I saw a Prius (let's call it a "Pious") today on the freeway with the "Wisconsin Fist". I absolutely lost control. I screamed, I "fingered", I used 4-letter words. It felt good.
But it didn't do the cause any good. I will refrain as best I can when I run across thugs again.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Throwing The BS Flag...Again
Another "Oh, the teachers are so wonderful" opinion piece in MJS.
Let's disassemble this one from the open.
I was struck by the optimism and ambition of many of these young people embarking on careers in education. With their talent and accomplishments, they could select careers that are much more financially rewarding than teaching. But instead, they have chosen the classroom as a site to try to make the world better. They see education as a place to help train young minds and create engaged communities.
I've known teachers since I was a kid. My mom was a teacher. They are no smarter or better than the Average Joe. Many I knew in college went to"education school" because they couldn't handle math, the sciences, engineering or business. It was the easy degree. I've done substitute teaching and adult education in industry. Not that hard. Rewarding, to be sure. But not that hard.
One young man, a second-generation teacher, told me that he thinks he affects many more lives as a teacher than he did in his prior work as a student leader and activist. Teaching seventh- and eighth-graders on the south side of Chicago, he explained, forces him to keep learning with his students, to keep their interest and to motivate them.
Does anyone else see this as a problem, rather than something to be celebrated? I don't want a former "student leader and activist" teaching my kids. I really don't care what the political persuasion is. Leopards to not change their spots and I don't want my children indoctrinated.
During these conversations, I was aware of what is going on just across Lake Michigan in Milwaukee and in Detroit, due east. In these cities, deep cuts to state and federal funding threaten the very existence of public education. Class sizes will increase as teacher positions are cut; funding for arts and sports programs is being eliminated; entire schools are being closed. Outside the cities, in rural areas, small districts may lose schools, forcing students to spend a large part of each school day on buses instead of in classrooms.
If teachers are so smart, why do they have so much difficulty with reality. There.....is.....no.....more.....money. Teachers dealt with larger classrooms not all that long ago and provided a better education than children get now. It was an education devoid of political slant and consisted of reading, writing and arithmetic. We have thrown more and more money at "education" over the course of my 55 years for a system that is an abysmal failure and little more than a Leftist indoctrination program. Even during my time in junior high and high schools, the Leftists were moving into education. Open Classroom or "Title III" programs were ridiculous on their face, yet had to be tried to the detriment of many students including me. But 8-graders needed the opportunity to be "self-actualizing". Bite me. And of course, there is the obligatory mourning for lost funding of arts and sports. I'm a big fan of sports. I believe the competition builds character. But since we seem to be rapidly removing the idea of winning and losing from public education, the loss of funding for sports should be no big deal.
I do not blame the current economic woes on teacher slush benefits and inflated salaries. We just can't afford them. The author cannot substantiate her claim that teacher salaries are low compared to ....similar education levels. I can substantiate that they are not. Further, more degrees does not translate to more money in the private sector, but it does for teachers. Teachers continually poor-mouth about how much extra education they have to get and how much work they take home but the fact is, so does pretty much everyone else.
Using teachers as scapegoats for complex problems does not make economic sense. Nor does it balance with the exceedingly important work with which they are charged: teaching our children. While rage at teachers as public employees exists, almost everyone can think of at least one schoolteacher who changed his or her life significantly, for the better. We might do well to think carefully before we demonize the people who teach us to read. The alternative to accessible public education is quite grim.
Again with the martyrdom of teachers. "Rage". The only rage I've seen is from the teachers themselves who believe they are entitled to ride the gravy train at the expense of the taxpayer. I don't deny that teaching the children is important. I don't deny that education should be publicly funded. The problem remains that for at least the last two generations, no one has been looking out for either the children or the taxpayer. labor negotiations have been "collusion" with "collaborative negotiation" and the same interest on both sides of the table. Teachers who have been in the system for years retire and become school board members. Their friends and colleagues are negotiating on the other side of the table. Does no one see the conflict of interest here? Attend a school board meeting and voice an opinion opposite that of the teachers and see the response you get. It's like dealing with the "cool kids" in school all over again.
Last, teachers want to be treated as "professionals". As long as they are represented by a labor union, they are just that...."labor".
Let's disassemble this one from the open.
I was struck by the optimism and ambition of many of these young people embarking on careers in education. With their talent and accomplishments, they could select careers that are much more financially rewarding than teaching. But instead, they have chosen the classroom as a site to try to make the world better. They see education as a place to help train young minds and create engaged communities.
I've known teachers since I was a kid. My mom was a teacher. They are no smarter or better than the Average Joe. Many I knew in college went to"education school" because they couldn't handle math, the sciences, engineering or business. It was the easy degree. I've done substitute teaching and adult education in industry. Not that hard. Rewarding, to be sure. But not that hard.
One young man, a second-generation teacher, told me that he thinks he affects many more lives as a teacher than he did in his prior work as a student leader and activist. Teaching seventh- and eighth-graders on the south side of Chicago, he explained, forces him to keep learning with his students, to keep their interest and to motivate them.
Does anyone else see this as a problem, rather than something to be celebrated? I don't want a former "student leader and activist" teaching my kids. I really don't care what the political persuasion is. Leopards to not change their spots and I don't want my children indoctrinated.
During these conversations, I was aware of what is going on just across Lake Michigan in Milwaukee and in Detroit, due east. In these cities, deep cuts to state and federal funding threaten the very existence of public education. Class sizes will increase as teacher positions are cut; funding for arts and sports programs is being eliminated; entire schools are being closed. Outside the cities, in rural areas, small districts may lose schools, forcing students to spend a large part of each school day on buses instead of in classrooms.
If teachers are so smart, why do they have so much difficulty with reality. There.....is.....no.....more.....money. Teachers dealt with larger classrooms not all that long ago and provided a better education than children get now. It was an education devoid of political slant and consisted of reading, writing and arithmetic. We have thrown more and more money at "education" over the course of my 55 years for a system that is an abysmal failure and little more than a Leftist indoctrination program. Even during my time in junior high and high schools, the Leftists were moving into education. Open Classroom or "Title III" programs were ridiculous on their face, yet had to be tried to the detriment of many students including me. But 8-graders needed the opportunity to be "self-actualizing". Bite me. And of course, there is the obligatory mourning for lost funding of arts and sports. I'm a big fan of sports. I believe the competition builds character. But since we seem to be rapidly removing the idea of winning and losing from public education, the loss of funding for sports should be no big deal.
There is a belief that teachers receive inflated salaries and lush benefits at public expense and that these expenses are to blame for current economic problems. In some quarters, there exists a powerful anger at teachers, along with other public employees. But teacher salaries are low compared to those of other workers with similar education levels.
I do not blame the current economic woes on teacher slush benefits and inflated salaries. We just can't afford them. The author cannot substantiate her claim that teacher salaries are low compared to ....similar education levels. I can substantiate that they are not. Further, more degrees does not translate to more money in the private sector, but it does for teachers. Teachers continually poor-mouth about how much extra education they have to get and how much work they take home but the fact is, so does pretty much everyone else.
Using teachers as scapegoats for complex problems does not make economic sense. Nor does it balance with the exceedingly important work with which they are charged: teaching our children. While rage at teachers as public employees exists, almost everyone can think of at least one schoolteacher who changed his or her life significantly, for the better. We might do well to think carefully before we demonize the people who teach us to read. The alternative to accessible public education is quite grim.
Again with the martyrdom of teachers. "Rage". The only rage I've seen is from the teachers themselves who believe they are entitled to ride the gravy train at the expense of the taxpayer. I don't deny that teaching the children is important. I don't deny that education should be publicly funded. The problem remains that for at least the last two generations, no one has been looking out for either the children or the taxpayer. labor negotiations have been "collusion" with "collaborative negotiation" and the same interest on both sides of the table. Teachers who have been in the system for years retire and become school board members. Their friends and colleagues are negotiating on the other side of the table. Does no one see the conflict of interest here? Attend a school board meeting and voice an opinion opposite that of the teachers and see the response you get. It's like dealing with the "cool kids" in school all over again.
Last, teachers want to be treated as "professionals". As long as they are represented by a labor union, they are just that...."labor".
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Increase Taxes?
The Beer: I currently have 6 different beers in bottles and kegs and a mead taking its time in the secondary. One remains to brew. This is probably the most beers I've had at one time.
The Bicycle: 48 miles today in 3 hours. My legs just ain't what they used to be.
The VRWC: The talk these days from both sides of the aisle is of increasing taxes to close budget gaps. In what universe does that work. I have yet to see any government entity which will not spend every dime available to it. How would raising taxes change that?
A Joint Economic Committee report in 1996 verified that the Reagan tax cuts brought in more revenue. The problem was that Congress spent all of it and then some. What makes anyone think this will change? The same has been true on state and local levels since I was a child. New programs are developed to "help" someone; the poor, the old, the sick, the children. I argue this results have been mixed at best.
I am unable to find any results I consider unbiased for children's programs. But if one considers the horrific dropout rate in big-city schools and the poverty rate among children, I suggest that "children's programs" are an abject failure.
Welfare programs have been a bust as well. Prior to Johnson's Great Society, there was a burgeoning (though segregated) Black business sector in nearly every major city. Look at those areas today and you see nothing but drugs, violence and hopelessness. What changed? It has become easier to take "the dole" than to work. And it's not just Black society; White and Hispanic America have succumbed to it to, but the disparate impact is on the Black. As of August 2010, 1 in 6 Americans received government aid. And "government aid" has not become a "get out of the hole and back to work" program. It has become a lifestyle.
The old and sick. Social Security. Medicare. Two bankrupt systems. Medicare is rife with fraud and corruption and Social Security has been plundered by Congress. They serve no one well.
But even in all that, how much of this is the responsibility of the Federal Government? None. Not from a Constitutional position anyway.
The government continues to expand and take a bigger and bigger part of our lives. These examples are merely the tip of the iceberg. Until Congress shows the intestinal fortitude to really cut spending, there should be no tax increases.
The Bicycle: 48 miles today in 3 hours. My legs just ain't what they used to be.
The VRWC: The talk these days from both sides of the aisle is of increasing taxes to close budget gaps. In what universe does that work. I have yet to see any government entity which will not spend every dime available to it. How would raising taxes change that?
A Joint Economic Committee report in 1996 verified that the Reagan tax cuts brought in more revenue. The problem was that Congress spent all of it and then some. What makes anyone think this will change? The same has been true on state and local levels since I was a child. New programs are developed to "help" someone; the poor, the old, the sick, the children. I argue this results have been mixed at best.
I am unable to find any results I consider unbiased for children's programs. But if one considers the horrific dropout rate in big-city schools and the poverty rate among children, I suggest that "children's programs" are an abject failure.
Welfare programs have been a bust as well. Prior to Johnson's Great Society, there was a burgeoning (though segregated) Black business sector in nearly every major city. Look at those areas today and you see nothing but drugs, violence and hopelessness. What changed? It has become easier to take "the dole" than to work. And it's not just Black society; White and Hispanic America have succumbed to it to, but the disparate impact is on the Black. As of August 2010, 1 in 6 Americans received government aid. And "government aid" has not become a "get out of the hole and back to work" program. It has become a lifestyle.
The old and sick. Social Security. Medicare. Two bankrupt systems. Medicare is rife with fraud and corruption and Social Security has been plundered by Congress. They serve no one well.
But even in all that, how much of this is the responsibility of the Federal Government? None. Not from a Constitutional position anyway.
The government continues to expand and take a bigger and bigger part of our lives. These examples are merely the tip of the iceberg. Until Congress shows the intestinal fortitude to really cut spending, there should be no tax increases.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Wisconsin - Banana Republic
Is Wisconsin now a Banana Republic?
It certainly makes sense that the Left would use this recount to delay Prosser's seating. If we follow the timeline, it certainly falls into place.
It certainly makes sense that the Left would use this recount to delay Prosser's seating. If we follow the timeline, it certainly falls into place.
- Protests and threats to bully Republican State Senators away from the budget repair bill (didn't work).
- Democrat State Senators fleeing the state to prevent a vote on the Budget Repair Bill.
- Recalls against Republican State Senators who were doing that for which they were elected.
- Judge Sumi illegally interfering with the legislative process.
- Kloppenburg declaring victory with a margin of 200-plus votes (also calling on Prosser to concede), but demanding a recount with Prosser holding a lead of over 7300 votes.
The very idea of Walker's agenda becoming the law of the land has the Left so panicked they will attempt anything, legal or illegal to prevent it. Once this all falls out and they fail, you can expect not just protests, but violence in the streets. Guaranteed.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Budget Repair or Union Busting?
A St. Norbert College poll shows most Wisconsinites think Gov. Walker's Budget Repair Bill is more about decreasing the power of public sector unions than balancing the state budget.
I say, "OK". In fact, I would have answered that way. The reason? Because the two are inseparable. The only way to get the costs under control is to start with wages and benefits. Wages and benefits are always the largest single cost to any organization. It has to be dealt with. Walker could have just demanded cuts, but by limiting bargaining to wages only, the union is prevented from returning when times are better and demand their original deals back and then some. Further, there is little regard for the taxpayer in the public sector. We are seen as an unending source of funding for whatever the pet project of the day is and whatever payoffs need to be made. The "negotiating" parties are on both sides of the table; there is no advocate for the taxpayer.
Thank God for Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Republicans.
I say, "OK". In fact, I would have answered that way. The reason? Because the two are inseparable. The only way to get the costs under control is to start with wages and benefits. Wages and benefits are always the largest single cost to any organization. It has to be dealt with. Walker could have just demanded cuts, but by limiting bargaining to wages only, the union is prevented from returning when times are better and demand their original deals back and then some. Further, there is little regard for the taxpayer in the public sector. We are seen as an unending source of funding for whatever the pet project of the day is and whatever payoffs need to be made. The "negotiating" parties are on both sides of the table; there is no advocate for the taxpayer.
Thank God for Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Republicans.
Powershift 2011
H/T: Chicks
I wonder how these kids would fare under their own Utopian dream?
Without their IPods, IPads and IPhones, no Starbucks and with the backbreaking work of subsistence farming, I suspect 99% of these kids will choose the other way.
I wonder how these kids would fare under their own Utopian dream?
Without their IPods, IPads and IPhones, no Starbucks and with the backbreaking work of subsistence farming, I suspect 99% of these kids will choose the other way.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
If This Is Really How The Left Thinks.....
the battle will be short and decisive.
Apparently, the true believers are exactly that. Unable to see the potential that they are wrong, they continue to explain it away by saying it's that the message is not being grasped by the unwashed masses (that's us, folks). The belief is that we are in denial and unwilling to "come to Gaia". Reasons? (Excuses)
Apparently, the true believers are exactly that. Unable to see the potential that they are wrong, they continue to explain it away by saying it's that the message is not being grasped by the unwashed masses (that's us, folks). The belief is that we are in denial and unwilling to "come to Gaia". Reasons? (Excuses)
- The greenies have been outspent by the evil coal and oil companies ("Koch"...it's easier to spell than "Halliburton") and the evil manufacturers.
- Too much "inside the beltway" strategy. I argue that would have been their best strategy. They'd likely be shot in some parts of this country with those kinds of ideas.
- A miscasting of the problem, i.e., not enough fear and hysteria, apparently.
- (E)nvironmental groups should have focused on pain-free policies to boost innovation and make clean energy cheaper—by, say, funding R&D on a Manhattan Project-esque scale. What...so we can subsidize failure on a grander scale?
How about we try this, wacko Lefty eco-nut-jobs:
- Years and years of "chicken little" pronouncements that never came true.
- Obvious mischaracterizations and lies in movies like An Inconvenient Truth
- Telling us "the debate is over" before it even began
- Global Warming Summits attended by the elites who arrived in private jets and were carried around in air-conditioned limos
You are hypocrites. That's why you are losing the debate. We are not stupid.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
You Lost...Get Over It
Kloppenburg has requested, nay demanded a recount.
Most do not believe she can win. I think the Lefties wouldn't do this if they didn't think they could win. At the very least, they believe they can re-energize their base for the recalls and/or develop the "stole the election meme". This is what they do.
Most do not believe she can win. I think the Lefties wouldn't do this if they didn't think they could win. At the very least, they believe they can re-energize their base for the recalls and/or develop the "stole the election meme". This is what they do.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
This Looks Like a Bad Idea
I don't have a problem with this as a private project. I have a problem with providing TIF funds. If it's a good project, it will stand on its merits. It will be in "my backyard". The developer should be putting up the cash, not the taxpayer.
Atlas Shrugged
Went to see Atlas last night. I was pleased. It was faithful to the book, but short on some details. The development of the relationship between D'Anconia and the Taggarts (especially Dagny) was not adequately detailed. D'Anconia's character lacked the passion of the book character and his speech on the "evils" of money was badly truncated - I felt it was a pivotal point in the book. Reardon, Dagny and the rest were as I envisioned them in the book (except I thought Dagny would be brunette). The movie was updated from the 1950's era book, but I thought the CGI was excellent. In the book, it was Reardon's mother, not Lillian's, right?
Go see it. It was worth the trip.
Go see it. It was worth the trip.
This Is What Hypocrisy Looks Like
The Beer: California Common and IPA are bottled; the IPA is ready to drink. I have ingredients for something, but I haven't decided what. Pilsen Malt, flaked corn and Biscuit malt. Saaz, Hallertau, Amarillo and Cascade hops are available to me. What to do?
The Bicycle: 40-or-so miles tomorrow with the neighborhood. Catching up quickly. The goal is a ride to and from work on June 10. 80 miles round trip.
The VRWC: As we were leaving Atlas Shrugged last night (see my next entry), it dawned on my that the people chanting "This is what democracy looks like" in Madison the last few months are displaying not democracy, but hypocrisy. The elections haven't gone their way, so they have taken to the streets, introduced recalls and attempted political extortion against businesses. That is not "democracy" or anything resembling it. It is political thuggery of the worst kind. Whatever side of the fence you are on, you should be condemning this type of political behavior. Recalling elected representatives because you do not like their political stand while calling those who have committed an illegal, immoral and unethical act by running from the state "heroes" is just more rank hypocrisy. A SCOWI candidate running on the platform of stopping the legitimate legislative function and a union-bought-and-paid-for county judge doing exactly that mocks the law and the court system.
In the end, no matter. The Conservatives of Wisconsin are wide awake and at the ready. We won in November, we have won in April and we will win in recall.
Get used to living under our rules.
The Bicycle: 40-or-so miles tomorrow with the neighborhood. Catching up quickly. The goal is a ride to and from work on June 10. 80 miles round trip.
The VRWC: As we were leaving Atlas Shrugged last night (see my next entry), it dawned on my that the people chanting "This is what democracy looks like" in Madison the last few months are displaying not democracy, but hypocrisy. The elections haven't gone their way, so they have taken to the streets, introduced recalls and attempted political extortion against businesses. That is not "democracy" or anything resembling it. It is political thuggery of the worst kind. Whatever side of the fence you are on, you should be condemning this type of political behavior. Recalling elected representatives because you do not like their political stand while calling those who have committed an illegal, immoral and unethical act by running from the state "heroes" is just more rank hypocrisy. A SCOWI candidate running on the platform of stopping the legitimate legislative function and a union-bought-and-paid-for county judge doing exactly that mocks the law and the court system.
In the end, no matter. The Conservatives of Wisconsin are wide awake and at the ready. We won in November, we have won in April and we will win in recall.
Get used to living under our rules.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Obama Pivots?
It appears the AP remains in the tank for The Chosen One. The headline, "Obama Pivots..." is just a lie. Plain and simple. Further "untruthiness" shows up throughout the piece.
(J)ust a week after the president announced he would seek re-election, ensures that the nation's fiscal health will be at the center of the 2012 presidential campaign. For the past two months, Obama has been arguing to protect his core spending priorities, including education and innovation.
I suppose one could argue that "innovation" is a spending priority, but only for "green technology". I've seen no evidence of a priority for spending on education.
The president is wading into a potential political thicket. Liberals fear he will propose cuts in prized Democratic programs like Medicare and Medicaid, the health care programs for older adults, the disabled and the poor, and in Social Security.
Zero chance here. The Chosen One will make some vague proposals for "out year" savings that will total in the realm of $1 trillion over 10 years or something like that. But when one does the math and really looks at thee proposal, one will find it is only an reduction in the rate of growth and amounts to almost nothing while tax increases will be on the "rich". Expect the "rich" to be those making $250,000 or more, but that number will creep down to become anyone making $100,000 or more. Nice round number and people still think it's a lot of money (it's not).
"Where the president believes the House Republican plan fails starkly is that it is imbalanced, that it places all the burden on the middle class, on seniors, on the disabled, on people in nursing homes, through its rather drastic reform of Medicare and Medicaid," Carney said.
Did anyone not expect this kind of rhetoric. "Drastic cuts". This is simply class warfare. It has worked before and is a standard part of the Leftist playbook. The fact is that the middle class is getting killed by higher and higher taxes and an economic malaise that won't go away. Is the American public stupid enough to buy this tripe again.
I can't finish the whole thing because I have to go to work (unlike many who choose to not work and unlike those out of work because this president has chose the wrong path to recovery). Suffice it to say that the Democrats never want to cut spending. It is the mother's milk of their constituency. Tax and spend. It's always gotten them re-elected.
(J)ust a week after the president announced he would seek re-election, ensures that the nation's fiscal health will be at the center of the 2012 presidential campaign. For the past two months, Obama has been arguing to protect his core spending priorities, including education and innovation.
I suppose one could argue that "innovation" is a spending priority, but only for "green technology". I've seen no evidence of a priority for spending on education.
The president is wading into a potential political thicket. Liberals fear he will propose cuts in prized Democratic programs like Medicare and Medicaid, the health care programs for older adults, the disabled and the poor, and in Social Security.
Zero chance here. The Chosen One will make some vague proposals for "out year" savings that will total in the realm of $1 trillion over 10 years or something like that. But when one does the math and really looks at thee proposal, one will find it is only an reduction in the rate of growth and amounts to almost nothing while tax increases will be on the "rich". Expect the "rich" to be those making $250,000 or more, but that number will creep down to become anyone making $100,000 or more. Nice round number and people still think it's a lot of money (it's not).
"Where the president believes the House Republican plan fails starkly is that it is imbalanced, that it places all the burden on the middle class, on seniors, on the disabled, on people in nursing homes, through its rather drastic reform of Medicare and Medicaid," Carney said.
Did anyone not expect this kind of rhetoric. "Drastic cuts". This is simply class warfare. It has worked before and is a standard part of the Leftist playbook. The fact is that the middle class is getting killed by higher and higher taxes and an economic malaise that won't go away. Is the American public stupid enough to buy this tripe again.
I can't finish the whole thing because I have to go to work (unlike many who choose to not work and unlike those out of work because this president has chose the wrong path to recovery). Suffice it to say that the Democrats never want to cut spending. It is the mother's milk of their constituency. Tax and spend. It's always gotten them re-elected.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Food Inflation
Shocking, just shocking.
Higher meat prices are linked to a rise in global prices for corn, soybeans, wheat and other commodities over the past year. Higher corn and soybean prices, combined with higher energy costs, prompted U.S. farmers to reduce the number of cattle and hogs they raise, tightening the supplies of beef and pork, and driving up the price to consumers.
Gosh....you mean if we use corn for fuel it might raise the price of all grains? Holy Unintended Consequences, Batman! So let's do more of it by increasing the ethanol mandate to 15%.
Oh...I don't buy that stuff (ethanol-enriched fuel). The Tidy Car on 14 st. in Sheboygan has the real deal. My truck loves it.
Wow....Just Wow
The Waukesha County Clerk did not save the vote totals from the City of Brookfield. The result is a 7000+ net gain for Prosser. His totals now exceed the legal requirement for an automatic recount. A Democrat was present for the canvass when the error was found.
I listened to the press conference. The MSM would never grill a Democrat in this way. And Charles Benson from WTMJ Channel 4 is a moron. Seriously, dude....can you turn a computer on?
I listened to the press conference. The MSM would never grill a Democrat in this way. And Charles Benson from WTMJ Channel 4 is a moron. Seriously, dude....can you turn a computer on?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Impeachment?
H/T: Politico and Fuzzy.
This won't go anywhere....but it should.
Bruce Fein has drafted Articles of Impeachment against President Obama. I've stated multiple times that Obama should be impeached over the truly illegal war in Libya. This will be quashed as Congressional Republicans go squishy when presented with the race card. If not, you will see protests from the Left that make Madison look tame.
This won't go anywhere....but it should.
Bruce Fein has drafted Articles of Impeachment against President Obama. I've stated multiple times that Obama should be impeached over the truly illegal war in Libya. This will be quashed as Congressional Republicans go squishy when presented with the race card. If not, you will see protests from the Left that make Madison look tame.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Thug "Democracy"
I looks like David Prosser is going to lose to a completely unqualified union-bought-and-paid-for hack. Apparently "this is what democracy looks like" in Wisconsin. If you don't get your way, bring in thugs to intimidate the legislature. Run away from your legislative responsibilities and if that doesn't work, buy the State Supreme Court.
I cannot put into words my blind hatred of the Left right now.
I cannot put into words my blind hatred of the Left right now.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Samantha Power
Here's a name most of us haven't heard of- Samantha Power. She is the uber-lefty wife of Cass Sunstein. Atlas reports she may be the next Secretary of State or National Security Advisor.
We thought Hillary was unqualified?
We thought Hillary was unqualified?
The Continuing Hypocrisy
Dad29 had a post today that got me thinking about all the hypocrisy coming from the Left. If there is a consequence of an activity of which they do not approve, they squeal like pigs. But the same consequence of an approved activity is no big deal. I have already pointed out president Obama's illegal war for oil, and other various hypocrisies. They seem to fall into categories that I have not yet completely cataloged. Here are some:
Environmental
Environmental
- Birds killed due to oil spills, bad. Birds killed due to wind farms...no big deal.
- Science supporting (alleged) AGW, beyond reproach. Science refuting (alleged) AGW, tainted by "Corporate Interests".
- Drilling for oil off the Brazilian coast, good. Off the US coast, bad.
- Cuba, Russia, China and Venezuela drilling for oil within 50 miles of US waters, good. Drilling for our own, bad.
- Big house with big carbon footprint, bad....unless you are a rich Lefty like AlGore, any number of Hollywood types, a Kennedy....you get the picture.
- Traveling by jet, bad....unless you are Nancy Pelosi. Then it's private jet all the way.
- Paying taxes to support the (unconstitutional) welfare state, good. To support (completely constitutional) National Defense, bad
- Free Speech, good...except for speech the Left doesn't like.
- Freedom to practice your religion as you please, good...except for Christianity
- Freedom to own and carry firearms...bad....unless you are a Lefty.
- Freedom to assemble.....except for those damn Teabaggers
Sexual Harrassement
- Taking sexual advantage of a subordinate, bad.....unless you are Bill Clinton
You get the point.
Jobs and Cognitive Dissonance
I wonder if this guy understands why there are no good jobs to be had. He is watching the reasons walk by.
The Dangers Of Energy
At JSOnline, Gurda recounts Wisconsin's history with nuclear power. Everyone who knows a little about me knows I am a big, big, big fan of nuclear energy. In fact, I'm a big fan of cheap, abundant energy. When Earth Hour or "Turn Your Lights Out For Gaia" or whatever the damn thing is called came around, I turned all mine on the celebrate the technology which has single-handedly made our lives what they are today. Think of how life would be without fundamental stuff like refrigeration, electric lights, communications like TV, radio, the Internet, and all those cute gadgets we have. Civilization is far better now thanks to cheap abundant energy.
So, the "environmentalists" and their fellow travelers in government (I am being very kind here) believe that we would be better off using less. They believe every step in the generation and use of energy is an affront to Gaia or some other absurdity. This while they ride around in private jets and limos, all the while telling us more expensive and less reliable wind and solar energy is "better".
Let's consider what life is like where cheap, abundant energy does not exists. Paul Driessen lays it out pretty well here. Much disease and poverty in the third world and particularly in Africa is related directly to the lack of that which we take for granted. The poor bear the brunt. Even in the United States, what will become of the poor if energy becomes prohibitively expensive?
Many arguments are being made against further use of nuclear energy following the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Fukushima is a disaster in any regard, but how many have died as a result of the Fukushima nuclear plant? How many died in the quake and tsunami? The whole matter is grossly overblown in the big picture. People on the West Coast are in fear of radioactive fallout because they know nothing but what they are told in the news.
We now live in a technologically illiterate world with an absence of critical thinking. If we do not continue to drive cheap, reliable and abundant energy policies, our lives will become "Nasty, Brutish and Short".
So, the "environmentalists" and their fellow travelers in government (I am being very kind here) believe that we would be better off using less. They believe every step in the generation and use of energy is an affront to Gaia or some other absurdity. This while they ride around in private jets and limos, all the while telling us more expensive and less reliable wind and solar energy is "better".
Let's consider what life is like where cheap, abundant energy does not exists. Paul Driessen lays it out pretty well here. Much disease and poverty in the third world and particularly in Africa is related directly to the lack of that which we take for granted. The poor bear the brunt. Even in the United States, what will become of the poor if energy becomes prohibitively expensive?
Many arguments are being made against further use of nuclear energy following the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Fukushima is a disaster in any regard, but how many have died as a result of the Fukushima nuclear plant? How many died in the quake and tsunami? The whole matter is grossly overblown in the big picture. People on the West Coast are in fear of radioactive fallout because they know nothing but what they are told in the news.
We now live in a technologically illiterate world with an absence of critical thinking. If we do not continue to drive cheap, reliable and abundant energy policies, our lives will become "Nasty, Brutish and Short".
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Michael Winship In Salon
The Beer: The Saison and Liberty came out quite well. I will add that I had a PBR today that was actually quite good.
The Bicycle: 20 miles today. A little slow and a little cold, but it beats rain anytime.
The VRWC: No, dude...really...you're killin' me here.
Winship sounds so reasonable right out of the box:
The fact remains that labor is nowhere near the nefarious force of iniquity they would have you think it is. And I say this not only as the mild-mannered president of an AFL-CIO affiliated union but also as someone who regularly attends labor-management negotiations that by comparison would make the deliberations of the Bureau of Weights and Measures seem like Chicago in the Roaring Twenties.
He's not nearly so mild mannered and reasonable here. Clearly an committed Leftist with all that entails, he believes there is a "war on unions". There's not. And certainly not on private sector unions. I work as management in a UAW shop. I have great respect for those who work for me. We do not always see eye to eye, but we are respectful. Contrast that with recent events in Wisconsin and you can see where the war really is.
The war is on taxpayers. Taxpayers are gang-raped by public-sector unions, and especially teachers on a routine basis. "Give us more money or schools will get crappy". Not that more money has made any difference.
While complaining about unions being cast as bogeymen, Winship lays out two of his own.
In Michigan, a conservative think tank, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, funded in part by the Walton Family (as in Wal-Mart) and the ubiquitous Koch brothers,....
It is widely understood unions do not and have never cared for WalMart. They have been unable to infiltrate the workforce adequately to drive unionization. I'd argue that after this many years of trying, it is more likely the employees just don't want union representation.
Then there is the issue of Koch Industries. Easier to spell than Halliburton, they have been targeted as the newest bogeyman by the Left. That it's a Big Lie is of no concern to the Left. It continues to be perpetuated without shame.
Another Big Lie? This one...
...while continuing to tout bigger corporate tax breaks and looking the other way as Wall Street profiteers rake it in, ...
Pot, Kettle...Black. Wall Street is giving at least as much to Democrats as they do Republicans. "Wall Street Fat Cats in bed with the GOP" just doesn't stand up to any kind of scrutiny. And speaking of Fat Cats, have you seen the salaries of union officials lately?
Winship continues to blather about EFCA, union-busting and some crazy relationship to Sharia Law. He seems to think Sharia is some kind of benign "suggestion"? His support of gay lifestyles would surely put Winship in the cross-hairs (literally) of Sharia.
At any rate, the issue is public-sector unions. Winship's other concerns are strictly red herrings.
The Bicycle: 20 miles today. A little slow and a little cold, but it beats rain anytime.
The VRWC: No, dude...really...you're killin' me here.
Winship sounds so reasonable right out of the box:
The fact remains that labor is nowhere near the nefarious force of iniquity they would have you think it is. And I say this not only as the mild-mannered president of an AFL-CIO affiliated union but also as someone who regularly attends labor-management negotiations that by comparison would make the deliberations of the Bureau of Weights and Measures seem like Chicago in the Roaring Twenties.
He's not nearly so mild mannered and reasonable here. Clearly an committed Leftist with all that entails, he believes there is a "war on unions". There's not. And certainly not on private sector unions. I work as management in a UAW shop. I have great respect for those who work for me. We do not always see eye to eye, but we are respectful. Contrast that with recent events in Wisconsin and you can see where the war really is.
The war is on taxpayers. Taxpayers are gang-raped by public-sector unions, and especially teachers on a routine basis. "Give us more money or schools will get crappy". Not that more money has made any difference.
While complaining about unions being cast as bogeymen, Winship lays out two of his own.
In Michigan, a conservative think tank, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, funded in part by the Walton Family (as in Wal-Mart) and the ubiquitous Koch brothers,....
It is widely understood unions do not and have never cared for WalMart. They have been unable to infiltrate the workforce adequately to drive unionization. I'd argue that after this many years of trying, it is more likely the employees just don't want union representation.
Then there is the issue of Koch Industries. Easier to spell than Halliburton, they have been targeted as the newest bogeyman by the Left. That it's a Big Lie is of no concern to the Left. It continues to be perpetuated without shame.
Another Big Lie? This one...
...while continuing to tout bigger corporate tax breaks and looking the other way as Wall Street profiteers rake it in, ...
Pot, Kettle...Black. Wall Street is giving at least as much to Democrats as they do Republicans. "Wall Street Fat Cats in bed with the GOP" just doesn't stand up to any kind of scrutiny. And speaking of Fat Cats, have you seen the salaries of union officials lately?
Winship continues to blather about EFCA, union-busting and some crazy relationship to Sharia Law. He seems to think Sharia is some kind of benign "suggestion"? His support of gay lifestyles would surely put Winship in the cross-hairs (literally) of Sharia.
At any rate, the issue is public-sector unions. Winship's other concerns are strictly red herrings.
You Only Hurt The Ones You Purport To Be For
H/T: Fred:
I'll be making a trip to Muskego for dinner soon.
Union thuggery? Or just a cheap POS? Either way, waitstaff doesn't work for free. In fact, they generally get a subminimum wage and rely on tips. I give good tips for good service, great tips for great service. I don't really care what your political affiliation is.
I guess that is the difference between us and them.
I'll be making a trip to Muskego for dinner soon.
Union thuggery? Or just a cheap POS? Either way, waitstaff doesn't work for free. In fact, they generally get a subminimum wage and rely on tips. I give good tips for good service, great tips for great service. I don't really care what your political affiliation is.
I guess that is the difference between us and them.
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