My Dogs are Smarter

One & The Same

2011-06-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

On the same day that Jon Stewart states unequivocally that the NY Times does not work as a liberal activist organization, they pull an all-time great mental-gymnastics move to slime (or at least make the attempt) Justice Clarence Thomas.

Which one didn't get the memo?

That about Sums it Up

2011-06-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

9:30 AM PDT

2011-03-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

I hate Daylight Savings Time. This study out of UCSB makes a good case against the most absurd DST myth: energy savings.

Decide for yourself.

Smoke & Mirrors only go So Far

2011-03-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

TM notes: "Something isn't working". No kidding.

We work with flowers and it's easy to see when the bloom is off the roses. Nobody wants the President to come and ~~indoctrinate~~ address their graduating youth:

The White House is ramping up an effort to promote a nationwide competition to decide which high school wins a commencement speech by President Obama.

An internal White House memo indicates that the White House is facing a shortage of applications less than a week before the deadline.

The competition was extended from the February 25 deadline until Friday, March 11 after few schools met the original application deadline. CBS News has learned a White House Communications Office internal memo dated February 22 noted "a major issue with the Commencement Challenge."

"As of yesterday we had received 14 applications and the deadline is Friday," the memo said. The memo also urged recipients to, "please keep the application number close hold."

A follow-up memo on February 28 reported receipt of 68 applications. Noting the competition among more than 1,000 schools last year, the memo said, "Something isn't working." It called on staffers to ask "friendly congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral offices" to encourage schools to apply.

The President became president by fooling people into believing charisma and grandiose rhetoric were an actual accomplishment. The bloom is off the rose and people are beginning to notice just how empty the suit really is.

Keep telling yourself that!

2011-03-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

Pointing out the idiocy of Juan Williams used to be a hobby of mine. Then he went and started making sense; imagine how much of a monkey-wrench that threw into things!

Well, during yesterday's FNS panel discussion about Republican Presidential candidates, the idiot reappeared, if ever so briefly. It takes nearly all 9 minutes to get there, but the amazingly ridiculous statement in question comes at the 8:44 mark.

Making them Earn It

2011-03-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

The NY Times is going for the dough with an online pay model, details to be coming soon according to this report:

During a New York Press Club Q&A session at CUNY's Graduate School of Journalism, a man who identified himself as a retired reporter named Ken wanted to know why he should keep paying to receive the Grey Lady in hard copy.

"I subscribe to home delivery, but I get the next day's paper around 11:30 p.m. on the Internet," explained Ken, an older gentleman with a deep drawl. "The depth of the online edition is so vast," he said--and "the thinness of the print edition is so noticeable" as to be useless.

Keller clearly hadn't anticipated the question. "Um," he paused at the outset of his reply. "I'm not gonna argue that you should pay for something that you don't find useful. . . . I still personally like the print edition of the paper." For instance, "I like that I can read it on the subway," Keller continued. "I like that I can share it around the breakfast table. I like lying back in bed reading the newspaper better than I like lying back in bed reading the website on my iPad. ... But look, if you don't find that it's worth the money, I'm not gonna argue that you should donate to the New York Times as an act of charity."

Ken will soon be getting more bang for his buck. As a print subscriber, he won't be impacted when the Times moves forward with its long-delayed plans for erecting a metered paywall around its online content. Habitual online readers who don't buy the paper in print, however, will have to start paying for monthly access to nytimes.com. New York Times Co. chief executive Janet Robinson announced earlier this week that the set-up for the new online model is in its "final testing phase," and that "We expect it will launch shortly."

But "Will it be worth it?," is the bigger question.

One Man's Flimflammery is another Man's Crime

2011-03-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

Bill Gates on-stage in CA has this to say about Government accounting practices:

The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said state budgets have received a puzzling lack of scrutiny and have been "riddled with gimmicks" aimed at deferring or disguising the true costs of public employees' health care and pension obligations, citing California's ongoing budget crisis as an example of creative deficit spending and the subsequent cuts to education spending as an unacceptable cost.

"[R]eally, when you get down to it, the guys at Enron never would have done this. This is so blatant, so extreme," Gates said of state governments' accounting practices generally. "Is anyone paying attention to some of the things these guys do? They borrow money -- they're not supposed to, but they figure out a way -- they make you pay more in withholding to help their cashflow out, they sell off the assets, they defer the payments, they sell off the revenues from tobacco."

Gates argued that government accounting practices should be more like private accounting.

The Enron line of course is splashy and makes the headline at the Huffington Post. I wonder though if that assessment is wholly accurate; they wouldn't because they were more upstanding guys who understood how wrong it was or they wouldn't because they knew it was a one-way ticket to pound-me-in-the...well, you know...prison.

Government accounting rules, by necessity, are different than what us little guys here in the real world have to live with. Acknowledging for a moment that this is 100% necessary and true, I'm still left to wonder how this is okay. What does it say of a government that allows itself the luxury of what it willingly imprisons it's citizens for?

It's the Policies, Stupid (Or How I learned to stop worrying and love my Inner Racist)

2011-03-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

According to a Quinnipiac poll released this morning, 52% of voters disapprove of the President's policies. From the Topline summary:

Three out of four American voters - 74 percent - like President Barack Obama, but a narrow majority disapproves of his policies, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. President Obama gets a split 46 - 46 percent job approval rating, little changed from his 48 - 44 percent score January 13, and voters split 45 - 47 percent on whether they think he deserves a second term in the Oval Office.

Broken down by category, it's easy to see that, much like President Bush, the public likes the man but isn't so appreciative of what he's doing:

Voters disapprove 58 - 36 percent of the way Obama is handling the federal budget deficit, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. They say 51 - 10 percent that he will cut spending too little rather than too much, with 32 percent saying he'll cut the right amount, and 44 - 14 percent that he will raise taxes too much rather than too little, with 36 percent saying he'll get it right. By comparison, voters split 33 - 32 percent on whether congressional Republicans will cut spending too little or too much, with 29 percent saying they'll get it right, and by 33 - 25 percent they say GOP lawmakers will raise taxes too much rather than too little, as 36 percent say they'll get it right.

"President Barack Obama is a charmer. The American people like him a great deal, but they aren't nearly as sold on his policies. This combination of personal appeal and skepticism about his policies explains why his overall approval numbers seem to be stuck in the middle," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Having spent 3 1/2 years in market research certainly doesn't make me an expert but at the same time I look at this and it all makes reasonable sense unless there's something truly screwy in the sampling or a biased questionnaire. Seems pretty straight-forward, no?

Well, maybe not. Over at Pajamasmedia, Roger Simon notes that the President still seems hung-up on the issue of his black-ness:

In an an excerpt (linked in red on Drudge) from his new book, Family and Freedom: Presidents and African Americans in the White House, US News journalist Kenneth T. Walsh writes:

But Obama, in his most candid moments, acknowledged that race was still a problem. In May 2010, he told guests at a private White House dinner that race was probably a key component in the rising opposition to his presidency from conservatives, especially right-wing activists in the anti-incumbent “Tea Party” movement that was then surging across the country. Many middle-class and working-class whites felt aggrieved and resentful that the federal government was helping other groups, including bankers, automakers, irresponsible people who had defaulted on their mortgages, and the poor, but wasn’t helping them nearly enough, he said.

A guest suggested that when Tea Party activists said they wanted to “take back” their country, their real motivation was to stir up anger and anxiety at having a black president, and Obama didn’t dispute the idea. He agreed that there was a “subterranean agenda” in the anti-Obama movement—a racially biased one—that was unfortunate. But he sadly conceded that there was little he could do about it.

That was then and this is now and the assessment doesn't seem to have changed much. The left in general, including the President, still views things--far too many and far too much--through the prism of race.

Simon notes the seeming duality inherent in the President's thinking...he wants to be "post-racial" but is trapped, stuck in--or happy to stay in--his racial stereotypes and seemingly will remain there until he leaves the White House for the last time in early 2013 or '17. Sometimes there is no changing minds and people will believe what they believe.

Given a choice between the President's stereotypes and hard data showing a full 3 out of 4 like the man but hate the policies, it ought to be clear though.

It's the Policies, stupid!

Happy Anniversary

2011-03-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

A marvelous gift from staff at the shop. The adventure started four years ago this month...

If Government were a Corporation...

2011-03-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

I've been saying it for a while, and after seeing this today have decided I'd write it as well.

If the CA legislature and executives were a corporate board, I'd sue them for corporate malfeasance. The same can be said for the dummies in DC:

The unfunded liabilities of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid already exceed $106 trillion. That’s well over $300,000 for every man, woman and child in America (and exceeds the combined value of every U.S. bank account, stock certificate, building and piece of personal or public property).

Glenn Reynolds called it political malpractice. Well, to be clear, I haven't been saying that. Better A, better B...whatever you want to call it, it's criminal and far exceeds the excesses of Enron and those other greedy, nasty Evil Corporations.

You could tax 100% of earnings of 100% of the work-force for 100 years and not even begin to scratch the surface.

In the immortal words of Sheriff Brody...

2011-02-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

It's an Iconic quote. And it may become so again for far different reasons:

Malta's Valletta Harbor was full of EU warships from France, Germany, Britain and Malta. The port is known for its cruise ships, and tourists were busy snapping photos of the warships, while air forces from all around the EU, including Germany, Ireland, Austria and Britain, are holding ground in Malta.

President Obama has been under intense criticism for his muted response to the bloodshed in Libya, with speculation that Colonel Gaddafi had intimidated the White House into silence by blocking the evacuation of U.S. citizens.
And last night, while the Dolores remained stranded, the president enjoyed a White House pop concert in celebration of Black History Month.

Tony Munoz Editor of shipping magazine The Maritime Executive said: 'I don't understand why this vessel didn't leave earlier - The Maria Dolores is a new vessel built for Mediterranean seas.

'I can only imagine the captain was refusing to sail because he felt the vessel was not capable enough of taking the sea on.
Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Munoz said that there was no comparison between the 68 metre Dolores and the 204 metre Hellenic Spirit, used by the Greek government to evacuate its citizens from Benghazi.

'The U.S. needed to charter a bigger boat like the Greeks' he said.

'The fully hulled Spirit will be more durable outside a port, this much bigger vessel could take the rough seas on.

'There is no question about it, they [U.S.] should have been out of there long ago - why haven't they chartered a bigger boat like the Greeks or Turkish.

'At the very least, the government should have had a larger back up vessel on the way.'

Who put these clowns in charge of the country anyway?

Just for fun, here is Martin Brody in all his shark-hating glory:

The Lady in Red

2011-02-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

It's perhaps the most mind-blowing quote I've seen in quite some time. This entire episode comes to us courtesy of lookingattheleft.com.

As background, this little adventure took place earlier in the week in Denver as local unions stormed the streets in solidarity of their brothers & sisters in Wisconsin. Our friend in red got in the face of Black Republican Leland Robinson:

Next, this lady in red rudely got in Robinson’s face.
Lady in red: “I asked you a question: Do you have any children? That you claim, that you claim.”
Robinson: “Do I need children to understand what’s going on?”
Lady in red: “You need children to understand education.”
Robinson: “No I don’t.”
Bystander: “What did you mean when you said does he have any children that he claims?”
Lady in red: “Because he’s such a free spirit and an entrepreneur, I would assume that he’s not supporting children. …
(To Robinson:) You are a big-mouth take-care-of-yourself man. You don’t care about anyone.”
At this point, police interceded. Seeing a lone black man being shouted at by union goons, they decided it was better that he joined the tea party protest at the bottom of the stairs, where he would be safe.

Nothing to see here beyond some average, run-of-the-mill Union ridiculousness, right? And where's this mind-blowing quote? Well, for that we need actually to back up a bit:

At this point, an aggressive woman with a purple SEIU shirt assailed Robinson with a flurry of insults.

“That’s your problem. You’re an entrepreneur, so you don’t work. You don’t know what work is until you get into an educational area. … You’re uneducated, unethical, immoral, and you don’t know what life is. That’s your problem. Why don’t you go behind that fence where you belong? Why don’t you go back with your own kind?” She said this indicating towards the bottom of the Capitol Steps, where a couple of hundred tea partiers were gathered listening to speeches.

You're an entrepreneur, so you don't work. Unfortunately there is no picture of this sage, the speaker of truth about all-things entrepreneurial. A shame; I've always wanted to see what exactly the face of stupidity looks like.

They Used to Call it Stagflation

2011-02-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

Now they just wish it away.

Yesterday, the Rocket scientists in the White House had this to say about the recent surge in Oil prices:

Higher oil prices caused by unrest in the Middle East and North Africa are not at a level where they would derail the U.S. economic recovery, White House economist Austan Goolsbee said on Wednesday.

"Thus far, they're up, but we're not forecasting -- and you haven't seen the private forecasters forecasting -- that at these levels they would derail the recovery," Goolsbee said in a conference call discussing the president's annual economic report, which was released on Wednesday.

Meanwhile,later in the day some folks who've actually taken a Macro-Economics course and--even more importantly live and work with the rest of us in the real world--noted the effects that are already seen:

Rising energy prices threaten the global economic recovery, a big reason the stock market and prices of non-energy commodities have tumbled in recent days. Economists estimate each 1 cent increase in gas prices takes $1 billion out of consumers' pockets, making it the ultimate "tax" on Americans already struggling with high unemployment and falling home prices.

Here's a sample of how higher energy costs are hitting consumers from a variety of angles:

Gasoline prices: Average prices at the pump rose to $3.23 Thursday, the highest level since September 2008, according to AAA. Gas prices have jumped more than 7 cents per gallon in the past week and have already risen more than 7% so far in 2010, or about 30 cents per gallon.

Heating Oil: U.S. heating oil futures hit their highest level since late 2008 Wednesday ahead of key inventory data due out today. With much of the country suffering through a winter of extreme cold and frequent snowfall, there's no relief in sight for homeowners on the heating front.

Airfares: Airlines have already increased their fares four times this year vs. just three times in all of 2010, The NY Times reports. For every dollar that the price of oil rises, airlines face $1.6 billion in increased costs, Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association said in a speech in Tokyo earlier this week.

Your 401(k): Thanks to a two-year rally in financial assets and continuing contributions, the average balance of 401(k) managed by the Fidelity hit the highest level in 10 years, the mutual fund giant reported earlier this week. But that was before the Dow suffered its worst two-day decline since August; stocks, which still make up the bulk of most 401(k) plans, appear headed for another losing session Thursday.

Food prices: Higher transportation costs are likely to keep upward pressure on global food prices, which have risen dramatically in recent months. There is concern the unrest in the Middle East will prompt governments around the world to horde food supplies and raise subsidies in order to keep local food prices down and preempt unrest. However, wheat, corn and soybean prices have fallen sharply in recent days as the geopolitical uncertainty has spooked commodity speculators.

The Dollar: You might think higher energy prices would get the Federal Reserve worried about inflation, but that's not how Ben Bernanke is likely to see it. In fact, the threat higher oil prices pose to the economy might make the Fed more likely to keep rates at zero and embark on another round of quantitative easing (a.k.a. QE3). That's one reason the dollar is falling this week vs. other major currencies such as the euro, Swiss franc and yen.

In other words, just as American consumers face higher prices for necessities like gas and heating oil, the dollar literally doesn't go as far as it used to. With wages stagnant for most workers, that means this oil spike is going to be even more painful.

It's that last couple of lines that should scare the spit out of people...

(Jobs Saved + Jobs Created) - Jobs Lost = A Mess

2010-08-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Veronique de Rugy and the Mercatus Center. The chart breaks down job gains and job losses since passage of the ARRA in 2009 on a state-by-state basis. That is just ugly...

Coming for You

2010-03-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

We know who you are, we know what districts you live in and we're coming for your heads. Every last one of you.

The Thin-Skinned President

2010-02-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

An illuminating exchange between the President and Senator McCain at today's Health Care ~~Charade~~ Summit:

After Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) focused on issues in his wheelhouse — the dearth of transparency and wealth of special deals in Obamacare — and chastised Obama for failing to live up to his campaign promises to change the way Washington works and conduct health-care negotiations in front of C-SPAN cameras, the president got testy.

"We're not campaigning any more, John. The election is over," he said.

To which McCain responded, "I'm reminded of that every day."

Prickly, defensive...the President just can't take criticism.

Bury the Sucker

2010-02-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

A smidgen of common-sense:

Effort underway to suspend California's global-warming law

The L.A. Times reports:

Conservatives propose an initiative that would delay curbs on greenhouse gas emissions until the state's unemployment rate drops to 5.5%, a level not seen since 2007.

Which, the way they've run things in Sacramento means the bill won't ever see the light-of-day.

Our Senator

2010-02-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

"Can you do that by Executive Order...?"

The Senate is no place for stupid people.

No end to the Stupidity

2010-02-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

There is no end to the stupidity in Sacramento:

A free parking spot is one of life's little perks, and at one free lot, customers told us at a time when the price of everything seems to be going up, free parking is something they can still hang onto.

But in California, environmentalists say all that free parking comes at too high a cost- in greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists say if people drove less, there would be an environmental benefit.

With the support of green groups, the state senate passed a plan offering cities and counties financial incentives to slash the number of free parking spaces on the street and in government-owned lots, and to reduce the number of free spaces businesses are required to provide.

Sponsors suggest that will encourage people to walk, take the bus or even ride a bike. Critics say it's just another example of Sacramento Democrats' far left agenda.

My first reaction to hearing this last night, minus the epithet of course, was to wonder what else won't they try and regulate, control or otherwise attempt? This is agenda driven stupidity at it's extreme.

To see semi-local reaction, here is the news report from KEYT out of Santa Barbara from last evening.

Damn that Discretionary Budget!

2010-02-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

For everyone that decries the budget-busting Defense spending over the last 30 years...

Pic of the Day

2010-01-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

Really? A Teleprompter at a meeting? They'd still be laughing if his name were 'George'...

Freeze!

2010-01-26T08:19:00.000-08:00

The chart tells you what percentage of the Federal budget is subject to President Obama's announced "Freeze." It's like going to the doctor to have a wart removed and rather than freezing the offending growth, he burns the rest of your finger with liquid nitrogen

Still Not Getting It

2010-01-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

President Obama vs. Reality

Not Sunk in Yet?

2010-01-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

Maybe it hasn't. From earlier today

In a private meeting in the Capitol just now, a dozen or more House liberals bluntly told Nancy Pelosi that there was no chance that they would vote to pass the Senate bill in its current form — making it all but certain that House Dems won’t opt for this approach, a top House liberal tells me.

We cannot support the Senate bill — period,” is the message that liberals delivered to the Speaker, Dem Rep Raul Grijalva told me in an interview just now.

Some had hoped Pelosi would push liberals to get in line behind this approach, in hopes of expediting reform, but that didn’t appear to happen in this meeting. Pelosi mostly listened, Grijalva said, adding: “We didn’t get any declarative statement from her.”

The meeting, which was polite but blunt in tone, underscores the degree to which Dems are scrambling to figure out a way forward on health care in the wake of last night’s loss. The unwillingness of liberals, and some in labor, to support passing the Senate bill means House Dem leaders need to find another way forward — fast — and leadership aides are scouring procedural rules as we speak.

What part of losing the safest Senate seat in the Country don't they get?

Clownshow

2010-01-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

Doug at DownwithTyranny! made an ass of himself yesterday with as dubious a prediction as I can recall in some time: Doug Goes Out On A Limb-- Predicts Coakley By 10 Points Tomorrow.

I wanted to post about it yesterday but I thought better of it. But today, Doug is getting his just rewards. Folks in the comments are letting him hear about it, some not so kindly; humorously but not kindly.

It's like he set himself up:

This is a good test of my thinking. Am I looking at politics and thinking about this election rationally, or am I just being an optimist, hoping that voters are still sensible people who won’t elect candidates from the Beavis and Batshit wing of the Republican Party? Okay, I’m going to take a deep breath, and say this: Coakley wins by 10%. The third party candidate gets 3%. Massachusetts is a Democratic state.

Really, no one who works in politics can predict an individual election with any degree of confidence, not an election where both candidates have wide recognition and have run credible campaigns, meaning they’ve reached most voters several times. I base this on a simple premise: anyone who actually could consistently predict these elections would be making their living betting on them, would be rich, and we wouldn’t be hearing from them on websites or on the news.

You can only know what usually happens, what is most likely to be true, what would be a practically unprecedented result. Don’t go searching through the evidence for secret portents or unique local factors. If you do, you’ll be a very smart person who ends up saying some very silly things.

UPDATE: It'll make his head explode but watching Frank Luntz's focus group might provide some insight for Doug on how he could be so magnificently wrong.

Who'da Thunk!?

2010-01-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

Scott Brown does it! Some thoughts:

This is what Her Majesty had to say yesterday. What will Nancy say tomorrow?

Juan Williams on Sean Hannity's program suggested that the President will keep to his promise to 'double-down' on an agenda that seems to be getting less and less popular, public opinion be damned. Will they stick to it? I find it hard to believe that smart pols can be that thick but who knows. If they do, I still stand by this: There will be bodies in the street come November.

There is apparently at least one grown up in the Senate. And maybe a second.

Finally, on what comes next, Mark Steyn quotes an anonymous emailer calling for a "Boxer Rebellion." From his lips to God's ears.

Bodies in the Streets

2010-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

With a Scott Brown win in Massachusetts becoming an actual possibility, there has been much speculating in the last few days about how Congressional Democrats might deal with the loss of their 60-seat majority in passing a Health Care bill. Here is one potentiality:

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Mon, January 18, 2010 — 7:09 PM ET

Democrats Seeking to Push Senate Health Bill Through House

The White House and Democratic Congressional leaders, scrambling for a backup plan to rescue their health care legislation if Republicans win the special election in Massachusetts on Tuesday, are preparing to ask House Democrats to approve the Senate version of the bill, which would send the measure directly to President Obama for his signature.

Should they try this or attempt the other oft-talked-about solution of passing somehting via reconciliation, I do not doubt for one second there will be bodies in the streets of DC come November 2nd.

Could have Told you That!

2010-01-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

December sales were down and 2009 a year of record bad retail numbers: Retail sales fell in December as demand for autos, clothing and appliances all slipped, a disappointing finish to a year in which sales had the largest drop on record.

The weakness in consumer demand highlighted the formidable hurdles facing the economy as it struggles to recover from the deepest recession in seven decades.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that retail sales declined 0.3 percent in December compared with November, much weaker than the 0.5 percent rise that economists had been expecting. Excluding autos, sales dropped by 0.2 percent, also weaker than the 0.3 percent rise analyst had forecast.

For the year, sales fell 6.2 percent, the biggest decline on records that go back to 1992. The only other year that annual sales fell was in 2008, when they slipped by 0.5 percent.

Our December was right in line with the rest of 4Q09, right around 20% off of last year's numbers. If there's an economic rebound but you've gone out of business, did it really happen?

Bueller-esque

2010-01-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

I got to spend part of my morning at the local DMV office, as today is a day when they are actually open. California long ago adopted the sophisticated 'take a number' approach to handling walk-in traffic and today there was a sizable crowd waiting to be helped when I arrived.

Thankfully, I had planned ahead and scheduled an appointment. About two-thirds of the way through not-resolving my issues our reverie was broken by the sound of the clerk working the far-end of the counter calling for the next number. And the next number. And the number after that.

Finally, in a very uncharacteristic display of humor for a state employee she just blurted out "Anyone with a number...." I didn't see who stepped up to the counter.

Racist Vote Records

2010-01-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

Apparently voting records are now racist:

First, Reid’s allies plan to distribute the NAACP vote ratings of Republican senators who have scolded him. The data will be made available to editorial boards, cable programs and the blogosphere — including votes on minimum wage, community-oriented policing, education funding and HIV/AIDS programs.

Separately, the Congressional Black Caucus plans to issue a new statement Monday, defending Reid and brushing back Republicans.

“Senator Reid’s record provides a stark contrast to actions of Republicans to block legislation that would benefit poor and minority communities — most recently reflected in Republican opposition to the health bill now under consideration,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said. “I look forward to Senator Reid continuing to serve as Majority Leader to guide this important agenda through the Senate.”

Like Glenn said...Meh.

Obligatory Sports Asterisk

2010-01-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

"I did it," or How Mark McGwire Used Steroids and ~~Lied About It~~ Covered It Up.

Kill it Dead

2010-01-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Dead Senator walking, Chris Dodd (D-Ct) says Health Care to be "hanging by a thread."

Embarrassing

2010-01-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

Arnold had a good first couple of years in Sacramento but over the last four years has devolved into a huge embarrassment of a politician. Cue this ridiculous statement.

Weather

2010-01-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

A view of the odd cloud formations that hit town about 5 o'clock this evening. Shot from the parking lot behind the shop.

Getting Old but Fast

2010-01-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's all Bush's fault.

Silver Lining

2010-01-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Energy prices fall in wake of bad jobs report.

Competing Views

2010-01-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

The December job report hit today and was a disappointment for folks who thought the economy was turning a corner; Unemployment remains at 10% but the economy, rather than adding jobs, shed an additional 85,000.

Bob Stein of First Trust Advisers doesn't think it's all bad news:

However, the other data in the report suggest payroll growth will start again very soon. I say "again" because revisions to last months' data show that payrolls increased 4,000 in November, the first gain in two years. Two other positive numbers jumped out of the report. First, finance/insurance jobs increased 10,000, the most in three years. Second, temp employment — traditionally a leading sign of labor demand — increased for the fifth straight month. Meanwhile, the total number of hours worked in the private sector were unchanged in December, remaining 0.6 percent above the bottom in October. Given the economic growth we've had since the summer, the jobless rate probably peaked at 10.1 percent in October. Unemployment ticked down to 10.0 percent in November and held there in December. The jobless rate will not decline every month, but is likely to be significantly lower by late next year.

Hhhmmm. A glimmer of hope? Maybe. But then came James Pethoukis:

1. Remember this simple formula: Unemployment drives presidential approval numbers and presidential approval numbers drive midterm election results.

2. President Barack Obama’s approval numbers are hovering just a tick below 50 percent. Since 1962, the average House midterm loss for the president’s party when his approval is sub-50 percent is 41 seats. The GOP needs 40 to take the House.

3. And make no mistake, the December unemployment numbers were bad both economically and politically. The 85,000 job loss was worse than expected and will be played that way the media. The continuation of a double-digit unemployment also resonates with voters. And not a in a good way.

4. Then will come the second-take stories that will notice the shrinking labor force, which dropped by nearly 700,000 from November. Had it stayed stable for last month, the jobless rate would have been 10.4 percent. Had it stayed stable since August, the jobless rate would be 11 percent!

5. But wait, there’s more! The U-6 rate rate which combines the basic jobless rate, discouraged workers, part-timers-who-would-rather-be-full-tim ers climbed to 17.3 percent. And the average duration of unemployment rose to a record high 29.1 weeks.

6. Also, there is every indication that as the slowly growing economy eventually draws workers back in the labor force, the jobless rate will creep up to new highs. (Big companies remain cautious about hiring, and small biz remains under pressure due to tight capital markets.) The validity of the Obama recovery plan will seriously be cast in doubt.

7. The sickly labor market will also make is that much harder for the White House and Hill Dems to celebrate what is likely to be a brisk upcoming GDP report in the 4-5 percent range. That seems like an abstract number compared to the unemployment rate.

8. Combine a weak labor market – which may appear to be getting worse to voters – with the moribund housing market and rising gas prices, and you got a toxic triple threat that will be poisonous to Democratic incumbents and further drain Obama’s political capital

Granted, their takes come from different angles but what to think?

Obligatory Sports Post

2010-01-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Politico reports this morning that one-time Pony Express rider and current ESPN football analyst Craig James is considering a run for the US Senate: James told WFAA-TV that he’s testing the waters for a Senate race for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s seat. Hutchison is running for governor, and has said she would be stepping down from office sometime this year.

James told the station that he’s been meeting with prominent Texas Republican donors in order to raise his political profile, and will be the keynote speaker at an upcoming conservative policy luncheon being attended by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. John Cornyn.

“I'm a Texan. I’m concerned for our country,” he said. “I disagree with the approach that we're having, things that are taking place, and so whatever door opens up, I’ll look at it, if and when it opens up,” James said.

While James might fancy himself as a future politician, he’d have a tough time winning many votes in west Texas right now. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to call James one of the most loathed people in in Lubbock, where many students and alumni are blaming him for losing their successful coach.

Well, there is that...

Proving the Axiom

2010-01-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

Another example of the old axiom that what starts in California follows in the rest of the country, or in this particular case, if it's a bad idea it, undoubtedly, came from California:

The trick, when looking at the new withholding tax tables for 2010 as compared to post-stimulus 2009, buries an increase in federal withholding taxes–for all income categories–basically giving the government an interest-free loan until current year taxes are filed next year. Some would blame the increase in withholding on the Making Work Pay tax credit being spread out over 12 months as compared to 2009, which was only over 9 months, but this would be impossible as some middle class wage categories carry an increase in the withholding tax of over $200 per pay period.

Unlike the middle class wage earners, who are going to see huge amounts taken out of their paychecks, unless they increase their exemptions on their W4 form, it’s an increase that most wouldn’t even notice–$10 or $20 in some cases.

So now the rest of the country can enjoy loaning the Feds an extra bit of their check every two weeks just as the unfortunate citizens of California have been doing for the past few months. On the bright side, avoiding this bit of chicanery is an unexpected benefit of being unemployed.

What's Killing Us

2010-01-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

Why is Entitlement spending non-discretionary?

Who knew he was that Smart?

2010-01-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

Former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown laments what California has done to itself:

If we as a state want to make a New Year's resolution, I suggest taking a good look at the California we have created. From our out-of-sync tax system to our out-of-control civil service, it's time for politicians to begin an honest dialogue about what we've become.

Take the civil service.

The system was set up so politicians like me couldn't come in and fire the people (relatives) hired by the guy they beat and replace them with their own friends and relatives.

Over the years, however, the civil service system has changed from one that protects jobs to one that runs the show.

The deal used to be that civil servants were paid less than private sector workers in exchange for an understanding that they had job security for life.

But we politicians, pushed by our friends in labor, gradually expanded pay and benefits to private-sector levels while keeping the job protections and layering on incredibly generous retirement packages that pay ex-workers almost as much as current workers.

Talking about this is politically unpopular and potentially even career suicide for most officeholders. But at some point, someone is going to have to get honest about the fact that 80 percent of the state, county and city budget deficits are due to employee costs.

Either we do something about it at the ballot box, or a judge will do something about in Bankruptcy Court. And if you think I'm kidding, just look at Vallejo.

Color me dumbstruck.

Going to War?

2010-01-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

Erick Erickson lays out his thoughts about the recent killing of CIA employees last week in this post at Red State. Erick suggests that the President's public 'outpouring' over these deaths poses a threat to the Agency:

People tell me the President’s rush to acknowledge the attack on the CIA in Afghanistan and mourn the deaths openly, publicly, and via press release is a huge no no. The CIA and greater intelligence community would prefer not to have the attention put on them. Additionally, because the President took the time to draft a blanket statement focused on the CIA in general instead of individually and more privately focusing on the families of the victims, it acknowledges the CIA’s work in Afghanistan, acknowledges that the attack has an impact on the CIA, and gives the terrorists a new recruiting tool — “you too can cause America to publicly mourn the loss of their spies.”

An interesting thought but what really caught my attention was the addendum to the original post:

UPDATED: Take the information above and couple it with this. The White House is subtly blaming the intelligence community for the failure to deduce the Delta/Northwest attack.

Why?

Presidential aides are concerned that Obama will somehow be unfairly accused of dropping the ball on the fight against terrorist in Yemen

Because the President is worried about being blamed, the White House is trying to blame the CIA while at the same time undermining the CIA through a rush to publicize the Afghan attack.

What Erick describes sounds to me like the beginnings of yet another fight with the Agency, akin to what we saw last year with Speaker Pelosi calling the Agency a bunch of liars when it came to intel briefings about waterboarding years earlier. So, if the President is blaming the agency that's not going to go over well at Langley.

As we witnessed over the last 8 years, when push comes to shove the Agency can damage the President greatly. Adding to this also is the potential for exposing CIA operatives to legal prosecution over interrogation methods which may come to light in the trials of KSM and others when those start.

So my question is simply this: Will the CIA declare war on another President?

Year in Review

2009-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

Ode to Guinness

2009-12-29T09:40:00.000-08:00

Not the beer, the dog.

Lacy's very first puppy pal was a black Lab mix belonging to a co-worker of my wife. He was a rescue animal so was not always sure about his place in strange circumstances, as visits to our home and puppy play-dates with a 5-month old Lab surely were.

According to his owner, he was skittish with all men though by the time he and his mom left Phoenix, Guinness had warmed, at least some, to me and gladly accepted a rawhide or two when he came to visit. All in all he was a mellow little guy and likable as could be.

The Christmas letter from Chris & Patty was late this year and only arrived last night. In it we learned that Guinness had succumbed after a very short battle with cancer in May.

Be good little man.

Be Sure to Drink Your Ovaltine

2009-12-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

It's hard to escape A Christmas Story as it's become what It's a Wonderful Life used to be, namely, if not the most watched Christmas movie around at least the most available Christmas movie on television.

After watching it again on Christmas Eve Ralphie's run-in with reality became emblematic for me of a question that Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit has asked off and on all year: Who, exactly, are the rubes? And how many after a brief moment of clarity share Ralphie's sense of betrayal.

4 Retirements and a Defection

2009-12-22T09:03:00.000-08:00

Politico reports this morning that Southern Democrat Rep Parker Griffith (D-AL) is switching parties:

Rep. Parker Griffith, a freshman Democrat from Alabama, will announce today that he’s switching parties to become a Republican.

According to two senior GOP aides familiar with the decision, the announcement will take place this afternoon in Griffith's district in northern Alabama.

Griffith’s party switch comes on the eve of a pivotal congressional health care vote and will send a jolt through a Democratic House Caucus that has already been unnerved by the recent retirements of a handful of members who, like Griffith, hail from districts that offer prime pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2010.

The switch represents a coup for the House Republican leadership, which had been courting Griffith since he publicly criticized the Democratic leadership in the wake of raucous town halls during the summer.

Griffith, who captured the seat in a close 2008 open seat contest, will become the first Republican to hold the historically Democratic, Huntsville-based district. A radiation oncologist who founded a cancer treatment center, Griffith plans to blast the Democratic health care bill as a prime reason for his decision to switch parties—and is expected to cite his medical background as his authority on the subject.

It appears that House Democrats may be getting nervous. They read polls, regardless of what they may or may not say about them and perhaps, at least a number of them, see where their party is and it aint anywhere near where the public is at this point.

Griffith's defection seems significant in that he is but a freshman member and a Blue Dog. The jump from D to R isn't a great leap as Politico notes but important given where his Alabama district is: Though it has never elected a Republican to Congress, Griffith’s seat has a long conservative tradition and has backed Democrats who have a brand independent from the national party. As a result of the district’s Democratic heritage, Democrats still hold the majority of state legislative seats within the 5th Congressional District’s boundaries.

The district, however, is trending Republican: A wave of new residents is moving into the Huntsville suburbs, where the area’s burgeoning aerospace and defense industries have created a miniboom. And those voters, with fewer ties to the area’s past politics, have been reliably Republican at the national level.

They can't Arrest all of Us

2009-12-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

Nick Gillespie at Reason wonders aloud how many people will ignore a Federal mandate to buy health insurance. Given the history of ignoring other such legal ultimatums, it's an interesting thought exercise.

There's lots of bravado in the comments about being willing to be a 'test case' but it all made me wonder; how many people in non-compliance would it take to grind that nonsense to a screeching halt?

Pimps, Whores & Idiots

2009-12-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse piles on after the events surrounding Healthcare reform over the weekend. In the best tradition of liberals everywhere, the Senator resorts to insults in describing opposition to Healthcare reform:

"Voting 'no' and hiding from the vote are the same result. Those of us on the floor see it. It was clear the three of them who did not cast their yes votes until all 60 Senate votes had been tallied and it was clear that the result was a foregone conclusion. And why? Why all this discord and discourtesy, all this unprecedented destructive action? All to break the momentum of our new young president.

They are desperate to break this president. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of President Barack Obama. The birthers, the fanatics, the people running around in right-wing militia and Aryan support groups, it is unbearable to them that President Barack Obama should exist. That is one powerful reason. It is not the only one."

With all un-due respect Senator, you can stuff that nonsense back down your pie-hole and choke on it. People don't want this bill because of what's in it, not because of who is for it.

Pimps & Whores

2009-12-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

Roger Kimball writes after learning of Senator Ben Nelson's decision to fall in with the other 59 Democrats: The good news is that today, December 19, 2009, is the day we got clarity on the Obama-Pelosi-Reid effort to steal medical care and call it “reform.”

I hope that Ben enjoys his final two years in the Senate.
OK, that’s not quite right. Since it was Ben Nelson of Nebraska that finally got Harry Reid his desperately needed 60th vote for socialized medicine, I hope 1) that the next two year are unpleasant for Sen. Nelson and 2) that he loses in 2012 by a landslide.

I’m still not being entirely candid. Nelson is a pathetic pawn in this game. He’s history and I hope he has plans for a new day job. He’ll need ‘em.

He's obviously angry but it comes across to me as somehow, almost muted. Or perhaps, despite being a writer, he--like me--can't find the words to adequately express the anger.

As was noted this morning on the FNS panel, everyone has a price and Senator Nelson settled on his yesterday. Moving past the anger for a moment, it becomes apparent that the true cost of this for Nelson and the other 59 pro-votes is minimal.

Yes, it's true they may lose their seats. But they--and many of them for decades--live on our dime and will continue so until the day they die enjoying their gold-plated Federal health benefits all the while, BTW.

They pay no real price for being gloriously wrong about the negative effects of this "reform" should they come to pass.

2009-12-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

The photo at MSN.com this morning, next to the linked headline that reads: Obama Accepts Nobel With 'Great Humility'. Perhaps I've missed something along the way but the President I've been watching doesn't give off much of an air of humility.

Trendlines

2009-12-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

It's official. President Obama's Disapproval rating, as an average, is higher than his Approval rating.

For a while now some polls have already been there while others have slowly followed suit. Pollster.com has compiled the average, and as of today, this is where we are. Were I a member of the Administration, the trendlines would bother me. Bigtime.

It's still the economy, Stupid!

2009-12-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Byron York highlights the assessment of Democrat operatives James Carville and Stan Greenberg. It aint pretty:

All in all, it's a perilous situation for Democrats taking their House and Senate majorities into next year's elections. "The slow recovery and continued job losses, combined with Wall Street bailouts, big bonuses, government takeovers, deficits and possible gridlock are an ugly brew," Carville and Greenberg write. "For Democrats to reverse the slide in their standing, they need to focus with urgency on jobs."

Urgency -- that's the key word, and the reason for Obama's "Jobs Summit." But voters know Democratic leaders haven't shown that urgency about jobs, and are in fact working 24/7 to pass a national health care bill that isn't the country's top priority. What "The Economy and Politics of 2010" shows is that this could be a very costly mistake.

Suffice to say, if they keep doing what they're doing Congressional Dems will get slaughtered. There will be collateral damage in Republican seats but the Dems will get slaughtered.

Guilty Pleasure #263

2009-12-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Reliving my youth last night driving home with the radio turned way up loud.

Fitting in a sort of 'shoot me in the head' kind of way

2009-12-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

Fitting indeed that the Senate's Dimmest Bulb chairing the Committee that may or may not hold hearings on Climategate.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!

2009-12-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

Politico points out the irony of all ironies today---President Obama's Afghan Strategy is being heavily criticized by ~~Dick Cheney~~ Darth Vader on the right and ~~Edward R. Murrow~~ Keith Olbermann on the left.

My head hurts...make it stop!

Have you no Perspective!?

2009-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Over at Politico's Arena today lots of folks are taking their turn at Vice President Cheney's remarks on Afghanistan. Most of them appear to be academics and more than a few Democratic political types...folks you would commonly refer to as 'operatives' in some cases. Regardless of the labels, the outrage is palpable.

Meanwhile, the contrast between conservative criticism of President Obama's cautious decision-making on Afghanistan and the Democrat's criticism of the previous Administration's handling of...well, everything...is, ironically, on display for all to see (at least at this writing) on Politico's home page where Rep. Maurice Hinchey accuses President Bush of purposefully allowing Osama Bin Laden to escape Tora Bora:

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) on Monday accused former President George W. Bush of “intentionally” letting Osama bin Laden escape during the American invasion of Afghanistan.

“Look what happened with regard to our invasion into Afghanistan, how we apparently intentionally let bin Laden get away,” Hinchey said during an interview on MSNBC.

“That was done by the previous administration because they knew very well that if they would capture al Qaeda, there would be no justification for an invasion in Iraq,” the Democratic congressman continued. “There’s no question that the leader of the military operations of the U.S. called back our military, called them back from going after the head of al Qaeda.”

When host David Shuster followed up to ask if Hinchey really thought Bush “deliberately let Osama bin Laden get away,” the congressman responded: “Yes, I do.”

Rory Cooper of the Heritage Foundation rightly exposes the contrast between Democrat reaction to President Bush (even now, having been gone long enough to have had a third child) and Cheney's criticism of President Obama's decision-making process and it's consequences for the military forces already in Aghanistan.

Read the criticisms of Cheney and agree if you like. But don't let the differences between his comments and the 8 years of Bush-rants escape you.

Got a problem?

2009-11-30T11:03:00.000-08:00

Our New Lt. Governor

2009-11-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

The Good News

My State Senator, Abel Maldonado was tabbed yesterday as the Governator's choice for Lt. Governor to replace California's newest member of Congress, John Garamendi. Maldonado began his political career as mayor of Santa Maria, eventually moving into the state legislature where he hitched his wagon to Governor Schwarzenegger. That loyalty has now paid off...

I have to say that in my 4 years as a constituent of the good Senator, I've not been overly impressed. The good news in all of this as far as I'm concerned is that now that he's moving into a notoriously un-important and un-productive position, he can't cause too much more mischief for the state (Thank you again for the 1% sales-tax increase and the waste of time that was the May special election).

The Bad News

It's not been a very well-kept secret that Maldonado has his eyes on higher state office and this is an easy first-step. As the incumbent Lt. Governor he will have a leg up on the Republican Gubernatorial nomination, a contingency that didn't exist while Garamendi filled the slot.

Hiding the Decline

2009-11-23T10:29:00.000-08:00

A bit about the NY Times response to the hacking/leaking of sensitive emails surrounding the climate change debate:

The NYT’s environmental blog, Dot Earth, covered the disclosure of e-mails and other files from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, noted that the files are available on various other website, but did not reproduce any files on its site. As Andrew Revkin explained in the post:

The documents appear to have been acquired illegally and contain all manner of private information and statements that were never intended for the public eye, so they won’t be posted here.

Am I wrong in thinking that this is a change in policy for the NYT? Hasn’t the Grey Lady published illegally obtained documents on national security and other matters in the past?

As I posted earler this morning, there are reasons to believe these documents were released by an internal whistleblower, rather than an external hacker. If so, would the same considerations apply? My initial thought is that arguments against publishing hacked documents might not apply to those disclosed by a whistleblower. In any event, it seems these documents contain substantial material of legitimate public interest, and this interest is not diminished by the way in which the documents were obtained. I readily concede that if the documents were stolen, as it appears, the individual responsible should be prosecuted, but this is a separate question from whether to disseminate the contents of the documents themselves.

Hide the Decline indeed (Well, they are trying).

What the President Accomplished on his Trip to Asia

2009-11-23T10:21:00.001-08:00

What Happened to Chris Matthews' Leg?

2009-11-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

Maverick: "She's lost that tingling feeling."

Goose: "I hate when she does that."

With Love, From Britain

2009-11-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

Don't forget, the world loves us now that W is gone...

UPDATE: Victor Davis Hanson along those lines: Add it all up and there is a growing sense that America is in fact hemorrhaging — as both friends and enemies abroad smell blood in the water. The president through conciliation and concession — not to mention constant talk — is trying to superficially restore the influence we once earned by virtue of our economic power and self-confidence in our exceptional past and singular values.

But being both loud and vulnerable is not a winning combination, since political influence and military power are ultimately predicated on economic strength.

The United States needs to re-establish itself as financially credible and responsible so that when we lecture — about everything from global warming to Iranian nukes — we do so from a position of strength. That means we need to stop borrowing other nations’ money.

America also can’t afford to keep importing high-priced oil that we won’t produce at home. And we should stop promising ever-more government entitlements to ever-more voters that we can’t even begin to pay for.

For as we continue in our self-indulgence, a more defiant world seems to be saying that the old rules of the game have changed. In response, America should keep quieter abroad — and try finding a bigger stick.

This is competence?

2009-11-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

Jobs in non-existent Congressional Districts that none can explain:

...the chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, had to inform Rep. Darrell Issa that "the board can’t vouch for the numbers submitted by recipients of stimulus funding."

Now, Ed Pound, director of communications for Recovery.gov, has stepped in it too. When asked to explain the phenomenon of stimulus-related job creation in non-existent congressional districts, Pound told the New Orleans Times-Picayune, "who knows, man, who really knows."

Remember how the other guy couldn't get anything right? If only...

He just doesn't Get It

2009-11-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

Time didn't allow for comments yesterday on the Administration's decision to try 9/11 mastermind KSM in Manhattan. Today does.

This is insane. Never minding the argument about which perception of the larger issue--'criminal' vs. 'military'--is correct, there are dozens of reasons this is a bad idea; in fact, brain-dead idea.

I'm not where other folks are but I'm almost here:

It's impossible, really, to caricature this White House; even Josiah Bartlett didn't run through this many liberal stereotypes in his first season. Obama needs new writers. Blow up the World Trade Center and kill 3,000 Americans? Jail! Don't buy health insurance? Jail! Win the Nobel Prize for doing jack squat. Travel to Copenhagen to beg and grovel unsuccessfully for the Olympics, and pledge to go visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but blow off traveling to Berlin to commemorate the victory of freedom over Communism (then give a tepid speech on the subject that refuses to acknowledge Ronald Reagan). Commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland by unilaterally abandoning missile defense installations in Poland. Insult and disdain one faithful ally after another - Britain, India, Israel, Poland, Colombia, you name it - and cozy up to our enemies, with nothing to show for it - nothing to show for anything he's done in foreign affairs. All but ignore democratic protests in Iran while supporting an illegal effort by Honduras' president to stay on beyond the end of his term. Suddenly complain about corruption and electoral fraud in Afghanistan, while seeking the favor of Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadenijad and Vladimir Putin - heck, Obama endorsed half a dozen people in Chicago more corrupt than Hamid Karzai. On and on and on we go, with President Apology constantly straining to run down his country's record and talk up the propagandized view of history of its enemies. He's taken more time to "evaluate" General McChrystal's recommendations about Afghan policy than it took George W. Bush to invade Afghanistan and capture Kabul after September 11. It would be funny if it wasn't tragically stupid and bound to get people killed. There is no mistake of our past that Obama is unwilling to remake.

If there's an upside to all this, after months of watching KSM up close, even liberal New Yorkers may be ready to give Dick Cheney a medal.

Combine it with the navel-gazing on Afghanistan and I'm running out of reasons to even pretend to give the President the benefit of the doubt on any of these high-profile issues. Is it willful? Is it incompetence? What explains it?

The Mockery of it All

2009-11-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

Or everything AP at least. The ROI on this is atrocious so I wonder what the guys in the Finance office think:

If you wonder why American newspapering is dying, consider this sign-off:

AP writers Matt Apuzzo, Sharon Theimer, Tom Raum, Rita Beamish, Beth Fouhy, H. Josef Hebert, Justin D. Pritchard, Garance Burke, Dan Joling and Lewis Shaine contributed to this report.

Wow. That's ten "AP writers" plus Calvin Woodward, the AP writer whose twinkling pen honed the above contributions into the turgid sludge of the actual report. That's 11 writers for a 695-word report. What on? Obamacare? The Iranian nuke program? The upcoming trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?

No, the Associated Press assigned 11 writers to "fact-check" Sarah Palin's new book, and in return the 11 fact-checkers triumphantly unearthed six errors. That's 1.8333333 writers for each error. What earth-shattering misstatements did they uncover for this impressive investment?

Nothing worth mentioning, though Steyn does go on to include the ~~horrors~~ errors. Suffice to say, AP paid 11 people an undetermined amount of money to pick at nits.

As an added bonus, Steyn goes on to note the free transcription services provided by Media Matters.

Correlation is not Causation

2009-11-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

But this is interesting...

Nostalgia

2009-11-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Remember the horrors of 6.4% unemployment?

I do. Fondly.

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my Dad, my Father-in-Law, my Uncles and numerous friends who have, at one time or another, worn a uniform and traveled to who-knows-where as members of the US military.

Mugged by Reality

2009-11-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. President,

Your unstimulus sucks. Any chance now you'd like to try something that might actually help the economy move forward?

Question of the Day: Is it a crime when the State steals?

2009-11-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

And that is what they are doing:

Starting Sunday, cash-strapped California will dig deeper into the pocketbooks of wage earners -- holding back 10% more than it already does in state income taxes just as the biggest shopping season of the year kicks into gear.

Technically, it's not a tax increase, even though it may feel like one when your next paycheck arrives. As part of a bundle of budget patches adopted in the summer, the state is taking more money now in withholding, even though workers' annual tax bills won't change.

Think of it as a forced, interest-free loan: You'll be repaid any extra withholding in April. Those who would receive a refund anyway will receive a larger one, and those who owe taxes will owe less.

Just so we're all clear...you're going to take more than what I rightfully owe as determined under state law based on my W-4 witholdings and you're going to 'apply' it in some sort of accounting gimmick to make your bad financial situation look only slightly worse? Why, yes: The extra withholding may seem like a small amount siphoned from each paycheck, but it adds up to a $1.7-billion fix for California's deficit-riddled books.

And the timing couldn't be better: Brittney McKaig, 23, of Santa Ana said she expects the additional withholding to affect her holiday spending.

"Coming into the holidays, we're getting squeezed anyway," she said. "We're not getting Christmas bonuses and other perks we used to get. So it all falls back on spending. The $40 gift will become a $20 gift."

As a small business owner, I'm especially looking forward to that...not enough when you're in a state that is performing worse than the national economy and a community that is performing even worse than the state. And when you add this on top of the sales tax increase (1%) earlier in the year, I'd say the state has bent over backwards to make life as difficult as possible for small businesses, especially in retail.

Veronique de Rugy noticed this earlier today over at the Corner and asked a question that I screamed out at the computer on Saturday when I first read this; namely, is this legal? She posted a reader response later in the day from, I can only presume, somebody with at least a quasi-legal background:

This is a gray area, and if the right paintiff emerges (probably a large private-sector union local) then it could go to the U.S. Supreme Court. My guess is that there are plenty of justices who would not be readily convinced regarding the coincidence of a state cash-flow crisis and the "discovery" of a need to boost a formula developed to be reasonably related to what taxpayers should owe.

This is just another piece in a mosaic of idiocy that has been sewn together over the last 10 years in Sacramento. If it weren't going to do so much damage to so many people (including my family), I would just sit back and laugh as this state collapses under the weight of it's own idiocy. But it will damage too many far too much by the time all is said and done for that.

As to what to do...I'm sure I don't know. In any just world we'd show up in Sacramento with the torches & pitchforks and pound some sense into their heads.

What is that?

2009-11-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

An Hour here, an Hour There

2009-10-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

Heh. From Saturday, the same day that the President declared Swine Flu a 'national emergency.' The jokes are obvious but Mark Tapscott at DC Examiner makes the serious point as well as anybody.

And That is That

2009-10-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

I'm disgusted. TJ Simers says it well:

The Dodgers had the best start, the best record for a long time, and finished with the top mark in the National League -- squandering it all, the home-field advantage and all that success, to finish exactly as they did a year ago.

God is not Funny

2009-10-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

I don't find this the least bit funny:

Rollins lined a two-run double with two outs in the ninth inning off All-Star closer Jonathan Broxton and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied past the Dodgers, 5-4, Monday night for a 3-1 lead in the series.

Rollins? Jimmy Rollins? That Jimmy Rollins!?

Good Lord...guy's not hitting his weight in the playoffs after a year of epic suckage and he all but knocks his team into the World Series.

$%@$%^&*((*^%^&**&^%$#$$%%^^%$(*#;!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Management is Hard...

2009-10-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Bad Management is Everywhere. That's something I tend to save for the world of business but it's also applicable to the world of politcs as Jim Gerahty notes:

Democratic California lieutenant governor John Garamendi is running for Congress, in that special election in the district near San Francisco, and the expectation is that despite his flaws as a candidate, the fact that it's a heavily Democratic district should save him.

But . . . maybe not. Besides the fact that he looks silly on the stump, insisting questioners not use "the T-word" — taxes — his campaign is looking pretty amateurish.

For starters, Garamendi's campaign sent out a mailer, accusing Republican rival David Harmer of supporting "off shoring jobs" and citing a story from Utah's Deseret News from April 23, 2004.

Except that story wasn't about the David Harmer running for Congress; it was about Utah's executive director of the State Department of Community and Economic Development David Harmer.

Same name, different guy. What's more, congressional candidate David Harmer wasn't even living in Utah at the time.

Who's in charge here?

Something to Keep in Mind

2009-10-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Something for the 4 Democrats and lone Republican to keep in mind now that the Baucus bill has made it out of Committee.

Only $829 Billion?

2009-10-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

That's good news...

Senate Democrats pushing healthcare legislation received a boost from the Congressional Budget Office today as the much-watched nonpartisan agency estimated that a bill being debated by the Senate Finance Committee would cost $829 billion over the next decade.

...?????!!!!

Lack of Decorum?

2009-10-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well, yeah:

Shouts of — “Stop printing money,” “We don’t care what you think,” and “You’re a moron” — permeated the 90-minute session, which drew far more than the 450 people who filled Van Nostrand Theatre. Scores more were not allowed inside after a Suffolk fire marshal closed the doors.

People opposing the proposed health care reform outnumbered those in favor, though both sides strove to outshout each other during the question-and-answer period.

Definitely funny though, especially in light of this today: Americans' approval of the job Congress is doing is at 21% this month, down significantly from last month's 31% and from the recent high of 39% in March.

There's bringing it on yourself and then there's bringing it on yourself...

An Incredible Grasp of the Obvious

2009-10-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the administration in their annoyance over General McChrystal's recent comments on Afghanistan:

“Let me say this about General McChrystal, with all due respect,” said Pelosi. “His recommendation to the President should go up the line of command. They shouldn't be in press conferences.”

Um, he did...and has yet to get an answer.

Well, he's not Georgia

2009-10-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

It is rumored that Rush Limbaugh is interested in becoming a part-owner of the St. Louis Rams. I could think of worse things.

A Rams fan for 30-plus years I don't talk much about them these days as they've had about 5 good seasons in the last 20+ years (see here for a fine example of the chilling effect such suckage has on fans). Over the near 30 years of Georgia's ownership of the franchise the most infuriating thing about it was the lack of committment. Oh, there was "committment" mind you but not to winning, only to Georgia's bottom line. I'm more convinced now than ever that whatever success the franchise found under her leadership (NFC title game appearances in the late '80s, the SB 34 win in 2000) was accidental at best and/or in spite of her management.

Looking forward all a fan can ask for is ownership that wants to win and will do what they can to put their coaches and players in a position to win games. Rush is well-known as a fan of the game and no one can accuse him of not wanting to 'win' in any aspect of his professional life.

From that standpoint, if he has the money and the want-to I'm all for it.

Believing your own Press

2009-10-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

A snippet from what the LA Times blogged about the First Lady's speech to the IOC on behalf of her hometown:

I would really like these games to come to Chicago. My beautiful daughters would like the Games to come to Chicago. My wonderful husband, who has brought hope and change to the world, would like the Games to come to Chicago. But more important than all of that, bringing the Games to Chicago would be a wonderful way to honor my father, now deceased, who had Multiple Scelrosis.

I understand of course that she loves her husband and as any good wife would, offers tangible and verbal support for her hubby. But really?

I find the whole thing laughable on the day that unemployment goes up again to a 26 year high...I suppose losing 3 million jobs since the passage of the un-stimulus does qualify as change. When does the hope kick in?

Now that's Embarrassing

2009-10-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

The President flies to Copenhagen to meet with IOC reps and close the deal for the 2016 Olympics in Chicago--granted taking 25 minutes to meet with the commanding General in Afghanistan--only to come up short (Pie, meet Face):

The Olympics were awarded to a South American city for the first time when the International Olympic Committee on Friday voted for Rio de Janeiro to be host of the 2016 Games.

Rio de Janeiro was the winner over Madrid in the final round of voting.

Way short

Testing...1,2,3

2009-10-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

The New Era of Fiscal Responsibility

2009-09-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

The full explanation of what all the pretty colors mean is here, and the first mention of Bush's piker-ness here.

Name that Protest

2009-09-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

9/12 Tea Party or 9/24 G20 Meeting

It's the Rules of Engagement, Stupid!

2009-09-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

More from TM on Afghanistan:

The WaPo discusses the ghastly short-term political implications of McChrystal's emphasis on protecting the Afghan population rather than our own forces:

Less Peril for Civilians, but More for Troops As U.S. Toll in Afghanistan Rises, Lawmakers And Families Are Questioning New Restrictions

Concern is rising in Congress and among military families over a sharp increase in U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan at a time when senior military officials acknowledge that American service members are facing greater risks under a new strategy that emphasizes protecting Afghan civilians.

...McChrystal, in a major assessment disclosed by The Washington Post on Monday, castigated the U.S. military in Afghanistan for being "preoccupied with protection of our own forces." He wrote that U.S. and other military personnel must minimize their time in armored vehicles and walled bases and "share risk, at least equally, with the people." McChrystal also called for coalition troops to "radically increase" joint operations with Afghan forces. Both steps, he said, mean greater risk for coalition troops in the near term but could "ultimately save lives in the long run."

The problem is, the long run is a series of short runs, and sometimes you can't get there from here.

If we had strong public support for the effort in Afghanistan, or a President inclined to use his rhetorical gifts to rally some, a strategy that literally trades more deaths today for the prospect of fewer deaths down the road might be sustainable. Bush managed a similar feat (and sans the rhetorical gifts) with the surge in Iraq, which projected a short term increase in deaths with the new mission of population protection coupled with new Rues of Engagement. But as Obama would say with pride, he isn't George Bush.

Like I said before, fight the war to win or don't bother.

States taking Notice?

2009-09-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

Minnesota's Governor has ordered a review of ACORN's ties in his home state.

Meanwhile, NY AG Andrew Cuomo opened an investigation there as well (completely foreseeable by some).

What's next? Well, the WSJ wonders aloud about Legal Armageddon.

Update: California getting in on it as well...

Hi Jon!

2009-09-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

Come back & visit!

LOL of the day

2009-09-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

If Obama can't defeat the Republican headbangers, our planet is doomed

Stuff It!

2009-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

The House voted earlier in the day to rebuke Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) for his outburst during President Obama's speech last week:

The rare resolution of disapproval was pushed through by Democrats insisting that Wilson, a South Carolina lawmaker, had violated basic rules of decorum and civility in his outburst.

It's that last phrase that frys me. As noted earlier, the Left wouldn't know civility if it jumped up and bit them in the collective ass.

The Other Shoe

2009-09-15T08:41:00.001-07:00

At least some in the House are willing to pick up where the Senate left off yesterday:

Today House Republicans will introduce a bill that would end all federal funding to ACORN and its affiliates. Republicans are also sending a letter to President Obama on the same subject.

The action comes after the release, on the website BigGovernment, of three undercover videos showing ACORN employees in Baltimore, Washington DC, and New York City offering advice on how to evade taxes, cover up prostitution activity, and abet the use of minors in prostitution. In the wake of those disclosures, the U.S. Census cut its ties with ACORN, and yesterday the Senate voted 83-7 to cut off housing funds for the organization.

House Republicans point out that they have long pushed for a cutoff in government funding for ACORN.

The Logical Next Step

2009-09-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

After a week that would make Badluck Schleprock wince, the US Senate has voted today to defund ACORN:

The Senate voted Monday to block the Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN, a community organization under fire in several voter-registration fraud cases.

The 83-7 vote would deny housing and community grant funding to ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

The action came as the group is suffering from bad publicity after a duo of conservative activists posing as a prostitute and her pimp released hidden-camera videos in which ACORN employees in Baltimore gave advice on house-buying and how to account on tax forms for the woman's income. Two other videos, aired frequently on media outlets such as the Fox News Channel, depict similar situations in ACORN offices in Brooklyn and Washington, D.C.

What next? Well, far as I'm concerned the AG or a state Attorney General or two ought to rain down fire on these crooks and put them out of business.

Insulting

2009-09-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

The basic premise is insulting...beyond insulting:

Eight months into Barack Obama’s presidency, as criticism of his administration seems to reach new levels of volume and intensity each week, the whispers among some of his allies are growing louder: That those who loathe the nation’s first African-American president, and especially those who would deny his citizenship, are driven at least in part by racism.

Are there people on the extreme edge of this opposition? Certainly. There were people on the extreme edge of the Left's opposition to President Bush as well.

Frankly, the Left would do well to remove the log from their own eye before telling us all about the logs in ours. Not everyone who thinks Healthcare is a bad idea hates the President. Not everyone who is arguing against the largest deficits in the nation's history is a racist.

Perhaps some of us have an aversion to economic ruin; some of us think that this unsustainable spending arc needs to be resisted. Because President Obama is black? Of course not.

Because ruinous debt will kill our economy; because coming inflation will eat at American's wealth and further strain the very working families the President and his party so vociferously champion.

The vast majority of us who oppose the President's non-plan of a plan do so for a simple reason: we think it's a bad idea.

Smartest President Ever?

2009-09-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Does this sound smart to you?:

Trade relations between two of the world’s biggest economies deteriorated after Barack Obama, US president, signed an order late on Friday to impose a new duty of 35 per cent on Chinese tyre imports on top of an existing 4 per cent tariff.

Smart Presidents don't start trade wars.

"Open War is Upon You..."

2009-09-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

"...whether you would have it or not."

Close Enough to Kiss

2009-09-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

How low Can you Go?

2009-09-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

From NRO's Media Blog...just wow:

The Boston Globe was sold to the New York Times Co. for about $1 billion. The Philadelphia Inquirer was sold to Bruce Toll and the gang for about $515 million. The Chicago Sun-Times is on the block and the best offer so far is ... $5 million in cash and an agreement to pick up $20 million in debt and obligations.

Gives new meaning to "pennies on the dollar". As a former member of the industry (and one who rejoices daily at my freedom), I can't say, unfortunately, that I'm surprised.

Come to think of it, it's time for the quarterly check to see if Lee Enterprises is bankrupt yet...not that I can see but this analysis from earlier in the year is interesting.

The Decorum Debate

2009-09-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Instapundit rounds up some of the discussion about Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during the President's speech last night. He's basically right...

UNION TRIBUNE: Sure, he was a rude jerk. But Rep. Joe Wilson has a point. “The president is right that his proposal specifically says the plan does not extend to illegal immigrants. But one of the most undercovered stories in national politics is the fact that congressional Democrats have gutted the plan’s enforcement provisions.”

I’m finding it hard to get excited about this. It was a breach of decorum and civility. But someone who says “get in their face” and “punch back twice as hard” has little standing to bring that up. If you want to benefit from traditions of civility, you should respect them, and that has hardly been a hallmark of this administration, which has gone out of its way to try to demonize and shout down opponents.

UPDATE: Video Flashback: Dems Shout And Boo At Bush During 2005 SOTU. Goose, meet gander.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Video: Obama supporters boo Bush at inauguration. Like I said, you can’t stand on decorum when you’ve acted without it.

Or maybe we’re seeing the beginnings of British-style parliamentary debate in Congress!
MORE: Reader James Somers writes:

Glenn, it might also be noted that a lot of Democrats and MSM journalists (same thing, I know) who suddenly have the vapors over Joe Wilson’s breach of decorum thought it was just dandy when an Iraqi journalist threw shoes at President Bush. Sure, the journalist wasn’t a Congressman; and sure, a press conference isn’t the same as the SOTU. But that journalist became a folk hero to a lot of folks on the Angry Left – I think you actually could become a Fan of his on Facebook. The point is that lefties loved Sticking It To The Man when Chimpy McHitler was president, but now they’re prissily toting around copies of Robert’s Rules of Order.

Indeed. Sticking It To The Man is supposed to be their sole prerogative.

STILL MORE: Bill Quick: Remember When Harry Reid Called Bush a Liar?

Rules of Engagement (Or, How we Turned a Fighting Chance to Win the War in Afghanistan into a Sure-fire Way to Lose)

2009-09-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

Tom Maguire writes a post today that threatens to make me sick to my stomach. In Rules of Engagement, he relays the following via McClatchy Newspapers:

...four Marines died in an ambush in Afghanistan.

The four Marines were part of a US training group attached to a larger Afghan unit. The team (60 Afghan soldiers, 20 border police officers, 13 Marine and U.S. Army trainers and Mr. Landay) had arranged to meet with some village elders, but the meeting was apparently tipped to the Taliban, who prepared a deadly welcome.

In addition to the betrayal by either the village elders or the Afghan security forces, the Marines were let down by the new US rules of engagement meant to reduce civilian casualties:

U.S. commanders, citing new rules to avoid civilian casualties, rejected repeated calls to unleash artillery rounds at attackers dug into the slopes and tree lines — despite being told repeatedly that they weren't near the village.

Helicopters that were supposed to be available on five minutes notice took an hour to arrive.

New ROE kept US forces from engaging the Talibani ambush in a way that would have ensured it's defeat and contributed to the death of 4 US Marines. The fact that the Taliban knew the force was coming is a bigger question that of course must be addressed but is one I'm not focused on.

In 2007 while we all debated the Surge in Iraq, I first came to recognize the self-limiting nature of US Rules of Engagement thanks to the contributions at Captain's Journal. Herschel Smith succinctly summarized the negative effect the then-current ROE's were having. The problem was two-fold.

Not only were there not enough forces in place to provide the security we wanted and the country needed, the ROE's under which forces were acting kept them from engaging insurgents and Al-Qaeda in any meaningful way that would further our strategic goals. I see a glimpse of something similar in this situation.

I've never accepted the parallels that some have drawn between Vietnam and Iraq and I certainly don't agree that there are any between Vietnam and Afghanistan in the larger sense. Maybe between the Soviet occupation and our current situation (though Fred Kagan goes a long way to debunking that notion here) but most definitely no to any thought that Afghanistan must ultimately end like Vietnam did.

However, adopting ROE's that do nothing to further your strategic objectives, that are so focused on creating no collateral damage--worthy in and of itself--that your own forces are exposed to greater risks is counter-productive. Wars must be fought to be won or there is no reason to fight them.

Time to Start sharpening the Pitchforks

2009-09-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Mark Tapscott notes today that Congress has positioned itself to conveniently fore go any public option in health-care reform.

As I noted last night on Facebook when I saw that the President is doubling-down on the public option, I don't think he's this dumb; in fact, I think he's pretty smart, for the most part politically savvy but certainly he thinks he's always the smartest guy in the room. If that's the case, it may be the best of both worlds--hubris.

His health-care reform effort is in the ditch and if he truly is going to double-down on one of the single least-popular components then he risks running his entire Presidency into a ditch.

The key point of course being that the public option is not popular. People don't want it. If health-care reform passes with a public option and Congress exempts themselves, they will unleash a firestorm. The blowback will be intense. Perhaps historic?