Here on the east coast, we're just coming out of a tough winter. And of course, some folks have had lots of fun ridiculing Al Gore because of it. (the guy practically invites abuse - it would be rude to deny him) Anyway, aside from the Politics of Schtoopid, there's an attitude here that seems to get people thinking a) whatever is happening here is happening everywhere; and b) whatever is happening here is all that matters, because the East Coast of the USA is the center of the universe and everybody secretly wishes they were us.
In the meantime, some interesting things were actually taking place up there in Canuckistan. Here's that story.
Mar 16, 2010
Mar 15, 2010
Smartly Sexy
If there's anything hotter than a smart chick being smart, it hasn't been discovered yet. Wouldn't it be nice if we got this kind of programming on TV instead of crap like Judge Judy and Jersey Shore?
God And Country
The 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco says the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance is OK because it's a patriotic thing and not a religious thing. Fine. But the ruling itself is a nice bit of hair-splitting - aimed at mollifying both sides rather than trying to get to a point of Settled Law - and so it's mostly bullshit.
I'm conservative, so I think first and foremost, that there's no way I'm going to hold myself liable to taking a Loyalty Oath.
Second, even if I go along with this crap, I much prefer the original.
Third, I have no allegiance for bed sheets or underwear or upholstery, so I intend never to pledge my allegiance to a flag. The ideal itself is what's important - not the symbol.
Finally, if I ever feel the need, I'll recite my own version:
"I pledge allegiance to The United States of America. One nation; indivisible; with liberty and justice for all."
I'm conservative, so I think first and foremost, that there's no way I'm going to hold myself liable to taking a Loyalty Oath.
Second, even if I go along with this crap, I much prefer the original.
Third, I have no allegiance for bed sheets or underwear or upholstery, so I intend never to pledge my allegiance to a flag. The ideal itself is what's important - not the symbol.
Finally, if I ever feel the need, I'll recite my own version:
"I pledge allegiance to The United States of America. One nation; indivisible; with liberty and justice for all."
Mar 14, 2010
The Cost Of "Living"
"Healthcare Reform" right now is all about "reforming" the way we do the insurance part of it. I've been thinking the process has to deal with 2 main parts - the cost of insurance, and the cost of care itself. Now I think we're looking at breaking it down a little further and directing the effort first at getting as many people covered as possible, and then taking another look at what it all costs so we can start trying to figure out ways to push down on those costs.
Here's a look at what's been happening to the premiums we pay if we get insurance thru our employers:
Quote For The Day
The Mustache of Understanding gets one right.
“Message from America to the Israeli government: Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. And right now, you’re driving drunk. You think you can embarrass your only true ally in the world, to satisfy some domestic political need, with no consequences? You have lost total contact with reality. Call us when you’re serious. We need to focus on building our country.” Tom Friedman - NYT
“Message from America to the Israeli government: Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. And right now, you’re driving drunk. You think you can embarrass your only true ally in the world, to satisfy some domestic political need, with no consequences? You have lost total contact with reality. Call us when you’re serious. We need to focus on building our country.” Tom Friedman - NYT
Mar 11, 2010
Mar 10, 2010
Mar 8, 2010
Mar 6, 2010
Ahh - Now I Get It
I've had a nagging suspicion for a while now that we weren't seeing quite the whole picture of how our economy was changing over the last 15-20 years. Turns out it's mostly because we haven't been measuring (or reporting) things like Productivity very well. And actually, you could make a decent case that while our fearless leaders have known about this all along, they've steadfastly refused to explain it to us clearly - instead, we just get the usual happy-talk about how great everything is and if you're not able to participate, then you must be doing something wrong.
Above all, if offshoring has been driving much of our supposed productivity gains, then the case for complete free trade begins to erode. If often such policies simply increase corporate profits at the expense of American workers, with no gains in true productivity, then they don’t necessarily strengthen the national economy.
The Op-Ed piece homes in on the disconnect between stagnating wages and the big increase in productivity that we keep hearing is supposed to drive up a worker's earnings.
Above all, if offshoring has been driving much of our supposed productivity gains, then the case for complete free trade begins to erode. If often such policies simply increase corporate profits at the expense of American workers, with no gains in true productivity, then they don’t necessarily strengthen the national economy.
The Op-Ed piece homes in on the disconnect between stagnating wages and the big increase in productivity that we keep hearing is supposed to drive up a worker's earnings.
Mar 5, 2010
Hold The Testosterone Please
Mike Mullen continues to say things that could prove dangerous to his career and reputation.
First, he criticized DADT a while back - right there in front of a Senate committee and everything - and now this.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday evening that there are limits to American military power and diplomatic efforts must be just as important if not more so. But despite recognition of this, the military has become the default for American foreign policy.
First, he criticized DADT a while back - right there in front of a Senate committee and everything - and now this.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday evening that there are limits to American military power and diplomatic efforts must be just as important if not more so. But despite recognition of this, the military has become the default for American foreign policy.
Limits to our power!?! Diplomacy!?! How long before the wingnuts start to go after Mullen and his boss, Bob Gates for being appeasers, and soft on terrorism? Also, I'm guessing that once the campaign against them starts, whenever Limbaugh or Cluster Fox refers to either of them, they'll be identified as "Obama's". ie: Obama's Sec'y of Defense Bob Gates...or Obama's top military adviser Adm Mullen. That way, the rubes can conveniently ignore the facts and concentrate on misspelling their protest signs.
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