Rude American

2011-12-14T16:53:00.001-08:00

College Tuition Inflation

2011-12-11T17:33:00.001-08:00

College tuition prices are, to be sure, just one example of how subsidies and taxes seldom turn out to benefit the people we hope the will benefit. Virginia Postrel sites a study about subsidizing the purchase of capital equipment, but the same can be shown in almost every area of the economy that has access to government enforced market manipulation. The effect is most exaggerated when one side of the supply and demand curve for a particular good or service is less elastic than the other side. Alex Tabarrok over at Marginal Revolution explains: ""Who pays a tax is determined not by the laws of Congress but by the law of supply and demand,” as Tyler and I say in Modern Principles. In particular, whether demanders or suppliers pay a tax is determined by the elasticities of demand and supply. The more elastic side of the market can better escape a tax, leaving more of it to be paid by the inelastic side. The same thing is true for a subsidy but in reverse, the inelastic side of the market gets the benefit of the subsidy."Take the minimum wage for instance, we want the poorest people among us to still be able to live on their wages so we set and arbitrary bottom to the cost of labor. The result is not, as we might hope, that the producer of the goods and services in question absorbs a narrower profit margin and everyone else benefits. Instead in areas of inelastic demand, like for instance food products, the price of the product is increased to cover the cost of the labor involved in it's production. We all need food so we buy it anyway and must forgo other purchases to do so. To a person of considerable wealth the loss of disposable income that comes with increased food products will be felt primarily in the loss of luxury items which are not necessary. But to the poor the choice will be much harder, losses are seen in the nutritional value of the food chosen, the loss of basic other necessities like utilities, transportation, educational needs and so on. Because the demand for food is relatively inelastic the costs are not born by the producer but rather the consumer. Poor people end up paying their own minimum wage at the grocery store and the gas pump. The list of these unfortunate unintended consequences goes on and on. Farm subsidies don't decrease the cost of food, they in fact increase the cost of both food and of farm land which in turn limits the ability of small farmers to enter into the market. Larger corporate farms succeed not by producing more and better food at a lower cost, but by gaming the system to absorb the most subsidies, often by producing less food. An intended result of many farm subsidies is an increase in market price by limiting the supply that ends up on the market. But this result is seldom seen where it's needed which is poor farmers, instead the result is seen on your dinner table. When we implemented farm subsidies to encourage the production of corn ethanol for our cars we eventually discovered that producing corn ethanol was more expensive and damaging to the environment than just using regular gasoline. This is widely accepted in the scientific community today but we still have the subsidies and we still have the required corn ethanol in our gas. Meanwhile so much corn is being used to produce fuel that the cost of using corn for feeding people and livestock has increased dramatically. We rich Americans have seen dramatic increases in the cost of food, but the result is most dramatic not here where we use the ethanol but in third world countries where people survive on abundant and cheap corn which is no longer available. For many around the world the subsidization of corn ethanol is not an issue of environmental impact but one of basic survival. We lose on all fronts with this subsidy.This is not to say that the urge to use our considerable political might for good is somehow a bad urge, but we must realize that the market is a more powerful force than government and when we attempt to push it around it pushes back. Today the complaint is that college costs too much, and to wit it does, but the problem may very well be that we're doing too much of the wrong things to fix it. We end up causing the exact problem we endeavored to eliminate.

Drunk blogging the Republican debate

2011-12-10T18:04:00.000-08:00

And we're done. I feel dirty

Bachman admires Cain because of his stupid tax plan because people are stupid. Ugh. My god she's a dumb cunt.

Paul admires the people who have come to agree with him... Awesome.

Mitt admires Ron Paul's qualities of leadership

The dogs are bugging me because I had dinner, even though it's not time for dinner.

7:43 Perry endorses Paul's stance on the FED.

Santorum thinks Gingrich is the guy and wants to be vp. Ha ha ha ha

Exactly ron Paul. The government fails when it tells I you how to take care of yourself.

"3rd party payer" is going to be a big point for a while.

Rick Santorum,: when did I live through hard times? Well I don't like faggots.

Ron Paul: when did I live though hard times? Well there was that great depression I lived through.

Look Ann Romney and the man that must be her mistress.

Rick Perry earned nothing the year I was born... Boo hoo. Pussy.

Rick perry is an asshole robot I swear it.

I have to say that the idea that the israelis or the Palestinians are new to the region is appalling. They have both been in the area for more than a thousand years... Shut up.t

I appologise for missions some big fails in the last ten minutes but my iPad keyboard suddenly turned retarded the problem is resolved.

Bachman wants me to know who was in rooms she was in before she was there?

When was mitt friends with benjamin netanyah? We know Newt has been for years and years.

Mitt is pissed that Newt actually knows some history?

Anybody notice that Ron Paul knows the history of the ottoman empire palestinians?

Newt is running against Jimmy Carter on the Israel issue.

Damn right stay out of the worlds issues

Ron Paul's podium is too high. It's weird.

There something really creepy about Perry's neck. He wears high collars and when it slips its like he's got weird shit under his skin, I'm not even guessing what it

We can stipulate that Evernote here thinks that securing the border is priority one? I'm not sure we can stipulate that Diane.

the founders wrote about marital infidelity.... Really Michelle?

Way to go Ron Paul the answer is the oath of office not your marriage vows

"Individuals who have been in fidelity with their spouse" I do not think this word means what perry thinks that it means

Wow "Newts a cheater" question right after the commercial? Let's see if newt can handle it.

6:42 commercial break. Fire on the Mountain makes GREAT wings.

Bachman is claiming responsibility for the Tea Party???

Santorum is running for a cabinet post

Sanatorum just called Bachman a loser

Romney is packaging himself as the states rights big government liberal...mhmmm creepy.

"I've got othe book and I wrote the book" mitt

"I frankly was floundering" newt

Rick Perry's job is to make Bachman sound sensible. Ick.

Perry and I agree on one thing, neither of us know what that sentence meant.

Ohnshit Rick perry is still here. I'm sorry Rick, I forgot you were there.

Watching Bachman speak is like watching a Disney animatronic zombie skank talk, I just can't even hear what she says.

Michelle Bachman says she's been in private business for 50 years. Hmmm

The right answer to newt is that he must not give that good advice if we had to bail his client out.

I love ron Paul but he can take a win and make it sound rambly

Does an entry level janitor in the ny school district make more than an entry level teacher? Anybody know the answer to that? Cite a source if you can

"the only reason you didn't become a career politician is that you lost to Teddy Kennedy" newt to mitt. SNAP BITCH

6:20. Romney chuckles at Gingrich electability... Keep chuckling hairpiece.

Ron Paul wants to keep tax cuts and pay for them by ending wars. Suck it everyone else.

Romney calls it the Obama economy but were sitting in a copy of Romney policy. Hmm

Diane sawyer is the least articulate person at the republican debate... That's a big accomplishment

Bachman wants to create "literally millions of dollars" of growth. This is the "win plan"

Perry is a sound bite.

Mitt Romney, prepositions are not something to end sentences with.

It's About Policing What You're Thinking

2011-12-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

The Red Cross wants to make it illegal to violate the geneva convention, in made up places.

I'd say the urge to control the thoughts of other people was starting to get out of hand but that ship sailed a long time ago.

This is Possibly the Best Use of Homeland Security Money Yet

2011-12-06T16:39:00.000-08:00

I mean seriously, who would bomb a society that has taxpayer funded snow cones? No one.

The EPA is like a parody of itself.

2011-09-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

I once told a friend that I thought the EPA wanted to control everything right down to our breathing. I thought I was being hyperbolic...

But there's this

Obama Still Hopeful that Irene Might be a Disaster

2011-08-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday after luck has gone our way and spared most of the north east from what could have been a disastrous weather event, the President remains hopeful that some late flooding could still bring the kind of damage that would save his Presidency.

Look Under the Bus...

2011-08-20T00:55:00.001-07:00

That's America under there.

I Like it When People Do Nice Things.

2011-08-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Man returns auction .45 to it's medal of honor winning owner.

He's Just Given up, Right?

2011-08-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

President campaigning on tax increases during a down economy.
I feel bad, he's not even trying anymore.

I Know I Feel Safer

2011-08-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

Don't you?

Big Move by Google

2011-08-15T23:04:00.001-07:00

Google and Motorola are in the midst of a deal that would give the internet search giant it's own mobile platform for the very low low price of $12.5b or just over 65% above the price of Motorola stock. It's not certain what google intends to do with Moto, but I'm sure their patent holdings were a big part of the mix.

Google is in a patent fight with Apple over it's Android OS and as a relatively young company they haven't built up the kind of patent stable you need for that kind of fight. The way it works for most companies is simple, company A sees that company B is controlling a piece of the market share in a product line. Company A finds some obscure patent that they own with which they can sue company B for infringement. Nobody wants to lose their investment so company B tracks down a patent that company A is in violation of and then they negotiate until both sides get to make their product and both sides get paid. The problem for Google is that they don't own very many patents and certainly very few in the mobile phone world. This is where Motorola will really shine in their portfolio. The only question is will they be allowed to make the deal. There's significant reason to suspect that an anti-trust challenge would succeed. But Google is betting it wont and they are putting up $2.5b in earnest money that they'll lose if the deal falls apart. You want to bet that kind of money, you better know something.

The Latest News

2011-08-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

So Eureka has been canceled. It's not a shock as Sci-Fi had planned an abbreviated sixth season already. Wil Wheaton has the story.

Most people think that most congressmen should be thrown out of office but for the first time since in CNN's polling history most people think that THEIR OWN congressman doesn't deserve another shot at it.

Remember, remember the fifth of November... When Anonymous (the hacker contingent) says it plans to destroy Facebook. They must have missed how Facebook is already destroying itself.

"Tyranny" was the battle cry, 'we'll show you, we'll take it to the people.' Well it appears that the people have spoken. Despite millions upon millions of union dollars flowing into Wisconsin apparently this is what democracy looks like. Which goes to show that just because you're loud, and just because you're angry, it doesn't mean you're a majority.

QR Codes on Athlete's Bikini Bottoms?

2011-08-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

So now every creepy pervert who watches beach volleyball because he can't afford a strip club will have an excuse to take pictures of the girl's asses with impunity? Awesome.

The Latest News

2011-08-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

If you're not doing anything wrong then you shouldn't mind if we take a look. Right?

You say the space program is dead? I say it got out of the way of the private sector.

For every time I hear some whiny asshole tell me that rich conservative or libertarian businessman is a scumbag because he's wealthy I have George Soros to comfort me. For all their possible failings most businessmen make something that people want. Soros has never made an honest dollar in his life, he sucks up money by betting that countries will fail and he has for years had the means to help them along in the process. He's an enormous piece of shit and if you're on his payroll, so are you.

Warning KOS Link. I don't usually link to the partisan hack Markos Moulitsas because, well because he's a partisan hack. But I'm interested in people's responses to this article on his site by Mark Sumner. Not sure I agree completely but it's not the desperate left wing chant that the minority party has caused all our woes. It's an interesting and legitimate possibility. We should remind ourselves that everyone has a personal motive.

This is the kind of shitty reporting that is why I don't usually link to KOS. Maybe the guy beats his wife, maybe not but the editorial authority of this article doesn't imply the need to prove it before calling him a wife beater. It's the oldest scumbag move around "Mr. Senator, do you still beat your wife?". Christ Kaili do some research, get us there before you shout cliche' accusations. #terriblereporting

I'm no expert but didn't we choose this guy to stop this shit?

Worst Presser Ever

2011-08-09T00:37:00.000-07:00

"the markets on the other hand continued to believe out credit status is triple A"

"In fact Warren Buffet who knows a thing or two about good investments said, if there were a quadruple A rating I'd give the United States that."

Conspiracy?

There is literally no useful information in this press conference. I really can't figure out how a writer wrote this script and thought even Obama could sell it.

I honestly think that the prompters have arrows to tell him when he might choose to change directions with his head.

How does not extending unemployment benefits kill jobs? It's bad but, how does it kill jobs. I want to figure out the mechanics of that statement.

"some of the most productive workers"...
We're the best at everything but our workforce? I think this is a weak jab at non-union workers. But I can't be sure because it's an awfully soft statement.

He hasn't made eye contact once. Does he know there's a camera?

Ugh it's so sad, this performance almost makes me want to root for him, I'm embarrassed for him. It's like he's walking home in the morning in last night's torn formal dress after he let the whole fraternity have their way with him. You want to judge him but you also want to get him some help.

The Latest News

2011-08-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well this is the best attitude to have. I'm sure the world markets will be reassured by the former head of the Federal reserve reminding them that we'd be happy to devalue all of our currency and bankrupt our own citizens just to pretend that we're symbolically honoring our debt.

It would be just like the Republicans to think that their knight in shining armor is a cocky evangelical christian from Texas who's comfortable executing innocent people. It's almost painful to watch them walking into it.

Hey this is good news.

Hello Pot? Yeah it's the Kettle, I have a message for you.

The politics of policing; or how hard is it to be an honest cop?

LP.org on the Debt Ceiling "Deal".

2011-08-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

RIP Mark Hatfield

2011-08-08T00:59:00.000-07:00

Oregon Senate Legend Mark O. Hatfield has passed away at the age of 89. Love him or hate him, his name is sure on a ton of shit.

The Latest News

2011-08-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

This just in: Jerry Lewis... Not already dead? I swear I didn't know that.

The Latest News

2011-08-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

You all think I'm being hyperbolic when I say we use militarized SWAT teams against farmers but I'm not just talking about pot growers. Hows that raw milk treating you? Who will stand up when they come for you?

Adam Kokesh on labeling political opponents as "terrorists"

Walter Russell Mead on the crisis that faces American Progressives.

"Cage goes in the water, you go in the water. Shark's in the water. Our shark"... Shark Week.

The Latest News

2011-08-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Former NFL defensive end and Super Bowl V winner Bubba Smith has passed away today at the age of 66. You may know him better as Lt. Moses Hightower from the Police Academy movies. RIP Bubba.

Just so you know I think Lesbians have super powers and excellent judgment, and make the best films. I'm just sayin'.

Matt Damon says teachers make a shitty salary, Reason.com Editor Nick Gillespie's analysis would suggest that Damon is off base. I tend to agree with Gillespie but I think the larger issue is not if teacher salaries are high enough, because teaching is a shitty job, but rather why are we paying so much more for our teachers than they end up getting paid? The quick answer is that administrative costs and union contributions are milking the system dry before any real money makes it to the classroom. The argument I've heard often, that teachers are overpaid, is mostly ridiculous but it's hard not to think so when we pay upwards of $15,000 a year per student but only 10% of that ends up making it to the teacher. We'd all be better off hiring a private teacher to handle 6 students at a time and take home $90k, nobody would need a union rep or an army of lobbyists with that salary.

Budget cuts you say? I say nay nay. And so do a lot of other people including Chris Edwards at the Cato Institute.

Very interesting behind the scenes of a movement piece by choreographer Trisha Brown and performer Elizabeth Streb

Spider man, Spider Man, does whatever a spider can. Is he gay? Maybe so. We know he's biracial though. Lookout! There goes the spider man... The new Spider Man is a half Black half Latino teenager who might be gay? Bravo Marvel, Bravo. When you pick a demographic you don't fuck around, you get right damned specific. A lot of people would call that pandering, but not me Marvel. I say thee Bravo. I think I can speak for all of the possibly gay, half Black, half Latino teenagers with super powers that could only have come from an irradiated spider, (like how is that gonna happen twice), when I say thank you, thank you, thank you, now *I* (them, not me, I'm painfully white) have. A. Voice.

The Latest News

2011-08-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Up to the Officer's discretion... whether or not to risk other people's lives? Not sure that's a "policy" I'll accept.

Putin says we're parasites. True but we're also the host.

And a Slow Clap for Congress.

Manufacturing jobs take a hit which can't be related to this... Can it?

Some Good News I don't know why she chose this vote but it's nice to see her up and around.

DB Cooper Update My Mother was on a plane out of Seattle that night and in those days there were no texts to tell people you were safe. The event had an effect and may have played into me sharing the initials of the infamous fugitive.

WinXP is below 50% market share which isn't news at all really. What's fascinating is the graph, I thought for sure OS X was over 5%.

Chip Kelley says he's not losing sleep over Willie Lyles ordeal. Remember it took the NCAA 5 years to nail USC and where was Pete Carroll when they did? Not at USC.

Meanwhile In Washington

2011-08-02T00:27:00.000-07:00

Republicans: Mr President, we will not allow you to continue this absurd trend of massive spending that we were more than happy to engage in with a Republican president.
President Obama: Well I'll agree to pretend to slow down a little on the spending that we both want, if you agree to let me punish some rich people so I can get votes.
Democrats: Hell no you will not pretend to cut spending, if we pretend to cut spending we'll lose the money from all our lobbyist and trial lawyer friends.
President Obama: Dammit Democrats play along, if we just get them to let us punish rich people we'll be fine.
Republicans: Hell no if you pretend to punish rich people we'll lose the money from our lobbyist and military contractor friends. Now we'll pretend to want to balance the budget as punishment.
Democrats: What? You want to do what? Balanced budget? That's ridiculous no one could ever spend less than %150 of their income.
Republicans: Ha ha.. fooled you. We were kidding about that balanced budget thing. How about this we'll agree to fake spending cuts if you'll agree to no changes in the tax laws, your friends at GE will be so happy they'll let you cum in thier mouths.
Democrats: That sounds more than fair, can we still call you buggering assholes though?
Republicans:We would expect nothing less. Now shall we adjourn to our private gourmet dining room, the first $500 bottle of wine is on me, and by me I mean my constituents.
Democrats: Oh lets, that would be fantastic. Then lets drive around drunk and force ourselves on some teenagers.
Republicans: I like the way you think.
President Obama: Hey you guys know I'm standing right here... Right?.. Hello:? Guys? Awww dammit I never have any friends.

CBO Charts Share of Taxes

2010-06-22T20:52:00.001-07:00

Don't Take Your Eye off Chris Christie

2010-06-16T14:02:00.001-07:00

Obama Should Kick His Own Ass

2010-06-14T15:56:00.001-07:00

Loyd's Rejects BP's Insurance Claim

2010-06-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

BP has attempted to recover some of it's losses due to the recent and ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico through the insurers of Transocean (the company that owns the Deep Water Horizon rig that BP has leased). BP is seeking in the neighborhood of $700m and the syndicate representatives for Loyd's of London are claiming that they hold no responsibility. Details here.

There are a few things that I find interesting about this and none of them are the facts presented on the surface. Of course BP would seek coverage in this manner, there is a reasonable likelihood that either Loyd's is on the hook for part of this bill and the legal fees are negligible vs the potential loss. Pursuing this is a no-brainer for BP. Equally and for the same reasons it's no surprise that Loyd's is denying the claim, they have significant reason to believe that since the leak is not actually on the rig that they may be able to avoid liability. What's more is that in situations like this it may come down to very tiny details as to who bears the legal and financial responsibilities. The whole thing may be the result of a design flaw or and operational flaw, or simply a terrible combination of mistakes. This will, no doubt take years to settle.

What I find most interesting is; $700m really? That;'s honestly what BP thinks this is going to cost? These people must be dreaming. I mean seriously dreaming. Valdez cost in the neighborhood of $5B, who thinks this is going to skate for $700m. I took a shit this morning that was $700m compared to what these guys are going to eat. My guess and lets be clear that I'm just some average DB, is that BP will be on the hook for $7.5B and that doesn't count lost revenue at the pumps and drop in stock value. $700m is a joke they told one time at a party. Seriously these guys are screwed. We had all better hope they have the money to clean up and go broke here. remember that corporations can't spend any more money than they actually end up with. So buy BP gas cause it's the only way this cleanup is getting funding.

Secondly; Dear BP self insured? Really? Are you retarded? you suck money out of the ocean, it's not that expensive when you think about the profit margin, which, by the way, has been pretty good lately. Maybe you should think about, oh, I don't know, a liability policy? I have liability on my rental house how do you not hedge a 5000ft deep oil well bet in dolphin land? Morons.

Surveillance if it's Not Working What's it For?

2010-05-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

Camera's don't work.

Massive Change to Tax Policy Goes Unnoticed

2010-05-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Obama health plan includes one of the largest changes to tax reporting in history.

Things Not Going Well the Democrat Party

2010-05-05T19:53:00.001-07:00

Black Republican Surge

This Must be the Exception

2010-04-23T20:10:00.001-07:00

Police violate a man's rights then lose the tape. What a coincidence.

2010-03-21T14:36:00.001-07:00

Stand Your Ground Against Violation of Your Rights

2010-03-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

France and the Real World

2010-01-19T02:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the French accused the United States of attempting a military occupation in Haiti in the wake of the current disaster. The French are due for a ridiculous statement like this as they have been a full three minutes without one. I'll point out to start that I was hating the French way before hating the French was cool. They (as a nation not necessarily individually) are a bunch of lily livered pansies whose sole achievements over the last hundred years include the resurgence in popularity of the baguette and maintaining their status as the worlds largest contributor to nations that intend, desire, or practice the large scale extermination of the Jewish people. Also they suck on relations with black people but I'm getting off topic.

In the world there are only eleven 70,000+ ton super carriers. Ships capable of producing 400,000 gallons of potable water a day, 18,000 meals a day, enough electricity for a large city indefinitely, 65 dedicated hospital beds and a full medical team as well as the capability to transfer urgent patients by air to medical facilities. They have the capability to run search and rescue operations non-stop for months on end. They are staffed with over five thousand trained soldiers and airmen. They have the ability to house over 6000 people making them the ideal floating headquarters for a larger land-based rescue and medical effort. They are literally a floating airport and communications hub. They are accompanied by a host of other ships with more specific military and humanitarian capabilities. There are no other ships in the world with these capabilities. Of the eleven in service the Unites States owns... Eleven. Hey France, should we wait for you to build one?

Let Them Eat Cake?

2010-01-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

HANDS FREE BUT NOT THE REST OF YOU

2010-01-06T12:50:00.001-08:00

Oregon has implemented it's version of the hands free cell phone manufacturer handout slash police agency fundraiser this month. In a moment of odd clarity The Dalles Police Chief Jay Waterbury accidentally admitted that the goal of the program was to control people.

“What we’re after is compliance. If we can get that by giving warnings for a little while, then great,” said Waterbury.

Funny I thought they did this kind of thing for safety reasons. I wonder how long it will be until your insurance rates will be hiked in relation to how many bluetooth tickets you have.

This is just one more way for Police to justify stopping innocent people and tacking on fees to support their own militarization.

New Years Resolution

2010-01-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

Damon Root at Reason.Com reminds us that today is the 56th anniversary of the death of country music legend Hank Williams Sr.

“Hank’s music—Hank himself, really—was a mixture of whiskey, lamb’s blood, and grave dirt.” - Nick Tosches

So it is that we are reminded on this, the rebirth of our year, that we are only the shadows of our selves and that all things pass from us. And by the passage of time alone we are washed clean and given new life.

Last year was a hard one for me, indeed for everyone I know. We uprooted and relocated our lives to a new city. I took a new job which has it's own fantastic challenges but is very much a good thing. The Rudess has been pounding the pavement for months on the front lines of the war declared against the working man by those that endeavor to "help". She is my hero. Things are tight. We miss our friends dearly both those in Los Angeles and those now scattered around the world. It is beyond our means at this time to visit you all though we wish dearly that we could. If you have it on your end, the door is always open and the spare bedroom awaits.

It was a year of profound loss, in the fall a dear old friend left us quickly with a tumor in his brain. And early last month my family watched as our beloved aunt, sister, mother and wife lost a heroic four year fight with kidney cancer. I've learned that it is not death that is the hardest thing for man to understand. It is a far greater task to make sense of the suffering of others. I'll say no more on the subject save this; wherever you are your absence is felt deeply and by many, but that the holes that are left are filled up with love.

In other news old friends have survived some hardships that eclipse anything I could imagine. A dear old friend from school was the victim of the most sickening brutality and very nearly fell to it. Thankfully her tenacity and the love of her family met head on and she remains among us growing stronger every day. A dear wise old professor and friend of mine took a leave of absence to kick throat cancer's ass. It goes to show that you don't fuck with a man in a skirt.

On to better things we are joined by new members of the tribe. The newest is Oliver, a lady killer in training to be sure. He doesn't know how to juggle yet but I'm told he will with time learn new tricks.

I'll not discuss the politics of the year except to say that clearly these things are cyclical, that as with the rest of the world ideologies die and are born again. For every atrocity we perceive there will be repayment in one form or another. The only thing that's certain is that those that seek to lead us should never be trusted.

Willie Nelson said "it's been rough and rocky traveling, but I'm finally standing upright on the ground. After takin' several readings I'm surprised to find my mind still fairly sound".

I feel like that this morning.

I write to welcome the new year. 2010 may you be better, faster, and stronger than all the years before you. For the rest of us let's take this day to wash ourselves clean of the hardship from the year past and take this new and better year on with vigor and excitement. Let's catch fish, eat fruit, exercise, kiss. Let's do things we never thought possible, fix things that are broken, make new things where there were none before. Let's stack firewood, and plant flowers, take pictures and remind each other of friendship. Let's breath clean air and feel sand and waves across our toes. Let's eat things that have touched no human hands but ours, and drink wine together outdoors by a fire. Let's get involved in the lives of people who need us, and bring happiness where we can. Let's forgive and forget and share things that we love. Let's fight hard for what we believe but fight fairly and with compassion. Let's endeavor not to hate. Let's go canoeing and camping and rafting and hiking and biking and swimming at midnight. Let's watch football and yell at the screen. And let's all do it together.

2009-12-17T20:46:00.001-08:00

Public Option Explained

2009-12-14T18:49:00.001-08:00

They Just Don't Know

2009-12-04T14:21:00.000-08:00

Media Silence on Climatgate

CEI Petitions EPA to Suspend Regs In Light of Climategate

2009-12-02T16:21:00.001-08:00

CEI to EPA... 'Suck it'

And if That Wasn't Enough

2009-11-29T22:55:00.000-08:00

NZ Raw Data Shows No Correlation With End Results

I've Said it Before Global Warming is Fake

2009-11-29T22:53:00.001-08:00

Climate Data Discarded

Risk, No Longer A Part of Insurance?

2009-11-19T08:03:00.000-08:00

SEC. 2701. FAIR INSURANCE COVERAGE.

`(a) In General- With respect to the premium rate charged by a health insurance issuer for health insurance coverage offered in the individual or small group market--

`(1) such rate shall vary with respect to the particular plan or coverage involved only by--

`(A) family structure;

`(B) community rating area;

`(C) the actuarial value of the benefit;

`(D) age, except that such rate shall not vary by more than 2 to 1;

`(E) tobacco use, except that such rate shall not vary by more than 1.5 to 1; and

`(F) adherence to or participation in a reasonably designed program of health promotion and disease prevention, if such a program is offered by the employer that is the sponsor of the coverage involved; and

`(2) such rate shall not vary with respect to the particular plan or coverage involved by health status-related factors, gender, class of business, claims experience, industry, or any other factor not described in paragraph (1), except that group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group health insurance coverage may establish premium discounts or rebates for modifying otherwise applicable copayments or deductibles in return for adherence to or participation in reasonably designed programs of health promotion or disease prevention.

`(b) Community Rating Area- Taking into account the applicable recommendations of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the Secretary shall by regulation establish a minimum size for community rating areas for purposes of this section, which, for areas contained in a Metropolitan Statistical Area, shall not be smaller than such area.

Health Care Insurance

2009-11-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

Possibly a misnomer.

3 Elections That Dictate the Next Seven Years

2009-11-04T01:51:00.000-08:00

A lot of attention has, for better or worse been focused on three relatively minor off year elections. The Republicans have been banking on reinfoced vigor from sparky new compains in the face of Dem calamity. To some extent they have been vindicated both in the NJ and VA races but then there's the odd results in NY 23.

I say NY 23 is bad for R's everything else is bad for D's and the lot of it is great for all of us.

To start where the choice was a clear up down vote on support for the ruling party there was a resounding GFY. That's good, even if you aren't a big fan of the R's a vote of no confidence is generally a good vote when one group is in charge. It tends to help them realize their jobs are not ordained. Then there's the bizarre set of circumstances RE ny23> I was interested in this race precisely because a candidate was challenging the R base on the grounds that they were not conservative enough. There has been a pretty big scuttlebutt around that the R's lost the white house because they didn't field a candidate who sufficiently energize their conservative (read christian) base. But now we can all be clear, more right wing is not what the party is missing. Both of the gubernatorial candidates that won this week ran not on platforms of right wing religious conservative reform but on platforms of smaller government and lower government spending. The old conservative guard is back. The Goldwater republicans won while the neo-con's signed their own demise. It's a god thing across the board. Eyes open for the next years guys but the wind is blowing and it would rather be free.

Nancy Pelosi Thinks You Are Stupid

2009-10-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Public Option gets a new name? I think Shakespeare even understood this was bullshit.

Health Insurance Profits?

2009-10-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

In case you were worried that the evil health insurance companies were running away with all the money.

Fact Check

Ok Last Straw Hippies, The Gloves Come Off

2009-10-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Eat the Dog

This fake global warming bullshit has hit my last fucking nerve now. Telling me how much to wipe was cute but you people want to come after my dogs, I will end you.

Mankiw on The Nobel Prize

2009-10-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

Good stuff here

In Response to the High Cost of Health Insurance

2009-09-26T14:56:00.001-07:00

House Democrats propose.... A TAX ON HEALTH INSURANCE

Proponents of the insurance tax, which Obama has endorsed, say it would help to lower health care costs by encouraging people to become more cost-conscious health care consumers.

Some of the high-cost plans are so expensive because they come with no co-payments or deductibles, and cover every dollar spent for health care. Not all of them provide such "Cadillac" benefits, however. Some are very expensive because they're sold to companies with older employees, or workers in high-risk occupations.

Only the US Congress could piece together the logic that you could lower costs for consumers by raising prices thus discouraging them from buying something you are trying to make sure they have... Seriously? Seriously.

Congressman1: I just can't figure out where to get the money to provide health insurance for everyone.

Congressman2: Well have you tried taxing the rich?

Congressman1: Of course but we're still coming up way short.

Congressman2: Well what about a tax on health insurance.. that should make health insurance more affordable.

Congressman1: Genius. This is almost as perfect as when you came up with taxing tax refunds as taxable income.

Congressman2: Ah that's nothing, wait till you see my plan for taxing the money left over after paying taxes as taxable income. It's like a bottomless pit of free money.

Global Banking

2009-09-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of thing that gets conspiracy theorists going for years. I wonder if the CFR and the Tri-Lateral Commission enjoy this kind of transparency.

In the News

2009-08-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

A married man, hosting a party for unattended married men and single younger women, left the party late in the evening with one young woman in his car. They headed towards a local secluded beach he'd known about since his childhood. The man in question was driving on an expired license, had a history of reckless driving and alcohol abuse. He was married to a woman who was, at the time, pregnant with his child. On the way to the secluded beach the man attempted to cross a narrow bridge, his car overturned and fell into the water below. While the young woman lay drowning, trapped in the car, the man escaped. He hiked past nearby houses, past the fire station back to the party. Where everyone involved cleaned up, left the party and went back to their hotel rooms for the night. After returning to his hotel the man went downstairs to complain to hotel staff about a loud party that was bothering him. In the morning he woke as usual, dressed and took the ferry back to the island he had been on the night before. Witnesses say he was in a jovial mood, laughing and enjoying the morning. That is until reports came in that they had found his car, and his victim.

He plead guilty to 'leaving the scene of an accident' and served no sentence at all.

That was July 18, 1969

Lets all take a minute to remember Mary Jo Kopechne today. She would have been 69 just last month.

" Do we operate under a system of equal justice under law? Or is there one system for the average citizen and another for the high and mighty? " ~ Senator Ted Kennedy, 1973

It's Just A Computer

2009-08-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

I have been a child of the Dos/Windows universe for as long as I can remember. I also dabble from time to time in different Linux OS's. As such I am firmly planted in the camp that Macintosh computers are for the non-technically oriented and the elderly. Also I have never been able to reconcile the fact that the Mac crowd also seemed to generally be the metro-sexual, urban, fake environmentally friendly, smug douche set. That's not to say even the majority of my Mac loving friends would be easily pushed into one of those boxes, but rather that they might live on the fringes of what was a much larger crowd that contained a significant quantity of arrogantly prickish morons. Or perhaps I just wanted the crowd of people who used a different computer than mine to be like that, and have been projecting that image. I doubt it though. We all know at least one guy who shows up at a meeting and spends the first five minutes bragging about his Macbook whatever. And we all know he's an asshole.

So it was with some trepidation that I took possession of my new work computer for my new job. A 1 year old Macbook Pro with a dual core Intel processor, 2 gigs of ram and all the usual trimmings.

First impression.
Using a new hardware configuration and a new OS is always fraught with frustrating experiences. Control doesn't do what it should and there's an entirely unnecessary extra button 'command' that handles some of those functions but not others. Nothing files automatically where I want it to and there seems to be some sort of mysterious method of hiding things from me that I'm working on. Unlike the systems I'm used to Mac seems to love cleaning up after me. And of course that's how I get lost.

All of this is of course the product of a learning curve created by someone's idea of a better syntax and command structure. With time this passes as it has before with new versions of Win, Suse, Ubuntu, etc.

What remains.
The hardware is as you might imagine, top notch. This is perhaps the one thing that might separate Mac from the PC market; you have no choice but to get high end equipment. They simply will not sell you anything cheaper, and they will not attempt to make their product more affordable. It's a nice thing that as a brand you know when you pick one up, the hardware is designed to work. Not so nice when you need something simple and affordable. The OS on the other hand is not in the least impressive to me. That's not to say it's any worse than Win, it's not, really. It's just not the kind of better that justifies the smugness I've seen all these years. The driver libraries are significant and self reliant. I have very little problems adding hardware. Though to be fair I don't really have problems in Windows either. The file system is sufficient and relatively transparent. Once you figure out how Mac thinks, it's a coherent system. I'm enjoying the way that the touch pad allows me to control my desktop with creative multi-finger gestures. On the other hand I have never gotten over the loss of my right click button. The two fingered touch pad work around is atrocious and anyone who says differently is lying. I can't count the number of times I have scrolled down a page and then clicked on an icon or link only to find myself looking at a menu because I still had two fingers on the pad. I want my two buttons back. Fortunately my mouse plugs in just fine and it's right button works like a charm.

In short at this stage of the game what I've discovered is that... It's just a computer. Hype aside, it's no better or worse overall than any of the other systems I'm running. I'll concede I haven't integrated it into my home network yet (beyond internet access) and that may be interesting with the myriad OS jungle I'm already dealing with. But so far, I report nothing interesting at all. Computers, the machine that changed the world, are becoming more and more like furniture; buy the nicest one that matches the painting you like and the check you want to write. It's the person sitting there that makes the difference.

Music Legend Dies

2009-08-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

Les Paul, arguably one of the most influential men in the history of the rock and roll guitar has passed away today at the age of 94. Keep on rockin' Les.

Director John Hughes Dies at 59 of Heart Attack

2009-08-06T15:58:00.001-07:00

Single Payer Scam?

2009-08-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually big on videos like this but there are some interesting parts here. If anyone has links to the full speeches here I'd love to see them.

UPDATE: just the Obama speech without the edited mess.

In Case You Were Wondering

2009-07-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Govt' FAIL

2009-07-31T00:05:00.001-07:00

Cash for Clunkers

In Case You Thought I Was Paranoid

2009-07-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Waxman-Markey contains language for the EPA to regulate what it calls REEP (Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance) rules. The EPA alone will be able to determine what necessary retrofitting must be done with business AND single and multiple family homes in order to be environmentally friendly. States would be responsible for figuring out how to implement these new regulations. I'll say it again Congress voted to give regulatory power to the EPA to determine what you must do to make your home environmentally friendly before resale.

The EPA has for years been expanding it's regulatory control over the business world and it would seem has sights set on private property as well. This is an obvious expansion or companion program to those hinted at by the Sec. of Energy last month. If I'm wrong and Steven Chu just coincidentally talked about home improvements and retrofitting as an option for energy reduction a month before the climate change bill went to a vote with increased regulatory powers over homes and businesses then I'm sorry. If that's the case of course then it means that the two departments in the Obama admin. who are talking about climate related energy policy are in fact not talking to each other and are acting unilaterally to develop policy without consultation and frankly that kind of reckless behavior is just as scary as a plot would be.

So home-owners out there get ready for your EPA energy housing audit.

UPDATE: “The Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall establish goals, guidelines, practices, and standards for accomplishing the purpose stated in subsection (c) [the retrofits],”

So Chu actually has his hands in it already.

Another Stand For the Family Farm?

2009-06-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Waxman-Makey predictably gives a huge handout to subsidized American corporate corn.

The Bill That Never Was

2009-06-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

The House passed the fake global warming bill yesterday and I can't help wondering how as the text of the bill was not actually complete at the time of the vote. What, specifically were they voting on.

Bill

What They Are Saying in Arizona

2009-06-27T03:59:00.001-07:00

Not Exactly Jefferson

2009-06-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

A long long time ago, statesmen could write. The art of crafting words so that people understand them is, to say the least a challenge. One that makes us hope our lawmakers are built of better stuff, at least in regards to that challenge. Gov. Mark Sanford's love letters to his mistress would seem to argue against the point, as my friend Janelle Holden aptly points out.

R.I.P.

2009-06-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson - Thriller
by hushhush112

Biggest Tax in American History

2009-06-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

The WSJ has a piece tomorrow (online today) talking about the actual costs of the Markey-Waxman global warming ~~scam~~ tax. Cap and trade has been a miserable failure wherever it has been tried. In most cases it has amounted to a tax funded incentive system for larger polluters. In even the best cases it has had little to no effect on carbon emissions and has crippled the economic environment for the poorest people. It will cost far more than even the most optimistic estimates of it's benefits. The CBO and House Democrats are deliberately hiding the real nature of it's overwhelming costs. Call your congressman and insist that they vote against this atrocious attempt to steal money from hard working class families.

This has gone too far. Throughout history people have tried to convince the masses that they can control the weather if we just give them enough money. We call them charlatans, snake oil salesman, grifters, con artists, hooligans, thieves, and of course congressman. Used to be we could take them out and shoot them. Now at least it's worth the phone call. Unless you have the extra 2 grand a year to spare. Or maybe you think now is a perfectly good time to pull the brake lever on the American economy.

Awesome Ad

2009-06-25T00:51:00.001-07:00

My Absence

2009-06-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

For the half a dozen or so of you that read this blog regularly I'm sure you have noticed my distinct absence lately. Don't worry, I'm not giving up the blog. I am however moving to Portland to start a new job. This is, as you might imagine, eating a bunch of my time that I would normally spend ranting for you guys. Trust that when things settle I will redouble my efforts to bring you the highest quality inane rambling that I can.

Thanks

This is Awesome

2009-05-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

Google Wave Demo

Garrett Withdraws from Assistant Treas. Sec. Nom.

2009-05-29T13:29:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth Garrett has withdrawn from consideration for the post of Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy. She sites the stringent vetting process. Which I think can fairly translate into 'they found something embarrassing and I'm backing out gracefully.' It would seem that at times like these the President would want someone in charge of developing tax policy, what with all the tax policy that's being developed. Well chalk up another loss to the Admin's human resources department. Seems it's just impossible to find ethical Democrats these days... I wonder why that is.

Steven Chu is Nuts

2009-05-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

This speaks for itself. To say nothing of the cost of painting all the roofs in the world white (upwards of $30 a gallon for paint) it stands to reason that making all that paint would involve processes that produce significant 'carbon usage' and would probably greatly offset any actual benefit, even assuming that the good doctor is right about global warming in the first place. What's more disturbing is that this is the conversation you get with the country's leading government official on energy policy. Not environmental issues but energy policy. He claims that white roofs will cut consumption. I claim that he's got needs that the other kids don't.

I'm interested in any cheaper and less ridiculous options from my homeowner friends. Drop me a comment with ideas you have to reduce home energy consumption that aren't idiotic. I'll start.

Solar Powered Attic Fans.

Supreme Court Mad Lib

2009-05-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

The most important qualification for a Supreme Court Just is that _______(pronoun) should possess the utmost____________(quality). Beyond all other possible qualifications or experiences I believe the proper candidate should posses a strong respect for ____________(rights).

As I read story after story this morning on the Obama administration's nomination of Sonia Sotomayer I noticed a trend. Very few people were talking about her court decisions and her biases. Instead everyone, the administration included, was talking about how many women will be on the court and how monumental it is to have a nominee whose parents are from Puerto Rico. Now I've seen some of Sotomayer's record and I wont go so far as to say this is a purely affirmative action hire, but for the party that prides itself on equal rights and throws constant claims of racism and sexism at it's opponents, it takes a ton of gall to glaze over real qualifications in favor of skin tone and gender. I couldn't care less if her family is from PR, what strikes me is that she seems to have no respect for private property rights as evidenced in her upholding the Second Circuit's decision in Didden V Village of Port Chester. Radly Balko covers that issue in his Agitator blog and on Reason.com.

An interesting take on her judicial history is Richard Epstein's this morning in Forbes.

For my money I'd like to see a nominee that isn't a Yalie. If ever there was a place that diversity was needed, I think the Supreme Court is it. I just don't think racial diversity is what's important. I'd like to see diversity of thought. Good Luck.

NY Times Reveals

2009-05-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

that it has been inept and stupid for decades now, not just the last few years.

Lite Blogging This Week

2009-05-24T18:55:00.001-07:00

I have been busy with work and stuff, spent the weekend at a motocross race and now my sister is in from out of town. I will try and be get some things done for you guys this week but forgive me if I don't manage much. But to tide you over...

Obama and The IRS Joke

2009-05-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit has an interesting piece at the Wall Street Journal this week on the power of the presidential joke and what happens when the IRS becomes a political weapon. For my money the President can keep abusing that power and degrading the legitimacy of the IRS as it helps free people understand what taxes are in the first place, a means of political oppression. Take a read Reynolds usually has interesting things to say.

For me this week should be interesting. I'm filming all day today and tomorrow will hear speaches by Arthur Laffer, Andrew Breitbart, and Lynne Cheney. Perhaps with Biden's gaff this week I'll have an opening to ask Cheney how she liked living underground beneath the naval observatory after millions of dollars in government money was spent renovating it.

Bush's Third Term?

2009-05-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Obama brings back military tribunals for Gitmo detainees.

Obama Says Debt Load 'Unsustainable'

2009-05-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Obama on Debt

I'm not a genius or anything but perhaps this is the kind of revelation he could have used... Oh i don't know... BEFORE HE CAUSED THE DEBT LOAD TO GET THIS HIGH!!!!

It's not like millions of us weren't saying it was going to be a problem. Even his supporters had to be lured into the fold with promises of net budget cuts. Still there he is, standing on top of the worlds largest debt funded national budget in history. There he is, encouraging more deficit spending in his first year in office than the entire Bush presidency. It's almost as if Barack Obama is just a sleazy scumbag politician who does one thing and says another so he can claim to have been on both sides of an issue. But that just can't be the truth. He was supposed to be the new Jesus right? He couldn't possibly be a scamming liar like all the rest of those statist manipulators... could he?

MHD JAIL UPDATE

2009-05-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

A search of inmate records in Jones County just informed me that all three of the guys are listed as 'Bonded Out'. So the guys are out or processing out right now.

If want to see the record (which contains very little information) go here

MHD JAILED

2009-05-14T19:52:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know that I am following the adventures of some liberty minded guys galavanting around the country searching for freedom. They are chronicling the whole thing on thier website MotorhomeDiaries.com. This morning all three of the guys at MHD were arrested by police in Jones County MS. It appears that the even started with what could have been a routine traffic stop. Now we don't know for sure that there was any kind of cause for the initial stop but I haven't heard anything to suggest that there was. What people are piecing together in the liberty blogosphere is that Jason Talley has been arrested and is being held on charges of disorderly conduct, disobeying a police office, and resisting arrest. Pete Eyre is being held on the charge of possession of a beer in a dry county. Whatever that is. And Adam Mueller is charged with disorderly conduct and disobeying a police office. There has been a rumor that there is a charge of posses ion of a firearm across state lines, which is a MS state specific law if it's a law at all. I've heard the firearms charge tied to each of the guys throughout the day so I can't be sure whats going on there.

These are typical charges for officers that want to arrest people but can't find a decent reason. My old cop friends call it 'felony breathing'. What's telling is that there isn't a charge related to the stop, there isn't a charge related to any use of force. All of the charges so far seem to stem out of what is most likely an unlawful arrest in the first place. I'll be updating on this as I know more. As of this moment it looks like some or all of the guys are going to have to spend the night in jail. People from the Free State Project and other liberty minded groups are working on putting together bail funds and should have the guys out soon.

If you would like to contribute to the guy's defense or if you just want to know more about what people are doing for freedom in America, check out MotorhomeDiaries.com

FREE THE MHD 3

UPDATE: if you want to follow the most up to date news about the guys incarceration freekeene has the most current updates.

An Interesting Take on Abortion

2009-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Steve Waldman has an interesting idea. You may know that I don't have a lot riding on the abortion debate but that a great many of my friends list it amongst their highest political priorities on either side of the issue. I have my ideas but honestly would rather the debate was treated with less urgency and vehemence than it is as I feel it distracts from more important and specifically more solvable issues. I'm not sure Waldman's solution is realistic or answers important obstacles for either side. I do wonder if embracing it would bring both sides closer to their goals than continuing the ill-used debate as it is.

The Good and Bad About Specter the Defecter

2009-04-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

The news this week is swollen with commentary about the defection of longtime Republican Senator Arlen Specter to the enemy camp. The right wing talking heads have dubbed him 'Benedict Arlen' and wish him nothing but the worst of luck in his new endeavors. The left wing commentators are gloating almost more than when their candidate took the white house (and I dare say perhaps they were looking for something else to gloat about these days). I wonder though if this switch which would have been hard not to predict, is really such a big deal for anyone and if so what it might actually mean.

Let's face it Specter has never been a very good Republican by anyone's standards. The left hasn't ever been particularly fond of him, even though he votes with them far more often than the right would like. The right can't stand him since he is an outspoken pro-choicer and clearly loves government spending. The truth is he follows the wind and polling data in his state and has no real set of values. His own representatives have been all over the news this week spelling out the fact that he left, not due to some ideological schism (though one could easily show that there is one) but simply because he had no viable means of being re-elected if he ran again as a Republican. The right wing of the Republican party responded to his support of the bloated stimulus package by supporting a more conservative candidate (with this kind of friends...) Now Specter faces a strong challenger from the right in Pat Toomey and may not garner the support he thinks he'll have from the left in his state. It's almost assured that his party shift came with a handshake deal from the DCCC that they would not field a primary candidate against him, but that doesn't make him a 'good Democrat' to Pennsylvania voters.

One thing that becomes painfully clear with this shift is that the differences between the statist Republican party and the statist Democratic party are significantly fewer than their similarities. If a 28 year veteran of one party can't fins something more suitable between them then I wonder if there is any reasonable difference at all.

For my money I don't see this hurting the Republican party at all. For starters he already voted against them any time it mattered. Secondly he's not likely to vote differently as a Democrat so on the floor of the senate all it does is shift more leadership into the hands of someone who is arguably less liberal than other Democrats might be. Also as a bonus to the R's the next Senate election in Penn. will be a race between a 'good' Republican and the shitty Republican they used to have which blocks out the possibility of an even more left wing whacko Democrat that might very well have had a chance against Pat Toomey fresh from a hard fought primary. Now Toomey can begin campaigning immediatley against a weakened and despised Specter. Specter as a Republican took the senate seat in 2004 with an 11% lead over the Democrat opponent and while many people may have shifted party loyalty and some may go with Specter it still amounts to a large margin for Toomey to hold. Especially when you consider how many fewer Democrats can bring themselves to the polls for a man they have hated for years. Also of note I highly doubt with all the vitriol on the right it will be remotely difficult for Toomey to raise a campaign war chest.

For those of us who prefer Liberty to the State this doesn't mean very much at all. Specter was no friend of ours to begin with and frankly Toomey isn't much better. The amount to which this emboldens the big government left may hurt a little but at this point it would be difficult to find that nugget in the massive pile of insult we are already enduring. It may stand to help fund raising efforts for us as it's one more name to add to the list of people who prove that both major parties favor vast government expansion as much or more than we have been saying all along.

So across the board (as with most political upheaval in Washington) it may very well amount to equal parts benefit and deficit for all parties involved. Perhaps there's some advantage for the left in that they can claim a strong victory over a longtime Republican but the cost is the loss of an opportunity for what very well could have been a much more favorable (to them) candidate taking the Senate seat in 2010. And I can assure this wont save them any money in that race.

What Value Does an Obama Promise Hold?

2009-04-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

Calvin Woodward in an article for the AP talks about more of Pres. Obama's myths and broken promises.

Obama Less Popular at 100 Days than Jimmy Carter

2009-04-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Gallup

This Mornings Links

2009-04-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

GM to remain worst run car company in the world

Just kidding Chrysler aims for title. Do the words fox and hen-house mean anything to you?

Lastly Arlin Specter to remain worthless, lying, communist sympathizing, doddering, poll watching, turncoat piece of dog-vomit. No news here.

My Old Boss

2009-04-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

I won't try and dirty his reputation by saying he's responsible for any of my behavior. Nor will I dirty mine, based on some votes of his I don't agree with. I under-voted his assured win in the last election as a protest to his initial bailout vote (he has since been more prudent). But this is my guy today. Well done with Al.

I've Said it Before

2009-04-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

GLOBAL WARMING IS A SCAM TO CONTROL PEOPLE.

Fat people cause global warming

Of course no one would ever try to regulate what people eat... Oh yeah they already do.

Green... It's the new Red

Invisible Hook

2009-04-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

My old room mate discussing his new book and the economics of self regulation with Nick Gillespie over at Reason.com

Secede

2009-04-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

I've discussed the idea of a secession movement at some length with friends and family and I'm not sure I took the idea seriously even while I was entertaining it. I have for a while now thought that moves towards secession might be a good way to illustrate the frustration that people have with both the course of our governance and the widening chasm between people who see themselves as Liberals and Conservatives in this country. It's a difficult thing to maintain unity in a country that both encourages the freedom of one's political ideas but is also mired in a virulent partisan divisions. I believe that there are still significantly common ideas and ideologies in this country to support all of us together but there are solid reasons to believe that an environment of forced division and competing extremist political movements may not. This is one of the reasons that I am such an advocate for liberty and for the liberty movement. The initial premise is, unlike other systems, devoted to the idea that each of us can and should choose the way in which we live our lives and the political theories we wish to adopt.

The fact that Texas is talking about secession is really not a huge surprise to me. They have threatened this repeatedly throughout our history as a nation. Perhaps it is important to note that the only time they have actually voted and declared secession was in 1861. I'm not sure if there are significant numbers in the Texas political architecture that actually intend to follow through with it but I wouldn't bet my paycheck against it.

What I see as the positives of Texas secession: for starters there is the immediate disconnection with the federal tax system and the ballooning national debt. That's significant, it's basically like you or I declaring bankruptcy without the credit problems. Second of course would be the hardest blow in favor of states rights since... well since 1861, and as a bonus there isn't an overreaching moral issue like slavery on which their opposition can hang a long and violent war. As such this might be the gambit that the state's rights movement has been waiting for. I doubt it about as much as I doubt the seriousness of the secession in the first place. Even as a simple act of protest this is a strong move for state's rights. One of the things they teach you in negotiation seminars is that you don't need to achieve your primary goal, you simply need to set a primary goal that makes meeting your actual needs seem attractive. A giant step forward in the quiet fight between the federalists and the state's rights crowd would be a very nice prize for remaining a state.

There are negatives in secession as well and not every state can do it easily. For Texas the large quantity of seaports, oil rigs and refineries makes for a pretty safe bet on a post secession small nation success. Landlocked states without significant commodities might suffer from what would assuredly be a bitter relationship with the remaining country. Many nations know that being on the outs with the United States Government isn't a great place to be.

So we shall see what comes from this and I'm not certain it will be much but the only real negatives I see are the ones that come with the independence of actually winning a secession fight. The other thing they teach you is that the key to any good negotiation is walk-away-power. And Texas is telling the world right now that they have tons of it.

Or maybe Rick Perry just announced his run for the White House.

Maddow is a Child

2009-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm all for dick and ass jokes. People that know me know that I can hardly resist the opportunity to insult someones mother or make a crude gesture with any found phallic object. That being said I have to wonder if Rachel Maddow thinks herself the new Walter Cronkite with this little gem.

CNN and MSNBC are all over the "tea bag" jokes this week and while I'm sure they think they are clever, I can't imagine how they expect to be taken seriously as journalists. I'm all for humor but can we really combine news coverage of economic crisis and jokes about balls without maybe losing some credibility. Which calls into question how much credibility these idiots had in the first place.

My advice: let Jon Stewart handle the jokes about dick and balls and maybe we can convince him to leave the shoddy journalism to the likes of Maddow and her ilk. Probably not though.

Bonus: if you don't know what 'tea bagging' is... You have to look it up, I'm not going to describe it for you.

Phil Spector Convicted of Second Most Heinous Crime

2009-04-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

Music industry mogul Phil Spector was convicted finally this week for second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a crime. Spector shot actress and night club hostess Lana Clarkson in February of 2003. This was of course a heinous and unforgivable crime. Spector was of course no angel before this however and I think it goes without saying that he should be put to death for his worst crime which is turning

this:

into this:

"Wall of sound"? How about wall of crap I didn't need to hear.

RIP Marilyn Chambers

2009-04-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

In the fight for liberty there are pioneers that must be remembered for their efforts. Their are people who, intentionally or not, further the cause of freedom. This week we have lost one such hero. Pioneering adult film actress Marilyn Chambers brought us the first mainstream adult feature film. Classics like "Behind the Green Door" and "Deep Throat" paved the way for the sweet story of prosperity and innovation that is the porn industry, both here and abroad. People often overlook the important role that smut plays in society and the economy. The porn industry accounts for between two and twelve billion dollars of income annually, depending on who you ask (and how honestly they answer the question). Porn is routinely on the cutting edge of technological development in many areas of media, from the proliferation of targeted magazines promoted by Playboy and Hustler, to the development of VHS, to the rise of the internet itself. We must remember that the basest of human desires are often the strongest influences on development and entrepreneurship. Encroachment on the liberty to pursue ones base desires (so long as they cause no direct harm) is encroachment on the kind of development and business spirit we need throughout the economy. Bravo to Marilyn Chambers for her innovative work in the industry and her contributions to freedom in America and around the world. RIP Ms. Chambers you will be missed.

The Left Doesn't Like Obama Much Either

2009-04-12T12:47:00.001-07:00

Motorhome Diaries

2009-04-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

I know I have been conspicuously absent in the past week or so. As some of you may know this blog does not pay my rent so I have been out busting my ass on several different jobs of late. I promise more in depth blogging is around the corner. I certainly have a lot to examine. There's the failing nature of the Obama foreign policy (or lack of one), there's the constant attempts to turn tragedy into justification for enslaving the masses and of course there is the utter failure of the administration to simply operate and staff it's offices. So more to come I assure you.

In the mean time, check out what Jason Talley, Tom Pearson, and Pete Eyre formerly of Bureaucrash, currently of Fr33agents, and most specifically Motorhome Diaries are doing. They are embarking on a grand adventure to tour the country in a motor home visiting with people who share the cause of liberty.

Hope to see you guys when you get out to Los Angeles at the end of April.

Goldman Sachs

2009-03-25T01:46:00.001-07:00

Goldman Sachs is looking at returning the $5b in TARP money that they received late last year. Street Insider has the news.

"Goldman also has the capital to pay back TARP, with a balance sheet with about $100 billion in available cash."

So tell me... If GS has $100b what is it that required our $5b so urgently. Why is it that just the threat of lost bonuses has sparked a hasty return? One wonders if it was necessary or wise to give away free money in a hurry.

Thoughts on Eminent Domain

2009-03-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

What the State can do to the richest of us at considerable expense, the State can do to the poorest of us at no expense. Where the poorest among us cannot afford to fight the state the rest of us are obligated to do so.

The guys over at fr33agents have some things to say on the issue.

More Good News for the Half-Dozen or so Appointees that Actually Work for the Obama Admin.

2009-03-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Federal Agents raided the former office of Vivek Kundra (the President's appointee for Chief Information Officer) this week as part of an investigation into corruption. As of yet Kundra is not a target of the investigation.

And Another One Gone

2009-03-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

Chas Freeman has withdrawn from his nomination as the Chairman of the National Intelligence Council when it came to light that he had significant ties to the Saudi and Chinese oil industries.

In related news we've acquired a document outlining the complex process by which the Obama admin. selects and vets candidates for presidential appointment.

Step 1. They divide up a 10 acre plot into one foot square parcels.

Step 2. Take a complete list of all current members of the Democratic party plus 50 wild card spots. Place one picture of one person on the list in each of the one foot squares.

Step 3. A herd of donkeys is released into the field and allowed to graze for the day

Step 4. Whoever the donkeys shit on, 'congratulations Mr./Ms. Political Appointee welcome to the team.'

Obama the Dow Killer

2009-03-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

Michael Boskin from the Stanford University Econ. Dept. takes on the agenda from the Obama admin. for what it is. A giant lie.

More Losses for O on the Nomination Front

2009-03-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta backed out of consideration for the post of Surgeon General this week. Though not yet formally nominated Gupta was widely understood to be the choice for the post within the Obama administration. Gupta sited family related priorities as his reason for withdrawing from consideration. I haven't heard yet if there are any rumors surfacing as to any deeper issues or anything relating to his vetting process. It may be that with a new baby on the way he simply doesn't want to uproot things with his family. The larger issue is that losing nominees is becoming the mark of the Obama presidency.

In related news Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's expected pick for his Deputy has withdrawn her name from consideration as well. Annette Nazareth a prominent former high level staffer at the SEC, has withdrawn for personal reasons as well. There's no indication that policy disputes or vetting related issues are involved in these 'personal reasons'.

With so many high level positions sitting vacant and a seemingly non-stop stream of legal and tax issues for those that have been chosen, its hard to imagine how things are getting done. There is a concern floating around that the Obama admin. is making sweeping policy decision in areas like the economy and health care in a time when it seems impossible for them to have the kind of advice structure in place to truly examine the potential risks in their strategy. The Bush admin. took heat repeatedly for a cowboy-like shoot-from-the-hip policy mentality but nothing they did comes close the wild swings in policy coming out of this admin. and it boggles the mind to think that there really aren't very many experts on board yet. And it's not just the blogosphere that notices. A great many people on Wall Street are sitting up and taking note of the fact that while the credit window is wide open there doesn't seem to be anybody minding the store.