As more information has been revealed about the 'firing' of 8 US attorneys, I've come to realize that much of the brouhaha is much ado about nothing. As I mentioned in this post, US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President. More than eight have been 'let go' in the past with little fanfare. During President Clinton's term, he canned all 93 US Attorneys at the same time, but little was said in the media or Congress.
Now it turns out that these 'fired' US Attorneys had reached the end of their appointment terms (4 years) and, as is usually the custom, they were retained until their replacements were appointed. (Much different than during Clinton's cleaning house, when the sitting US Attorneys were given ten days to clean out their offices and finish up their paperwork.)
One of the eight I mentioned in my earlier post, John McKay, was let go for a very good reason: he failed to fulfill his duties by investigating blatant episodes of voter fraud in Washington state. I guess some folks don't realize that voter fraud is a serious issue that must be addressed by the authorities, otherwise our representative democracy will be put into peril by ever decreasing confidence and increasing cynicism in our electoral system. It seems that McKay couldn't be bothered as he had more important things to do.
Another of the eight, Carol Lam, apparently had some real performance issues, with the number of cases she was prosecuting declining and the number of prosecutions she won declining even faster. Allegations were made in the L.A. Times that she had been targeted for firing in retribution for her involvement with the Randy “Duke” Cunningham case. But as Patterico has proven, she had been listed for termination well before any of that had taken place due to her poor performance.
I can't speak to the other six members of the “Group of Eight”, but if they had reached the end of their appointment terms and the President decided they weren't going to be reappointed, then that's entirely up to him/her. It isn't up to Congress. It isn't up to the L.A. Times or New York Times. It's up to the President of the United States, period.
This is nothing new in our history. If Congress wants to get all bent out of shape about these eight, then perhaps they should also look back into Clinton's simultaneous firing of all 93 US Attorneys during his administration.
But we know they won't.
3/17/2007
3/15/2007
8 vs. 93
Isn't it interesting that while President Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez are roundly criticized and Congressional Democrats are looking for wrongdoing after 8 US Attorneys are dismissed, former President Bill Clinton and former Attorney General Janet Reno raised nary an eyebrow after all 93 US Attorneys were dismissed during their tenure?
Can you say “double standard”? Sure you can.
US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the Attorney General and, ultimately, the President.
While some of the released US Attorneys have said that their firings were political in nature, it might be said that at least one was, and for good reason.
I'd say that's reason enough.
Congressional Democrats are in full cry over the news this week that the Administration's decision to fire eight U.S. Attorneys originated from--gasp--the White House. Senator Hillary Clinton joined the fun yesterday, blaming President Bush for "the politicization of our prosecutorial system." Oh, my.
As it happens, Mrs. Clinton is just the Senator to walk point on this issue of dismissing U.S. attorneys because she has direct personal experience. In any Congressional probe of the matter, we'd suggest she call herself as the first witness--and bring along Webster Hubbell as her chief counsel.
As everyone once knew but has tried to forget, Mr. Hubbell was a former partner of Mrs. Clinton at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock who later went to jail for mail fraud and tax evasion. He was also Bill and Hillary Clinton's choice as Associate Attorney General in the Justice Department when Janet Reno, his nominal superior, simultaneously fired all 93 U.S. Attorneys in March 1993. Ms. Reno--or Mr. Hubbell--gave them 10 days to move out of their offices.
Can you say “double standard”? Sure you can.
US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the Attorney General and, ultimately, the President.
While some of the released US Attorneys have said that their firings were political in nature, it might be said that at least one was, and for good reason.
Take sacked U.S. Attorney John McKay from Washington state. In 2004, the Governor's race was decided in favor of Democrat Christine Gregoire by 129 votes on a third recount. As the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and other media outlets reported, some of the "voters" were deceased, others were registered in storage-rental facilities, and still others were convicted felons. More than 100 ballots were "discovered" in a Seattle warehouse. None of this constitutes proof that the election was stolen. But it should have been enough to prompt Mr. McKay, a Democrat, to investigate, something he declined to do, apparently on grounds that he had better things to do.
I'd say that's reason enough.
Small Town Turns Frugal
It's not often I see something like this, particularly in our small town.
New Hampshire is usually portrayed as being particularly frugal. It's not as true as it used to be.
Many communities in the state have seen spending and taxes increase at well above the rate of inflation, even taking population growth into account. So it's been in our town.
This past year our property assessment went up 20%, while the town property tax rate went down. But the property taxes on The Manse went up 10%. That's about 6 points above the rate of inflation. Our town has seen new commercial properties come onto the tax rolls, some worth millions of dollars that added a substantial amount to the tax rolls and taxes collected. Yet the taxes went up.
Our town was not being frugal with its spending as it should have been.
For far too long many things that most people would consider nice-to-haves have somehow become need-to-haves. It's not quite as bad in our town as I have seen in others, but it was heading that way. And then the townspeople did something that gave me a glimmer of hope.
They voted down the school budget and an almost $1 million bond issue.
Last year's school budget was approximately $21,250,000. I don't know about you, but for a town of 7,000 people, that's a lot of money. This year's proposed school budget was set at approximately $22,700,000! I don't know about you, but that's a ton of money. Apparently the townspeople thought so, too. They said no to the budget, meaning that they school system would revert to what is called a 'default budget'. The default budget is basically the previous year's budget. That will save the taxpayers about $1.5 million of their hard earned money.
I wish I could say that the vote on the proposed school budget was solely based upon the economics, but like any small town, there were political issues that were probably just as much a cause of the voter's rejection of the budget. Since I feel there's no need to delve into something that has no interest to you, I'll spare all 13 of my readers from my rather insipid take on the whole thing. (Trust me, I'm doing you all a favor.)
But it seems that there is some movement to bring town spending under control. Some signs of that include the election of fiscally conservative candidates to the Budget Committee and the Board of Selectmen. I'd like to think that we might yet restore Yankee frugality to our small town, something we've badly needed for some time.
New Hampshire is usually portrayed as being particularly frugal. It's not as true as it used to be.
Many communities in the state have seen spending and taxes increase at well above the rate of inflation, even taking population growth into account. So it's been in our town.
This past year our property assessment went up 20%, while the town property tax rate went down. But the property taxes on The Manse went up 10%. That's about 6 points above the rate of inflation. Our town has seen new commercial properties come onto the tax rolls, some worth millions of dollars that added a substantial amount to the tax rolls and taxes collected. Yet the taxes went up.
Our town was not being frugal with its spending as it should have been.
For far too long many things that most people would consider nice-to-haves have somehow become need-to-haves. It's not quite as bad in our town as I have seen in others, but it was heading that way. And then the townspeople did something that gave me a glimmer of hope.
They voted down the school budget and an almost $1 million bond issue.
Last year's school budget was approximately $21,250,000. I don't know about you, but for a town of 7,000 people, that's a lot of money. This year's proposed school budget was set at approximately $22,700,000! I don't know about you, but that's a ton of money. Apparently the townspeople thought so, too. They said no to the budget, meaning that they school system would revert to what is called a 'default budget'. The default budget is basically the previous year's budget. That will save the taxpayers about $1.5 million of their hard earned money.
I wish I could say that the vote on the proposed school budget was solely based upon the economics, but like any small town, there were political issues that were probably just as much a cause of the voter's rejection of the budget. Since I feel there's no need to delve into something that has no interest to you, I'll spare all 13 of my readers from my rather insipid take on the whole thing. (Trust me, I'm doing you all a favor.)
But it seems that there is some movement to bring town spending under control. Some signs of that include the election of fiscally conservative candidates to the Budget Committee and the Board of Selectmen. I'd like to think that we might yet restore Yankee frugality to our small town, something we've badly needed for some time.
3/12/2007
It's Sugaring Season
With the return of warm daytime temps (anything above freezing is 'warm' around here) and below freezing night time temps, the sap is flowing well in the sugar maples. It is being collected in buckets and barrels, all of which will soon be emptied into evaporators to be boiled down to maple syrup.
Yes, it's sugaring time here in northern New England!
Far too many of you out there think that the dark amber stuff you pour on your pancakes or French toast is maple syrup, but it's not. Instead, it's maple flavored corn syrup with food coloring to approximate the color of Grade A maple syrup. You don't know what you've been missing.
Of course, we here at the Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Manse are all too spoiled when it comes to maple syrup. The WP Father-In-Law taps the trees on his property every year and boils the sap down until it reaches the proper consistency. A lot of that maple syrup makes its way to our breakfast table.
Some of you out there may think that there's very little difference between the pseudo-syrup and the real thing, but I know at least one person who will beg to differ. One of the local Mormon missionaries that has been visiting our home has told us that he can no longer stomach the pseudo-syrup. When he returns to his home in California he will be taking at least a couple of one-gallon jugs of New Hampshire maple syrup with him. We've promised to keep him supplied once he returns to the Left Coast.
If the weather cooperates we should see one of the better sugaring seasons in some time.
Yes, it's sugaring time here in northern New England!
Far too many of you out there think that the dark amber stuff you pour on your pancakes or French toast is maple syrup, but it's not. Instead, it's maple flavored corn syrup with food coloring to approximate the color of Grade A maple syrup. You don't know what you've been missing.
Of course, we here at the Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Manse are all too spoiled when it comes to maple syrup. The WP Father-In-Law taps the trees on his property every year and boils the sap down until it reaches the proper consistency. A lot of that maple syrup makes its way to our breakfast table.
Some of you out there may think that there's very little difference between the pseudo-syrup and the real thing, but I know at least one person who will beg to differ. One of the local Mormon missionaries that has been visiting our home has told us that he can no longer stomach the pseudo-syrup. When he returns to his home in California he will be taking at least a couple of one-gallon jugs of New Hampshire maple syrup with him. We've promised to keep him supplied once he returns to the Left Coast.
If the weather cooperates we should see one of the better sugaring seasons in some time.
3/11/2007
Thoughts On A Sunday
Spring-like temperatures arrived in New Hampshire yesterday, with more following over the next few days. Frankly, I'm relieved. With this winter-that-almost-wasn't I was tired of the weather weirdness. Either it should be winter or it shouldn't. Considering that December and January were some of the warmest on record (some folks were still boating on a wide open Lake Winnipesaukee as late as January 14th), and then the plunge into the deep freeze in February and March, it's no wonder I'm a little weather weary. Usually we see the sub-zero temperatures between late December and early February. It's all a little confusing to a body.
The early changeover to Daylight Savings Time isn't helping all that much, either.
The peak of the local political silly season arrives on Tuesday, with elections for town officials and voting on numerous town and school warrants taking place in our little town.
For the most part there hasn't been all that much controversy except in one area. - the Budget Committee. There has been more brouhaha, angst, and recriminations over our Budget Committee than any other issue facing the voters this year. It doesn't help that there a number of candidates running to fill three slots in the committee that seem to favor style over function. They're concerned mainly about civility within the committee rather than spending, which is were they should be focusing their efforts.
The 'lack of civility' used as a rallying point for these candidates is a non-issue. It is something that was blown way out of proportion that has become a straw man. During our town's deliberative session, one resident cited the committee's “contempt for the taxpayer” as a reason for supporting the dissolution of the committee in toto. My question to him at the same meeting was “How is looking out for how the taxpayer's money is being spent showing 'contempt for the taxpayer'?” He was showing his contempt for the committee and the taxpayer by his statement.
Another question: Will 'being civil' also mean that the Budget Committee will be a rubber stamp for the Board of Selectmen and the School Board? Under the code of ethics these candidates are putting forward, will denying or changing a request for funding be considered a violation of that code? If so, then all of the taxpayers in our town are in big trouble.
Continuing on the topic of local politics, many other towns throughout New Hampshire will also be holding their Town Meetings and voting in local elections this week, deciding who should serve in office and how much money their towns will spend over the next fiscal year. It is democracy in action at the local level, something that far too many people tend to ignore.
One of the old sayings that is as true today as when it was first uttered long ago: “If you didn't attend town meeting and vote, then you have no right to bitch about anything.”
I don't know how many times in the past that I've attended Town Meeting in the various towns in which I've resided over the years, staying until the end, commenting and voting on various warrant articles, only to hear some time later someone moaning and complaining about one thing or another that the town is doing or not doing. More often than not when I've asked if they attended Town Meeting or voted in the local elections, the answer was “No.” At that point I'd make the quote above and stop listening to them. They forfeited their right to complain when they couldn't take the time or make the effort to attend. It's one day out of the entire year and they can't make plans to attend? It isn't as if the date of Town Meeting isn't known well in advance.
More then once I've heard that same person comment, “But it's only one vote. My vote won't make a difference,” or something to that effect. And I've shot right back at them that more than one warrant article has passed or failed by one vote. One vote.
Sometimes they just don't get it.
It may be that the DNC has miscalculated in its decision to back out of a Presidential candidate debate in Nevada hosted by Fox News.
The decision has garnered editorials, blog posts, and comments galore slamming the Democrats for being far too partisan.
In case you missed this, Brad Delp, lead singer for the rock group Boston and long time New Hampshire resident, died at his home on Friday. He was 55. There were no indications of foul play.
I can say that I've had the pleasure of meeting him on more than one occasion over the years, and he was one of the most down to earth people I've ever met. He didn't let his celebrity change who he was, didn't buy into the hype that so often colors or poisons musical artists.
I saw Boston play well before they made the big time and even then there was something different about their sound. One of those things was Brad's vocals, so different from so many others that his were instantly recognizable.
Damn, I'm going to miss him.
The buzz about a possible presidential run by former US Senator Fred Thompson keeps growing. And it's not like Thompson has acted to kill the buzz. Frankly, I am far more enthusiastic about him than any of the other Republican hopefuls presently campaigning.
Some say that he'll be getting into the race far too late should he decide to run. But these 'some' need to remember that the first caucuses and primary are still 10 months away. Some of the hopefuls on both sides will have either burned out or done a crash and burn long before then. Thompson still has a large window of opportunity. I'm betting he'll jump into the fray, but at a time of his choosing and no one else's.
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where political posters and signs litter the countryside, sap is filling the buckets, and where all too soon Daylight Savings Time has arrived.
The early changeover to Daylight Savings Time isn't helping all that much, either.
*******
The peak of the local political silly season arrives on Tuesday, with elections for town officials and voting on numerous town and school warrants taking place in our little town.
For the most part there hasn't been all that much controversy except in one area. - the Budget Committee. There has been more brouhaha, angst, and recriminations over our Budget Committee than any other issue facing the voters this year. It doesn't help that there a number of candidates running to fill three slots in the committee that seem to favor style over function. They're concerned mainly about civility within the committee rather than spending, which is were they should be focusing their efforts.
The 'lack of civility' used as a rallying point for these candidates is a non-issue. It is something that was blown way out of proportion that has become a straw man. During our town's deliberative session, one resident cited the committee's “contempt for the taxpayer” as a reason for supporting the dissolution of the committee in toto. My question to him at the same meeting was “How is looking out for how the taxpayer's money is being spent showing 'contempt for the taxpayer'?” He was showing his contempt for the committee and the taxpayer by his statement.
Another question: Will 'being civil' also mean that the Budget Committee will be a rubber stamp for the Board of Selectmen and the School Board? Under the code of ethics these candidates are putting forward, will denying or changing a request for funding be considered a violation of that code? If so, then all of the taxpayers in our town are in big trouble.
*******
Continuing on the topic of local politics, many other towns throughout New Hampshire will also be holding their Town Meetings and voting in local elections this week, deciding who should serve in office and how much money their towns will spend over the next fiscal year. It is democracy in action at the local level, something that far too many people tend to ignore.
One of the old sayings that is as true today as when it was first uttered long ago: “If you didn't attend town meeting and vote, then you have no right to bitch about anything.”
I don't know how many times in the past that I've attended Town Meeting in the various towns in which I've resided over the years, staying until the end, commenting and voting on various warrant articles, only to hear some time later someone moaning and complaining about one thing or another that the town is doing or not doing. More often than not when I've asked if they attended Town Meeting or voted in the local elections, the answer was “No.” At that point I'd make the quote above and stop listening to them. They forfeited their right to complain when they couldn't take the time or make the effort to attend. It's one day out of the entire year and they can't make plans to attend? It isn't as if the date of Town Meeting isn't known well in advance.
More then once I've heard that same person comment, “But it's only one vote. My vote won't make a difference,” or something to that effect. And I've shot right back at them that more than one warrant article has passed or failed by one vote. One vote.
Sometimes they just don't get it.
*******
It may be that the DNC has miscalculated in its decision to back out of a Presidential candidate debate in Nevada hosted by Fox News.
The decision has garnered editorials, blog posts, and comments galore slamming the Democrats for being far too partisan.
*******
In case you missed this, Brad Delp, lead singer for the rock group Boston and long time New Hampshire resident, died at his home on Friday. He was 55. There were no indications of foul play.
I can say that I've had the pleasure of meeting him on more than one occasion over the years, and he was one of the most down to earth people I've ever met. He didn't let his celebrity change who he was, didn't buy into the hype that so often colors or poisons musical artists.
I saw Boston play well before they made the big time and even then there was something different about their sound. One of those things was Brad's vocals, so different from so many others that his were instantly recognizable.
Damn, I'm going to miss him.
*******
The buzz about a possible presidential run by former US Senator Fred Thompson keeps growing. And it's not like Thompson has acted to kill the buzz. Frankly, I am far more enthusiastic about him than any of the other Republican hopefuls presently campaigning.
Some say that he'll be getting into the race far too late should he decide to run. But these 'some' need to remember that the first caucuses and primary are still 10 months away. Some of the hopefuls on both sides will have either burned out or done a crash and burn long before then. Thompson still has a large window of opportunity. I'm betting he'll jump into the fray, but at a time of his choosing and no one else's.
*******
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where political posters and signs litter the countryside, sap is filling the buckets, and where all too soon Daylight Savings Time has arrived.
3/10/2007
'Double'-Dipping At The Government Trough
Question: When is a charitable Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) not a charity?
Answer: When it is dipping from the government well not once, not twice, but four times.
Here in our little town an organization local to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, providing mental health care to residents unable to afford such care on their own, has been less than forthcoming about its funding. In what has amounted to emotional blackmail, in my opinion, this organization has not requested funding by the taxpayers so much as demanded it.
It also doesn't help matter that the person that made a motion during town meeting, amending a budget warrant article that originally zeroed out funding for this organization was a member of a committee in the organization in question.
What was not known at the time the amendment was made and voted on was that the organization had also been receiving funding from the county as well. And where do those county funds come from? From the taxpayers of the towns that comprise the county. So in effect this organization hit up the taxpayers in our town twice.
It was said a few years ago when this funding was first requested and approved that it was the first step on a slippery slope. It turns out that statement was oh so true. Now that this non-governmental organization has gotten used to government funding to the point that their requests are really nothing more than “polite demanding”, I believe that it can no longer be considered an NGO.
Either this organization should change its charter to reflect its status, that of a government funded organization and become part of the county government, or it should stoprequesting demanding funding by the taxpayers of the towns within our county. Either it is an NGO, or it is not. They can't have it both ways.
Charity is something given willingly. It is not something to be demanded.
Answer: When it is dipping from the government well not once, not twice, but four times.
Here in our little town an organization local to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, providing mental health care to residents unable to afford such care on their own, has been less than forthcoming about its funding. In what has amounted to emotional blackmail, in my opinion, this organization has not requested funding by the taxpayers so much as demanded it.
It also doesn't help matter that the person that made a motion during town meeting, amending a budget warrant article that originally zeroed out funding for this organization was a member of a committee in the organization in question.
What was not known at the time the amendment was made and voted on was that the organization had also been receiving funding from the county as well. And where do those county funds come from? From the taxpayers of the towns that comprise the county. So in effect this organization hit up the taxpayers in our town twice.
It was said a few years ago when this funding was first requested and approved that it was the first step on a slippery slope. It turns out that statement was oh so true. Now that this non-governmental organization has gotten used to government funding to the point that their requests are really nothing more than “polite demanding”, I believe that it can no longer be considered an NGO.
Either this organization should change its charter to reflect its status, that of a government funded organization and become part of the county government, or it should stop
Charity is something given willingly. It is not something to be demanded.
3/08/2007
Credit Cards Is De' Debbil!
I'd always wondered about how banks and financial organizations handled credit cards, particularly how they set interest rates, credit limits, and fees. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
Here at the Weekend Pundit Manse we've managed to kill off our credit card debt, getting rid of a couple of them and dropping both the credit limit and interest rate on our remaining general purpose card (Visa). We'll still be shopping around for a lower rate credit card, something with a less than 12% interest rate (and not an introductory rate). We know they're out there. We've seen them from time to time. We've also kept our Home Depot card. But the others are gone.
But it appears that when it comes to credit card debt that we are the exception rather than the rule. It isn't necessarily because we are thriftier or in better control of our spending than many other Americans. Rather it's because we've been lucky with our choices of which credit cards we had. For many others, credit cards are darn near impossible to get rid of because the lending institutions make it very difficult to get out from under. Why? Because they want you to be in debt to them. That's how they make their money.
ABC News covered some of the less savory practices credit card issuers use to suck you in and keep you as a customer. But relief may be on the way.
Not that lenders/credit card issuers don't have a right to set the terms and conditions, but they should make them public and understandable. The ABC News report illustrated that many lenders don't disclose all of the conditions, fees, and obligations to their customers. Some also make it difficult to cancel a card even after the balance has been paid off.
One thing that my dear wife Deb taught me: when dealing with a credit card company, get all changes – especially closing out your account after paying off the balance – confirmed in writing. Then if there is any argument or unexpected charges you'll have written proof from the credit card company itself that your account is indeed closed and that they can charge no more fees or “penalties”.
As a side note, do any of you out there know what credit card companies call customers that pay off their balances every month? Deadbeats. That's a status to which the Weekend Pundit household aspires.
Here at the Weekend Pundit Manse we've managed to kill off our credit card debt, getting rid of a couple of them and dropping both the credit limit and interest rate on our remaining general purpose card (Visa). We'll still be shopping around for a lower rate credit card, something with a less than 12% interest rate (and not an introductory rate). We know they're out there. We've seen them from time to time. We've also kept our Home Depot card. But the others are gone.
But it appears that when it comes to credit card debt that we are the exception rather than the rule. It isn't necessarily because we are thriftier or in better control of our spending than many other Americans. Rather it's because we've been lucky with our choices of which credit cards we had. For many others, credit cards are darn near impossible to get rid of because the lending institutions make it very difficult to get out from under. Why? Because they want you to be in debt to them. That's how they make their money.
ABC News covered some of the less savory practices credit card issuers use to suck you in and keep you as a customer. But relief may be on the way.
In a move that could help consumers, Congress will hold hearings today to discuss the tricky fees and the baffling penalties that credit card companies use to keep their consumers paying off high interest rates and finance charges month after month.
The hearings have banks and credit card companies howling in protest.
Take the example of Derek Lee, who paid off one of his credit cards because he wanted to cancel it. Six months later, he still hasn't been able to because the card company keeps charging him mysterious fees that keep the account open.
Not that lenders/credit card issuers don't have a right to set the terms and conditions, but they should make them public and understandable. The ABC News report illustrated that many lenders don't disclose all of the conditions, fees, and obligations to their customers. Some also make it difficult to cancel a card even after the balance has been paid off.
One thing that my dear wife Deb taught me: when dealing with a credit card company, get all changes – especially closing out your account after paying off the balance – confirmed in writing. Then if there is any argument or unexpected charges you'll have written proof from the credit card company itself that your account is indeed closed and that they can charge no more fees or “penalties”.
As a side note, do any of you out there know what credit card companies call customers that pay off their balances every month? Deadbeats. That's a status to which the Weekend Pundit household aspires.
3/07/2007
More Star Trek Tech Becomes A Reality
We are yet another step closer to the Star Trek future.
The latest gizmo that has come into being that originally made its debut back in 1966? How about a tricorder?
Given the progress of nanotechnology I have no doubt the 20-pound device will end up being about the size of a largish book within 5 years, just about the size of the “original” tricorder that Spock and McCoy carried around.
The latest gizmo that has come into being that originally made its debut back in 1966? How about a tricorder?
Purdue University researchers have demonstrated a portable instrument that they claim can identify any substance in less than a second, much like the "tricorders" used by the crew of the Enterprise in the Star Trek series.
The 20-pound, battery-powered unit combines a mass spectrometer with a desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) source.
Given the progress of nanotechnology I have no doubt the 20-pound device will end up being about the size of a largish book within 5 years, just about the size of the “original” tricorder that Spock and McCoy carried around.
3/06/2007
Still Wasting The Taxpayer's Money - Part Deux
I've lost track how many times I've written the following, or something very much like it:
By that definition, both the Treasury Department and Congress are insane. What am I talking about?
A dollar. And not just any dollar, but two kinds of dollar in particular.
One folds. The other clinks.
For the third time as in many decades the Treasury is trying to interest the American public in moving away from dollar bills and towards dollar coins. The problem? It won't work.
The first time, they came out with the Susan B. Anthony dollar in the 80's. It was an unmitigated disaster. It was easily confused with a quarter, meaning people had to pay too much attention to make sure they weren't spending a dollar rather than 25¢. The Treasury also made the mistake of keeping the dollar bill, which meant there were two different forms of the same denomination, something inherently wasteful. Bags of Anthony dollars remained in bank vaults all over the US.
The second time, they tried with the Sacagawea dollar, a gold colored coin with smooth edges that couldn't possible be confused with a quarter. But it too failed, again because the Treasury and the Congress didn't do away with the paper dollar.
Now this, the third attempt, is doomed to fail for the same reason, despite 'sweetening the pot' by releasing the Presidential Series of coins, much like the 50 State Quarters Series. Without the discontinuation of the One Dollar bill, any attempt to use the One Dollar coin will see the same response as the previous two attempts: Initial favorable circulation, mostly by the curious and the collectors. After that they'll start to pile up in bank vaults and at the Federal Reserve. Billions of dollars worth of coins will languish unused and unwanted
What a waste of the taxpayer's money.
Insanity - Repeating the same action over and over again, but expecting the results to be different this time.
By that definition, both the Treasury Department and Congress are insane. What am I talking about?
A dollar. And not just any dollar, but two kinds of dollar in particular.
One folds. The other clinks.
For the third time as in many decades the Treasury is trying to interest the American public in moving away from dollar bills and towards dollar coins. The problem? It won't work.
The first time, they came out with the Susan B. Anthony dollar in the 80's. It was an unmitigated disaster. It was easily confused with a quarter, meaning people had to pay too much attention to make sure they weren't spending a dollar rather than 25¢. The Treasury also made the mistake of keeping the dollar bill, which meant there were two different forms of the same denomination, something inherently wasteful. Bags of Anthony dollars remained in bank vaults all over the US.
The second time, they tried with the Sacagawea dollar, a gold colored coin with smooth edges that couldn't possible be confused with a quarter. But it too failed, again because the Treasury and the Congress didn't do away with the paper dollar.
Now this, the third attempt, is doomed to fail for the same reason, despite 'sweetening the pot' by releasing the Presidential Series of coins, much like the 50 State Quarters Series. Without the discontinuation of the One Dollar bill, any attempt to use the One Dollar coin will see the same response as the previous two attempts: Initial favorable circulation, mostly by the curious and the collectors. After that they'll start to pile up in bank vaults and at the Federal Reserve. Billions of dollars worth of coins will languish unused and unwanted
What a waste of the taxpayer's money.
3/05/2007
Another Hole In Anthropogenic Global Warming Theories
The never ending debate over global warming has added yet another factor that must be taken in to account – global warming on Mars.
While some detractors have tried to explain away the increasing Martian temperatures by saying that it's only a coincidence, which is entirely possible, it appears that there may also be a temperature increase in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter. If this is indeed the case and there isn't some other mechanism involved in this increase, then the chances of coincidence have become, if you will excuse the phrase, astronomical. If so, it pokes yet another hole in the Global-Warming-Is-All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans theories.
While some detractors have tried to explain away the increasing Martian temperatures by saying that it's only a coincidence, which is entirely possible, it appears that there may also be a temperature increase in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter. If this is indeed the case and there isn't some other mechanism involved in this increase, then the chances of coincidence have become, if you will excuse the phrase, astronomical. If so, it pokes yet another hole in the Global-Warming-Is-All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans theories.
3/04/2007
Thoughts On A Sunday
It was a nice snowstorm, as snowstorms go. While not quite the behemoth that was the Saint Valentine's Day blizzard, it did drop nearly as much snow.
Unlike the last storm, the snow wasn't the light, fluffy snow but rather the heavier kind that ended up with the consistency of mashed potatoes. It made shoveling a real workout with each shovel full feel like it weighed 50 pounds. That in itself was bad enough.
The Official Weekend Pundit Snowblower decided that it was time to break down.
While BeezleBub manged to clear enough of the driveway leading to The Manse, there wasn't quite enough room to maneuver. That meant that we had to break out the shovels and the push plow. We cleared just enough snow to lay down some snowmelt, which allowed us to get into and out of the driveway. That left us enough time to dig into and repair the snowblower.
Fortunately the snowblower only required two new drive belts (we already had them on hand, knowing that a broken belt was always a possibility) and a realignment of the auger pulleys due to a loosened attachment bolt. A little less than an hour later and the snowblower was back in action.
I was amazed at how easily the snowblower threw that heavy, doughy snow. But it did the job and a little over an hour later we were done and the sun melted off the leavings, taking the driveway down to dry pavement.
Thank goodness for small favors.
Glenn Reynolds linked to a New York Times article about ethanol and US/Brazil cooperation. Unfortunately I think the US is headed in the wrong direction, backing corn-based ethanol production rather than sugar cane and switch grass based ethanol.
Corn based ethanol is a losing proposition because it takes just as much or more fossil fuel to produce it as it replaces. Corn is a high maintenance crop. Sugar cane and switch grass are not. Neither requires fertilizer or pesticides while corn requires both.
Senator Barack Obama says that legislation that will “make it easier to for workers to start unions” will pass in the Senate.
Fortunately President Bush has already said he will veto the legislation if it reaches his desk.
At least the President understands that this bill is measure that will give the unions a pass to use intimidation tactics and other means that would get anybody else prosecuted under RICO. It is a bill designed to fix a problem that is of organized labor's own making.
Wizbang also has more on the story, with plenty of commentary.
As I wrote in last week's Thoughts On A Sunday, the selling of fear is a big business. John Stossel covered it on the February 23 edition of 20/20 and expounds upon what he calls the Fear-Industrial Complex in his Town Hall column this week.
The problem is that all of these accusations are untrue, as proven by years of clinical research. But that doesn't stop the fear mongers or the media that loves them. To hear some of them talk you'd think that we're living in the worst times since the Black Plague swept through Europe.
Hogwash!
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where politics is one of our favorite sports, politicians squirm at the thought of facing us, and where the 2008 Presidential campaign has been going on since November 2004.
Unlike the last storm, the snow wasn't the light, fluffy snow but rather the heavier kind that ended up with the consistency of mashed potatoes. It made shoveling a real workout with each shovel full feel like it weighed 50 pounds. That in itself was bad enough.
The Official Weekend Pundit Snowblower decided that it was time to break down.
While BeezleBub manged to clear enough of the driveway leading to The Manse, there wasn't quite enough room to maneuver. That meant that we had to break out the shovels and the push plow. We cleared just enough snow to lay down some snowmelt, which allowed us to get into and out of the driveway. That left us enough time to dig into and repair the snowblower.
Fortunately the snowblower only required two new drive belts (we already had them on hand, knowing that a broken belt was always a possibility) and a realignment of the auger pulleys due to a loosened attachment bolt. A little less than an hour later and the snowblower was back in action.
I was amazed at how easily the snowblower threw that heavy, doughy snow. But it did the job and a little over an hour later we were done and the sun melted off the leavings, taking the driveway down to dry pavement.
Thank goodness for small favors.
*******
Glenn Reynolds linked to a New York Times article about ethanol and US/Brazil cooperation. Unfortunately I think the US is headed in the wrong direction, backing corn-based ethanol production rather than sugar cane and switch grass based ethanol.
Corn based ethanol is a losing proposition because it takes just as much or more fossil fuel to produce it as it replaces. Corn is a high maintenance crop. Sugar cane and switch grass are not. Neither requires fertilizer or pesticides while corn requires both.
*******
Senator Barack Obama says that legislation that will “make it easier to for workers to start unions” will pass in the Senate.
Fortunately President Bush has already said he will veto the legislation if it reaches his desk.
At least the President understands that this bill is measure that will give the unions a pass to use intimidation tactics and other means that would get anybody else prosecuted under RICO. It is a bill designed to fix a problem that is of organized labor's own making.
Wizbang also has more on the story, with plenty of commentary.
*******
As I wrote in last week's Thoughts On A Sunday, the selling of fear is a big business. John Stossel covered it on the February 23 edition of 20/20 and expounds upon what he calls the Fear-Industrial Complex in his Town Hall column this week.
Consider vaccines. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the mercury in them has "poisoned an entire generation! It's causing IQ loss, mental retardation, speech delay, language delay, ADD, hyperactivity!"
The news media love this kind of story. They repeatedly invite Barbara Loe Fisher, who heads the Vaccine "Information" Center, to tell parents about vaccine risks. She warns of "seizures, brain inflammation, collapse shock, and of course the most serious effect is death."
Causing autism is the biggest accusation. "Before kids received so many vaccines," says Fisher, "you didn't see autistic children. ... We can't build the special-education classrooms fast enough now to accommodate all these sick and disabled children."
The problem is that all of these accusations are untrue, as proven by years of clinical research. But that doesn't stop the fear mongers or the media that loves them. To hear some of them talk you'd think that we're living in the worst times since the Black Plague swept through Europe.
Hogwash!
*******
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where politics is one of our favorite sports, politicians squirm at the thought of facing us, and where the 2008 Presidential campaign has been going on since November 2004.
3/03/2007
Socialist Thinking Alive And Well In Washington State
It appears that the not so covert socialist movement has found a new home in the Pacific Northwest.
As liberal and twisted as the San Francisco Bay area can be, it appears that Seattle is the new hotbed of socialist group think. After reading this by Skip at Granite Grok, I'm wondering if it's time for the US to invade Seattle and rescue the citizens from this morally corrupt and nascent totalitarian movement.
Skip's post starts out talking about how many in the Seattle area look down at their noses at NASCAR fans. Sounds ridiculous, right? But this is symptom of a far greater problem in Washington State.
Skip goes into quite a bit of detail, but one thing that stuck out in his commentary is his mention that these numb nuts socialists are still trying to play the “Zero sum game”.
What is meant by that? Simply this: They believe that if someone got rich, then they must have taken it away from someone else and made them poor. In other words they act as if there is a finite amount of wealth. That may have been true many generations ago when wealth was defined by the possession of valuable commodities (gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, land, etc.). Wealth had a finite sum that didn't change rapidly. The rich did get rich by taking the wealth away from those under them. This is the so-called zero sum. But that is no longer true. Unfortunately the anti-capitalist throwbacks haven't figured this out. That's why they are trying so hard to indoctrinate children to believe that wealth is evil and that private property shouldn't exist.
Of course the socialist experiment has been tried again and again, where everything was owned by everyone (meaning that nobody owned anything). And every time this experiment has been tried it has failed miserably. But that doesn't stop them from trying it one more time. (Of course you know the definition of insanity, don't you? It is trying the same thing over and over again, but expecting the results to be different this time.) Need I say more?
Like the PC movement, which is yet another attempt by the socialists to engineer society, this failed ideology needs to die a lingering, painful death. The sooner, the better.
As liberal and twisted as the San Francisco Bay area can be, it appears that Seattle is the new hotbed of socialist group think. After reading this by Skip at Granite Grok, I'm wondering if it's time for the US to invade Seattle and rescue the citizens from this morally corrupt and nascent totalitarian movement.
Skip's post starts out talking about how many in the Seattle area look down at their noses at NASCAR fans. Sounds ridiculous, right? But this is symptom of a far greater problem in Washington State.
Well, while the talk is all about San Fran values, or California values, it seems like Washington state really wants to give the former a real run for their money with this story.
Some Seattle school children are being told to be skeptical of private property rights. This lesson is being taught by banning Legos.
A ban was initiated at the Hilltop Children's Center in Seattle. According to an article in the winter 2006-07 issue of “Rethinking Schools” magazine, the teachers at the private school wanted their students to learn that private property ownership is evil.
And then teachers wonder why they are coming under more and more attacks...and this one is justified. The right to control, to own, "stuff" goes to the heart of the capitalistic society. I keep seeing this more and more as I see teachers not teaching the fundamentals but going after subjects like "social justice", eliminating competition, and the like.
You know, things that make the real world work? I do have do wonder if these teachers can play chess, for they certainly are not thinking several moves ahead. Without ownership, without the incentive to do better, earn more, the taxes that pay these teachers would evaporate.
Skip goes into quite a bit of detail, but one thing that stuck out in his commentary is his mention that these numb nuts socialists are still trying to play the “Zero sum game”.
What is meant by that? Simply this: They believe that if someone got rich, then they must have taken it away from someone else and made them poor. In other words they act as if there is a finite amount of wealth. That may have been true many generations ago when wealth was defined by the possession of valuable commodities (gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, land, etc.). Wealth had a finite sum that didn't change rapidly. The rich did get rich by taking the wealth away from those under them. This is the so-called zero sum. But that is no longer true. Unfortunately the anti-capitalist throwbacks haven't figured this out. That's why they are trying so hard to indoctrinate children to believe that wealth is evil and that private property shouldn't exist.
Of course the socialist experiment has been tried again and again, where everything was owned by everyone (meaning that nobody owned anything). And every time this experiment has been tried it has failed miserably. But that doesn't stop them from trying it one more time. (Of course you know the definition of insanity, don't you? It is trying the same thing over and over again, but expecting the results to be different this time.) Need I say more?
Like the PC movement, which is yet another attempt by the socialists to engineer society, this failed ideology needs to die a lingering, painful death. The sooner, the better.
3/01/2007
Rigging The Rules
It's not surprising to me that labor unions are doing all they can to survive and to expand their ranks. After all, union membership has declined since the 1950's, being only 7.4% of the workforce today versus 35% fifty years ago.
In the past labor unions were at the forefront of labor law, making sure that workers weren't exploited or endangered needlessly. Today there are widespread state and federal labor laws that codify the gains made by the unions. But because of those gains the era of unions is fading and fading fast.
Not that this has stopped the labor movement from trying to stem the loss of membership. I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is the tactics that the unions are trying in order to fill their ranks (and coffers) again.
First, it was the so-called WalMart law in Maryland, designed to punish WalMart because the unions couldn't get a foothold in the company any other way. Fortunately the law was struck down in court, thwarting organized labor's plans.
Next, it's their attempt to make it 'easier' to vote a union in. But this is a lie. While the unions and the supporters of legislation that would do away with secret ballots by workers voting about organizing a union say that the open balloting will prevent business from intimidating potential union members to vote against a union, it is really a means for organized labor to intimidate workers into voting for a union.
This method lends itself to easy intimidation by the union because they will know who has and has not signed the cards, making it easier to target those that have not yet signed. This has nothing to fairness and everything to do with maintaining power at the expense of the very workers organized labor says they are protecting.
In the past labor unions were at the forefront of labor law, making sure that workers weren't exploited or endangered needlessly. Today there are widespread state and federal labor laws that codify the gains made by the unions. But because of those gains the era of unions is fading and fading fast.
Not that this has stopped the labor movement from trying to stem the loss of membership. I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is the tactics that the unions are trying in order to fill their ranks (and coffers) again.
First, it was the so-called WalMart law in Maryland, designed to punish WalMart because the unions couldn't get a foothold in the company any other way. Fortunately the law was struck down in court, thwarting organized labor's plans.
Next, it's their attempt to make it 'easier' to vote a union in. But this is a lie. While the unions and the supporters of legislation that would do away with secret ballots by workers voting about organizing a union say that the open balloting will prevent business from intimidating potential union members to vote against a union, it is really a means for organized labor to intimidate workers into voting for a union.
The union claim is that employers are engaging in rampant unfair labor practices to prevent employees from exercising their right to organize. But data from the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees union elections, show no rise in such activities. The reality is that union membership has been in decline for decades, and labor leaders are desperate to rig the rules in order to reverse the trend.
All of which explains the drive to rewrite the rules and do away with secret-ballot elections administered by the NLRB, a procedure in place since the 1935 Wagner Act. Under current rules, once 30% of employees at a workplace express interest in unionizing by signing an authorization card, organizers can go to management and demand voluntary "card-check" recognition. The employer then has the option of recognizing the union or demanding an election.
It shouldn't be surprising that many workers who sign these cards later have second thoughts after getting the employer's side of the story. Workers sign cards for all kinds of reasons, including peer pressure and intimidation. It's not uncommon for an organizer to approach an employer with cards that show 90% of the workforce wants to unionize, only to have the percentage plummet once employees hear about the downside of a union shop and have a chance to vote by secret ballot. So Big Labor wants to dispense with these petty elections and make union recognition mandatory as soon as a simple majority of workers sign a card.
This method lends itself to easy intimidation by the union because they will know who has and has not signed the cards, making it easier to target those that have not yet signed. This has nothing to fairness and everything to do with maintaining power at the expense of the very workers organized labor says they are protecting.
2/26/2007
Tax The Poor!
Fellow gun enthusiast and friend Jeff Soyer brings up an non-gun issue that is causing hate and discontent in his home state of Vermont: the legislature imposing a tax on home heating oil “in an effort to show that Vermont is concerned about global warming.” Most Vermonters think this is a bad idea. Even the liberal Burlington Free Press thinks this is an idea that should die aborning. While the feel good legislation might make the socialist legislators feel as if they're 'doing something' about global warming, they are in fact hurting those Vermonters that can least afford to pay even more for heating oil.
Writes Jeff:
Talk about adding insult to injury.
Jeff adds:
Of course I wouldn't put it past the Vermont State House putzes to raise a tax someplace else to help subsidize heating oil or propane purchases for those burdened by the heating oil taxes, the very burden that these same putzes created. The logic of such thinking never ceases to amaze or amuse me. And here I thought that the Democratic party was supposed to help the 'little guy'.
Yeah, help him right into the (unheated) poor house.
Writes Jeff:
Staying warm in the Winter is not an option, it's a requirement for living in the state. Heating oil (and LP for that matter) are already at near record highs and short of tearing down all the big 100-year-old farmhouses in the state, there isn't much that homeowners can do about their heating bills. Sure, a bit of insulation here, better windows there. The fact remains that most can't afford to do even that, much less bear a (estimated five cents a gallon) heating oil tax.
Talk about adding insult to injury.
Jeff adds:
As President Reagan used to say, "Government isn't the solution. Government is the problem."
Of course I wouldn't put it past the Vermont State House putzes to raise a tax someplace else to help subsidize heating oil or propane purchases for those burdened by the heating oil taxes, the very burden that these same putzes created. The logic of such thinking never ceases to amaze or amuse me. And here I thought that the Democratic party was supposed to help the 'little guy'.
Yeah, help him right into the (unheated) poor house.
2/25/2007
Thoughts On A Sunday
BeezleBub and I made a trip to the local multi-mega-cineplex last night to see Ghost Rider. Man, we could use a dude like that in Iraq. We'd be scaring the be-Jesus...uh...be-Allah out of the jihadis, harahabis, and Ba'athist insurgents.
BeezleBub started a week of vacation from school this weekend. He'll be heading down to the WP In-Laws for a few days to meet up with his lifelong friend from the southwest part of the state.
With him gone it will be a quiet around here. Too quiet. But it will be a little easier for me while he's gone only because I won't need to get up quite as early as I usually do when he's in school.
He hasn't even left yet and I'm already looking forward to his return.
I expect the number of visits to New Hampshire from presidential hopefuls to ramp up to an even higher level as the warm weather approaches. If nothing else we'll see a number of candidates visiting sugar houses – sheds where sap from sugar maples is boiled down to make maple syrup – in an effort to look countrified for the voters. Frankly, boys an girls, it rarely works. We can tell when they're faking it.
Doug at Granite Grok writes about another scientist that gets it in regards to global warming. Of course poor fellow's job may be in jeopardy because he isn't falling in line with the 'consensus' that It's-All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans.
One thing that I've noticed is that of all of the climate scientists out there, the meteorologists tend to doubt that what global warming is taking place is anything but a natural phenomenon, part of a long cycle that is now on the upswing.
Friday night's 20/20 ran a two hour episode that talked about how the media sells fear, making it seem that we are far worse off than we've ever been in our history. It covered such things as the overweening and overblown fear of immunizations - (“It causes autism!”), terrorism - (“We're all gonna die!”), and fear itself - (“Nobody anywhere is safe from anything!”)
John Stossel, one of my favorite mythbusters, covered a wide range of topics in this broadcast. He even goes over how, when it comes to some people (particularly injury lawyers), science doesn't mean a damn thing. One example he uses is the fear about silicone breast implants and the lawsuits about them that bankrupted Dow Chemical, even though there wasn't one bit of verifiable scientific evidence that they caused any of the health problems attributed to them. Emotion – fear - won out over scientific evidence.
And speaking of 'health problems', the latest effort by Democrats to turn the Granite State into the Granny State made it one step closer to becoming law.
The New Hampshire State Senate passed a law banning smoking in restaurants, bars, pubs, and other such establishments. The vote was 17-7, with the majority Democrats carrying the day. There's also proposed legislation in the New Hampshire House that would ban trans-fats.
Should the Dems succeed in these efforts, I expect these 'do-gooders' will then go after ice cream, hot dogs, fried clams, alcoholic beverages of all kinds, because any and all of these things can cause bad health.
During the Senate debate about the smoking ban one senator, Lou D'Allesandro, stated “If it even saves one life, it will be worth it.” The problem is that they will use that sentiment to justify all of the other measures they want to enact. The problem is that legislation cannot cure stupid, and that's exactly what they want to do. Most folks are smart enough not to do the things the Dems say we need to be protected against. But the Dems figure that we're all too stupid to make our own decisions, so they'll make them for us.
Now that's stupid.
From Kerplunk comes a list of ten signs that prove whether or not you're a Moral Idiot.
The test I like to use for those believing that sign number 3 is true is to say, “So, you're saying that Nazi Germany's culture of state-run genocide and conquest was as valid as ours?” You'd be surprised at how many then backpedal some. You'd be even more surprised at how many answer “yes.”
The argument could be made by some that the US was no different during its expansion west, but the US government didn't set up death camps, gas showers, and ovens to eradicated the Indians. There are parts of our history that we aren't proud of, but we mustn't make the all-too-often made mistake of judging 19th Century actions by 21st Century moralities and standards.
(H/T Blogmeister USA)
There's plenty of other good posts over at Kerplunk, too, including a series on 10 Institutions That Ruin The World. So far 7 of the 10 in the series have been posted.
Blogmeister Pam ( who pointed us to Kerplunk) also has an interesting take on the Democrat's definition of arrogance and how it applies only to Republicans.
According to Hillary, our present President is arrogance personified. However, he is anything but, to whit he said:
This is something that Hillary has conveniently forgotten: her husband was more of a weathervane and not a man of principle. Give me a man of principle any day. If that's arrogance, so be it.
Now I'm off to watch the Oscars!
*******
BeezleBub started a week of vacation from school this weekend. He'll be heading down to the WP In-Laws for a few days to meet up with his lifelong friend from the southwest part of the state.
With him gone it will be a quiet around here. Too quiet. But it will be a little easier for me while he's gone only because I won't need to get up quite as early as I usually do when he's in school.
He hasn't even left yet and I'm already looking forward to his return.
*******
I expect the number of visits to New Hampshire from presidential hopefuls to ramp up to an even higher level as the warm weather approaches. If nothing else we'll see a number of candidates visiting sugar houses – sheds where sap from sugar maples is boiled down to make maple syrup – in an effort to look countrified for the voters. Frankly, boys an girls, it rarely works. We can tell when they're faking it.
*******
Doug at Granite Grok writes about another scientist that gets it in regards to global warming. Of course poor fellow's job may be in jeopardy because he isn't falling in line with the 'consensus' that It's-All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans.
One thing that I've noticed is that of all of the climate scientists out there, the meteorologists tend to doubt that what global warming is taking place is anything but a natural phenomenon, part of a long cycle that is now on the upswing.
*******
Friday night's 20/20 ran a two hour episode that talked about how the media sells fear, making it seem that we are far worse off than we've ever been in our history. It covered such things as the overweening and overblown fear of immunizations - (“It causes autism!”), terrorism - (“We're all gonna die!”), and fear itself - (“Nobody anywhere is safe from anything!”)
John Stossel, one of my favorite mythbusters, covered a wide range of topics in this broadcast. He even goes over how, when it comes to some people (particularly injury lawyers), science doesn't mean a damn thing. One example he uses is the fear about silicone breast implants and the lawsuits about them that bankrupted Dow Chemical, even though there wasn't one bit of verifiable scientific evidence that they caused any of the health problems attributed to them. Emotion – fear - won out over scientific evidence.
*******
And speaking of 'health problems', the latest effort by Democrats to turn the Granite State into the Granny State made it one step closer to becoming law.
The New Hampshire State Senate passed a law banning smoking in restaurants, bars, pubs, and other such establishments. The vote was 17-7, with the majority Democrats carrying the day. There's also proposed legislation in the New Hampshire House that would ban trans-fats.
Should the Dems succeed in these efforts, I expect these 'do-gooders' will then go after ice cream, hot dogs, fried clams, alcoholic beverages of all kinds, because any and all of these things can cause bad health.
During the Senate debate about the smoking ban one senator, Lou D'Allesandro, stated “If it even saves one life, it will be worth it.” The problem is that they will use that sentiment to justify all of the other measures they want to enact. The problem is that legislation cannot cure stupid, and that's exactly what they want to do. Most folks are smart enough not to do the things the Dems say we need to be protected against. But the Dems figure that we're all too stupid to make our own decisions, so they'll make them for us.
Now that's stupid.
*******
From Kerplunk comes a list of ten signs that prove whether or not you're a Moral Idiot.
The test I like to use for those believing that sign number 3 is true is to say, “So, you're saying that Nazi Germany's culture of state-run genocide and conquest was as valid as ours?” You'd be surprised at how many then backpedal some. You'd be even more surprised at how many answer “yes.”
The argument could be made by some that the US was no different during its expansion west, but the US government didn't set up death camps, gas showers, and ovens to eradicated the Indians. There are parts of our history that we aren't proud of, but we mustn't make the all-too-often made mistake of judging 19th Century actions by 21st Century moralities and standards.
(H/T Blogmeister USA)
*******
There's plenty of other good posts over at Kerplunk, too, including a series on 10 Institutions That Ruin The World. So far 7 of the 10 in the series have been posted.
*******
Blogmeister Pam ( who pointed us to Kerplunk) also has an interesting take on the Democrat's definition of arrogance and how it applies only to Republicans.
According to Hillary, our present President is arrogance personified. However, he is anything but, to whit he said:
"A leader is somebody who is willing to take positions based on principle, not polls or focus groups."
This is something that Hillary has conveniently forgotten: her husband was more of a weathervane and not a man of principle. Give me a man of principle any day. If that's arrogance, so be it.
*******
Now I'm off to watch the Oscars!
2/24/2007
Draft Fred Thompson Movement Gaining Support
It seems the support for a “Draft Fred Thompson for President” movement is gathering steam. The other day Glenn Reynolds mentioned this post in one of the Knoxville News blogs, laying out the possibility of a run by former US Attorney/former US Senator from Tennessee. Even if Thompson decides to run later in the campaign season, he won't necessarily suffer from his late start.
A number of blogs have been calling for him to run, some of them listed here.
Thompson has media exposure outside his appearances on NBC's Law & Order, sitting in for radio commentator Paul Harvey from time to time.
Compared to many of the other GOP hopefuls out there, Thompson is looking better all the time.
The associate also said that Thompson, long a Hollywood star who has played the White House chief of staff and military officers, has such large name recognition that he could stay out for a while and still make waves if he entered late -- or as a vice presidential candidate next year. In the blogs, he's huge.
A number of blogs have been calling for him to run, some of them listed here.
Thompson has media exposure outside his appearances on NBC's Law & Order, sitting in for radio commentator Paul Harvey from time to time.
Compared to many of the other GOP hopefuls out there, Thompson is looking better all the time.
Vilsack Out
The first announced candidate in the 2008 presidential race was also the first casualty.
Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack announced that he is dropping out of the race. He cited his lack funding, making it impossible to continue his campaign.
The first of many has fallen.
Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack announced that he is dropping out of the race. He cited his lack funding, making it impossible to continue his campaign.
The first of many has fallen.
2/22/2007
Flatlander News - Living Dangerously
After a lengthy hiatus our resident flatlander, Brendan Smith is back! It seems fitting that his first appearance in a while should be this one.
My Year Of Living Dangerously
Brendan Smith welcomes your comments at brendan@weirs.com
Reprinted with permission of the author
************
To the sixteen of you who read this column on a regular basis, last week must have been a bit confusing...and I apologize.
Wait, I don't really... I have to stop doing that so much.
That's what this is all about actually.
You see, I've been in a bit of a rut lately. The same old, same old – over and over again.
I decided when 2007 rolled around that I was going to do things different, take some more chances, live on the edge, so to speak. Put some excitement and danger into my life.
Last week was the usual rotation for my column; I have missed a one or two in the past and meekly went about waiting till the next two weeks rolled around until I wrote another one.
This time, with my new attitude, I've decided to break the mold, go against the current, butter my bread on the inside and go out of my usual rotation and write a column this week.
And let me tell you it feels good. It's rather invigorating and I can feel my blood pumping as I shed my boring old skin for some fun and excitement.
Can you feel it too?
I thought so.
But writing my column out of rotation isn't the only chance I've taken since the start of 2007. There's a whole slew of things that I've done.
For instance:
Just last week I ate a bowl of brown rice without even letting it sit for five minutes first and this morning I did a rolling stop through a stop sign (yes, I know it's illegal, but the thrill of breaking the law and getting away with it was strangely exciting).
One day last month I breathed in second hand smoke and ate some trans-fat...and am here to tell the tale.
Last week I threw all caution to the wind and drove 20 mils per hour in a 15MPH zone, window down, the wind racing over my body. I have yet to muster the courage to 30 in a 25 but I know I'll get there eventually. Baby steps.
One big moment that I am very proud of happened just yesterday when I decided to add fabric softener BEFORE the light came on. I admit I was a bit nervous, not sure what havoc this would create with my wardrobe, but if you've never tried it let me be the first to tell you that it really made no difference. It made me realize that everything in this world we perceive as truth should always be questioned and never taken at face value. I think the next time I might forgo the static cling sheets in the dryer, a bold move I know, but without trying I might never understand the vast universe.
One thing I have been contemplating, but can only now attempt, is drinking milk the day after the expiration date. I would have tried this earlier but the remainder of the half-gallon of milk that is sitting in my refrigerator only reaches its expiration date tomorrow, so I will have to wait a couple of days till I can attempt this next dangerous, yet energizing, experiment in this new attitude on life I've developed.
One thing I did that may come back to haunt me was in signing up as a member of a book club on the Internet. This wasn't the first such thing I've ever joined on the information super highway, but this time, instead of spending the usual two to three hours reading the membership agreement, I just went ahead, sweat on my brow, and clicked the “I Accept” button without reading word one. I will admit I am still waiting for the fallout from this but I have, for the most part, put these concerns in the back of my mind, for now.
Speaking of the Internet, I've also decided to be a bit more adventurous in my financial undertakings. Just this morning I entered into a deal with Mr. Bakum Obraca from Nigeria, who has been emailing me for months hoping I would be able to help him transfer some of his funds to my bank in the States in which I would be able to keep tens of thousands of dollars for myself. I'm not sure why he picked me, I just figured that everything happened for a reason, so I took full advantage of it. Not like the old, boring me. I've given him my bank account numbers and am anxiously awaiting my new fortune.
Life is good.
So, as each new day approaches, I look forward to expanding the horizons of my life and taking more chances.
As for my eighteen readers, I hope you'll accept my humble apologies while realizing at the same time that the man you are used to reading has changed. I can't tell what each day will bring. I'll be as surprised as you.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to light a match without first closing the cover.
Brendan Smith welcomes your comments at brendan@weirs.com
************
Reprinted with permission of the author
2/20/2007
Campaign Burnout - All Too Soon
Here it is, a little less than a year before the first presidential caucuses and primaries and already I'm feeling a little burned out about the campaigning. Apparently, I'm not the only one. Already many of those campaigning are starting to sound alike. Their features are starting to blur together and very few of them stand out.
What's it going to be like eleven months from now? Heck, what's it going to be like in November 2008?
What's it going to be like eleven months from now? Heck, what's it going to be like in November 2008?
2/19/2007
We Have To Save Ourselves From Those Who Want To Save Us From Ourselves
First, they want to take away our trans-fats. Next, they want to ensure that everyone succeeds, even if it means that everyone suffers for it. Now, they're trying to make sure that law-abiding citizens will have a harder time defending themselves against some of the criminal mutants that have no problem committing violent crimes upon the innocent.
Three New Hampshire Democratic legislators have decided that it's too dangerous for law abiding citizens to be able to carry concealed firearms. They want to make it a lot more difficult to get a concealed carry permit from the local police departments. My question to these idiots is “Too dangerous for whom?” The answer is, of course, violent criminals.
To quote an e-mail from a good friend:
Sounds like a good idea right? But it's a smokescreen.
First of all, New Hampshire has a high percentage of citizens that own firearms. A goodly portion of them carry their firearms with them at all times. New Hampshire also has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the nation. The only states with lower crime rates also have rather liberal gun laws, allowing citizens to defend themselves against these criminal scumbags. Leaving the decision as whether or not to issue a permit to carry entirely to the discretion of police chief (usually the issuing authority) means that he or she would not have to justify denying a permit to a law abiding citizen. It could become all too arbitrary, as has happened in other states without “shall issue” protections built into law. This legislation would, in effect, remove those protections.
The proposed legislation is, quite frankly, a solution looking for a problem. It is very rare that one will find someone in New Hampshire committing a criminal act with a firearm that actually has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Criminals don't bother with such niceties. They carry firearms regardless of what the law says, so the legislation will have absolutely no effect on them. It will only harm those that will no longer be able to legally defend themselves. This is something that I find the anti-gun forces have a difficult time understanding, so let me explain it in terms even they can (hopefully) understand:
All one needs to do is look at the UK as an example of why restricting gun ownership doesn't work. Private ownership of handguns is illegal, as is the use of deadly force to protect one's life or property. Violent crime has risen dramatically, including the number of what are called “push-in” burglaries, meaning the burglars break in even if they know the occupants of a residence are home.
That doesn't happen here very often because all too often the result is a dead burglar. Were sanity to return to the UK and its citizens allowed to own and/or carry guns, and be allowed to use deadly force, the violent crime rate would drop rapidly. It is the criminal that will have to worry about ending up in a morgue, not his intended victim.
Three New Hampshire Democratic legislators have decided that it's too dangerous for law abiding citizens to be able to carry concealed firearms. They want to make it a lot more difficult to get a concealed carry permit from the local police departments. My question to these idiots is “Too dangerous for whom?” The answer is, of course, violent criminals.
To quote an e-mail from a good friend:
“Senate Bill 44, sponsored by Senator Peter Burling (D-District 5), and Representatives Lee Hammond (D-Grafton District 11) and John Tholl (R-Coos District 2), seeks to change the concealed carry licensing statute to make it easier for the issuing authority to deny a license. Further, the bill raises the standard by which attorney fees may be awarded in a lawsuit against an issuing authority for a violation of the licensing law to "gross negligence or malice," and removes the personal liability of the issuing officer.”
Sounds like a good idea right? But it's a smokescreen.
First of all, New Hampshire has a high percentage of citizens that own firearms. A goodly portion of them carry their firearms with them at all times. New Hampshire also has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the nation. The only states with lower crime rates also have rather liberal gun laws, allowing citizens to defend themselves against these criminal scumbags. Leaving the decision as whether or not to issue a permit to carry entirely to the discretion of police chief (usually the issuing authority) means that he or she would not have to justify denying a permit to a law abiding citizen. It could become all too arbitrary, as has happened in other states without “shall issue” protections built into law. This legislation would, in effect, remove those protections.
The proposed legislation is, quite frankly, a solution looking for a problem. It is very rare that one will find someone in New Hampshire committing a criminal act with a firearm that actually has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Criminals don't bother with such niceties. They carry firearms regardless of what the law says, so the legislation will have absolutely no effect on them. It will only harm those that will no longer be able to legally defend themselves. This is something that I find the anti-gun forces have a difficult time understanding, so let me explain it in terms even they can (hopefully) understand:
Taking away the means to defend oneself from the predations of the criminal underclass does two things – it leaves people that were able to protect themselves defenseless, and it lets the criminal underclass know that their potential victims are now defenseless and easily preyed upon.
The law enforcement authorities cannot protect us because they can't be everywhere all the time. In most cases they will be there after the fact to collect evidence, interview witnesses (assuming anyone will be willing to speak up because they know the criminals will likely come after them if the do), take crime scene photos, and in many cases, help the coroner put your body into a body bag for its trip to the morgue.
All one needs to do is look at the UK as an example of why restricting gun ownership doesn't work. Private ownership of handguns is illegal, as is the use of deadly force to protect one's life or property. Violent crime has risen dramatically, including the number of what are called “push-in” burglaries, meaning the burglars break in even if they know the occupants of a residence are home.
That doesn't happen here very often because all too often the result is a dead burglar. Were sanity to return to the UK and its citizens allowed to own and/or carry guns, and be allowed to use deadly force, the violent crime rate would drop rapidly. It is the criminal that will have to worry about ending up in a morgue, not his intended victim.
There Are No Guarantees
It never ceases to amaze me how effin' ignorant some of the bleeding heart Liberals can be. I touched upon this briefly in yesterday's post, mentioning an editorial in the Sunday Citizen (Laconia, NH) that boldly declares that “Government cannot and should not guarantee success.” (Sorry, still no link available. It appears that their website is running a few days behind in the Commentary section.)
Of course, Kennedy doesn't see it as his responsibility to actually find a way of implementing such a horrid and, in the end, economically destructive plan. It's not like he or his leftist cronies will actually have to worry about living up to the requirements such a mandate would impose on the rest of us.
You don't believe such a mandate will have a negative effect on our economy? All one has to do is look at France's economy, and particularly their unemployment numbers, to see what a mandate like this will do to us. Yet somehow the so-called do-gooders seem to think that is of little consequence, that it's necessary to “Do something!” The problem is that all too often that something is the wrong thing and then someone else – meaning the taxpayers – has to pay to clean it up, and those that the do-gooders were ostensibly trying to help are now worse off than before.
Of course, if the damn Liberals had their way we could count on even more 'rights' that are nothing but wrong, such as:
- The right to a living wage.
OK, who decides what a living wage is? Should every job be entitled to a living wage, even one that is part time? Would it be adjusted depending upon the cost of living for a given area? Again, who would decide? And who would support those folks that lost their jobs because their employer wasn't willing to pay them a 'living wage' for taking orders at a fast food restaurant or running a cash register at a convenience store? Of course, that could be cured by...
- The right to job security
This means you could never be fired. It has worked oh-so-well in places like France and Germany, which is why businesses rarely hire new employees during an upturn in the economy because they will have no way to shed them should a recession hit. It's also why the unemployment rates in those two countries for younger workers is at 20% or higher. Gee, sounds like paradise to me!
- The right to a home
As the editorial explains, it means more than just fending off eminent domain. “Those who can't afford a home should be given the money to buy one. Just think of the boom to the building trades!”Yeah, and how many of those homes would be in disrepair in short order and uninhabitable in only a few years? All it would be is public housing writ large, and from what I've seen of public housing, I wouldn't want any part of this.
A guarantee of success is a lie. It can't be done. Everyone that has attempted to do so has failed miserably, usually to the detriment of the very people that were meant to be helped.
An unfolding lesson exists in Venezuela. Hugo Chavez is trying to do what so many here think would create a paradise. But if Chavez goes the route of others, like Robert Mugabe, his social reforms will eventually end in a police state and will make Venezuela a living hell. A once wealthy nation will fall into poverty...except of course for those in power. They will still have their Mercedes and mansions and plentiful food and drink. But the regular people will have nothing but memories of how good they once had it before all of the social reforms “saved” them.
It is a lesson to which Ted Kennedy and others like him should be paying attention.
Unfortunately, they won't.
Pop quiz: Name the basic human rights.
If you answered Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, you are only partially correct.
If Massachusetts Se, Ted Kennedy has his way, federally mandated sick leave will join the growing list, which according to Sen. Hillary Clinton, should also include the right to a living wage.
[...]
Of course, Kennedy makes no offering as to how businesses will pay for this perk or how employees who abuse the mandated benefit will be disciplined, especially of courts wind up holding the right sacrosanct by ruling that it falls under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Of course, Kennedy doesn't see it as his responsibility to actually find a way of implementing such a horrid and, in the end, economically destructive plan. It's not like he or his leftist cronies will actually have to worry about living up to the requirements such a mandate would impose on the rest of us.
You don't believe such a mandate will have a negative effect on our economy? All one has to do is look at France's economy, and particularly their unemployment numbers, to see what a mandate like this will do to us. Yet somehow the so-called do-gooders seem to think that is of little consequence, that it's necessary to “Do something!” The problem is that all too often that something is the wrong thing and then someone else – meaning the taxpayers – has to pay to clean it up, and those that the do-gooders were ostensibly trying to help are now worse off than before.
Of course, if the damn Liberals had their way we could count on even more 'rights' that are nothing but wrong, such as:
- The right to a living wage.
OK, who decides what a living wage is? Should every job be entitled to a living wage, even one that is part time? Would it be adjusted depending upon the cost of living for a given area? Again, who would decide? And who would support those folks that lost their jobs because their employer wasn't willing to pay them a 'living wage' for taking orders at a fast food restaurant or running a cash register at a convenience store? Of course, that could be cured by...
- The right to job security
This means you could never be fired. It has worked oh-so-well in places like France and Germany, which is why businesses rarely hire new employees during an upturn in the economy because they will have no way to shed them should a recession hit. It's also why the unemployment rates in those two countries for younger workers is at 20% or higher. Gee, sounds like paradise to me!
- The right to a home
As the editorial explains, it means more than just fending off eminent domain. “Those who can't afford a home should be given the money to buy one. Just think of the boom to the building trades!”Yeah, and how many of those homes would be in disrepair in short order and uninhabitable in only a few years? All it would be is public housing writ large, and from what I've seen of public housing, I wouldn't want any part of this.
A guarantee of success is a lie. It can't be done. Everyone that has attempted to do so has failed miserably, usually to the detriment of the very people that were meant to be helped.
It may sound corny to the likes of Ted Kennedy, but the United States of America was founded on a guarantee of opportunity, not a guarantee of success.
Few can rightfully argue with the need for safety nets for those who fall through the cracks. But to guarantee success in every phase in life is impossible. History has proven that governments that try are doomed to failure and, in the end, foster oppression and tyranny – the direct opposite of their intended goal.
An unfolding lesson exists in Venezuela. Hugo Chavez is trying to do what so many here think would create a paradise. But if Chavez goes the route of others, like Robert Mugabe, his social reforms will eventually end in a police state and will make Venezuela a living hell. A once wealthy nation will fall into poverty...except of course for those in power. They will still have their Mercedes and mansions and plentiful food and drink. But the regular people will have nothing but memories of how good they once had it before all of the social reforms “saved” them.
It is a lesson to which Ted Kennedy and others like him should be paying attention.
Unfortunately, they won't.
2/18/2007
Thoughts On A Sunday
We've had a visitor here at The Manse, and old friend of yours truly. It was nice to see her and catch up on what's going on in our lives as we don't get the chance to get together all that often. Phone calls and e-mail can only do so much. Face to face time is always more 'real' as far as I'm concerned.
I'm glad to see that the anti-surge resolution failed in the Senate.
I am now firmly convinced that Democrats are working their hardest to make sure that we fail in Iraq, despite all of their claims that they support the troops. It is quite apparent that their definition of 'support' differs from that of the troops on the ground, and that's the biggest problem. Many of the Democrats seem to be of the same stripe as those who 'supported' the troops in Vietnam.
The first big event for NASCAR ran today- the Daytona 500.
Frankly, the biggest story of this race was the cheating scandal. A close second is the rules changes for this year, making it preferable to have the drivers actually try to win the races rather than hang back a little in order to garner points towards the championship.
It's about time.
Despite the front loading of the primary/caucus schedule, it appears that New Hampshire is still a presidential candidate's favorite place to visit. Hillary Clinton was here this weekend, her second visit in as many weeks, as was New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Hopefuls from both parties have been making themselves as visible as possible at every opportunity.
Nevada, whose caucus is scheduled in between Iowa and New Hampshire, hasn't seen the candidate traffic that Iowa and New Hampshire have. I think the DNC may find that it has miscalculated by working so hard to usurp New Hampshire's First-In-The-Nation status. The DNC's move to front-load the schedule may also backfire as the American voter will become so tired of the political rhetoric and posturing by the time of the election in November 2008 that many voters may stay home, or worse for the Democrats, vote Republican.
Politics is a fickle thing, something the Dems seem to be trying very hard to forget.
An interesting thing that at least one Democratic representative to the House is learning is that the voters that elected her to office weren't necessarily voting for her so much as voting against her Republican opponent.
It is alleged that, according to two constituents in her district, that Carol Shea-Porter (D – NH 1st District) called them in an effort to silence them after they had written letters to the local newspapers criticizing her stand against the war in Iraq. Shea-Porter denies she did any such thing, but called them merely to discuss the matter with them.
While Shea-Porter ran on an anti-Bush/anti-war platform, it did not necessarily mean that everyone that voted for her agreed with her stand.
Regardless, the one thing that Congresswoman Shea-Porter needs to remember is that she represents all of the constituents in her district, not just those that agree with her.
The push to create a greater nanny state has reached the federal level, with the leftists pushing hard for 'equal outcome' based initiatives rather than 'equal opportunity' based initiatives. In an editorial in the Sunday Citizen (Laconia, NH), the title says it all (sorry, no link available yet):
But that's exactly what liberals want, despite the fact that it isn't possible unless draconian measures are used to achieve those aims, much like those used in Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron.
Usually, when someone tries to force equality of outcome, that outcome is defined by the least common denominator. In other words, that 'equality of outcome' pulls everyone downwards. It does not pull anyone up. But that doesn't seem to bother those proponents of such programs.
A perfect example of this is that damned No Child Left Behind. Rather than pulling those children who may be deficient in academic performance upwards to their peers, it pulls the other kids downwards because now teachers are “teaching to the test”. Those kids with above average academic skills are being shortchanged all in the name of equality.
Does that seem wrong to anyone other than me?
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the snow has finally arrived, the snowmobilers and skiers can finally have some fun, and where Daylight Savings Time will arrive all too soon....
*******
I'm glad to see that the anti-surge resolution failed in the Senate.
I am now firmly convinced that Democrats are working their hardest to make sure that we fail in Iraq, despite all of their claims that they support the troops. It is quite apparent that their definition of 'support' differs from that of the troops on the ground, and that's the biggest problem. Many of the Democrats seem to be of the same stripe as those who 'supported' the troops in Vietnam.
*******
The first big event for NASCAR ran today- the Daytona 500.
Frankly, the biggest story of this race was the cheating scandal. A close second is the rules changes for this year, making it preferable to have the drivers actually try to win the races rather than hang back a little in order to garner points towards the championship.
It's about time.
*******
Despite the front loading of the primary/caucus schedule, it appears that New Hampshire is still a presidential candidate's favorite place to visit. Hillary Clinton was here this weekend, her second visit in as many weeks, as was New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Hopefuls from both parties have been making themselves as visible as possible at every opportunity.
Nevada, whose caucus is scheduled in between Iowa and New Hampshire, hasn't seen the candidate traffic that Iowa and New Hampshire have. I think the DNC may find that it has miscalculated by working so hard to usurp New Hampshire's First-In-The-Nation status. The DNC's move to front-load the schedule may also backfire as the American voter will become so tired of the political rhetoric and posturing by the time of the election in November 2008 that many voters may stay home, or worse for the Democrats, vote Republican.
Politics is a fickle thing, something the Dems seem to be trying very hard to forget.
*******
An interesting thing that at least one Democratic representative to the House is learning is that the voters that elected her to office weren't necessarily voting for her so much as voting against her Republican opponent.
It is alleged that, according to two constituents in her district, that Carol Shea-Porter (D – NH 1st District) called them in an effort to silence them after they had written letters to the local newspapers criticizing her stand against the war in Iraq. Shea-Porter denies she did any such thing, but called them merely to discuss the matter with them.
While Shea-Porter ran on an anti-Bush/anti-war platform, it did not necessarily mean that everyone that voted for her agreed with her stand.
Regardless, the one thing that Congresswoman Shea-Porter needs to remember is that she represents all of the constituents in her district, not just those that agree with her.
*******
The push to create a greater nanny state has reached the federal level, with the leftists pushing hard for 'equal outcome' based initiatives rather than 'equal opportunity' based initiatives. In an editorial in the Sunday Citizen (Laconia, NH), the title says it all (sorry, no link available yet):
Government cannot and should not guarantee success
But that's exactly what liberals want, despite the fact that it isn't possible unless draconian measures are used to achieve those aims, much like those used in Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron.
Usually, when someone tries to force equality of outcome, that outcome is defined by the least common denominator. In other words, that 'equality of outcome' pulls everyone downwards. It does not pull anyone up. But that doesn't seem to bother those proponents of such programs.
A perfect example of this is that damned No Child Left Behind. Rather than pulling those children who may be deficient in academic performance upwards to their peers, it pulls the other kids downwards because now teachers are “teaching to the test”. Those kids with above average academic skills are being shortchanged all in the name of equality.
Does that seem wrong to anyone other than me?
*******
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the snow has finally arrived, the snowmobilers and skiers can finally have some fun, and where Daylight Savings Time will arrive all too soon....
2/12/2007
Question Ethanol
For some time now we've been hearing about ethanol as an alternative fuel or fuel additive, a biofuel that is supposed to be renewable and eco-friendly. The only problem is that, as the US has been promoting and subsidizing ethanol, it is anything but.
Ethanol in the US comes from corn, That's all well and good. But there are two problems with corn as a feedstock for ethanol production – production uses as much fossil fuels as the ethanol is supposed to replace; and it's driven up commodity corn prices, making it far more expensive for use as food, something that hurts people in countries where corn is a major foodstuff.
There are other crops that could be used as a feedstock that would be far better than corn. Corn requires a considerable amount of work to grow and harvest. It also requires fertilizer and pesticides to ensure a good crop, both negatives when it comes to return on investment, money and energy-wise.
While Brazil uses sugar cane, and quite successfully at that, it isn't a crop that can be grown throughout the US as it can be there. From my reading it appears that switch grass may be America's best bet when it comes to producing ethanol. It requires little work once the seed is spread. It doesn't need fertilizer or pesticides. The conversion process is a bit different that that used for corn, relying more on an enzymatic process, but it requires little external energy in comparison to corn to make ethanol.
While the process hasn't been perfected, meaning that it has not yet been scaled up to produce the millions of gallons of ethanol needed, in the long run it makes sense to use this ubiquitous plant rather than corn. But don't hold your breath when it comes to making the change over.
There are hundreds of millions of dollars to be made from corn based ethanol. Much of that comes from government subsidies and some comes from the ever higher corn prices that diversion of corn to ethanol production has created. Changing over to a non-subsidized crop as a feedstock would cause many in the ethanol business to lose money, and farmers would not see the gains from the subsidies and higher commodity prices. Therefore it is unlikely we'll see a change any time soon and we'll continue to pay higher prices for ethanol, for corn, and see little return from the energy required to complete the corn-to-ethanol cycle.
Ethanol in the US comes from corn, That's all well and good. But there are two problems with corn as a feedstock for ethanol production – production uses as much fossil fuels as the ethanol is supposed to replace; and it's driven up commodity corn prices, making it far more expensive for use as food, something that hurts people in countries where corn is a major foodstuff.
There are other crops that could be used as a feedstock that would be far better than corn. Corn requires a considerable amount of work to grow and harvest. It also requires fertilizer and pesticides to ensure a good crop, both negatives when it comes to return on investment, money and energy-wise.
While Brazil uses sugar cane, and quite successfully at that, it isn't a crop that can be grown throughout the US as it can be there. From my reading it appears that switch grass may be America's best bet when it comes to producing ethanol. It requires little work once the seed is spread. It doesn't need fertilizer or pesticides. The conversion process is a bit different that that used for corn, relying more on an enzymatic process, but it requires little external energy in comparison to corn to make ethanol.
While the process hasn't been perfected, meaning that it has not yet been scaled up to produce the millions of gallons of ethanol needed, in the long run it makes sense to use this ubiquitous plant rather than corn. But don't hold your breath when it comes to making the change over.
There are hundreds of millions of dollars to be made from corn based ethanol. Much of that comes from government subsidies and some comes from the ever higher corn prices that diversion of corn to ethanol production has created. Changing over to a non-subsidized crop as a feedstock would cause many in the ethanol business to lose money, and farmers would not see the gains from the subsidies and higher commodity prices. Therefore it is unlikely we'll see a change any time soon and we'll continue to pay higher prices for ethanol, for corn, and see little return from the energy required to complete the corn-to-ethanol cycle.
2/11/2007
Thoughts On A Sunday
Watching the various Weather Guys™ over the past two days, I'm hearing from most of them that we might actually get a substantial snowfall on Wednesday. An honest-to-goodness Nor'easter might actually be headed our way!
It's about frickin' time.
With a good amount of snowfall the snowmobile enthusiasts where I work will be able to go out and play with their snow machines. I won't have to hear yet another endless lack-of-snow lament.
Now some of you might think that I dislike winter. That's not the case. What I dislike are the non-winter winters, where unseasonable temperatures and lack of winter weather make it seem more like an extended early spring, with rain, mud, and more mud, and no ice on the lakes and ponds. If it's winter, I want winter weather, dammit!
It sounds more and more like the Spanish Inquisition when anybody dares ask questions about the recently released IPCC report on global warming. Supporters of the report are basically telling everyone “act, not think” about the so-called solutions to the problem, which everybody knows is All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans.
The nanny statists are ever pushing. As I wrote here, they've already gone too far. And they'll push even farther, given the chance.
You'll get no argument from me on that point.
Hillary Clinton finishes out her visit to New Hampshire later today. Yesterday she visited both Berlin, a northern New Hampshire city still struggling with economic problems, and the state capitol, Concord. She's scheduled to visit Manchester, Nashua, and Keene today before returning to Washington.
She's working hard to score points with New Hampshire Democrats, though I think that Barack Obama's announcement that he will run for president in 2008 has stolen some of her thunder.
Obama is scheduled to visit New Hampshire starting on Monday.
It's getting mighty crowded around here. There are so many presidential candidates here now that you can barely move without bumping in to one.
Are you as tired of hearing about Anna Nicole Smith as I am?
Yes, her death, and for that fact, her life was tragic. Now the wolves are circling her corpse, hoping to score a windfall by claiming her infant daughter for their own, and the potential millions that will go with her. This is based upon Smith's lawsuit for her share of her late husband's fortune, something that the Supreme Court decided she had every right to do. Should suit go in her favor, all of that inheritance would go to her daughter, and hence to whomever ends up with custody of her.
It's avarice at its worst.
Smash points out the hypocrisy of anti-war protesters who claim to support the troops. This hypocrisy usually shows itself in the form of these protesters spitting on military personnel and veterans, including those that have been wounded in combat.
A real class act, I tell ya'.
Steve Martin may have given many of the jihadis/harabahis 72 reasons not to kill themselves in suicide bombings.
(H/T Glenn Reynolds)
While the debate about Iraq rages on, Ben Stein has written a thoughtful and poignant letter to the troops.
Qualifying for the Daytona 500 began today.
It seems that last season ended only a week or two ago....
Even with the aforementioned Nor'easter heading this way for Wednesday, plans are being made to remove the winter storage cover from the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout, aka 'The Boat'. Though BeezleBub and I did most of the maintenance prior to storing it away for the winter, there were some things that need to be done that required tools that we don't have. So sometime in April the cover will be removed and The Boat will make a trip to one of the local marinas for service. Then, sometime after the first of May The Boat will be returned to the water.
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the political rhetoric has been dialed up to '10', more presidential hopefuls are flooding the state, and where some folks here are already tired of the New Hampshire Primary even though it;s still 11 months off.
It's about frickin' time.
With a good amount of snowfall the snowmobile enthusiasts where I work will be able to go out and play with their snow machines. I won't have to hear yet another endless lack-of-snow lament.
Now some of you might think that I dislike winter. That's not the case. What I dislike are the non-winter winters, where unseasonable temperatures and lack of winter weather make it seem more like an extended early spring, with rain, mud, and more mud, and no ice on the lakes and ponds. If it's winter, I want winter weather, dammit!
*******
It sounds more and more like the Spanish Inquisition when anybody dares ask questions about the recently released IPCC report on global warming. Supporters of the report are basically telling everyone “act, not think” about the so-called solutions to the problem, which everybody knows is All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans.
*******
The nanny statists are ever pushing. As I wrote here, they've already gone too far. And they'll push even farther, given the chance.
Trans fats are a source of "bad cholesterol" and therefore can harm you. Eating too much ice cream can also harm you, as can spending too much on lottery tickets, or playing golf during lightning storms.
All of these things should be controlled by the state, the nanny-thinking goes, because some people are just too stupid to control themselves. Makes the libertarian philosophy more and more attractive, doesn't it?
You'll get no argument from me on that point.
*******
Hillary Clinton finishes out her visit to New Hampshire later today. Yesterday she visited both Berlin, a northern New Hampshire city still struggling with economic problems, and the state capitol, Concord. She's scheduled to visit Manchester, Nashua, and Keene today before returning to Washington.
She's working hard to score points with New Hampshire Democrats, though I think that Barack Obama's announcement that he will run for president in 2008 has stolen some of her thunder.
Obama is scheduled to visit New Hampshire starting on Monday.
It's getting mighty crowded around here. There are so many presidential candidates here now that you can barely move without bumping in to one.
*******
Are you as tired of hearing about Anna Nicole Smith as I am?
Yes, her death, and for that fact, her life was tragic. Now the wolves are circling her corpse, hoping to score a windfall by claiming her infant daughter for their own, and the potential millions that will go with her. This is based upon Smith's lawsuit for her share of her late husband's fortune, something that the Supreme Court decided she had every right to do. Should suit go in her favor, all of that inheritance would go to her daughter, and hence to whomever ends up with custody of her.
It's avarice at its worst.
*******
Smash points out the hypocrisy of anti-war protesters who claim to support the troops. This hypocrisy usually shows itself in the form of these protesters spitting on military personnel and veterans, including those that have been wounded in combat.
A real class act, I tell ya'.
*******
Steve Martin may have given many of the jihadis/harabahis 72 reasons not to kill themselves in suicide bombings.
(H/T Glenn Reynolds)
*******
While the debate about Iraq rages on, Ben Stein has written a thoughtful and poignant letter to the troops.
*******
Qualifying for the Daytona 500 began today.
It seems that last season ended only a week or two ago....
*******
Even with the aforementioned Nor'easter heading this way for Wednesday, plans are being made to remove the winter storage cover from the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout, aka 'The Boat'. Though BeezleBub and I did most of the maintenance prior to storing it away for the winter, there were some things that need to be done that required tools that we don't have. So sometime in April the cover will be removed and The Boat will make a trip to one of the local marinas for service. Then, sometime after the first of May The Boat will be returned to the water.
*******
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the political rhetoric has been dialed up to '10', more presidential hopefuls are flooding the state, and where some folks here are already tired of the New Hampshire Primary even though it;s still 11 months off.
2/09/2007
Going Too Far
It appears that two of my fellow New Hampshire blogs are on this story, where two New Hampshire Seacoast legislators have decided that it would be a great idea to follow New York City's lead and have proposed legislation to outlaw the use of transfats in all restaurants in the state.
Just what we need, more nanny statism.
If it isn't this, it's seat belts. As I commented on Bruce's post:
Of course Bruce had a thoughtful response, and once I thought about it, it sort of made sense.
'Nuff said.
Just what we need, more nanny statism.
If it isn't this, it's seat belts. As I commented on Bruce's post:
Another thing that I've found that many of the more liberal lawmakers in the Granite State have a tendency to do - legislate for something that is already happening because the public decided it should be so. A perfect example is seat belts. More adults wear seat belts here in NH than the national average. More wear seat belts here than in states that have mandatory seat belt laws. So why make a law about something that people are already doing voluntarily? I've never understood the logic of that.
Of course Bruce had a thoughtful response, and once I thought about it, it sort of made sense.
And, therein lies your problem. Their life philosophy is nothing more than the culmination of a lifetime of knee-jerk, feel-good responses to imaginary problems, centered around the core philosophy that the citizenry should be eternally beholden to the government for their every want and need. Facts, reality and the recognition if individual dignity be damned.
'Nuff said.
2/08/2007
Town Meeting Observations
As mentioned in this post, I attended Town Meeting Tuesday night. It was small town democracy in action.
There were the usual characters in attendance, including the 'numbers guy' (can pull accurate figures from his memory and recalculate expenditures in his head), the vocal curmudgeon (finds it impossible to stay on topic when speaking about the warrant article under discussion and is still pissed off about something that took place over 40 years ago), the earnest charity proponent (“It's for the children!”), and the petitioner with an ax to grind because some town board or another did something that he/she didn't like.
One of the more controversial issues discussed was a petition that called for the town's elected Budget Committee to be eliminated and replaced with a new committee appointed by the Board of Selectman, said committee to be an advisory committee.
A number of the petitioners got up to speak about the article, claiming that the existing committee showed “nothing but contempt for the taxpayers.”
Excuse me?
How is looking out for the taxpayers money contempt for the taxpayers? It was more the petitioners showing their contempt by trying to remove one of the checks and balance mechanisms and replacing it with a toothless advisory board beholden to the selectmen, the school board, and town employees. (It also turns out that many of the petitioners were teachers, town employees, or their spouses. A coincidence? I think not.)
And so it goes in small town New Hampshire.
There were the usual characters in attendance, including the 'numbers guy' (can pull accurate figures from his memory and recalculate expenditures in his head), the vocal curmudgeon (finds it impossible to stay on topic when speaking about the warrant article under discussion and is still pissed off about something that took place over 40 years ago), the earnest charity proponent (“It's for the children!”), and the petitioner with an ax to grind because some town board or another did something that he/she didn't like.
One of the more controversial issues discussed was a petition that called for the town's elected Budget Committee to be eliminated and replaced with a new committee appointed by the Board of Selectman, said committee to be an advisory committee.
A number of the petitioners got up to speak about the article, claiming that the existing committee showed “nothing but contempt for the taxpayers.”
Excuse me?
How is looking out for the taxpayers money contempt for the taxpayers? It was more the petitioners showing their contempt by trying to remove one of the checks and balance mechanisms and replacing it with a toothless advisory board beholden to the selectmen, the school board, and town employees. (It also turns out that many of the petitioners were teachers, town employees, or their spouses. A coincidence? I think not.)
And so it goes in small town New Hampshire.
2/04/2007
Thoughts On A Sunday
If you haven't read my previous post, you're unaware that yesterday was my guest appearance on Meet The New Press a local radio show about the new media and how we're changing the face of journalism.
I had a great time with the three hosts, Skip, Doug, and Pat, and hope to join them in the studio for future broadcasts.
Gary of Ex-Donkey Blog fame is pulling the plug on his blog. But despair not, for he's joining the Llama Butchers. As Gary explains it, time constraints and family obligations won't allow him to keep up the pace he'd been keeping with his own blog. By joining the Llamas he can post at a much more leisurely pace .
Glenn Reynolds has a longer than usual post about global climate change with a goodly number of links. He and I are on the same page.
I must claim here and now that I do not, in any way, shape, or form, write what Bagheera The Magnificent posts on this blog. At best I may edit it since he can't spell worth a damn, but it's all him, despite what Skip Murphy may claim.
It looks like we're going to be going through he coldest week of this winter, with temps between now and next weekend staying in the teens during the day and at or below zero during the night. Usually we see temps like these in late December and January, not February.
We'll be keeping the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove stoked all the time during this cold blast.
The excitement for Super Bowl XLI has been building all week and it all comes together this evening. Frankly I'm going to be far more interested in the gee-whiz factor of the TV ads running during the game. The one I'll be looking for in particular is the winning ad that the NFL chose to close out the season. The NFL chose the ad idea from a New Hampshire ad exec who lives and works in the Seacoast area. After seeing his pitch I can see why it was chosen.
It was scheduled to be aired during the 2 minute warning break.
Kin Priestap believes that Nancy Pelosi is letting her power go to her head.
I think she's right. It's one thing to use military aircraft for flights to and from her district or for other official duties, something the Speaker of the House has been authorized to do since after 9/11, but to demand the same for members of her family and other members of the California congressional delegation is going too damn far.
Bruce of mAss Backwards has renamed his blog to reflect that he is now a resident of New Hampshire. Mass Backwards is now No Looking Backwards. Hopefully he'll keep pointing out the absurdities of politicians and government within New Hampshire much as he did while he was serving his sentence in the People's Republic of Massachusetts.
Speaking of Bruce, he has an excellent analysis of a suggestion made over at Blue New Hampshire about how to turn New Hampshire into a clone of Massachusetts. The suggestion was to implement a 5.3% income in order to eliminate the property taxes in the state. Anybody with a sense of history and an understanding of how much politicians love taxpayer money will know that something like that will only add to the tax misery, not cure it. I believe my comment to his post highlighted an example of why it would be a bad idea here.
The death penalty as it stands in New Hampshire appears to be up for discussion again.
New Hampshire's death penalty has rarely been imposed or carried out, with 24 executions since 1734, the last one being in 1939. One New Hampshire lawmaker is out to do away with the death penalty, saying that life imprisonment without possibility of parole is the same thing. However, there are those who believe that the death penalty should remain on the books as there are some crimes so heinous that death is the only fitting punishment. It also gives the Attorney General's office leverage to use when dealing with perpetrators of capital crimes.
There are only four crimes for which the death penalty can be imposed: murder of a public official during the performance of their duties, murder during kidnapping, conspiracy to commit the prior crimes, including murder for hire, and treason. That's a pretty small list for crimes warranting the death penalty.
Personally I am for retaining the death penalty as it is on the books here in New Hampshire, if for no other reason than that it works, giving that the prosecutors one more weapon against criminals.
For the longest time there was little, if any, ice on Lake Winnipesaukee. A little less than two weeks ago it was open water as far as the eye could see. There was ice in some of the smaller bays and coves, but the rest of the lake was open water. Then we got the cold snap last week. A couple of days into it and the entire lake was frozen over. There was no open water to be seen anywhere from the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Overlook. It happened just that fast.
The ice formed quickly and is now several inches thick just about everywhere, meaning that the ice fishermen are making up for lost time. It also means that the Rotary Ice Fishing Derby will be held next weekend, right on schedule.
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the lake is finally frozen over, the bob houses are out on the ice, and where the deep freeze has returned.
I had a great time with the three hosts, Skip, Doug, and Pat, and hope to join them in the studio for future broadcasts.
*******
Gary of Ex-Donkey Blog fame is pulling the plug on his blog. But despair not, for he's joining the Llama Butchers. As Gary explains it, time constraints and family obligations won't allow him to keep up the pace he'd been keeping with his own blog. By joining the Llamas he can post at a much more leisurely pace .
*******
Glenn Reynolds has a longer than usual post about global climate change with a goodly number of links. He and I are on the same page.
*******
I must claim here and now that I do not, in any way, shape, or form, write what Bagheera The Magnificent posts on this blog. At best I may edit it since he can't spell worth a damn, but it's all him, despite what Skip Murphy may claim.
*******
It looks like we're going to be going through he coldest week of this winter, with temps between now and next weekend staying in the teens during the day and at or below zero during the night. Usually we see temps like these in late December and January, not February.
We'll be keeping the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove stoked all the time during this cold blast.
*******
The excitement for Super Bowl XLI has been building all week and it all comes together this evening. Frankly I'm going to be far more interested in the gee-whiz factor of the TV ads running during the game. The one I'll be looking for in particular is the winning ad that the NFL chose to close out the season. The NFL chose the ad idea from a New Hampshire ad exec who lives and works in the Seacoast area. After seeing his pitch I can see why it was chosen.
It was scheduled to be aired during the 2 minute warning break.
*******
Kin Priestap believes that Nancy Pelosi is letting her power go to her head.
I think she's right. It's one thing to use military aircraft for flights to and from her district or for other official duties, something the Speaker of the House has been authorized to do since after 9/11, but to demand the same for members of her family and other members of the California congressional delegation is going too damn far.
*******
Bruce of mAss Backwards has renamed his blog to reflect that he is now a resident of New Hampshire. Mass Backwards is now No Looking Backwards. Hopefully he'll keep pointing out the absurdities of politicians and government within New Hampshire much as he did while he was serving his sentence in the People's Republic of Massachusetts.
*******
Speaking of Bruce, he has an excellent analysis of a suggestion made over at Blue New Hampshire about how to turn New Hampshire into a clone of Massachusetts. The suggestion was to implement a 5.3% income in order to eliminate the property taxes in the state. Anybody with a sense of history and an understanding of how much politicians love taxpayer money will know that something like that will only add to the tax misery, not cure it. I believe my comment to his post highlighted an example of why it would be a bad idea here.
The "income tax will eliminate/reduce property taxes" argument was used in New Jersey a few years back because education was funded largely from local property taxes and property taxes were rising at a rate well above inflation. The income tax became law, more money was forthcoming from the state for education, and property taxes went up. All the income tax did was increase the tax burden on New Jersey residents with little added benefit.
The same would happen here. Now, if such a tax were implemented here and constitutionally mandated to go to education, it might, just might do as the folks over at Blue New Hampshire suggested. It would take the legislature out of the loop, meaning that they would have no control over those funds, much like the highway funds are protected now. But it would create such a powerful non-governmental group in the form of a state education lobby that in little time the tax burden would become draconian and we'd be right back where we started. We'd also have mediocre school systems replacing good and excellent school systems because all control of education would be held at state level. There would be no local control.
There are plenty of examples of just such a thing happening. All one would need to do is look at the aforementioned New Jersey situation.
*******
The death penalty as it stands in New Hampshire appears to be up for discussion again.
New Hampshire's death penalty has rarely been imposed or carried out, with 24 executions since 1734, the last one being in 1939. One New Hampshire lawmaker is out to do away with the death penalty, saying that life imprisonment without possibility of parole is the same thing. However, there are those who believe that the death penalty should remain on the books as there are some crimes so heinous that death is the only fitting punishment. It also gives the Attorney General's office leverage to use when dealing with perpetrators of capital crimes.
There are only four crimes for which the death penalty can be imposed: murder of a public official during the performance of their duties, murder during kidnapping, conspiracy to commit the prior crimes, including murder for hire, and treason. That's a pretty small list for crimes warranting the death penalty.
Personally I am for retaining the death penalty as it is on the books here in New Hampshire, if for no other reason than that it works, giving that the prosecutors one more weapon against criminals.
*******
For the longest time there was little, if any, ice on Lake Winnipesaukee. A little less than two weeks ago it was open water as far as the eye could see. There was ice in some of the smaller bays and coves, but the rest of the lake was open water. Then we got the cold snap last week. A couple of days into it and the entire lake was frozen over. There was no open water to be seen anywhere from the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Overlook. It happened just that fast.
The ice formed quickly and is now several inches thick just about everywhere, meaning that the ice fishermen are making up for lost time. It also means that the Rotary Ice Fishing Derby will be held next weekend, right on schedule.
*******
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the lake is finally frozen over, the bob houses are out on the ice, and where the deep freeze has returned.
2/03/2007
Meet The New Press
Yet another first for this member of the Weekend Pundit team – a guest stint on one of the local radio talk shows.
Meet The New Press is hosted by three members of the new media, Doug Lambert, Skip Murphy, and Pat Hynes, local bloggers here in central New Hampshire, Doug and Skip both post to two blogs – GraniteGrok, a blog that focuses on state issues; and GilfordGrok, a blog dedicated to issues in our home town. Pat posts at AnkleBitingPundits.
The show airs on Saturday afternoons on news/talk radio station WEMJ-AM 1490 in Laconia.
This isn't my first time as a guest on a radio show, though it is my first time on a US station. (My first appearance on a radio station as anything other than a DJ was on Isle of Wight Radio in the UK a couple of months after 9/11.)
I think a local show that highlights the 'new media' helps to explain the differences between the traditional media – newspapers, TV, radio – and the new media – blogs - and how they differ and can make a difference in covering local stories and local politics. They have already made a difference in national media, particularly in politics. (Rathergate, anyone?)
It was good to be back behind a mike again.
While I wasn't the center of attention, I did not mind in the least. After all the show is headed by these guys, not me. But it was fun, particularly when we got to comparing the old media with the new media. Where once we followed the MSM, being watchdogs, we now lead and the MSM looks to us.
Local matters were a big focus, with a lot of discussion about the upcoming town budget and the controversy about the town's budget committee. A few townsfolk seem to think that a budget committee should rubber stamp the proposed budget and warrant articles rather than look closely at every expenditure and asking questions. Excuse me? How is it that looking out for the taxpayers' money is a bad thing?
We also touched upon presidential politics. We all bashed Hillary, particularly about her comments dealing with the taxes and oil company profits. We looked over the Republican candidate line up, and none of us were impressed Mitt by Romney. John McCain and Rudi Giuliani topped the list of our favorites of the Republican candidates. I also got a plug in for Fred Thompson, former US Senator from Tennessee, former US Attorney, and TV/movie actor.
One of the other topics the show touched upon was global warming, something that anyone reading this blog knows I am passionate about. Not that I say that it's entirely human driven. On the contrary, I am more in the solar activity-driven camp when it comes to climate change, as were my hosts.
All in all, it was a lot of fun. I'd forgotten how much fun it can be and I hope they'll invite me back.
A podcast of this show can be found here sometime on Sunday.
Meet The New Press is hosted by three members of the new media, Doug Lambert, Skip Murphy, and Pat Hynes, local bloggers here in central New Hampshire, Doug and Skip both post to two blogs – GraniteGrok, a blog that focuses on state issues; and GilfordGrok, a blog dedicated to issues in our home town. Pat posts at AnkleBitingPundits.
The show airs on Saturday afternoons on news/talk radio station WEMJ-AM 1490 in Laconia.
This isn't my first time as a guest on a radio show, though it is my first time on a US station. (My first appearance on a radio station as anything other than a DJ was on Isle of Wight Radio in the UK a couple of months after 9/11.)
I think a local show that highlights the 'new media' helps to explain the differences between the traditional media – newspapers, TV, radio – and the new media – blogs - and how they differ and can make a difference in covering local stories and local politics. They have already made a difference in national media, particularly in politics. (Rathergate, anyone?)
It was good to be back behind a mike again.
While I wasn't the center of attention, I did not mind in the least. After all the show is headed by these guys, not me. But it was fun, particularly when we got to comparing the old media with the new media. Where once we followed the MSM, being watchdogs, we now lead and the MSM looks to us.
Local matters were a big focus, with a lot of discussion about the upcoming town budget and the controversy about the town's budget committee. A few townsfolk seem to think that a budget committee should rubber stamp the proposed budget and warrant articles rather than look closely at every expenditure and asking questions. Excuse me? How is it that looking out for the taxpayers' money is a bad thing?
We also touched upon presidential politics. We all bashed Hillary, particularly about her comments dealing with the taxes and oil company profits. We looked over the Republican candidate line up, and none of us were impressed Mitt by Romney. John McCain and Rudi Giuliani topped the list of our favorites of the Republican candidates. I also got a plug in for Fred Thompson, former US Senator from Tennessee, former US Attorney, and TV/movie actor.
One of the other topics the show touched upon was global warming, something that anyone reading this blog knows I am passionate about. Not that I say that it's entirely human driven. On the contrary, I am more in the solar activity-driven camp when it comes to climate change, as were my hosts.
All in all, it was a lot of fun. I'd forgotten how much fun it can be and I hope they'll invite me back.
A podcast of this show can be found here sometime on Sunday.
1/29/2007
Clueless Holier Than Thou Enviro-Vigilantes
I thought that this was amusing: An urbanite environmentalist taking a holier than thou attitude towards someone they don't even know just because that someone drives an SUV. That someone happened to be the editor and publisher of the Colebrook, New Hampshire News & Sentinel, a weekly paper published in that small northern New Hampshire town.
I've run across more than one of these types before, many deriding the choices of vehicles that I or friends of mine drive. Little did they realize (or care) that without our 4X4 truck or SUV it would be impossible to travel at all during winter or the following mud season. In some cases my friends wouldn't even be able to make it out of their driveways. But that matters not a whit to jerks like this.
This past weekend we ventured south to cover a basketball game, using the opportunity to stay over, take a break and enjoy city life for a day. When we returned to our Chevy Tahoe after lunch at a restaurant, we were greeted with a blaze-orange ticket from EarthOnEmpty, citing us as "offenders" of the environment for driving an SUV.
[,,,]
What this person didn't know is that I hate driving a huge SUV, that if I lived down south I'd absolutely drive a hybrid. But four-wheel drive and a high clearance are necessary for where we live, and we have to have the capacity to haul 5,000 papers if our driver is out sick or on vacation
I've run across more than one of these types before, many deriding the choices of vehicles that I or friends of mine drive. Little did they realize (or care) that without our 4X4 truck or SUV it would be impossible to travel at all during winter or the following mud season. In some cases my friends wouldn't even be able to make it out of their driveways. But that matters not a whit to jerks like this.
1/28/2007
Thoughts On A Sunday
It was a busy day for two of the WP household, with a trip to the WP-In-Laws in a borrowed pickup to gather more firewood for the Official Weekend Pundit Wood Stove.
While the wood stove has allowed us to keep the thermostats turned down, it isn't really capable of keeping The Manse warm all by itself on those below zero days or nights. While it can help keep the edge off during those times, it does require the assistance of the propane-fueled furnace to keep us within the comfort zone. Still, that's not bad. We would have easily used three (or four) hundred gallons of propane by now if it weren't for the wood stove. Instead we've used less than a hundred, and most of that was for the water heater and clothes dryer.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
The political buzz is starting to reach a level not seen in four years, with an ever growing number of presidential hopefuls making announcements and paying visits to New Hampshire in order to test the waters. Normally I wouldn't comment upon such a normal activity, but this time I must if for no other reason than it's reached such a level so far ahead of schedule. We usually don't see this kind of activity until much later in the year as we approach the New Hampshire Primary. One would think that the primary is only a few months away rather than a year from now.
I don't know whether this bodes well or ill for the nation, though I am leaning towards the latter. With campaigning starting earlier and ever more prevalent front-loading of the primary schedule with the DNC's approval, it's skewing the political process and endangers the ability of lesser known and less well financed candidates to compete. We don't want this process to become a battle between the candidates with the deepest pockets rather than a contest between candidates with better ideas and policies.
John Kerry hasn't gotten the message: Keep speaking like an enemy of the United States and you can kiss what's left of your political career goodbye.
Kerry decided not to run for president in 2008, mostly because he found there was little support for him among Democrats. But he's also in trouble in Massachusetts, which may mean that his Senate seat is in jeopardy.
While many of the voters in Massachusetts are Democrats, and liberal Democrats to boot, they don't like one of their own speaking like an enemy of America. He's managed to gloss over his betrayal of his military brethren during the Winter Soldier senate hearings back in the early 70's, but it's unlikely he'll be able to cover up his hatred of Bush and the American people in general after his rant at Davos.
His hypocrisy seems to know no bounds.
Senator Kerry, don't go away mad. Just go away.
Glenn Reynolds link to an article in The Independent that shows that evolution may indeed solve the problem of militant Islam.
It's only a week until Super Bowl XLI and I'm looking forward to seeing the game. I'll be supporting the Bears, though not wholeheartedly, for obvious reasons. I'll really be watching in order to see the ads made just for the Super Sunday.
QandO has an interesting analysis about both Lt. General David Petraeus testimony during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Service Committee and the Senate anti-surge resolutions that send the wrong message to our troops and embolden the enemy.
Some of these Senate clowns need to get a clue.
Also, Tigerhawk writes about how the anticipated surge of troops in Baghdad is already having a positive effect there, one that the naysayers in Congress can't dispute.
(H/T Glenn Reynolds)
If global warming is All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans, how do we explain similar phenomena on the other planets in the solar system? Oh wait, I know. It's all of those probes NASA sent out causing these problems. Yeah. That's it. Again, It's-All-Our-Fault.
NOT.
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where nary one of the “summah people” have been seen in months, winter is sorta here, and where plans to get our boats back in the water are already in the making.
While the wood stove has allowed us to keep the thermostats turned down, it isn't really capable of keeping The Manse warm all by itself on those below zero days or nights. While it can help keep the edge off during those times, it does require the assistance of the propane-fueled furnace to keep us within the comfort zone. Still, that's not bad. We would have easily used three (or four) hundred gallons of propane by now if it weren't for the wood stove. Instead we've used less than a hundred, and most of that was for the water heater and clothes dryer.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
*******
The political buzz is starting to reach a level not seen in four years, with an ever growing number of presidential hopefuls making announcements and paying visits to New Hampshire in order to test the waters. Normally I wouldn't comment upon such a normal activity, but this time I must if for no other reason than it's reached such a level so far ahead of schedule. We usually don't see this kind of activity until much later in the year as we approach the New Hampshire Primary. One would think that the primary is only a few months away rather than a year from now.
I don't know whether this bodes well or ill for the nation, though I am leaning towards the latter. With campaigning starting earlier and ever more prevalent front-loading of the primary schedule with the DNC's approval, it's skewing the political process and endangers the ability of lesser known and less well financed candidates to compete. We don't want this process to become a battle between the candidates with the deepest pockets rather than a contest between candidates with better ideas and policies.
*******
John Kerry hasn't gotten the message: Keep speaking like an enemy of the United States and you can kiss what's left of your political career goodbye.
Kerry decided not to run for president in 2008, mostly because he found there was little support for him among Democrats. But he's also in trouble in Massachusetts, which may mean that his Senate seat is in jeopardy.
While many of the voters in Massachusetts are Democrats, and liberal Democrats to boot, they don't like one of their own speaking like an enemy of America. He's managed to gloss over his betrayal of his military brethren during the Winter Soldier senate hearings back in the early 70's, but it's unlikely he'll be able to cover up his hatred of Bush and the American people in general after his rant at Davos.
His hypocrisy seems to know no bounds.
Senator Kerry, don't go away mad. Just go away.
*******
Glenn Reynolds link to an article in The Independent that shows that evolution may indeed solve the problem of militant Islam.
*******
It's only a week until Super Bowl XLI and I'm looking forward to seeing the game. I'll be supporting the Bears, though not wholeheartedly, for obvious reasons. I'll really be watching in order to see the ads made just for the Super Sunday.
*******
QandO has an interesting analysis about both Lt. General David Petraeus testimony during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Service Committee and the Senate anti-surge resolutions that send the wrong message to our troops and embolden the enemy.
Some of these Senate clowns need to get a clue.
Also, Tigerhawk writes about how the anticipated surge of troops in Baghdad is already having a positive effect there, one that the naysayers in Congress can't dispute.
(H/T Glenn Reynolds)
*******
If global warming is All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans, how do we explain similar phenomena on the other planets in the solar system? Oh wait, I know. It's all of those probes NASA sent out causing these problems. Yeah. That's it. Again, It's-All-Our-Fault.
NOT.
*******
And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where nary one of the “summah people” have been seen in months, winter is sorta here, and where plans to get our boats back in the water are already in the making.
Bush Is The Decider
Normally I would have linked to this editorial in my usual Sunday post, Thoughts On A Sunday. But this editorial deserves a separate post because it does such a good job illustrating how Congress is usurping the constitutionally defined duties and responsibilities of the President.
Maybe it's time that the defeatist cabal in Congress be reminded of that, if they even knew it to begin with.
The Constitution delegates to Congress very specific duties concerning the armed forces of the United States. Not one of them involves conducting the affairs of war.
[...]
Article I, Section 8 defines the powers of Congress with regard to the armed forces, and directing a war effort is not there.
Article II, Section 2 states unequivocally that "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States."
(Emphasis mine.)
Maybe it's time that the defeatist cabal in Congress be reminded of that, if they even knew it to begin with.
1/27/2007
Giuliani In New Hampshire
It appears that the Republican presidential hopefuls are going in to full campaign mode, particularly here in New Hampshire.
The latest high profile candidate to make an appearance in the Granite State was former New York mayor Rudi Giuliani.
Appearing at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Giuliani talked about September 11th, the war against terror, and the standoff between President Bush and Congress about Iraq.
If anyone should understand the war against terror, it's Giuliani. After all it was his city that suffered the effects of an attack that rivaled that of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that ushered the US in to World War II. September 11th brought us into the war on terror in no less a fashion than the “Day of Infamy”.
Giuliani also commented about leadership by those who govern America.
We in New England have a term for politicians like that: weather vanes. We also have another term for them: unemployed.
Giuliani also visited the New Hampshire GOP annual meeting, drumming up support for state Republicans as well as making contacts for his run in the 2008 New Hampshire Primary, even though at this point all he has is an exploratory committee and not an actual campaign.
The latest high profile candidate to make an appearance in the Granite State was former New York mayor Rudi Giuliani.
Appearing at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Giuliani talked about September 11th, the war against terror, and the standoff between President Bush and Congress about Iraq.
It was the images of the mayor traipsing through dust-caked Lower Manhattan and his strong reassurance to his city and country that was central to the visit. Giuliani also resisted openings to attack Democrats.
"I'm optimistic the Democratic Congress and President Bush will figure out how to do things together. It looks like on Iraq, we're not off to a good start. ... You can have a different view on Iraq and that doesn't make you better or worse than me."
On Iraq, Giuliani didn't delve too deeply into the unpopular war. In chatting with reporters, he tied it to the larger war on terrorism — and linked it to his time in New York City.
If anyone should understand the war against terror, it's Giuliani. After all it was his city that suffered the effects of an attack that rivaled that of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that ushered the US in to World War II. September 11th brought us into the war on terror in no less a fashion than the “Day of Infamy”.
Giuliani also commented about leadership by those who govern America.
He took, however, a bipartisan shot at politicians who govern according to poll results.
"That does not make them leaders. That makes them actors, not leaders," he said. "If I take a poll and figure out what you want me to say and then repeat it to you, I'm an actor, not a leader."
We in New England have a term for politicians like that: weather vanes. We also have another term for them: unemployed.
Giuliani also visited the New Hampshire GOP annual meeting, drumming up support for state Republicans as well as making contacts for his run in the 2008 New Hampshire Primary, even though at this point all he has is an exploratory committee and not an actual campaign.
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