Going, going, gone soft

Troubling news out of St. Louis, Missouri, and a sign of how far we've fallen these last few years.  A doctor from Maryville, Illinois grabbed David Freese's game-winnning home run ball last night and stuffed it down his pants.  So far, so good.  But then things went bad fast.

A quick negotiation ensued and Huyette agreed to trade the ball for a signed bat from Freese as well as a ball signed by the entire Cardinals team. Simple and fast.

"Maybe if I had been wanting for money, it'd be different," Huyette said. "But I make a good living. I wasn't going to hold the country hostage for the ball.

"I told them I didn't need any money, but it'd be nice to meet some of the players."

There is a direct line of causality between Obama's election, the passage of Obamacare, and this disquieting abandonment of free-market principles.  (Do not question my geometry, for I know I am right.)  He didn't want money?  What happened to what the market will bear?  He could have at least taken the ball and crossed over into Illinois with it.  Freedom!  That's what Huck and Jim were trying to do.  Going Galt strengthens one's negotiating position, and what is negotiation if not a means to both hold the country hostage and extract more cash.

Disturbing, to say the least.