2010, on the pre-game show for the 2010 opener between the Red Sox and Yankees at Fenway Park. He has written for WEEI.com, 38pitches.com, and WordPress.com.

See also[link]

100 Inning Game - Annual event to raise funds for Curt's Pitch for ALS

3000 strikeout club

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins

List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions

List of Major League Baseball wins champions

List of Major League Baseball wins champions

Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time

References[link]

External links[link]

Curt Schilling's Official Blog

Interview with GameSpy.com

Curt Schilling - Official Red Sox Web Site

A Farewell Salute to Curt Schilling, the Ron Burgundy of Baseball, ''The New Republic''

Philadelphia Inquirer Curt Schilling Photo Gallery

- Chester County Sports Hall of Fame 2009 Inductee

}}

Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:National League strikeout champions Category:American League wins champions Category:National League wins champions Category:National League Championship Series MVPs Category:American League All-Stars Category:National League All-Stars Category:Arizona Diamondbacks players Category:Baltimore Orioles players Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:Houston Astros players Category:Philadelphia Phillies players Category:Charlotte Knights players Category:Clearwater Phillies players Category:Elmira Pioneers players Category:Greensboro Hornets players Category:New Britain Red Sox players Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players Category:Reading Phillies players Category:Rochester Red Wings players Category:Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Category:Tucson Sidewinders players Category:Tucson Toros players Category:Collectors Category:American Christians Category:Massachusetts Republicans Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:Baseball players from Alaska Category:People from Anchorage, Alaska Category:People from Norfolk County, Massachusetts Category:1966 births Category:Living people

de:Curt Schilling fr:Curt Schilling ko:커트 실링 it:Curt Schilling ja:カート・シリング pt:Curt Schilling simple:Curt Schilling sv:Curt Schilling zh:柯特·席林

name	Matt Taibbi
birth name	Matthew C. Taibbi
birth date	March 02, 1970
occupation	Journalist, political writer, columnist
relatives	Mike Taibbi (father)
nationality	American
years active
url	}}

Matthew C. "Matt" Taibbi (; born March 2, 1970) is an American author and journalist reporting on politics, media, finance, and sports for ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Men's Journal'', often in a polemical style. He has also edited and written for ''The eXile'', the ''New York Press'', and ''The Beast''.

Early years [link]

Taibbi grew up in the Boston, Massachusetts suburbs. He attended Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts, and Bard College at Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, then spent a year abroad at Saint Petersburg Polytechnical University in Russia. His father is Mike Taibbi, an NBC television reporter.

Career [link]

Taibbi joined Mark Ames in 1997 to co-edit the controversial English-language Moscow-based, bi-weekly free newspaper, ''The eXile''. Of ''Exile'', Taibbi said, "We were out of the reach of American libel law, and we had a situation where we weren’t really accountable to our advertisers. We had total freedom." In the U.S. media, ''Playboy'' magazine published pieces on Russia both by Taibbi and by Taibbi and Ames together during this time.

In 2002, he returned to the U.S. to start the satirical bi-weekly ''The Beast'' in Buffalo, New York, which he eventually left declaring that "Running a business and writing is too much." Taibbi continued as a freelancer for ''The Nation'', ''Playboy'', ''New York Press'' (where he wrote a regular political column for over two years), ''Rolling Stone'', and ''New York Sports Express'' (as Editor at Large). Taibbi said being a journalist was a "career failure. I wanted to be a novelist," he announced at an NYU lecture.

Taibbi left the ''New York Press'' in August 2005, shortly after his editor Jeff Koyen was forced to quit over issues raised by Taibbi's column "The 52 Funniest Things About The Upcoming Death of The Pope." "I have since learned that there would not have been an opportunity for me to stay anyway," Taibbi later wrote.

Taibbi became a Contributing Editor at ''Rolling Stone'', penning feature-length articles on domestic and international affairs, along with a weekly political online column titled "The Low Post" for the magazine's website. Taibbi writes for the print edition of ''Rolling Stone'', and contributes to their website in his current blog, "Taibblog". A later online column titled "Year of the Rat" was meant to document the 2008 election season, but it ended after only a few postings. His July 2009 ''Rolling Stone'' article "The Great American Bubble Machine" described Goldman Sachs as "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money."

Taibbi covered the 2008 presidential campaign for ''Real Time with Bill Maher'', and he has made several guest appearances on MSNBC's ''The Rachel Maddow Show'' to discuss the 2009 economic crisis. He also appears on ''Democracy Now!'' and serves as a contributor on ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann''. Taibbi is an occasional guest on the Thom Hartmann radio and TV shows.

Sports journalism [link]

Taibbi also writes a column called "The Sports Blotter" for the free weekly newspaper ''The Boston Phoenix''. The column provides a rundown of arrests, civil suits, and criminal trials involving professional athletes.

Awards [link]

In 2008, Taibbi was awarded the National Magazine Award in the category "Columns and Commentary" for his ''Rolling Stone'' columns.

Controversy and confrontation [link]

In March 2001, as editor of the magazine ''The eXile'', Taibbi burst into the office of ''New York Times'' Moscow bureau chief Michael Wines and threw a cream pie into his face, after Taibbi's magazine had awarded Wines the title of "worst journalist" in Russia.

In March 2005 Taibbi's satirical essay, "The 52 Funniest Things About the Upcoming Death of the Pope", published in the ''New York Press'' was denounced by Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, Matt Drudge, Abe Foxman, and Anthony Weiner. The editor who approved the column lost his job. Taibbi defended the piece as an "off-the-cuff burlesque of truly tasteless jokes" written to give his readers a break from a long run of "fulminating political essays" of his. Taibbi also said he was surprised at the vehement reactions to what he wrote "in the waning hours of a Vicodin haze."

Journalist James Verini, while interviewing Taibbi in a Manhattan restaurant for ''Vanity Fair'', said Taibbi cursed and threw a coffee at him, and accosted him as he tried to get away, all in response to Verini's volunteered opinion that Taibbi's book, ''The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia'', was "redundant and discursive." Taibbi later said the incident was "an aberration from how I've behaved in the last six or seven years."

Bibliography [link]

''The Exile: Sex, Drugs, and Libel in the New Russia'' (ISBN 0-8021-3652-4). Co-authored with Mark Ames, and published in 2000 with a foreword by Edward Limonov. A movie based on the book is under development by producers Ted Hope and James Schamus of Good Machine.

''Spanking the Donkey: On the Campaign Trail with the Democrats'', (ISBN 1-56584-891-8). A campaign diary from the 2004 US presidential election, published by New Press in 2005.

''Smells Like Dead Elephants: Dispatches from a Rotting Empire'', (ISBN 0-8021-7041-2). Published by Grove Press, Black Cat in 2007.

''The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics & Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire'', (ISBN 0-385-52034-4). Published by Spiegel & Grau in 2008.

''Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America'', (ISBN 0-385-52995-3). Published by Spiegel & Grau in 2010.

''Spanking the Donkey: Dispatches from the Dumb Season'', (ISBN 978-0307345714). Published by Three Rivers Press (August 22, 2006).

References [link]

External links [link]

Matt Taibbi's blog at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine

Matt Taibbi on ''The Young Turks'' show

Matt Taibbi's Blog at The Smirking Chimp

Matt Taibbi's (now defunct) blog at True/Slant

Selected works [link]

Archive of ''Rolling Stone'' "The Low Post" articles

Archive of Taibbi's articles in ''The Nation''

Archive of Taibbi's AlterNet articles

"Wall Street's Naked Swindle"

"The Truth About the Tea Party"

"The Great American Bubble Machine: How Goldman-Sachs Blew up the Economy"

Interviews [link]

"Looting Main Street" video by ''Democracy Now!''

23 April 2011, 25 April 2010, 9 July 2009, 14 April 2005 interviews on ''Behind the News'' with Doug Henwood

Biographical works [link]

Lloyd Grove column featuring denouncements, ''The New York Daily News''

Background: Matt Taibbi in ''Bullpen'', a publication of the New York University school of journalism

"Fed Time for Gonzo at ''Rolling Stone'': Political Reporter Matt Taibbi Surrounds Capitol Hill With Barbed Ire", ''The Washington Post''

"Lost Exile: The unlikely life and sudden death of ''The Exile'', Russia’s angriest newspaper. ", ''Vanity Fair''

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:American journalists Category:American political writers Category:American newspaper founders Category:American expatriates in Russia Category:New York Press people Category:American columnists Category:Bard College alumni Category:Writers from Massachusetts

de:Matt Taibbi ru:Мэтт Тайбби

Image name	Alan Grayson high res.jpg
Birthname	Alan Mark Grayson
state	Florida
district	8th
term start	January 3, 2009
term end	January 3, 2011
preceded	Ric Keller
succeeded	Daniel Webster
party	Democratic Party
birth date	March 13, 1958
birth place	The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
alma mater	Harvard University
profession	Attorney
residence	Orlando, Florida, U.S.
spouse	Lolita Grayson
children	5
website
religion	Judaism

Alan Mark Grayson (born March 13, 1958) is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district Grayson represented lies in central Florida and includes portions of Orange Lake, Marion, and Osceola Counties. Most of Orlando is in the district, including Walt Disney World. Grayson was defeated for re-election in 2010 by Republican Daniel Webster.

Early life and education[link]

Grayson was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York, United States, to a Jewish family, the son of Dorothy Ann (née Sabin) and Daniel Franklin Grayson. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science in 1975 and worked his way through Harvard College as a janitor and nightwatchman, graduating in 1978 in the top two percent of his class, ''summa cum laude'' and Phi Beta Kappa with an A.B. in economics. After working two years as an economist, he returned to Harvard for graduate studies. In 1983, he earned a J.D. ''magna cum laude'' from Harvard Law School and a Masters of Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Additionally, he completed the course work and passed the general exams for a PhD in government.

Grayson wrote his masters thesis on gerontology and in 1986, he helped found the non-profit Alliance for Aging Research (AAR) in Washington, D.C., and served as an officer of the organization for more than twenty years.

Law career[link]

Grayson was employed as a law clerk at the Colorado Supreme Court in 1983, and at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals from 1984 to 1985, where he worked with two judges who later joined the U.S. Supreme Court: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia. He was an associate at the Washington D.C. firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson for five years, where he specialized in contract law.

In 1991 he founded the law firm Grayson, Kubli which concentrated on government contract law. He was a lecturer at the George Washington University government contracts program and a frequent speaker on the topic. In the 2000s, he worked as a plaintiffs' attorney specializing in whistleblower fraud cases aimed at Iraq war contractors. One contractor, Custer Battles, employed individuals who were found guilty of making fraudulent statements and submitting fraudulent invoices on two contracts the company had with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. On behalf of his clients, Grayson filed suit under the False Claims Act and its ''qui tam'' provisions. The jury verdict was more than $13 million, which was upheld on appeal in April 2009. The case remains the only successful prosecution of those who profited illegally from the war in Iraq. The Iraq war contractor fraud case brought Grayson his first national attention. In 2006, a ''Wall Street Journal'' reporter described Grayson as "waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq" and as a "fierce critic of the war in Iraq" whose car displayed bumper stickers such as "Bush lied, people died".

President of IDT Corp.[link]

Grayson made his fortune as the first president of IDT Corporation (International Discount Telecom), which pioneered competition and discount pricing in the long-distance telecommunications industry and became a $2-billion-a-year Fortune 1000 company.

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Grayson is considered a progressive Democrat and he represented a district that was historically Republican. He supported Barack Obama in 2008. He was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, of which he was vice-chairman.

Committee assignments[link]

Committee on Financial Services

*Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises

Committee on Science and Technology

*Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight

*Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

Legislation head sponsored by Grayson[link]

Pay for Performance Act (H.R. 1664)

Public Option Act (H.R. 4789)

War Is Making You Poor Act (H.R. 5353)

Shareholder Protection Act (H.R. 4790)

Paid Vacation Act of 2009 (H.R. 2564)

Political positions[link]

Federal Reserve transparency[link]

During his first term in office, Grayson supported Ron Paul's Audit the Fed legislation. Grayson gained attention for exchanges with Federal Reserve System Vice Chairman Donald Kohn and Inspector General Elizabeth A. Coleman. The 5-minute examination of Coleman in the House Financial Services Committee was posted on the Grayson's official YouTube page. As of December 2010, it has been viewed more than 4 million times.

Following the AIG bonus payments controversy, Grayson joined with fellow freshman Democrat Jim Himes of Connecticut to introduce the Grayson-Himes Pay for Performance Act, legislation to require that all bonuses paid by companies that had received funds under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 be "based on performance". The bill was co-sponsored by eight other members of the House. On March 26, the bill was approved by the House Financial Services Committee by a vote of 38–22 and on April 1, the bill was passed by the full House of Representatives by a vote of 247–171.

Grayson was a co-sponsor of the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009, which would provide additional provisions to audit the Federal Reserve, including removing several key exemptions.

Economic stimulus[link]

Grayson made it a priority to increase the amount of federal money coming back to the 8th Congressional District. He often said that people in the 8th District have been "exporting taxes and importing debt." During his first year in office, the amount of federal grant dollars returning to the district nearly doubled (98 percent increase). Grayson established a grant notification system that notifies subscribers immediately when a federal grant opportunity in their areas of interest becomes available. He also hired a full-time grants coordinator who focused solely on helping people navigate the federal grants process.

Grayson twice broke ranks with Democratic leadership and joined Republicans to oppose the raising of the federal debt limit (Roll no. 46, 2/4/10, Roll no. 988 12/16/09). He said at the time of the February vote, "We need to live within our means. We need to eliminate wasteful spending. If we did those two simple things, we would not need to raise the debt limit."

Grayson supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and has been outspoken in favor of extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have lost their jobs. Grayson argues that the government has never cut off unemployment insurance when the unemployment rate was higher than eight percent. Grayson also voted for the FDA Oversight of Tobacco Products, which gives the FDA power to regulate tobacco products.

On a September 2009 ''Alex Jones Show'' segment, Grayson criticized Federal Reserve Chair Bernanke's senior adviser Linda Robertson, saying "Here I am the only member of Congress who actually worked as an economist, this lobbyist, this K-Street whore, is trying to teach me about economics!" Robertson had previously worked as a lobbyist for Enron. Grayson's language was widely criticized as inappropriate, and Grayson apologized.

Health care reform[link]

In response to Republican arguments that the Obama administration's preferred health care bill was too long and complicated, Grayson on March 9, 2010, introduced H.R. 4789, the Public Option Act (sometimes called the Medicare You Can Buy Into Act), a short four-page bill which would allow all citizens and permanent residents of the United States to buy into the public Medicare program at cost. The bill attracted 82 co-sponsors and was referred to the Ways and Means Committee.

Grayson later voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. He voted in support of Eliminating Adjustments of Medicare Rates of Payment. He also voted against Republican substitutes for the health care amendment and insurance law amendments.

Civil rights[link]

Grayson voted in support of the Hate Crimes Expansion Act, which expands the definition of hate crimes and strengthens enforcement of hate crime laws. He also voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Grayson supported the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that allows victims of wage discrimination to sue for punitive damages.

Environment[link]

Grayson voted for the House's 2009 American Clean Energy and Security Act (also known as the Cap and Trade Bill). The bill would provide for a $50 million "Hurricane Research Center" in Central Florida, and Grayson claimed it would immediately generate new jobs. Grayson noted after the passage of the ACES Act his concern about our dependence on foreign oil, the need to promote green technologies and renewable energy sources, and the job creation from the bill (an estimated 95,000 jobs in Florida). "This bill unleashes American ingenuity to solve the energy crisis. It lets us solve our problems by being Americans and thinking our way out of it. We will become an international energy power," he said in a news release.

The BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico affected Florida's number one industry, which is tourism. The lack of a relief well prevented company officials from shutting down the leak immediately. Instead, it took months to drill a new relief well, while millions of gallons of oil gushed into the Gulf each week. In response, Grayson introduced the Emergency Relief Well Act (H.R. 5666). It requires that an emergency relief well be drilled at the same time as any new exploratory well.

Defense[link]

Grayson has been an outspoken critic of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In May 2010, he introduced the "War Is Making You Poor Act" (H.R. 5353). The bill requires the President to fund the wars from the Department of Defense's FY '11 base budget of $550 billion. It uses the $159 billion in "supplemental funding" to eliminate federal income taxes for everyone's first $35,000 a year. The bill does not necessitate an end to the wars or mandate a cut-off date. In addition to the tax cuts, the bill cuts the federal deficit by $15.9 billion.

Grayson has tried to combat wasteful spending by government defense contractors by introducing his "Gold Plating Amendment." The amendment requires that cost or price account for half of the evaluation of bids for defense contracts. The law at the time allowed for cost to account for only one percent of the evaluation. The amendment passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2647) in June 2009. However, the language was stripped from the final bill during the conference committee between Senate and House leaders. Grayson worked successfully to get the amendment inserted into the IMPROVE Acquisition Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on April 28, 2010.

Grayson voted for the 2009–2010 Defense Appropriations, which authorizes $681 billion of appropriations for the Department of Defense. He also supported the 2009–2010 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Authorizations, which provided $46.18 billion in appropriations for 2009–2010.

Combating federal waste, fraud, and abuse[link]

Grayson has worked to combat federal waste, fraud, and abuse. In the September 6, 2009 edition of The New York Times, columnist Gretchen Morgenson thanked Grayson for uncovering the fact that, due to the federal bailout of mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae, taxpayer money had been funding the legal defense fees for former top executives at the institution. Grayson requested information about these legal costs after a June 2009 hearing of the House Financial Services Committee. Grayson's work uncovered that, between September 6, 2008 and July 21, 2009, taxpayers spent $6.3 million defending Fannie Mae executives Franklin Raines, J. Timothy Howard, and Leanne Spencer. Taxpayers paid an additional $16.8 million to cover legal expenses of workers at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Fannie’s former regulator.

In September 2009, Grayson used a parliamentary maneuver called an “extension of remarks” to provide crucial instruction on H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, a bill that, among other things, included a provision that prohibited funding for ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). Grayson’s extension of remarks directed that the legislation defund ''any'' organization that cheats the federal government, not just ACORN. The defunding measure passed the House with a final vote of 253–171. Grayson also encouraged the public to report companies covered by the bill and set up a method to report offending companies via his Congressional web site.

“Teach the Constitution Week”[link]

On September 14, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Grayson’s “Teach the Constitution Week” resolution (H.Res. 686). The bill urged high schools to spend one week each September teaching the United States Constitution to high school seniors and also encouraged students to petition the government on an issue of personal importance to them to demonstrate their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States. The non-partisan resolution was passed by a voice vote and featured 222 co-sponsors.

New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act[link]

On the 40th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Grayson’s New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009 (H.R. 2245). The bill asked the President to present Congress’s highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, to Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins, as well as John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Only about 200 medals have ever been awarded in the country’s history. The New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2009 passed the House unanimously on July 20, 2009.

Controversial public remarks[link]

Grayson quickly gained a reputation as an elected official who was "not shy about his opinions." He was unrestrained in his criticism of right-wing positions, politicians, and pundits, particularly those employed by and/or frequently appearing on Fox News Channel. His sharp characterizations in public remarks earned him national attention both positive and negative.

Health care[link]

In September 2009, during the debates leading to the passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act by the House in November, Grayson summed up the "Republican health care plan" as "'Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.'" His remarks were widely condemned by Republican politicians but, according to Grayson, were well received by his constituents. Grayson reported that his comments resulted in over 5,000 campaign contributions and that the positive emails he received outnumbered the negative ones by a four-to-one margin; the comments also generated funds from the Democratic National Committee towards his upcoming 2010 campaign race. Grayson raised $347,000 for his reelection campaign during the third quarter, much of it attributed to his remarks.

He defended his comment and in a House Floor speech stated, “I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America." Grayson, who is Jewish, apologized to the Anti-defamation League for those offended by his generic use of "holocaust". He also maintained that Congressional Republicans have failed to offer a feasible plan. In October 2009 he launched www.NamesOfTheDead.com, a website to "memorialize Americans who die because they don’t have health insurance." He subsequently read stories of the dead submitted through the ''Names of the Dead'' site on the House floor.

Political campaigns[link]

Grayson is the second Democrat to represent this district since its formation after the 1970 census (it was the 5th District from 1973 to 1993 and has been the 8th District since 1993). The only other Democrat to represent this district, Bill Gunter, gave it up after only one term to run for the United States Senate in 1974.

2006[link]

In 2006, Grayson first entered into electoral politics, losing the 2006 Democratic primary for Florida's 8th Congressional District to Charlie Stuart, a prominent local businessman and center-right Democrat. Stuart went on to lose the general election to incumbent Republican Ric Keller. In late 2007, Grayson announced that he would run again for the 8th District seat, and again faced Stuart in the primary. During the primary, his campaign retained the services of Bill Hillsman.

2008[link]

In the August 26, 2008 Democratic primary, Grayson prevailed, receiving 48.5 percent of the vote. Stuart trailed with 27.5 percent, with three other candidates splitting the remaining 24 percent. During the general election campaign, Grayson maintained a consistent lead over Keller, who had barely eked out renomination in the Republican primary over attorney Todd Long. On Election Day, Grayson received 172,854 votes, or 52 percent, to Keller's 159,490 votes, or 48 percent. Although Keller won three out of four counties in the district, Grayson won by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent in Orange County, home to Orlando and by far the largest county in the district. Grayson was also helped by a massive voter registration drive by the Democratic Party in the 8th District that gave Democrats a slight edge in registered voters.

2010[link]

Grayson was challenged by Republican nominee Daniel Webster, Florida TEA Party nominee Peg Dunmire, Independent candidate George Metcalfe, and write-in Florida Whig Party candidate Steve Gerritzen.

Grayson ran a September 2010, commercial calling Webster a "draft-dodger," (Webster had received student deferments and a draft classification as medically unfit for service), and a later 30-second commercial calling Webster "Taliban Dan" and warning viewers that "Religious fanatics try to take away our freedom, in Afghanistan, in Iran and right here in Central Florida." Grayson's ads were criticized for editing video mid-sentence to make Webster appear to be saying things he did not say. Grayson released a toned-down version without the edited video or Taliban references in early October.

Grayson was targeted by conservatives and conservative groups in commercials and the media, and on the Internet. On Glenn Beck's radio show, Sarah Palin agreed with a co-host's remark, "It’s okay if the Republicans lose every seat in the Senate and the House except for one. As long as that one is Alan Grayson losing." Conservative Newsweek columnist George Will called Grayson "America's worst politician." Grayson was also heavily targeted in attack ads funded by groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the 60 Plus Association. The Chamber of Commerce ads were in turn criticized by Grayson and his supporters as "deeply dishonest".

Grayson was endorsed by 8th District resident, former Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder (D-CO), who characterized Webster as having "13th-century views" on women's issues. Former DNC Chair and Vermont governor Howard Dean called Grayson a "healthcare hero." Grayson received more votes for "progressive hero" from Democracy for America than any other candidate in the country. Moveon.org, in an appeal to its members, termed Grayson "a populist hero who's never afraid to call out the pernicious corporate influence in Washington."

Grayson conceded the race on the evening of November 2 after Webster showed a clear lead. Election results were: Grayson 38 percent Webster 56 percent

2012[link]

On the evening of July 11, 2011, Grayson announced in an e-mail to supporters that he planned to run once again for Congress. Grayson was the only Democrat running in a newly-created Democratic-oriented District (renumbered as the 9th) in Central Florida as of February 2012. The district's voters are 42% Hispanic and could favor a Hispanic Democrat if one sought the party's nomination. The new District, one of two newly created due to population growth, was designed for the Hispanic population of Central Florida.

Personal life[link]

Grayson was ranked as the 11th-wealthiest member of Congress in 2010, based on financial disclosure forms with a minimum net worth of $31.41 million, according to ''Roll Call''. Grayson disclosed that his attorney fees and costs for the war contractor case had exceeded $4 million.

While pursuing the whistleblower cases, Grayson worked from a home office in Orlando, where he lives with his wife and five children.

Grayson reportedly ran a red light on his way to a fundraiser in downtown Orlando on March 10, 2012, entering cross traffic and striking a Lynx bus. Three passengers on the bus were hospitalized with minor injuries and Grayson's 2009 Mercedes Benz was severely damaged, but he and his passenger were not hurt. Police issued a citation to Grayson, who said he did not know what color the light was when he entered the intersection.

References[link]

External links[link]

Alan Grayson for U.S. Congress ''official campaign site''

Alan Grayson: "Bipartisanship Has Become Code Word for Appeasement" – video report by ''Democracy Now!''

Category:1958 births Category:American businesspeople Category:American health activists Category:Businesspeople from Florida Category:Businesspeople from New York City Category:Florida Democrats Category:Florida lawyers Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Category:John F. Kennedy School of Government alumni Category:Living people Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida Category:People from the Bronx Category:People from Orlando, Florida Category:The Bronx High School of Science alumni Category:Whistleblowing

de:Alan Grayson he:אלן גרייסון pl:Alan Grayson sh:Alan Grayson sv:Alan Grayson