Tuesday, May 26, 2009

RESPONSIBILITY

Random thoughts from Thomas Sowell:

We seem to be moving steadily in the direction of a society where no one is responsible for what he himself did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did, either in the present or in the past.

I've been complaining of this ever since my son was in middle school - nearly 30 years ago. It's gotten steadily worse.

Monday, May 25, 2009

BIG-ASSED FAN


The only problem I can see with such a big (6-24 foot diameter) fan is the need for a really big room to fit around it.

Via Instapundit.

WHY TRUST THE MEDIA?

Edmund Andrews has a nice sob story in the New York Times about his "personal credit crisis" - buying a home he couldn't afford.

I know a lot about the curveballs that the economy can throw at us. But in 2004, I joined millions of otherwise-sane Americans in what we now know was a catastrophic binge on overpriced real estate and reckless mortgages.

Edmund Andrews is a Times financial reporter promoting a new book claiming to detail his personal journey through the dark underside of easy mortgages. The Times gave him space in the NY Times magazine to talk up his story and his book.

"But missing from the story is any mention of the fact that his wife has filed for personal bankruptcy not once, but twice."

So is this a story of greedy mortgage brokers or nearly fraudulent mortgage applications? The former may be newsworthy; I'm pretty sure the latter is not.

REMEMBERING ME ON MEMORIAL DAY

This video has received something over 27 million views on You Tube. Make it a few more.

With thanks to Gateway Pundit.

MEMORIAL DAY AT HOME




Buckhall Cemetary, Manassas, VA, 25 May 2009.



Our flag, 25 May 2009.

Friday, May 22, 2009

MEMORIAL DAY



The reminder is courtesy of Blackfive.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

THOUGHTS ON SAFETY

Take a look at this photo.



The city safety nannies must have decided the construction fence was “unsafe” and required that a stair rail be installed for the concrete stairs (which have been there for years without a rail).

But take a careful look – in fact, two careful looks.

The rail is only in place where there are three or more steps in succession. Two or less steps don’t require a rail.

And on the other side of the fence, the construction workers’ “stairs” are simply dug out of the dirt. “Stairs” dug out of loose dirt are safe enough for them. I guess that’s because they have safety helmets and steel-toed shoes.

Another reason for limited government.

TAXES, TAXES, AND MORE TAXES

“No new taxes; not one thin dime.” So spoke presidential candidate Barack Obama in September 2008: “Barack Obama and Joe Biden will cut [federal] taxes for 95% of working families, and provide at least three times as much tax relief for middle class families as John McCain and Sarah Palin.”


Instead he left it to the states to increase taxes: “Facing mounting budget deficits and seeing few areas left to cut spending, states increasingly are turning to the only option they have left: raising taxes.”

And guess who the states are passing it to?

THE EMPEROR HAS CLOTHES

He just isn’t wearing them.

TOO BIG TO FAIL

Too big to exist.

Exit California, stage Left ....

HE’S BAACK ...

Mike Baker, that is, with a review of Nancy Pelosi and her recent fabulous performance as the wronged woman in the CIA’s surprise hit musical “The Speaker’s Missing Briefs.”

Thank God for small favors ....

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

THE WINGNUT EXPLAINS

"Our undercover conservative answers a tough question: If socialized medicine is so awful, how come no country that's adopted nationalized healthcare has ever gotten rid of it?"

"It's a bit perverse," the American think tank director added, "but if the system treated everyone worse but didn't kill anyone, there would be a lot more pressure from voters seeking reform."

"The fact is that the system [nationalized healthcare] kills quite a lot of people -- but that's still only a tiny percentage of the overall population -- so it reduces the pool of people who are dissatisfied," she said.

Right. Dead people can’t vote no.

DOESN’T CONGRESS HAVE SOMETHING BETTER TO DO?

Good news! Responsible credit card users to subsidize deadbeats.

"Congress is moving to limit the penalties on riskier borrowers, who have become a prime source of billions of dollars in fee revenue for the industry. And to make up for lost income, the card companies are going after those people with sterling credit."

"Banks are expected to look at reviving annual fees, curtailing cash-back and other rewards programs and charging interest immediately on a purchase instead of allowing a grace period of weeks."

So now I’m going to get to pay the deadbeats’ credit card bills ....

For God’s sake, Congress, please stop helping. Take a vacation. Go on a junket. Watch Oprah. Just don’t vote.

OVERTAXED AND UNDERWORKED

The average state government worker makes $50,350. The average private sector worker makes $43,889.

And we wonder why taxes are too high?

ELECTION RECOMMENDATIONS

Found on Michelle Malkin’s comments page ...

Hangfire: “I think all of the U.S. House and Senate should wear NASCAR-type uniforms, with stickers and patches showing who their ‘sponsors’ are.”

b-cat: “That’s brilliant! Then we can reelect them based on brand loyalty, which is more to recommend them than we have now.”

Truesoldier: “I dont think there would be enough room.”

walterc: “But there’s all that room on the limos and airplanes for stickers also.”

The only thing I would add would be to insist that the stickers/patches have the contribution amounts prominently displayed.

MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID

With two of Detroit's Big Three automakers no longer able to resist, the Obama White House will announce sped-up fuel economy standards that will require all auto-makers, including Detroit's foreign competitors, to increase fleet fuel efficiency by 5 percent per year starting in 2012. The new rules will require a fleet fuel efficiency standard of 35.5 miles per gallon by model year 2016, a big jump from the 2009 model year requirement of 25 mpg.”

I simply don’t get it. The U.S. is in a recession, two of the three U.S. automakers are in bankruptcy, new car dealerships are being closed right and left; and the solution is to force production of cars that people don’t seem to want (at least judging from the number of vans and SUVs on the road)?

Over at Don Surber’s place, commenter alanstorm nailed my reaction:

Carol Browner was on TV early this morning, claiming that this would force automakers to “produce the cars Americans want”. My jaw ’bout hit the floor. Can she really be so mind-numbingly stupid? (I find myself thinking that a lot these days)

My DOGS are smarter than that - and they’re not that swift.

If I was trying to destroy the U.S. economy, this is exactly how I would go about it.

WHERE’S MY VIOLIN?

My personal credit crisis. While I appreciate his candor, my sympathy meter hovers at zero.

Via Megan McArdle, who writes:

[For writers] this is what David Brooks calls "status-income disequilibrium" .... Everyone you write about makes more than you. Most of the people you know make more than you. And you come to feel that shopping at the farmer's market, travelling to Europe, drinking good coffee, are minimum necessities. Your house is small, your furniture is shabby, and you can't even really afford to shop at Whole Foods. Yet you're at the top of your field, working for one of the world's top media outlets. This can't be so.

And so the debts creep up, one happy hour or Colorado backpacking adventure at a time.

Now I like Megan McArdle. She’s intelligent, and an excellent writer.

But. What she writes about was called “keeping up with the Joneses” in my time. I did my time living paycheck-to-paycheck, squirreling away enough money away to (hopefully) retire reasonably comfortably instead of “keeping up”, and I don’t like being taxed to death to pay for those who weren’t willing to live within their means.

The sympathy meter is still hovering around zero.

GOING GOLISANO

Billionaire B. Thomas Golisano decides to save nearly $14,000 a day in state income taxes by moving from Rochester, N.Y., to Naples, Fla.

Blue states are chasing folks out according to the Wall Street Journal.

Capital and people are mobile. Abuse them and they will move - to Texas, Florida, and other states without income taxes.

GUN CONTROL?

The Washington Post editorializes on gun laws.

IN THE PAST few months, some 50 people have been slaughtered in the United States in mass attacks involving firearms. Police officers in Oakland, Calif., and Pittsburgh were mowed down by gunmen using assault weapons.

Asked at that news conference whether he planned to keep his campaign promise to reinstate a U.S. ban on assault weapons, Mr. Obama said he still supports the measure. He then proceeded to ease away from the promise by arguing that enacting such a ban would not be easy ....

Clayton Cramer, a Second Amendment historian, responds that it isn’t a Second Amendment issue.

Mentally ill homeless people wander big city streets, unless they freeze to death, or die of tuberculosis, or of violent crime. A small fraction of them become headlines when they go on a rampage, as happened in Binghamton, N.Y., in Colorado Springs, in an Amish school last year, and dozens of other tragedies the last few years.

We can make all of America like a mental hospital, where we don't trust anyone with anything dangerous. Or we can hospitalize those who are severely mentally ill--before they become a headline.

For Cramer’s personal story, go here.

PENTAGON BIBLE USE

Pentagon briefings no longer quote the Bible. "The Pentagon said Monday it no longer includes a Bible quote on the cover page of daily intelligence briefings it sends to the White House as was practice during the Bush administration".

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he did not know how long the Worldwide Intelligence Update cover sheets quoted from the Bible .... For a period in 2003, at least, the daily reports prepared for President George W. Bush carried quotes from the books of Psalms and Ephesians and the epistles of Peter .... The Bible quotes apparently aimed to support Bush at a time when soldiers' deaths in Iraq were on the rise ....

Let’s see. Um, 2003 was 6 years ago. Why is this news in May of 2009?

THE GOVERNMENT FULL EMPLOYMENT ACT

Keeping our air clean is obviously a Herculean task.

“After all, if it was easy, why would we employ thousands of scientists and bureaucrats to feverishly toil away, examine every particle of air, determine if there’s any harmful pollutants, and — if any are found — put controls on the source?”

“And it’s a growth industry at a time of financial stress. Just remember that when your government asks for more tax money.”

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

ANOTHER NEWSPAPER BITES THE DUST

From the Washington Post, ”Arizona's oldest continuously published daily newspaper, the 138-year-old Tucson Citizen, will publish its final print edition today after its owner failed to find a buyer.”

In the same edition, Bruce W. Sanford and Bruce D. Brown argue that “[u]nless Congress embarks on far-reaching change in public policy to maintain the viability of journalism as it evolves online, we will soon find ourselves with the remnants of a broken industry incapable of providing the knowledge necessary to manage life in a complex world.”

Um, guys, ever hear of that thing called the internet? Al Gore invented it, you know.

Sarcasm aside, I have a hard time believing that if newspapers go away, you and I will be unable “to manage life in a complex world.” I also have a hard time believing that newspapers are going to go away.

Be that as it may, Sanford and Brown argue that in order to survive, newspapers need regulatory reform “to adopt a new business model.” I can agree with that, provided reform means less regulation, not more.

But some of their proposals strike me as just plain silly, or worse, counterproductive.

Enforce copyright infringement on search engines? I would think that the newspaper would want the widest possible distribution in order to sell web page advertising.

Federalize the “hot news” doctrine? That strikes me as a double-edged sword, since there are already cases in the blogosphere of newspapers stealing from bloggers.

Use tax policy to promote the press? Oh, come on. The legacy media, the ones who are going down, are already government lapdogs, which pretty well explains why they are going down. And Sanford and Brown want to make newspapers even more beholden to the government?

HIS HIGHNESS, THE MAYOR

Another case of rules are for little people.

There is a certain haughtiness in [Washington DC Mayor Adrian] Fenty's bearing, a trace of scorn in his demeanor, a sense of self-importance that was not present (or at least was not noticeable) in him before.

The word that comes to mind, and which frequently slips out of the mouths of people who spend time observing the mayor, is "arrogance."

And in today’s (radio) news, Mayor Fenty is off to Las Vegas without so much as a “by your leave” to the citizens of DC.

DOING PENANCE

Victor Davis Hansen:

[T]he problem is not that we all can change our minds as events change, or that acts sometimes are at odds with words. Rather the rub is the vehemence in which views are expressed-and for some, the propensity to slur and slander others, and the readiness even to call for criminal penalties. Once that extremism, fueled by self-righteousness, begins, we rightly suspect the virulence comes not just from the issue in question, but rather from some deep psychological desire for penance, to expiate one’s own past sins by finding their new counterparts in others.

Read it all.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM? ON PBS?

PBS stations are debating the limits of one of public television's basic commandments: thou shalt not broadcast religious programming.

Surely you jest.

Under bylaws enacted in 1985, PBS stations are required to present programs that are noncommercial, nonpartisan and nonsectarian. The rules were put in place to ensure balance and fairness among PBS-affiliated stations, which rely on government funding, private-sector grants and sponsorships, and contributions from viewers.

Noncommercial? “This program was paid for by ABC MegaCorp, producers of wonderful things like ....” is noncommercial

Nonpartisan? Oh, dear, where to begin?

Nonsectarian? Gaia worship is nonsectarian?

Let’s put it this way: PBS should be weaned from the government teat and required to “adopt a new business model.”

IMPROVING HEALTH CARE

David Brooks has a fascinating piece on health care that says absolutely nothing. The bottom line?

“There are deep structural forces, both in Medicare and the private insurance market, that have driven the explosion in health costs.”

OK, so what are these “deep structural forces?” After consulting with experts, he (and the Obama administration) have no answer. But no matter.

The solution is:

- improving health information technology,
- expanding wellness programs,
- expanding preventive medicine,
- penalizing hospitals for poor outcomes
- instituting comparative effectiveness measures

Those of us who are engineers generally try to understand the “deep structural forces” before designing a solution.

LIVE FREE

By Mark Steyn, adapted from a lecture at Hillsdale College.
My book America Alone is often assumed to be about radical Islam, firebreathing imams, the excitable young men jumping up and down in the street doing the old "Death to the Great Satan" dance.

It's not. It's about us.

Worthy of a full read.

MISSING THE PEOPLE’S WEEKLY BRIEF

One of the better commentaries at Fox News has gone MIA. Here’s the last one I could find.

[O]one of the interns asked if I thought it was morally okay to be happy that the senior Hezbollah terrorist Imad Mughniyeh had just been blown up in a car bomb in Damascus, Syria.

Time for an answer.

[E]very human life starts out as precious; something to be treasured, valued and treated with dignity and respect.

But then some of those lives veer off track, becoming murderers, pedophiles or in Mughniyeh’s case, a butchering terrorist with the blood of several hundred innocent people on his hands. At the point where these individuals choose to carry out heinous acts, they opt out of civilization and all those lofty, righteous ideals regarding the treatment of human life

That’s the point where I no longer feel a moral obligation to worry about how they are treated. If you choose to become a terrorist, I choose to view you as less than human..

Mike Baker needs to return.

Monday, May 18, 2009

FOR ME, BUT NOT FOR THEE

Oprah, at the Duke University commencement: “It’s great to have a nice home. It’s great to have nice homes! It’s great to have a nice home that just escaped the fire in Santa Barbara,” she told the students. “It’s great to have a private jet. Anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn’t great is lying to you.”

Who wouldn’t want their own jet?

The problem is, a lot of people don’t want anybody else to have private jets. They don’t want other people to drive nice cars, live in nice homes, eat at expensive restaurants, or otherwise enjoy the fruits of their success.”

A few months ago, Obama said, “You can’t get corporate jets, you can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer’s dime.” But hey, if you want to fly your private jet over the Statue of Liberty or to Las Vegas ....

Hypocrisy, thy name is liberal.

And, oh, by the way, dear Taxpayer, it’s your dime.

CRY ME A RIVER

Gen. Jones and the Anonymous Long Knives: Self-important "journalist" has her panties in a twist because her calls aren't being returned.

Poor thing.

FUBAR

From a letter to the editor in the Washington Post:

I think the word "fubar" should have been deleted from the May 3 Doonesbury comic.

The word that the "f" stands for in this acronym is considered by many to be extremely offensive.

The reply, a few days later

Nathan Clemons complained about the "extremely offensive" word signified by the letter "f" in "fubar." What's so offensive about "fouled?"

I was heartened to note that yet another reader was appreciative to add “fubar” to his vocabulary. I’m sure he’ll be grateful to add “snafu” and “tarfu” as well.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

KRAUTHAMMER ON PELOSI

We now know that House Speaker Nancy Perlosi lied in her assertions that she “knew nothing” about waterboarding.

Charles Krauthammer comments:

The reason Pelosi raised no objection to waterboarding at the time ... is not because she ... suffered a years-long moral psychosis from which [she has] just now awoken. It is because at that time [she was] aware of the existing conditions ... and concluded that on balance it was a reasonable response to a terrible threat.

You can believe that Pelosi ... underwent a radical transformation from moral normality to complicity with war criminality back to normality. Or you can believe that [her] personality and moral compass has remained steady throughout the years, but changes in circumstances (threat, knowledge, imminence) alter the moral calculus attached to any interrogation technique.

You don't need a psychiatrist to tell you which of these theories is utterly fantastical.

But if you do, Krauthammer was, in fact, a psychiatrist.

VIRGINIA COUNTRYSIDE





Along the edge of the Shenandoah National Forest, May 16, 2009.

A PRAGMATIC CONSERVATIVE?

Martin Wolf, writing in the Financial Times:

“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” Thus wrote the Sicilian writer Giuseppe di Lampedusa, in The Leopard. This seems to me the guiding principle of the Obama presidency. To many Americans, he seems a flaming radical. To me, he is a pragmatic conservative, albeit one responding to extraordinary times.

Professor Steven M. Bainbridge at the UCLA College of Law takes him down. “In what meaningful sense of the word have any of the following been ‘conservative’?”

Eviscerating the rule of law in the Chrysler bankruptcy so as to protect favored constituencies (mainly labor) at the expense of those to whom the law gave priority

Becoming a headhunter hiring and firing corporate directors and CEOs

De facto nationalization of the leading financial institutions

Federalizing executive compensation in the financial sector

Preempting state corporate law on issues like selection of boards of directors and compensation of executives

Refusing to let healthy institutions exit TARP

Bullying Chrysler's creditors

Playing shell games with the stress tests

An enormous expansion of the budget and huge budget deficits for as far as the eye can see

Raising the size of the government as a percent of GDP from about 20 to 22 on what seems to be a permanent basis

Planning a de facto federal takeover of health care, which amounts to 17% of the US economy (the public plan will almost certainly squeeze most private insurance out of the market, creating de facto a single payer plan)

“That's a conservative agenda?”

Well, in the sense that Obama hasn’t (yet) taken everything, I guess it could be considered “conservative”.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

MILITARY COMMISSIONS: WE’RE BACK

President Obama is expected to announce the administration's decision to restart Bush-era military tribunals for a small number of Guantanamo detainees Friday.

Every Obama promise comes with an expiration date - every one.

OBMACARE IS COMING TO A STORE NEAR YOU

According to a letter from the FDA, General Mills’ advertising violates the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The agency said claims that Cheerios ingredients can lower cholesterol within a certain amount of time, all while providing cancer-fighting and heart-healthy benefits, essentially makes Cheerios ‘a drug’ by their definition. And no drug in this country can be legally marketed without an approved new drug application.”

”The U.S. Senate is considering levying a tax on sugary soft drinks to help pay for the overhaul of the nation's healthcare system, political sources say. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told the Journal the tax would be fair because such drinks drive up health costs for everyone by contributing to obesity, diabetes and other illnesses.”

Nothing is safe from the health police.

Soon you’ll have to swipe your ObamaCare card for permission to buy Cheerios ... or a soft drink.

And we pay for this?

BUMPER SNICKER



Seen on a Jeep Wrangler in the Shenandoah National Forest

ARE THERE BEARS IN VIRGINIA?



Well, yes, there are.

Picture taken along the edge of the Shenandoah National Forest near Graves Mill, Virginia.

MADAME PELOSI



I've been saving this one for an appropriate time.

ELEVATOR TALK

Standing in the elevator at work yesterday listening to the riders, it came to me: the District of Columbia (DC) should change its name, to either the District of Arrogance (DA) or District of Snobs (DS).

Arrogance is ill-becoming. So is snobbery.

Or maybe we should just recognize that political correctness has run amuck in the District and just call it PCDC.

Friday, May 15, 2009

THE FUTURE OF OBAMACARE



Do you really want to trust ObamaCare to the government that brought us Medicare?

THE AUDACITY OF DOPE

Yesterday, Barack Obama had the nerve to tell students at ASU not to take shortcuts and live on credit:

We've become accustomed to our economic dominance in the world, forgetting that it wasn't reckless deals and get-rich-quick schemes that got us where we are, but hard work and smart ideas -- quality products and wise investments. We started taking shortcuts. We started living on credit, instead of building up savings.

Translation: "I've already 'borrowed' it for you."

Via Instapundit.

THE MOST ETHICAL CONGRESS EVER

Nancy Pelosi: "The American people voted to restore integrity and honesty in Washington, D.C., and the Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history"

Today, via Instapundit:
Last month, four respected public-interest groups - Democracy 21, Common Cause, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG - called on the House ethics committee to launch an inquiry into whether campaign contributions from the lobbying firm PMA Group, its employees and clients improperly influenced Democratic lawmakers in deciding whether to fund various projects.

[O]n Tuesday, the House voted 215-182 against a Republican resolution to initiate a House ethics committee inquiry. The vote was not strictly partisan - 29 Democrats went against their leadership in favor of an investigation.

When you're up to your ass in alligators, maybe it's time to drain the swamp. The next opportunity is 2010.

As Glenn is so fond of saying, we're in the best of hands.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

AN ACCOMPLICE TO ‘TORTURE’

Karl Rove tells it straight:

Someone important appears not to be telling the truth about her knowledge of the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs). That someone is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

It’s going to be very interesting when the Cheney memos are leaked.

THANK AN ENGINEER



There are more. View the others here.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

IN DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE

“[There is] no question that many average gay Americans want the official sanction of marriage for the best of reasons: to honor passionate commitment and lifelong relationships. It’s essential for those who defend the traditional definition of marriage to make the case that marriage is worth preserving, when the consequences of winning the debate include disappointment, humiliation, and anger among gay people who wish to be married.”

This post is worthy of a full read - comments included. I would only add that – it seems to me – there is no question that history has proven the superiority of a committed, monagomous, male-female nuclear family for the protection of the young, and in the longer term, continuation of the human race.

Traditional marriage is the “gold standard” of human relationships, and not all who try can or will succeed. But is that reason enough to lower the standard?

BEATING THE PC POLICE

The blogosphere gets some well-deserved credit.

THE AUDACITY OF LIPSTICK

Don Surber’s proposed title for Gov. Sarah Palin’s forthcoming book.

If only the Democrat Party symbol were a moose ....

A BULLY ADMINISTRATION

“[M]ore than one Chrysler senior creditor has corroborated Thomas Lauria’s allegation that the Obama administration threatened them with public attacks if they didn’t surrender their contractual rights. One of their sources says that the Obama team comprises some of the worst ‘ends justify the means’ people he’s ever encountered.”

Paraphrasing Glenn Reynolds, the country is in the very best of [Mafia] hands.

HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT

Does politically correct institutional stupidity constitute a hostile work environment?

During the nine years I’ve worked there, my company never had a word to say during the annual flu season (beyond facilitating flu shots).

Now with the new administration – and the swine flu panic – we've had “emergency preparations” to work at home in case the building is closed, and now the obligatory “cover when you cough” and ”wash your hands while singing 'Happy Birthday’” signs have been posted in every restroom.

Shouldn’t that be considered a “hostile work environment” for anyone with even an ounce of usable brain tissue?

SOME THOUGHTS ON AN EARLIER POST

Reflecting on my earlier post, I noted the DC City Council voted in favor of gay marriage despite overwhelming opposition of the black community. The following day, there was a demonstration outside the Council offices in favor of a DC school voucher program for which the City Council is notably unenthusiastic.

The Democrats (DC is a wholly-owned Democrat subsidiary) continue to infuriate their largest, most loyal - and monolithic - voting bloc. How long this will continue before the black community realizes it’s being used and starts to leave the plantation?

SMOKERS TEED OFF

“The city of Spokane just tried to ban smoking on its four public golf courses, only to be stymied by an outcry from players and smoking rights advocates.”

‘Washington state is among the least hospitable places for smokers, with no smoking allowed in any public indoor space, or outside within 25 feet of a door or window. But the proposed smoking ban on public links has struck a nerve, in part because of the vastness of golf courses.”

"’If I was just walking and somebody was 300 feet away, I'm bothering them?’ avid smoker and golfer Greg Presley told the Spokane parks board during a public hearing. ‘We've got to have some common sense.’"

Oops! There’s that pesky “c-phrase” again. No one is his right mind could ever accuse the government of having common sense.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

STOP OBAMACARE

The Weekly Standard, posted Monday:

[T]he Obama plan, whatever its tactical cleverness, will suffer from the key drawbacks of all government-financed and managed health insurance. It would make the government the gatekeeper--the controller of prices and the provider of coverage. Health care decisions would increasingly be made in Washington and subject to political pressures that take into account neither patient needs nor economic realities.

Hot Air, posted today:

[I]n the Senate Finance Committee hearings on health-care reform .... [t]he speaker, Professor Stuart Altman of Brandeis University, tells the committee that resources get wasted in the American health-care system, especially for one segment of the population. Professor Altman says he’s reluctant to mention it, but why waste money on in-depth treatment for people who won’t live long anyway? Better to warehouse them and save the resources for the young.

Need more be said?

DON’T PC ON ME

Letter of Amends from a Recovering Liberal in Berkeley.

I wish her well; in Berzerkley, she's going to need all the help she can get.

MEMO TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

I’ve received my third Republican fundraising letter in as many weeks. Each has been heavy on reasons to vote against Democrats and light on reasons to vote for Republicans. Here are some examples.

Democrats have/are/will:

unleashed a socialist revolution ....
declared war against capitalism ...
[using] free-spending, fear-mongering tactics....
unleashed a ... troubling socialist frenzy ....
grow government; increase spending ..., redistribut[e] wealth, and destroy the savings of millions ....

Well, yeah. So what does the Republican party propose?

... a government that encourages personal responsibility, expands freedom and stays off of our backs ....
... ideas and commitment ...
... budget carving ...
... streamlined government using the latest technology ...

Sorry, Charlie. I’m tired of the holier-than-thou “Democrats bad, Republicans good” pontificating. I’m tired of platitudes; what I want to see is a solid Republican philosophical foundation, some small set of common core beliefs, such as Liberty; Individual Responsibility; Limited Government; Religious Freedom. Then I want to see those core beliefs reflected in Republican policies and programs, such as

Social Security
Medicare and health “care”
Taxes
The environment
Immigration
Education

I also strongly recommend that the Republican Party scan the blogosphere for every scheduled tea party for the next six months - and go. Don’t attempt to co-opt the tea parties; don’t participate in them. Just go, be visible, pay attention - and listen.

Until then, I’m taking the advice of one of the blog commenters I read recently. I’m going to give the money to SARAHPAC and tell you to go to her for advice and support.

A REAL EYE-OPENER

I’m flying back to Texas next month and need to rent a car. Here’s the cost summary for an 8-day rental from Houston International Airport (IAH):

One week @ $141.68 /week - $141.68
Plus one day @ $22.99 /day - $22.99

Total? $164.67, a bit over $20 /day. Sounds reasonable, right?

Oh, wait. I forgot to add in the estimated taxes and fees from the booking agency. Here they are, unchanged from the rental confirmation:

4.49 BUS COST REC FEE - $4.49 /rental
24.00 FACILITY CHARGE - $24.00 /rental
11.11 PCT CONCESSN RECOV FEE - $20.70 /rental
3.60 ENERGY RECOVERY FEE - $3.60 /rental
13.52 FLEET RECOVERY FEE - $13.52 /rental
10.00 PCT RENTAL TAX - $23.10 /rental
5.00 PCT COUNTY RENTAL TAX - $11.55 /rental

Total? $100.96, 38% of the total rental charges of $265.63.

The booking company helpfully added that “The taxes and fees are calculated by the rental car company at the time of booking. It is possible that some charges may change by the time you pick up the car.”

The round-trip airfare is less ....

WHAT AM I MISSING HERE?

“Montgomery County dropped a $55,000 contribution to Food & Friends because council members say the charity's executive director makes too much money ... Craig Shniderman makes $380,000 a year.”

Two thoughts: (1) This “charity” takes in just under $8 million a year. How many businesses do you know whose “chief executive officers” take in salary just under 5% of the gross? (2) Montgomery County has been whining about a $297 million dollar budget deficit and yet they were going to spend taxpayers’ dollars on this?

Tell me again why more government is better.

HYPOCRISY ALERT

"Companies that take TARP money can’t hold business conferences in Las Vegas, but politicians who run up $2 trillion deficits by throwing TARP money at businesses can hold fundraisers there. Ohhhhh-kay."

We’re politicians. Rules are for little people.

Monday, May 11, 2009

SAVING THE WORLD

From a bumper sticker in the parking garage:

SAVE THE WORLD
VOTE DEMOCRATIC

Sounds good, but inaccurate. It should read

SAVE THE WORLD (from DEMOCRATS)
VOTE REPUBLICAN

Sunday, May 10, 2009

9/11 REMINDER

This morning dawned a perfect fall day; cool, crisp, cloudless, no wind. Squirrels were active in the yard, and the birds singing.



The first thing my wife said when she came out to the porch: “This reminds me of 9/11.”

Say what you will about the Bush administration, I always woke up in the morning believing that the government was doing its level best to prevent another terrorist attack.

Not any more.

FAUX OUTRAGE

The Left is all a-twitter with fake outrage over comments by CBS Sports commentator David Feherty, who wrote (third article)

“From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this, though: despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Osama bin Laden, there’s a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death,”

in a satire-heavy piece that also called for capital punishment for pro-lifers.

Liberal watchdog Media Matters for America demanded an apology. “Mr. Feherty’s violent comments about Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid are disgusting,” said Media Matters President Eric Burns. “Suggesting that our troops would attack the leaders of the very democracy they’ve sworn to sacrifice their lives for is an insult to their integrity, honor, and professionalism.

Oh, nuts. Anyone who’s served with the military in the Middle East knows that Pelosi and Reid would be treated with respect, no matter how dark the innermost thoughts. I know; I’ve been there – twice.

Via Jules Crittenden. Read the whole piece, including the comments.

POLITICS? OR PRINCIPLES?

According to the Washington Post, "the D.C. Council member [Marion Berry] chose politics over principle in a vote against recognizing same-sex marriages."

[I]t was heartening to see council members facing election next year ... vote their principles in the face of a hostile audience threatening political retaliation. By contrast, Mr. Barry said he had to oppose the measure because he believed that is what his constituents wanted.

Isn’t that what a council member supposed to do? Represent his constituents?

Throughout his career as an activist, school board member and mayor, Mr. Barry has supported gay rights, fighting the ouster of a gay schoolteacher and backing recognition of domestic partnerships.

And so he’s a bigot and racist because he voted against recognizing gay marriages?

Sorry, but the Post got this editorial exactly backwards. The DC Council voted politically (correct); Marion Berry voted principle.

As a person, Berry is detestable. As Mayor of Washington DC, he was arrested for cocaine use; and he is a serial tax cheat who by all rights should be in the Obama admi..., er, jail. But this once, he was right.

Saturday, May 09, 2009

POLAR BEARS, MEET BUS

The Obama administration announced that it would continue a Bush administration rule forbidding government scientists from considering global warming when protecting polar bears pursuant to the Endangered Species Act.

The Obama EPA justified their decision, “saying that it’s scientifically impossible to use the Endangered Species Act to regulate greenhouse gases, which are contributing to the warming of the earth and the resulting melting of bears’ habitat in Alaska. The emissions from a cement plant in Georgia, for example, can’t be tied directly to the precipitous decline in polar ice.”

Um, OK, then. By that same logic, the EPA has no business regulating carbon emissions pursuant to the Clean Air Act. If the emissions from “just one car tailpipe in Arizona can’t be tied directly to global warming” and it is “scientifically impossible to use the Endangered Species Act to regulate greenhouse gases” than shouldn’t it is also be scientifically impossible to use the CAA to regulate greenhouse gasses?

At least the polar bear should be well-fed under the Obama bus.

IN THE GARDEN



Growing daisies ... well, Daisy Mae.

CURAHEE

Wait for the ad to end ...


Watch CBS Videos Online

"REBRANDING" GLOBAL WARMING

"With a number of studies now showing there has been no global warming over at least the last 10 years and that the Earth is actually cooling, environmentalists are looking to re-brand their message."

"The Denver Examiner reports 'global warming' was found to be too political and polarizing, so 'climate crisis' is recommended. The group urges the use of 'pollution' instead of 'carbon'; [and] 'new energy jobs' instead of 'green jobs'."

New bottle, same whine.

Friday, May 08, 2009

NO MORE YARD SALES

”Th[e] ... Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds the American people that, thanks to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, the government is totally in charge of your yard sale:”

This [28-page] handbook will help sellers of used products identify types of potentially hazardous products that could harm children or others. CPSC’s laws and regulations apply to anyone who sells or distributes consumer products. This includes thrift stores, consignment stores, charities, individuals holding yard sales (emphasis mine), and flea markets.

“Selling old kids books, anything with metal, paint, or plastic that a kid might use, old clothes or shoes with metal components that a kid might wear? You know, any of the stuff people routinely sell at yard sales? Technically, you could be on the hook for thousands of dollars worth of fines.”

Do you have your ObamaCare permission slip?

via Instapundit.

PANDEMIC

Heh. A definition to be remembered.

OBAMACARE



SHOE, by Chris Cassatt & Gary Brookins (Washington Times, 7 May 2009)

Says it all, doesn't it?

FROM MY EMAIL

I called my stockbroker yesterday and asked him, "What are you buying?"

His answer: "Canned goods and ammunition."

Thursday, May 07, 2009

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Does the Obama administration vetting process require them to be crooks?

President Obama's choice for the government's No. 2 housing job is embroiled in the largest fine in U.S. history for "blatant violations" of open records laws ... [T]he Washington State Supreme Court found the actions of Mr. [Ronald] Sims' office to be so "egregious" that they scrapped a lower court's order of a $123,780 fine - the largest ever assessed in a public records case - and recommended that the penalty be increased to as much as $825,000.

I’d almost rather it be so; the only other explanation is a frightful degree of arrogance and/or incompetence.

How many tax cheats and crooks has Obama nominated so far?

ALL THE NEWS ... (AGAIN)

On Tuesday, the D.C. City Council voted overwhelmingly (12-1) to approve a bill to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The lone dissenter, Council Member Marion Berry was accused by a fellow council member of bigotry for his vote. It was worthy of a 17-paragraph above-the-fold front-page placement in the Washington Post.

On Wednesday, there was a school choice rally (reported by Instapundit; follow his links) on Pennsylvania Avenue across the street from the D.C. City Council. The rally had an attendance estimated at over 1000.

Of course, there was no news story ... nothing! ... in the Washington Post this morning. In a separate Metro-section story on President Obama's D.C Voucher compromise proposal, there was one sentence referring to the protest in a 17-paragraph story.

Gay rights and bigotry – newsworthy. School choice – not newsworthy.

All the news that’s fit to print. Right.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post Script: I was hopeful the Washington Times, D.C.'s conservative newspaper, would do better. Sadly, I was wrong.

QUESTIONING THE VALUE OF REGULATION

ObamaCare in a nutshell:

“Fundamentally, the regulatory approach is focused on the lowest common denominator: the person who needs a warning sign to ensure that he doesn’t spill hot coffee on himself or who shuns any responsibility for his own decisions. Acting in his name, regulators restrict everyone’s choices and freedoms.”

Yes.

HEARD ON THE RADIO

The World Health Organization is afraid that “even more people will be susceptible to the next flu pandemic” because the current swine flu pandemic turned out to be a dud.

Well, yeah. Has anyone at WHO ever read about the little boy who cried wolf? After weeks of yelling “The swine flu is coming! Panic! You’re gonna die! News at 11 ... and at 10 ... and at 9 ... and at 8:45 ... and at 8:40 ... and at ...,” of course people are going to ignore you.

So what’s the typical reaction of the Nanny Statists? “Next time we have to yell louder.”

[Update] Don Surber comments, with more links.

WHY GOVERN WHEN YOU CAN BULLY?

Amity Shlaes: "In the past, politicians and policy thinkers tended to be magnanimous in victory. They and their friends focused, post-victory, on policy and strategy -- not on trashing individuals."

But now ... according to posts on three left-leaning blogs:

"Michele Bachmann’s version of history is 'from another planet.' Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana, is 'chronically stupid.' And Eric Cantor of Virginia, the second-ranking Republican in the House, is 'busy lying constantly.'

[T]he magnanimity isn’t there. Indeed, the closer the Democrats get to total power, the nastier the commentators friendly to them have become.

Shlaes attributes the nastiness to a combination of the internet, historical ignorance, and Democrat discomfort with power.

I’m not as generous. To me it’s arrogance born of certainty and a firm belief that anyone who dares dissent must, of necessity, be evil. Secular extremism, if you will.

CASH FOR CLUNKERS

[The] Obama administration says it will stand behind deal struck by House Democrats to push forward legislation to stimulate car sales.

The Obama administration has signaled its support for a congressional effort that aims to boost the troubled car industry by subsidizing new cars sales for consumers who scrap old ones.

Under the so-called cash-for-clunkers legislation, consumers with old, gas guzzlers could get $3,500 or $4,500 in government vouchers to use toward the purchase of new cars that get gas mileage that exceeds [that of] the old cars.

This is really a matter of getting the camel’s nose into the tent. The goal is to get Americans into “green” transportation by the simple expedient of offering only “green” vehicles for sale and removing "non-green" vehicles from the resale market.

I suspect the only effect of this legislation will be to increase the resale value of used cars.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

COMBATING THE RIGHT

At the City University of New York:

THE RIGHT IN THESE TIMES:
UNDERSTANDING AND COMBATING CONTEMPORARY SHIFTS TO THE RIGHT
Second Annual Conference on "Rightist Movements"

Friday, May 1, 2009
The Graduate Center, City University of New York

Hmm. At a taxpayer-funded public University. When, do you think, will we see CUNY sponsor a first annual conference on “Leftist Movements"? About the time airborne swine droppings hit the pavement, I suspect.

Follow the links above and check out the participants.

ON CONSERVATISM

Don Surber gets it.

Republicans and the nation need to get back to the Ronald Reagan principles of less government and more individual freedom.

Conservatives will return to power when they give the nation what it needs — upfront and without apology.

Read it all.

SOAK THE RICH?

Think again.

There is one thing that soaking the rich will do effectively, and that's redistribute wealth .... Let's just understand that reslicing the pie to give the rich a smaller piece doesn't make the pie any bigger - and won't get us out of the recession any faster.

Here’s an interesting factoid: in 2006, the most recent year for which information is available, the average tax rate for the working rich was 22.8%; that same year the average tax rate paid by the super-rich - the 400 filers with the highest incomes - was only 17.2%.

Read the whole article.

And let me put a plug in for my own profession: politicians make a business of slicing pies; engineers make a business of creating more pies.

TO CATCH A THIEF

Use a thief.

President Obama: "The Treasury Department and the IRS, under Secretary Geithner's leadership and Commissioner Shulman's, are already taking far-reaching steps to catch overseas tax cheats ...."

What, is Geithner telling the IRS, "Look for these signs, because that's how I did it"?

[A]t least the president only praised one tax cheat ... oh, wait:

"These problems have been highlighted by Chairmen Charlie Rangel ...."

Geithner and Rangel thanked for helping crack down on tax cheats? What's next, a ceremony on the importance of accurate information in public-health communication, thanking Joe Biden?

The administration Arrogance Machine in action.

TELECONFERENCING TO GO

A humanoid robot that looks like the love child of a Segway scooter and the animated Disney robot Wall-E is poised to add a new dimension to teleconferencing.

Telecommuting is looking better and better.

REDUCE CO2; BREATHE SLOWER

There are about 7 billion humans on earth, and each of us generates roughly 600 lbs of carbon dioxide per year.

So now that the EPA has declared CO2 a pollutant and environmental hazard, will Congress enact “breathing standards” as they did mileage standards for automobiles? Will they be “fleet-wide”, so to speak, or age-adjusted?

Newborns ------------- 44 breaths per minute
Infants -------------- 20–40 breaths per minute
Preschool children --- 20–30 breaths per minute
Older children ------- 16–25 breaths per minute
Adults --------------- 12–20 breaths per minute

Will athletes be exempted?

Adults during strenuous exercise 35–45 breaths per minute
Athletes' peak 60–70 breaths per minute

When will "complete yoga breathing," a style of respiration that encourages slow breathing at a rate of about six breaths per minute be required?

Congress will be exempt, of course.

A VIEW FROM MY WINDOW



The daily commute.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

“STIFF” OPPOSITION

Jim Moran’s Stiff Opposition to Sexual Innuendo Hard to Understand. Moran apparently wants Viagra and other erectile dysfunction ads banned from prime-time TV. Instapundit appears to disagree.

On this one, I’m with Moran. It’s not the ads themselves, it’s that they’re so damned ubiquitous. After the umpteenth ad in 30 minutes I want to throw anything handy through the TV screen.

I’d also forever ban the Sedation Dental Clinic’s, “wake up to a bright new smile with all your teeth removed, polished, and rearranged on only one visit and your world will be full of tulips, daisies, and sunflowers” ad as well as the David Drew Clinic’s “you’re gonna die if you don’t come in for our comprehensive full-body physical exam” ads on WTOP radio.

I’d rather trim my fingernails with a hammer and cold chisel than listen to those ads.

AIR FORCE ONE

Videos are classified?

-- 3-hour trip on Air Force One: $300,000
-- Military jet escort: $30,000
-- Pictures generated: Classified.
Probably exactly because the videos show the panic in the streets below.

CINCO DE CUATRO?

It must have been TOTUS’ fault.

On the eve of the Mexican holiday, Obama on Monday had an event in the East Room of the White House with Mexico's Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan.

Obama joked that it was "Cinco de Cuatro," botching a play on the Spanish word for "four" when he meant to say "Cuatro de Mayo," or the Fourth of May.
This from a unilingual man who's embarrassed that more of us can't speak French.

Oh, and as a reminder, former President Bush speaks Spanish.

ANYTHING BUT VISTA

Microsoft hopes Windows 7 will help customers forget the problems with its last operating system.


My Vista laptop has already been in the computer hospital twice ... recovery is problematic.

OBAMACARE?

Chinese Government Ordering Officials to Smoke: "The regulation will boost the local economy via the cigarette tax."

We should consider that here, and use the tax receipts to pay for Obamacare.

New Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter would appreciate that, I’m sure, since Specter told Face the Nation that had the GOP listened to him and spent billions more dollars in the “war on cancer,” Jack Kemp would still be alive:

It would have the added benefit of decreasing the longevity of our political class ....

A POLITICAL CROSSROADS?

From Pajamas Media:

Investors sense that the economy is at a crossroads. A political crossroads.

The headwinds that remain have less to do with bank stress tests, and more to do with CEO sentiment. The Business Roundtable reports “record low” CEO confidence as of early April.

Why are CEOs in such a low mood? Answer: If you are a CEO in financial services, manufacturing, energy production, [or] health care, you are going to be more regulated. Period, end of story. Your response to forthcoming regulation of yet-to-be-determined complexity will be to hunker down.

One example does not data make, but “I am a hospital CEO and I am doing exactly what he says here – hunkering down before the government take over of health care hits.”

And yet .... my own sense that the market has bottomed out and investors are cautiously testing the waters (I am).

And yet ... General Motors appears to be resigned to bankruptcy. As I’ve commented before, my sense is that business is (albeit slowly) deciding to swallow hard, face up to the taxpayer wrath, and go for a well-ordered court dissolution rather than face the “fickle finger” of government.

Maybe the Tea Parties are having an effect, strengthening private enterprise resolve to fight back.

Monday, May 04, 2009


From TNOYF.com

ABOUT TIME

Criminal charges filed against ACORN.

It's a start.

NARCISSM AND POLITICS

A lot of people talk about Constitutional amendments to get rid of this tax, or that policy. But ultimately, I think that unless you get rid of our dangerous narcissistic political class, any Constitution will be ignored ....

And read the comments.

VOUCHERS

Generally I tend to favor public schools and am agnostic on vouchers. But when a school system is as abysmally poor as the Washington DC public schools, this is simply outrageous.



Political payback, as pure and simple as you'll ever see. Go here for more.

NO TAX INCREASES ...

... on 95% of U.S. taxpayers, so said President Obama. Here’s an interesting little tidbit. An excise tax is a Federal or state tax imposed on the manufacture and distribution of certain non-essential consumer goods such as environmental taxes, communications taxes, fuel taxes – and liquor taxes, and cigarette taxes (which have just gone up 60 cents a pack).

Where does the burden of these taxes fall?



You guessed it – on the lowest two income quintiles, second only to FICA/Medicare taxes.

No new taxes, huh? Nope. Not if you’re an environmentally sensitive, health conscious, non-drinking, non-smoking, non-cell-phone-owning, bicycle-riding-to-work low income taxpayer.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR OBAMACARE CARD?

And you seriously want national health care with Obama in charge? “We’re not producing enough primary-care physicians,”Obama said at one forum. “The costs of medical education are so high that people feel that they’ve got to specialize.”

Don’t you believe it. “A primary discouragement to the pursuit of medical degrees is, in fact, the onerous amount of regulation already foisted on medical practitioners .... Combine the discouraging expansion of bureaucratic paper shuffling requirements with the punitive cost of malpractice insurance and you have the regulatory perfecta, reducing the number of men and women willing to undergo the rigorous demands of preparing for the medical profession.”

Still don’t believe government intrusion is a leading reason for the doctor shortage? Then ask yourself this simple question:
“Am I the only one noticing the dearth of calls in America to fill the shortage of lawyers in our country?”
Of course not. Insufficient regulation and the subsequent massive amount of cash available to those pursuing malpractice suits ensures a huge oversupply of lawyers.

Read the entire article.

AUTHENTICITY CHIC

Get ready for authenticity chic. Peggy Noonan, writing in the WSJ:

In New York some signs of that future are obvious: fewer cars, less traffic, less of the old busy hum of the economic beehive. New York will, literally, get dimmer. Its magical bright-light nighttime skyline will glitter less as fewer companies inhabit the skyscrapers and put on the lights that make the city glow.

....

A prediction: By 2010 the mayor, in a variation on broken-window theory, will quietly enact a bright-light theory, demanding that developers leave the lights on whether there are tenants in the buildings or not, lest the world stand on a rise in New Jersey and get the impression no one's here and nobody cares.

A curious article by Noonan; a blend of amusement at the NYC establishment elite’s faux environmentalism, and realization that no one (outside NYC) cares about their “authenticity.” Read the whole thing.

A DOMESTIC POLITICAL ARMY?

This one bothers me. Thomas Sowell wonders:

The Director of Homeland Security is worried about "right-wing extremists."

According to the same official document, the Department of Homeland Security "has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence."

But somehow they just know that you right-wingers are itching to unleash terror somewhere, somehow.

In one sense, the Department of Homeland Security paper is silly. In another sense, it can be sinister as a revealing and disturbing sign of the preoccupations and priorities of this administration -- and their willingness to witch hunt and demonize those who dare to disagree with them.

Barack Obama during last year's election campaign that got remarkably little attention in the media. He suggested the creation of a federal police force, comparable in size to the military. Why such an organization? For what purpose?

In short, a federal police force could become President Obama's personal domestic political army, his own storm troopers.

Perhaps there will never be such a federal police force. But the targeting of individuals and groups who believe in some of the fundamental values on which this country was founded, and people who have demonstrated their patriotism by volunteering for military service, suggests that this potential for political abuse is worth watching, as Obama tries to remake America to fit his vision.

Sowell is black, and grew up during the Jim Crow segregation era, so perhaps he is overly sensitive. But still ... he should know. This one bothers me.

UPDATE TO OBAMA PRESS CONFERENCE

Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, has told U.S. officials the next two weeks are critical to determining whether the Pakistani government will survive, FOX News has learned.

"The Pakistanis have run out of excuses" and are "finally getting serious" about combating the threat from Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists operating out of Northwest Pakistan, the general added.

But Petraeus also said wearily that "we've heard it all before" from the Pakistanis and he is looking to see concrete action by the government to destroy the Taliban in the next two weeks before determining the United States' next course of action, which is presently set on propping up the Pakistani government and military with counterinsurgency training and foreign aid.

Petraeus made these assessment in talks with lawmakers and Obama administration officials this week, according to individuals familiar with the discussions.

They said Petraeus and senior administration officials believe the Pakistani army, led by Chief of Staff Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, is "superior" to the civilian government, led by President Ali Zardari, and could conceivably survive even if Zardari's government falls to the Taliban.

So perhaps the “veiled threat” I alluded to wasn’t so veiled after all. More complete commentary here.

Sunday, May 03, 2009

QUESTIONS FROM OCEANIA

Victor Davis Hanson on Obama’s first hundred days.

[W]e are in a race—a race to get the dependent constituents permanently in place and institutionalized before the proverbial (fill in the blanks) hits the fans. If he succeeds, we will end up like a Greece, France, or Belgium— weekly strikes by government workers and unions, rampant cynicism as everyone seeks to land the federal job for base salary and taxes and benefits, and then moonlights to get untaxed cash and barter for necessary goods and services, all coupled with a culture of blame at various foreign and domestic “thems” who make us so unhappy.

I’m afraid he’s right. Read it all.

ABSOLUTELY REPELLENT

Keith Olbermann achieves a new low:



Calling Keith Olbermann and ... uh, whatever that thing he’s conversing with ... “swine” is to insult pigs everywhere.

To quote an old friend, Keith Olbermann is “so low that whale sh*t looks like fleecy white clouds in the sky.”

Disgusting.

THE FIRST 100 DAYS - POLL RESULTS

From a Los Angeles Times poll (unfortunately, no link is available).

Besides the hat, the oath flub, the Cabinet tax problems and cheesy gifts for Britain's leader, how's Barack Obama doing?
7.2% - Really well
1.8% - Good
1.7% - So-so
5.5% - Disappointing
8.2% - Bad
75.7% - Scary bad
2564 total responses

Obama's policies are:
89.4% - Too liberal
2.7% - Insufficiently liberal
6.7% - Just right
1.3% - Too conservative
2549 total responses

Obama's spending plans and deficits:
3.0% - Inspire me
0.5% - Don't matter
4.8% - Are about right
7.2% - Worry me
84.4% - Really scare me
2564 total responses

Slowly withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq for now and sending more to Afghanistan strikes me as:
25.1% - Just the right thing
9.6% - Doesn't matter
20.7% - A betrayal of his anti-war stance
44.6% - Real trouble later
2532 total responses

Talking with Iran and North Korea about their nuclear weapons programs is:
10.1% - Appropriate
10.3% - Naive but necessary
79.7% - Hopeless
2544 total responses

Watching and listening to Obama speak makes me feel:
6.3% - Hopeful
3.3% - Confident
72.2% - Suspicious
18.1% - Sleepy
2548 total responses

What I like most about Obama so far is:
8.3% - His confidence
1.6% - His speeches
0.6% - His spending
0.8% - His Cabinet
5.8% - His family
82.9% - His dog
2479 total responses

What I like least about Obama so far is:
29.8% - His arrogance
2.4% - His speeches
32.3% - His spending
17.4% - His national security plans
18.2% - His other plans like healthcare reform
2477 total responses

As a vice president who was a senator since Obama was in elementary school, Joe Biden has turned out so far to be:
2.1% - An inspiration
3.5% - Better than I expected
5.0% - OK
57.1% - An embarrassment
32.2% - Who cares?
2559 total responses

Overall, so far I'd give the Obama administration an:
3.4% - A+
3.7% - A
2.1% - B
1.8% - C
10.8% - D
15.5% - F
62.8% - Whatever comes beneath F
2567 total responses

An F-minus?

What’s striking about the Los Angeles Times poll is not that it’s so negative; it’s that it’s a LA Times poll. Of course, it’s an unscientific internet poll, so it’s possible that it could have been “hijacked” by anti-Obama voters.

But ...

(CNN) — The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday, as the Obama administration marks 100 days in office, asked respondents to use a grading scale of A, B, C, D and F, where A is excellent and F is very poor.

Two percent of those questioned gave a grade of A, 15 percent a B, 25 percent a C, 24percent a D and 34 percent an F.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted April 23-26, with 2,019 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus two percentage points.

Obama gets a “D” ...

In the very same article, CNN wrote “A new national poll suggests that when Americans are asked how well things were going in the country under the administration of President George W. Bush, they respond with a grade of D-plus.”

When I was teaching, a D-plus still beat a D.

PROGRESSIVE TAXATION?

There’s been a great deal of talk from the Obama administration about tax policy, which can be summed up in two sound bites: “Ninety-five percent of American taxpayers will not see an increase in (federal) income taxes” and “Those earning over $250,000 must pay their fair share.”

Here’s some Congressional Budget Office data for the 2006 tax year. The data is for household income, expressed in quintiles (20% of the returns), from lowest to highest. Here are the numbers for each quintile.



This chart is a rough cumulative distribution function of federal income tax paid by each (household) income quintile.



The lowest quintile, households averaging $17,200 in annual income, earned about 3.8%of the total household income. They got back (in refundable credits) something like 4% of the total income taxes paid. The second quintile earned about 8.3% of the total household income and paid a percent or so of the total income taxes paid. The top quintile (the 20% of households averaging $248,400 in annual income) earned about 55.6% of the total household income and paid roughly 75% of the total federal income taxes paid. The top two quintiles (40%) paid almost all of the income taxes collected.

That graph reminds me of the story of Robin Hood, robbing the rich to give to the poor. Our government appears to have “one-upped” poor Robin by eviscerating the rich, giving a pittance to the poor, and keeping the bulk for itself.

But never mind. Here’s what’s important - the bottom 60% of filing households essentially have no investment in America beyond voting themselves ever-increasing handouts. The 40% of taxpayers who fund America have a minority voice in keeping it running.

That’s a prescription for ‘bread & circuses’ – and corruption.

We’re at a tipping point.

EVERYONE SHOULD PAY INCOME TAXES

It's bad for our democracy to exempt half the country.

A very small number of taxpayers -- the 10% of the country that makes more than $92,400 a year -- pay 72.4% of the nation's income taxes.

Given the state of the economy and trillion-dollar deficits projected as far as the eye can see, we need to return to an era of more conservative, fiscal discipline.

Congress should start by refusing to go along with Mr. Obama's promise to cut taxes for 95% of the country. With the government running an almost $2 trillion deficit, no one should have their taxes cut -- no one. Given the size of the deficit, fiscal responsibility demands nothing less.

I agree – taxes should be paid by every citizen. Rates should go up or down, preferably down, for everyone -- no more dividing the country by lowering taxes for some or raising them only for others. A revenue system whose purpose is to pay the government's bills should apply to one and all.

[Update] See the post on Progressive Taxation (above) for why.

REGULATING CO2

Well, now the Environmental “Protection” Agency has decided to regulate carbon dioxide production.

Question: do humans or insects produce more carbon dioxide?

Humans produce, through respiration (breathing) about 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. If you add the production of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels and other human industry (26 billion metric tons) and the respiration of domesticated animals (6 billion metric tons), the total carbon dioxide production that can be blamed on humans, directly or indirectly, is 34 billion metric tons.

Insects, through respiration, produce 48 billion metric tons.

Hmm. The logical conclusion is that insects must be regulated. I wonder what the environmentalists will have to say.

Friday, May 01, 2009

TAKEDOWN

Jon Stewart of the "Daily Show", erstwhile pundit and historical illiterate, argues that Harry Truman should be considered a war criminal for authorizing the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II.

Bill Whittle takes him down - hard. Watch the video.

Then come back and comment.

Via Instapundit.