2/03/2013

Thoughts On A Sunday

It's SuperBowl Sunday and it's quiet around here...at least until the game starts.

While my home team, the New England Patriots, aren't playing, I will be watching, rooting for the 49ers.

I took care of most of the necessary work around The Manse on Saturday to ensure I wouldn't have to take care of some of my regular chores today, possibly interrupting my enjoyment of the game.

*************

Both Deb and BeezleBub are now well into their school/work schedule, with BeezleBub taking morning classes at the local college and doing homework or working at the farm in the afternoon. Deb also has morning/early afternoon classes three days a week, leaving for work from school. That makes for some long days for her.

*************

One factor constantly overlooked when it comes to the solvency of such programs as Social Security and Medicare is that both were based upon the assumption that the American population would continue to grow at the rate seen during the Baby Boom. Unfortunately that assumption was wrong, in turn causing problems with both of those programs. Each of them assumed there would be 6 people to pay into SS and Medicare for every one person receiving benefits. But the harsh reality is that that number has dropped to under 3 for every one collecting benefits, a rate that is unsustainable.

One of two things will have to give. Either benefits will have to be scaled back or taxes that presently pay for those benefits will have to be boosted to confiscatory levels. Neither idea is attractive, and of the two, the latter is far more destructive to America. But something will have to be done. As Glenn Reynolds constantly reminds us, that which can't continue forever, won't.

*************

The gun control debate has spun out of control, with emotions and DSS (Do Something Syndrome) on one side trying to drown out any possibility of a ration discussion with the other side.

There's the Minnesota legislature trying to enact state laws that will severely restrict the types of guns and magazines their citizens can own, something that is likely unconstitutional (as well as unworkable), to the misleading straw man arguments being made by gun control advocates that add nothing but emotion to the debate.

One of the biggest claims made for trying to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens is the “if it only saves one life” argument. But none of those folks using that as a reason are willing to explain that while such actions might save one life in one place, they will cause many other lives to be lost. What's an acceptable ratio for these folks? 1 to 2? 1 to 4? 1 to 8? How many now defenseless people will have to die in order to make those suffering from DSS feel better?

If they were truly concerned about those lives, they wouldn't be pushing for stripping law-abiding citizens of their right to defend themselves. Instead, they'd be pushing for more effective policing (the 'broken windows' strategy) and a roll back on the restrictive laws that make it darn near impossible to take the dangerous mentally ill off the streets. Both of those would be far more effective than restrictive and ineffective gun control laws.

*************

By way of Glenn Reynolds comes this piece in the Washington Post about how Congress is not like the rest of us in America.

That might explain why Congress is also so out of touch with what's really important to the rest of us.

*************

Matt Ridley makes the argument that applying the precautionary principle to the still unproven 'theory' of CAGW makes no sense and is far more destructive than any effects of global warming.

Then again, the unwavering warmists see this as a feature and not a bug because it will give them control over every aspect of our lives, something they see as a means to 'heal' Gaia and keep the evil humans in check.

*************

Assistant Village Idiot makes the observation that those most in favor of multiculturalism in theory seem to like it least in practice. I find they also tend to be far less tolerant of ideas that disagree with their own, particularly if that disagreement comes from what AVI calls Red-White people. They also tend to be more racist than Red-White people, something I've mentioned before. It isn't blatant, but rather it's insinuated and couched in off-hand language and euphemisms.

*************

I have been checking out The People's Cube for some time now and I have to admit it's one of the better blogs I've seen in regards to the socialist agenda. Much hilarity ensues!

Check it out now, Comrades!

*************

According to Eric the Viking, the media is claiming the continuing jobless job recovery is not Obama's fault.

So the economy created 157,000 new payroll jobs in January. Wow. At this rate, we might actually get back down to Bush-era unemployment rates sometime, oh, within the next 100 years.

Exactly...and it will still be all George W. Bush's fault.

*************

How to deprogram a liberal.

'Nuff said.

(H/T IMAO)

*************

Here's yet another example of how ObamaCare is killing off more jobs.

*************

Touching once more upon the gun control debate, Blogmocracy tells us more than 256 sheriffs and 6 state sheriffs associations want no part of Obama gun control measures.

A number of states have also stated they will not adhere to any useless or extreme gun control measures coming out of Congress or executive orders from the President. I dare say many of them would go to SCOTUS to reinforce their stands on the Second Amendment.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

*************

And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where pond hockey is being played, ice fishing has been picking up, and where our woodpiles are shrinking.