100

I'm celebrating the 100th post in Boston. It's a cool city, in therms and history. I walked most of the Freedom Trail this afternoon, stopping by Paul Revere's home, Old North Church and Bunker Hill. Even posed for a pic with Sam Adams. Whatta guy-

Testing 123...

Nothing to say but...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

AWESOME

Weakest majority ever.

Also, a weak argument for not getting your way:

The smarter elements in Washington DC are starting to pick up on the fact that it’s not tactical errors on the part of the president that make it hard to get things done, it’s the fact that the country has become ungovernable...

We’re suffering from an incoherent institutional set-up in the senate. You can have a system in which a defeated minority still gets a share of governing authority and participates constructively in the victorious majority’s governing agenda, shaping policy around the margins in ways more to their liking. Or you can have a system in which a defeated minority rejects the majority’s governing agenda out of hand, seeks opening for attack, and hopes that failure on the part of the majority will bring them to power. But right now we have both simultaneously. It’s a system in which the minority benefits if the government fails, and the minority has the power to ensure failure...

Incredible. You have the majority - if your ideas were popular, you would be unstoppable. Can't win? Let's change the rules!

It’s insane, and it needs to be changed.

Hah! Didn't the people just vote for change? Another failed promise!

(h/t - insty)

PS - Isn't it incredible that all these democrat wunderkinds (Yglesias, Ezra, et al) keep coming up with the most wonderful, worthless, worn out, and weak bullshit, yet they keep producing (and keep getting heard!)? What a gig! Do they get paid by the word or something?

College Majors, for $200

Climate scientists with the integrity to stick to the narrative.

What is Political Science?

Ignorance is Strength

Garry sent me this on the big story regarding the hacked climate-change e-mails. Then I found this quote in the NY Times, via Instapundit:

Dr. Trenberth said Friday that he was appalled at the release of the e-mails, which he said were private discussions. But he added that he thought the revelations might backfire against climate skeptics. If anything, he said, he thought that the messages showed “the integrity of scientists.”

Does he mean the scientists were "honestly lying" or "lying honestly." Because THAT'S integrity.

Message in a bottle

Cool thing happened today. I received a reply to an email I sent almost 4 and a half years ago from one of the members of the family I stayed with as a law student in Tokyo. It was like uncorking a message in a bottle.

John Stossel's reading list

Okay, I haven't posted in forever and I was pretty sure no one had noticed, and then Garry insinuated that I was mourning my football team and Squeezer called me out for slacking off. Now that all three of this blog's readers are accounted for, I'll just skip over the U.S. House's vote on healthcare and the Ft. Hood attacks and instead go straight to some something that was uplifting. I'm fast becoming a fan of John Stossel, who ranks with the PJTV guys--Bill Whittle, Glenn Reynolds, Andrew Klavan, et al., as a favorite read (but nobody beats Mark Steyn). I read his article on spending being worse than taxes, and then linked over to his reading list, which I will recommend to myself and both of the other readers:

Describing his experiences as an investigative consumer reporter, Stossel said, "It made me want to learn more about free markets. I subscribed to Reason magazine and read Cato Institute research papers. Then Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek and Aaron Wildavsky."

Add those to the list-

Off the Chart

Old news, but I feel compelled to log this chart for posterity.

Incentives matter

Fascinating article at the Wall Street Journal regarding football helmets:

As obvious as the problem may seem (wait, you mean football is dangerous?), continuing revelations about the troubling mental declines of some retired players—and the ongoing parade of concussions during games—have created a sense of inevitability. Pretty soon, something will have to be done.

But before the debate goes any further, there's a fundamental question that needs to be investigated. Why do football players wear helmets in the first place? And more important, could the helmets be part of the problem?

"Some people have advocated for years to take the helmet off, take the face mask off. That'll change the game dramatically," says Fred Mueller, a University of North Carolina professor who studies head injuries. "Maybe that's better than brain damage."

Same goes for cars. People drive faster because cars are safer. *Place a pointed spike on the center of the steering wheel and direct it towards the driver's neck and see if they slow down!

*Not saying I'm in favor; I like to drive fast.

(h/t Kyle Smith)

Decline is a Choice - Part II

Decline, especially when it comes to blogging, is definitely a choice. For the most part I blame *Paul. I'll post later the other reasons this venture has taken a break.

(Mostly I was just tired of being negative all the time with respect to our national news. I can only take so much of this nonsense.)

Something, however, finally awoke me from my malaise.

We are dealing with cowards. Passing a sweeping mess of a bill that no one has read and no one outside of the circle of trust was allowed to see on a Saturday without any warning is just gross. These people are just incredible.

Anyway, it certainly woke me up, and hopefully others as well. We'll see if this gets anywhere.

*Just kidding. Paul has been in a little bit of a funk lately. Haven't spoken to him in a while. I hope he's OK.

Decline is a Choice

Charles Krauthammer:

The corollary to unchosen European collapse was unchosen American ascendancy. We--whom Lincoln once called God's "almost chosen people"--did not save Europe twice in order to emerge from the ashes as the world's co-hegemon. We went in to defend ourselves and save civilization. Our dominance after World War II was not sought. Nor was the even more remarkable dominance after the Soviet collapse. We are the rarest of geopolitical phenomena: the accidental hegemon and, given our history of isolationism and lack of instinctive imperial ambition, the reluctant hegemon--and now, after a near-decade of strenuous post-9/11 exertion, more reluctant than ever.

There is nothing holding America back but those who think they are fixing our problems.

Fear

Dan Miller:

On March 3rd, 1943 an air raid siren sounded in London. The citizens of London knew they were at war with Germany and that a retaliation attack was possible. But with nothing but the sound of the siren, panic and mass hysteria was the result. 1500 people tried to get down the steps of the Bethnal Green train station tunnel for protection. One lady, carrying her small baby, tripped on the stairs and fell. Within a few seconds 300 people were crushed into the tiny stairwell. The chaos lasted less than 15 minutes, but 172 people were dead at the scene, with one more dying the next day.

No German bombs fell that day. The largest number killed by any single bomb in the entire war in England was 68. The crush at Bethnal Green was the largest loss of civilian life in the UK in World War II. But bombs didn’t kill those people – fear did.

Nobel rhymes with cowbell

Well sort of. It at least gives me an excuse to post this picture:

(h/t Kyle Smith)

MSM to the rescue

Good thing CNN is out there looking out for the truth.

Insert my favorite phrase lately: good grief!

You know big O is in trouble when his defenders can't handle a little jab from SNL. (I didn't think it was that funny to be honest).

What is it with the thin skin? Perhaps the truth hurts a bit?

Remember, George Bush was a fascist, and yet Will Ferrell had a great career (and is still alive!).

Took a week off

Been a bit slack on the blogging. Busy week, and the world doesn't need another news aggregator.

We are almost to one hundred posts. So far it's been fun. But eventually we'll have to find a real direction for this blog other than just poking fun at the won.

But not yet!

Ignore the debates about whether the speeches Michelle and Barry gave to the IOC were any good (or harmful). I think that even if the IOC told them it was in the bag, one PRESBO decided to run to them he sealed Chicago's fate.

The IOC, despite the world's obvious love for Bammer, they had no choice but to use this as an opportunity to smack the U.S. down. How often do you get a chance to tell the leader of the free world NO? Too tempting.

Think Barry learned that lesson? I hope so.

The Obamanable Snowman

Did Jimmy Carter just say that racism is an "Obama-nable" circumstance? (towards the end of the video clip; h/t HotAir)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

On Bias

John Stossel is leaving ABC News for Fox:

When I announced last week that I was leaving ABC for Fox, some readers complained about my "bias." I replied: "Every reporter has political beliefs. The difference is that I am upfront about mine."

Refreshing. John makes some great points about reporting bias that I'm sure most reporters wouldn't see as bias:

The New York Times took its bias to an absurd length. Its page-one story on the big anti-big-government rally in Washington, D.C., referred to "protests that began with an opposition to health care. ..."

Apparently, in the Times reporter's and editors' view, opponents of the Obama health care plan oppose health care itself. (The online article was later changed.)

. . .

Most reporting on the "stimulus" package has the same flaw. Just to call it "stimulus" is to editorialize, since the idea that government spending can truly stimulate an economy is at best doubtful. Many good economists say it can't be done. After all, the money is taken from somewhere else. But the economists rarely are quoted.

In addition, reporters seem to think they've done their job if they merely describe the intentions behind the proposed "reform." But the burden of proof should be on the sponsors of regulation and spending. They should have to make a convincing case that their new rules are superior to the free market. Who cares about intentions?

I think a lot of people have forgotten that last part. The burden of proof for any proposal is on the one proposing it, not on the opposition.

Kind of like Presbo saying, "My plan . . ." when discussing healthcare reform (whoops - change). Mr. President, besides cramming whatever garbage congress comes up with down our collective throat, what is your plan?

Galt watch

Just watched this video mocking health insurance executives. Can you believe it, these people have the audacity to earn a profit. Well, in an area that is already so highly regulated, I won't go so far to assume that all the profits go to those who most deserve them, but who knows. What seems clear, though, is that the argument favoring government provided/subsidized health insurance is ignoring health care providers. How long will people put up with the ridiculous hours and sacrifices necessary to work as doctors and nurses only to have their rewards diminished by bureaucrats? How's this for an unintended (on its face, at least) consequence: make health care so cheap that no one wants to provide it.

Good Reads

On tonight's "2 most recommended list," the subject is: Government.

1. 1984
2. Animal Farm

A George Orwell sweep! Available here.

(I'll open up comments for this one; go ahead an enter your 2 most recommended books re: Government.)

Just as magical as Unicorn Dust

Lucky guy.



When asked about it later the reporter said, "I'm never washing this hand again!"

Healthcare system is a disaster...

Women and children hardest hit:

Michelle Obama said women are being “crushed by the current structure of our health care” because they often are responsible for taking care of family illnesses, arranging checkups and monitoring follow-up care.

Under Obamacare no more having to take care of your sick kids or spouses. Obama will arrange checkups, monitor follow-up care, probably even wipe those runny noses.

Remember this lady?



Add shuttling the kids to the doctor to that laundry list.

Speaking of laundry, if the dry cleaner is on the way to the pediatrician could they drop my shirts off too? You know, combine trips (global warming and all).

Thoughts from Lileks

James Lileks bleat from yesterday is just great.

On our recent bouts of national rudeness:

What I find amusing is how some believe that the death of civility is a new development. It started with Joe Wilson and was compounded by Serena Williams. Civility has been chained to a rock getting its liver picked out by buzzards since the golden children of the Greatest Generation were encouraged to let their freak flag fly, to use a horrid phrase.

Reasons for engaging the world, rather than avoiding (which is my default - and fault):

I’ve always thought it’s imperative to stay engaged with your times until your time, singular, is up. Otherwise your sense of the world calcifies, and your worst impressions become your default opinion. The glories of the imagined past become a means of self-admiration, because you were not only lucky enough to be there but smart enough to get it. Kids today, they don’t.

And some nostalgia:

It is to much to suppose that a wary code of mutually recognized and dimly comprehended male aggression kept things civil? That it was also predicated on horribly, terribly, oh-so-wretchedly sexist notions about behaving in front of women made men behave? It probably took ten years after the end of Hats to breed a certain respect out of men; it took another ten years of dealing with The Confusion of the Door (if I open it, I’m a chauvinist pig; if I don’t, I’m a selfish manchild who lacks social graces. What does she want? What does she expect? (Help me Hugh Hefner!)

The internet is incredible. I've never been to Minnesota. Never read a hard copy of their newspaper. But here I am in Atlanta reading their star columnist's personal musings, daily.

I don't think enough people appreciate the power we have right now.

I think I'll break out An Army of Davids for a second read.

Re: Project 915

Paul said..."seeing as how I was the law student, I think that makes me James O'Keefe, which must make you Hannah Giles"

I'm not pretty enough.

It is indeed incredible what these two have accomplished.

Hannity was promoting them today saying a fifth Acorn sting was to be released tonight (San Diego). That makes five now. You'd think one would be enough.

Project 915

It's hard to imagine that as many people have ever had as much opportunity to have as much impact as people have now. This liberty and personal responsibility thing seems to be catching on. So now I'm feeling inspired to add to the movement. These Acorn videos are amazing, both for their ingenuity and their effect. Garry, seeing as how I was the law student, I think that makes me James O'Keefe, which must make you Hannah Giles.

9/12 Protest Pictures

Great source of protest pictures.

(h/t Vodkapundit)

Dinosaur Media

I checked our local newspaper website (ajc.com) Sunday morning to get some glimpse of how the 9/12 D.C. march went. Nothing.

I clicked on the Nation/World news tab. Nothing.

I typed "9/12 protest Washington DC" into the search bar. Nothing.

This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man.


So I fire off an email to the public editor:

from Garry Jenkins
to insideajc@ajc.com
date Sun, Sep 13, 2009 at 1:39 PM
subject No mention of 9/12 Washington DC rally on ajc.com
mailed-by gmail.com

Sep 13 (2 days ago)

I checked the ajc.com homepage, news tab, and nation & world sections online and there was no mention of the 9/12 rally in Washington DC yesterday. Why is a protest of Americans, ranging in size from tens of thousand to over one million (depending on the source), not worthy of even a basic mention on your website?

--
Garry M. Jenkins

Well today I heard back:

from insideajc@ajc.com>
to Garry Jenkins
date Mon, Sep 14, 2009 at 10:59 AM
subject RE: No mention of 9/12 Washington DC rally on ajc.com
mailed-by ajc.com

10:59 AM (8 hours ago)


Mr. Jenkins,

Thanks for your note.

We actually covered the rally and had it on the front page of the print edition and it was online for some time, but somehow got dropped off the page online. We are checking into what happened.

Kind regards,
Shawn McIntosh
AJC Public editor

Very pleasant and polite response, but essentially full of crap.

If the story was previously on the website, why didn't it show up in the search?

Additionally, why pull it so quickly? People are still talking about this today.

Whoa - looks like the stories are back. Figures. Nevermind.

But wait! You still have to search for it to find any articles. No link on the main news pages. Also, front page is coverage of a protest at a Grady Hospital board that had all of . . . 100 people.

Good grief.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, Tenther!

Interesting. Let's see if he follows through.

In other news, former President George W. to head up a special calvary to be known as Rough Riders II.

Imports

Garry's link to the Daniel Hannan speech reminded me of this article on Peter Davies. I know little about these guys, but if their substance matches their soundbites, then these are the types of politicians I'd rather see. Regardless, however, the people in power should have less of it. And Tom Friedman can go to China.

Obama on healthcare, Take...I've lost track.

Apparently Presbo had a speech on healthcare tonight. Unfortunately I was too busy putting my kids to bed and watching a 5 year old episode of Southpark to catch it. Don Surber has a great recap:

The substance of the president’s speech to Congress tonight is this:

1. Everybody must carry insurance.

2. Insurance pays for everything.

3. Insurance costs less.

4. Pass it immediately.

Sounds like the August break helped the President gain some perspective.

But wait a minute! Drudge just added a doozy of a link:

South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" after Obama had talked about illegal immigrants.

South Carolina, what's up!

I appreciate the enthusiasm (and honesty for a change). Perhaps we could get get Daniel Hannan to finish the job?

No Country for Old Cars, or Productivity, for that matter

Garry's last post reminded me of Frederick Bastiat's "parable of the broken window." Here's my theory: if insiders are selling out, might it be because the "recovery" has been illusory, the government-driven "stimulus" (with proper "scare quotes") hollow? Are we seeing the rats (and I mean that endearingly) jumping from the sinking ship? I mean, when we're clunking drivable cars, we're moving away from an economy driven by productivity to one driven by gimmicks. Gimmicks and tricks. These people are not serious.

Tick tock tick tock tick tock

Insiders are selling stocks at a record rate according to Charles Biderman (from The New Editor).

Where have all the good Czars gone?

Van Jones? Gone. Good call, Garry.

I just came down here to tell you...

it's not on.


Oh, it's on!


No no no, it's not on.


Whoo, it's on all right!


It isn't on. Nothing's on. It's off.


It's on!


With apologies to Southpark.

Maybe PRESBO will take another week off

Having already extended his vacation an extra week, Powerline finds a reason for him to stay away another:

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, on September 13, 2001, however, Jones had a different explanation. On September 13, 2001, Jones said: "The bombs the government drops in Iraq are the bombs that blew up in New York City. The US cannot bomb its way out of this one. Safety at home requires justice abroad."

Some advice for his excellency: I find it best, when having made a mistake, to own up to it ASAP. The longer it lingers, the worse things get.

If Van Jones lasts another week it will be Obama's shame. The "globally recognized, award-winning pioneer in human rights and the clean energy economy" is a disgrace to the Whitehouse.

H/T Don Surber

(Oh and don't skip out on the music!)

Not interested in merely shifting power

Smitty, full-time guest-blogger at The Other McCain, is spot on:

The country is staring at the threat of a future tyranny. Not to engage in hyperbole on BHO, but the real issues aren't the genius who won the election. The real issues are the centralization of power. The permanent political class. The deficit. The debt.

So, if you haven't told me how we're decentralizing, GOP, you haven't told me much.
Bookmark and Share

Worked up conservatives, townhalls, tea parties...they're not about GOP versus Jackasses. The issue is federal overreach.

Don't tread on me.

Van Jones - Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

You probably know Glenn Beck has been railing about Van Jones, Obama's green czar, the last week or so. I hadn't seen or heard too much about it. However, it only took about a minute to find some interesting tidbits.

First, what does Van Jones think of the opposition party, the Republicans?



Not very post-partisan.

Second, what does he think of "whitey?"

"The white polluters and the white environmentalists are essentially steering poison into the people of color communities because they don’t have a racial justice frame."

The very definition of post-racial I'd say.

Enough. How does this nonsense pass for rational or even reasonable thought or debate?

Thankfully, Bill Whittle's latest deals with this garbage straight up.

Another brick in the wall

We don't need no education.

We don't need no thought control.

lolbama

IMAO has a weekly picture caption contest. The topics are lolteritz and lolbama. Here are two entries I submitted for the next round of lolbama:

Ghetto Burger

Ann's Snack Bar just overtook Ted's on my list of best-burger joints in town. I had the Ghetto Burger on Friday (arrived at 10:30a.m. to make it to the front of the line), and I've hardly been hungry since.

Ubuntu

So this weekend I decided to take a stab at Linux. Let me explain.

I was never what you may call a power user, but I certainly knew more about computers back when I was a teenager screwing around with DOS than I do at present. At some point along the way, I became the type that only used a computer, never digging deep in the system. As long as it worked, I didn't care.

But lately I've been thinking about getting a new laptop (my HP is about 5 years old). I decided that rather than spend a few hundred bucks I could take this chance to try out linux, which is supposed to breathe new life into old machines (and into your computing abilities).

I settled on Ubuntu because of the cost, the support, the supposed ease of use, and the fact that you can test it out using Wubi. Wubi allows an install on a Windows machine with minimal effort (Windows sees it as another program). It allows you can fully boot into Windows or Ubuntu, without partitioning your hard drive. When you get tired of it you can erase it, or keep it, or preferably, wipe the computer and do a full linux-only install.

Oh, and the cost is $0, which is very cheap for a test run. Also, it comes with open office, so you can play with .docs and excel files without needing to pay Microsoft.

We'll see how it goes. So far, the only pain was getting my wireless card to work. It turned out I only needed to run an update so that Ubuntu could download the proper drive. Works like a champ now. It certainly seems faster than when I run in XP.

Your government at work

So the feds decide to crackdown on the toy blackmarket:

If you're planning a garage sale or organizing a church bazaar, you'd best beware: You could be breaking a new federal law. As part of a campaign called Resale Roundup, the federal government is cracking down on the secondhand sales of dangerous and defective products.

The initiative, which targets toys and other products for children, enforces a new provision that makes it a crime to resell anything that's been recalled by its manufacturer.

"Those who resell recalled children's products are not only breaking the law, they are putting children's lives at risk," said Inez Tenenbaum, the recently confirmed chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Looking out for us little rubes, no doubt. Just like with healthcare, we can't take care of ourselves.

Think you're getting the better end of the deal?

Whether the topic is government intervention in health care, car sales, or anything else, consider:

“Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.”

Think you're getting the better end of the deal?

“Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state wants to live at the expense of everyone.”

Frederic Bastiat, both quotes.

No, We Can't

Thought II: A good reason for not doing something is not being able to do something. Obamacare costs money we don't have. Can we do it? No, we can't.

Overpaid

Thought: political office should bring in just enough salary to survive for a term or two, and not so much largess that too many have no incentive to leave.

Our current Congress, in particular, is overpaid.

UP

Up was my favorite movie this year. . . by far.

I found the website for Lou Romano (who worked on early visualization of the movie) and he has put the amazing full color script on his blog.

Lou also worked on The Incredibles (also a favorite of mine).

The Signal will Get Out

Can't watch Bill Whittle burn down the MSM narrative without feeling a little burned up. So how about a roast, courtesy The Most Politically Correct Web Site? See, they've even got a medal to prove it - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->

Strawmen on the march!

Despite a week full of some especially scary strawmen:

Dr. Dean says republicans want to kill the president.

MSNBC fears for the president's life citing "white people with guns" at heatlthcare townhalls (MSNBC even goes so far to hide the black man holding the rifle).

NY Gov David Patterson fears the white media will be his and Presbo's downfall (he must not watch MSNBC).

PRESBO's numbers are still tanking:

It will be interesting to see what other nonsense comes out this week.

Always scheming.

The killer app

Bill Whittle is the man.

Words escape me

For perspective on what a trillion dollars looks like go here.

(h/t - American Digest)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

What - do you get - when you wear too much - spray tan?

Not logical

For being so much like Spock, Presbo really isn't all that logical. Afterall, if the Republicans are powerful enough to turn everyone against him, why didn't they do it last November?

It's always the VRWC; it's never about their ideas.

Keep reading

They want you to believe this (emphasis mine):

The U.S. housing market is rebounding faster than expected. The question is, can it last? Home resales in July posted the largest monthly increase in at least 10 years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of a tax credit that expires Nov. 30. Sales jumped 7.2 percent and beat expectations, the National Association of Realtors said Friday.

But if you keep reading, you get to the truth:

Sales of foreclosures and other distressed properties made up about a third of all transactions last month, down from nearly half earlier this year. In places like San Diego and Orlando, buyers are snapping up foreclosed properties at deep discounts, and inventories are low.

Those sales helped drag down the national median sales price by 15 percent to $178,400.

Lower prices are driving this. The tax credit may help, but not everyone is a first time home buyer.

There's a reason it's called the "appearance" of impropriety

Good grief:

There is no evidence that Axelrod directly profited from the group's ads. Axelrod took steps to separate himself from AKPD when he joined Obama's White House. AKPD owes him $2 million from his stock sale and will make preset payments over four years, starting with $350,000 on Dec. 31, according to Axelrod's personal financial disclosure report.

Do large contracts not ensure that Axelrod will be paid? Are his former partners and likely campaign contributors being rewarded? No evidence of Axelrod profiting, clearly.

(while proofreading I noticed a bugaboo: directly. I think the point is still more than valid)

Fat Head

Just watched the documentary Fat Head. I cannot recommend it enough.

It was advertised as an antidote to Supersize Me, but it turns out to have some of the best arguments for not giving government control over healthcare.

It's also very pro personal responsibility.

Favorite line - I have a functioning brain.

(Second favorite line - Follow the money)

Excellent interview with Tom Naughton (the creator) here.

Re: Mark Steyn reads FMGblog

That makes three people.

Rimshot!

Mark Steyn reads FMGblog

Just under 4 hours after I posted Get What You Pay For, the venerable Steyn posted this.

Okay, it's more likely he's reading Powerline, but, Mark, if you're reading this, you're welcome.

Ronald Reagan on socialized medicine

The video that's sweeping the internets.



H/T to the mighty Bill Whittle.

When you can't attack the message

Attack the messenger.

Get what you pay for

From the exchange between Wolf Blitzer and Linda "Seems Fishy" Douglass:

Douglass: ". . . seniors . . . are paying exorbitant costs for prescription drugs."

Stop the tape. What, exactly, is Linda Douglass' point? Are seniors paying "exorbitant costs?" Let's assume they are, and ask: "Are seniors getting something of 'exorbitant' value in exchange?" If they are, will people continue to produce things of 'exorbitant' value when they are not allowed to receive a fair, which may mean 'exorbitant,' price in exchange?

To borrow a line: "Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value." Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

He was right about the Post Office, too

Our President:

"You have bear, moose and elk ... in Washington you have mostly bull!"

(Speaking at a health care rally in Montana, Aug. 14, 2009)



(Remember, "UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. It's the Post Office that's always having problems.")

Obama's a Hippocrat

Uh, I mean a hypocrit:

“Now, I want to just be honest with you...In some cases what we’ve seen is also funding in opposition by some other insurance companies to any kind of reform proposals.”

This was in response to a question about why he's going after insurance companies. He essentially doesn't like that they are funding attacks on his reforms.

But Obama has no problem forcing the drug companies to advertise on his behalf:

The drug industry has authorized its lobbyists to spend as much as $150 million on television commercials supporting President Obama’s health care overhaul

It would seem a good idea to get all sides out and let the arguments win, don't you think?

A Media of Davids

This video is a great example of small journalism. The video itself was produced by RockhillMediaGroup--they've got a YouTube channel, but that's all I know of them. (H/T Instapundit)

Nothing empowers the freedom of the press like the ability of individuals everywhere to produce and disseminate the news. Garry, shall we buy some cameras?

The freedom to speak is one thing; the ability to spread that speech abroad is quite another.

Speak free or die!

Hilarious

Great comment by PeterUK (don't know him) over at Just One Minute:

Obama.
Lip syncs
Has a body double for the love scenes.
Somebody does all his stunts.

And now they notice?

Marvelous.

Clarkston, GA healthcare townhall

So I was searching for any word on how the Clarkston, GA healthcare townhall went last night, and I came across a couple of items.

AJC.com had a very atypical video (for them) with some attendee comments.

Also check out Capaign for Liberty. This guy got kicked out.

Here's the AP's report as well. One of the guys quoted was sitting next the C4L blogger.

Take heart in small victories

You're either with me or against me. . .

RE: The Big Picture

Yes, Garry, but a transposition from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four makes the picture more pretty: Debt may be slavery, but Slavery is Freedom!

The Big Picture

Democrats are anxious to get a healthcare bill, any healthcare bill, passed as soon as possible.

What else explains the difference between the official PRESBO rhetoric and the reality of congressional sausage making?

Their argument is that we have to do something, anything, to save our healthcare system.

But the reality is they just want to change the debate.

The hard debate is whether this enterprise is something the federal government should undertake, so let’s get that out of the way. They’d rather be debating the ins and outs of how the system will work. They like making rules. So let’s ram this unpleasant business down everyone’s throat so we can get to the fun stuff (like figuring out ways to pay for it).

The problem is this particular debate shouldn’t be occurring at all.

Pretend for a moment that government run healthcare is a great idea, and that everyone is for it.

The reality is that no matter how good or bad it is we cannot afford it.

Our nation is broke. The current national debt is around $11.7 TRILLION (one one, seven zero zero, zero zero zero, zero zero zero, zero zero zero dollars) and growing by leaps and bounds every day.

Federal tax receipts for 2008 totaled $2.52 TRILLION (ignore for a minute that receipts are going down).

If we could somehow get some fiscal sanity and start saving 10% of receipts (to pay the debt down) and also have our debtors stop all interest from accruing (so we only pay the current principal) it would take us 46 years to get back to zero!

46 years. And that is a very simple payback estimate. In reality it can’t be paid back. (Very likely we will do the dishonorable thing and inflate our way out of this mess – read this if you want further proof our government is selling us out)

So the real debate right now should be how to get fiscal sanity back into the federal government. But that’s grown up work.

And we have a government full of clowns.

Remember, debt is slavery.

(Maybe that’s why they keep increasing the national debt?)

How much am I paying for free radio?

Riddle me this: what is the national, or public, purpose of NPR? What critical function does NPR perform that a privately owned station can't? If its programming is prohibitively unprofitable, what does that say about the value of the content?

I caught a few minutes of Market Place this evening (brought to you by American Public Media). The host, Kai Ryssdal, was interviewing a Univ. of Nevada professor about the impact of global warming/climate change on supply-chain management.

Here's a sample:

RYSSDAL: Let me test the hypothesis here that climate change and global warming will inevitably affect the traditional supply chain that we have.

CARTER: That's probably a very, very strong hypothesis.

Okay, so how will global warming affect supply chain management? Will rising sea levels swamp the ports? Will F7 tornadoes and Cat-9 hurricanes wreck both rail and ship? What does all this have to do with UPS?

Nothing. It's not The Day After Tomorrow that's going to slow us down, it's the increased costs caused by cap-and-trade and myriad other regulations making fuel and shipping more expensive. Looks like the cure may cost more than the disease; is there a price at which the proponents of climate intervention will back down and say that this is all just too expensive?

Back to the conversation:

RYSSDAL: Do you suppose this trend that we're seeing might accelerate with the Copenhagen summit on climate change coming up in December, and more pressure frankly on this issue.

CARTER: Oh, absolutely. Companies are very, very aware of the issue. And there's a lot of uncertainty, too, in terms of when oil prices will rise again, not if because they certainly will. And also what kind of regulatory structure we might have here in the United States in terms of a cap-and-trade system.

Now there's an anthropogenic problem for sure!

But don't worry, Mr. Ryssdal is looking out for you:

RYSSDAL: Would there be do you suppose any economic benefit to the United States? I mean the corporations will benefit for sure, but what about the rest of us?

Yes, Mr. Ryssdal, the rest of us. Thank you for looking out for the non-corporations rest of us.

And thank you, public radio, for giving me as much as I'm willing to pay for. A true bargain!

2+2=5

How do you explain support for a program (greater government intervention in health care) that seems unable to accomplish (according to the CBO) its most touted purposes (cost-savings and universal coverage)?

This was the whole secret of it. At first, I kept wondering how it could be possible that the educated, the cultured, the famous men of the world could make a mistake of this size and preach, as righteousness, this sort of abomination--when five minutes of thought should have told them what would happen if somebody tried to practice what they preached. Now I know that they didn't do it by any kind of mistake. Mistakes of this size are never made innocently.

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, p. 668.

I would like to hear arguments that explain (1.) the legislators' motives and (2.) the legislation's mechanics, and see if these add up to better health care or greater savings or anything thing else that I would want more of. I think it's more likely that I'll hear different definitions of "health" or "savings," and that 2 and 2 make 5.

The root of all evil (30)

Inspired by a discussion with Paul (We are both reading Atlas Shrugged)

"But money demands of you the highest virtues, if you wish to make it or to keep it. Men who have no courage, pride or self-esteem, men who have no moral sense of their right to their money and are not willing to defend it as they defend their life, men who apologize for being rich--will not remain rich for long. They are the natural bait for the swarms of looters that stay under rocks for centuries, but come crawling out at the first smell of a man who begs to be forgiven for the guilt of owning wealth. They will hasten to relieve him of the guilt--and of his life, as he deserves.

"Then you will see the rise of the men of the double standard--the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money--the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue. In a moral society, these are the criminals, and the statutes are written to protect you against them. But when a society establishes criminals-by-right and looters-by-law--men who use force to seize the wealth of disarmed victims--then money becomes its creators' avenger. Such looters believe it safe to rob defenseless men, once they've passed a law to disarm them. But their loot becomes the magnet for other looters, who get it from them as they got it. Then the race goes, not to the ablest at production, but to those most ruthless at brutality. When force is the standard, the murderer wins over the pickpocket. And then that society vanishes, in a spread of ruins and slaughter.

181 Billion (29)

(Side note: almost to thirty!)

The deficit grew by $181,000,000,000.00. . . in July.

The CBO probably should throw this chart away and start over.

Mob rule (28)

I've now seen the John Adams mini-series, and there was quote that stuck with me. President Adams at one point states (paraphrasing):

A mob is no less a mob just because it is on your side

This got me thinking.

I really enjoy what's happening lately at these healthcare reform townhalls all over the county. I think it's great that conservatives and others who have shied away from political protest (for whatever reason) have found passion in keeping their Republic from slipping further down the socialist slope.

(Also the escalation of confrontation, being pushed by Democrats, and using union cronies from groups like SEIU, only highlights their inherent weaknesses.)

One thing to consider though is that these protests will only carry us so far. Eventually it will have to be our arguments that turn hearts and minds.

Expose their lack of knowledge on the subject. Question their honesty (How will putting everyone on the government dole save money? Why do you say we can keep our private insurance when the bill clearly will drive insurers out of the market?). Question them using numbers from the CBO. Force them to promise to read the bill personally before signing.

It is not enough to crash the party. We have to take over the turntables and pick the music.

The Party of NO (27)

Democrats have been painting Republicans as the "Party of No" since PRESBO took office.

I don't want to defend Republicans. They've got enough party faithful and money to take care of themselves.

I would, however, like to consider for a moment who really is the "Party of No."

Consider that there is only one party who answers to all of the following questions with NO.

Can you defend yourself with a gun?

Can you prepare for your financial future (retirement)?

Can you decide whether you want health insurance and, if you choose yes, earn and save the appropriate amounts to afford it?

Can you get your own mortgage without government help?

Can you purchase a vehicle that is appropriate for your circumstances with respect to fuel economy and ability?

Can you be responsible for yourself?

I'm not saying Republicans are perfect, but the game is rigged, and we are all but forced to choose for one of the two major parties. For now, for me, Republicans are the lesser of two evils.

Disturbing (26)

Evan Coyne Maloney discusses the legality of the Whitehouse's request to report "fishy" speech:

It turns out, even asking for citizens to report on each other may be illegal. According to the Department of Justice, “the purpose of the Privacy Act is to balance the government’s need to maintain information about individuals with the rights of individuals to be protected against unwarranted invasions of their privacy stemming from federal agencies’ collection, maintenance, use, and disclosure of personal information about them.”

Further, anything is considered a “personal record” if it identifies an individual (an e-mail address would qualify), and “federal agency” specifically includes “the Executive Office of the President.”

Curiouser and Curiouser! Note, however, that Dear Leader wants both the agitator and the snitch:

It has come to my attention that if you send an e-mail to flag@whitehouse.gov to report unwarranted criticism of President ∅ your IP address will go into a permanent file.

No anonymous snitching you snitcher!

Troubled? Don't be. Just have some fun with them:

For the record, I'm not completely freaked out by the White House having my IP address permanently in a database. Because I know the more I post flag@whitehouse.gov here and around the web, the more robo site-crawling spambots will join me on the enemies list. The White House hates re-financed boner pills from Nigerian governments-in-exile. That address again: flag@whitehouse.gov

I doubt our humble blog will catch enough traffic but what the hell! flag@whitehouse.gov

flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov flag@whitehouse.gov

Inspiring confidence (25)

Good thing the fed stepped in to help out Fannie Mae:

Fannie Mae plans to tap $11 billion in new government aid after posting another massive quarterly loss as the taxpayer bill from the housing market bust keeps growing.

The mounting price tag for the rescue of Fannie and its goverment-sponsored sibling, Freddie Mac, is surpassed only by insurer American International Group Inc., which has received $182.5 billion in financial support from the government so far.

Fannie Mae's new request for $10.7 billion from the Treasury Department will bring the total for Fannie and Freddie to nearly $96 billion. Freddie is expected to report its quarterly results on Friday.

The government has pledged up to $400 billion in aid for the two companies. . .

$Four zero zero, zero zero zero, zero zero zero, zero zero zero. zero zero.

Good for the gander (24)

Sorry, but after eight years of this:

I've begun to love political art:

Why so socialist?

Slacking off (23)

Looks like I've been slacking off.

The last few days have been crazy. SWMBO and I were sans children the last two nights, so we ran to the movies!

We've also watched a record number of movies and shows on DVD the last week.

DVD - Taken - Rented via Redbox. Great movie. Didn't know it was possible but here's a film were Liam Neeson was badder than a Jedi. Great fun, and better than all Bourne movies combined. At least Neeson's character has a real purpose for all the mayhem.

DVD - Gran Torino - Rented via Redbox. When I reach a suitable age I will growl just like Clint. Great film.

DVD - Coraline - Rented via Redbox. I love animated movies, and great stop motion is even more fun nowadays due to the quality of CG available (as in a showcase of what's possible using real props). Fantastic fantasy.

DVD - John Adams, parts I and II - rented via Netflix. Good stuff, but I was a little disappointed. Two more discs to go and we've already reached Independence! I love the move 1776 (despite the flaws) (and the singing), because it spends so much time on the debate surrounding Independence. But we'll see where the series goes before final judgement. (BTW did Charles Adams -the second son - become famous (or infamous)? They constantly get onto him in the first two parts.)

In theaters - The Proposal - this was SWMBO's pick. Not bad for a chick flick, but there are better ones (and certainly there are worse ones). I liked how Sandra Bullock was not afraid to choose a younger looking man as her co-star. Reminds me of Cary Grant, who in several films (North by Northwest; To Catch a Thief) was as old as the woman playing "the old lady" (I.E. his mom, or his girl's mom), while the girl's were young.

In theaters - Transformers 2 - ROTF(L) - At best it was OK. Very crude (and I'm not a prude - or a poet). Essentially the same story as the first movie with 10x more Transformer Action. The only reason to see this in theaters is for the gigantic robot fighting, but even that's not really enough.

The "right" to healthcare (22)

Simon at Classical Values has a great question regarding the "right" to healthcare:

To exercise the right to keep and bear arms you have to buy your own. Will the same be true of medical care?

Probably not. Obama only cares about positive rights. People are giving up their negative rights for the security of the positive.

And speaking of positive and negative rights, I understand the intent of the description, but I can't help but think of these descriptions as some kind of marketing tool. I heard an older clip of Obama talking about "positive" rights (on Glen Beck this morning), mainly with respect to wealth redistribution. Anybody not wise to the nomenclature would surely think these "positive" rights were great and we should adopt them.

(Forgive me; Paul's the lawyer)

They should say each zero (21)

I think elected officials should have to say every zero in a spending/budget number rather than million, billion, or trillion:

The government plans to issue $2 trillion in new bonds this year to finance economic and financial rescues.

That's $2,000,000,000,000.00.

So if I were King they'd say Two, zero zero zero, zero zero zero, zero zero zero, zero zero zero and zero zero cents.

Maybe then our overlords would take these number a little more seriously.

Dereliction of duty (20)

Too big to read.



Is that like too big to fail.

I believe companies too big to fail are too big.

The same should apply to bills.

Did Conyers vote for Cap and Trade? Did he read it?

These people are not serious.

Two from Freeman (19)

Today I present two videos, courtesy of (or at least I found them at) Freeman Hunt.

First, the courtroom speech of Howard Roark from the film adaptation of The Fountainhead. (Transcription below from www.americanrhetoric.com).

Thousands of years ago, the first man discovered how to make fire. He was probably burned at the stake he had taught his brothers to light, but he left them a gift they had not conceived, and he lifted darkness off the earth.

Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision. The great creators -- the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors -- stood alone against the men of their time. Every new thought was opposed; every new invention was denounced. But the men of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered, and they paid. But they won.

No creator was prompted by a desire to please his brothers. His brothers hated the gift he offered.

His truth was his only motive.

His work was his only goal.

His work -- not those who used it.

His creation -- not the benefits others derived from it -- the creation which gave form to his truth.

He held his truth above all things and against all men. He went ahead whether others agreed with him or not, with his integrity as his only banner. He served nothing and no one. He lived for himself. And only by living for himself was he able to achieve the things which are the glory of mankind. Such is the nature of achievement. Man cannot survive except through his mind. He comes on earth unarmed. His brain is his only weapon. But the mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. The man who thinks must think and act on his own. The reasoning mind cannot work under any form of compulsion. It cannot be subordinated to the needs, opinions, or wishes of others. It is not an object of sacrifice.

The creator stands on his own judgment; the parasite follows the opinions of others.

The creator thinks; the parasite copies.

The creator produces; the parasite loots.

The creator's concern is the conquest of nature; the parasite's concern is the conquest of men.

The creator requires independence. He neither serves nor rules. He deals with men by free exchange and voluntary choice.

The parasite seeks power. He wants to bind all men together in common action and common slavery. He claims that man is only a tool for the use of others -- that he must think as they think, act as they act, and live in selfless, joyless servitude to any need but his own.

Look at history: Everything we have, every great achievement has come from the independent work of some independent mind. Every horror and destruction came from attempts to force men into a herd of brainless, soulless robots -- without personal rights, without person ambition, without will, hope, or dignity.

It is an ancient conflict. It has another name: "The individual against the collective."

Our country, the noblest country in the history of men, was based on the principle of individualism, the principle of man's "inalienable rights." It was a country where a man was free to seek his own happiness, to gain and produce, not to give up and renounce; to prosper, not to starve; to achieve, not to plunder; to hold as his highest possession a sense of his personal value, and as his highest virtue his self-respect.

Look at the results. That is what the collectivists are now asking you to destroy, as much of the earth has been destroyed.

I am an architect. I know what is to come by the principle on which it is built. We are approaching a world in which I cannot permit myself to live. My ideas are my property. They were taken from me by force, by breach of contract. No appeal was left to me.

It was believed that my work belonged to others, to do with as they pleased. They had a claim upon me without my consent -- that it was my duty to serve them without choice or reward.

Now you know why a dynamited Courtland. I designed Courtland. I made it possible. I destroyed it. I agreed to design it for the purpose of it seeing built as I wished. That was the price I set for my work. I was not paid. My building was disfigured at the whim of others who took all the benefits of my work and gave me nothing in return.

I came here to say that I do not recognize anyone's right to one minute of my life, nor to any part of my energy, nor to any achievement of mine -- no matter who makes the claim!

It had to be said: The world is perishing from an orgy of self-sacrificing. I came here to be heard in the name of every man of independence still left in the world. I wanted to state my terms. I do not care to work or live on any others.

My terms are: A man's RIGHT to exist for his own sake.

And Second, the national debt roadtrip. The fastest I've been (while actually driving myself) is around 118mph (my car was governed).

Paul update (18)

Wow, 18 posts and still no Paul.

I suppose he could be lurking, waiting to see where this goes. If so, Paul, I hope you aren't expecting much.

Of course I could call or email to let him know what I've been up to. . .

I'll wait him out at least until 30.

Taxes (17)

PJTV's Trifecta brings up something I've always thought with respect to taxes.

The beauty of taxes lies in withholding. Most people don't consider the money the government is taking from then. Additionally, many people even get a refund. How many times do you hear someone say, "I didn't pay taxes; I got money back!" Never mind they've given Uncle Sam an interest free loan.

I agree wholeheartedly with the idea that taxes should not be withheld. People should have to write an end of year check to the government (state and federal), lump sum.

Also check out Steve Green's suggestion with respect to Congress (he attributes it to Heinlein). You have two houses of government. One house only writes laws, with a two-thirds supermajority required to pass bills. The other house only repeals laws, with a one-third minority required to do so. Talk about starving the beast! It would cannibalize itself.

Narcissism (16)

Down the rabbit hole (15)

I was using google to find an article where Obama discussed his children and healthcare reform (a hypothetical question regarding coverage and whether he would go outside the system for his kids). I don't recall and didn't find the original because my search for "obama kids" brought up this page:

10 Ways Kids for Obama can get involved:

* Create a Kids for Obama Group on My.Barackobama.com. For example, Chicago Kids for Obama or DC Kids for Obama and throw a party!
* Write a letter or editorial to your local news paper, expressing "Why Barack Obama should become the next US President".
* Find a Pen Pal - it could be in your school, city, state, or another state. Write and discuss different ways you can get involved.
* Draw a picture of Senator Barack Obama or "an expression of Democracy". For example, the Senator sitting in the White House or working on Capitol. Hill. You can send your drawing to the Obama for America Campaign Headquarters in Chicago and it will be posted for the Senator to see.
* Implement T-Shirt Thursday. Get friends to wear an official Obama for America T-Shirt to school.
* Take an adult (voting age) to the polls on Election Day and encourage them to vote for you, by voting for Senator Obama.
* Post an official Obama for America Campaign sticker/logo on your school bag.
* Wear an Obama for America Campaign button and/or clothing.
* Host a Senator Barack Obama House Party or sleep-over.
* Contribute to the Kids for Obama Blog .

Clearly this nonsense is from the campaign (I wonder if any unfortunate kids could only find a non-voting age adult!).

Going deeper lead to this:

When you create an account on My.BarackObama.com, you're joining the online community of organizers who helped elect the President and now are working to bring real change on critical issues, including healthcare, education and energy reform.

Why does the President need another network for his propaganda? Is the MSM and countless liberal blogs not enough? Does holding the highest office in the world not offer enough opportunities to get your point across?

Let's go a little bit deeper:

President Obama has announced three bedrock requirements for real health insurance reform:

* Reduce Costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals and families and they must be brought under control
* Guarantee Choice — Every American must have the freedom to choose their plan and doctor – including the choice of a public insurance option
* Ensure Quality Care for All — All Americans must have quality and affordable health care

I think we should add world peace to the list also.

This reads like the old designer/contractor saying "fast, cheap, and good; pick two." That's not to say we can realistically pick two of the above with Obama's plan but honestly are the people that believe this horseshit serious? How can you introduce central planning and guarantee the three "requirements" above?

You can't. It's only a power grab. Wake up.

On a roll today (14)

But alas, they are cheap posts.

Just wanted to note a college and a foundation I hadn't heard of until recently. The college is Hillsdale College.

Founded in 1844, Hillsdale College is an independent, coeducational, residential, liberal arts college with a student body of about 1,300. Its four-year curriculum leads to the bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree, and it is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

Hillsdale’s educational mission rests upon two principles: academic excellence and institutional independence. The College does not accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations.

Shame about it being in Michigan. Perhaps the state capitol should be moved to Hillsdale?

The institute is The Future of Freedom Foundation.

The mission of The Future of Freedom Foundation is to advance freedom by providing an uncompromising moral and economic case for individual liberty, free markets, private property, and limited government.

Read their about page. Inspiring stuff.

Of course instapundit led me to FFF with this quote:

A rule we can rely on to be unfailingly applied is this: No matter how much the government controls the economic system, any problem will be blamed on whatever small zone of freedom that remains.

You could apply that to every situation the federal government is dealing with right now. The financial markets are falling apart? Of course we should have more regulation of banks/markets/whatever. Healthcare costs through the roof? It's insurance companies and their profits, of course. Turn control over to the government so we can reduce costs. Global warming? Let's limit greenhouse gases via cap and trade (of course)!

And, of course, "read the whole thing."

Ezra says, "Of course!"