DeMint Opposes "Fairness" Doctrine On Senate Floor
February 26, 2009 By
Chatter In The Outfield: Obama Takes Another Shot At Fox Cable News
February 24, 2009 By
From CBS:
It’s not “press coverage” that bothers President Obama. It’s “cable chatter.”
Basically, he’s griping that the complaints of cable pundits don’t amount to “honest debate,” but are nothing more than “nitpicking.”
I’m not concerned about him being bothered; let’s face it, any public figure is going to get criticism ranging from legitimate debate to the absolute “so-and-so is an idiot” statements of opinion that come from people who just like to espouse their opinions. It comes with the job.
My bigger concern is where he goes from here. If his annoyance ends here, excellent. If he tries to silence the chatter, that’d be one of the worst moves he could make. I guess I’ll just sit back and watch!
Study: Guantanimo Is Legal
February 22, 2009 By
From the WaPo:
A Pentagon review of conditions at the Guantanamo Bay military prison has concluded that the treatment of detainees meets the requirements of the Geneva Conventions but that prisoners in the highest-security camps should be allowed more religious and social interaction, according to a government official who has read the 85-page document.
So, does this mean Gitmo stays open? I wouldn’t put money on it. The liberal view is always going to be that torture is morally wrong, and that these people should be in a normal prison, tying up our legal system, or just sent home (where they can regroup and attack us again). I expect Obama to stay on that side of the fence, no matter what any study he commissions says.
HT: Althouse via Instapundit
California Is Struggling: 8th Largest Economy In The World On The Verge Of Bankruptcy
February 17, 2009 By
From The LA Times:
In addition to shutting down public-works projects, Schwarzenegger administration moves toward massive state layoffs as legislators again fail to garner the final GOP vote needed to pass a budget.
Now, the Republicans are looking like the bad guys based on the above statement. However, it looks like they’re fighting a tax increase, which is good, as a tax break is more likely to help the economy than tying up everyone’s disposable income with more taxes.
Cali needs something, but this ain’t it.
Japan Is Struggling: Economy Drops to Bottom Of List
February 17, 2009 By
From Bloomberg:
Japan’s economy, only months ago forecast to be the best performing among the world’s most advanced nations, has become the worst.
From best to worst. Not a good sign. For anyone.
See also: Japanese Economy, Leader Both Sinking
Government Logic: Brewers Are Responsible For Alcoholism
February 16, 2009 By
From kgw.com:
Five Oregon state lawmakers want to impose a hefty tax on beer and have introduced a bill that brewers say would cripple them.
Basically, these lawmakers are claiming that alcoholism costs Oregon over $13 billion annually (assumption on my part, as the article gives no indication of how these costs are broken down time-wise), so they’re justified in a 1900% tax on beer. 1900%! How does driving companies out of business get the state’s finances back in the black?
Based on this line of logic, expect anything you can be addicted to, which is pretty much everything, to come up for similar tax considerations.
Will Las Vegas Be A Casualty Of The Economy?
February 14, 2009 By
From KTNV:
Some locals who depend on conventions to survive say they can’t afford the war of words going on between President Obama and Mayor Oscar Goodman.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think a company that’s taken government money should have extravagant bashes on the taxpayers’ tab, but I also don’t think they should be expected to do absolutely nothing to build morale. Maybe conventions could be toned down a little?
Bottom line: a fun place to work has more potential to be a successful business, and punishing the low-level employees for high-level stupidity isn’t going to fix anything.
Chuck Shumer Thinks You Like Pork
February 10, 2009 By
Really, Chuck? You honestly think people don’t care how you spend their money? REALLY?
Weekend Distraction: Stuff I Learned Watching MTV In The '80s – "I Can't Hold Back"
February 8, 2009 By
Back story: So, I went to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop with my parents and little sister a few weeks ago. I Can’t Hold Back by Survivor is the love song that played anytime he saw his love interest. As a result, it’s been stuck in my head.
The Rules: Basically, I’m just going to give you the time code for what I’m talking about.
Stuff I learned from Survivor’s I Can’t Hold Back:
1) 0:10 – While I’ve never seen one, there are obviously book stores that cater to people who don’t like to read. Best I can tell, this place is all magazines and picture books, and nothing looks to have more than 150 pages.
2) 0:23 – Blue jeans can never be too tight. So what if she can’t feel anything below her waist and sitting down is a 20 minute ordeal? It’s worth it to look good!
3) 0:46 – All groups of guys are made up of one cool guy and a bunch of goofy guys that follow him around. If you aren’t the cool guy, it may be time to trade down.
4) 1:17 – Life is at its best when you’re wearing leather pants. Red leather. With lots of zippers.
5) 1:30 – Even the most conservative-looking women secretly know how to dance like a stripper (I know a few guys that are banking on this one, so if it’s wrong, please keep it to yourself).
6) 2:23 – Life is at its best when you’re wearing leather pants. Even if her pants look like she skinned the seats from the car my Granny was driving when this video came out, she’s still cool!
7) 2:38 – Contrary to popular opinion, subway trains aren’t smelly, germ-infested metal tubes full of grumpy people; they’re joyous places where random hot chicks are waiting to make out with you.
2:43 – Guys who wear suits are no fun. However, looking at the frames on his glasses, I think this one might moonlight as a pimp.
9) 3:31 – The cool guy should never listen to his dorky followers, as they obviously want to sabotage his love life to feel better about themselves (isn’t he the leader of the group?).
10) 3:54 – Most important lesson of the entire video: Now, you may be expecting me to go with the obvious, “there are no fairytale endings” lesson. Nope. The lesson here is far more important: if she’s smart, the woman you’ve been stalking around the bookstore probably won’t wait around for you to follow her home. If she does, she’s probably planning to kill you and take your red leather pants.
Daschle Is Out
February 3, 2009 By
From Fox News:
Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination for health and human services secretary, after fielding mounting criticism over his failure to pay more than $130,000 in taxes.
His claim is that he doesn’t want to be a distraction, but I like to think he got the message that the American people don’t want a tax-evader who’ll probably stand behind tax increases (at least in spirit) in a position of power.
Kudos to Jim DeMint for being so vocal about this.
"The One's" Approval Rating Declines
February 3, 2009 By
Yep, Obama is settling in as a run-of-the-mill President; his approval rating is already down roughly 20%. Not that it’s unexpected. He set the bar pretty high during the campaign, and his vague promises allowed people to assign a LOT of miracles to him that he just can’t accomplish (remember the lady that thinks she’ll no longer need to worry about gassing up her car or paying her mortgage?).
Don’t get me wrong, while I don’t like where we’re headed, and I think he’s off to a horrible start, Obama still has time to be one of our best Presidents. Heck, he hasn’t even been in office a month, that’s hardly enough time to do much of anything (other than close Gitmo, I guess). The big problem he faces in the arena of public opinion is that he isn’t the Messiah, a miracle-worker, or anything else; he’s just a politician. That alone sets him up for Bush-level disapproval.
The Hackers Are Still A Step Ahead
February 3, 2009 By
From Fox News:
Hackers orchestrated a highly coordinated, global attack on ATM cards involving the theft of a staggering $9 million from bank customers — and they could strike again, according to an investigation by FOX 5 TV in New York.
I’ve never quite understood how world governments are unable to keep up with hackers. Can’t we put a couple on the payroll after a little rehabilitation? It’s a risky gamble, but it worked with Frank Abagnale.
