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We headed out on to the lake with some of Deb's friends this afternoon, waiting until most of the weekenders had gone, leaving the lake less turbulent than it otherwise would be. We did have to deal with a heavy shower about half an hour before we'd planned to leave, but once it passed we headed out. An hour or so later the sun reappeared and what had been a pretty good time out on the lake turned into a great time on the lake.**********
BeezleBub is learning the ins and outs of car ownership, specifically the costs of running and maintaining a 35-year old Jeep CJ5.If nothing else he's learning that gas isn't cheap and that his Jeep isn't fuel efficient in the least. (He's averaging 15 miles to the gallon.) The Jeep also has a small gas tank (probably 12 to 16 gallons, though we aren't sure). As long as the only traveling he's doing is between home and work or school, with a few side trips with Hobbit and/or Irina, a full tank should last him 2 weeks, maybe more. (I expect he'll be putting less than 5 or 6 thousand miles per year on the Jeep.)
He knows it's up to him to pay for everything his Jeep requires - gas, oil, tires, repairs, registration, and inspection. Deb and I pay for the insurance, period. All the rest is up to him.
I think he's going to find it's great to have your own vehicle, but that there's a price to pay for that kind of freedom.
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It was telling listening to Tim Geitner's opinion about the expiration of the Bush tax cuts at the end of this year. It has become apparent to me that he's one of those who believes there is a linear relationship between tax rates and revenues collected. He expecting that once the tax cuts expire the Treasury will see billions more in revenue flooding the coffers. Is he in for a big disappointment.The battle over the Bush tax cut expiration is just beginning, with even Congressional Democrats voicing their concerns that raising taxes now would further weaken an already shaky economy.
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I have to admit that when I first heard of Linda McMahon's candidacy for Connecticut's Senate seat being vacated by Chris Dodd, I thought it was something of a joke. After all, she's part of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) empire. But the more I hear about her and her beliefs, the less of a joke she's become.Some are describing her as “John Galt in skirts”, something that piqued my interest and made me take a second look at her.
As a self-made millionaire, she certainly understands economics and what it takes to build a business. She also has a pretty good understand of how not to expand the economy, meaning taxing and regulating every aspect of doing business to death.
That puts her far ahead of any of the other candidates in either party running for Dodd's seat.
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As if we in New England didn't already know this about John Kerry (D-MA): “Do as I say, not as I do!”**********
This ought to have the Goristas and warmists up in arms.Everywhere is warming faster than everyplace else.
Somehow I think they aforementioned groups will have no problem believing that at all.
(H/T Pirate's Cove)
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As if the above isn't enough to tweak the warmist, there's this: Despite the record warm temps we're seeing in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, it's just the opposite problem in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly South America, with record cold that has already killed hundreds.As I recall last winter in the Southern Hemisphere was pretty darned cold as well.
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Cap'n Teach tells us about how the UK's government is slowly doing away with government health care while the US is moving towards it.What do the Brits know our own government doesn't? Simply this: It doesn't work.
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Eric the Viking points us to a number of links that attempt to answer the question “Is ObamaCare Constitutional?”As Eric says, “Constitutional issues aside, Barnett also sums up my less-than-legal opinion on Obamacare: it just feels wrong.”
Indeed.
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As if we need any further evidence that the minimum wage hikes hurt the very ones they're supposed to 'help'.This is something I wrote about way back in June of 2008.
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Our friend Skip from GraniteGrok made the local news in Las Vegas at the RightOnline convention.The 'Grok has gone interstate!
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If anyone needs an example why socialism is anathema to human existence, then all one needs to do is watch this. (A warning: It's almost 90 minutes long, but worth watching.)If you think the evils of socialism cannot occur again, you're wrong. All one needs to do is look at Venezuela. About the only thing that hasn't happened there (yet) is the extermination of a convenient class of scapegoats to strengthen Hugo Chavez's grip on power.
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OK, now I know they've let some of the insane out of the asylums.It's bad enough when we have to deal with summer heat, but this nut thinks we should do away with air-conditioning altogether.
To a point I can agree with him. We should so away with air-conditioning...in Washington DC. Or more specifically, in the Capitol Building and all of the congressional offices. There should also be no heat for the winter.
What will that accomplish? Just this: Congress will have very little time to figure out new ways to spend money we don't have or to pass laws nobody wants or needs. It will either be too hot or too cold for the Congresscritters and their staffs to waste our money and our time because they'll have at most 6 months out of the year when the chambers of Congress and their offices aren't insufferably hot or cold. They'll go back to their home states and leave us alone to get on with our lives.
Being a member of Congress was never meant to be a full time position nor a lifelong career, but that's what it's become. Part of what made it possible is our modern HVAC systems. It's time to outlaw them in all Congressional venues, period.