Q1 GDP revised downward to 1.9% « Hot Air
Seems like back in '04, the economic numbers would always come in "worse than expected" with a lot of heavy commentary, then quietly get "revised upward". Now the disappointing numbers slink in with little comment and the downward revisions are darned near state secrets.
http://money.cnn.com/2004/01/30/news/economy/gdp/index.htm there is a link to a decent example -- 4th qtr DOWN to 4.2% from 8.1% ...but just really not that good, with Democrats complaining about lack of jobs. Wow, they and the MSM seem A LOT more sanguine about some actually rotten economic numbers right now.
Back in the dim dark ages of '04, 250K+ jobs being added a month was a "jobless recovery" -- now there is a term one really doesn't hear much of in the MSM these days. Maybe that is because it is really tough to call it a "recovery" with a straight face even if you are staunchly in the tank for BO.
Oh, and GREAT NEWS!!! Before tax corporate profits are UP, but after tax they are DOWN!! Now there is something that the left really ought to be cheering about -- more money in the Feds coffers and less in the pockets of evil business and investors! That ought to teach them. Marvelous!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Our National Adolesence
Peter Pan vs. Wendy - HUMAN EVENTS
Very worth the read, good imagery.
One is reminded of "If you aren't a Democrat at 20, you don't have a heart. If you are not a Republican by 40, you don't have a brain".
More to the point, you are still "wishing and hoping" if you are a Democrat ... or maybe "blaming and throwing a tantrum". Either way, there is "reality" -- we are born, we work hard, then we die, or there is "fantasy" -- life is one big joyful bowl of cherries completely taken care of by somebody else with nothing but never ending irresponsible "fun" for us.
Those that have moved to reality realize that actually we are created to find joy in reality, even (especially?) a reality that includes physical death and spiritual eternity. Fantasy? Well, it has the danger of going the way of Jim Morrison, John Belushi, etc ... "nothing really matters anymore". Rewards for actual success are really fun. The fake world where "we are all special" turns out to be so fake that the prime objective of a lot of "fun" is merely escape.
Go Wendy!!
Very worth the read, good imagery.
One is reminded of "If you aren't a Democrat at 20, you don't have a heart. If you are not a Republican by 40, you don't have a brain".
More to the point, you are still "wishing and hoping" if you are a Democrat ... or maybe "blaming and throwing a tantrum". Either way, there is "reality" -- we are born, we work hard, then we die, or there is "fantasy" -- life is one big joyful bowl of cherries completely taken care of by somebody else with nothing but never ending irresponsible "fun" for us.
Those that have moved to reality realize that actually we are created to find joy in reality, even (especially?) a reality that includes physical death and spiritual eternity. Fantasy? Well, it has the danger of going the way of Jim Morrison, John Belushi, etc ... "nothing really matters anymore". Rewards for actual success are really fun. The fake world where "we are all special" turns out to be so fake that the prime objective of a lot of "fun" is merely escape.
Go Wendy!!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A BO Defector Profile in Courage
One of Obama’s Earliest Supporters Defects | Power Line
I hope Artur Davis has a Kevlar character -- mostly the MSM will try to ignore him, but if he sticks his head up too much, they are going to do their best to DESTROY him. Can't have a former Democrat rising start, black man leaving the Democrat Plantation on BO!!
This guy has COURAGE!!
I hope Artur Davis has a Kevlar character -- mostly the MSM will try to ignore him, but if he sticks his head up too much, they are going to do their best to DESTROY him. Can't have a former Democrat rising start, black man leaving the Democrat Plantation on BO!!
This guy has COURAGE!!
Mittens is a Unicorn
Prove Mitt's not a unicorn, group says in satirizing 'birthers' - CNN.com
Ok, I think the unicorn theory is a bit less likely than the not born in Hawaii theory -- since even BO's official bio for his first book said he was born in Kenya http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/05/18/Media-Refuses-Coverage-Obama-Kenya-Lit-Agency but at least both being a unicorn and not being a US citizen are dis-qualifiers for being president. Unlike the views of a commanding officer on your pilot skills 35 years earlier.
The MSM finds the idea that some group would keep pushing on a story about BO to be "completely ridiculous", however even when Dan Rather lost his job over forged documents relative to W's time as a pilot in the TX Air National Guard, the MSM took a decent shot at "fake but true". However, the constitution doesn't say that your commanding officer had to like your work in order to be president.
I realize that the MSM has the power to hammer on a story about W's guard service day in and day out and since it was almost certain to be a close election, they may well have been able to swing the tide had they found some true smoking gun of a story. It is certainly clear that they were trying hard.
Now in the case of BO, they could care less if he was born in Kenya, was a Muslim, dealt coke, pot or whatever, went to Columbia or not -- whatever. They LIKE BO ... so since he is their guy, they think anyone questioning him in any way is "silly".
This is easy to understand, I'm just surprised that more people don't.
Ok, I think the unicorn theory is a bit less likely than the not born in Hawaii theory -- since even BO's official bio for his first book said he was born in Kenya http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/05/18/Media-Refuses-Coverage-Obama-Kenya-Lit-Agency but at least both being a unicorn and not being a US citizen are dis-qualifiers for being president. Unlike the views of a commanding officer on your pilot skills 35 years earlier.
The MSM finds the idea that some group would keep pushing on a story about BO to be "completely ridiculous", however even when Dan Rather lost his job over forged documents relative to W's time as a pilot in the TX Air National Guard, the MSM took a decent shot at "fake but true". However, the constitution doesn't say that your commanding officer had to like your work in order to be president.
I realize that the MSM has the power to hammer on a story about W's guard service day in and day out and since it was almost certain to be a close election, they may well have been able to swing the tide had they found some true smoking gun of a story. It is certainly clear that they were trying hard.
Now in the case of BO, they could care less if he was born in Kenya, was a Muslim, dealt coke, pot or whatever, went to Columbia or not -- whatever. They LIKE BO ... so since he is their guy, they think anyone questioning him in any way is "silly".
This is easy to understand, I'm just surprised that more people don't.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Harvard Business vs Harvard Law
Niall Ferguson: Why Wall Street Should Win the Battle With Obama - The Daily Beast
Worth the read.
If it wasn't for business, the Lawyers and Politicians starve just like the rest of it. FOOD is a profit!! Whining over how to divide it up at $1K an hour is law/politics.
Worth the read.
If it wasn't for business, the Lawyers and Politicians starve just like the rest of it. FOOD is a profit!! Whining over how to divide it up at $1K an hour is law/politics.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
The Moon Landing Was a Hoax!
Barack Obama, Fiscal Conservative! | Power Line:
and BO is a fiscal conservative.
Sadly, this needs to be read and understood because there are people foolish enough to believe it or to just repeat it in an attempt to muddy the extremely clear.
At the core of this idiocy lies the misconception that the president sets the budget, which is of course completely untrue -- CONGRESS sets the budget, always has and always will at least until the left fully succeeds in destroying the Constitution.
Understand this fact, and both the "Reagan deficits" and the "Clinton Surpluses" become much more understandable.
The insanity of "BO as a fiscal conservative" is also fully exposed.
'via Blog this'
and BO is a fiscal conservative.
Sadly, this needs to be read and understood because there are people foolish enough to believe it or to just repeat it in an attempt to muddy the extremely clear.
At the core of this idiocy lies the misconception that the president sets the budget, which is of course completely untrue -- CONGRESS sets the budget, always has and always will at least until the left fully succeeds in destroying the Constitution.
Understand this fact, and both the "Reagan deficits" and the "Clinton Surpluses" become much more understandable.
The insanity of "BO as a fiscal conservative" is also fully exposed.
'via Blog this'
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Fauxahontis and Barry
Mark Steyn: Eternally shifting sands of Obama’s biography | obama, ever, white - Opinion - The Orange County Register
This is a great column that covers the truly insane levels of Gatsbyesque self-creation that we have come to. BO was pretending he was from Kenya a lot longer than he was pretending he was from Hawaii!! As Fitzgerald pointed out, we are really all essentialists -- "it is the story that counts". I doubt if 1% of the people that voted for BO really care if he was born in Hawaii, Kenya or a test tube in Beijing. Something like half our population has crossed the Rubicon of post-modern social constructionist relativism where "truth" is precisely what you decide it is.
When everyone is entitled to their own truth, reality tends to be very mundane by comparison. Can we be far from BidenWorld?
As The Fordham Law Review reported, "Harvard Law School hired its first woman of color, Elizabeth Warren, in 1995."Why not? She DID submit a recipe to the "Pow Wow Chow" cookbook -- a crab dish, very authentic OK Cherokee fare!
This is a great column that covers the truly insane levels of Gatsbyesque self-creation that we have come to. BO was pretending he was from Kenya a lot longer than he was pretending he was from Hawaii!! As Fitzgerald pointed out, we are really all essentialists -- "it is the story that counts". I doubt if 1% of the people that voted for BO really care if he was born in Hawaii, Kenya or a test tube in Beijing. Something like half our population has crossed the Rubicon of post-modern social constructionist relativism where "truth" is precisely what you decide it is.
When everyone is entitled to their own truth, reality tends to be very mundane by comparison. Can we be far from BidenWorld?
A delegation of college students visited the White House last week, and Vice President Biden told them: "You're an incredible generation. And that's not hyperbole, either. Your generation and the 9/11 generation before you are the most incredible group of Americans we have ever, ever, ever produced."
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
No Flame for Current Plame
Remembering Valerie Plame | Power Line
The whole Plame affair was very lame ... Joe Wilson actually reported that Saddam DID try to get Yellowcake from Niger -- er, or maybe little souvenir trinkets, the OTHER export from Niger. Plame was not an undercover field agent, but rather commuted to Langley every work day.
But the MSM and the rest went all-in on the story.
As this column points out, BO outs a true double agent -- British no less, and the US MSM could care less, although the Brits and some other allies are a bit miffed. Oh, and we let Al Quaeda know a whole bunch of stuff there was no reason to spill.
It is still generally an MSM world -- if BO actually doing damaging leaks helps him get elected, SUPER. If it turns out that W didn't even have any leaks on a topic that wouldn't matter if he did in his SECOND TERM -- well, no matter. From an MSM POV, a story taking down a Republican doesn't have to be real, timely, or true in any sense whatsoever -- "damaging" is good enough.
The whole Plame affair was very lame ... Joe Wilson actually reported that Saddam DID try to get Yellowcake from Niger -- er, or maybe little souvenir trinkets, the OTHER export from Niger. Plame was not an undercover field agent, but rather commuted to Langley every work day.
But the MSM and the rest went all-in on the story.
As this column points out, BO outs a true double agent -- British no less, and the US MSM could care less, although the Brits and some other allies are a bit miffed. Oh, and we let Al Quaeda know a whole bunch of stuff there was no reason to spill.
It is still generally an MSM world -- if BO actually doing damaging leaks helps him get elected, SUPER. If it turns out that W didn't even have any leaks on a topic that wouldn't matter if he did in his SECOND TERM -- well, no matter. From an MSM POV, a story taking down a Republican doesn't have to be real, timely, or true in any sense whatsoever -- "damaging" is good enough.
Politics Is a Lie, Buy Gold
RealClearPolitics - Big Lies in Politics
Excellent column. I'm not sure how one would question the truth of this. No matter what FDR or LBJ or BO tells you, there is STILL no free lunch. The net result, inflation, so BUY GOLD ... not a ton of gold, but some -- and some TIPs and some offshore stocks. Oh, and note to self -- get those seeds for the gun cabinet!
Excellent column. I'm not sure how one would question the truth of this. No matter what FDR or LBJ or BO tells you, there is STILL no free lunch. The net result, inflation, so BUY GOLD ... not a ton of gold, but some -- and some TIPs and some offshore stocks. Oh, and note to self -- get those seeds for the gun cabinet!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Dimon’s Déjà Vu Debacle - NYTimes.com
Dimon’s Déjà Vu Debacle - NYTimes.com
First, speculation and hedging are part of life -- individual, corporate and government life, like death, gravity and the passage of time, we can modulate them and work around them but we really can't regulate them.
A hedge is when you buy insurance ... or even a better analogy, when you rent rather than buy in hopes the price of houses goes down. Your profit would be the difference between the lower cost you can buy the home for and the cost of the rent, tax implications, etc. Of course if housing prices go up (what happened to Morgan), then your loss is the difference between what you could have bought the home for earlier and the eventual price you paid, PLUS the rental cost, tax implications, etc.
Speculation is what you do when you buy a home, a stock, land, or anything. It is why deflation is so scary -- for even consumables, people will wait to purchase during deflation in hopes that the priced will be lower, which can collectively lead to A LOT of waiting! Not good in a "consumer society". If you buy something big like home/property on credit hoping it will rise in value, then you can end up being "underwater" on your loan if the price falls by more than your downpayment -- the condition home buyers found themselves in as home prices went down.
Right now we are in the biggest world wide government spending / borrowing bubble of all time, and guys like Krugman are screaming BUY!!!, while the Tea Party and to some degree Romney and Paul Ryan are saying SELL!! What is the "right answer"??
Well, historically, "what can't go on, doesn't". Wow, look, the market has blown through all projections, maybe it will just keep going up!! There is only so much land, it will ALWAYS go up in value! House prices can only rise! When things are at record highs, there is more "downside risk", at record lows, less downside risk, more upside opportunity.
Krugman will confidently tell you "Government is different, it doesn't need to obey any of the laws of supply / demand / finance / reality ... it can just "print money". That is why Confederate Currency, the Iraqi Dinar and the old Weimar Republic German Mark are in such "high value" today. Ever hear "homes are different", "land is different", "this stock is different", "this market is different" ??? If not, please just listen a bit harder
So, I may not have a Nobel Prize in Economics, but I'll bet that what goes up comes down -- and in cases other than buggy whips and horse shoes and of course bankrupt companies where they will never come back because of obsolescence / failure, what goes down comes back up (eventually). Energy, stocks, homes, gold, governments, labor -- will always be around, the values will just fluctuate.
"Too big to fail" ISN"T ... even in the case of government, and there is no such thing this side of heaven as "risk free". Trying to claim there is is just foolin mother nature ... and she doesn't stay fooled for long. Of course, we could go the way of Orwell's 1984, the USSR, North Korea, etc where we just define down to be up, peace to be war, love to be hate, marriage to be gay, and tell everyone that is the truth or shoot them.
First, speculation and hedging are part of life -- individual, corporate and government life, like death, gravity and the passage of time, we can modulate them and work around them but we really can't regulate them.
A hedge is when you buy insurance ... or even a better analogy, when you rent rather than buy in hopes the price of houses goes down. Your profit would be the difference between the lower cost you can buy the home for and the cost of the rent, tax implications, etc. Of course if housing prices go up (what happened to Morgan), then your loss is the difference between what you could have bought the home for earlier and the eventual price you paid, PLUS the rental cost, tax implications, etc.
Speculation is what you do when you buy a home, a stock, land, or anything. It is why deflation is so scary -- for even consumables, people will wait to purchase during deflation in hopes that the priced will be lower, which can collectively lead to A LOT of waiting! Not good in a "consumer society". If you buy something big like home/property on credit hoping it will rise in value, then you can end up being "underwater" on your loan if the price falls by more than your downpayment -- the condition home buyers found themselves in as home prices went down.
Right now we are in the biggest world wide government spending / borrowing bubble of all time, and guys like Krugman are screaming BUY!!!, while the Tea Party and to some degree Romney and Paul Ryan are saying SELL!! What is the "right answer"??
Well, historically, "what can't go on, doesn't". Wow, look, the market has blown through all projections, maybe it will just keep going up!! There is only so much land, it will ALWAYS go up in value! House prices can only rise! When things are at record highs, there is more "downside risk", at record lows, less downside risk, more upside opportunity.
Krugman will confidently tell you "Government is different, it doesn't need to obey any of the laws of supply / demand / finance / reality ... it can just "print money". That is why Confederate Currency, the Iraqi Dinar and the old Weimar Republic German Mark are in such "high value" today. Ever hear "homes are different", "land is different", "this stock is different", "this market is different" ??? If not, please just listen a bit harder
So, I may not have a Nobel Prize in Economics, but I'll bet that what goes up comes down -- and in cases other than buggy whips and horse shoes and of course bankrupt companies where they will never come back because of obsolescence / failure, what goes down comes back up (eventually). Energy, stocks, homes, gold, governments, labor -- will always be around, the values will just fluctuate.
"Too big to fail" ISN"T ... even in the case of government, and there is no such thing this side of heaven as "risk free". Trying to claim there is is just foolin mother nature ... and she doesn't stay fooled for long. Of course, we could go the way of Orwell's 1984, the USSR, North Korea, etc where we just define down to be up, peace to be war, love to be hate, marriage to be gay, and tell everyone that is the truth or shoot them.
Friday, May 18, 2012
NYT Explains Economic Fall and Gay Marriage in two Paragraphs
The Age of Innocence - NYTimes.com
This is one of the reasons why Europe and the United States are facing debt crises and political dysfunction at the same time. People used to believe that human depravity was self-evident and democratic self-government was fragile. Now they think depravity is nonexistent and they take self-government for granted.
Neither the United States nor the European model will work again until we rediscover and acknowledge our own natural weaknesses and learn to police rather than lionize our impulses.
Pretty much covers it. Recognize our natures are flawed and learn to compensate -- with check/balances, religion, culture, etc.
Unfortunately, I don't expect this enlightenment to be generally sinking in anytime soon.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Setting A New Standard for President
What was Mitt Romney like in high school (and should anyone care)? | Power Line
Or more honestly, for Republican Presidents. With W the issue of "was he a good pilot when he was in the TX National Guard 30 years ago?" was of critical and obsessive importance to the MSM. Dan Rather lost his job working on that important issue.
For BO, the standard was "ANYTHING about his past -- college records, church he went to, his citizenship, radicals he may or may not have associated with, his drug and alcohol abuse, his statement that he had taken on the "dreams of his father" and was an anti-colonialist (and the US is now considered a "colonial power", etc were ALL "racist, off limits, and not legitimate issues". The "Dreams From My Father" book is a veritable treasure trove of oppo research, including BO reading it aloud, including passages using the "N word" and "Pussy" ...
Slick Willie established that there is no MORAL standard to occupy the presidency -- for a D. BO established that there is not standard of COMPETENCY, again, for a D. Will Americans sit and allow things that happened in HIGH SCHOOL to be a valid issue for an R? Is there NO limit to the double standard? What happens if the standards completely break down -- for BOTH parties?
Now, for Romney, his carrying of a family pet on the roof of his car, his church, and now his HS behavior ARE critical issues that are stated by the leading MSM "news" outlets as items having significant bearing on the suddenly important "character issue".
Couple things come to mind on this front.
1). The current obsession with "bullying". When I was a kid, the mantra was "Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you". Today, it is the opposite -- children are basically raised to be thin skinned, and they are. It looks like this is a lefty fad on par with "Climate Change" at least in the short term. One can see how it fits with their mind set -- human nature is infinitely pliable, all it takes is a bit more "re-education and state control" and we can have millions of automatons behaving exactly as we decree. Nothing can go wrong, go wrong, can wrong go ....
2). The MSM has now raised the ante on presidential character for Republicans to "stories from HS". Can junior high and grade school be far behind? Horror of horror, supposedly "Christian values family man" had a Playboy in Jr High, or looked at dirty pictures on the web. One asks if there is a limit -- no, there isn't, and it will get worse. They went out and got Clarence Thomas's video rental list, they WILL find some future Republican candidates internet surf list from Jr High.
3). I can only hope this is an "over reach". I'm starting to see the "Dreams" book material show up.The imaginary girl friend for example. Eating the dog. While the MSM will do all it can to keep a firm double standard, is that going to be possible with such a rich treasure trove of significantly unflattering anecdotes allegedly by BO's own hand just sitting there?
Or more honestly, for Republican Presidents. With W the issue of "was he a good pilot when he was in the TX National Guard 30 years ago?" was of critical and obsessive importance to the MSM. Dan Rather lost his job working on that important issue.
For BO, the standard was "ANYTHING about his past -- college records, church he went to, his citizenship, radicals he may or may not have associated with, his drug and alcohol abuse, his statement that he had taken on the "dreams of his father" and was an anti-colonialist (and the US is now considered a "colonial power", etc were ALL "racist, off limits, and not legitimate issues". The "Dreams From My Father" book is a veritable treasure trove of oppo research, including BO reading it aloud, including passages using the "N word" and "Pussy" ...
Slick Willie established that there is no MORAL standard to occupy the presidency -- for a D. BO established that there is not standard of COMPETENCY, again, for a D. Will Americans sit and allow things that happened in HIGH SCHOOL to be a valid issue for an R? Is there NO limit to the double standard? What happens if the standards completely break down -- for BOTH parties?
Now, for Romney, his carrying of a family pet on the roof of his car, his church, and now his HS behavior ARE critical issues that are stated by the leading MSM "news" outlets as items having significant bearing on the suddenly important "character issue".
Couple things come to mind on this front.
1). The current obsession with "bullying". When I was a kid, the mantra was "Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you". Today, it is the opposite -- children are basically raised to be thin skinned, and they are. It looks like this is a lefty fad on par with "Climate Change" at least in the short term. One can see how it fits with their mind set -- human nature is infinitely pliable, all it takes is a bit more "re-education and state control" and we can have millions of automatons behaving exactly as we decree. Nothing can go wrong, go wrong, can wrong go ....
2). The MSM has now raised the ante on presidential character for Republicans to "stories from HS". Can junior high and grade school be far behind? Horror of horror, supposedly "Christian values family man" had a Playboy in Jr High, or looked at dirty pictures on the web. One asks if there is a limit -- no, there isn't, and it will get worse. They went out and got Clarence Thomas's video rental list, they WILL find some future Republican candidates internet surf list from Jr High.
3). I can only hope this is an "over reach". I'm starting to see the "Dreams" book material show up.The imaginary girl friend for example. Eating the dog. While the MSM will do all it can to keep a firm double standard, is that going to be possible with such a rich treasure trove of significantly unflattering anecdotes allegedly by BO's own hand just sitting there?
The Other Guys Have Issues
Lugar Defeat and End of Bipartisanship - NYTimes.com:
Human nature is so wonderfully and woefully predictable. If you write for the NYTs, you literally CAN'T SEE both sides of many issues at all. Do I really need to say anything beyond Joe Lieberman?? The Democrat party had to purge itself of a man that it ran for VP in '00. One could go on forever of the now extinct "Democrat Hawks", "Pro-Life Dems", and "Blue Dogs" that have been purged from the Democrat party as it has lurched to the left.
No, what folks at the Times pine away for are the kind of "compromises" where one side gets it's spending and the other gets it's tax cut and vice - versa ... oh, and let's put 85% of the ballooning budget on autopilot as "entitlements" before we retire to the bar for a genial drink.
That kind of "compromise" is killing us --- it is the obese person cutting exercise AND eating more. The drunk drinking more on weekends AND during the week. This is a time for INTERVENTION, not compromise, but the left sincerely believes that spending, taxing and borrowing can A:L:L keep rolling and buying them votes forever.
So, we have a conflict -- and unlike what the NYTs thinks, BOTH SIDES have "girded their loins" in the words of Joe Biden. One side seeks to grow the US government forever, one seeks to have a nation of "limited government" as it says in the constitution. We can't have both, so there is conflict.
Human nature is so wonderfully and woefully predictable. If you write for the NYTs, you literally CAN'T SEE both sides of many issues at all. Do I really need to say anything beyond Joe Lieberman?? The Democrat party had to purge itself of a man that it ran for VP in '00. One could go on forever of the now extinct "Democrat Hawks", "Pro-Life Dems", and "Blue Dogs" that have been purged from the Democrat party as it has lurched to the left.
No, what folks at the Times pine away for are the kind of "compromises" where one side gets it's spending and the other gets it's tax cut and vice - versa ... oh, and let's put 85% of the ballooning budget on autopilot as "entitlements" before we retire to the bar for a genial drink.
That kind of "compromise" is killing us --- it is the obese person cutting exercise AND eating more. The drunk drinking more on weekends AND during the week. This is a time for INTERVENTION, not compromise, but the left sincerely believes that spending, taxing and borrowing can A:L:L keep rolling and buying them votes forever.
So, we have a conflict -- and unlike what the NYTs thinks, BOTH SIDES have "girded their loins" in the words of Joe Biden. One side seeks to grow the US government forever, one seeks to have a nation of "limited government" as it says in the constitution. We can't have both, so there is conflict.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Let Us NEVER Talk "Civility" Again!!
Carville: Wake up Democrats; you could lose - CNN.com
Ok, The "Cornfield Scene" is a merciless beating and burial in shallow grave that has been called "possibly the most difficult to watch" scene in a movie of all time". WOW, there have been A LOT of really bad beating scenes in movies ... I had to go find just that scene, and it is brutal.
However, certainly ZERO PROBLEM with no less than Democrat Strategist James Carvelle talking about what they are going to do to Romney in the fall on the off shore accounts and the Ryan Budget. Nice imagery -- uh, saying someone is a "target" (for defeat) is supposed to not be "civil"?? Give me a BREAK!! we are all well aware that this is TOTALLY a one sided issue -- the left can do ANYTHING it wants, witness "The Assassination of George Bush".
The quote ought to have been: "Why would a REPUBLICAN who knows he is running for president ...:. " Kerry had houses galore, both domestic and international, and no end of "of shore" -- of course "that was owned by his wife". No story there, move along. He also kept his yacht in RI to avoid MA taxes -- no problem there, he is a Democrat, he wants OTHERS to pay high taxes!!
Why a man who knows he is running for president (who claims to know something about the American economy) would for any reason keep money in offshore accounts, I have no idea. And I know that we are going to take him out to the cornfield (like at the end of the movie "Casino") on the Ryan budget.
Ok, The "Cornfield Scene" is a merciless beating and burial in shallow grave that has been called "possibly the most difficult to watch" scene in a movie of all time". WOW, there have been A LOT of really bad beating scenes in movies ... I had to go find just that scene, and it is brutal.
However, certainly ZERO PROBLEM with no less than Democrat Strategist James Carvelle talking about what they are going to do to Romney in the fall on the off shore accounts and the Ryan Budget. Nice imagery -- uh, saying someone is a "target" (for defeat) is supposed to not be "civil"?? Give me a BREAK!! we are all well aware that this is TOTALLY a one sided issue -- the left can do ANYTHING it wants, witness "The Assassination of George Bush".
What Democrats seek is "unilateral rhetoric disarmament" -- when your objective is a one party Soviet style system, you have to get rid of the opposition somehow!
The quote ought to have been: "Why would a REPUBLICAN who knows he is running for president ...:. " Kerry had houses galore, both domestic and international, and no end of "of shore" -- of course "that was owned by his wife". No story there, move along. He also kept his yacht in RI to avoid MA taxes -- no problem there, he is a Democrat, he wants OTHERS to pay high taxes!!
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
The Bubble Inevitability
The ‘folly’ of the U.S. housing bubble - The Washington Post
Good little article. Now that all the scapegoats have been herded up and duly flogged -- if not prosecuted, let's realize that we have met the enemy, and as the inimitable Pogo pointed out long ago, "he is us".
Good little article. Now that all the scapegoats have been herded up and duly flogged -- if not prosecuted, let's realize that we have met the enemy, and as the inimitable Pogo pointed out long ago, "he is us".
Foote, Gerardi and Willen admit that economists are no closer to explaining the U.S. house mania than they are to understanding the tulip mania in Holland almost four centuries ago. They think the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy or Fannie Mae’s interventions might have helped start the madness but can’t account for its timing or momentum.
We can clean up the housing mess and learn from it. But even the most enlightened policy can’t guarantee it will never happen again. Folly is human nature, and you can’t regulate human nature.
As much as "progressives" believe you can regulate, educate, tax, fine, etc it away, the enemy is STILL us! ... worse, the "progressives" are at least as bad, and likely worse, since they STILL don't understand that "bubbles", "irrational exuberance", "x is ONLY going to go up in value", etc are endemic to the human creature.
Government spending / debt is just one more bubble -- the fine people of Europe decided to thumb their nose and say that "what has gone up is going to keep going up FOREVER" -- but it still won't. Reality bites -- and it cares not for the opinion of even the "wisest" man on the matter.
Government spending / debt is just one more bubble -- the fine people of Europe decided to thumb their nose and say that "what has gone up is going to keep going up FOREVER" -- but it still won't. Reality bites -- and it cares not for the opinion of even the "wisest" man on the matter.
It Isn't the Cliff, We Gotta Hit Bottom
RealClearPolitics - Austerity as a Bridge to Nowhere
"Austerity" is here re-defined to mean "living within your means". I guess "normal living" must be defined to be continually running massive deficits and ignoring anyone who says it is "unsustainable". ... oh, and while not covered in this particular column, it also tends to involve cutting energy production, massive taxes on the productive, huge government regulation, and bully pulpit abuse of anyone making a profit.
"Unsustainable" is used to point to anyone that thinks drilling, mining, making things at a profit, etc are good ideas. THOSE are "unsustainable" ... where massive government financial incontinence is not only "sustainable", it is good policy!!
The solution proffered? "growth". Since the election of a Socialist was cheered, I can only guess what "growth" means to this columnist.
I especially love this one:
The elections in Europe show that just going over the cliff is not enough -- people need to hit the bottom with lots of blood and explosions before they wake up.
"Austerity" is here re-defined to mean "living within your means". I guess "normal living" must be defined to be continually running massive deficits and ignoring anyone who says it is "unsustainable". ... oh, and while not covered in this particular column, it also tends to involve cutting energy production, massive taxes on the productive, huge government regulation, and bully pulpit abuse of anyone making a profit.
"Unsustainable" is used to point to anyone that thinks drilling, mining, making things at a profit, etc are good ideas. THOSE are "unsustainable" ... where massive government financial incontinence is not only "sustainable", it is good policy!!
The solution proffered? "growth". Since the election of a Socialist was cheered, I can only guess what "growth" means to this columnist.
I especially love this one:
In Britain, the economy was growing when Prime Minister David Cameron took office two years ago. Adhering to the platform of his Conservative Party, Cameron took the austerity route with a host of gloom-and-doom budget cuts. Now unemployment is rising and the economy appears to be slipping back into recession. Nice job, Tories.I suppose 115K jobs and 2.2% positive in the US is "growth"? Oh, wait ... I'm sure any problem we have is due to the sad fact that Republicans have "held the lid" on spending to ONLY the tune of $1.5 T budget deficits -- as Krugman says, they ought to be MUCH higher! Oh, and anyone that still has a job or is making a profit ought to be taxed until after they learn to shut up after screaming loudly in pain.
The elections in Europe show that just going over the cliff is not enough -- people need to hit the bottom with lots of blood and explosions before they wake up.
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Death of a Salesman’s Dreams - NYTimes.com
Death of a Salesman’s Dreams - NYTimes.com
I don't have a lot of time to go dig into this, but this somewhat artsy column reduces "the purported death of the middle class" to basically this paragraph:
How about if you only got 18 cents on the dollar (the proud 82% tax rate)? Very short answer, they wouldn't. Very few people that have achieved reasonable food, shelter, clothing and very basic recreation are going to work for even 50 cents on the dollar, virtually none are going to work for 18 cents on the dollar.
In support of my way of thought, I found the following -- in a paper dedicated to pointing out the EVILS of "income inequality". Note that since 1922 the top 1% has bounced primarily between 30-40% of national wealth. The "best" for re-distribution was the wonderful '70's ... a period of economic disaster that we do seem rather intent on returning to.
Otherwise, it is what you expect -- the wealthy own the stocks, bonds and property where the rest of us work. When the economy is good, the value of American Industry (the stock market) goes up, so their percentage goes up. When the economy sucks, their valuation drops. When you wound the goose that lays the golden eggs, you get less eggs ... news at 11!
Our "elite" generally has such a lack of understanding of economics that they believe the "messages" they get from a Broadway play -- one could only hope they would direct us via Horoscopes, it would be a distinct improvement!
Note, by this chart, at least this measure of the dreaded "inequality" was WORSE during the reign of the glorious Slickster, he whom walked the halls of power with his pants around his ankles! Naturally, the media was MUCH less concerned about it in those days!
I don't have a lot of time to go dig into this, but this somewhat artsy column reduces "the purported death of the middle class" to basically this paragraph:
Then again, in 1949, the top marginal tax rate was 82 percent. The drop in that rate to 28 percent by 1988 helped create a stratum of people who could afford to pay high prices for everything from inflated theater tickets to health care and college tuition.The assumptions in such a view are vast -- a few must be "income re-distribution is a PRIMARY function of Government, AND it works!". Also, "tax rates have little or no effect on people's motivation to make money". I especially like the last -- I'd be MUCH more inclined to look for a job to supplement my pension if it wasn't for the fact that 40-50% of money I made would go to taxes (fed, state, local, FICA, etc). Why oh why would one go to work for half of what you earn if you are already reasonably comfortable?
How about if you only got 18 cents on the dollar (the proud 82% tax rate)? Very short answer, they wouldn't. Very few people that have achieved reasonable food, shelter, clothing and very basic recreation are going to work for even 50 cents on the dollar, virtually none are going to work for 18 cents on the dollar.
In support of my way of thought, I found the following -- in a paper dedicated to pointing out the EVILS of "income inequality". Note that since 1922 the top 1% has bounced primarily between 30-40% of national wealth. The "best" for re-distribution was the wonderful '70's ... a period of economic disaster that we do seem rather intent on returning to.
Otherwise, it is what you expect -- the wealthy own the stocks, bonds and property where the rest of us work. When the economy is good, the value of American Industry (the stock market) goes up, so their percentage goes up. When the economy sucks, their valuation drops. When you wound the goose that lays the golden eggs, you get less eggs ... news at 11!
Our "elite" generally has such a lack of understanding of economics that they believe the "messages" they get from a Broadway play -- one could only hope they would direct us via Horoscopes, it would be a distinct improvement!
| Table 3: Share of wealth held by the Bottom 99% and Top 1% in the |
| Bottom 99 percent | Top 1 percent | |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 | 63.3% | 36.7% |
| 1929 | 55.8% | 44.2% |
| 1933 | 66.7% | 33.3% |
| 1939 | 63.6% | 36.4% |
| 1945 | 70.2% | 29.8% |
| 1949 | 72.9% | 27.1% |
| 1953 | 68.8% | 31.2% |
| 1962 | 68.2% | 31.8% |
| 1965 | 65.6% | 34.4% |
| 1969 | 68.9% | 31.1% |
| 1972 | 70.9% | 29.1% |
| 1976 | 80.1% | 19.9% |
| 1979 | 79.5% | 20.5% |
| 1981 | 75.2% | 24.8% |
| 1983 | 69.1% | 30.9% |
| 1986 | 68.1% | 31.9% |
| 1989 | 64.3% | 35.7% |
| 1992 | 62.8% | 37.2% |
| 1995 | 61.5% | 38.5% |
| 1998 | 61.9% | 38.1% |
| 2001 | 66.6% | 33.4% |
| 2004 | 65.7% | 34.3% |
| 2007 | 65.4% | 34.6% |
| Sources: 1922-1989 data from Wolff (1996). 1992-2007 data from Wolff (2010). |
Note, by this chart, at least this measure of the dreaded "inequality" was WORSE during the reign of the glorious Slickster, he whom walked the halls of power with his pants around his ankles! Naturally, the media was MUCH less concerned about it in those days!
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Pocahontas Warren
White and wrong: On the reservation with Elizabeth Warren - BostonHerald.com
This is just way to funny ... and sad. Just read it.
I especially loved "the race card, Obama never leaves home without it!"
This is just way to funny ... and sad. Just read it.
I especially loved "the race card, Obama never leaves home without it!"
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
If I Wanted America To Fail
RealClearMarkets - If I Wanted America to Fail: Free Market Agitprop With a Lesson:
The little video embedded below is worth the 5 min if you have not seen it. Note, it DOESN'T say that Progressives want America to fail -- just that many of their policies might be causing that result. "Surgery" is only surgery if it works a reasonable percentage of the time -- otherwise it is just mutilation or murder.
My view of the core problem of many liberal policies is that the ends are not only assumed to justify the means, once the means are in progress, the questioning of the means is taken as absolute disagreement on the ends. We are all in favor of clean water, but I'd hope that we all agree that extermination of mankind to achieve it would be a very bad "means".
I find the following paragraph to be right on. It seems clear, but the problem is that many liberals are purists while many conservatives are pragmatists. Liberals want "clean water" -- to the highest purity possible, and tend to not care about the cost. Conservatives are willing to make cost / benefit trade-offs, and even worse, both sides have the problem of ALWAYS using less than perfect policies -- so some of them fail. When failure happens, our very adversarial current political situation causes both sides to attempt to use the failure to snuff out the other for good.
'via Blog this'
The little video embedded below is worth the 5 min if you have not seen it. Note, it DOESN'T say that Progressives want America to fail -- just that many of their policies might be causing that result. "Surgery" is only surgery if it works a reasonable percentage of the time -- otherwise it is just mutilation or murder.
My view of the core problem of many liberal policies is that the ends are not only assumed to justify the means, once the means are in progress, the questioning of the means is taken as absolute disagreement on the ends. We are all in favor of clean water, but I'd hope that we all agree that extermination of mankind to achieve it would be a very bad "means".
I find the following paragraph to be right on. It seems clear, but the problem is that many liberals are purists while many conservatives are pragmatists. Liberals want "clean water" -- to the highest purity possible, and tend to not care about the cost. Conservatives are willing to make cost / benefit trade-offs, and even worse, both sides have the problem of ALWAYS using less than perfect policies -- so some of them fail. When failure happens, our very adversarial current political situation causes both sides to attempt to use the failure to snuff out the other for good.
"The questions are: Should government policies be judged by their intentions or their results? Should political leaders be judged by what they say they want to accomplish or by what actually happens after they gain the reins of power?"
'via Blog this'
Monday, April 30, 2012
BO Ain't No SEAL
pObama encounters blowback from the SEALS | Power Line
Admittedly, he has to say SOMETHING on the stump, but come on. Mittens is exactly right on this one, .CARTER would have have given a green light to killing Osama!
Jimmuh WAS willing to defend himself against PAWs after all ...
Admittedly, he has to say SOMETHING on the stump, but come on. Mittens is exactly right on this one, .CARTER would have have given a green light to killing Osama!
Jimmuh WAS willing to defend himself against PAWs after all ...
TP, Modern Medieval Penance
Works and Days » It Was the Power, Stupid!
Victor Davis Hanson tends to think way too much like me -- having way too good a memory and loving irony just a bit too much. But this one was good enough that I could not resist.
I especially loved this paragraph -- the similarity of the MSM and the left to medieval catholicism is amazing. When I refer to "progressives" as "regressives", this is partially what I mean. The fetish to chant certain phrases "global warming", "fairness", "the 1%", "corporate greed", "the reactionary Robert's court", etc ... but then the penance provided to go and be secure in your "sins" of being worth 100's of millions or billions of dollars, multiple houses, private jets, etc.
Victor Davis Hanson tends to think way too much like me -- having way too good a memory and loving irony just a bit too much. But this one was good enough that I could not resist.
I especially loved this paragraph -- the similarity of the MSM and the left to medieval catholicism is amazing. When I refer to "progressives" as "regressives", this is partially what I mean. The fetish to chant certain phrases "global warming", "fairness", "the 1%", "corporate greed", "the reactionary Robert's court", etc ... but then the penance provided to go and be secure in your "sins" of being worth 100's of millions or billions of dollars, multiple houses, private jets, etc.
He maybe ties together just a few too many things ... but I do so like how he things.
Two, the Left has always operated on the theory of medieval penance. We surely must assume that Warren Buffett has never had problems with the ethics of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. or had a company he controls sued by the IRS for back taxes. Why? Because he has confessed his sins, and accepted the faith and paid his tithe to the Church. Ditto a Bill Gates or a rich celebrity like Sean Penn or Oprah. In the relativism of the left, if the one-percenters will simply confess that their class is greedy and needs to pay their fair share—even if they are entirely cynical in the manner of GE’s Jeffrey Immelt and penance is written off as the cost of doing business—then they become exempt from the wages of them/us warfare and the “you want to kill the children” rhetoric.
One Month, The End Of IBM
It has been one glorious month since my mandatory "retirement" from IBM ... it seems like a few days though. Revelations on my future?? Not so much, other than just to live a lot more free than the existence that being an IBM employee had become. While you are there, it is impossible to calculate how much of your mental space and life force is locked in servitude.
I've mostly kept up with Cringely for a long time -- He is the guy behind http://www.pbs.org/nerds/
he has a lot of connections and is usually a reasoned and worthy read. Is he right this time? Unfortunately it certainly seems so.
I really don't think there is anything in here of any real news for those of us currently or recently at IBM. Can the company keep paying some of our retirement after 2015? Bob isn't super clear on that ... Oracle is after all profitable -- but it is not a pretty outlook for IBM as a place to work.
Prelude
Part 1: A Terminal Diagnosis of IBM
Part 2: IBM As Off Shoring Middleware
Part 3: Silver Bullets of the Day at IBM
Part 4: Showing the emperor's nakedness
Part 5: Bob interacts with the IBM of Mythology in his youth
Conclusion: 2015 IBM As Oracle
I've mostly kept up with Cringely for a long time -- He is the guy behind http://www.pbs.org/nerds/
he has a lot of connections and is usually a reasoned and worthy read. Is he right this time? Unfortunately it certainly seems so.
I really don't think there is anything in here of any real news for those of us currently or recently at IBM. Can the company keep paying some of our retirement after 2015? Bob isn't super clear on that ... Oracle is after all profitable -- but it is not a pretty outlook for IBM as a place to work.
Prelude
Part 1: A Terminal Diagnosis of IBM
Part 2: IBM As Off Shoring Middleware
Part 3: Silver Bullets of the Day at IBM
Part 4: Showing the emperor's nakedness
Part 5: Bob interacts with the IBM of Mythology in his youth
Conclusion: 2015 IBM As Oracle
Friday, April 27, 2012
Crucify Them
EPA official blasted over 'crucify' oil and gas comments - CNN.com:
Apologize for the use of the word "crucify" and you STILL have an EPA trying to pick out oil and gas companies to "make and example of". We need energy MUCH more than we need the EPA!!
We have another case here of of the would be American Caesar in action. Remember the faux Roman/Grecian pillars at the Democrat convention in '08??
Apologize for the use of the word "crucify" and you STILL have an EPA trying to pick out oil and gas companies to "make and example of". We need energy MUCH more than we need the EPA!!
We have another case here of of the would be American Caesar in action. Remember the faux Roman/Grecian pillars at the Democrat convention in '08??
A Lack of Will
While Syria Burns - Charles Krauthammer - National Review Online
A very well reasoned and cogent column by Charles, worth the read.
Were a Republican in the WH, there is no doubt that Syria would be a crisis of the first order. Take your pick of the story lines -- lack of leadership, inability to work with allies, rhetoric vs action, etc.
The point is that reality doesn't change any with the party in the WH, only how reality is reported to the American people. Charles correctly points out that making the case that Syria is NOT in our interest to defend would be reasonable as well.
What Obama does is say the lofty words but accomplish nothing. His approach is the same as his approach on the economy, energy and the deficit.
A very well reasoned and cogent column by Charles, worth the read.
Were a Republican in the WH, there is no doubt that Syria would be a crisis of the first order. Take your pick of the story lines -- lack of leadership, inability to work with allies, rhetoric vs action, etc.
The point is that reality doesn't change any with the party in the WH, only how reality is reported to the American people. Charles correctly points out that making the case that Syria is NOT in our interest to defend would be reasonable as well.
What Obama does is say the lofty words but accomplish nothing. His approach is the same as his approach on the economy, energy and the deficit.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Guns, The East of the Hudson View
Trayvon Martin and America’s Gun Laws : The New Yorker
The article is long, but this quote really tells you all you need to know -- there is nothing in the article that really relates to this quote ... for example "civilian life" is never defined.
I'm certain there is not a single anti-gun, environmental or labor organization that has EVER paid a single lawyer to write documents advocating their positions! How can the NRA think they can get away with such a thing??
The article is long, but this quote really tells you all you need to know -- there is nothing in the article that really relates to this quote ... for example "civilian life" is never defined.
When carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense is understood not as a failure of civil society, to be mourned, but as an act of citizenship, to be vaunted, there is little civilian life left.In this article, a world is presented in which nobody in the US believed in anyone's right to use a gun in self defense until the NRA created the idea out of thin air in the '70s. The 2nd amendment is purely about a militia, and any other thought is "a fraud" created by lawyers paid for by the NRA. Must be the only case in history where lawyers working for money create documents in support of some view -- clearly a sinister concept. The alternative being? Well, he doesn't say ... something other than an adversarial legal system where all points are entitled to paid legal representation.
I'm certain there is not a single anti-gun, environmental or labor organization that has EVER paid a single lawyer to write documents advocating their positions! How can the NRA think they can get away with such a thing??
The author does a "good" ... or "sinister" job depending on your views of the 2nd Amendment and gun ownership, job of weaving a story that includes his personal trip to a gun shop, a lot of selected snippets of history supporting the "right of the militia to have guns" view of the 2nd Amendment, school shootings, Trayvon Martin and smearing the NRA. He shows his colors just a bit in this quote ...
The walls are painted police blue up to the wainscoting, and then white to the ceiling, which is painted black. It feels like a clubhouse, except, if you’ve never been to a gun shop before, that part feels not quite licit, like a porn shop.Having grown up in rural WI prior to "the gun wars" the "like a porn shop" is mind blowing -- although likely indicative of the Red - Blue State gap. In my youth, it was not uncommon at all for kids to take guns in to school shop class to work on, nor to have them in the car at HS age to go hunting in the afternoon. Nobody in the US had ever heard of a school shooting -- and it CERTAINLY wasn't due to a shortage of guns. I bought my first gun at a hardware store. All manner of stores loaded with guns were common -- if I had known what a "porn shop" was in those days, the idea that it would in any way be related to anything about guns in any sense would have been bark at the moon crazy. In fact, it still is -- and shows why the "Red/Blue" divide is so stark -- we live in the same country in different mental model universes.
I would have thought that school shootings were a phenomenon of the late '90s ... Paducah, Jonesboro, Littleton, but Wikipedia at least manages to make it seem like "they have always been happening" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting/ a quick glance through their history shows a lot of the targets as being teachers or administrators -- targeted due to some sort of romantic issues by mostly adults, and occasionally by students. In general, prior to the late '90s it isn't just "go in and kill students indiscriminately" ... although I'm not going to claim that the quick scan was definitive research.
It would appear though that "school shootings" have very little to do with the prevalence of guns -- bolstered by the incidence in places like Finland, France, and Norway of similar phenomenon. All those lack an NRA and a "Right to Bear Arms", but folks bent on violence still get guns ... or bombs, etc and kill others. The problem is as old as Cain and Able. If one wanted to tie the "post late '90s" to something, violent video games, Quentin Tarantino, internet isolation, family breakup, massive prescriptions of anti-ADD, anti-depressants, etc to youth ... etc etc might all be more likely causes due to the historical timeline than devices that have been around for over 200 years.
What does the author hope to achieve with this article? More liberal outrage against the NRA? Against the SCOTUS? Is it just "phooey on the other side" for the loyal liberal readers of the New Yorker? Probably the old "dominant view" in action -- when you write for a conservative rag, you MUST address "the other side" -- because all of your readers live their lives steeped in the MSM dominant left culture. When you write for the New Yorker, it is safe to assume that the vast majority of your readers share your world view -- isn't it the ONLY reasonable view?
Friday, April 20, 2012
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Religion and Politics
The latest from Jonathan Haidt, and it is a great one. Extreme recommendation.
For people with a conservative bent, a lot of this book will be "didn't everyone know this already"? But for folks of the liberal bent -- like Haidt, although his research for this book migrated him to what he sees as "moderate", it will be something of a struggle.
Sadly, I'm sure that Haidt is due to discover that his observations about human nature may be hyper proven as the liberal establishment punishes him for his heresy of using actual science to point out some fairly obvious things about human nature that would seem to indicate that conservatives are not exclusively just "stupid and evil".
First, we are not rational beings, we are RATIONALIZING beings. The book carries on the excellent rider/elephant analogy from "The Happiness Hypothesis" and builds off it. The Rider is best seen as the Press Secretary for the elephant -- the elephant does something or "leans" in some direction and the rider dutifully develops a case for the elephant. Humans developed into "hive creatures" (like bees) that could specialize labor and cooperate without all having to be related. Morality is the "wetware" that we use to create and enforce the rules to do that -- our "rider" (consciousness) was created so that our "elephants" (subconscious) could operate this way.
The Six Moral Senses:
On #3, liberals think of "equality" and completely forget about proportionality -- or Karma. One of the huge problems in cooperation is the "free rider problem". Haidt covers this and why it is impossible to have cooperation without "punishment" (sanctions) against free riders.
Liberals are nearly blind (or claim to be) on 4,5 and 6. It turns out that when tested, the "moral modules" for even Sanctity are there and working in the liberal brain just fine -- they just don't want to admit it because in their view it seems "less enlightened" to admit that degrading things are degrading.
I believe that this book is an EXCELLENT base to at least attempt to open some lines of communication between liberals and conservatives, but I suspect that Haidt is in for a shock -- maybe somewhat equivalent to the shock that Edward O Wilson wrote "Sociobiology" back in the '70s.
The "divine faith" of liberals is that there is no God and man is an infinitely malleable blank slate. While proving that there is no god (or that there is) is not going to happen, it is scientifically known that man is NOT a blank slate, and at least in the "next few millennia" not likely to be improved upon much. Wilson was trashed for stating the basic outline of what a "human nature" was likely to be, now here comes Haidt with some fairly solid research showing what it actually is.
As Wilson outlined in "Consilience", the more science moves forward, the more we begin to see the fact of an intricate and complex human that is no less difficult to mold to our desires than ecologists are realizing the ecology of the planet is. We are each little ecosystems honed by selection (or created by God) to interact within the the planetary and social constructs that we are born with and into.
Reality has never been very much of interest to the Progressive Project -- now about 100 years in, with all of the progressive nations facing economic demise, even the social sciences start to point out that reality is not in line with the progressive vision. My guess is that the response is not likely to be very reasoned, but rather very emotional.
For people with a conservative bent, a lot of this book will be "didn't everyone know this already"? But for folks of the liberal bent -- like Haidt, although his research for this book migrated him to what he sees as "moderate", it will be something of a struggle.
Sadly, I'm sure that Haidt is due to discover that his observations about human nature may be hyper proven as the liberal establishment punishes him for his heresy of using actual science to point out some fairly obvious things about human nature that would seem to indicate that conservatives are not exclusively just "stupid and evil".
First, we are not rational beings, we are RATIONALIZING beings. The book carries on the excellent rider/elephant analogy from "The Happiness Hypothesis" and builds off it. The Rider is best seen as the Press Secretary for the elephant -- the elephant does something or "leans" in some direction and the rider dutifully develops a case for the elephant. Humans developed into "hive creatures" (like bees) that could specialize labor and cooperate without all having to be related. Morality is the "wetware" that we use to create and enforce the rules to do that -- our "rider" (consciousness) was created so that our "elephants" (subconscious) could operate this way.
The Six Moral Senses:
- Care/Harm
- Liberty/Oppression
- Fairness/Cheating
- Loyalty/Betrayal
- Authority/Subversion
- Sanctity/Degradation
On #3, liberals think of "equality" and completely forget about proportionality -- or Karma. One of the huge problems in cooperation is the "free rider problem". Haidt covers this and why it is impossible to have cooperation without "punishment" (sanctions) against free riders.
Liberals are nearly blind (or claim to be) on 4,5 and 6. It turns out that when tested, the "moral modules" for even Sanctity are there and working in the liberal brain just fine -- they just don't want to admit it because in their view it seems "less enlightened" to admit that degrading things are degrading.
I believe that this book is an EXCELLENT base to at least attempt to open some lines of communication between liberals and conservatives, but I suspect that Haidt is in for a shock -- maybe somewhat equivalent to the shock that Edward O Wilson wrote "Sociobiology" back in the '70s.
The "divine faith" of liberals is that there is no God and man is an infinitely malleable blank slate. While proving that there is no god (or that there is) is not going to happen, it is scientifically known that man is NOT a blank slate, and at least in the "next few millennia" not likely to be improved upon much. Wilson was trashed for stating the basic outline of what a "human nature" was likely to be, now here comes Haidt with some fairly solid research showing what it actually is.
As Wilson outlined in "Consilience", the more science moves forward, the more we begin to see the fact of an intricate and complex human that is no less difficult to mold to our desires than ecologists are realizing the ecology of the planet is. We are each little ecosystems honed by selection (or created by God) to interact within the the planetary and social constructs that we are born with and into.
Reality has never been very much of interest to the Progressive Project -- now about 100 years in, with all of the progressive nations facing economic demise, even the social sciences start to point out that reality is not in line with the progressive vision. My guess is that the response is not likely to be very reasoned, but rather very emotional.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Property Taxes Drop in WI
Review & Outlook: A Wisconsin Vindication - WSJ.com:
Seems like a great idea to recall a Governor that enabled property taxes to go down and the WI economy to improve in order to replace him with? A union marionette I guess.
Seems like a great idea to recall a Governor that enabled property taxes to go down and the WI economy to improve in order to replace him with? A union marionette I guess.
Drinking Makes You Conservative!
Study: Dumb drunk people are more conservative | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner:
Here is some science you can believe in, getting drunk makes you more "conservative" -- uh, well, from a liberal viewpoint I guess, where "conservative = stupid".
But for those of a slightly less prejudice nature, the next time you see the drunk college girl on spring break dancing, think "drinking makes you conservative".
The next time you see a drunken frat boy come up to your door canvasing for Mitt, think "drinking makes people conservative".
When you are watching football and see a set of guys out in freezing temps with their teams colors and or symbols painted on their bodies while they hold up massive mugs of their favorite adult beverage, think "conservatives".
No doubt government grants paid for this study. We must ALL be "conservative" to be surprised at all that the government blew 500 BILLION on Solyndra.
If BO was drunk when he did that, at least he would have an excuse!
Here is some science you can believe in, getting drunk makes you more "conservative" -- uh, well, from a liberal viewpoint I guess, where "conservative = stupid".
But for those of a slightly less prejudice nature, the next time you see the drunk college girl on spring break dancing, think "drinking makes you conservative".
The next time you see a drunken frat boy come up to your door canvasing for Mitt, think "drinking makes people conservative".
When you are watching football and see a set of guys out in freezing temps with their teams colors and or symbols painted on their bodies while they hold up massive mugs of their favorite adult beverage, think "conservatives".
No doubt government grants paid for this study. We must ALL be "conservative" to be surprised at all that the government blew 500 BILLION on Solyndra.
If BO was drunk when he did that, at least he would have an excuse!
Axelrod Screws Up and Tells Truth!!
Axelrod Commits Gaffe of the Year - David Axelrod - Fox Nation
One would have a lot of respect for the guy -- except I'm sure it is just a screw up. This election is EXACTLY about changing course to opportunity vs trundling on down the road of European style decline!
It is Axelrod's guy that set the current course and wants to maintain it, so he better learn to cast it in a better light!!
One would have a lot of respect for the guy -- except I'm sure it is just a screw up. This election is EXACTLY about changing course to opportunity vs trundling on down the road of European style decline!
It is Axelrod's guy that set the current course and wants to maintain it, so he better learn to cast it in a better light!!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Liberal Humor Training
Come Back, Sarah Palin! - NYTimes.com
Being dominant media means you never really have to think of what you are saying. The fact that Maureen has let us in on the fact that her family is actually conservative -- including a brother that writes at least as well, adds just a tiny more proof that there is indeed a God in Heaven!
I loved this little insight:
Yea, right. The reason that the Osmonds and the Jacksons were on television is the "creepiness factor" of a lot of seemingly perfect good looking boys in a family.
But no "handles" on Obama?? Wow, here we have a guy that writes two autobiographies before he is 50, accomplishes nothing in life but is suddenly President of the US, is a "known closet smoker" (I can't even IMAGINE how funny that would be if he were Republican), has a wife who makes Marie Antoinette seem like a populist, has step/half/etc this and that relations being deported and throwing out quotes about him being from Kenya, and the list just goes on and on.
He golfs constantly, and in the midst of all sorts crisis. ANY normal President, doing ANY recreation is ALWAYS food for humor -- Reagan at the Ranch, W at the Ranch, HW at Kennebunkport, Clinton at the Hampton's or Hyannis Port; all of the above were useful laughs. We Americans love to laugh at the person with the biggest job on the planet kicking back and taking it easy.
The media is GREAT at the creation of "handles" -- shockingly, there is very little evidence of any appreciable intellectual difference between Reagan, Carter, Clinton, either Bush, Palin or Obama. But the media is certainly under no obligation to not make any of them out to be stupid whenever they like! If they can find ANY "evidence", that is just sauce for the goose. BO has provided plenty of "evidence".
Being dominant media means you never really have to think of what you are saying. The fact that Maureen has let us in on the fact that her family is actually conservative -- including a brother that writes at least as well, adds just a tiny more proof that there is indeed a God in Heaven!
I loved this little insight:
The five Romney sons have also taken a ribbing. The hilarious Bill Hader, playing an Anthony Perkins in “Psycho” version of the Fox News anchor Shepard Smith, interviewed the “S.N.L.” sons, noting: “I like creepy things and I love these guys. ... Our thanks to Stephen King for creating those boys.”and this one is just too much!
“S.N.L.” has always struggled with its Obama impersonation because Obama is “smooth without big handles,” as Downey puts it.
Yea, right. The reason that the Osmonds and the Jacksons were on television is the "creepiness factor" of a lot of seemingly perfect good looking boys in a family.
But no "handles" on Obama?? Wow, here we have a guy that writes two autobiographies before he is 50, accomplishes nothing in life but is suddenly President of the US, is a "known closet smoker" (I can't even IMAGINE how funny that would be if he were Republican), has a wife who makes Marie Antoinette seem like a populist, has step/half/etc this and that relations being deported and throwing out quotes about him being from Kenya, and the list just goes on and on.
He golfs constantly, and in the midst of all sorts crisis. ANY normal President, doing ANY recreation is ALWAYS food for humor -- Reagan at the Ranch, W at the Ranch, HW at Kennebunkport, Clinton at the Hampton's or Hyannis Port; all of the above were useful laughs. We Americans love to laugh at the person with the biggest job on the planet kicking back and taking it easy.
The media is GREAT at the creation of "handles" -- shockingly, there is very little evidence of any appreciable intellectual difference between Reagan, Carter, Clinton, either Bush, Palin or Obama. But the media is certainly under no obligation to not make any of them out to be stupid whenever they like! If they can find ANY "evidence", that is just sauce for the goose. BO has provided plenty of "evidence".
Some of Palin's letters from when she was governor were academically analyzed and put her on the writing level of Lincoln and MLK http://thespeechatimeforchoosing.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/expert-analysis-sarah-palins-writing-scores-higher-than-that-of-most-educated-americans/.
Obama however seems to be very numerically challenged "57 states so far, 1 more to go ... uh, plus AK and HW"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTNqRreTwt4
and "10K people killed by a tornado in a small town in Kansas"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc_WKBymCEY&feature=player_embedded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTNqRreTwt4
and "10K people killed by a tornado in a small town in Kansas"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc_WKBymCEY&feature=player_embedded.
Again, there is NO need to have any truth in order to create a "handle". Reagan never slept in a meeting for the simple reason that in the rare event he was sleepy, he cancelled it -- he was in charge, why sit there with your head nodding when you are the boss? Of course, that didn't mean that the media couldn't have skit after skit as if it was true!
Humor is in the eye of the beholder -- put EXACTLY the same speech, ears, cadence, etc in a black Republican President as BO has, and Ellen and the SNL writers would find the guy to be an absolute hoot!!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Because He's a Democrat, FOOLS!
Barack Obama, Tax Avoider | Power Line
I do like the Power Line guys, and they are WAY smarter than I am -- but on this one I think they let their intelligence get ahead of reality.
I do like the Power Line guys, and they are WAY smarter than I am -- but on this one I think they let their intelligence get ahead of reality.
How on Earth does Obama think he can demonize Mitt Romney because Romney doesn’t pay ordinary income tax rates, when Obama himself paid only 20.5% in federal income taxes on an adjusted gross income of nearly $800,000? Lots of luck explaining that to the voters.
THE WHOLE POINT of the sad state we are in ala the MSM is that 90% of people will ONLY hear from the MSM and when you only hear a single side, that side seems like truth. Besides, BO voters don't REALLY care about taxing the rich. They know that things like the Buffett rule are completely symbolic -- they just hope that the symbolism works and their guy gets elected.
BO won't need any help demonizing Mitt -- Jay Leno, Jon Stewart, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, NPR, etc will do that just fine. BO can be "above the issues" running a "clean campaign".
Monday, April 09, 2012
414-0, B ZERO Strikes Again
Obama budget defeated 414-0 - Washington Times
"Radical" these days is proposing a budget that ANYONE votes for!!! The Democrats have proposed NO BUDGET AT ALL in the last 4 years, and the last two years, NONE OF THEM have voted for B0's proposal.
From the MSM POV, this is "Double Secret Confidential" ... no story here, move along. Were a Republican president not able to get A SINGLE vote from his OWN PARTY, I'm completely certain the press would be ever bit as quiet!
"Radical" these days is proposing a budget that ANYONE votes for!!! The Democrats have proposed NO BUDGET AT ALL in the last 4 years, and the last two years, NONE OF THEM have voted for B0's proposal.
From the MSM POV, this is "Double Secret Confidential" ... no story here, move along. Were a Republican president not able to get A SINGLE vote from his OWN PARTY, I'm completely certain the press would be ever bit as quiet!
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Rational Optimist Summary
www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/reader's-digest.aspx
I loved Ridley's "Rational Optimist" book. Here is a nice short summary of some of his points.
It is a good day to be optimistic. Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
I loved Ridley's "Rational Optimist" book. Here is a nice short summary of some of his points.
It is a good day to be optimistic. Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Saturday, April 07, 2012
BO's Wizard of Oz Strategy
Morning Jay: A Sorry Spectacle | The Weekly Standard
What we have seen in the past few weeks is BO testing his re-election strategy. He can't run on his record, so he is going to run on the Wizard of Oz strategy "Pay no attention to that man in the WH" ... see flying monkeys, wicked witch, SCOTUS, Paul Ryan, etc.
Sadly, it appears that it is working.
This strategy explicitly divides the country mostly into hating different fake bogeymen, but what difference does that make to BO if it gets him elected? None, he is an anti-colonialist Luo tribesman (by his own words, "Dreams From My Father").
If people can't get it after the guy wrote TWO autobiographies before 50 and after 3+ LONG years of listening the narcissist in chief, then they plainly are never going to get it.
What we have seen in the past few weeks is BO testing his re-election strategy. He can't run on his record, so he is going to run on the Wizard of Oz strategy "Pay no attention to that man in the WH" ... see flying monkeys, wicked witch, SCOTUS, Paul Ryan, etc.
Sadly, it appears that it is working.
This strategy explicitly divides the country mostly into hating different fake bogeymen, but what difference does that make to BO if it gets him elected? None, he is an anti-colonialist Luo tribesman (by his own words, "Dreams From My Father").
If people can't get it after the guy wrote TWO autobiographies before 50 and after 3+ LONG years of listening the narcissist in chief, then they plainly are never going to get it.
Friday, April 06, 2012
BO Attacks SCOTUS
Obama v. SCOTUS - The Washington Post
A good one from Charles. The obvious question of BOcare is if the government can force you to buy health insurance, what is the meaning of limited government?
The simple answer is the right answer -- there is no limit remaining. If BOcare is Constitutional, then our nation has has abandoned the principle that make us once an exceptional nation -- limited government.
A good one from Charles. The obvious question of BOcare is if the government can force you to buy health insurance, what is the meaning of limited government?
The simple answer is the right answer -- there is no limit remaining. If BOcare is Constitutional, then our nation has has abandoned the principle that make us once an exceptional nation -- limited government.
Child Immunizations Unsafe
The Sliming of "Pink Slime" - Derek Hunter - Townhall Conservative Columnists - Page 1
Most of us know someone that has a child with some handicap that they blame on immunizations. All the science we have says that the immunizations are not the cause, yet these people fervently believe and do everything they can to get others to not immunize their children.
Many of the rest of us harbor or have harbored similar types of thoughts. "Wait an hour after eating before you swim" was the rule when I was young. So and so had a cousin that had died gotten a cramp and died ...
I listen to NPR, so I know "all about Pink Slime". They had a lot of coverage of it, how bad it made the meat, who used it, who didn't, when they were going to stop using it, etc. As with a lot of emotionally driven bandwagons, there wasn't a lot of concern for any "other side" --- reasons for it's use, positives of it being used, reasons it could be bad to do away with it. It was the typical NPR type of "no slant" journalism -- the story only had one real side, the NPR side -- the meat industry is flat out evil, everyone the listens to NPR knows that.
Turns out there IS a downside -- the whole article is short and worth the read. We have turned into SHEEP folks -- the MSM is FAR worse than "Pink Slime".
Most of us know someone that has a child with some handicap that they blame on immunizations. All the science we have says that the immunizations are not the cause, yet these people fervently believe and do everything they can to get others to not immunize their children.
Many of the rest of us harbor or have harbored similar types of thoughts. "Wait an hour after eating before you swim" was the rule when I was young. So and so had a cousin that had died gotten a cramp and died ...
I listen to NPR, so I know "all about Pink Slime". They had a lot of coverage of it, how bad it made the meat, who used it, who didn't, when they were going to stop using it, etc. As with a lot of emotionally driven bandwagons, there wasn't a lot of concern for any "other side" --- reasons for it's use, positives of it being used, reasons it could be bad to do away with it. It was the typical NPR type of "no slant" journalism -- the story only had one real side, the NPR side -- the meat industry is flat out evil, everyone the listens to NPR knows that.
Turns out there IS a downside -- the whole article is short and worth the read. We have turned into SHEEP folks -- the MSM is FAR worse than "Pink Slime".
Already, 3,000 jobs are lost, and more are on the way. Experts say we’ll need 150,000 more head of cattle per year to make up for the lost filler and that ground beef could go up 20 percent or more. All because a food snob from England whose kids are legally named – and I couldn’t possibly make this up – Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo, Petal Blossom and Buddy Bear, decided to bump the ratings with a misleading stunt.
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