To this day, the United States maintains a substantial military presence in Italy (approximately 11,000 active-duty personnel), South Korea (28,500), Japan (40,000), and Germany (54,000). When US forces settle in for the long haul after fighting and winning bloody wars, the results have generally been decades of peace and progress. But when the United States bugs out -- as it did in Vietnam after 1972, or in Germany at the end of World War I -- the results have been disastrous, both for the nations we walked away from and for American influence worldwide.I'd like to believe I'm wrong, but I think Obama has just kicked the can down the road for another President to deal with.
Monday, October 31, 2011
JEFF JACOBY: Winning the war in Iraq and losing the peace?
THE LONGSHORE WORKERS UNION will honor Occupy Oakland’s general strike. Of course -- a day off with pay.
More here.
More here.
LEFT VERSUS RIGHT:
I have often wondered why it is that Conservatives are called the "right" and Liberals are called the "left."From my email.
By chance I stumbled upon this verse in the Bible: "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." Ecclesiastes 10:2 (NIV)
Can't get any simpler than that.
INEPTOCRACY (in-ep-toc’-ra-cy): a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.
From my email.
From my email.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
TEXAS does have universal health care, but thanks to the federal government it just doesn't work efficiently.
HERMAN CAIN: "A Black Man Who Knows His Place." He strayed from the plantation, so by progressive dogma he must be an Uncle Tom.
ARE COLLEGE DEGREES hindering innovation? One commenter asks "Do highly educated people make smarter mistake[s]?” Probably not; smarter mistakes are just bigger ones.
DOES SMOKING SELL? Smoking ad boosts Herman Cain's cash haul. I think the Wall Street Journal misses the point here; the ad sells because it appeals to the 'common man' -- those of us who are fed up with the political correctness of the nanny-state elites.
Linked from Hot Air.
ADDED: Theodore J. King agrees.
Linked from Hot Air.
ADDED: Theodore J. King agrees.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
TWO NEW BOOKS:
How to Teach Physics to Your DogOne of them is fiction.
Obama: The Greatest President in the History of Everything
SHOULD WE eat the elderly? On the positive side, they're probably more palatable than OWS protestors.
BRAVO RICHMOND TEA PARTY!
Compare with the 'Occupy' movement's intimidation, violence, and complete disregard for the public.
Compare with the 'Occupy' movement's intimidation, violence, and complete disregard for the public.
DEATH TO TENURE? The downside to getting rid of tenure is that with the state of university education today, tenure may be the only protection available to the productive non-extremists.
MICHAEL MOORE: Life Among the 1%. Wait a minute; isn't this the guy who just a few days ago denied he was a 1%-er?
THE MICROGRID that wouldn't quit. The lesson that should be learned from Sendai won't: power plants should be small, nuclear, and situated in the cities where the majority of power is consumed.
DEMOCRATS are banning the use of the word “Obamacare” from taxpayer-financed mass mailings ....claim[ing] that the term is “partisan or political.”
You'd think they're ashamed or something.
You'd think they're ashamed or something.
Friday, October 28, 2011
CHANGING SEASONS III: 28 October 2011
Part III of a series. The colors are definitely changing, but green is still dominant. The yard and driveway have been freshly cleared of leaves, but they'll be back in force by morning -- with perhaps a bit of snow cover, since Manassas is under a winter storm watch for Saturday.
UPDATE at 8 pm. It's snowing. Very,very lightly, and will soon change to rain, but we have had the first snowfall of the season.
Changing Seasons II (taken 2 weeks ago) is here.
Part III of a series. The colors are definitely changing, but green is still dominant. The yard and driveway have been freshly cleared of leaves, but they'll be back in force by morning -- with perhaps a bit of snow cover, since Manassas is under a winter storm watch for Saturday.
UPDATE at 8 pm. It's snowing. Very,very lightly, and will soon change to rain, but we have had the first snowfall of the season.
Changing Seasons II (taken 2 weeks ago) is here.
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON on global warming: "We simply don't know positively whether recent human activity has caused the planet to warm up to dangerous levels. But we do know that those who insist it does are sometimes disingenuous, often profit-minded, and nearly always impractical."
"THE PRESIDENT who says we’ve gone soft now says we lack ambition as a nation."
“We have lost our ambition, our imagination, and our willingness to do the things that built the Golden Gate Bridge,” President Obama said at a fundraiser in San Francisco on Tuesday."It’s not a lack of ambition ..., it’s that we’ve grown government to the point that it’s nearly impossible to get anything done."
BUYING GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE can be a bureaucratic nightmare. Federal law prohibits free people from forming associations -- even employer-sponsored associations -- to get group rates which the individuals then pay themselves.
Is this a great law or what?
Is this a great law or what?
KARL ROVE: Obama Is the President Who Would Rather Be a Candidate. No, I don't think so. Obama is the President who would rather be a king.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
RESEARCHER warns of stink bug invasion in Georgia. Good. I had my fill of them last year. May they have happy homes in warmer climes ....
OBAMA'S JOBS MACHINE: more regulation creates more jobs. Sure it does -- for the nannies.
We have too many of them already.
We have too many of them already.
IN RESPONSE to a Washington Post article about the Keystone XL oil pipeline, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) wrote:
The pipeline editorial rests on the premise that this carbon-intensive fuel will get to market with or without Keystone XL. But this is highly questionable. There are multiple legal and political hurdles before a large pipeline could be built to Canada's west coast, including unified opposition from more than 70 First Nations with aboriginal land and water rights in the pipeline and tanker routes. That is why Alberta's energy minister said in June that without new pipelines "our greatest risk in Alberta is that by 2030 we will be landlocked."So it's okay to kill jobs in Canada as well as the U.S. to protect us from ourselves.
What is certain is that if the pipeline is built across the United States, the life-cycle carbon emissions of our fuel supply will increase significantly. This year's weather disasters underscore the folly of such a policy. We should be cutting carbon pollution to protect American families from irreversible climate change, not increasing our reliance on the dirtiest source of oil available.
WHERE'S WALDO? PJ Media Finds Gunwalker’s ‘Unreachable’ Man in the White House. Well, the phone number indicates he's within easy driving distance of the White House ....
RICHARD DAWKINS: ‘Jesus Would Have Been an Atheist if He Had Known What We Know Today’. Probably true if he were as 'well educated' as Dawkins.
THANK YOU, but we'd rather do it ourselves. Leaders of private space companies testified before a congressional committee on their relationship with NASA, and they weren’t happy. The space execs say the contract NASA has written to cover their crew-carrying spacecraft is too vague, too intruding, and too slow—and SpaceX threatened to drop out altogether.
SUPER COMMITTEE REMINDER: Feds Increased Spending by 29% in Last Four Years. Almost three of those 4 years were under the Obama administration.
AN ANALYSIS of Perry's flat-tax and Medicare plans. I want to see more, but my first impression is positive.
FROM THE "Why am I not suprised?" department: Food taxes more about milking consumers than helping them.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
D.C. NO JOKE NOW: Strong economy helps shake off sting of scandals, flaws. No, it's really proof of the efficacy of government corruption.
The camp at Occupy San Francisco is an imminent hazard to health.It should be "Why am I not outraged?" but outrage is too precious a commodity to waste on this tripe.
ACORN is Behind the #Occupy Movement.
State Dept. Spent More Than $70,000 on Dreams from my Father.
I'M GONNA ARREST THE OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Mighty Midget. Mommy's basement looks pretty comfy, though.
Linked from The Corner.
Mighty Midget. Mommy's basement looks pretty comfy, though.
Linked from The Corner.
MICHAEL BARONE: "It’s offputting to watch what a low value voters put on expertise."
No. What's truly offputting is to see how many of these 'duly certified experts' are completely divorced from reality.
Related item here.
No. What's truly offputting is to see how many of these 'duly certified experts' are completely divorced from reality.
Related item here.
THE [OWS] PROTESTERS "don't want to end crony capitalism, with its handouts and government favoritism; they want to participate in it."
ELIZABETH WARREN: I provided the intellectual foundation for Occupy Wall Street. Chaos is an intellectual foundation?
DON'T TELL THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: Scientists reveal millions of regulatory elements in human genome.
MUCH OF THE MEDIA has taken the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) study released this week as proof that global warming is real. Dr. William Briggs is less sanguine.
BEST has confirmed what everybody—and I mean everybody—already believed: that temperature changes. BEST has not—I repeat not; I repeat it in bold: not; I repeat it in italics: not—proved why the temperature has changed.Read it all. Then go to Briggs' original post (math warning) for more. I found the comments especially fascinating, not so much because I really understood them, but for the reminder of how much I've forgotten in the nearly 35 years since my Ph.D.
That is, BEST has not given any evidence that the temperatures changes because a particular theory of anthropogenic global warming is true. Nor has it proven that any AGW theory is false. BEST says nothing one way or another. As in nothing. As is not one thing. As in it remains mute. As in AGW is not confirmed nor discomfirmed by BEST. As in the debate is not over.
BEST believes that, over the past two centuries, the temperature went up in about two-thirds of all land-based stations. BEST also believes, and has so stated, that the temperature went down in about one-third of all land-based stations. As in decreased. As in became cooler. As in, it is not so that everywhere became hotter.
BEST has said nothing about temperature changes over most of the EARTH’s surface, which is to say, the oceans. As in BEST had nothing to say about most of the planet. And BEST has confined itself to a very brief period of time.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
MEMO TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: "When Charles Schumer, John Kerry, Barney Frank, Deval Patrick, and the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association are all warning that your regulations are destroying jobs, maybe it’s time to start putting ... people ahead of fish."
OBAMA BASHES PRIVATE JETS, private jet sales then plummet, now a bunch of jet-making workers lose their jobs. That reminds me that I saw an Obama "Yes, We Did" bumper sticker on a car in front of me this morning. I sure the Piper workers will be happy ....
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, there's Cain's new video. I like the video, and the subliminal message that there's a new - and politically incorrect - sheriff in town. Good work, Herman!
FIVE MYTHS helping to drive Occupy Wall Street.
I'm of the opinion that every piece of "I'm from the Government and I'm here to help you" legislation be tried out on government employees for a minimum of 10 years before being foisted off on the public at large.
I'm of the opinion that every piece of "I'm from the Government and I'm here to help you" legislation be tried out on government employees for a minimum of 10 years before being foisted off on the public at large.
THE HOME AFFORDABLE REFINANCE PROGRAM (HARP) II is pathetic because it doesn't forgive people who bought overinflated homes they couldn't afford in the first place.
Sorry, Felix; that's not a bug, that's a feature.
Sorry, Felix; that's not a bug, that's a feature.
OCCUPY OAKLAND EVICTED: To save on overcrowded jails, once they had them surrounded, the police should have put up a fence and locked the gate.
A WAY to look at the debt ceiling:
Let's say you come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your neighborhood and your home has sewage all the way up to your ceilings.From my email.
What do you think you should do ... raise the ceilings, or pump out the shit?
Your choice is coming Nov. 2012
EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM TEST: The state can 'seize control' and 'there is nothing we can do'. Frankly this -- and the accompanying comments -- are just a wee bit over the top and miss the essential point, which is "Just what constitutes an 'emergency'?" Already our local EBS system goes into hyperdrive every time there is fog, a rain shower, thunderstorm, snow, or winds greater than 30 knots, warning us to get off the roads, get to emergency shelter, or cower in the basement.
It's a case of the "little boy who cried 'wolf' too many times" without the ability to tell the little twerp to sit down and shut up.
It's a case of the "little boy who cried 'wolf' too many times" without the ability to tell the little twerp to sit down and shut up.
Monday, October 24, 2011
DANA MILBANK: The birthers eat their own. Milbank bends himself into a pretzel attempting to blame the Republican orthodoxy for the 'birthers' and the 'birthers' for racism.
The 'birthers' are wrong, but at least they are consistent in their insistence that eligibility for election the presidency and vice presidency be restricted to children born on American territory of parents who are U.S. citizens at the time of birth. Remember that they challenged Sen. McCain's Republican nomination on the grounds that he was born in Panama.
As for the implied racism charge, it's hard to believe that Milbank doesn't understand that most of the non-'natural citizen' charges (Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Nikki Haley) would be levied against fairly recent immigrants, most of whom are likely of non-caucasian origin.
The 'birthers' are wrong, but at least they are consistent in their insistence that eligibility for election the presidency and vice presidency be restricted to children born on American territory of parents who are U.S. citizens at the time of birth. Remember that they challenged Sen. McCain's Republican nomination on the grounds that he was born in Panama.
As for the implied racism charge, it's hard to believe that Milbank doesn't understand that most of the non-'natural citizen' charges (Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Nikki Haley) would be levied against fairly recent immigrants, most of whom are likely of non-caucasian origin.
ANOTHER REASON TO DERAIL OBAMACARE: do you really want your private medical information in government hands?
OSHA: another government agency gone rogue. Since it's virtually impossible to prevent government from being stupid, the next-best thing is to dramatically reduce the size of government.
WHAT 'OCCUPY WALL STREET' really wants:
babes idiots.
The core essence of their proposals involve $1.5 trillion in new revenue to create 25 million public sector jobs paying union wages, free public transportation, free university education, a single payer health care system and other initiatives. They also favor "reappropriating our business structures and culture, putting people and the earth before profit." Further, they want to end free trade, spend a trillion additional dollars on environmental programs, and forgive all debt.Straight from the mouths of
Sunday, October 23, 2011
NOT SO FREE SPEECH at the University of Pennsylvania. Here's what Cantor would have said had he been able to deliver his speech.
DOUBLING DOWN ON STUPID: California becomes first state to adopt cap-and-trade program. Watch for unemployment to rise as employers flee the state.
SOME THOUGHTS on Herman Cain's 9-9-9 (now 9.1-9.1-9.1) proposal. There has been considerable interest in Cain's 9% flat income tax, 9% capital gains tax, 9% sales tax proposal. The pundits/talking heads/competing Republican presidential candidates seem to uniformly agree that it's simple and bold, but that's where the agreement ends.
The primary criticisms are three: it's too simple (Mitt Romney in the last presidential debate); it provides a third pipeline to the taxpayer's wallet (Michele Bachmann, same debate); and that it increases taxes on the poor (Santorum and Perry, as I recall).
As to the first charge that it's 'too simple' I would respond with an old systems engineering axiom that I developed many, many years ago: "inside every big problem is a little problem screaming to get out." Cain gets it; the others don't. The little problem screaming to get out is that of funding the essential services of government in the simplest, most transparent way possible. 9-9-9 does that. This isn't to say that there won't be details to be worked out -- there will be -- but it does provide a structure that is both simple and transparent.
On the second charge that it provides a third pipeline to the taxpayer's wallet, it's a relatively simple physics problem to prove that 3 two-inch pipes provide less flow than 2 three-inch pipes. And it's much harder to change three tax rates than two -- especially when all three are exceedingly transparent to the payer. I'm mindful that Thomas Jefferson's adage "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance" can control any tax rate changes.
The third charge -- that it increases taxes on the poor -- is probably true, at least to the minor extent that trading payroll taxes for a 9% income tax probably isn't quite a wash. But as Michele Bachman said in the most recent debate, with taxes everyone should have some skin in the game. And I'm personally not convinced that our current progressive income tax is "embedded in our social and fiscal DNA."
Ramesh Ponnuru at Bloomberg.com attacks Cain's math, but I don't find his argument satisfying (he repeats the 30% rate fallacy of the Fair Tax -- it's actually 23%), with the exception that he along with Peter Schiff does identify a problem that does need to be worked out: the excision of so-called "embedded taxes" as they are replaced by the 9% national sales tax.
My single concern with 9-9-9 is how the abolition of the payroll tax will mesh with Cain's proposal to privatize Social Security. I like both parts, 9-9-9 and privatization, but how will the transition be handled?
All in all, 9-9-9 is a good idea. I favor it.
The primary criticisms are three: it's too simple (Mitt Romney in the last presidential debate); it provides a third pipeline to the taxpayer's wallet (Michele Bachmann, same debate); and that it increases taxes on the poor (Santorum and Perry, as I recall).
As to the first charge that it's 'too simple' I would respond with an old systems engineering axiom that I developed many, many years ago: "inside every big problem is a little problem screaming to get out." Cain gets it; the others don't. The little problem screaming to get out is that of funding the essential services of government in the simplest, most transparent way possible. 9-9-9 does that. This isn't to say that there won't be details to be worked out -- there will be -- but it does provide a structure that is both simple and transparent.
On the second charge that it provides a third pipeline to the taxpayer's wallet, it's a relatively simple physics problem to prove that 3 two-inch pipes provide less flow than 2 three-inch pipes. And it's much harder to change three tax rates than two -- especially when all three are exceedingly transparent to the payer. I'm mindful that Thomas Jefferson's adage "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance" can control any tax rate changes.
The third charge -- that it increases taxes on the poor -- is probably true, at least to the minor extent that trading payroll taxes for a 9% income tax probably isn't quite a wash. But as Michele Bachman said in the most recent debate, with taxes everyone should have some skin in the game. And I'm personally not convinced that our current progressive income tax is "embedded in our social and fiscal DNA."
Ramesh Ponnuru at Bloomberg.com attacks Cain's math, but I don't find his argument satisfying (he repeats the 30% rate fallacy of the Fair Tax -- it's actually 23%), with the exception that he along with Peter Schiff does identify a problem that does need to be worked out: the excision of so-called "embedded taxes" as they are replaced by the 9% national sales tax.
My single concern with 9-9-9 is how the abolition of the payroll tax will mesh with Cain's proposal to privatize Social Security. I like both parts, 9-9-9 and privatization, but how will the transition be handled?
All in all, 9-9-9 is a good idea. I favor it.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
NEW DISCOVERY: Mercury is hot. Actually the article is interesting in that the Messenger spacecraft discoveries challenge some current theories about how the planet was formed.
ARE YOU RICH? There's been an awful lot of talk over the last year or so about 'taxing the rich' so let's ask the question: "Who's rich?" I used Political Calculations' household income calculator for data and subdivided the income distribution into three categories: rich (those in the top quarter); poor (those in the bottom quarter) and middle income (the middle 50%).
Each category was further subdivided as shown in the chart below. The upper and lower quartiles were subdivided at the extremes (5% and 10% levels), and I added the 1/3 and 2/3 distribution limits to the middle income bracket to accentuate the asymmetry of the distribution.
Here's a chart showing the percentage of income of each household in $10,000 increments up to $300,000. Above about $200,000 the incremental percentage is less that 1%, and less than 0.1% above $350,000. The skew (asymmetry) is obvious, and combined with the progressivity of the income tax system explains why such a large minority of Americans pay no income taxes.
There are roughly 120 million households in America, of which a bit less than 3 million earn over $300,000. If each of those households were taxed an additional $10,000, it would bring in about $30 billion to the government coffers annually, about 3% of the annual deficit which has averaged over $1 trillion for the past 3 years of the Obama administration.
Each category was further subdivided as shown in the chart below. The upper and lower quartiles were subdivided at the extremes (5% and 10% levels), and I added the 1/3 and 2/3 distribution limits to the middle income bracket to accentuate the asymmetry of the distribution.
Here's a chart showing the percentage of income of each household in $10,000 increments up to $300,000. Above about $200,000 the incremental percentage is less that 1%, and less than 0.1% above $350,000. The skew (asymmetry) is obvious, and combined with the progressivity of the income tax system explains why such a large minority of Americans pay no income taxes.
There are roughly 120 million households in America, of which a bit less than 3 million earn over $300,000. If each of those households were taxed an additional $10,000, it would bring in about $30 billion to the government coffers annually, about 3% of the annual deficit which has averaged over $1 trillion for the past 3 years of the Obama administration.
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Railing Against Reality. "[A] smaller, older and whinier West will just keep blaming others as their good life slips away. So it's past time to stop borrowing to import energy and most of the things we use but have given up producing -- and get back to competing in the real world."
WILL THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION destroy the Franciscan University of Steubenville? It certainly seems to be the case.
I'm no lawyer, but it seems to me that freedom of association should have a role to play in these disputes.
I'm no lawyer, but it seems to me that freedom of association should have a role to play in these disputes.
SO THE RICH aren't paying their fair share? The top 25% of (household) wage earners -- of which I am (just barely) a member -- pay 86% of all federal income taxes.
Also, here's a link to a Congressional Budget Office gallery of charts on federal tax rates for the four largest sources of federal revenue: individual and corporate income taxes, social insurance taxes, and excise taxes. It's interesting reading.
Also, here's a link to a Congressional Budget Office gallery of charts on federal tax rates for the four largest sources of federal revenue: individual and corporate income taxes, social insurance taxes, and excise taxes. It's interesting reading.
AVIATION HISTORY: ten military aircraft that never made it past the test phase.
I'm old enough to remember most of them.
I'm old enough to remember most of them.
GUN RIGHTS: Only 4 states -- Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming (that tiny sliver at the top of the chart) -- are in full compliance with the Second Amendment.
HEH. Al Gore’s Current TV has lost nearly a third of its viewers since it paid Keith Olbermann $10 million to bring his show to the network.
Friday, October 21, 2011
UNDETERRED by the failure of Solyndra, Obama’s Energy Department gave more than $1 billion in taxpayer money to two more solar companies.... One $737 million loan is expected to create 600 temporary jobs and 45 permanent jobs.
The explanation why.
The explanation why.
THE AMERICA INVENTS ACT (patent protection) is better for small business. Perhaps so, but the whole patent process is so arcane I'm not convinced that this makes much difference.
MICHAEL BARONE: Congress Softens Stance on High-Skilled Immigrants.
[I]t's apparent that the United States needs more high-skill immigrants -- job creators rather than job seekers. The death of Steve Jobs (whose birth father, it turns out, was an immigrant) reminds us that highly talented individuals can be huge national assets.Here's an interesting tidbit from one of the professional engineering newsletters I subscribe to. Look who else is searching for PhDs. Of the 28 positions posted, only five (in bold) are from U.S. institutions.
The response in the House of Representatives has been a bipartisan push for more green card slots for STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) graduates of American universities.
And it appears that the chairman of the full Judiciary Committee, Lamar Smith of Texas, is interested. This is noteworthy because Smith has been an implacable opponent of any bill containing legalization or amnesty provisions.
But Smith agrees that it is a travesty not to admit STEM graduates educated at American universities who want to apply their talents in this country.
He does have some concerns. He points out that graduates with doctorates are far more productive than those with just master's degrees.
PhD: University of South Hampton, UKIt may be a bit late.
PhD: Nanyang Technological University
PhD: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
PhD: Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden
PhD: Umeå University, Sweden
PhD: University of Technology of Compiègne, France
PhD: Louisiana State University
Post-Doc: Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden
Post-Doc: Qatar University
Post-Doc: Qatar University
Post-Doc: University of Exeter, UK
Post-Doc: The University of Hong Kong
Post-Doc: University of Nancy, France
Faculty: University of South Hampton, UK
Faculty: The IMT Institute for Advanced Studies
Faculty: Texas A&M University
Faculty: Harbin Institute of Technology
Faculty: University of Groningen
Faculty: University of Western Sydney, Australia
Faculty: Washington University, St. Louis
Faculty: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Faculty: Shandong Academy of Science
Lecturer: University of Western Sydney, Australia
Research Assistant: United Arab Emirates University
Research Assistant: Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena
Researcher: Australian National University
Researcher: Honeywell, Czech Republic
Researcher: Honeywell, Czech Republic
A LITTLE FORESIGHT would have been useful. Hindsight is (almost) always 20-20.
Linked from Instapundit.
Linked from Instapundit.
WHAT'S SO SMART about smart growth? "It’s definitely for some people; mostly those without kids, cars or the urge to garden. Smart growth involves stacking development on top of transportation nodes – think high rises at the Metro station. If that’s what you’re for, more power to you. But if it’s not, why should those who live on top of the Metro station get to dictate how others travel?"
As usual, it's about control.
As usual, it's about control.
MEGAN MCARDLE: Poster Kids for New Health-Care Model Won't Participate in Model Program.
HMOs didn't work before, and they won't work now short of coercion, which is the hallmark of ObamaCare.
HMOs didn't work before, and they won't work now short of coercion, which is the hallmark of ObamaCare.
FEDERAL JOBS: Washington [D.C.] Tops List of Richest Areas in Nation. I wonder why?
[ADDED]: And yet Maryland faces a $1 billion budget shortfall. Again, I wonder why.
[ADDED]: And yet Maryland faces a $1 billion budget shortfall. Again, I wonder why.
DEMONIZING WALL STREET?
As I've repeatedly argued, it's all about control.
[T]op 10 CEOs have an average salary of $43 million, which pales in comparison with America's top 10 celebrities, who earn an average salary of $100 million.But the liberals demonize Wall Street. Hollyweird celebrities may be rich, but they don't control the billions of dollars of corporate assets which the liberals covet.
As I've repeatedly argued, it's all about control.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
TEA PARTY GROUPS share views, but don't work together.
So the conventional wisdom is that if you aren't 'too big to fail', you're too small to be effective. I'd say recent history tells a different story.
So the conventional wisdom is that if you aren't 'too big to fail', you're too small to be effective. I'd say recent history tells a different story.
PRESIDENT NEHEMIAH SCUDDER? For the unitiated, it's a reference to Robert Heinlein's future history and his short novel "If This Goes On --".
SWELL, ANOTHER OBAMACARE 'BENEFIT': the federal government is drafting a
'basic [healthcare] benefits package' for me to pay for.
Nothing more.
'basic [healthcare] benefits package' for me to pay for.
The health care law requires that essential (my emphasis) benefits include outpatient, hospital, emergency, maternal, newborn and children's care, prescription drugs, mental health and substance abuse treatment, rehabilitation, labs, prevention and wellness.This is just a mandate by another name. Why not let me choose which benefits I deem essential? Those would be hospitalization and and outpatient/prescription charges equal to those negotiated by the major health insurance companies.
Nothing more.
THE ANATOMY OF A PROTEST: While OWS is deciding what they're protesting, "they might stay off the grass. It's the least they can do for the environment."
THOMAS SOWELL: Reverse Racism.
Those people of good will who want to replace the racism of the past with a post-racial society have too often overlooked the fact that there are others who instead want to put racism under new management, to have reverse discrimination as racial payback for past injustices."A post-racial society is the last thing that [Attorney General] Holder and [President] Obama are pursuing."
A GOOD DAY: the 1946 "Blue Angels" flight demonstration team flies with the 2009 Blue Angels. You can either click on the small-screen video, or click on the phrase "enjoy the rest." for a larger version. Endure the commercial.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
AMERICA'S MOMENT OF TRUTH: Only tough leadership can save the economy.
Many Americans have their money in the proverbial mattress and will not take it out for spending or investment until our leaders get the policies right.Damned straight.
MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER'S family dissed? This one, if true, bothers me for the simple reason that it offers a window into the Obama administration's soul.
HEH. OFFICIALS' embrace of Occupy L.A. loosens: "cracking down on banks, as protesters wish, could cost the strapped city at least $58 million."
A GREEN ENERGY DREAM grows in the Sahara desert. It sounds lovely, and may even feasible in the (very) long term. Here's why it's completely unrealistic in the near future.
OCCUPY WALL STREET and the value of an education: "I met a guy down in Zuccotti Park. He speaks six languages, but he has nothing useful to say in any of them. He is the movement’s perfect spokesman."
GOOD FOR HIM: Sen. Rand Paul is "taking on the 'pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it' mentality that saddled our nation with Obamacare."
It's about time we returned to shorter bills and more (public) debate.
It's about time we returned to shorter bills and more (public) debate.
WASHINGTON POST: Five myths about healthy eating. Be sure to click through to the comments to verify that Washington D.C. is filled with nanny-staters ready, willing, and desirous of minding your business.
Linked from the PJ Tatler.
Linked from the PJ Tatler.
AN ODE TO DIVERSITY:
John Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock (made in JAPAN) for 6 am.From my email.
While his coffeepot (made in CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (made in HONG KONG).
He put on a dress shirt (made in SRI LANKA), designer jeans (made in SINGAPORE) and tennis shoes (made in KOREA).
After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (made in INDIA) he sat down with his calculator (made in MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today.
After setting his watch (made in TAIWAN) to the radio (made in INDIA ), he got in his car (made in GERMANY) filled it with gas (from SAUDI ARABIA) and continued his search for a good paying American job.
At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day checking his computer (made in MALAYSIA ), John decided to relax for a while.
He put on his sandals (made in BRAZIL ), poured himself a glass of wine (made in FRANCE ) and turned on his TV (made in INDONESIA ), and then wondered why he can't find a good paying job in America.
AND NOW HE'S HOPING HE CAN GET HELP FROM A PRESIDENT MADE IN KENYA.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: Massachusetts Tries to Rein In Its Health Cost. HMO's (health maintenance organizations) have failed once already, but that's okay -- let's do it again.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
"IN OTHER WORDS, the state decides how much health insurance you can afford -- not you. Not exactly. The state will decide how much health care you must have; then fine you if you can't afford it.
WINNER: Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, released an economic plan yesterday, that would cut $1 trillion in spending and eliminate five cabinet-level departments, including Education, Energy, Commerce, Interior and Housing and Urban Development. The plan also cuts corporate and individual taxes.
On Fox's Special Report tonight, Charles Krauthammer said he thought it was a plan most Republicans (and presidential candidates) could support, but that it would be two-term plan. OK, fine; let's plan on giving our next President two full terms to implement the plan ....
On Fox's Special Report tonight, Charles Krauthammer said he thought it was a plan most Republicans (and presidential candidates) could support, but that it would be two-term plan. OK, fine; let's plan on giving our next President two full terms to implement the plan ....
POLITICAL CALCULATIONS: "Our analysis also confirms that it is the amount of federal spending, and not changes in federal tax rates, that is primarily responsible for the current unsustainable fiscal situation of the United States."
Here's the post. It's rich in information, so study it carefully.
Here's the post. It's rich in information, so study it carefully.
A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE: The American Prospect‘s Harold Meyerson hopes that Occupy Wall Street will help bridge the cultural differences between unions and “the long-haired kids on Wall Street.”
HIPPIE-CRITICAL: what a perfect description of the progressive wing of the Democrat party (aka Occupy Wall Street aka the 'buy me more' generation).
JOHN RANSOM: "The only fill-in-the blank we have to fill right now is J-O-B-S, jobs, jobs, jobs. And the biggest blank we have to fill ... is the job of President of the United States."
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S APPROVAL INDEX isn't looking very good.
The dashed lines are best-fit second-order polynomial trend lines.
The dashed lines are best-fit second-order polynomial trend lines.
RANDOM THOUGHTS from Thomas Sowell:
Politicians can solve almost any problem -- usually by creating a bigger problem. But, so long as the voters are aware of the problem that the politicians have solved, and unaware of the bigger problems they have created, political "solutions" are a political success.Read them all.
Monday, October 17, 2011
FACT OVER FICTION: ObamaCare Starts to Unravel.
Maybe the FTC's 'truth in advertising' regulations should be applied to the government as well.
Maybe the FTC's 'truth in advertising' regulations should be applied to the government as well.
IN SEPTEMBER I linked to a post at the Political Calculations website showing the 2010 cumulative distribution of income for individuals in America. In that post, I suggested that it might serve as a proxy for household income as well. That suggestion was wrong, and Ironman from Political Calculations kindly provided a link to their 2010 cumulative distribution of household income in America.
Here are the income distributions from those calculators.
I would have been roughly correct if I had also suggested that most American households are dual-income households.
The interactive calculators can be found at the links above.
Here are the income distributions from those calculators.
I would have been roughly correct if I had also suggested that most American households are dual-income households.
The interactive calculators can be found at the links above.
FIVE LESSONS for 'Occupy Wall Street' from 'I Love Lucy'.
• Have a sense of humor."That's a life lesson for [those] who seems to have forgotten that persistence, more than talent and education, wins the day."
• Take a job, any job.
• Be loyal to something higher than yourself.
• Live within your means.
• Never stop trying.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
LONG DISTANCE CAR RADAR:
Today's systems can dramatically reduce your risk of rear-ending someone else's car, and when most cars have such radars, they will also be much less likely to rear-end you. Once every vehicle on the road is able to sense and avoid others, there'll be no reason why they won't be able to negotiate tailing distances among themselves. Eventually, they might even be sending radio messages about their intentions to one another and to monitors on the roadway over ad hoc communication networks. Smart roads may thus emerge organically.I like cruise control, too, but I don't give it full responsibility for driving the car.
AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, LIBYA -- and now we're at war in Uganda. But that's all right: we're leaving Iraq in the lurch in January.
There are wars, then there are important wars.
There are wars, then there are important wars.
THE OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT "appears as though it will be with us for the foreseeable future. And perhaps the only thing worse than the selfish, narcissistic, vacuous behavior and rhetoric of the occupiers is the fact that our President and members of his party in Congress have given their blessing to it all."
WHY DON'T THEY WANT TO ARREST US? It's tempting, but if we were to arrest all the twits, there'd be no room in jail for serious criminals.
"CATS! Delightful and efficient machines for turning dollars into catsh*t...." I think I wrote something similar recently.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
DAY TRIP: some photos from today's travel to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.
It was a lovely day. No clouds, cool crisp. Not as much color as we had expected, though.
It was a lovely day. No clouds, cool crisp. Not as much color as we had expected, though.
LIZ PEEK: The GOP's new litmus test. Like many in the Tea Party, I remain skeptical about TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program), but Peek argues effectively in its defense. What I have never read, however, is a decent explanation of its suddenness and apocalyptic nature.
CHANGING SEASONS II: 15 October 2011.
Part II of a series. The acorns are mostly fallen, and now the leaves are dropping. High winds and rain have taken out green leaves as well as the dead. Color changes are beginning to be visible.
For comparison, Part I is here.
Part II of a series. The acorns are mostly fallen, and now the leaves are dropping. High winds and rain have taken out green leaves as well as the dead. Color changes are beginning to be visible.
For comparison, Part I is here.
Friday, October 14, 2011
HEY, I'M UNEMPLOYED TOO! Rep. Jesse Jackson Calls on Government to Hire All Unemployed Americans for $40,000 Each.
Just how stupid do you have to be to be a U.S. Congressman? Reps. Steny Hoyer and Mike Pence must be embarrassed to be in the same picture as Rep. Jackson.
Just how stupid do you have to be to be a U.S. Congressman? Reps. Steny Hoyer and Mike Pence must be embarrassed to be in the same picture as Rep. Jackson.
THE HUFFINGTON POST'S Amanda Terkel notes that Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan looks an awful lot like the default tax settings in the SimCity video game. So the solution is to elect more gamers to Congress?
PAYBACK TIME: President Obama travels to Michigan today, where he will subtly [?] remind residents they owe him their votes after he bailed out their state with other people’s money.
PLEASE DO: Liberals should embrace Occupy Wall Street. It'll give Tea Partiers a chance to remind America that "spitting on Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (still unproven)" is not on a par with assaulting Kenneth Gladney and "heckling gay congressman Barney Frank" is not on a par with defecating on a police car.
A BAD SIGN OF THE TIMES: On television last night I noticed both Sears and WalMart advertising layaway purchases -- something I haven't seen in a number of years.
MICHELLE MALKIN: Costs of the Occupiers.
Obviously government doesn't feel any obligation to protect the taxpayers.
Obviously government doesn't feel any obligation to protect the taxpayers.
JONAH GOLDBERG: The Diminishing Returns of Reasonableness. Too bad President Obama was never a Boy Scout; he might then understand their motto 'Be Prepared'.
THE ANSWER: "How come pro-life folks don't care enough to adopt and/or support by taxation those children they insist be born?" I would only add that in reference to the "support by taxation" phrase, the strings attached make care damn near impossible.
A LIBERTARIAN camps out with Wall Street occupiers. I can agree with the point about big business and big government being too close, but as Timothy Carney observes: "They ... don't seem to understand that getting government more involved in the economy always gets business more involved in government."
SCRUBDOWN to avert Wall Street showdown. I don't recall any Tea Party protests where the 'protestors' were forced to clean up after themselves.
HARRISBURG (PA) files for bankruptcy. If I had my way, every elected official in Harrisburg should be fired immediately, prevented from running again for any city elected office, and new elections held to replace those who were fired.
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Predator in Chief. As useful as the Predator has been in the War on Terror, it's a double-edged weapon. We should all keep in mind that machines have no morals; people with a strong moral sense need to be in charge of them.
NEXT THEY'LL WANT Meals on Wheels to deliver to them. Limiting Meals on Wheels to poor seniors is obviously discriminatory.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
236 YEARS: Happy Birthday, U.S. Navy!
From CNO Admiral Jonathan Greenert:
From CNO Admiral Jonathan Greenert:
Shipmates,From Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SS/SW) Rick D. West:
On 13 October, the Navy celebrates 236 years of enduring traditions and missions that have preserved freedom of the seas and the American way of life. As we celebrate this birthday, we can reflect on more than two centuries of warfighting excellence while serving as a global force for good. The mettle and tenacity of that fledgling fighting force endures today in the men and women serving our Navy and nation.
Our 200 year heritage is still apparent today. As it was in 1775, our primary joint partner is the U.S. Marine Corps, and our focus is “Warfighting first.” It is what our Navy does best, and it will continue to be our priority. Similarly, we have to “Operate forward” providing our nation with critical offshore options and bringing vital security and stability to maritime crossroads around the world. Finally, as history has so often taught us, we must “Be ready” to address any challenges, many of which will be unexpected.
Through all this, it is our Sailors’ fighting spirit that will continue to ensure our success.
Our long and illustrious history makes clear that we can overcome any obstacle, seize any opportunity, and ultimately prevail no matter how difficult the challenges we face. As a result of unwavering contributions of every member of our Navy team – our Sailors, our civilians, our reservists, our Navy veterans, and our families at home, we are the finest maritime force the world has ever seen.
As our birthday is celebrated around the globe, I know you will carry our proud legacy wherever you go. I cannot begin to tell you how honored and privileged I am to be your Chief of Naval Operations. Happy 236th Birthday to you and to your families.
Warfighting First. Operate Forward. Be Ready.
Shipmates and Navy families,And from my wife and I: Thank you all for your service to our Nation.
As we honor the birth of the United States Navy 236 years ago, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all Sailors, civilians and family members for their service and dedication to our great Navy team.
Our traditional maritime requirements, counter-piracy efforts and the many non-traditional missions we have adopted in support of overseas contingency operations are making a difference every day.
On any given day, we have at least 150 ships and 25 submarines underway, and let's not forget about our Sailors who are boots on ground. That's more than 40,000 Sailors who are deployed, on station around the world executing our Navy's core capabilities of the maritime strategy.
From our beginning in 1775 with just six frigates to our present-day highly diversified, modern Fleet with a total of 285 deployable ships and submarines, our Navy is the best it has ever been. Our Navy has remained steadfast and ready for 236 years, and we continue to be ready to answer every call our nation makes thanks to your outstanding dedication and selfless support.
I also want to say "thank you" and express my sincere appreciation to our Navy families for your continued love and support of your Sailor and our Navy. You are the cornerstone of a Sailor's readiness and your role is vitally important.
Please take a moment to remember the thousands of our Shipmates who are deployed around the world vigilantly standing the watch, and those who have gone before us in service to our great nation.
Happy birthday shipmates ... you look pretty darn good to be 236 years old!
HOOYAH!
DAMNED WITH FAINT PRAISE: Wishing A Long Life To The Occupy Wall Street Protests.
Progressivism’s battle cry is: “Mulligan!” It demands the ultimate entitlement — emancipation from the ruinous results of all prior claims of entitlement.Where did I read that before?
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