Here's wannabe House Speaker John Boehner (Daddy Party - Ohio) from last Sunday's edition of Meet The Press.
Lord have mercy, what an empty suit. At least when Pelosi is wrong, she's entertaining. She's displays a vibrant, colorful ignorance. Ignorance that I can have fun with. All Boehner can do is pull the string in the back of his neck and stumble through his talking points with his calm, soothing, mid-1970's disc jockey baritone fog of a voice.
David Gregory, the host, in this segment and the later ones, keeps harping that THE BUSH TAX CUTS AREN'T PAID FOR. And they aren't. They don't have to be.
Here's how Boehner should have responded:
Boehner: David, thank you for that interesting perspective. I would like to agree with you, but that would make both of us wrong, wouldn't it?
You see, when you cut taxes, you allow people to make better choices with their money, instead of letting Washington pour the money into the gaping maw of the government beast. The economy is more likely to expand when this is the case. People can make rational investments in rational projects. Raising taxes also makes people less likely to take risks with their investments - you see, David, starting a business is a risky proposition. Would YOU take that risk if government munchkins were allowed to confiscate 50% of your potential profits? (long pause....)
David Gregory: I was speaking more about the hypothetical.....
Boehner: No, David, I'm not speaking of hypotheticals. I'm talking about reality, and how people act. Do you have a tax attorney or accountant who tries to guarantee that you pay as little as possible in taxes?
David Gregory: Well, yes. But how are the Bush Tax Cuts going to be paid for?
Boehner: I'll get there, David. Give me time. You see, the super-wealthy have tax accountants also. The super-wealthy, like John Kerry, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, Nancy Pelosi, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and every other member of the megabucks earning circle, they all have tax accountants. If you raise their taxes, they're simply going to put their money into shelters instead of into more productive investments. Increasing their taxes will change their behavior. It will not guarantee that a higher percentage of money will pour into Tiny Timmy Geithner's piggy bank.
Look at what happened when Reagan cut the tax rate. The amount coming into the treasury increased !
David Gregory: But the deficit increased under Reagan !
Boehner (embarrassed): Well, yes, the deficit increased because we also increased spending at the same time. We are, after all, Republicans, and that's what we do with money.
Ok, let's go back to hypotheticals: say you are playing roulette. You can either bet on red or black, and there's a $100.00 minimum wager. If you lose, you lose everything. If you win, you could win another $100.00 or possibly $200.00 or maybe even $300.00 Would you play?
David Gregory: Possibly.....
Boehner: But what if the Nutcase-In-Chief declares that nobody should be able to win more than $75.00, and that all winnings above that rate will be given to the government. Would you play?
David Gregory: No.....But how would the Bush Tax Cuts be paid for?
Boehner: David, please listen to me.....when the pie is expanding, which is what happens when you lower tax rates, the amount the government collects increases also. Investor behavior will....
David Gregory: Thank you for being with us, Congressman Boehner ! Please stay with us after this break, when I will be joined by presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, New York Times columnist David Brooks, Tennessee congressman Harold Ford, and Democrat campaign consultant Bob Shrum, as we discuss "How Are We Going To Pay For The Bush Tax Cuts?"
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Why we need SWAT teams:
From the Nevada Union:
At 12:32 p.m., a caller from West McKnight Way reported steroid-using body-builders from Reno had beaten up the caller's son and might have killed him.
Midgets from Fulton Avenue had been following and trying to poison the caller. The body-builder and the lead female midget, who the caller reported as being “really violent,” allegedly had been driving the caller's truck. The caller wanted the Nevada County Sheriff's Office to activate the SWAT team.
At 12:32 p.m., a caller from West McKnight Way reported steroid-using body-builders from Reno had beaten up the caller's son and might have killed him.
Midgets from Fulton Avenue had been following and trying to poison the caller. The body-builder and the lead female midget, who the caller reported as being “really violent,” allegedly had been driving the caller's truck. The caller wanted the Nevada County Sheriff's Office to activate the SWAT team.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Let's redraw the map !
The good people at The Economist magazine have come up with a fantasy map of Europe.
If you've followed the travails of the EU for the last decade, this thing is FUNNY.
The good folks at Reason magazine have opened their comment field for suggestions for the United States version.
All right-thinking citizens, of course, want to float California out into the Pacific and let it sink under the weight of its own incredible debt.
We could move Arizona further away from the Mexico border, just to give sheriff Joe Arpaio a break.
One guy suggested that we "move DC to Salina, KS. That way all the people who speak for the regular Americans can meet them for once. This will also give VA, MD and DE a break from government busybodies making local laws."
My suggestions?
Let each state with beachfront drill for oil closer to the coastline. Those who do not allow oil companies to drill in reasonable locations will be swapped out with an interior state. OR drug out into the ocean where the oil is beneath a mile of water.
In exchange for producing William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters, Tennessee Williams, Richard Wright, Jimmy Buffett, Archie Manning, Jim Henson, Jerry Rice, and Walter Payton, The Great State Of Mississippi gets to stay where it is, but will be renamed "Awesomeland".
All states that do not allow gay marriage will be consolidated someplace in the upper Midwest. This way, they won't be offended by gays, lesbians, or tasteful interior decor.
Move the entire government apparatus currently in Washington, D.C. to an abandoned Sam's Club warehouse in Hobbes, New Mexico. Do NOT pay any moving expenses for employees or government officials. Take extensive notes on whether the economy improves or deteriorates afterwards.
Consolidate California and Tennessee so that Al Gore's two mega-mansions will be closer together, thereby shrinking Gore's carbon footprint.
Let's have a referendum on ObamaCare® so that the states favoring socialized medicine can cluster around their V.A. hospitals. Move the Border Fence around these states, and allow the Free Market nation to impose a "medical tourism" tax on anyone crossing over.
We should attach hundreds of chain hoists to Las Vegas and drag it to the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas. I'm tired of driving to Shreveport to get to blackjack tables with player-friendly rules. The remainder of Nevada will be uprooted and moved to Iraq. After all, they produced Senator Harry Reid.
Hawaii should be dropped into the center of Kenya, ending the Barack Obama "birther" controversy once and for all.
If you've followed the travails of the EU for the last decade, this thing is FUNNY.
The good folks at Reason magazine have opened their comment field for suggestions for the United States version.
All right-thinking citizens, of course, want to float California out into the Pacific and let it sink under the weight of its own incredible debt.
We could move Arizona further away from the Mexico border, just to give sheriff Joe Arpaio a break.
One guy suggested that we "move DC to Salina, KS. That way all the people who speak for the regular Americans can meet them for once. This will also give VA, MD and DE a break from government busybodies making local laws."
My suggestions?
Let each state with beachfront drill for oil closer to the coastline. Those who do not allow oil companies to drill in reasonable locations will be swapped out with an interior state. OR drug out into the ocean where the oil is beneath a mile of water.
In exchange for producing William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters, Tennessee Williams, Richard Wright, Jimmy Buffett, Archie Manning, Jim Henson, Jerry Rice, and Walter Payton, The Great State Of Mississippi gets to stay where it is, but will be renamed "Awesomeland".
All states that do not allow gay marriage will be consolidated someplace in the upper Midwest. This way, they won't be offended by gays, lesbians, or tasteful interior decor.
Move the entire government apparatus currently in Washington, D.C. to an abandoned Sam's Club warehouse in Hobbes, New Mexico. Do NOT pay any moving expenses for employees or government officials. Take extensive notes on whether the economy improves or deteriorates afterwards.
Consolidate California and Tennessee so that Al Gore's two mega-mansions will be closer together, thereby shrinking Gore's carbon footprint.
Let's have a referendum on ObamaCare® so that the states favoring socialized medicine can cluster around their V.A. hospitals. Move the Border Fence around these states, and allow the Free Market nation to impose a "medical tourism" tax on anyone crossing over.
We should attach hundreds of chain hoists to Las Vegas and drag it to the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas. I'm tired of driving to Shreveport to get to blackjack tables with player-friendly rules. The remainder of Nevada will be uprooted and moved to Iraq. After all, they produced Senator Harry Reid.
Hawaii should be dropped into the center of Kenya, ending the Barack Obama "birther" controversy once and for all.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Lawyers to go on hunger strike due to lack of business
Recent law school graduates are going to stage a hunger strike to protest the lack of jobs in their profession.
Can you imagine how popular that would be if the starving lawyers were on a webcam? Go here to watch a damn divorce lawyer starve himself to death. Hit this link to watch a politician saw his arm off. Click here to see an IRS agent slowly die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The picture of the vicious attack dog came from here.
The picture of the vicious attack dog came from here.
Paul Krugman is pumped ! ! ! !
New York Times economist, Barackagandist, and all-around Statist lapdog Paul Krugman is pumped. I mean PUMPED ! !
This is the chart that did it for him. I gotta admit, my chair is getting a little moist because I'm looking at this chart:
Here's Dr. Krugman:
Ok, here's my "explaining", since Krugman is feeling macho and has thrown down the gauntlet....
Things are expensive when they are 1) in demand, and 2) scarce.
ObamaCare® does nothing to lower demand for medical care. And it does nothing to reduce the scarcity of doctors, nurses, hospital, drugs, or bedpans.
All it does is increase the size of the bureaucracy and prevent insurance companies from charging premiums to customers who aren't sick yet.
Therefore ObamaCare® will raise the cost of healthcare, not lower it.
I bet that I'm right, and that Paul Krugman turns out to be wrong.
I repeat....Thirty years from now, it will turn out that a blogger/shipping manager with an Education degree from Delta State University was right about a simple economic concept. The Nobel Prize winner inStatist Power Grabs Economics will be proven wrong.
This is the chart that did it for him. I gotta admit, my chair is getting a little moist because I'm looking at this chart:
In other words, the Medicare actuaries believe that the cost-saving provisions in the Obama health reform will make a huge difference to the long-run budget outlook. Yes, it’s just a projection, and debatable like all projections. And it’s still not enough. But anyone who both claims to be worried about the long-run deficit and was opposed to health reform has some explaining to do. All the facts we have suggest that health reform was the biggest move toward fiscal responsibility in a long, long time.
Ok, here's my "explaining", since Krugman is feeling macho and has thrown down the gauntlet....
Things are expensive when they are 1) in demand, and 2) scarce.
ObamaCare® does nothing to lower demand for medical care. And it does nothing to reduce the scarcity of doctors, nurses, hospital, drugs, or bedpans.
All it does is increase the size of the bureaucracy and prevent insurance companies from charging premiums to customers who aren't sick yet.
Therefore ObamaCare® will raise the cost of healthcare, not lower it.
I bet that I'm right, and that Paul Krugman turns out to be wrong.
I repeat....Thirty years from now, it will turn out that a blogger/shipping manager with an Education degree from Delta State University was right about a simple economic concept. The Nobel Prize winner in
Christina Romer is finished with her research, and thanks you for your time and cooperation
Christina Romer, who made her academic reputation by proving that FDR's massive messianic spending programs did NOT end the Great Depression....
is now abandoning Barack Obama's messianic economic team.....
having proven that blowing $750,000,000,000.00 on unnecessary crap will not end a recession. There is no need for any additional research. She thanks all of you for your time, your cooperation, and especially your money.
Note to readers in Japan: The lines of latitude and longitude for Pearl Harbor are 15 degrees north, by 165 degrees west. We have removed all of the women and children from the area, and we don't have a single fighter plane in the sky.
See, dear Japanese friends, you were the only nation who could distract FDR from trying to save us, and....
Naw. Never mind.
See, dear Japanese friends, you were the only nation who could distract FDR from trying to save us, and....
Naw. Never mind.
Friday, August 6, 2010
It could happen here....
From Oregon Live.com:
The girl worked on a sign, coloring in the letters and decorating it with a drawing of a person saying “Yummy.” She made a list of supplies…
Julie was careful about making the lemonade, cleaning her hands with hand sanitizer, using a scoop for the bagged ice and keeping
After 20 minutes, a “lady with a clipboard” came over and asked for their license. When Fife explained they didn’t have one, the woman told them they would need to leave or possibly face a $500 fine.
Surprised, Fife started to pack up. The people staffing the booths next to them encouraged the two to stay, telling them the inspectors had no right to kick them out of the neighborhood gathering. They also suggested that they give away the lemonade and accept donations instead and one of them made an announcement to the crowd to support the lemonade stand.
That’s when business really picked up — and two inspectors came back, Fife said. Julie started crying, while her mother packed up and others confronted the inspectors. “It was a very big scene,” Fife said.
Those bastards would tax the pennies on a dead man's eyes.
(Jon) Kawaguchi, who oversees the two county inspectors involved, said they must be fair and consistent in their monitoring, no matter the age of the person. "Our role is to protect the public," he said.
No, I beg to differ. Their role is to collect fees, put up barriers to entry, and generate enough income to pay for their pensions.
The county's shutdown of the lemonade stand was publicized by Michael Franklin, the man at the booth next to Fife and her daughter. Franklin contributes to the Bottom Up Radio Network, an online anarchist site, and interviewed Fife for his show.
Franklin is also organizing a "Lemonade Revolt" for Last Thursday in August. He's calling on anarchists, neighbors and others to come early for the event and grab space for lemonade stands on Alberta between Northeast 25th and Northeast 26th.
Good idea. They can't arrest everybody, can they????
The girl worked on a sign, coloring in the letters and decorating it with a drawing of a person saying “Yummy.” She made a list of supplies…
Julie was careful about making the lemonade, cleaning her hands with hand sanitizer, using a scoop for the bagged ice and keeping
After 20 minutes, a “lady with a clipboard” came over and asked for their license. When Fife explained they didn’t have one, the woman told them they would need to leave or possibly face a $500 fine.
Surprised, Fife started to pack up. The people staffing the booths next to them encouraged the two to stay, telling them the inspectors had no right to kick them out of the neighborhood gathering. They also suggested that they give away the lemonade and accept donations instead and one of them made an announcement to the crowd to support the lemonade stand.
That’s when business really picked up — and two inspectors came back, Fife said. Julie started crying, while her mother packed up and others confronted the inspectors. “It was a very big scene,” Fife said.
Those bastards would tax the pennies on a dead man's eyes.
(Jon) Kawaguchi, who oversees the two county inspectors involved, said they must be fair and consistent in their monitoring, no matter the age of the person. "Our role is to protect the public," he said.
No, I beg to differ. Their role is to collect fees, put up barriers to entry, and generate enough income to pay for their pensions.
The county's shutdown of the lemonade stand was publicized by Michael Franklin, the man at the booth next to Fife and her daughter. Franklin contributes to the Bottom Up Radio Network, an online anarchist site, and interviewed Fife for his show.
Franklin is also organizing a "Lemonade Revolt" for Last Thursday in August. He's calling on anarchists, neighbors and others to come early for the event and grab space for lemonade stands on Alberta between Northeast 25th and Northeast 26th.
Good idea. They can't arrest everybody, can they????
A brief warning about sacrificial offerings
From the Tarrant County Libertarian Partys chair-dude John Spivey's Facebook page:
"It stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there’s someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice, speaks of slaves and masters. And intends to be the master." - Ayn Rand
"It stands to reason that where there’s sacrifice, there’s someone collecting sacrificial offerings. Where there’s service, there’s someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice, speaks of slaves and masters. And intends to be the master." - Ayn Rand
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Archie Manning, Drew Mississippi, and "The Ballad Of Archie Who"
You may have heard of Peyton Manning, The Indianapolis Colts QB who led his team to a Super Bowl win in 2007.
You may have heard of his little brother Eli, who did the same for the New York Giants.
Enough about them.
Back in 1970, it was all about their father, Archie Manning. Archie is THE favorite son of Drew, Mississippi. According to Time magazine, Drew had a population of 2,143 people at the height of Archie Fever. We lived between Drew and Merigold, but Drew was where I went to school, where we went to church, and where almost all of my friends lived. My father had been friends with Archie's father. Archie's mother did work for our attorney.
Drew Mississippi children were told that they had to eat their spinach if they wanted to grow up to be big and strong like Archie.
(Just for the record, Drew's other favorite sons are "Pop" Staples, who went on to form The Staple Singers, and Tommy Johnson, who wrote the old blues classic "Canned Heat Blues".)
Here's Time magazine, from way back in 1970, talking about some of the Heisman Trophy hopefuls of that year:
Manning went on to beat the snot out of that coach's team, and a nickname was born. We had "Archie Who?" bumperstickers and buttons and banners. We had "Archie Manning Day" in Drew. We gave him a parade. I think we gave him a convertible. It was a big, big deal.
Here's the "Archie Who?" song, which has finally made it onto YouTube:
According to Drew Mississippi Mythology, Archie Manning didn't miss a Sunday at Drew Baptist Church a single time, from the day he entered the nursery until the day he left for Ole Miss. Among Southern Baptists, that gave Archie the same status that Sandy Koufax achieved among the Jews for not pitching on Yom Kippur. Archie was greatness.
Unfortunately, Archie was drafted by a new team. The New Orleans Saints. Lord have mercy, they had some bad years. Archie Manning spent a lot of his career getting sacked.
Drew Mississippi Mythology says that if Archie had been drafted by The Dallas Cowboys and Roger Staubach had been drafted by the lowly New Orleans Saints, Manning and Staubach would have had reversed careers. Manning would have gone to all those Super Bowls, and Staubach would have been Jack Youngblood's tackling dummy.
Deep down in our hearts, we knew it to be true. Archie was greatness. If only Archie could have gotten on with The Dallas Cowboys....
About 15 years ago, Roger Staubach's real estate company was trying to work a deal with my old employer, Barnes & Noble. Some of us got invited to a pre-game party at Mr. Staubach's home, and then got to go to a game in his suite at the old Cowboys stadium.
During the pregame party, Staubach brought up the names of some of the other quarterbacks of his era, and I HEARD ROGER STAUBACH SAY THIS SENTENCE WITH HIS VERY OWN MOUTH:
"You know, there are a lot of people who think that if Archie and I had been drafted by opposite teams, we would have had opposite careers. And they might be right."
I heard Roger Staubach say that sentence. I heard it with my own ears. I heard him say it.
You may have heard of his little brother Eli, who did the same for the New York Giants.
Enough about them.
Back in 1970, it was all about their father, Archie Manning. Archie is THE favorite son of Drew, Mississippi. According to Time magazine, Drew had a population of 2,143 people at the height of Archie Fever. We lived between Drew and Merigold, but Drew was where I went to school, where we went to church, and where almost all of my friends lived. My father had been friends with Archie's father. Archie's mother did work for our attorney.
Drew Mississippi children were told that they had to eat their spinach if they wanted to grow up to be big and strong like Archie.
(Just for the record, Drew's other favorite sons are "Pop" Staples, who went on to form The Staple Singers, and Tommy Johnson, who wrote the old blues classic "Canned Heat Blues".)
Here's Time magazine, from way back in 1970, talking about some of the Heisman Trophy hopefuls of that year:
....In Mississippi, the entire state is in the throes of "Archie fever." The town council of Drew (pop. 2,143) has erected highway signs proudly proclaiming: HOME OF ARCHIE MANNING OF THE OLE MISS REBELS. To accommodate national TV coverage for Archie, the state legislature spent $150,000 to improve the lighting in the Memorial Stadium in Jackson, while at the University of Mississippi's Hemingway Stadium they only half-jokingly call the new artificial turf the "Archie Manning Memorial Carpet." Beyond that, there are buttons (ARCHIE FOR HEISMAN TROPHY), bumper stickers (ARCHIE'S ARMY), Archie handbills, Archie posters, Archie dolls, Archie T shirts and an Archie campaign song that has sold more than 50,000 copies. Sung by the Rebel Rousers on the Hoddy Toddy label, The Ballad of Archie Who is a twangy tribute to "the best dadburned quarterback to ever play the game":I don't remember the exact reason for the "Archie Who?" references. I think an opposing coach was asked how he thought "Archie" would do against his team, and the coach answered with a flippant "Archie Who?"
The ball is on the fifty,
The down is third and ten,
He runs it down the sidelines;
Yes, Archie takes it in.
Until he injured his left wrist last week, Manning had as good a claim to the trophy as anyone in college football. He became known as Heismanning last season when he passed for nine touchdowns and ran for 14 more to pile up a remarkable 2,264 yds. in total offense. So far this season, he has tossed eleven touchdown passes in six games. A roll-out passer who likes to look in one direction and throw in another, the 6-ft, 3½-in., 205-lb. Manning has the size to uncork the long bomb —or fake it and go powering down the sidelines. A freckle-faced country boy, he looks a bit like Huck Finn in hip pads—and talks like him too. When asked about Archie fever, he says, "The only thing I can figure out is that Archie is a different name. Maybe if it were Bill or something, none of this would have started." Not a chance.
Manning went on to beat the snot out of that coach's team, and a nickname was born. We had "Archie Who?" bumperstickers and buttons and banners. We had "Archie Manning Day" in Drew. We gave him a parade. I think we gave him a convertible. It was a big, big deal.
Here's the "Archie Who?" song, which has finally made it onto YouTube:
According to Drew Mississippi Mythology, Archie Manning didn't miss a Sunday at Drew Baptist Church a single time, from the day he entered the nursery until the day he left for Ole Miss. Among Southern Baptists, that gave Archie the same status that Sandy Koufax achieved among the Jews for not pitching on Yom Kippur. Archie was greatness.
Unfortunately, Archie was drafted by a new team. The New Orleans Saints. Lord have mercy, they had some bad years. Archie Manning spent a lot of his career getting sacked.
Drew Mississippi Mythology says that if Archie had been drafted by The Dallas Cowboys and Roger Staubach had been drafted by the lowly New Orleans Saints, Manning and Staubach would have had reversed careers. Manning would have gone to all those Super Bowls, and Staubach would have been Jack Youngblood's tackling dummy.
Deep down in our hearts, we knew it to be true. Archie was greatness. If only Archie could have gotten on with The Dallas Cowboys....
About 15 years ago, Roger Staubach's real estate company was trying to work a deal with my old employer, Barnes & Noble. Some of us got invited to a pre-game party at Mr. Staubach's home, and then got to go to a game in his suite at the old Cowboys stadium.
During the pregame party, Staubach brought up the names of some of the other quarterbacks of his era, and I HEARD ROGER STAUBACH SAY THIS SENTENCE WITH HIS VERY OWN MOUTH:
"You know, there are a lot of people who think that if Archie and I had been drafted by opposite teams, we would have had opposite careers. And they might be right."
I heard Roger Staubach say that sentence. I heard it with my own ears. I heard him say it.
The Bureau Of Dangerous Stuff
From Jeff Daiell's Facebook page:
The U. S. Constitution gives the Federal Government no authority to regulate alcohol, or tobacco, or firearms, or explosives.
So why does the Federal Government have a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives?
Barry Hayes Jeff, the FedGov does have constitutional authority to regulate any item crossing state lines for the purposes of commerce. However, that's where it stops.
John Spivey Same reason we have Depts of Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, etc. Wait. What is that reason?
Jeff Daiell John, there are two reasons: Democratic members of Congress, and Republican members of Congress.
Karen Stack The right to regulate interstate commerce seems to be sorta like the ring from Lord of the Rings...ultimate power to whoever holds it.
Bill Fason Check out this hilarious cartoon from The New Yorker.
John Spivey I'm waiting for a newly formed Dept of Bureaus which is not to be confused with the Bureau of Departments.
The U. S. Constitution gives the Federal Government no authority to regulate alcohol, or tobacco, or firearms, or explosives.
So why does the Federal Government have a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives?
Barry Hayes Jeff, the FedGov does have constitutional authority to regulate any item crossing state lines for the purposes of commerce. However, that's where it stops.
John Spivey Same reason we have Depts of Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, etc. Wait. What is that reason?
Jeff Daiell John, there are two reasons: Democratic members of Congress, and Republican members of Congress.
Karen Stack The right to regulate interstate commerce seems to be sorta like the ring from Lord of the Rings...ultimate power to whoever holds it.
Bill Fason Check out this hilarious cartoon from The New Yorker.
John Spivey I'm waiting for a newly formed Dept of Bureaus which is not to be confused with the Bureau of Departments.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Industrialist Sidney Harman, husband of Representative Jane Harman (Mommy Party - CA), is going to purchase Newsweek magazine. Newsweek magazine got me through many a boring Study Hall in North Sunflower Academy's library. Lordy, I miss it.
Here's Politico:
Here's Politico:
(Newsweek owner Donald ) Graham personally chose Harman from among several well-heeled bidders, in part because he would provide the most continuity for the magazine, according to the sources. Harman plans to keep Newsweek as a traditional newsmagazine, with a weekly print edition, and pledged to retain the majority of the magazine’s 350 employees, the sources said.If this is the continuity they're going for, Newsweek will once again be on the auction block. In about two years.
Look closely at the cover. In addition to the warm and fuzzy celebration of benevolent Statism, look in the top left corner. "The Blackberry President".
Our first "tech-savvy" president, if we are to believe Newsweek's glowing description, took Dmitri Medvedev to the headquarters of Twitters. Yeah, Twitters.
Here's Ed Driscoll, on another aspect of the buyout:
The Times quoted one person briefed on Mr. Harman’s bid who said his plan would retain 250 of Newsweek’s employees. Newsweek counted 379 full-time staffers at the end of March, according to the sale book posted by PaidContent, but a significant number have left in the time since. Losses at the magazine could approach $70 million this year, this person told the Times. Mr. Harman reportedly bid $1 for the magazine but agreed to assume the magazine’s liabilities; those details could not be confirmed on Monday.
What could cause a once-mighty newsweekly to sell for a dollar?
Hell, what could cause dollars to be worth fifty cents?
This is probably the 3rd time I've posted all these Newsweek covers and their parodies (which are becoming harder to detect).
Maybe it's out of my system now.
Details of the sale will probably come out sometime today. I hope the Harman's get their money's worth.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
"The Messianic Secret" (Don't tell anyone about it !)
One of my uncles was in the military with Lee Harvey Oswald. They were good friends.
At one point in their friendship, Oswald confessed to my uncle that one of his ambitions was to assassinate a president.
There's a reason you haven't heard about this until now. Oswald told my uncle not to tell anyone about his desire to murder a president, so he didn't say anything at the time, and didn't remember much about those conversations with Oswald until long after President Kennedy was murdered.
Do you believe me?
Now, try this out. This if from The Gospel Of Mark, Chapter 5, verse 37, where Jesus raises a little girl from the dead:
41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ).
42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Or look at this one from Mark, Chapter 1, verse 32:
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.
33 The whole town gathered at the door,
34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
The majority of biblical scholars believe that Mark is the oldest of the four canonical gospels. At the time of Mark's composition, there were still plenty of people alive who had known Jesus or had heard him teach. Some of them might have been surprised to learn that a group of people called "Christians" was claiming that Jesus was the Messiah, or Savior. If Jesus was God, they would have heard about it, right?
This is from Mark, Chapter 3, verse 11:
11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God."
12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.
This is Mark, Chapter 7, verse 33, where Jesus heals a deaf man:
33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.
34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ). 35 At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone...
This is Mark, Chapter 8, verse 25, where Jesus heals a blind man:
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
26 Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village. (According to the New Internation translation, there are some manuscripts that contain the phrase "Don't go and tell anyone in the village.")
My uncle was in the military with Lee Harvey Oswald. They were good friends.
At one point in their friendship, Oswald confessed to my uncle that one of his ambitions was to assassinate a president.
There's a reason you haven't heard about this until now. Oswald told my uncle not to tell anyone about his desire to murder a president, so my uncle didn't say anything at the time, and didn't remember much about those conversations with Oswald until long after President Kennedy was murdered.
The Warren Commission, which investigated Kennedy's death, would have been fascinated to learn about these conversations. But my uncle didn't quite understand what Oswald meant. I didn't understand it until now.
Mark 8:27
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."
29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Mark 9:7
7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.
Skeptics would be tempted to say that the events and conversations written about in these verses didn't happen, since they were kept "secret" until long afterwards. In fact, that's how theologians refer to Jesus's desire to keep his true nature undercover - The Messianic Secret.
But I'm just sayin'....If there were still people around who knew Jesus only as a homegrown rabbi and teacher, well, claiming that Jesus had sworn his followers to secrecy would be one way to give Jesus posthumous miraculous powers and divine authority.
Let me get back to what it was like when my uncle and I would discuss Lee Harvey Oswald. We just couldn't understand (until recently) what he meant when he said "assassinate a president".
Here's something from Mark 9....
30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."
32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
In other words, the disciples didn't say anything about Jesus being the Messiah while Jesus was alive. The small group of disciples only "remembered" these conversations much, much later.
From Mark 10, where Jesus, the disciples, and a large group of camp followers are on their way to Jerusalem....
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.
33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,
34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."
Do you think more Jews would've converted to Christianity if Jesus had made this announcement to the larger group? He could have easily done so.
Do you think The Warren Commission Report on the assassination of President Kennedy would have been more believable if it had included my uncle's testimony about his conversations with Lee Harvey Oswald? If only Oswald had told more people; if only my uncle had talked to The Warren Commission, we wouldn't have so many people doubting The Warren Commission Report....
Maybe my uncle should have said something about Oswald back in the 1950's instead of waiting until the 1980's, when he told me about the conversations.
Please remember that, according to the majority of biblical scholars, the book of Mark was the first of the gospel stories to be written. And it's the only one with Jesus telling so many people "Don't tell anyone about this event". The device tapers off in the later gospels (Matthew and Luke) and in John's gospel, the last to be written, it isn't used at all.
Mark was probably written in the late 50's or early 60's. There were still plenty of people around who remembered the rabbi/teacher Jesus. Would they have been surprised to learn that Jesus healed so many sick people, and cast out so many demons, or predicted that he would rise from the dead?
Well, yes. But the disciples had been told to keep these events (or perhaps the ones that could be tied to a specific time and place) a secret.
By the time Luke's gospel was written (in the late 60's or 70's) and a few more witnesses to Jesus's life and teachings had disappeared from the scene, the secrecy is replaced by, well, confusion and ignorance on the part of the disciples. Here's Luke Chapter 9:
43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
44 "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men."
45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Even the disciples didn't figure it out until much later??? It seems fairly straightforward. But perhaps that's why Jesus's miracles and prophecies weren't discussed in Palestine until much, much later on. Perhaps that's why more Jewish people didn't convert to Christianity on the spot.
This is Luke 18, where Jesus gets even more specific. Or at least the "memories" are more specific....
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. 33 On the third day he will rise again."
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
Otherwise, they would have told someone. They would have reacted differently in the days leading up to Jesus' death.
If my uncle had understood his conversations with Oswald about presidential assassinations, he would have gone to the authorities before that day in November of 1963. But I'm only remembering this 40 years later.
There are more and more biblical scholars who believe that there was a rabbi/teacher named Jesus, a rabbi who taught peace, love, and forgiveness, and this rabbi got crossways with the authorities and was executed. Long after the fact, people started hanging miracles, healings, prophecies and resurrections onto the Jesus story, claiming that Jesus wanted his true nature kept secret. Sometimes they claimed that they just didn't understand what Jesus was all about until much later. Sometimes they claimed that they were simply afraid to tell anyone.
Here is the original ending of the Gospel of Mark. At the end of Mark's story, there are no post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, Jesus doesn't suddenly appear in locked rooms to make prophecies, and none of the disciples see the empty tomb. There are only two women who are going to embalm Jesus's body. According to the New International Version of the Bible, our "oldest and most reliable manuscripts" end the Jesus story like this.
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.
2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb
3 and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
At one point in their friendship, Oswald confessed to my uncle that one of his ambitions was to assassinate a president.
There's a reason you haven't heard about this until now. Oswald told my uncle not to tell anyone about his desire to murder a president, so he didn't say anything at the time, and didn't remember much about those conversations with Oswald until long after President Kennedy was murdered.
Do you believe me?
Now, try this out. This if from The Gospel Of Mark, Chapter 5, verse 37, where Jesus raises a little girl from the dead:
41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ).
42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Or look at this one from Mark, Chapter 1, verse 32:
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.
33 The whole town gathered at the door,
34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
The majority of biblical scholars believe that Mark is the oldest of the four canonical gospels. At the time of Mark's composition, there were still plenty of people alive who had known Jesus or had heard him teach. Some of them might have been surprised to learn that a group of people called "Christians" was claiming that Jesus was the Messiah, or Savior. If Jesus was God, they would have heard about it, right?
This is from Mark, Chapter 3, verse 11:
11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God."
12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.
This is Mark, Chapter 7, verse 33, where Jesus heals a deaf man:
33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.
34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ). 35 At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone...
This is Mark, Chapter 8, verse 25, where Jesus heals a blind man:
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
26 Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village. (According to the New Internation translation, there are some manuscripts that contain the phrase "Don't go and tell anyone in the village.")
My uncle was in the military with Lee Harvey Oswald. They were good friends.
At one point in their friendship, Oswald confessed to my uncle that one of his ambitions was to assassinate a president.
There's a reason you haven't heard about this until now. Oswald told my uncle not to tell anyone about his desire to murder a president, so my uncle didn't say anything at the time, and didn't remember much about those conversations with Oswald until long after President Kennedy was murdered.
The Warren Commission, which investigated Kennedy's death, would have been fascinated to learn about these conversations. But my uncle didn't quite understand what Oswald meant. I didn't understand it until now.
Mark 8:27
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?"
28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."
29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
Mark 9:7
7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.
Skeptics would be tempted to say that the events and conversations written about in these verses didn't happen, since they were kept "secret" until long afterwards. In fact, that's how theologians refer to Jesus's desire to keep his true nature undercover - The Messianic Secret.
Let me get back to what it was like when my uncle and I would discuss Lee Harvey Oswald. We just couldn't understand (until recently) what he meant when he said "assassinate a president".
Here's something from Mark 9....
30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."
32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
In other words, the disciples didn't say anything about Jesus being the Messiah while Jesus was alive. The small group of disciples only "remembered" these conversations much, much later.
From Mark 10, where Jesus, the disciples, and a large group of camp followers are on their way to Jerusalem....
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.
33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles,
34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."
Do you think more Jews would've converted to Christianity if Jesus had made this announcement to the larger group? He could have easily done so.
Do you think The Warren Commission Report on the assassination of President Kennedy would have been more believable if it had included my uncle's testimony about his conversations with Lee Harvey Oswald? If only Oswald had told more people; if only my uncle had talked to The Warren Commission, we wouldn't have so many people doubting The Warren Commission Report....
Maybe my uncle should have said something about Oswald back in the 1950's instead of waiting until the 1980's, when he told me about the conversations.
Please remember that, according to the majority of biblical scholars, the book of Mark was the first of the gospel stories to be written. And it's the only one with Jesus telling so many people "Don't tell anyone about this event". The device tapers off in the later gospels (Matthew and Luke) and in John's gospel, the last to be written, it isn't used at all.
Mark was probably written in the late 50's or early 60's. There were still plenty of people around who remembered the rabbi/teacher Jesus. Would they have been surprised to learn that Jesus healed so many sick people, and cast out so many demons, or predicted that he would rise from the dead?
Well, yes. But the disciples had been told to keep these events (or perhaps the ones that could be tied to a specific time and place) a secret.
By the time Luke's gospel was written (in the late 60's or 70's) and a few more witnesses to Jesus's life and teachings had disappeared from the scene, the secrecy is replaced by, well, confusion and ignorance on the part of the disciples. Here's Luke Chapter 9:
43 And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,
44 "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men."
45 But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.
Even the disciples didn't figure it out until much later??? It seems fairly straightforward. But perhaps that's why Jesus's miracles and prophecies weren't discussed in Palestine until much, much later on. Perhaps that's why more Jewish people didn't convert to Christianity on the spot.
This is Luke 18, where Jesus gets even more specific. Or at least the "memories" are more specific....
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
32 He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. 33 On the third day he will rise again."
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
Otherwise, they would have told someone. They would have reacted differently in the days leading up to Jesus' death.
If my uncle had understood his conversations with Oswald about presidential assassinations, he would have gone to the authorities before that day in November of 1963. But I'm only remembering this 40 years later.
There are more and more biblical scholars who believe that there was a rabbi/teacher named Jesus, a rabbi who taught peace, love, and forgiveness, and this rabbi got crossways with the authorities and was executed. Long after the fact, people started hanging miracles, healings, prophecies and resurrections onto the Jesus story, claiming that Jesus wanted his true nature kept secret. Sometimes they claimed that they just didn't understand what Jesus was all about until much later. Sometimes they claimed that they were simply afraid to tell anyone.
Here is the original ending of the Gospel of Mark. At the end of Mark's story, there are no post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, Jesus doesn't suddenly appear in locked rooms to make prophecies, and none of the disciples see the empty tomb. There are only two women who are going to embalm Jesus's body. According to the New International Version of the Bible, our "oldest and most reliable manuscripts" end the Jesus story like this.
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.
2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb
3 and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "
8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
The "Green At All Costs" Chevy Volt
GENERAL MOTORS introduced America to the Chevrolet Volt at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show as a low-slung concept car that would someday be the future of motorized transportation. It would go 40 miles on battery power alone, promised G.M., after which it would create its own electricity with a gas engine. Three and a half years — and one government-assisted bankruptcy later — G.M. is bringing a Volt to market that makes good on those two promises. The problem is, well, everything else.You know, somebody should have known this would happen before we put all this money into it.
For starters, G.M.’s vision turned into a car that costs $41,000 before relevant tax breaks ... but after billions of dollars of government loans and grants for the Volt’s development and production. And instead of the sleek coupe of 2007, it looks suspiciously similar to a Toyota Prius. It also requires premium gasoline, seats only four people (the battery runs down the center of the car, preventing a rear bench) and has less head and leg room than the $17,000 Chevrolet Cruze, which is more or less the non-electric version of the Volt.
In short, the Volt appears to be exactly the kind of green-at-all-costs car that some opponents of the bailout feared the government might order G.M. to build. Unfortunately for this theory, G.M. was already committed to the Volt when it entered bankruptcy. And though President Obama’s task force reported in 2009 that the Volt “will likely be too expensive to be commercially successful in the short term,” it didn’t cancel the project.
Oh wait, we did.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
More on the New York City Food Nazis
From the Lew Rockwell blog comes this account of another government power grab.
The New York City Food Nazis are at it again. They are enacting a bogus restaurant hygiene grading system to “alert” the sheeple diners about the hygienic “qualities” of each restaurant in NYC. There is some good news though: They are using Lew Rockwell’s…er, I mean Karen DeCoster’s…er, I mean Walter Block’s…er, I mean Bill Anderson’s…er, I mean Wilt Alston’s…er, I mean my subjective standards as to what level of hygiene is acceptable for their grading system.
Well said, sir. One of the first things that you learn in food service, or retail is that not everyone grew up in your mother's house. "Clean" is one of the most subjective concepts out there. The Whited Mama didn't have the cleanest kitchen in north Mississippi, but any time somebody was invited to show up for dinner, they found a way to make it on time. Heck, a lot of people showed up when they weren't invited.
Now let’s look at my subjective food hygiene standards for a moment. I GUARANTEE YOU that many of you would not find the cleanliness level of my kitchen very appetizing, yet I cook and eat in it every day—and I’m in great health. So my question to myself (and to you) is this: How do I know that if a NYC restaurant does not achieve the top letter rating of A, but a B or a C, that that particular restaurant might still be a more hygienic environment to eat in than my own kitchen? I don’t—and that’s my point. This is just another power grab on the part of the gunvernment to make the sheeple feel more “safe” now that they will “know” the hygienic quality of a restaurant that they may choose to patronize (based on, of course, the subjective standard of some Health Department bureaucRAT).
Precisely. If the bureaucRAT in question doesn't like the owner, the cashier, the prices, or the politics of the establishment being investigated for heresy, there is no way that the bureaucRAT won't find something to downgrade. You can find germs in a surgery center if you look hard enough.
Okay, I’m wrong. The truth is that before this letter grading system was adopted in New York City there have been millions ofthundreds of thousands ofttens of thousands oftthousands ofthundreds of restaurant patrons dying every second minute hour day week month year…hold on a minute. You’ll notice in the linked news article that there is NO MENTION of any outbreak of food poisoning or food-related deaths that has even prompted this new restaurant hygiene grading system.
But think of the "jobs created or saved" in the Food Nazi Bureacracy.
If this new ridiculous Food Nazi tactic doesn’t put some restaurants out of business, I GUARANTEE YOU that at the very least it will force some restaurants to waste money on unnecessary “improvements” to their restaurants to be in accordance with the “higher” standards of the NYC Food Nazis—money that could have been spent in a productive manner somewhere else.
But here's the real kicker. Advocates of the Grocery Gestapo will tell you that trained professionals are needed to protect the ignorant public from spending their money in an unsafe place. They'll tell you that government knows best about where you should eat, and what you should eat. Remember, NYC is the place working on a salt ban in restaurants.
They know what's best for you.
But which restaurant are you more likely to choose? The "C"-rated establishment with a line out the door? Or the place that's been given an "A" for showing a civil-service lifer what he wants to see?
Please allow me to beat the rotting corpse of this dead horse just one more time. I'm speaking as someone who has lost almost 50 pounds by ignoring our government's most famous piece of health advice. (Well, maybe the anti-smoking messages are more famous, but most of those were published, by government decree, on the cig packs by their manufacturers.)
Suppliers of gut-busting foods loved this little chart. Loved it, loved it, loved it. And it will kill you. It may have caused more diabetes than the sugar industry.
See the tag at the base of the pyramid, where Uncle Sam is recommending that you have 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta? Do you remember seeing that on all your packages of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta? And if you ate bread, cereal, rice and pasta in those quantities, do you remember getting fatter than the Sunday newspaper?
But no one questioned it for years. It was the government telling us what is best, and what they thought was best reflected what The Farm Lobby produced. But after a few decades of increased heart attacks, plus pressure from health groups, the government decided it was time for a new set of recommendations.
The new nazi-nanny guidelines look like this. They kept the pyramid shape for sentimental reasons.
Here's a guy called the Baltimore Health Coach, explaining what all they got wrong this time, and why:
1. Nobody needs to eat dairy, EVER, and many are better off NOT eating it at all.
2. Processed grain foods, even the whole grain versions, are at best a food to limit, and at worst a lead contributor to chronic and degenerative diseases.
3. The under-consumption of omega 3 fatty acids and over-consumption of omega 6 fatty acids (in the supposedly “heart healthy” vegetable oils like soy and corn oil) is clearly a major a contributor to disease.
4. No distinction is made about quality. This is especially damaging when it comes to meat, eggs and dairy. Experts in the health food world disagree about the place of animal foods, but all agree that factory-farmed animal foods are highly toxic.
5. Everyone has a different style of metabolism and requires a different ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrate. The 2005 pyramid is STILL one-size-fits-all.
6. Sweet fruits like apples, oranges and bananas are way over-emphasized as health foods. There is plenty of nutrition in them, but they are also high in sugar and should NOT be so heavily relied upon. This may surprise you, but many populations that have had incredible health thrived on little to no fruit at all.
7. Saturated fats in high quality butter and eggs, coconut, avocado and palm oil ARE healthy and should especially be consumed by children.
But why does the government put out bad advice? Why issue these food fatwahs at all, if they aren't 100% sure?
Here's the Baltimore Health Coach again:
The USDA Food Pyramid STINKS because of the MAJOR influence of the food industry lobby. The USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the “unpaid” group of volunteers responsible for the Food Pyramid, have consistently been in bed with (i.e. ex-board members or recipients of grants) organizations like:
The National Dairy Council
The National Dairy Promotion and Research Program
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
The American Egg Board
The American Meat Institute Committee
The Dannon Research Institute, Inc.,
The Sugar Association
Grocery Manufacturers
Plus....
Just look at agricultural subsidies to see where the government’s loyalty lies. $15 billion in subsidies go to the soy and corn mega-farms that make the processed and fast food industries boom. Close to ZERO money is given to support fruit and vegetable farmers. Hmm…
Yes. Hmm.....
In closing, think back to the new New York City cleanliness inspectors. Do you think there might be some cleaning supply companies lobbying for that program? Do you think there might be some politically connected restauranteurs who want to see that pesky upstart deli down the street given a "C" ?? And do you think the citizens of NYC will take this like a bunch of compliant little sheep?
Yes, yes, and yes.
The picture of the redneck kitchen came from here.
The New York City Food Nazis are at it again. They are enacting a bogus restaurant hygiene grading system to “alert” the sheeple diners about the hygienic “qualities” of each restaurant in NYC. There is some good news though: They are using Lew Rockwell’s…er, I mean Karen DeCoster’s…er, I mean Walter Block’s…er, I mean Bill Anderson’s…er, I mean Wilt Alston’s…er, I mean my subjective standards as to what level of hygiene is acceptable for their grading system.
Well said, sir. One of the first things that you learn in food service, or retail is that not everyone grew up in your mother's house. "Clean" is one of the most subjective concepts out there. The Whited Mama didn't have the cleanest kitchen in north Mississippi, but any time somebody was invited to show up for dinner, they found a way to make it on time. Heck, a lot of people showed up when they weren't invited.
Precisely. If the bureaucRAT in question doesn't like the owner, the cashier, the prices, or the politics of the establishment being investigated for heresy, there is no way that the bureaucRAT won't find something to downgrade. You can find germs in a surgery center if you look hard enough.
Okay, I’m wrong. The truth is that before this letter grading system was adopted in New York City there have been millions ofthundreds of thousands ofttens of thousands oftthousands ofthundreds of restaurant patrons dying every second minute hour day week month year…hold on a minute. You’ll notice in the linked news article that there is NO MENTION of any outbreak of food poisoning or food-related deaths that has even prompted this new restaurant hygiene grading system.
But think of the "jobs created or saved" in the Food Nazi Bureacracy.
If this new ridiculous Food Nazi tactic doesn’t put some restaurants out of business, I GUARANTEE YOU that at the very least it will force some restaurants to waste money on unnecessary “improvements” to their restaurants to be in accordance with the “higher” standards of the NYC Food Nazis—money that could have been spent in a productive manner somewhere else.
But here's the real kicker. Advocates of the Grocery Gestapo will tell you that trained professionals are needed to protect the ignorant public from spending their money in an unsafe place. They'll tell you that government knows best about where you should eat, and what you should eat. Remember, NYC is the place working on a salt ban in restaurants.
They know what's best for you.
But which restaurant are you more likely to choose? The "C"-rated establishment with a line out the door? Or the place that's been given an "A" for showing a civil-service lifer what he wants to see?
Please allow me to beat the rotting corpse of this dead horse just one more time. I'm speaking as someone who has lost almost 50 pounds by ignoring our government's most famous piece of health advice. (Well, maybe the anti-smoking messages are more famous, but most of those were published, by government decree, on the cig packs by their manufacturers.)
Suppliers of gut-busting foods loved this little chart. Loved it, loved it, loved it. And it will kill you. It may have caused more diabetes than the sugar industry.
But no one questioned it for years. It was the government telling us what is best, and what they thought was best reflected what The Farm Lobby produced. But after a few decades of increased heart attacks, plus pressure from health groups, the government decided it was time for a new set of recommendations.
The new nazi-nanny guidelines look like this. They kept the pyramid shape for sentimental reasons.
1. Nobody needs to eat dairy, EVER, and many are better off NOT eating it at all.
2. Processed grain foods, even the whole grain versions, are at best a food to limit, and at worst a lead contributor to chronic and degenerative diseases.
3. The under-consumption of omega 3 fatty acids and over-consumption of omega 6 fatty acids (in the supposedly “heart healthy” vegetable oils like soy and corn oil) is clearly a major a contributor to disease.
4. No distinction is made about quality. This is especially damaging when it comes to meat, eggs and dairy. Experts in the health food world disagree about the place of animal foods, but all agree that factory-farmed animal foods are highly toxic.
5. Everyone has a different style of metabolism and requires a different ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrate. The 2005 pyramid is STILL one-size-fits-all.
6. Sweet fruits like apples, oranges and bananas are way over-emphasized as health foods. There is plenty of nutrition in them, but they are also high in sugar and should NOT be so heavily relied upon. This may surprise you, but many populations that have had incredible health thrived on little to no fruit at all.
7. Saturated fats in high quality butter and eggs, coconut, avocado and palm oil ARE healthy and should especially be consumed by children.
But why does the government put out bad advice? Why issue these food fatwahs at all, if they aren't 100% sure?
Here's the Baltimore Health Coach again:
The USDA Food Pyramid STINKS because of the MAJOR influence of the food industry lobby. The USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the “unpaid” group of volunteers responsible for the Food Pyramid, have consistently been in bed with (i.e. ex-board members or recipients of grants) organizations like:
The National Dairy Council
The National Dairy Promotion and Research Program
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
The American Egg Board
The American Meat Institute Committee
The Dannon Research Institute, Inc.,
The Sugar Association
Grocery Manufacturers
Plus....
Just look at agricultural subsidies to see where the government’s loyalty lies. $15 billion in subsidies go to the soy and corn mega-farms that make the processed and fast food industries boom. Close to ZERO money is given to support fruit and vegetable farmers. Hmm…
Yes. Hmm.....
In closing, think back to the new New York City cleanliness inspectors. Do you think there might be some cleaning supply companies lobbying for that program? Do you think there might be some politically connected restauranteurs who want to see that pesky upstart deli down the street given a "C" ?? And do you think the citizens of NYC will take this like a bunch of compliant little sheep?
Yes, yes, and yes.
The picture of the redneck kitchen came from here.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Kathie Glass for Texas Governor, Billy Miner's Saloon, Thursday July 29, 2010
W here to begin, where to begin....
Last night I went to Billy Miner's for a Kathie Glass for Texas Governor campaign rally.
There are a lot of good reasons to support Kathie Glass, but let me get to the no-brainers first.
The Democrat in this race, Bill White, was Secretary Of Energy for Bill Clinton/Al Gore. According to several reliable sources, White actively campaigned for The Goracle Of Music City prior to The Goracle's decision to leave politics and enter the environmental salvation racket.
The Republican in this race, incumbent governor Rick Perry, was Gore's Texas campaign manager in 1988. Perry eventually left the Democrat party and had a falling-out with The Goracle over climate change.
Well, at least Governor Perry owns a thermometer. And compared to Bill White, his hair is stunning.
But he has defiled himself.
Kathie Glass, the Libertarian, is the only candidate for Texas governor who has never campaigned for Al Gore.
'Nuff said.
A few other reasons:
First and foremost in Glass's 5 Point Plan is a promise to use nullification and interposition to get around ObamaCare and Cap'n'Tax. What does this mean in plain English? Texas is a sovereign state. We have rights. There is nothing in the constitution that says the federal government can force you to purchase a product from a private company when the purchase has nothing to do with a government activity (i.e. - driving on the government's roads).
"Therefore, we the Texas Legislature and Governor declare ObamaCare to be freakin' nullified between the Red River and the Gulf Of Mexico." Next issue, please....
Also included in the 5 Point Plan - stronger protections against Eminent Domain Abuse. It doesn't matter how well Tony Romo is throwing the football, Kathie Glass isn't going to let the government steal anyone else's house so Jerry Jones can build Tony a new playpen.
And then there was this guy....
It's safe to call him a "single-issue voter".
This dude, Larry Kilgore, showed up at Ms. Glass's rally, wound up tighter than a 3-day clock.
Intense.
Outraged.
Long before the QandA session began, I could feel his intensity level overpowering everything else in his corner of the room.
Hell, I was just there to support our gubernatorial candidate, hang out with Spivey and Coyne, and maybe eat a cheeseburger.
Larry Kilgore showed up ready to draw a line in the sand, splatter the blood of the traitors across Billy Miner's barroom floor, and secede from The Union.
Here's a video of Mr. Kilgore in action. You gotta watch it. If you get past the first 15 seconds, I promise you, you'll watch all of it.
Mr. Intensity stood during the Qand A, and asked Kathie something like HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SECESSION ?????
Glass tried to respond that secession from The Union was an extreme position, and that....
Mr. Intensity was immediately outraged, and went into a well-rehearsed rant about why Texas should LEAVE THE UNITED STATES and stood to leave. Several other people tried to throw their 2 cents in. Even with a microphone, Kathie had trouble making herself heard.
After Spivey restored order, Glass and Kilgore argued back and forth for a few seconds. Kilgore didn't like the way the argument was going, and once again turned around to walk out.
Kathie Glass, like the transplanted Georgia Peach she is, calmly and politely said "Don't you walk out on me, sir. Please don't make me talk about you behind your back !"
But he was gone. Gone elsewhere to pursue the dream of an independent Lone Star State.
Glass went on to explain that we have a great system, and a great constitution. We just need to elect politicians who understand it and respect it.
Freakin' brilliant. Don't make me talk about you behind your back. Some of us think she may have hired the guy to show up. This was a great night. Time well spent.
If I had to pick someone to go head-to-head with The Teleprompter Jesus, it would be Kathie Glass.
Last night I went to Billy Miner's for a Kathie Glass for Texas Governor campaign rally.
The Democrat in this race, Bill White, was Secretary Of Energy for Bill Clinton/Al Gore. According to several reliable sources, White actively campaigned for The Goracle Of Music City prior to The Goracle's decision to leave politics and enter the environmental salvation racket.
Well, at least Governor Perry owns a thermometer. And compared to Bill White, his hair is stunning.
But he has defiled himself.
'Nuff said.
A few other reasons:
First and foremost in Glass's 5 Point Plan is a promise to use nullification and interposition to get around ObamaCare and Cap'n'Tax. What does this mean in plain English? Texas is a sovereign state. We have rights. There is nothing in the constitution that says the federal government can force you to purchase a product from a private company when the purchase has nothing to do with a government activity (i.e. - driving on the government's roads).
"Therefore, we the Texas Legislature and Governor declare ObamaCare to be freakin' nullified between the Red River and the Gulf Of Mexico." Next issue, please....
Also included in the 5 Point Plan - stronger protections against Eminent Domain Abuse. It doesn't matter how well Tony Romo is throwing the football, Kathie Glass isn't going to let the government steal anyone else's house so Jerry Jones can build Tony a new playpen.
And then there was this guy....
It's safe to call him a "single-issue voter".
This dude, Larry Kilgore, showed up at Ms. Glass's rally, wound up tighter than a 3-day clock.
Intense.
Outraged.
Long before the QandA session began, I could feel his intensity level overpowering everything else in his corner of the room.
Hell, I was just there to support our gubernatorial candidate, hang out with Spivey and Coyne, and maybe eat a cheeseburger.
Larry Kilgore showed up ready to draw a line in the sand, splatter the blood of the traitors across Billy Miner's barroom floor, and secede from The Union.
Here's a video of Mr. Kilgore in action. You gotta watch it. If you get past the first 15 seconds, I promise you, you'll watch all of it.
Mr. Intensity stood during the Qand A, and asked Kathie something like HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SECESSION ?????
Glass tried to respond that secession from The Union was an extreme position, and that....
Mr. Intensity was immediately outraged, and went into a well-rehearsed rant about why Texas should LEAVE THE UNITED STATES and stood to leave. Several other people tried to throw their 2 cents in. Even with a microphone, Kathie had trouble making herself heard.
After Spivey restored order, Glass and Kilgore argued back and forth for a few seconds. Kilgore didn't like the way the argument was going, and once again turned around to walk out.
Kathie Glass, like the transplanted Georgia Peach she is, calmly and politely said "Don't you walk out on me, sir. Please don't make me talk about you behind your back !"
But he was gone. Gone elsewhere to pursue the dream of an independent Lone Star State.
Glass went on to explain that we have a great system, and a great constitution. We just need to elect politicians who understand it and respect it.
Freakin' brilliant. Don't make me talk about you behind your back. Some of us think she may have hired the guy to show up. This was a great night. Time well spent.
If I had to pick someone to go head-to-head with The Teleprompter Jesus, it would be Kathie Glass.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Why bother with a court order, when your intentions are so good and wholesome?
From the Washington Post, here's something else for your "Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss" file:
The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.
The administration wants to add just four words -- "electronic communication transactional records" -- to a list of items that the law says the FBI may demand without a judge's approval. Government lawyers say this category of information includes the addresses to which an Internet user sends e-mail; the times and dates e-mail was sent and received; and possibly a user's browser history. It does not include, the lawyers hasten to point out, the "content" of e-mail or other Internet communication.
But what officials portray as a technical clarification designed to remedy a legal ambiguity strikes industry lawyers and privacy advocates as an expansion of the power the government wields through so-called national security letters. These missives, which can be issued by an FBI field office on its own authority, require the recipient to provide the requested information and to keep the request secret. They are the mechanism the government would use to obtain the electronic records.
I don't know about you, but to me this sounds like a 4th Amendment violation.
Your communications, whether written (papers) or online (effects) are not Barack Obama's business, and he cannot have access to those communications without a court order.
It really is that simple.
No one will ever convince me that Barack Obama was a constitutional law professor.
Freakin' fascist.
Pic came from a post-Blownstar event. I like houses that have the 4th Amendment in a frame on the wall.
The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.
But what officials portray as a technical clarification designed to remedy a legal ambiguity strikes industry lawyers and privacy advocates as an expansion of the power the government wields through so-called national security letters. These missives, which can be issued by an FBI field office on its own authority, require the recipient to provide the requested information and to keep the request secret. They are the mechanism the government would use to obtain the electronic records.
I don't know about you, but to me this sounds like a 4th Amendment violation.
Your communications, whether written (papers) or online (effects) are not Barack Obama's business, and he cannot have access to those communications without a court order.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
It really is that simple.
No one will ever convince me that Barack Obama was a constitutional law professor.
Freakin' fascist.
Pic came from a post-Blownstar event. I like houses that have the 4th Amendment in a frame on the wall.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
President O'Carter - Are democrats going to distance themselves from his policies?
Talk about your Freudian slips....
Sometimes you just can't stop yourself from saying what you really think.
Here's Chris Matthews:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: "Will the Democrats running for the House re-election, they're all running for re-election under the Constitution and the Senate candidates, will they run away from President O'Carter? I mean, will they run away...."
I found this, like so many other good things, at Real Clear Politics.
Sometimes you just can't stop yourself from saying what you really think.
Here's Chris Matthews:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: "Will the Democrats running for the House re-election, they're all running for re-election under the Constitution and the Senate candidates, will they run away from President O'Carter? I mean, will they run away...."
I found this, like so many other good things, at Real Clear Politics.
John Kerry walks into a bar....
John Kerry walks into a bar....
....and the bartender says "Hey, John, why such a long face?"
Go here for details. If I voted for a ton o' tax increases, then got caught using another state's harbor as a tax haven, and then had to pay a half million dollar boat tax, I'd have a long face too.
....and the bartender says "Hey, John, why such a long face?"
Go here for details. If I voted for a ton o' tax increases, then got caught using another state's harbor as a tax haven, and then had to pay a half million dollar boat tax, I'd have a long face too.
Too many laws, too many prisoners
Here's The Economist, on a notorious smuggler:
THREE pickup trucks pulled up outside George Norris’s home in Spring, Texas. Six armed police in flak jackets jumped out. Thinking they must have come to the wrong place, Mr Norris opened his front door, and was startled to be shoved against a wall and frisked for weapons. He was forced into a chair for four hours while officers ransacked his house. They pulled out drawers, rifled through papers, dumped things on the floor and eventually loaded 37 boxes of Mr Norris’s possessions onto their pickups. They refused to tell him what he had done wrong. “It wasn’t fun, I can tell you that,” he recalls.
Mr Norris was 65 years old at the time, and a collector of orchids. He eventually discovered that he was suspected of smuggling the flowers into America, an offence under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. This came as a shock. He did indeed import flowers and sell them to other orchid-lovers. And it was true that his suppliers in Latin America were sometimes sloppy about their paperwork. In a shipment of many similar-looking plants, it was rare for each permit to match each orchid precisely.
In March 2004, five months after the raid, Mr Norris was indicted, handcuffed and thrown into a cell with a suspected murderer and two suspected drug-dealers. When told why he was there, “they thought it hilarious.” One asked: “What do you do with these things? Smoke ’em?”
Prosecutors described Mr Norris as the “kingpin” of an international smuggling ring. He was dumbfounded: his annual profits were never more than about $20,000. When prosecutors suggested that he should inform on other smugglers in return for a lighter sentence, he refused, insisting he knew nothing beyond hearsay.
He pleaded innocent. But an undercover federal agent had ordered some orchids from him, a few of which arrived without the correct papers. For this, he was charged with making a false statement to a government official, a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Since he had communicated with his suppliers, he was charged with conspiracy, which also carries a potential five-year term.
The article continues:
Justice is harsher in America than in any other rich country. Between 2.3m and 2.4m Americans are behind bars, roughly one in every 100 adults. If those on parole or probation are included, one adult in 31 is under “correctional” supervision. As a proportion of its total population, America incarcerates five times more people than Britain, nine times more than Germany and 12 times more than Japan. Overcrowding is the norm. Federal prisons house 60% more inmates than they were designed for. State lock-ups are only slightly less stuffed.
The system has three big flaws, say criminologists. First, it puts too many people away for too long. Second, it criminalises acts that need not be criminalised. Third, it is unpredictable. Many laws, especially federal ones, are so vaguely written that people cannot easily tell whether they have broken them.
This creates something known as "prosecutorial discretion", in which district attorneys and other politicians can arbitrarily hammer anyone who is currently unpopular.
Check out "Three Felonies A Day" by Harvey Silvergate if you get a chance.
If you're curious about who is currently commiting 3 felonies every day, the really long answer is:
You.
THREE pickup trucks pulled up outside George Norris’s home in Spring, Texas. Six armed police in flak jackets jumped out. Thinking they must have come to the wrong place, Mr Norris opened his front door, and was startled to be shoved against a wall and frisked for weapons. He was forced into a chair for four hours while officers ransacked his house. They pulled out drawers, rifled through papers, dumped things on the floor and eventually loaded 37 boxes of Mr Norris’s possessions onto their pickups. They refused to tell him what he had done wrong. “It wasn’t fun, I can tell you that,” he recalls.
Mr Norris was 65 years old at the time, and a collector of orchids. He eventually discovered that he was suspected of smuggling the flowers into America, an offence under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. This came as a shock. He did indeed import flowers and sell them to other orchid-lovers. And it was true that his suppliers in Latin America were sometimes sloppy about their paperwork. In a shipment of many similar-looking plants, it was rare for each permit to match each orchid precisely.
In March 2004, five months after the raid, Mr Norris was indicted, handcuffed and thrown into a cell with a suspected murderer and two suspected drug-dealers. When told why he was there, “they thought it hilarious.” One asked: “What do you do with these things? Smoke ’em?”
Prosecutors described Mr Norris as the “kingpin” of an international smuggling ring. He was dumbfounded: his annual profits were never more than about $20,000. When prosecutors suggested that he should inform on other smugglers in return for a lighter sentence, he refused, insisting he knew nothing beyond hearsay.
He pleaded innocent. But an undercover federal agent had ordered some orchids from him, a few of which arrived without the correct papers. For this, he was charged with making a false statement to a government official, a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Since he had communicated with his suppliers, he was charged with conspiracy, which also carries a potential five-year term.
The article continues:
Justice is harsher in America than in any other rich country. Between 2.3m and 2.4m Americans are behind bars, roughly one in every 100 adults. If those on parole or probation are included, one adult in 31 is under “correctional” supervision. As a proportion of its total population, America incarcerates five times more people than Britain, nine times more than Germany and 12 times more than Japan. Overcrowding is the norm. Federal prisons house 60% more inmates than they were designed for. State lock-ups are only slightly less stuffed.
The system has three big flaws, say criminologists. First, it puts too many people away for too long. Second, it criminalises acts that need not be criminalised. Third, it is unpredictable. Many laws, especially federal ones, are so vaguely written that people cannot easily tell whether they have broken them.
Check out "Three Felonies A Day" by Harvey Silvergate if you get a chance.
If you're curious about who is currently commiting 3 felonies every day, the really long answer is:
You.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Milton Friedman and green spoons
Columnist George Will was the speaker at the Cato Institute biennial Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty Dinner on May 13. He led off with this gem about Dr. Friedman:
Milton Friedman, whose name we honor tonight, was honored often for his recondite and subtle scholarship. But it was complemented by a sturdy common sense much in fashion nowhere now. About 40 years ago he found himself in an Asian country where the government was extremely eager to show off a public works project of which it was inordinately and excessively fond.
It was digging a canal.
They took Milton out to see this, and he was astonished because there were hordes of workers but no heavy equipment. He remarked on this to his government guide, who replied, "You don't understand, Mr. Friedman. This is a jobs program. That's why we only have men with shovels." To which Friedman said, "Well, if it's a jobs program, why don't they have spoons instead of shovels?"
On a related subject, here's our Vice President advocating that we begin making spoons instead of shovels, or, god forbid, draglines. And not just spoons, but green spoons. Think of the jobs created if we require everyone to use green spoons.
Won't that make it all better?
Milton Friedman, whose name we honor tonight, was honored often for his recondite and subtle scholarship. But it was complemented by a sturdy common sense much in fashion nowhere now. About 40 years ago he found himself in an Asian country where the government was extremely eager to show off a public works project of which it was inordinately and excessively fond.
It was digging a canal.
They took Milton out to see this, and he was astonished because there were hordes of workers but no heavy equipment. He remarked on this to his government guide, who replied, "You don't understand, Mr. Friedman. This is a jobs program. That's why we only have men with shovels." To which Friedman said, "Well, if it's a jobs program, why don't they have spoons instead of shovels?"
On a related subject, here's our Vice President advocating that we begin making spoons instead of shovels, or, god forbid, draglines. And not just spoons, but green spoons. Think of the jobs created if we require everyone to use green spoons.
Won't that make it all better?
Remember when this was an outrage?
From David Keene, writing on The Hill:
Meanwhile, it turns out that while some members of Congress were being promised one thing in return for their votes (on ObamaCare®) others were being assured that such promises would never be kept. Thus, while members concerned about whether benefits would be extended to illegal immigrants were assured that this would not be the case, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the House were being told that they shouldn’t worry about any restrictions in the healthcare bill because they would be removed later … in the administration’s promised immigration reform bill.
Recent news reports that Democratic leaders promised Hispanic Caucus members that provisions inserted in the healthcare to win the votes of others would be removed later suggest that South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson’s (R) charge that President Obama’s denial that the healthcare bill would cover illegal aliens was a lie was dead on.
The healthcare bill as passed and signed into law prohibits illegals from buying into the so-called healthcare exchanges that will be established under the law and denies even temporary legal immigrants access to Medicaid unless they’ve been here for five years. Hispanic Caucus leaders are now charging that the administration specifically promised to eliminate these and other restrictions and are vowing to hold the president and congressional Democratic leaders to that promise.
Under the Obama plan, of course, Medicaid has been expanded and something like half of all illegals in the country would qualify if the restrictions written into the law are removed, increasing the costs of a program that is already expected to exceed the estimates publicized by the administration before its passage by tens of billions of dollars.
Ah, those were the days. When someone calling The Teleprompter Jesus a liar was outrageous.
Now it's just proof that you're still paying attention.
Meanwhile, it turns out that while some members of Congress were being promised one thing in return for their votes (on ObamaCare®) others were being assured that such promises would never be kept. Thus, while members concerned about whether benefits would be extended to illegal immigrants were assured that this would not be the case, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the House were being told that they shouldn’t worry about any restrictions in the healthcare bill because they would be removed later … in the administration’s promised immigration reform bill.
Recent news reports that Democratic leaders promised Hispanic Caucus members that provisions inserted in the healthcare to win the votes of others would be removed later suggest that South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson’s (R) charge that President Obama’s denial that the healthcare bill would cover illegal aliens was a lie was dead on.
The healthcare bill as passed and signed into law prohibits illegals from buying into the so-called healthcare exchanges that will be established under the law and denies even temporary legal immigrants access to Medicaid unless they’ve been here for five years. Hispanic Caucus leaders are now charging that the administration specifically promised to eliminate these and other restrictions and are vowing to hold the president and congressional Democratic leaders to that promise.
Under the Obama plan, of course, Medicaid has been expanded and something like half of all illegals in the country would qualify if the restrictions written into the law are removed, increasing the costs of a program that is already expected to exceed the estimates publicized by the administration before its passage by tens of billions of dollars.
Ah, those were the days. When someone calling The Teleprompter Jesus a liar was outrageous.
Now it's just proof that you're still paying attention.
Camp Blownstar - calmer, but still kinda weird
I just got back from the Camp Blownstar Blogger Meetup in Bandera.
This year's meetup was a lot calmer and mellower....
....but still kinda weird.
Picture by Harper.
Hair by God.
This year's meetup was a lot calmer and mellower....
....but still kinda weird.
Picture by Harper.
Hair by God.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
98,000 more teenagers are now earning the true minimum wage
One of the most frustrating things about economic experiments is the difficulty in establishing control groups within a large population. You might think that economic policy "A" is helpful, while I think it's a disaster. But we can't try out economic policy "A" on one group of citizens while giving an identical group a free pass. (Think death taxes, Obamacare, stimulus spending, etc. We're all influenced by these actions.)
If only we could do that with, say, the new minimum wage laws.
Well, some economists got lucky this time, but in an upside down sort of way. Before the new federal minimum wage laws went into effect, there were already some states with minimums set at the higher level. So here was a great opportunity to compare the unemployment rates between the two groups of states. Both groups would be living in the same economy, with the same fears of an economic downturn, fears of Obamacare, interest rates, etc etc etc.
But one large group of states would suddenly go through a minimum wage hike, all at the same time. Another group would already be dealing with the higher minimum.
This is from The Wall Street Journal, via Newsalert:
When politicians raise the "minimum wage", all they're doing is raising the "productivity threshold", making it illegal to hire people whose productivity doesn't reach the new minimum level.
The higher they set their new minimums, the more people they condemn to earning the true minimum, which is zero. Nothing. Zilch. Nada.
If only we could do that with, say, the new minimum wage laws.
Well, some economists got lucky this time, but in an upside down sort of way. Before the new federal minimum wage laws went into effect, there were already some states with minimums set at the higher level. So here was a great opportunity to compare the unemployment rates between the two groups of states. Both groups would be living in the same economy, with the same fears of an economic downturn, fears of Obamacare, interest rates, etc etc etc.
But one large group of states would suddenly go through a minimum wage hike, all at the same time. Another group would already be dealing with the higher minimum.
This is from The Wall Street Journal, via Newsalert:
Today marks the first anniversary of Congress's decision to raise the federal minimum wage by 41% to $7.25 an hour. But hold the confetti. According to a new study, more than 100,000 fewer teens are employed today due to the wage hikes.
Economic slowdowns are tough on many job-seekers, but they're especially hard on the young and inexperienced, whose job prospects have suffered tremendously from Washington's ill-advised attempts to put a floor under wages. In a new paper published by the Employment Policies Institute, labor economists William Even of Miami University in Ohio and David Macpherson of Trinity University in Texas find a significant drop in teen employment as a direct result of the minimum wage hikes.
The true minimum wage is zero. You can't raise it.The wage hikes were implemented in three stages between 2007 and 2009, and not all states were affected because some already mandated a minimum wage above the federal requirement. But for the 19 states affected by all three stages of the federal wage increase, "there was a 6.9% decline in employment for teens aged 16 to 19," write the authors. And for those who had not completed high school, "we estimated that the hikes reduced employment by 12.4%," which translates to about 98,000 fewer teens in the work force.
When politicians raise the "minimum wage", all they're doing is raising the "productivity threshold", making it illegal to hire people whose productivity doesn't reach the new minimum level.
The higher they set their new minimums, the more people they condemn to earning the true minimum, which is zero. Nothing. Zilch. Nada.
Another Democrat senator with a yacht....
When it rains it pours. See previous post. Nominees for The Whitey Award are coming out of the woodwork. Or in this case, the ocean.
Democrat Senator (and all-around man of the people) Jeff Greene and Democrat Senator (and all-around man of the people) John Kerry both own yachts. Greene's is named "Summerwind".
Like Senator Kerry, the hero of the previous post, Senator Greene is doing his part to fight government waste.
He's doing this by not paying taxes on his yacht.
Here's The Miami Herald, mostly reporting on Jeff Greene's yacht anchor supposedly going through a coral reef, but eventually getting to the money quote:
Greene bought Summerwind in 2003, registering it in the Marshall Islands, a well-known tax haven.
The article doesn't say how much money Greene saved from being wasted with this maneuver, but it might rival Senatory Kerry's $500,000.00
Congratulations, Senator Greene. You've won The Whitey Award for eliminating government waste by not paying taxes.
Democrat Senator (and all-around man of the people) Jeff Greene and Democrat Senator (and all-around man of the people) John Kerry both own yachts. Greene's is named "Summerwind".
Like Senator Kerry, the hero of the previous post, Senator Greene is doing his part to fight government waste.
He's doing this by not paying taxes on his yacht.
Here's The Miami Herald, mostly reporting on Jeff Greene's yacht anchor supposedly going through a coral reef, but eventually getting to the money quote:
Greene bought Summerwind in 2003, registering it in the Marshall Islands, a well-known tax haven.
The article doesn't say how much money Greene saved from being wasted with this maneuver, but it might rival Senatory Kerry's $500,000.00
Congratulations, Senator Greene. You've won The Whitey Award for eliminating government waste by not paying taxes.
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