Monday, October 31, 2011

YID With LID: King Abdallah of Jordan Says No One Trusts Obama's Government

YID With LID: King Abdallah of Jordan Says No One Trusts Obama's Government:
This is devastating. I'm not shocked that the king thinks that way but I am shocked that he says so openly. In other words he isn't afraid of Obama's being angry and thinks he has nothing to lose because things aren't going to be better. That's how far the situation has deteriorated.

The Enemy is Inside the Wire | Homeland Security Right Side News

The Enemy is Inside the Wire | Homeland Security Right Side News:
It should, therefore, be profoundly alarming that, today, the Obama administration is entrusting to agents of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB or Ikhwan in Arabic) the responsibility for approving who and what is used in "countering violent extremism" training for our military, law enforcement, intelligence personnel.

Newt Gaining Ground � Blogs For Victory

Newt Gaining Ground � Blogs For Victory

� Get Government out of Welfare Now! An Interview with Star Parker - Big Government

� Get Government out of Welfare Now! An Interview with Star Parker - Big Government:
Started as part of the Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society in the 1960s, the War on Poverty has been anything but effective, according to Parker. “This whole notion that we should even have a ‘war on poverty’ dismisses the fact that individuals have a role in their own lives,” she says.

Obama's Class Warfare: It's All He's Got Left

David Limbaugh:
Obama blames the rich for problems he's causing, despite the absence of causal relationship between the distribution of our national income and wealth and the economic and debt problems we face.

Why? Simply because that's what demagogic community-organizing, Marxist-leaning Alinsky disciples do -- and it's disgraceful.

SCOTUS Declines Cross Case, Atheists Declare Victory - Supreme Court - Fox Nation

SCOTUS Declines Cross Case, Atheists Declare Victory - Supreme Court - Fox Nation:
Atheists won a major legal victory against public religious memorials after the Supreme Court announced it would not take up the case of roadside crosses in Utah meant to honor fallen law enforcement officers.

fousesquawk: Why Are We Funding Pensions for Palestinian Terrorists?

fousesquawk: Why Are We Funding Pensions for Palestinian Terrorists?

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich:
The tragic collapse of basic education is one of the greatest crises in American society. It cripples us economically, it threatens us socially, it divides us politically, and if we truly believe that we are endowed by our Creator with the right to pursue happiness, we have to have fundamentally new, very deep, and very aggressive strategies. – Newt Gingrich

Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand:
The government has no source of revenue, except the taxes paid by the producers. To free itself—for a while—from the limits set by reality, the government initiates a credit con game on a scale which the private manipulator could not dream of. It borrows money from you today, which is to be repaid with money it will borrow from you tomorrow, which is to be repaid with money it will borrow from you day after tomorrow, and so on. This is known as “deficit financing.” It is made possible by the fact that the government cuts the connection between goods and money. It issues paper money, which is used as a claim check on actually existing goods—but that money is not backed by any goods, it is not backed by gold, it is backed by nothing. It is a promissory note issued to you in exchange for your goods, to be paid by you (in the form of taxes) out of your future production. | “Egalitarianism and Inflation,” Philosophy: Who Needs It, 133

Another Obama-Backed Energy Company Goes Bankrupt - Beacon Power - Fox Nation

Another Obama-Backed Energy Company Goes Bankrupt - Beacon Power - Fox Nation:
Beacon Power Corp filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, just a year after the energy storage company received a $43 million loan guarantee from a controversial Department of Energy program.

Gallup: 92% of the poor are not suffering � Don Surber

Gallup: 92% of the poor are not suffering � Don Surber:
Among low-income people, only 8% are “suffering,” according to Gallup. So much for poverty being a weapon of mass destruction

Defeat in Iraq | The Weekly Standard

Defeat in Iraq | The Weekly Standard:
President Obama’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops is the mother of all disasters

U.S. Troop Increase in Persian Gulf Won’t Make Up for Iraqi Withdrawal � Commentary Magazine

U.S. Troop Increase in Persian Gulf Won’t Make Up for Iraqi Withdrawal � Commentary Magazine:
The most important function U.S. troops perform anywhere in the world is to spread political stability and American influence. Those objectives are much harder to accomplish from “over the horizon” than they are with “boots on the ground.” We will soon find that out for ourselves in the case of Iraq.

Despite Bombing, There’s Progress in Kabul � Commentary Magazine

Despite Bombing, There’s Progress in Kabul � Commentary Magazine:
The enemy is capable of staging isolated attacks like the suicide bombing on Saturday–but not of posing a consistent threat to the high level of security in the city. More needs to be done to safeguard Kabul, primarily by pushing the security bubble southward into Logar and Wardak provinces, where many attacks on the capital originate. But we should not lose sight of the real progress that has been made in the past year with enemy-initiated attacks across the country falling by 27 percent in the July-September period compared with the same period in 2010.

Outside Groups Eclipsing G.O.P. as Hub of Campaigns - NYTimes.com

Outside Groups Eclipsing G.O.P. as Hub of Campaigns - NYTimes.com:
About once a month, a dozen or so of the country’s most influential Republicans meet in a bare-walled conference room in Washington to discuss how to make further gains in the Congressional elections next year and defeat President Obama.

The American Political Parties Are Breaking Down | Via Meadia

The American Political Parties Are Breaking Down | Via Meadia:
The decay of American political parties continues as the real money and power in politics shifts inexorably away from party organizations to informal and ad hoc groups. The combination of citizen grassroots movements, decentralized party structures and the vast sums of money short-circuiting the official party structures is changing the way politics works. As this story in the New York Times details, the real conversation among Republican-affiliated power brokers now takes place outside party structures.

American Exceptionalism or a Modest Republic? | Front Porch Republic

American Exceptionalism or a Modest Republic? | Front Porch Republic:
American Exceptionalism does not lend itself either to humility or gratitude. If, rather than an exceptional nation, America is a nation greatly and mysteriously blessed by God—and this despite her many imperfections, which for the Christian is a necessary admission—then Americans should be moved to a profound sense of gratitude. There is a world of difference between the person who with a brash swagger asserts that America is the greatest nation on earth and the patriot who lovingly cares for his particular place while uttering a prayer of thanksgiving for the manifold blessings he and his children enjoy. One fails to admit responsibility or to tread lightly and therefore invariably behaves poorly while remaining blind to the fact. The other recognizes that gratitude is inseparable from responsibility, for a gift rightly received must be tended with intelligence and care.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Presenting The Capeless Crusader: The Deficit (Non) Super Committee | ZeroHedge

Presenting The Capeless Crusader: The Deficit (Non) Super Committee | ZeroHedge:
Press reports continue to suggest that the so-called Super Committee, established as part of the compromise agreement to hike the debt ceiling, is foundering. In recent days, Democrats and Republicans have offered competing plans that have little common ground. Republican members appear to remain committed to a no new taxes pledge, which will make it very difficult for the Committee to come anywhere close to its $1.2 trillion target.

CARPE DIEM: U.S. Income Inequality Has Been Flat Since 1994

CARPE DIEM: U.S. Income Inequality Has Been Flat Since 1994

The Inversion of America’s Dominant Ideology | The Beacon

The Inversion of America’s Dominant Ideology | The Beacon:
How horrible the prospect! On your own to pay for your own health care; on your own to pay for your own college expenses; on your own to pay for a lawsuit against a corporation that has harmed you unlawfully. How can anyone with an ounce of humanity in his body expect people to take such self-responsibility? The next thing you know, those callous, reactionary Republicans—you know, the ones who ran up the size, scope, and power of government consistently under every Republican president since Chester Arthur—will demand that people take care of their own children and aged parents! Where will it end?

The Cato Institute

The Cato Institute: ‎
"After government authorities had helped create the worst financial crisis in generations, the climate of ideas has now shifted dramatically in the direction of bigger and more active government," explains Cato senior fellow Johan Norberg. While many have placed the blame solely on Wall Street, Norberg exposes the crucial role government regulation played in creating the opportunities and incentives that led to the financial collapse,

Conservative Policies Lead to Economic Boom in North Dakota | The Lonely Conservative

Conservative Policies Lead to Economic Boom in North Dakota | The Lonely Conservative:
While President Obama and the Democrats want to double down on their failed Keynesian economic policies that have led to an unemployment rate stuck above 9%, the people of North Dakota are reaping the rewards of a decade of conservative economic policies. Governor Jack Dalrymple has continued the fiscal restraint of his predecessor John Hoeven, who is now a US Senator.

According to Newsmax Magazine, North Dakota’s unemployment rate is an enviable 3.5%. In the past ten years 50,000 jobs have been created and the state is operating with a surplus. Corporate income taxes have recently been reduced by 19.5%, and homeowners and businesses can look forward to a substantial decrease in property taxes in the next two years. (Compare that to New York, where they promise that property taxes can “only” rise by about 2% per year, unless there are some extenuating circumstances.)

Strange New Respect for Newt | The Weekly Standard

Strange New Respect for Newt | The Weekly Standard:
The Washington Post notices the stirrings of a Newt Gingrich comeback, as foretold last week by the boss: "So: The race seems to be more open and fluid than conventional wisdom has it. In particular, it strikes me that as everyone focuses (understandably) on Romney, Cain, and Perry, Gingrich is increasingly well positioned for a serious challenge."

Why the latest eurozone bail-out is destined to fail within weeks - Telegraph

Why the latest eurozone bail-out is destined to fail within weeks - Telegraph:
The eurozone must be consolidated. World leaders should similarly force European banks to disclose their losses, we all take the hit and then we move on. Instead, we are served-up, in ever more complex variants, the same "extend and pretend" non-solutions. It gives me no pleasure to write this, but I give this deal two weeks.

The Cato Institute

The Cato Institute:
‎"Why would God, with just ten things to tell Moses, choose, as one of them, jealousy about the things the man next door has? And yet think about how important to the well-being of a community this commandment is. If you want a donkey, if you want a meal, if you want an employee, don't complain about what other people have, go get your own. The tenth commandment sends a message to collectivists, to people who believe wealth is best obtained by redistribution. And the message is clear and concise: Go to hell."
― P.J. O'Rourke, H.L. Mencken Research Fellow

Chart: Taxing the Wealthy to Cover Future Deficits Won't Work

Chart: Taxing the Wealthy to Cover Future Deficits Won't Work:
As for that proposal floated by Democrats this week, it’s simply not a viable solution. This chart from Heritage’s 2001 Budget Chart Book reveals that Congress would need to increase tax rates on wealthy Americans to mathematically impossible levels to close future deficits.

Occupy Wall Street’s descent from utopia to “Lord of the Flies” - NYPOST.com

Occupy Wall Street’s descent from utopia to “Lord of the Flies” - NYPOST.com:
They’re railing against freeloaders and ex-cons for stealing their stuff and spoiling their utopia. They’re squabbling with each other over money and power. The weather is turning frightful and a cumbersome bureaucracy of their own making is strangling their spontaneity.

Their invasion is costing downtown Manhattan businesses and residents a boatload of money. But watching the Occupy Wall Street vagabonds bang their heads against the laws of human nature -- that’s priceless!

Oops, I just echoed a dreaded corporate slogan. My bad -- but somehow it fits the moment.

In fact, the problems the protesters face are almost enough for me to hope the police don’t break up the party. The “Lord of the Flies” descent from utopia to petty power struggles, in front of TV cameras, is a political-science lesson, not to mention deliciously ironic.

Running a protest movement apparently involves a lot of dirty work and isn’t so much fun. Imagine how hard it will be to run the world!

Schrodinger’s Super Committee? � Hot Air

Schrodinger’s Super Committee? � Hot Air:
As the clock continues to tick for congress on our eventual budget deal, the work of the so-called super committee is looking more and more like a case of Schrodinger’s Cat. Deliberating in private, a few leaks and hints aside, observers on both sides are left to wonder if the eventual “solution” they produce will be viable or if it’s just a dead cat. I suppose we’ll have to wait to open the box to find out.

HolyCoast.com: "Self-Reliance" Has Become a Pejorative

HolyCoast.com: "Self-Reliance" Has Become a Pejorative:
Read the whole piece. There's some great stuff on the "Adult Baby" syndrome.

Saudi prince backs cleric's bounty for abduction of Israeli soldiers for prisoner exchanges, throws in $900,000 of his own - Jihad Watch

Saudi prince backs cleric's bounty for abduction of Israeli soldiers for prisoner exchanges, throws in $900,000 of his own - Jihad Watch:
We have called many times over the years for a sort of "Manhattan Project" for innovations toward the goal of energy independence. Imagine all of the ridiculous political and moral compromises Western countries would not make -- whether with Saudi Arabia or Libya -- if not for blackmail over oil.

Armed guards to protect British ships from pirates - Telegraph

Armed guards to protect British ships from pirates - Telegraph:
British ships are to be allowed to carry armed guards to protect them from pirates, David Cameron has announced.

A legal ban on weapon-toting protection staff will be relaxed so that firms can apply for a licence to have them on board in danger zones.

They should Occupy Prison � Don Surber

They should Occupy Prison � Don Surber:
This is the face of liberalism, America. It is lawless, selfish, disrespectful and above all mean. The Democratic Party’s embrace, promotion and even logistical support of the Occupy Wall Street movement likely will backfire.

The Social Security Lies Are Falling Apart | Via Meadia

The Social Security Lies Are Falling Apart | Via Meadia:
The Washington Post has finally laid it out: Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, not a prudent savings program. As the Post special report points out, Social Security has now gone “cash negative“: the payroll taxes coming in are not enough to cover the pension payments going out.

Ah, you say sagely, but that is not a problem. The Social Security trust fund has been carefully putting money aside for decades. Now we will simply draw from the savings account to cover the extra costs.

Not exactly. The government has been spending the money that came in as Social Security payroll taxes for years. It has “invested” the payroll tax revenues in Treasury bonds: that it, the government has been ‘saving’ money by investing in IOUs to itself.

The Nuts And Bolts Of Defense Cuts: We Need To Focus On Bang For The Buck

The Nuts And Bolts Of Defense Cuts: We Need To Focus On Bang For The Buck:
Having a more efficient military needs to begin with seriously reforming the Pentagon’s procurement program.

PrairiePundit: Conservatives outside GOP may control its political destiny

PrairiePundit: Conservatives outside GOP may control its political destiny:
About once a month, a dozen or so of the country’s most influential Republicans meet in a bare-walled conference room in Washington to discuss how to make further gains in the Congressional elections next year and defeat President Obama.

PrairiePundit: Social Security goes cash negative

PrairiePundit: Social Security goes cash negative:
Social Security is part of the debt and deficit problem and the longer we ignore it the worse it will get. I blame the Democrats. They are still in denial about the problems and they demagogue every time a fix is proposed.

Vox Popoli: Thomas Friedman blows a whistle

Vox Popoli: Thomas Friedman blows a whistle:
But, then, what happened to us? Our financial industry has grown so large and rich it has corrupted our real institutions through political donations. As Senator Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, bluntly said in a 2009 radio interview, despite having caused this crisis, these same financial firms “are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they, frankly, own the place.”

In 2005 Dems Blocked GOP Proposals to Fix Social Security… Today Social Security Is Officially In the Red | The Gateway Pundit

In 2005 Dems Blocked GOP Proposals to Fix Social Security… Today Social Security Is Officially In the Red | The Gateway Pundit:
In 2005 Congressional Democrats blocked Republican proposals to save Social Security.
Then they wildly cheered their own obstructionism during the State of the Union Address the following year.

CARPE DIEM: How Technological Breakthroughs and Not Energy Policy Have Created A New World Order of Oil

CARPE DIEM: How Technological Breakthroughs and Not Energy Policy Have Created A New World Order of Oil:
For the United States, these new sources of supply add to energy security in ways that were not anticipated. There is only one world oil market, so the United States — like other countries — will still be vulnerable to disruptions, and the sheer size of the oil resources in the Persian Gulf will continue to make the region strategically important for the world economy. But the new sources closer to home will make our supply system more resilient. For the Western Hemisphere, the shift means that more oil will flow north to south and south to north, rather than east to west. All this demonstrates how innovation is redrawing the map of world oil — and remaking our energy future."

U.S. Plans Post-Iraq Troop Increase in Persian Gulf - NYTimes.com

U.S. Plans Post-Iraq Troop Increase in Persian Gulf - NYTimes.com:
The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran.

The Energy Future Is In Fossil Fuels

The Energy Future Is In Fossil Fuels:
Today Enron is a decade gone, and a humbled BP is back to petroleum with gusto. Shell has big plans for Arctic oil and gas development and tells plodding regulators: Let’s Go. And as Chevron CEO John Watson explained in a recent policy address: “Affordable energy is the priority that should underpin all of our actions.” Renewables, he added, need to become cost-competitive to have their era.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Daily Pundit � The PC Rot That Is Destroying Our Governance - and Our Liberty and Safety

Daily Pundit � The PC Rot That Is Destroying Our Governance - and Our Liberty and Safety:
Fernandez is on the right track here, but in regards to the Saudis, he should have noted that they spread millions, perhaps billions of petrodollars of hard cash throughout the influential reaches of the ruling class in order to set a PC standard that is extremely favorable to Islam in America. Corporate board seats, foundation sinecures, and, probably, outright bribes are dispensed to ensure that Islam, even the Islam dedicated to our destruction, is off limits to all examination or criticism.

Friday, October 28, 2011

BRUTAL: Obama Has Lost 'Occupy Wall St.'

BRUTAL: Obama Has Lost 'Occupy Wall St.':
Those are brutal numbers. And suggest that essentially what we are seeing with the Occupy Wall St. movement is 2008's unprecedented youth support for Obama grown bitterly cynical.

The American Conservative � The Conquest of the West

The American Conservative � The Conquest of the West:
By mid-century, Western man will be down to 12 percent of world population. By century’s end, he will be a tiny fraction, roughly equal to the white population of Rhodesia when Robert Mugabe came to power.

The demographic winter of the West has set in.

Michele Bachmann Blasts Bureaucrats at U.S. Department of Education | Sunshine State News

Michele Bachmann Blasts Bureaucrats at U.S. Department of Education | Sunshine State News:
"We have 4,200 employees in the federal Department of Education making an average of $103,000 a year. This money would be better spent in local classrooms," the GOP presidential hopeful said Thursday at an education forum in New York City.

Articles: The Facts of Life Are Conservative, Even in Zuccotti Park

Articles: The Facts of Life Are Conservative, Even in Zuccotti Park:
Conservatism is the natural political outgrowth from the real life experience. Humans are naturally flawed, greedy, and untrustworthy. Conservatives recognize that fact and promote the market system and divided government in order to pit one greedy person against another

PrairiePundit: Cuts would gut Marine corps fighting capability

PrairiePundit: Cuts would gut Marine corps fighting capability:
The Marine Corps is the US's first line of defense and these cuts would make that an impossible task. We should cut the Education department and the Energy department first. Both have been ineffective in their core mission while wasting billions of dollars.

Bookworm Room � Is Newt the tortoise in this race?

Bookworm Room � Is Newt the tortoise in this race?:
Every time Newt Gingrich opens his mouth, something intelligent pops out. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s the tortoise in this race. Bachmann and Perry have been self-immolating. Cain is charming, dynamic and ill-informed. Romney will do anything to win and he has the RomneyCare albatross around his neck. And then there’s Newt:

Amateur Homeless Upset That the Professional Homeless are Taking All the Sheep’s-Milk-Cheese Salad � First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

Amateur Homeless Upset That the Professional Homeless are Taking All the Sheep’s-Milk-Cheese Salad � First Thoughts | A First Things Blog:
There’s nothing worse than when you’re trying to hold a protest decrying inequality and promoting the distribution of wealth and some dirty poor people ruin it by trying to claim a share of what you have:

Obamacare support craters | Campaign 2012

Obamacare support craters | Campaign 2012:
Though the CLASS Act was just one component of Obamacare, its swift demise in the face of reassurances should cause Americans to view the rest of Democrats' health care claims with added skepticism.

Peter Schiff Takes Princeton Professor Cornell West to School (Video) | All American Blogger

Peter Schiff Takes Princeton Professor Cornell West to School (Video) | All American Blogger:
You want to trace this problem to its root? It’s government involvement in the free market.

A Western Heart: Repeat offenders responsible for half a million crimes in Britain

A Western Heart: Repeat offenders responsible for half a million crimes in Britain:
Rehabilitation is a fantasy for these people. Only permanent detention can protect the community

More than half a million crimes were committed by known offenders last year, with half carried out by career criminals. The crimes were all committed by repeat offenders and included 3,400 serious violent or sexual offences. It is the first time such figures have been released and more than 270,000 offences were by criminals who had at least 25 previous convictions or cautions to their name.

Four Reasons Why Keynesian “Stimulus” Does Not Work � International Liberty

Four Reasons Why Keynesian “Stimulus” Does Not Work � International Liberty:
The problem is spending. That’s the fiscal disease facing America. Deficits and debt are just symptoms of that disease.

US Mideast Influence Plummets Under Obama

US Mideast Influence Plummets Under Obama:
To the extent that foreign policy will figure in the 2012 Presidential election, conventional wisdom thinkers are likely correct in predicting some Democrat success in reversing the perception that theirs is the party of weakness. They already are touting the killing of enemies like Osama Bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki, and Muammar Gadaffi, and taking credit for “ending” the Iraq war as evidence of that. But while their talking points might win them some votes, they do not reflect the sorry state of US foreign policy under President Barack Obama and the disastrous course on which it is taking us, starting with the Middle East.

PrairiePundit: Reasons for the failure of big spending liberalism

PrairiePundit: Reasons for the failure of big spending liberalism:
Taking incentive away from job creators and giving it to those who do not have jobs is not the way to increase employment or the growth of the economy. Tax cuts have been far more effective job creators when they have been aimed at the top marginal rates rather than at the lower end of the income scale. The Perry Tax cut plan is already under attack because it cuts the rates more for the rich, but they are most likely to do something with the cuts that will benefit the economy. Liberals like Obama would rather punish the rich than create jobs.

Obama’s Clown | FrontPage Magazine

Obama’s Clown | FrontPage Magazine:
“Good old Joe,” as Obama calls him. If only Joe Biden​’s veracity matched his charming smile. But it doesn’t. Biden has a lengthy history of outright falsehoods as well as careless gaffes.

Gifts for Terrorists: Your Tax Dollars at Work | FrontPage Magazine

Gifts for Terrorists: Your Tax Dollars at Work | FrontPage Magazine:
Most Americans either intuitively or consciously understand that money collected from them in taxes is fungible, meaning that, while it may be collected under the auspices of paying for one thing, it may actually end up paying for something else. In early October, Congress apparently began recognizing the consequences of such fungibility when they put a hold on $200 million in aid to the Palestine Authority (PA). Unfortunately, as columnist Debbie Schlussel​ reveals, last year’s grant of $100 million to Palestinians via the federal government’s USAID program has helped to underwrite a particularly egregious enterprise: gifts provided by Hamas to terrorist mass murderers released in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit​.

Richard Epstein on Income Differences

Richard Epstein on Income Differences:
Truly, remarkably superb

Markets Explode on Crazy Rube Goldberg Eurozone Deal

Markets Explode on Crazy Rube Goldberg Eurozone Deal:
The Dow Industrials increased by 340 points on Thursday on the basis of a new Eurozone deal announced at 4 AM on Thursday morning. That would be beyond belief if it weren’t for the fact that nothing is beyond belief today. This Eurozone deal is the craziest Rube Goldberg thing imaginable. These European leaders got together in the middle of the night and strung together a bunch of proposals, most of which mirror the causes of the financial crisis in the first place.

American Power: Iran Defeats the United States in Iraq?

American Power: Iran Defeats the United States in Iraq?:
Iran has just defeated the United States in Iraq.

The American withdrawal, which comes after the administration's failure to secure a new agreement that would have allowed troops to remain in Iraq, won't be good for ordinary Iraqis or for the region. But it will unquestionably benefit Iran.

American and Proud � USA Government is INEPT!

American and Proud � USA Government is INEPT!:
Most of us realize our Government IS the problem we face today. We are being ruled by morons who are “Acting” like they care about the nation and it’s citizens yet pass the dumbest laws, institute the most ignorant regulations and turn blind eye’s to injustice from the laws/regs they created.

Why the Dominant Narrative on Income Inequality is All Wet | A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

Why the Dominant Narrative on Income Inequality is All Wet | A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days:
Of course, when the so-called “reality-based community” gets its favored memes so thoroughly demolished, it collectively sputters in rage. I am sure that Professor Epstein takes the anger of his critics as a high compliment; it serves to confirm both that his comments were powerfully and cogently delivered, and it also confirms that a number of those who disagree with him are simply ill-informed and incoherent by comparison. I suppose that the rest of us ought to worry about that latter fact; a republic such as ours is not well-served when one side simply appears to be both utterly unable to present its case effectively during the course of a particular policy debate, and utterly unable to learn from people like Professor Epstein, whose statements on economics are constantly shown to be more valuable than those of his critics.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Articles & Commentary

Articles & Commentary:
Even though overall affordability today is lower than in 1989, homes in most areas of the country are affordable and that's before taking into account current low interest rates and the impact of rising rents. This means that once policies promoting permanent private job creation are put in place, the housing market is poised to respond.

Gutting the Military

Gutting the Military:
Finally, America needs to reform the real drivers of the debt crisis—the big three entitlements—instead of trying to balance the budget on the backs of the U.S. military and compromising U.S. national security.

First Federalist Paper and How Hamilton and Reagan Got It

First Federalist Paper and How Hamilton and Reagan Got It:
Reagan sought a counterrevolution against the Progressive faith in the rule of experts and the rise of the administrative state. He sought to reestablish the Founders’ vision of republican self-government.

RealClearScience - Geothermal Energy: Hot Rocks Abound in US

RealClearScience - Geothermal Energy: Hot Rocks Abound in US:
Clean, accessible, reliable and renewable energy equivalent to 10 times the installed capacity of coal power plants in the U.S. is available from the hot rocks under our feet, according to the results of a new mapping study.

Why are Suicides so High in the Wealthiest Country in the World? | Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy

Why are Suicides so High in the Wealthiest Country in the World? | Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy:
We've got to stop being so critical of others over everything under the sun, like their appearances. And stop the obsession with materialism. We've become a self-centered, narcissistic society. No one can live up to the expectations we are imposing. We need to return to teaching our children discipline and the value of hard work instead of using the appalling shows on TV today as a babysitter.

Energy Jobs Can Jump-Start the Economy: The Story of Marcellus Shale

Energy Jobs Can Jump-Start the Economy: The Story of Marcellus Shale:
The Marcellus Coalition has a new video that shows how Pennsylvania’s economy has been vastly improved by the Marcellus Shale production that has essentially saved the state’s finances.

We could, of course, use this as an inspiration for increasing energy production around the rest of the country—that is, we could if the Administration weren’t so squeamish about energy jobs.

Euro debt deal likely ‘too little too late’ � The Enterprise Blog

Euro debt deal likely ‘too little too late’ � The Enterprise Blog:
After weeks of painful dithering, markets are understandably relieved that the Europeans have now finally managed to agree on a strategy to address an intensifying Eurozone debt crisis. However, the jury is still very much out as to whether this latest effort will succeed in finally defusing the crisis or whether, as would seem more likely, that this will be yet another example of the “too little too late” European policy response to the worst economic crisis that Europe has experienced in the post-war period.

Global Warming — RIP? | Right Wing News

Global Warming — RIP? | Right Wing News:
We simply don’t know positively whether recent human activity has caused the planet to warm up to dangerous levels. But we do know that those who insist it does are sometimes disingenuous, often profit-minded, and nearly always impractical.

School Competition Rescues Kids - Reason Magazine

School Competition Rescues Kids - Reason Magazine:
Conventional wisdom is that government must run the schools. But government monopolies don't do anything well. They fail because they have no real competition. Yet competition is what gives us better phones, movies, cars—everything that's good.

“You can’t make the poor rich by making the rich poorer” | Questions and Observations

“You can’t make the poor rich by making the rich poorer” | Questions and Observations:
That’s a quote from Abraham Lincoln as delivered by Richard Epstein in his discussion of economic inequality (a meme that is all the rage right now). Interestingly enough, this interview was conducted and broadcast by PBS (as tree hugging sister notes “I’m sure whoever’s idea it was has been sacked. Along with all the llama trainers”).

Kristof on crony capitalism

Kristof on crony capitalism:
Capitalism is so successful an economic system partly because of an internal discipline that allows for loss and even bankruptcy. It’s the possibility of failure that creates the opportunity for triumph. Yet many of America’s major banks are too big to fail, so they can privatize profits while socializing risk.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Strong Marriages Make Strong Economies � First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

Strong Marriages Make Strong Economies � First Thoughts | A First Things Blog:
The long-term fortunes of the modern economy depend in part on the strength and sustainability of the family, both in relation to fertility trends and to marriage trends. This basic, but often overlooked, principle is now at work in the current global economic crisis.

Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand:
The businessman’s tool is values; the bureaucrat’s tool is fear. | Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, 48

Condoleezza Rice warns of an America 'gone bad' | McClatchy

Condoleezza Rice warns of an America 'gone bad' | McClatchy:
In warning of an America "gone bad," Rice cited examples of the threats she sees from a country no longer living up to its values, and "the idea that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things."

EXCLUSIVE: ACORN Playing Behind Scenes Role in 'Occupy' Movement - ACORN - Fox Nation

EXCLUSIVE: ACORN Playing Behind Scenes Role in 'Occupy' Movement - ACORN - Fox Nation:
The former New York office for ACORN, the disbanded community activist group, is playing a key role in the self-proclaimed “leaderless” Occupy Wall Street movement, organizing “guerrilla” protest events and hiring door-to-door canvassers to collect money under the banner of various causes while spending it on protest-related activities, sources tell FoxNews.com.

Althouse: "Education in this country is conducted on the model of a public utility owned by the government."

Althouse: "Education in this country is conducted on the model of a public utility owned by the government.":
"It's a government monopoly, full of unionized workers, delivering a government-subsidized product to people who are required by the government to be there."

Bookworm Room � A compendium of Obama’s narcissism

Bookworm Room � A compendium of Obama’s narcissism:
The pattern in Obama’s mind is simple: The proof of my greatness is the fact that everything and everyone around me is of lesser quality than I am. End of story. In order to stabilize his inner demons, a Clinton will betray you, but an Obama will destroy you. Given the choice, I’d prefer a charming rogue (i.e., Clinton) to a malevolent destroyer (i.e., Obama).

Life Is Good in the Capital of Crony Capitalism | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary

Life Is Good in the Capital of Crony Capitalism | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary:
This city's wealth is largely based on what public choice economists call "rent-seeking," using the political process to rig the game in one's favor — through subsidies, tariffs, regulatory advantages, and other benefits unavailable via free and fair competition.

"The rent-seeking is too damn high!" economist Alex Tabarrok quipped upon reading the Bloomberg report. True enough: spending on lobbyists set another record last year, at $3.5 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Record low support for gun control � Don Surber

Record low support for gun control � Don Surber:
The jump in support for handguns shows what an utter failure the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has been. Handgun use is up, yet gun homicides are down, contrary to what the Brady Campaign has preached for a quarter-century.

� Tea Party Embodies the Order of a Republic, #OWS Embodies the Chaos of a ‘Democracy’ - Big Government

� Tea Party Embodies the Order of a Republic, #OWS Embodies the Chaos of a ‘Democracy’ - Big Government:
Occupy Wall Street has often been compared to the Tea Party; I think it’s usually meant as an insult. By comparing the grass roots protest of the Tea Party to the amalgam of radicals at Occupy, they can diminish the Tea Party’s success and make all protests distasteful to the general public.

Gov't Regulations at Top of Small-Business Owners' Problem List

Gov't Regulations at Top of Small-Business Owners' Problem List:
Small-business owners in the United States are most likely to say complying with government regulations (22%) is the most important problem facing them today, followed by consumer confidence in the economy (15%) and lack of consumer demand (12%).

WPR Article | In Indonesia, Radical Islam Threatens Democracy

WPR Article | In Indonesia, Radical Islam Threatens Democracy:
But Yudhoyono's tenure has also seen the rise of radical Islam, which some view as the greatest threat to Indonesian democracy. Groups such as the Hizbut-Tahrir Indonesia and the Islamic Defenders Front have used strict and exclusive religious interpretations to justify the implementation of Shariah law and the infringement of the rights of religious minorities. These efforts undermine the spirit of moderation, tolerance and plurality of Islam that are embodied by Indonesia and enshrined in the country's founding Pancasila principles of unity and democracy. Experts are beginning to wonder aloud whether the world's largest Muslim-majority nation and third-largest democracy could see its reputation for religious tolerance and freedom tarnished by this vocal and increasingly violent radical Islamic fringe. ...

GOP candidates need to get serious--John Podhoretz - NYPOST.com

GOP candidates need to get serious--John Podhoretz - NYPOST.com:
Memo to the Republican field: You’re running for president. Of the United States. Of America. Start acting like it.

The Boomer Establishment Sinks Deeper Into Failure and Shame | Via Meadia

The Boomer Establishment Sinks Deeper Into Failure and Shame | Via Meadia:
The problem goes well beyond McKinsey. If the government proves its case, it will demonstrate that the American establishment has lost its ability to discern character and demand integrity. Gupta not only rose to the head of a firm that depends on reliability and discretion; he advised the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and served on the boards of directors of some of the biggest names in American business.

That a criminal could win the trust of so many of the ‘best and the brightest’ in philanthropy and business chillingly demonstrates the moral and intellectual vacuum in the corporate world. Years of excessive payment for executives, okayed by go along to get along boards of directors, a culture of entitlement and a lack of personal character and strong moral codes have created a dead zone at the core of American life.

Time to Cut off NPR - Page 1 - Brent Bozell - Townhall Conservative

Time to Cut off NPR - Page 1 - Brent Bozell - Townhall Conservative:
National Public Radio continues to define itself in every way as a taxpayer-funded nest of leftism. NPR couldn't just supportively report on the Occupy Wall Street protests. A fire-breathing spokeswoman for the "Occupy D.C." protests against capitalism was also an NPR host.

Because Young People Aren’t Reminded Often Enough How Ignorant They Are : The Other McCain

Because Young People Aren’t Reminded Often Enough How Ignorant They Are : The Other McCain:
The teaching of “self-esteem” in schools has bred insolence in youth, so that it never occurs to young people to think: “Hey, maybe I’m wrong.”

Sixty-six percent of those under 30 voted for Obama. When his policies fail, they are incapable of thinking that perhaps their choice was unwise. Instead, it must be some sort of trick, for which scapegoats are to blame.

Riehl World View: Obama Truly Is The First Un-American President

Riehl World View: Obama Truly Is The First Un-American President:
There was a time when being American helped to instill a sense of self-reliance. If that time isn't gone, Obama is doing everything he can to make it go away. And don't tell me anyone, let alone someone sitting in the Oval Office, could say this if they had any real appreciation for what America has traditionally been.

At a million-dollar San Francisco fundraiser today, President Obama warned his recession-battered supporters that if he loses the 2012 election it could herald a new, painful era of self-reliance in America.

Obama Losing His Base

Obama Losing His Base:
Key finding: "The biggest drop-off has come among his broad base -- 79% of Democrats now say they approve of the President's job performance, the lowest in our tracking. The biggest decline has come from young people and minorities. Among minority voters, 63% now say they approve of the president's job performance, the lowest in our tracking. More significant is the drop-off among young people, who voted for the president by huge margins in 2008. Less than 40% of young people (under age 30) now say they approve of the President's performance, 54% disapprove. This is a significant drop since August when a majority of young voters (52%) approved of the way the president was handling his job, 42% disapproved. That is a net 26-point decline in two months."

COMMON CENTS: Negative 22

COMMON CENTS: Negative 22:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 18% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -22 (see trends).

That’s the lowest level of Strong Approval ever measured for this president.

CARPE DIEM: Natural Gas Can Put Americans Back to Work

CARPE DIEM: Natural Gas Can Put Americans Back to Work:
One source is the natural gas industry, which is already generating jobs by the thousands, all without government subsidy. And it can generate even more, if we unleash this resource's full potential.

A Western Heart: Bleak socialist Britain driving its own people away

A Western Heart: Bleak socialist Britain driving its own people away:
If homesickness is the curse of life as an expat, then millions of Britons abroad are bearing up manfully. As Britain’s economy continues to stall and the country recovers from the summer riots, hundreds of thousands have decided to scrap plans to come home

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Global Warming: An Obituary | Energy and Environment Right Side News

Global Warming: An Obituary | Energy and Environment Right Side News:
Considering the long years of media-driven drivel about global warming, the hoax should have been over by now, given the exposure in 2009 of thousands of emails between the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conspirators and growing body of evidence that everything they asserted was a great steaming pile of horse manure.

If there was ever a reason for the U.S. to stop funding the U.N., this is it.

Paul Ryan declares war on Obama’s class-warfare campaign � The Enterprise Blog

Paul Ryan declares war on Obama’s class-warfare campaign � The Enterprise Blog:
He’s had enough. More than enough. In a high-voltage speech tomorrow at the Heritage Foundation, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan will tear into President Barack Obama’s recent push to raise taxes on wealthier Americans—including entrepreneurs and small business—to pay for more government spending. It’s what a Ryan aide calls “the politics of division, pitting Americans against each other, preying on the emotions of fear and envy.”

Quotation of the day

Quotation of the day:
The coded language with which we are now forced to carry out our public discourse is a weird blend of Victorian gentility and Soviet-style self-censorship forming a thin crust over a fathomless abyss of craven denial.
-- Matthew H., commenting on Peoria Journal Star story, "Teen mobs harass motorists."

Latest Obama Mortgage Refinance Plan Another Dud

Latest Obama Mortgage Refinance Plan Another Dud:
Just like previous versions, the revised version of HAMP is likely to disappoint thousands more homeowners with problem mortgages than it actually helps. What is worse, taxpayers will have had another failed bailout added on their tab, as they will eventually end up paying the cost of those mortgages that do get refinanced.

Thou Shalt Not Covet | US Opinion and Editorial Right Side News

Thou Shalt Not Covet | US Opinion and Editorial Right Side News:
I can think of no better example of human beings trampling on the Tenth Commandment than the current asinine display of covetousness by those protesting Wall Street and America’s financial institutions.

OWS is a “teachable moment” | Questions and Observations

OWS is a “teachable moment” | Questions and Observations:
Your efforts serve to paint a clear contrast between the two sides currently waging war for the future of America. On one side are those who believe in the income redistribution of socialism and feel entitled to “social justice,” fueled by a victim complex instilled in them by the very politicians who create and perpetuate their dependence. On the other side are the independent, self-respecting, hardworking Americans whose income and old-fashioned values of personal responsibility sit squarely in the cross hairs of the slackers and the Democratic Party that coddles them.

Commonsense & Wonder: Democrat culture of corruption

Commonsense & Wonder: Democrat culture of corruption:
Last week’s release of FBI documents finally put in writing what nobody had ever said on the record: The FBI suspected that former Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and lobbyists close to him were running a scheme to funnel earmarks to sham companies and nonprofits to benefit the lawmaker’s friends and former staffers.

Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh:
Our inside-the-Beltway intelligentsia sees fit to have to go out and attack Perry or Cain, Santorum, Bachmann as "unqualified, unprepared, don't know what they're doing," when any of them would be a 2,000% improvement over Obama.

A Few Words on the Accuracy of the Conservative Intelligentsia - The Rush Limbaugh Show

A Few Words on the Accuracy of the Conservative Intelligentsia - The Rush Limbaugh Show:
RUSH: I want to talk about the conservative Republican media intelligentsia
.

Saint Crispin's Day | No Left Turns

Saint Crispin's Day | No Left Turns:
This is a day of warriors

The Cato Institute

The Cato Institute:
"When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.”
― P.J. O'Rourke, H.L. Mencken Research Fellow at the Cato Institute

HolyCoast.com: #OccupyWallStreet Is the Natural Result of 30-Years of Self-Esteem Classes

HolyCoast.com: #OccupyWallStreet Is the Natural Result of 30-Years of Self-Esteem Classes

Senators Outraged U.S. Borrowing Big From China While Also Giving It Aid | Fox News

Senators Outraged U.S. Borrowing Big From China While Also Giving It Aid | Fox News:
"Why in the world would we be borrowing money and then turn around and giving it back to the countries that we're borrowing it from?" Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma said. "If they have enough of a surplus to loan us money, they have enough of a surplus to take care of their own needs."

Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia asked the same question in a recent appearance on Fox News: "Hey, in the crisis that we're in right now, should we really be continuing to send American taxpayer dollars over to China for these purposes?"

Obama's Misplaced Mideast Optimism :: Daniel Pipes

Obama's Misplaced Mideast Optimism :: Daniel Pipes:
But the Middle East teaches caution; much will probably go wrong in Libya and Iraq. Obama, I predict, will rue his rash boasts.

Will cheap energy plus cheaper labor power a U.S. rebound? � The Enterprise Blog

Will cheap energy plus cheaper labor power a U.S. rebound? � The Enterprise Blog

Sultan Knish a blog by Daniel Greenfield

Sultan Knish a blog by Daniel Greenfield:
The left's worst crime in the Middle East has been its support for the region's Arab-Muslim majority at the expense of its minorities. It has supported the majority's terrorism, atrocities, ethnic cleansing and repression of the region's minorities. Very rarely has it raised a voice in their support, and when it has done so, it was in muted tones completely different from their vigorous defenses of the nationalism of the Arab Muslim majority.

The left is obsessed with the Arab Spring, which rewards the ambitions of Arabist and Islamist activists at the expense of Coptic, African and other minorities. It is dementedly fixated on statehood for the Arab Muslims of Israel, (better known by their local Palestinian brand), but has little to say about the Kurds in Turkey or the Azeri in Iran. The million Jewish refugees and the vanishing Christians of the region never come up in conversation. They certainly don't get their own protest rallies or flotillas.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Fracking: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly | Via Meadia

Fracking: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly | Via Meadia:
A consideration that does not get enough weight is security. It is not just about reducing America’s dependence on Middle Eastern energy sources now and in the future. It is about promoting the diversity and security of the world’s energy supply by opening up many new sources of production in many new parts of the world. Europe, for example, may have a shale gas and oil boom of its own, reducing its dependence on both Russia and the Middle East.

Failing to frack increases the chance we must fight. Let’s learn to frack as cleanly and carefully as possible — but let’s get it done. Right now, it seems – despite some entirely justified anger from people who live in the frack zone – that extracting America’s vast natural gas resources is the right way to proceed.

At Last! An Actual Debate, Actually Worth Watching - Ricochet.com

At Last! An Actual Debate, Actually Worth Watching - Ricochet.com

Democrats reject Obama’s new plan � Don Surber

Democrats reject Obama’s new plan � Don Surber:
Like I said, this is crazy. The White House is panicking. Democrats are bailing. The $787 billion stimulus was a cynical raid of the Treasury to reward his union supporters and fat-cat donors who put up over a half-billion dollars toward his election (small donors only accounted for $200 million). The presidnet counted on the economy rebounding on its own. It had until that stimulus kicked in. Now Obama is stuck.

Monopoly money. Monopoly houses. Democrats wanted a return for the 1930s for decades now hoping to use another depression to spread socialism. Be careful what you wish for.

CARPE DIEM: Reshoring: Manufacturing is Coming Back to U.S.

CARPE DIEM: Reshoring: Manufacturing is Coming Back to U.S.

Wind power running out of financial puff | Herald Sun Andrew Bolt Blog

Wind power running out of financial puff | Herald Sun Andrew Bolt Blog:
Britons are growing restless with green evangelism from politicians who should focus more on practical politics

Greens Missing the Green Revolution | Via Meadia

Greens Missing the Green Revolution | Via Meadia:
Energy efficiency is something else. People actually like lower energy bills — and of course if people consume less energy there will be less pressure on the environment. If the green movement could bring itself to shift its own energy and commitment from Solyndra-type grand interventions to conservation and efficiency projects, the world would be a cleaner and greener place
.

The PJ Tatler � CS Monitor Rips ‘Moral Blindness’ in Obama’s Housing Plan

The PJ Tatler � CS Monitor Rips ‘Moral Blindness’ in Obama’s Housing Plan:
But his latest plan makes short-term ethical compromises that could lead to negative long-term consequences for the economy, taxpayers, and the federal deficit.

Blood Money… Abbas to Pay Released Terrorists’ Pensions With US Aid Money | The Gateway Pundit

Blood Money… Abbas to Pay Released Terrorists’ Pensions With US Aid Money | The Gateway Pundit:
This is of more than passing interest to American readers since hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer funds are transferred to the Palestinian Authority every year. That makes Uncle Sam is paying a subsidy to mass murderers. That’s a not insignificant point to remember when Congress decides whether or not to continue the flow of aid to the PA.

Constitutional Republic Under Siege: Progressives Plan to Abolish Electoral College!

Constitutional Republic Under Siege: Progressives Plan to Abolish Electoral College!:
The so-called ‘National Popular Vote’ movement is, indeed, a threat to the electoral college, a wise, inspired system our Founding Fathers set up to help provide yet another firewall to a dictator taking control of America before we had a chance to react. California has already completed the process to flip the bird at the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.

CARPE DIEM: Bakken Boom Spreads to Montana, South Dakota

CARPE DIEM: Bakken Boom Spreads to Montana, South Dakota

Belmont Club � In Reverse

Belmont Club � In Reverse:
The Strategy Page reports that the Syrian security services have been shaken by 20,000 desertions in the military. According to their sources, Damascus is now relying on the hard-core secret police and foreign auxiliaries like the Hezbollah to protect the regime. Yet despite sustaining average losses of 100 per week the opposition still shows no signs of slowing down. The Assads are digging in, replacing provincial officials who show signs of weakness and shooting deserters who try to cross the border.

Model: Bad economy means Obama should get just 43.5 percent of the vote � The Enterprise Blog

Model: Bad economy means Obama should get just 43.5 percent of the vote � The Enterprise Blog:
Economic consulting firm IHS Global Insight thinks the economy may well sink President’s Obama’s reelection effort, at least according to its forecasting model:

What Paul Gregory is Writing About: Of Course They Shot Gaddafi and They Should Have

What Paul Gregory is Writing About: Of Course They Shot Gaddafi and They Should Have:
The Western world is shaking its collective head over what appears to be the cold-blooded shooting of Gaddafi. Editorialists and pundits solemnly tutor the “barbaric” Libyans that justice should have been done, even for someone as evil as their deposed dictator. Libya and the world would feel better about itself if Gaddafi had been accorded a proper trial.

Reinventing the Family: Good Intentions Are Not Enough

Reinventing the Family: Good Intentions Are Not Enough:
With an apparent disregard for the social and economic consequences to children, the rise of experimental family forms and the “commissioning” of babies may be the ultimate expression of the commodification of children—when offspring are conceived for the gratification of adults who have yet to grow up.

Commonsense & Wonder: When the government can legally lie to you, the nation is lost, your freedom is gone and there is no rule of law.

Commonsense & Wonder: When the government can legally lie to you, the nation is lost, your freedom is gone and there is no rule of law.

� Opposition to New EPA Air Regulations Continues to Grow Across Interest Groups - Big Government

� Opposition to New EPA Air Regulations Continues to Grow Across Interest Groups - Big Government:
As the opposition to CSPAR (Cross-state Air Pollution Regulations) spreads across state lines and various groups, there have been over 30 lawsuits filed to challenge the rule. The groups include power companies, cities, states, industry groups, as well as labor organizations. Meanwhile, Luminant continues to push the Administration to carefully consider the inevitable job loss that will result from this rule.

Google to Government: Don’t Be Evil | A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

Google to Government: Don’t Be Evil | A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days:
When someone like Eric Schmidt–who is no one’s idea of a Republican–feels the need to speak out against over-regulation and the lack of government innovation, you know that a sea change is coming to Silicon Valley, which traditionally has been a source of stalwart support for the Democratic party.

Libertarians, Medical Malpractice and Contract | Cato @ Liberty

Libertarians, Medical Malpractice and Contract | Cato @ Liberty:
Like others, I grow impatient with lawmakers as they struggle with inevitably arbitrary lines on whether the pain-and-suffering component of their obligatory med-mal “insurance” should top out at $500 thousand, $1.0 million, or $1.5 million. Were they to step back and allow a market to work, I think we would soon see a distinctly un-arbitrary figure emerge: $0.00.

Goldwater Institute

Goldwater Institute:
Voters should think carefully before letting school districts borrow more money.

WABE: Report: Marriage is critical to reducing child poverty in Georgia (2011-10-19)

WABE: Report: Marriage is critical to reducing child poverty in Georgia (2011-10-19):
"Married couples have substantially lower poverty rates because of the additional income the father brings into the home and because of the low educational status of the mothers who are having children without being married."

The Cato Institute

The Cato Institute:
“Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government.”
― Milton Friedman

Upgrading the U.S.A. - Reason Magazine

Upgrading the U.S.A. - Reason Magazine:
The bottom line is that the debt problem in the United States will not go away as long as we don’t reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The coming explosion in entitlement spending will blow apart any possibility of an equilibrium between revenue (no matter how high marginal tax rates get) and expenditures.

Every Network But Fox Is Losing Viewers - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire

Every Network But Fox Is Losing Viewers - Entertainment - The Atlantic Wire:
Nielsen's numbers for the first four weeks of the fall television season are in, and the figures don't look great for the three traditional major TV networks

Is Another Debt Downgrade On The Way? :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience

Is Another Debt Downgrade On The Way? :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience:
The trigger would be a likely failure by Congress to agree on a credible long-term plan to cut the U.S. deficit, the bank said in a research note published on Friday
.

Robert Spencer: Obama Administration Bans the Truth About Islam and Jihad :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience

Robert Spencer: Obama Administration Bans the Truth About Islam and Jihad :: Political News and commentaries :: Hyscience:
Read more here. As Spencer goes on to make abundantly clear, in banning the truth about Islam and jihad, the Obama Administration has opened the door for increased jihad terror activity in the United States. Agents who do not understand the threat they face and are constantly surprised by the places where that threat is coming from will be powerless to stop this jihad activity, and as a result, American citizens will be paying the consequences.

No More Years - WSJ.com

No More Years - WSJ.com:
As Mr. Gardiner concluded in his article, the Obama administration "is a presidency in crisis, lacking leadership, wedded to the wrong policies, and presently heading for defeat in 2012." Time will tell, but as the polls show Americans becoming more frustrated by the consequences of Obama's policies, that conclusion seems just about right.

Newt in Quad City Times: Optional flat tax will launch recovery | Newt Gingrich 2012

Newt in Quad City Times: Optional flat tax will launch recovery | Newt Gingrich 2012:
The coming economic boom will begin the minute the television networks announce the defeat of President Obama’s reelection bid on Election Day 2012.

HolyCoast.com: Red States Rising

HolyCoast.com: Red States Rising:
People are getting tired of the Blue Flu, the fiscal malaise in blue states caused by liberal legislators, governors and other public officials. If current trends continue, there will be fewer blue states after the next election

Opinion: President Obama Can No Longer Ignore Iran - Iran - Fox Nation

Opinion: President Obama Can No Longer Ignore Iran - Iran - Fox Nation:
Yet no matter the author, the winning streak is not writ in stone as long as Iran is free to stir the pot. If the “Arab Spring” becomes the “Arab Winter,” it will largely be because Iran sees instability as its friend and, absent U.S. troops, there will be no force to stop it.

Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand:
A businessman’s success depends on his intelligence, his knowledge, his productive ability, his economic judgment—and on the voluntary agreement of all those he deals with: his customers, his suppliers, his employees, his creditors or investors. A bureaucrat’s success depends on his political pull. A businessman cannot force you to buy his product; if he makes a mistake, he suffers the consequences; if he fails, he takes the loss. A bureaucrat forces you to obey his decisions, whether you agree with him or not—and the more advanced the stage of a country’s statism, the wider and more discretionary the powers wielded by a bureaucrat. If he makes a mistake, you suffer the consequences; if he fails, he passes the loss on to you, in the form of heavier taxes. | The Ayn Rand Letter, III, 26, 5

Opting Out of the Hook Up Culture � First Thoughts | A First Things Blog

Opting Out of the Hook Up Culture � First Thoughts | A First Things Blog:
But this hook-up season, there is an increasing phenomenon of unlikely bedfellows opting out: Catholic and Muslim women. These women of faith are increasingly allied in searching for a different way to live out their college tenure than from dorm room to dorm room. And they are finding that despite theological differences that run deep, shared perspectives about modesty, chastity, and dignity run deeper.

Iran’s Assassination Plot Compels a Tough Response | Decide America

Iran’s Assassination Plot Compels a Tough Response | Decide America: The unpleasant reality is that the only alternative to a nuclear Iran is to break Tehran’s program through the targeted use of military force, either by Israel, the United States or both. This is, to be sure, a risky, unpleasant and unattractive option. It is, nonetheless, far preferable to the only existing – and rapidly approaching – alternative, which is Iran with nuclear weapons. Although unwilling to say so publicly, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states have long privately hoped for leveling Iran’s nuclear program. With the Iranian assassination plot now public, they might even smile publicly.

Daily Pundit � Changing the Guard

Daily Pundit � Changing the Guard:
America has nearly a century of leftist foolishness to flush out of its system. It is in the painful process of doing that right now. Ten years from now, we’ll be in the early stages of one of the most monumental rebirths in our history: politically, socially, culturally, economically, and globally.

Lights going on all over the place � Cold Fury

Lights going on all over the place � Cold Fury:
The more important disconnect is between liberal-Leftism and reality, between the damage their policies do and their desire to gloss over the dismal results and push for more of the same. But if guys like Schmidt finally do wake up for good, maybe the suffering they caused an entire nation could turn out to be worth it.

CARPE DIEM: Reshoring Example: Houston-Based Farouk Systems

CARPE DIEM: Reshoring Example: Houston-Based Farouk Systems:
Rather than adding to his existing workforce in Asia, Mr. Shami expanded in Texas.

� Obama’s Continuing ‘Green’ Energy Agenda Subsidizes GM Wastefulness - Big Government

� Obama’s Continuing ‘Green’ Energy Agenda Subsidizes GM Wastefulness - Big Government:
The Barack Obama Administration has been absolutely atrocious in signing off on terrible legislation and policy prescriptions.

Infrastructure Projects to Fix the Economy? Don't Bank on It. | Chris Edwards | Cato Institute: Commentary

Infrastructure Projects to Fix the Economy? Don't Bank on It. | Chris Edwards | Cato Institute: Commentary:
The recent infrastructure debate has focused on job creation, and whether projects are "shovel ready." The more important question is who is holding the shovel. When it's the federal government, we've found that it digs in the wrong places and leaves taxpayers with big holes in their pockets. So let's give the shovels to state governments and private companies. They will create just as many jobs while providing more innovative and less costly infrastructure to the public. They're ready.

From Tunisia To The Justice Department: A Clean Sweep For Islam

From Tunisia To The Justice Department: A Clean Sweep For Islam:
Across a vast expanse of the Muslim world, from Tunisia to Pakistan, the forces of Islam are rising.

General Jack Keane on Obama's Iraq Policy: 'Absolute Disaster' | The Weekly Standard

General Jack Keane on Obama's Iraq Policy: 'Absolute Disaster' | The Weekly Standard:
is an 'absolute disaster' that puts the burgeoning Arab democracy at risk of an Iranian 'strangling,'

Conflicted Iraqis face future without US troops - Yahoo! News

Conflicted Iraqis face future without US troops - Yahoo! News:
BAGHDAD (AP) — For the first time in decades, Iraqis face a future on their own, with neither Saddam Hussein's iron fist nor the United States' military might to hold them together. This has been both their dream and nightmare: They wanted American troops (the occupiers) to go, but they wanted American troops (the protectors) to stay.

Now many fear an increase in violence, growing Iranian influence and political turmoil after President Barack Obama's definitive announcement that all U.S. forces will leave by the end of the year.

Rudy on Newt: ‘I Don’t Know Why He Doesn’t Have More Support’ - By Robert Costa - The Corner - National Review Online

Rudy on Newt: ‘I Don’t Know Why He Doesn’t Have More Support’ - By Robert Costa - The Corner - National Review Online

GetLiberty.org >> Big Labor's political clout begins to wane

GetLiberty.org >> Big Labor's political clout begins to wane:
But could Big Labor have guessed wrong when they bet the house on tying themselves to all levels of the Obama presidency? Recent developments show that the political clout of Big Labor is declining at a significant pace.

Newt’s Resurrection? - Robert Costa - National Review Online

Newt’s Resurrection? - Robert Costa - National Review Online:
In June, after his top advisers bolted, Newt Gingrich was supposed to be finished. Four months later, after a series of sharp debates, his poll numbers are climbing and his coffers are stuffed. Behind the scenes, his aides aim to capitalize on the resurrection.

Works and Days � Rage On—and on and on…

Works and Days � Rage On—and on and on…:
On a wider political level, there is a growing realization that today’s brand of liberalism is really a form of slow societal suicide. We see red states recovering from recession; blue states are still broke. Greece is a mess; so is the entire anti-democratic, statist, and redistributive EU. Keynesian economics is about as dead as global warming/climate change/climate chaos in the age of Climategate, Al Gore, Inc., and a planet cooling over the last decade.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Pajamas Media � Gaddafi Dead — So What?

Pajamas Media � Gaddafi Dead — So What?:
Either way, as many interpret events in Libya, they project their own values and notions of right and wrong, good and bad — most notably by portraying the Arab uprisings as positive signs of democracy — thereby demonstrating, yet again, their inability to comprehend Islam’s distinct civilization, let alone the Closing of the Muslim Mind.

GayPatriot � Like A Punch In The Face, Occubots Learning Valuable Life Lessons

GayPatriot � Like A Punch In The Face, Occubots Learning Valuable Life Lessons:
It is simple, really. I don’t personally believe that human beings are intrinsically good. Rather, they are intrinsically flawed. That’s why we need laws which are based in fact outside of ourselves. That is why the rule of law is key to a useful society. That is why quasi-anarchy does not work.

Vox Popoli: No limits on self-defense

Vox Popoli: No limits on self-defense:
Good for him. I wouldn't have any problem with his actions if he had killed both women after they were "incapacitated".

The Region: Distorting the truth ... JPost - Opinion - Columnists

The Region: Distorting the truth ... JPost - Opinion - Columnists:
Every day in the Middle East, terrible things happen. The worst are the acts of violence and oppression. The second worst are the lies and distortions of truth that help ensure things don’t get better. Every day in the West, the lies are echoed and amplified, and new ones invented. This not only helps ensure things don’t get better in the Middle East, it guarantees they will get worse in the West.

World power swings back to America - Telegraph

World power swings back to America - Telegraph:
The American phoenix is slowly rising again. Within five years or so, the US will be well on its way to self-sufficiency in fuel and energy. Manufacturing will have closed the labour gap with China in a clutch of key industries. The current account might even be in surplus.

Rhode Island: Athens of America? | Via Meadia

Rhode Island: Athens of America? | Via Meadia:
Rhode Island is looking more and more like Greece, and not in a good way. That is one message of this important piece by Mary Williams Walsh in the New York Times. Years of blue social policy have wrecked local and state government finance in the country’s smallest state, and now the bills are coming due. Services are being cut to the bone and elderly retirees are losing money they thought was secure.

J O S H U A P U N D I T: The Ground Continues To Collapse Under Ahmandinejad's Feet in Iran

J O S H U A P U N D I T: The Ground Continues To Collapse Under Ahmandinejad's Feet in Iran:
In the latest sign that Ahmadinejad is on his way out or at least is going to have a lot less power in the future, Iran's majlis ( parliament) has impeached two Ahmadinejad loyalists, Economy Minister Shamseddin Hosseini and Energy Minister Majid Namjou.

Fareed Zakaria: Another clueless Leftist who knows nothing about America � The Daley Gator

Fareed Zakaria: Another clueless Leftist who knows nothing about America � The Daley Gator:
How someone so incredibly stupid gets the level of success this guy has is beyond me

Abbas to Pay Released Murderers’ Pensions With U.S. Aid Money � Commentary Magazine

Abbas to Pay Released Murderers’ Pensions With U.S. Aid Money � Commentary Magazine:
This is of more than passing interest to American readers since hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer funds are transferred to the Palestinian Authority every year. That makes Uncle Sam is paying a subsidy to mass murderers. That’s a not insignificant point to remember when Congress decides whether or not to continue the flow of aid to the PA.

Lawyers and their kind are crippling Labor | Herald Sun Andrew Bolt Blog

Lawyers and their kind are crippling Labor | Herald Sun Andrew Bolt Blog:
Former Labor national secretary Karl Bitar describes a problem that not only cripples Labor, but is increasingly strangling our public institutions - the triumph of process over judgment:

Commonsense & Wonder: Egypt: Heading the wrong way?

Commonsense & Wonder: Egypt: Heading the wrong way?:
Egypt's state media says a Cairo court has sentenced a man to three years in prison for postings on Facebook deemed to be inciting sectarianism and in contempt of Islam.

Reflections Of Character | Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy

Reflections Of Character | Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy:
Those who seek from others that they may not have themselves, out of petty jealousy exhibit the failings of self achievement and personal self worth.

Wind Companies Not Presecuted for Killing Birds | TheBlaze.com

Wind Companies Not Presecuted for Killing Birds | TheBlaze.com:
But did you know that wind-power companies are responsible for more than 400,000 bird deaths annually, and not one has faced a single charge?

Commonsense & Wonder: Detroit and other cities as well. This is the face of structural unemployment.

Commonsense & Wonder: Detroit and other cities as well. This is the face of structural unemployment.:
Half of Philadelphia's adult population, R�nyi says, is without the literacy skills to compete for "family-sustaining" jobs with benefits.

Althouse: "A Very Simple Venn Diagram of Where the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street Agree."

Althouse: "A Very Simple Venn Diagram of Where the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street Agree."

Farewell To The Great Loon | Via Meadia

Farewell To The Great Loon | Via Meadia:
History will not shed any tears over the Loon, and neither will I. He was an example of the worst type of ruler history sometimes throws up: an empowered, murderous, psychopathic clown. He was a sick joke; it is a measure of the moral and political degradation of “third worldism” that his fellow thugs like Robert Mugabe, Hugo Chavez and dictators and kleptocrats without number considered him a member of the club, ignored his flagrant sins, and prostituted the name of justice by hailing him as a progressive, revolutionary leader who was making our world a better place.

Jeff_Jacoby: Israeli reservists say: If we're ever taken hostage, don't free murderers in order to save us. http://t.co/9QvwtIMi and http://t.co/QVLg8wz8

 

Jeff_Jacoby: Israeli reservists say: If we're ever taken hostage, don't free murderers in order to save us. http://t.co/9QvwtIMi and http://t.co/QVLg8wz8

Jeff_Jacoby: Israeli reservists say: If we're ever taken hostage, don't free murderers in order to save us. http://t.co/9QvwtIMi and http://t.co/QVLg8wz8
Jeff Jacoby
Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:41:08 GMT

The Cato Institute

The Cato Institute:
The federal government is running massive budget deficits, spending too much, and heading toward a financial crisis. Without a change of direction in Washington, average working families will be faced with huge tax increases and a lower standard of living. In Downsizing the Federal Government, Cato Institute budget expert Chris Edwards provides policymakers with solutions to the growing federal budget mess. Edwards identifies more than 100 federal programs that should be terminated, transferred to the states, or privatized in order to balance the budget and save hundreds of billions of dollars.

They Can't Even Coordinate Press Conferences | ZeroHedge

They Can't Even Coordinate Press Conferences | ZeroHedge:
Europe is broken and the people charged with trying to fix it are clearly not up to the job. There are way too many vested interests, too many national peccadillos and way too many good, old-fashioned egos in play for it to come down to anything but a last-ditch solution when they are forced into it - and that solution WILL be the printing of money in some shape or form which will help to magically inflate the debt away. The other alternatives are either just too painful (default/ forgiveness) or plain unworkable (growth).

Tunisia Vote Stands as Test for the Region - WSJ.com

Tunisia Vote Stands as Test for the Region - WSJ.com:
In an election that could set the bar as the Middle East's freest and most open ever, Tunisians will elect a 218-seat constitutional assembly, which will appoint an interim government and have one year to rewrite the constitution. Its impact may only be enhanced by the death this week of Moammar Gadhafi, the third and longest-running autocrat to be brought down by the protests that began 10 months ago in Tunisia.

Quotation of the Day…

Quotation of the Day…:
The theory of government as a fixer of externalities is often quite backwards. Governments themselves compose “the prototypical sector in which decision makers do not take accurate account of all the costs as well as benefits of each activity” (Yeager, 1983, p. 125). In reality, the government is more likely to cause a negative externality than to reduce one.

Rhymes With Right - The Social Contract Defined

Rhymes With Right - The Social Contract Defined

Articles: Sharia �ber Alles versus Western Justice

Articles: Sharia �ber Alles versus Western Justice:
How is it that intelligent people cannot see the lesson of history when sharia enters a non-Islamic society, step by step?

Obama: A dishonest withdrawal fro Iraq - Right Turn - The Washington Post

Obama: A dishonest withdrawal fro Iraq - Right Turn - The Washington Post:
Josh Rogin explains that the president simply lied when he explained that the withdrawal was the successful culmination of his Iraq policy. In fact it was borne of necessity as a result of the administration’s inept negotiations:

PrairiePundit: Solar is not an energy independence strategy

PrairiePundit: Solar is not an energy independence strategy:
solar energy does not equate to “energy independence” because it relies upon other countries, namely China, for the necessary supply of rare earths.

iOwnTheWorld.com � Blog Archive � Where Do Rights Come From?

iOwnTheWorld.com � Blog Archive � Where Do Rights Come From?:
As we have seen, the legislator thinks he is the potter and mankind is the clay. Unfortunately, when this idea prevails, everyone wants to be the potter and no one wants to be the clay.
Frederic Bastiat, The Law

The Volokh Conspiracy � Neoconservatism and Government Competence

The Volokh Conspiracy � Neoconservatism and Government Competence:
At some point, however, a contradiction became apparent: if I didn’t trust the government to competently run, say, public schools, what made me think that the the government, subject to the same public-choicey and other constraints, would be competent at handling the much more complex task of remaking other societies in America’s image?

The scene outside the terror trial | Power Line

The scene outside the terror trial | Power Line:
— but are they loyal residents or citizens of the United States? In the conflict between the United States and the Islamist forces with which are contending, whose side are they on?

More Moves in the Great Asian Game | Via Meadia

More Moves in the Great Asian Game | Via Meadia:
This time it is India and Vietnam making new moves in the Great Game of Asian geopolitics, and the new “strategic partnership” on its doorstep isn’t making China happy.

TrevorLoudon.com: New Zeal Blog � Treason? Senior Communist Lobbies “Super Committee” for Defense Cuts

TrevorLoudon.com: New Zeal Blog � Treason? Senior Communist Lobbies “Super Committee” for Defense Cuts:
Judith LeBlanc is using her Peace Action position to coordinate intense lobbying of the Super Committee by thousands of “peace” activists across the country.

PrairiePundit: Biden economics

PrairiePundit: Biden economics:
If you focused on those making over a million a year you would have to increase their taxes by six million dollars a year. Liberalism is flunking the basic math test. I hope the Republican candidates like Rick Perry focus on this issue when they present their economic and tax plans The only way we can get to balance is by cutting spending. The tea Party gets that. Those lollygagging through a protest of Wall Street are as clueless as the Vice President.

PrairiePundit: How liberalism ruined Rhode Island

PrairiePundit: How liberalism ruined Rhode Island:
Rhode Island is a state dominated by liberals. The corrupt bargain between mainly Democrats and the public employee unions has finally run its course. Over promising in return for campaign contributions and union support at the polls has proved to be an illusory promise. It is not like the unfunded pension liability has been a secret. It has been part of the accounting for political subdivisions for decades. Rhode Island and other political subdivisions who have ignored the problem are now faced with dealing with it and people who have planned their lives around those pensions are going to have to make new plans to deal with less money.

� Today’s Students ‘Don’t Know Much About History’ - Big Government

� Today’s Students ‘Don’t Know Much About History’ - Big Government:
Still, the founders considered it critically important for America to have “an informed citizenry.” As James Madison noted, “A people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

A Fatally Misled Civilization - Taki's Magazine

A Fatally Misled Civilization - Taki's Magazine:
His laments for a fatally misled civilization feature themes that recur in all of Pat’s books: the demographic sub-replacement level that educated Americans and indigenous Europeans of child-bearing age have reached, the growing chasm between senior citizens and those in the work force, the disruptive effect of continuing Third World immigration, the anti-Christian, anti-bourgeois character of Western governments’ multicultural policies, and the dangers of neoconservative attempts to impose our present model of American democracy globally.

Monetary Madness - Is the US Monetary System on the Verge of Collapse?

Monetary Madness - Is the US Monetary System on the Verge of Collapse?:
The US monetary system — and by extension, that of much of the developed world — may very well be on the verge of collapse. Falling back on metaphor, while the world’s many financial experts and economists sit around arguing about the direction of the ship of state, most are missing the point that the ship has already hit an iceberg and is taking on water fast.

CARPE DIEM: "Refashioning the Continent's Energy Arteries" Shale Gas is Fueling A Pipeline Construction Boom

CARPE DIEM: "Refashioning the Continent's Energy Arteries" Shale Gas is Fueling A Pipeline Construction Boom:
“I think we’re just at the early stages of really understanding just how powerful a resource this can be in the United States and in Canada,

Why the Senate needs to return to requiring supermajorities - The Washington Post

Why the Senate needs to return to requiring supermajorities - The Washington Post:
Our Founding Fathers recognized how the unchecked power of a majority would be a constant threat to individual liberty. They acknowledged that government was necessary, but they also knew that a government elected by a majority could easily trample the freedoms of the minority. They and their ancestors had come from dictatorial monarchies, and they fully understood that, more often than not, government was something to fear and should therefore be limited.