From USA Today:
WASHINGTON — Social Security's annual surplus nearly evaporated in 2009 for the first time in 25 years as the recession led hundreds of thousands of workers to retire or claim disability.
The impact of the recession is likely to hit the giant retirement system even harder this year and next. The Congressional Budget Office had projected it would operate in the red in 2010 and 2011, but a deeper economic slump could make those losses larger than anticipated.
"Things are a little bit worse than had been expected," says Stephen Goss, chief actuary for the Social Security Administration. "Clearly, we're going to be negative for a year or two."
Since 1984, Social Security has raked in more in payroll taxes than it has paid in benefits, accumulating a $2.5 trillion trust fund. But because the government uses the trust fund to pay for other programs, tax increases, spending cuts or new borrowing will be required to make up the difference between taxes collected and benefits owed.
VH: Social Security turns citizens into wards of the state with all of the implications that this imposes---like the raiding of funds for use in other government programs and being held hostage to the whims of the political class who will change eligibility requirements and benefit amounts when they deem necessary. Politicians that have and continue to push for entitlement programs like Social Security, always fail to mention the downsides to such programs.
Lastly, I continue to be amazed at the amount of times that the government actuaries tend to be wrong in their long term projections. You would think that the American public would be more cynical about their projections.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
IPCC begins to acknowledge mistakes in its reporting
From the WSJ:
Some top officials of a Nobel Prize-winning climate-science organization are acknowledging the panel made some mistakes amid a string of recent revelations questioning the accuracy of some of the information in its influential reports.
Officials of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations-sponsored network of scientists whose reports strongly influence global policy on greenhouse-gas emissions, initially played down some of the allegations. Increasingly, however, they are acknowledging the panel's mistakes and saying it needs to tighten its procedures.
VH: Since the IPCC is used by AGW advocates as a "scientific" international agency that legitimizes their position and which is used as justification to steer policy (re: billions of American taxpayer dollars) towards mitigating "climate change," one would hope that their reporting should be held to a higher standard. Apparently not.
Some top officials of a Nobel Prize-winning climate-science organization are acknowledging the panel made some mistakes amid a string of recent revelations questioning the accuracy of some of the information in its influential reports.
Officials of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations-sponsored network of scientists whose reports strongly influence global policy on greenhouse-gas emissions, initially played down some of the allegations. Increasingly, however, they are acknowledging the panel's mistakes and saying it needs to tighten its procedures.
VH: Since the IPCC is used by AGW advocates as a "scientific" international agency that legitimizes their position and which is used as justification to steer policy (re: billions of American taxpayer dollars) towards mitigating "climate change," one would hope that their reporting should be held to a higher standard. Apparently not.
He lost the data?
Climate Change scare monger, Phil Jones, admits to have misplaced climate data:
Prof Jones stepped down as director of the University of East Anglia’s climate change unit in December after leaked emails appeared to show academics were manipulating data to bolster claims that global warming is caused by humans.
Now the academic has admitted he may have lost track of some of the data used to produce the famous “hockey stick” graph, which uses climate readings from worldwide weather stations to show a sharp rise in global temperatures.
The Climate Research Unit formerly headed by Prof Jones is responsible for analysing data from hundreds of weather stations to produce "evidence" of global warming which is used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Prof Jones also admitted that his own lack of organisation had contributed to his reluctance to share crucial data with climate change sceptics, but denied that he deliberately distorted the evidence.
VH: Yes, Mr. Jones. I'm sure that Steve McIntyre roundly exposing your "hockey stick" theory as a farce had nothing to do with your "lost" data.
Prof Jones stepped down as director of the University of East Anglia’s climate change unit in December after leaked emails appeared to show academics were manipulating data to bolster claims that global warming is caused by humans.
Now the academic has admitted he may have lost track of some of the data used to produce the famous “hockey stick” graph, which uses climate readings from worldwide weather stations to show a sharp rise in global temperatures.
The Climate Research Unit formerly headed by Prof Jones is responsible for analysing data from hundreds of weather stations to produce "evidence" of global warming which is used by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Prof Jones also admitted that his own lack of organisation had contributed to his reluctance to share crucial data with climate change sceptics, but denied that he deliberately distorted the evidence.
VH: Yes, Mr. Jones. I'm sure that Steve McIntyre roundly exposing your "hockey stick" theory as a farce had nothing to do with your "lost" data.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Crony capitalism lives on with Obama
John Stossel on crony capitalism, regulatory capture, "green jobs," and the farce of the "Recovery Act."
Friday, February 12, 2010
You just can't trust the IPCC
According to this piece in the WSJ, the IPCC routinely omits the positives of Global Warming in their reports:
According to a 2004 paper by British geographer and climatologist Nigel Arnell, global warming would likely reduce the world's total number of people living in "water-stressed watersheds"—that is, areas with less than 1,000 cubic meters of water resources per capita, per year—even though many regions would see increased water shortages. Using multiple models, Mr. Arnell predicted that if temperatures rise, between 867 million and 4.5 billion people around the world could see increased "water stress" by 2085. But Mr. Arnell also found that "water stress" could decrease for between 1.7 billion and 6 billion people. Taking the average of the two ranges, that means that with global warming, nearly 2.7 billion people could see greater water shortages—but 3.85 billion could see fewer of them.
The IPCC's much-shorter "Summary for Policy Makers" is even more one-sided. It is riddled with warnings of warming-induced drought and—while acknowledging that a hotter Earth would bring "increased water availability" in some areas—warns that rising temperatures would leave "hundreds of millions of people exposed to increased water stress." Nowhere does it specify that even more people would probably have more water supplies.
VH: After reading the article, who can believe that the IPCC is even handed in its treatment of climate issues? The IPCC is essentially a mouth piece for AGW advocates.
According to a 2004 paper by British geographer and climatologist Nigel Arnell, global warming would likely reduce the world's total number of people living in "water-stressed watersheds"—that is, areas with less than 1,000 cubic meters of water resources per capita, per year—even though many regions would see increased water shortages. Using multiple models, Mr. Arnell predicted that if temperatures rise, between 867 million and 4.5 billion people around the world could see increased "water stress" by 2085. But Mr. Arnell also found that "water stress" could decrease for between 1.7 billion and 6 billion people. Taking the average of the two ranges, that means that with global warming, nearly 2.7 billion people could see greater water shortages—but 3.85 billion could see fewer of them.
The IPCC's much-shorter "Summary for Policy Makers" is even more one-sided. It is riddled with warnings of warming-induced drought and—while acknowledging that a hotter Earth would bring "increased water availability" in some areas—warns that rising temperatures would leave "hundreds of millions of people exposed to increased water stress." Nowhere does it specify that even more people would probably have more water supplies.
VH: After reading the article, who can believe that the IPCC is even handed in its treatment of climate issues? The IPCC is essentially a mouth piece for AGW advocates.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Don't try to cover your tracks, Barney
Barney Frank is one of those politicians that always makes my head shake in disbelief when I hear him speak on T.V. This guy spent years pimping government subsidized home loans and protecting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Now Frank has the audacity to tell us "the Poor Should Rent, Not Own." ARRRGGGHHHH!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Michael Mann cleared of charges
From The Guardian:
The American scientist who produced the "hockey stick graph" showing a sharp rise in global warming was largely cleared of misconduct by an academic investigation today.
The board of inquiry at Pennsylvania State University said it found no evidence that Michael Mann, a leading climatologist, had suppressed or falsified data, tried to destroy data or emails, or misused information. It will convene a second panel to investigate whether he had violated academic practices, including those governing exchanges between scholars.
VH: Note that this does not mean that Mann's "Hockey Stick" was proven to be scientifically correct as it was implied in this CBS story. Secondly, is anyone surprised that a Penn State panel exonerated Mann? Thirdly, this does not mean data was not suppressed at all by someone.
The American scientist who produced the "hockey stick graph" showing a sharp rise in global warming was largely cleared of misconduct by an academic investigation today.
The board of inquiry at Pennsylvania State University said it found no evidence that Michael Mann, a leading climatologist, had suppressed or falsified data, tried to destroy data or emails, or misused information. It will convene a second panel to investigate whether he had violated academic practices, including those governing exchanges between scholars.
VH: Note that this does not mean that Mann's "Hockey Stick" was proven to be scientifically correct as it was implied in this CBS story. Secondly, is anyone surprised that a Penn State panel exonerated Mann? Thirdly, this does not mean data was not suppressed at all by someone.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Change?
While Barack Obama slams lobbyists, the lobby industry in Washington has grown by leaps and bounds.
Glenn Beck on Che Guevara
Liberals hate Beck but the man nailed the cult of Che appropriately and honestly.
Friday, February 5, 2010
The IPCC error campaign continues
The IPCC's beleaguered climate report faces the prospect of still more errors, as Dutch authorities point out factual inaccuracies about the Netherlands.
Dutch environment ministry spokesman Trimo Vallaart has asked the U.N.'s climate change panel to rethink its assertion that more than half of the Netherlands is below seal level. Dutch authorities explain that, in fact, only 26 percent of the country is below sea level.
...correcting the error had been "on the agenda several times" but had never actually happened. Vallaart told the AFP that he regretted the fact that proper procedure was not followed, adding that it should not be left to politicians to check the IPCC's numbers.
Dutch environment ministry spokesman Trimo Vallaart has asked the U.N.'s climate change panel to rethink its assertion that more than half of the Netherlands is below seal level. Dutch authorities explain that, in fact, only 26 percent of the country is below sea level.
...correcting the error had been "on the agenda several times" but had never actually happened. Vallaart told the AFP that he regretted the fact that proper procedure was not followed, adding that it should not be left to politicians to check the IPCC's numbers.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
More babies, please!
Despite what you hear from environmentalists and "population bomb" scare mongers, in more and more countries, women are having fewer children than the number required to keep populations stable. The fertility rate has fallen below replacement level all across Europe, Russia, and Japan. The Malhusian catastrophe doesn't seem to be unfolding as many continue to predict.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
It is time to sober up
Aside from not trusting administration officials on their estimates, the big question that should be on everyone's mind is what happens when the stimulus funds are withdrawn? Eventually they will. What happens then? We will be left with a massive fiscal hangover, I bet.
One thing is for certain: The first jobs tally, which showed 640,000 jobs were created, contained numerous errors. After that October report, the administration changed the criteria for counting stimulus-funded jobs. The goal was to make it simpler for recipients to accurately report headcounts.
Recipients no longer have to determine whether a job was "created" or "saved" by stimulus funds, only that it was "funded" by the Recovery Act. Also, the reports only track jobs on a quarterly basis instead of keeping a running total.
Even with these changes, it's still a challenge to determine exactly how many jobs stimulus has funded, experts said. It will come as no surprise if more mistakes are found.
Also, the little piggies that are benefiting from feeding at the public trough are going to squeal once it comes time to wean:
Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, touted stimulus' impact on the alternative energy sector, saying the state will increase wind power 10-fold and solar power 15-fold by next year. The number of solar companies has quadrupled and their employment doubled.
One thing is for certain: The first jobs tally, which showed 640,000 jobs were created, contained numerous errors. After that October report, the administration changed the criteria for counting stimulus-funded jobs. The goal was to make it simpler for recipients to accurately report headcounts.
Recipients no longer have to determine whether a job was "created" or "saved" by stimulus funds, only that it was "funded" by the Recovery Act. Also, the reports only track jobs on a quarterly basis instead of keeping a running total.
Even with these changes, it's still a challenge to determine exactly how many jobs stimulus has funded, experts said. It will come as no surprise if more mistakes are found.
Also, the little piggies that are benefiting from feeding at the public trough are going to squeal once it comes time to wean:
Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, touted stimulus' impact on the alternative energy sector, saying the state will increase wind power 10-fold and solar power 15-fold by next year. The number of solar companies has quadrupled and their employment doubled.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Michael Moore loves subsidies for his films
That's right. The man that loves to rail against capitalism is indeed himself a crony capitalist.
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Green Utopia
From The San Francisco Chronicle:
It's an environmental catch-22. California needs to meet its aggressive goals for renewable-energy production, but solar and wind farms require lots of space. The farms' land gobbling can conflict with one of Californians' most cherished values: the preservation of pristine wilderness and animal habitat. As the state gets serious about increasing its renewable-energy portfolio, there's going to be tension.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is learning that the hard way. As the author of the 1994 California Desert Protection Act (which established the wildly popular Joshua Tree National Park), she was the natural author for the California Desert Protection Act of 2010. The bill would place nearly 1 million acres of the Mojave Desert off limits for development.
It would also fund a new renewable-energy permitting office and seek to expedite permitting for renewable-energy projects on lands deemed more suitable for development, but those changes seem like small potatoes when compared to the vast amount of land that will suddenly be off limits. The Bureau of Land Management is currently evaluating about 120 solar and wind projects in the region, and a handful of those would have to be tossed out under Feinstein's bill. The developers are crying foul.
VH: The "green" utopia is going to be a lot more elusive and expensive than what environmentalist's have sold to the gullible California public. The state of California is already one of the most expensive places to live and to do business. What do you think is going to happen when more land is set aside from being developed and there are less and less corridors to carry power from one point to the next? Cha-ching.
It's an environmental catch-22. California needs to meet its aggressive goals for renewable-energy production, but solar and wind farms require lots of space. The farms' land gobbling can conflict with one of Californians' most cherished values: the preservation of pristine wilderness and animal habitat. As the state gets serious about increasing its renewable-energy portfolio, there's going to be tension.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is learning that the hard way. As the author of the 1994 California Desert Protection Act (which established the wildly popular Joshua Tree National Park), she was the natural author for the California Desert Protection Act of 2010. The bill would place nearly 1 million acres of the Mojave Desert off limits for development.
It would also fund a new renewable-energy permitting office and seek to expedite permitting for renewable-energy projects on lands deemed more suitable for development, but those changes seem like small potatoes when compared to the vast amount of land that will suddenly be off limits. The Bureau of Land Management is currently evaluating about 120 solar and wind projects in the region, and a handful of those would have to be tossed out under Feinstein's bill. The developers are crying foul.
VH: The "green" utopia is going to be a lot more elusive and expensive than what environmentalist's have sold to the gullible California public. The state of California is already one of the most expensive places to live and to do business. What do you think is going to happen when more land is set aside from being developed and there are less and less corridors to carry power from one point to the next? Cha-ching.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Stimulus II: A Sequel America Can't Afford
Dan Mitchell with another great video. Is stimulus #2 on it's way?
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thomas Sowell - Intellectuals and Society
I received a Kindle, a fantastic device, for my birthday and I will be downloading Sowell's new book: "Intellectuals and Society." The above is a small snipet of Sowell discussing the book.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Oh, that crazy Chavez!
From the Associated Press:
CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez says there's too much capitalism on Venezuelan TV. So he's urging producers to start making films and TV shows that stress socialist values.
Chavez says producers should be making "socialist soap operas."
He said Sunday he recently visited Cuba "and they have soaps there. But they're not capitalist soap operas."
LOL!!!
CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez says there's too much capitalism on Venezuelan TV. So he's urging producers to start making films and TV shows that stress socialist values.
Chavez says producers should be making "socialist soap operas."
He said Sunday he recently visited Cuba "and they have soaps there. But they're not capitalist soap operas."
LOL!!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Being "compassionate" with someone else's money
From Carpe Diem: Watching Obama and Biden on TV and hearing Obama talk proudly about their "leadership," I can't help but remember how relatively uncharitable and uncaring they have been in the past when it comes to spending their own money.
VH: This is not an unfair criticism of an administration that wants to take one group's money (usually groups that are branded as bad) to give to another group in an attempt to "spread the wealth" and which is supposed to then mean that government is therefore being "fair" or "compassionate." They want to be "compassionate" with other people's money. Ah, government.
VH: This is not an unfair criticism of an administration that wants to take one group's money (usually groups that are branded as bad) to give to another group in an attempt to "spread the wealth" and which is supposed to then mean that government is therefore being "fair" or "compassionate." They want to be "compassionate" with other people's money. Ah, government.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Super Mall!!
The largest mall in the world is in China. It looks more like a theme park to me. Can you imagine how much carbon is emitted from this place?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
It burns cleanly and there is a lot of it...
My question today is this: Why aren't we allowing energy companies tap into our vast natural gas resources? It's clean burning and abundant.
Every few weeks, it seems, fresh news arrives telling of impressive discoveries of oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico, an area that, until recently, was viewed as well worked over and unlikely to yield any new bonanzas.
Last September brought word of a giant Gulf oil field reeled in by British Petroleum. And the latest Gulf headline-maker is a potentially major gas play offshore Louisiana that appears likely to add new trillions of cubic feet of gas to growing domestic reserves of the cleanest-burning carbon fuel.
Drill, drill, drill!!!
Every few weeks, it seems, fresh news arrives telling of impressive discoveries of oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico, an area that, until recently, was viewed as well worked over and unlikely to yield any new bonanzas.
Last September brought word of a giant Gulf oil field reeled in by British Petroleum. And the latest Gulf headline-maker is a potentially major gas play offshore Louisiana that appears likely to add new trillions of cubic feet of gas to growing domestic reserves of the cleanest-burning carbon fuel.
Drill, drill, drill!!!
Around The Horn
Posts of worth and note!
From Shaving Leviathan: Ted Kennedy Dies, Saves Country Five Months Later.
From A Disgruntled Republican: Dear global warming scientist, I am not as smart as a global warming scientist but I think that I am as smart as a fifth grader.
From Watts Up With That: The scandal deepens-IPCC AR4 riddled with non peer reviewed WWF papers.
From Shaving Leviathan: Ted Kennedy Dies, Saves Country Five Months Later.
From A Disgruntled Republican: Dear global warming scientist, I am not as smart as a global warming scientist but I think that I am as smart as a fifth grader.
From Watts Up With That: The scandal deepens-IPCC AR4 riddled with non peer reviewed WWF papers.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Here we go again
Hold on to your recycling bins, Global Warming causes methane gas to increase! Alert Al Gore!
Cut federal spending?
What are the odds that Democrats would actually adopt Republican Senator Tom Coburn's amendment? I won't be holding my breath:
The Senate is debating a $1.9 trillion increase in the nation's debt limit that would lift Treasury's legal borrowing ceiling to $14.3 trillion. After a $290 billion debt-limit raise last month, this giant new increase is intended to get Democrats past November's election without another reminder to voters of how much debt their spending is piling up.
Mr. Coburn has a better idea: Cut spending to a level that would allow the government to stay beneath the current debt ceiling for a few more months. President Obama promised in his campaign to eliminate "unnecessary redundancy" in government, so Mr. Coburn is calling for at least $20 billion in spending cuts on programs that are duplicated across federal agencies. That's about 4% of nondefense discretionary spending, and Mr. Coburn's amendment identifies at least 640 programs that could be consolidated.
A few examples: A 2009 Government Accountability Office report found 69 early education programs, administered by nine different agencies. A 2003 GAO report found 44 job training programs, also administered by nine agencies. The Department of Education runs 14 separate programs for foreign study exchanges. Taxpayers spend more than $300 million annually on at least nine Agriculture Department programs to develop biofuels. Too bad we can't pay for all this with wood chips.
The Senate is debating a $1.9 trillion increase in the nation's debt limit that would lift Treasury's legal borrowing ceiling to $14.3 trillion. After a $290 billion debt-limit raise last month, this giant new increase is intended to get Democrats past November's election without another reminder to voters of how much debt their spending is piling up.
Mr. Coburn has a better idea: Cut spending to a level that would allow the government to stay beneath the current debt ceiling for a few more months. President Obama promised in his campaign to eliminate "unnecessary redundancy" in government, so Mr. Coburn is calling for at least $20 billion in spending cuts on programs that are duplicated across federal agencies. That's about 4% of nondefense discretionary spending, and Mr. Coburn's amendment identifies at least 640 programs that could be consolidated.
A few examples: A 2009 Government Accountability Office report found 69 early education programs, administered by nine different agencies. A 2003 GAO report found 44 job training programs, also administered by nine agencies. The Department of Education runs 14 separate programs for foreign study exchanges. Taxpayers spend more than $300 million annually on at least nine Agriculture Department programs to develop biofuels. Too bad we can't pay for all this with wood chips.
Another Climate Panel Problem
After a week down with the flu, I'm back.
Here's an interesting piece I found in this week's issue of The Economist. Once again we see how fallible the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) really is:
The idea that the Himalaya could lose its glaciers by 2035—glaciers which feed rivers across South and East Asia—is a dramatic and apocalyptic one. After the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said such an outcome was very likely in the assessment of the state of climate science that it made in 2007, onlookers (including this newspaper) repeated the claim with alarm. In fact, there is no reason to believe it to be true. This is good news (within limits) for Indian farmers—and bad news for the IPCC.
And shameful news for publications (like the once vaunted Economist) that parroted the IPCC warning without proper due diligence. What has happened to healthy skepticism? It seems that with the subject of Global Warming any pretense to question the science is seen as sheer heresy or a mark of stupidity. But again we see another example of where the IPCC, supposedly an authority on this matter, fails to properly carry out a simple review process. Quite frankly, no government should put any trust into anything the IPCC publishes.
Here's an interesting piece I found in this week's issue of The Economist. Once again we see how fallible the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) really is:
The idea that the Himalaya could lose its glaciers by 2035—glaciers which feed rivers across South and East Asia—is a dramatic and apocalyptic one. After the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said such an outcome was very likely in the assessment of the state of climate science that it made in 2007, onlookers (including this newspaper) repeated the claim with alarm. In fact, there is no reason to believe it to be true. This is good news (within limits) for Indian farmers—and bad news for the IPCC.
And shameful news for publications (like the once vaunted Economist) that parroted the IPCC warning without proper due diligence. What has happened to healthy skepticism? It seems that with the subject of Global Warming any pretense to question the science is seen as sheer heresy or a mark of stupidity. But again we see another example of where the IPCC, supposedly an authority on this matter, fails to properly carry out a simple review process. Quite frankly, no government should put any trust into anything the IPCC publishes.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Simply odd
Everyone has heard about Pat Robertson's comment on Haiti, but I think that the strangest comment comes from actor Danny Glover. Yesterday, Mr. Glover uttered the following bit of stupid:
Actor Danny Glover says the earthquake in Haiti is a result of global warming. Glover told GRITtv that it could have happened to any of the Caribbean island nations: "They are all in peril because of global warming."
Then, he lamented the failure of the climate summit in Copenhagen. As a result of that failure, he says, "this is what happened."
Wow. What a nutcase.
In other strangeness, it seems that Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector that is somewhat of an iconic fiqure for anti-Bush types has been charged in an online child-sex case. This is the second time and this time he was caught on camera!
Actor Danny Glover says the earthquake in Haiti is a result of global warming. Glover told GRITtv that it could have happened to any of the Caribbean island nations: "They are all in peril because of global warming."
Then, he lamented the failure of the climate summit in Copenhagen. As a result of that failure, he says, "this is what happened."
Wow. What a nutcase.
In other strangeness, it seems that Scott Ritter, a former U.N. weapons inspector that is somewhat of an iconic fiqure for anti-Bush types has been charged in an online child-sex case. This is the second time and this time he was caught on camera!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Californians will foot the bill
I am not a big fan of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger but his latest statement on national health care reform accentuates what I and other fiscal conservatives have been saying for months now. Gov. Schwarzenegger, who had endorsed national reform, now says the following:
"You've heard of the bridge to nowhere? This is health care to nowhere...the current structure and the proposed expansion of Medicaid under health care reform are unsustainable for California."
Many Liberals in California thought that national health care "reform" was going to be free! If you just tax the rich guys and the insurance companies, we'll be just like France. Little did they know that they were footing the bill for everyone else...including the hated RED states. You see, because wages and earnings tend to be higher in California than the rest of the country, the "rich guy" is them. I guess unicorns don't exist after all.
"You've heard of the bridge to nowhere? This is health care to nowhere...the current structure and the proposed expansion of Medicaid under health care reform are unsustainable for California."
Many Liberals in California thought that national health care "reform" was going to be free! If you just tax the rich guys and the insurance companies, we'll be just like France. Little did they know that they were footing the bill for everyone else...including the hated RED states. You see, because wages and earnings tend to be higher in California than the rest of the country, the "rich guy" is them. I guess unicorns don't exist after all.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Milton Friedman - Case Against Equal Pay for Equal Work
Milton Friedman was a master in being able to explain difficult concepts in a breezy, easily understood manner. In this video he tackles a subject that is still being discussed today--equal pay for equal work.
HT: Liberty Pen
Saturday, January 2, 2010
More than you bargined for...
Government programs tend to slowly evolve and grow beyond their original intention and mandates. Will ObamaCare be any different?
HT: Life, Liberty, and Property
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Best post I've read today
Jeff Perren on the morality of Progressive thought:
Selling your power for a buck (or more power) is immoral, to be sure. Enslaving 95% of the country in perpetuity while pretending it's for the benefit of the other 5% is far worse. But corrupting your soul and demanding that others corrupt theirs - and calling it the height of virtue - is pure evil.
Selling your power for a buck (or more power) is immoral, to be sure. Enslaving 95% of the country in perpetuity while pretending it's for the benefit of the other 5% is far worse. But corrupting your soul and demanding that others corrupt theirs - and calling it the height of virtue - is pure evil.
GMAC will get more tax dollars
Congratulations, dear sucker...er, citizen. Can you hear the toilet flushing? According to the political elites that have decided to "save" society for us, returning GMAC back to profitability using tax funds is the right thing to do to avert disaster. But, isn't the red alert over already? Corporatism remains as strong as ever in Washington.
A 14 Trillion dollar economy
I find that many people really do underestimate how large the U.S. economy is compared to other countries. The chart below, provided by Mark Perry at Carpe Diem, replaces the names of states with the name of a country that has a similiar GDP.
You can look up the data for U.S. states here
and for foriegn countries here.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wow! What a surprise!!
A new study found that banks that received bail out funds had strong political ties and great lobbyists. I'm shocked.
"Profits are evil!"
One of the best rants against the anti-profit crowd I have read in a long time. Here's a quote:
Greed is a vice that only affects other people; the beneficiary of a rent-controlled apartment is not being greedy in expecting to pay a below market rent, but merely collecting her due. It’s her landlord who’s avaricious in thinking he might make a market return on his investment.
Greed is a vice that only affects other people; the beneficiary of a rent-controlled apartment is not being greedy in expecting to pay a below market rent, but merely collecting her due. It’s her landlord who’s avaricious in thinking he might make a market return on his investment.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The perversion of the interstate commerce clause
Interesting video on the interstate commerce clause and the decision by the Supreme Court to weaken it; this affects more than just wine sales to other states, it also negatively impacts the sale of health insurance policies across state borders. Since some states have imposed community rating and community issue mandates on the health insurance sold in their states, this has exacerbated the fiefdom and oligarchy of insurance companies that never have to worry about competition from other companies in other states.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Manufacturing Productivity
This post by Mark Perry is an important one; It needs to be repeated over and over again so that the myth that claims manufacturing in the U.S. has been waning or destroyed completely is finally debunked:
Workers today produce twice as much manufacturing output as their counterparts did in the early 1990s, and three times as much as in the early 1980s, thanks to innovation and advances in technology that have made today’s workers the most productive in history.
And that's American workers. Manufacturing employment is down but manufacturing productivity is at all time highs, folks. Let's keep it real.
Workers today produce twice as much manufacturing output as their counterparts did in the early 1990s, and three times as much as in the early 1980s, thanks to innovation and advances in technology that have made today’s workers the most productive in history.
And that's American workers. Manufacturing employment is down but manufacturing productivity is at all time highs, folks. Let's keep it real.
More guns, fewer crimes?
Harrison Price on why more guns mean fewer murders and why gun control gives the advantage to criminals:
Gun control doesn’t affect criminals because they are… criminals… it only affect law abiding citizens (because they follow the law).
Criminals are not really afraid of police nor are they afraid of going to jail… what they are afraid of is a law abiding citizen using their firearm to kill them.
Gun control doesn’t affect criminals because they are… criminals… it only affect law abiding citizens (because they follow the law).
Criminals are not really afraid of police nor are they afraid of going to jail… what they are afraid of is a law abiding citizen using their firearm to kill them.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The Hockey Stick Master
Here is a great article and profile of Steve McIntyre, the man who single handedly debunked Michael Mann's "Hockey Stick" theory seen in Al Gore's horrible film. An excerpt:
The hockey stick, featured in the 2001 report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, had a profound influence on policy worldwide, and played a starring role in presentations like Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. The McIntyre-McKitrick critique called attention to uncertainties in its temperature reconstructions dating back before 1600, to certain problems with dendrochronology (the use of tree rings to estimate past temperatures), and to issues with the statistical calculations underlying the hockey stick. Some climatologists insist that the graph tells the same story when you correct for all this, but much of the critique is now accepted, and the hockey stick, whose weaknesses are better understood, has itself become a somewhat inconvenient distraction for climatologists and environmentalists.
The hockey stick, featured in the 2001 report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, had a profound influence on policy worldwide, and played a starring role in presentations like Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. The McIntyre-McKitrick critique called attention to uncertainties in its temperature reconstructions dating back before 1600, to certain problems with dendrochronology (the use of tree rings to estimate past temperatures), and to issues with the statistical calculations underlying the hockey stick. Some climatologists insist that the graph tells the same story when you correct for all this, but much of the critique is now accepted, and the hockey stick, whose weaknesses are better understood, has itself become a somewhat inconvenient distraction for climatologists and environmentalists.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Boy, has the dating scene changed
An application to be someone's boyfriend. I hope she finds what she is looking for.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Markets in all things: Tattoo your eyeballs!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Wanna tattoo your eyeballs? Come on, I know that you want to! It's probably coming to a mall near you.
HT: Carpe Diem
Ready to go POP!
As the Federal Reserve continues to keep interest rates low in an attempt to inflate the economy out of the doldrums, some economists warn that this will lead to another asset price bubble. No surprise there and when it happens it will be ugly. It seems that the people in power can not avoid making the same mistakes over and over again while the average citizen is eventually caught in an economic storm that they did not create.
Greenpeace gets its comeuppance
You know how Greenpeace just loves to hang it’s banners everywhere, even on national monuments, in order to drive home their message. Well, one group gave them a little taste of their own medicine.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Hot Air From Al Gore
Mr. Scaremonger is at it again. This time he's spewing more of his usual apocalyptic diatribe in Copenhagen. Mr. Gore outrageously claimed that a recent study predicted that the North Pole could be completely free of ice by sometime in the next decade. Unfortunately for Mr. Gore, the author of the study rejected Mr. Gore's wild conclusion.
Friday, December 11, 2009
No Consequences
Since it was our government working through an aggressive "affordable housing" campaign that was mainly responsible for the housing bubble and it’s subsequent collapse, and which then led to the financial storm that followed, why does anyone really believe that any legislation that comes out of Congress will address any "lack" of oversight of the financial sector? This legislation is obviously “red meat” for citizens fed the liberal narrative (Thank you, MSM!) that the entire collapse was due to "greed" and "lack of regulation." Where is the movement to remove Barney Frank and Chris Dodd from their powerful committee posts? Afterall, those two were right in the thicket of this whole national nightmare.
Higher Taxes here we come!
Great segment on The Kudlow Report should prepare us for the coming tax storm; it looms ominously before us. It looks like Democrats will start with the "evil" hedge funds and capital investment firms. With the massive health care bill they will slice and dice the rest of the 95% that Obama said he wasn't going to tax.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Economics of Recycling
I came across this video today by the Mises Institute. It is an excellent presentation of the folly of recycling which has become a powerful and pervasive myth in our "green" mad society.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Pearl Harbor
Harrison Price reminds us that today is the 68th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Jon Stewart on ClimateGate
Stewart is usually such a lefty but he hits this issue right on the button on this clip.
The Heat Is On!
Phil Jones, one of the scientists behind ClimateGate, temporarily steps down from his post. The ball is rolling, folks.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Politicians have incentives too
Do you really believe that politicians are being altruistic when legislating for global warming legislation?
Saturday, November 28, 2009
More Climategate!
Hmmm. It seems that this whole Climategate has indeed gone global:
An agency of the New Zealand government has been cooking the books to create a warming trend where none exists, according to a joint research project by global warming skeptics at the Climate Conversation Group and the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition. The chief cook? Dr. Jim Salinger, considered one of the country's top scientists, who began the graph in the 1980s when he was at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the UK.
The plot thickens.
An agency of the New Zealand government has been cooking the books to create a warming trend where none exists, according to a joint research project by global warming skeptics at the Climate Conversation Group and the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition. The chief cook? Dr. Jim Salinger, considered one of the country's top scientists, who began the graph in the 1980s when he was at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the UK.
The plot thickens.
Climategate!
The mainstream media is working hard to downplay the Climategate scandal. I have noticed that one of my large local newspapers, the San Francisco Chronicle, has ramped up Global Warming articles too.
Patrick J. Michaels of the Cato Institute was a guest on the Laura Ingraham Show and his comments on Climategate are quite revealing. In turns out that he had been physically threatened by one of the scientists involved in the scandal.
Patrick J. Michaels of the Cato Institute was a guest on the Laura Ingraham Show and his comments on Climategate are quite revealing. In turns out that he had been physically threatened by one of the scientists involved in the scandal.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Obama loves land mines, too!
Bush was excoriated for not signing an international ban on land mines by the Left; But Obama has decided to sign a ban on them too. It seems that reality is truly difficult to rid once your fellow is in the hot seat.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Jobs "saved or created" map
The Washington Examiner has an updated bogus jobs "created or saved" map. Let's face it, folks. The stimulus has been a big fat failure.
The Global Warming Mafia Strong-arms Against Dissent
What many who are skeptical of Al Gore's "Global Warming" hysteria have been complaining about turns out to have some teeth: The scientific consensus that climate change advocates tout has been achieved unethically by silencing dissent.
How Expensive Will It Be?
The creation of a new entitlement program will create another powerful interest group that will aggressively oppose deficit-reduction measures. Expect our federal deficit to remain high for decades to come.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
An Interview with Jerry Taylor
Igor Sadovyi of Stockyard has an excellent interview with one of my favorite Cato scholar's--Jerry Taylor. Taylor is as informative and knowledgeable as ever.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Is the economy heading for another dip?
After reading depressing articles this morning like the following, I fear that it may be possible: Housing and manufacturing slow down.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
I hope this does not come to pass
Twelve depressing reasons the unemployment rate will rise to at least 12% according to economist David Rosenberg.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Chrysler Nixes Electric Car Program
Sooo, after Chrysler lured taxpayer funds from the hands of our elected representatives, they have since decided to axe the "Green" cars that they marketed as payment for government aid. Of course, Barack Obama was quick on the draw to give aid to Chrysler partly based on its newly found "Green" conversion. That didn't last long. Once again, the taxpayer ends up being a sucker.
The Tax Credit Pay Back
According to the L.A. Times:
For more than 15.4 million people, the Making Work Pay tax credit enacted as part of the $787-billion economic stimulus package could turn out to be a Making You Pay Back tax credit.
The problem: In order to maximize the credit's stimulative effect on the economy, withholding changes for taxpayers kicked in within days of Obama signing the legislation and taxpayers started seeing the changes in their paychecks in April. In essence, the credit was "advanced to taxpayers through their wages by a decrease in federal income tax withholding" for the 2009 and 2010 tax years, according to the report by the Treasury Department's Inspector General for Tax Administration.
The government giveth, the government taketh. There is no such thing as a free lunch, folks.
For more than 15.4 million people, the Making Work Pay tax credit enacted as part of the $787-billion economic stimulus package could turn out to be a Making You Pay Back tax credit.
The problem: In order to maximize the credit's stimulative effect on the economy, withholding changes for taxpayers kicked in within days of Obama signing the legislation and taxpayers started seeing the changes in their paychecks in April. In essence, the credit was "advanced to taxpayers through their wages by a decrease in federal income tax withholding" for the 2009 and 2010 tax years, according to the report by the Treasury Department's Inspector General for Tax Administration.
The government giveth, the government taketh. There is no such thing as a free lunch, folks.
NPR vs. Cash for Clunkers
I've been listening to NPR's Planet Money podcasts lately in an attempt to seek out different points of view on economics and the economy . While I find that this podcast tends to deliver the usual left of center interpretation of economic news found just about everywhere you look these days. I will say that occasionally the podcast does ask some very good fundamental questions about the economy and economics.
The latest podcast is a good one. It tackles the issue of the viability of the Cash for Clunkers program with Jeremy Anwyl of Edmunds.com. Anwyl, CEO of Edmunds.com, explains his company's recent report stating that the Clunkers program was a big ole failure. This, of course, has rankled the White House to no end. A rather terse interview with White House Keynesian hack, Austan Goolsbee, illustrates concretely how much this administration despises any questioning or criticism regarding their economic programs---even from left leaning journalists from NPR no less. But most importantly, how this administration goes to such great lengths to spin data that doesn't support their view with the usual "glass half full to your glass half empty" argumentation.
The latest podcast is a good one. It tackles the issue of the viability of the Cash for Clunkers program with Jeremy Anwyl of Edmunds.com. Anwyl, CEO of Edmunds.com, explains his company's recent report stating that the Clunkers program was a big ole failure. This, of course, has rankled the White House to no end. A rather terse interview with White House Keynesian hack, Austan Goolsbee, illustrates concretely how much this administration despises any questioning or criticism regarding their economic programs---even from left leaning journalists from NPR no less. But most importantly, how this administration goes to such great lengths to spin data that doesn't support their view with the usual "glass half full to your glass half empty" argumentation.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Blue Staters running to Red States...and fast!
From Forbes:
For the past decade a large coterie of pundits, prognosticators and their media camp followers have insisted that growth in America would be concentrated in places hip and cool, largely the bluish regions of the country...This narrative, which has not changed much over the past decade, is misleading and largely misstated. Net migration, both before and after the Great Recession, according to analysis by the Praxis Strategy Group, has continued to be strongest to the predominately red states of the South and Intermountain West.
This seems true even for those seeking high-end jobs. Between 2006 and 2008, the metropolitan areas that enjoyed the fastest percentage shift toward educated and professional workers and industries included nominally "unhip" places like Indianapolis, Charlotte, N.C., Memphis, Tenn., Salt Lake City, Jacksonville, Fla., Tampa, Fla., and Kansas City, Mo.
The overall migration numbers are even more revealing. As was the case for much of the past decade, the biggest gainers continue to include cities such as San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. Rather than being oases for migrants, some oft-cited magnets such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago have all suffered considerable loss of population to other regions over the past year.
It seems that the "smart and hip" like low taxes, jobs, and livable surroundings just like the hicks that they constantly vilify. One last point from the article:
Virtually all the top 10 economies that have withstood the recession come from outside the "youth-magnet" field: San Antonio; Oklahoma City; Little Rock, Ark.; Dallas, Baton Rouge, La.; Tulsa, Okla., Omaha, Neb.; Houston and El Paso, Texas.
I may be needing a change of scenery if employment doesn't improve around here.
For the past decade a large coterie of pundits, prognosticators and their media camp followers have insisted that growth in America would be concentrated in places hip and cool, largely the bluish regions of the country...This narrative, which has not changed much over the past decade, is misleading and largely misstated. Net migration, both before and after the Great Recession, according to analysis by the Praxis Strategy Group, has continued to be strongest to the predominately red states of the South and Intermountain West.
This seems true even for those seeking high-end jobs. Between 2006 and 2008, the metropolitan areas that enjoyed the fastest percentage shift toward educated and professional workers and industries included nominally "unhip" places like Indianapolis, Charlotte, N.C., Memphis, Tenn., Salt Lake City, Jacksonville, Fla., Tampa, Fla., and Kansas City, Mo.
The overall migration numbers are even more revealing. As was the case for much of the past decade, the biggest gainers continue to include cities such as San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. Rather than being oases for migrants, some oft-cited magnets such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago have all suffered considerable loss of population to other regions over the past year.
It seems that the "smart and hip" like low taxes, jobs, and livable surroundings just like the hicks that they constantly vilify. One last point from the article:
Virtually all the top 10 economies that have withstood the recession come from outside the "youth-magnet" field: San Antonio; Oklahoma City; Little Rock, Ark.; Dallas, Baton Rouge, La.; Tulsa, Okla., Omaha, Neb.; Houston and El Paso, Texas.
I may be needing a change of scenery if employment doesn't improve around here.
Friday, November 6, 2009
The Pain Goes On
The national unemployment rate is now at 10.2%--highest since 1983. If the Obama regime believes that it is going to reflate the economy out of this recession without any consequences, they are going to have a rude awakening.
In other news, the state of California has started, on November 1st, withholding 10% more in taxes from workers to shore up the state's deficit. No debate amongst the public and little news about this in local papers. Another perfect example of how government looks out for itself and how it will always try to expand its power at all costs. So much for representative government.
In other news, the state of California has started, on November 1st, withholding 10% more in taxes from workers to shore up the state's deficit. No debate amongst the public and little news about this in local papers. Another perfect example of how government looks out for itself and how it will always try to expand its power at all costs. So much for representative government.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
You can kiss $2.3 Billion bye-bye!
I’m surprised that this didn't get more coverage. Tax dollars just wasted away. Sigh.
Ron Paul on Larry King
I'm back! And my first post is about Ron Paul. I saw him on Larry King commenting on health care, corporatism, and capitalism. He was as sharp as always. Before Dr. Paul came on, King had liberal economist Michael Moore vomit more of his worn out welfare-statist ideas. I guess his movie isn't doing all that well.
Monday, October 19, 2009
On Vacation till November 2nd.
I will be on vacation for 2 weeks. So, no posting for me till November 2nd. I will continue to post from time to time on some of my favorite blogs (you know who you are!) until I get back home. Cheers!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Obama wants to cut a $250 check to seniors
Since the Social Security Administration won't be adjusting it's payout upwards due to negative inflation, President Obama proposes a one-time payment of $250 to senior citizens. First thought, does he really think $250 is enough? I mean, that's less than 5 bucks a week...that's hardly enough for a gallon of milk. Secondly, now that the value of a dollar has started to slide (partly due to our massive deficit spending) and commodities have started to rise in response because of inflation fears, the $250 bucks amount will essentially amount to squat by the time the bill for it gets through Congress. Thirdly, the funds for this "one-time payment" has to come from somewhere: It's going to come from borrowed funds ("The White House put the cost at $13 billion.") that will have to be paid back with interest. This "one-time" payment is going to be royally expensive and not very effective in reducing economic pain for seniors. Of course, the propaganda from Democrats and the White House is going to be in full tilt for this one. There's nothing like feigning compassion for a powerful voting bloc by granting them funds that is taken from some other group. It works like a charm and it's difficult to argue against.
This leads me to believe that this may be a political ploy by Democrats and the WH to try to pin Republicans (who may resist this one-time payment idea) as being cold, angry, and anti-senior citizens. The timing is interesting because of the health care fire that's dominating Washington right now. And afterall, some of the "brown shirted thugs" at the town hall protests were grandma and grandpa, what better way to win some of their support than to grease their palms with "compassion" bucks. Never underestimate the power of an emotional argument.
This leads me to believe that this may be a political ploy by Democrats and the WH to try to pin Republicans (who may resist this one-time payment idea) as being cold, angry, and anti-senior citizens. The timing is interesting because of the health care fire that's dominating Washington right now. And afterall, some of the "brown shirted thugs" at the town hall protests were grandma and grandpa, what better way to win some of their support than to grease their palms with "compassion" bucks. Never underestimate the power of an emotional argument.
Oh, they must be kidding!!
The Saudi's say that they may want to be compensated for any drop in their oil revenues due to the U.S. adopting any alternative energy uses to combat "Global Warming." While I think that the whole Cap and Trade scheme is a wealth destroyer, the Saudi's really need to get a grip. Adapt or die, nimrod's!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
One Tax Hike Everted...For Now
Major American businesses were able to fight back a tax hike that was proposed by Barack Obama. The big question is for how long can they keep the potential job killer at bay. From the article, I get the sense that many business leaders that supported Obama in the Presidential campaign are experiencing buyer’s remorse.
Pelosi is open to a Value Added Tax
Don’t you worry dear citizen, there are more taxes on the way! Hang tight because the next 12-14 months are going to be a real rocking good time.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Obama wins Nobel Prize for Peace!!
I thought that this was a joke when I saw it this morning. Strangely, it's not. When the Nobel committee gave the award to Al Gore, I commented that the Nobel Prize for Peace had at last become politicized. This latest move seals it.
Here are some worthy people that I think should have received this award and that are certainly far better picks that Barack Obama: Burmese monks whose defiance against, and brutalization at the hands of, the country's military junta captured the attention of the Free World several years ago and continue to bravely resist their government. The prize should have been awarded to Morgan Tsvangirai, Arthur Mutambara and other Zimbabwe opposition leaders who were arrested and in some cases beaten by police back in 2007 while protesting peacefully against dictator Robert Mugabe. The Prize should have gone to Father Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest in Vietnam arrested in 2007 and sentenced to eight years in prison for helping the pro-democracy group Block 8406. The prize should have gone to Wajeha al-Huwaider and Fawzia al-Uyyouni, co-founders of the League of Demanders of Women's Right to Drive Cars in Saudi Arabia, who are waging a modest struggle with grand ambitions to secure basic rights for women in that Muslim country. The prize should have gone to the people of Iraq, who bravely work to rebuild and reunite their country amid constant threats to themselves and their families from terrorists who deliberately target civilians. And finally, if the Nobel committee had any real moral rectitude, it could have awarded the prize to the people of Iran who resisted and protested against a corrupt voting process in their country.
It is pathetic that the Nobel committee chose to give the Peace price to someone who has done nothing to deserve it.
Here are some worthy people that I think should have received this award and that are certainly far better picks that Barack Obama: Burmese monks whose defiance against, and brutalization at the hands of, the country's military junta captured the attention of the Free World several years ago and continue to bravely resist their government. The prize should have been awarded to Morgan Tsvangirai, Arthur Mutambara and other Zimbabwe opposition leaders who were arrested and in some cases beaten by police back in 2007 while protesting peacefully against dictator Robert Mugabe. The Prize should have gone to Father Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest in Vietnam arrested in 2007 and sentenced to eight years in prison for helping the pro-democracy group Block 8406. The prize should have gone to Wajeha al-Huwaider and Fawzia al-Uyyouni, co-founders of the League of Demanders of Women's Right to Drive Cars in Saudi Arabia, who are waging a modest struggle with grand ambitions to secure basic rights for women in that Muslim country. The prize should have gone to the people of Iraq, who bravely work to rebuild and reunite their country amid constant threats to themselves and their families from terrorists who deliberately target civilians. And finally, if the Nobel committee had any real moral rectitude, it could have awarded the prize to the people of Iran who resisted and protested against a corrupt voting process in their country.
It is pathetic that the Nobel committee chose to give the Peace price to someone who has done nothing to deserve it.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A 70-80 Percent Tax Increase!!!
Economist Greg Mankiw of Harvard University took a long hard look at Max Baucus' healthcare bill and has concluded that it is a massive tax increase (close to 80%!!) for a very large portion of the American working population. While I am not surprised by Mr. Mankiw's overall assessment, I am very concerned that his analysis will be spun as right wing political noise. You can bet that most in Congress that want "reform" at all costs will not be debating this expensive conclusion.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Lost jobs may be gone forever
This is quite depressing as our national unemployment rate continues to rise.
(Graph is from the Wall Street Journal.)
Downsizing The Government
The Cato Institute has a new blog dedicated to cutting down the size of government. Lot's of great information, graphs, and data.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
New car sales crash after "clunkers" program
Wow. What a surprise. And to think that cheerleaders for this massive government transfer were just weeks ago patting themselves on the back. How long before Congress starts making noise to have another "clunker" of a program?
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