Extremists Or Citizens?

There will be a lot of Tea Party protests across the country today. It used to be that the Libertarian Party was out there at Post Offices every April 15, in groups of 15 or 20 protesters, to make their message heard and seen by those dropping off tax returns at the deadline. No more. It's going to be big stuff today across the country.

I'll be interested to see the narrative on the news, and the pictures that are shown. To hear it told, the Tea Partiers are at least in part, of entirely: racist, violent, incapable of correct spelling or grammar, mean-spirited.

I found an incredible post today, that compiles a litany of violent threats against the President. They are images from anti-war rallies, and threats against President Bush.

http://www.zombietime.com/zomblog/?p=621

I haven't seen a single placard in a Tea Party directly calling for the murder of the President, but you could see plenty in the anti-war rallies. I guess that was ok. The media was fine with burying these images, but can't wait to paint tax protesters as all the things it could have, and should have, painted the anti-war protesters. Want to know why people complain about liberal media bias? Feast your eyes.

In a tangential thought, where are the anti-war rallies now? Is it that Obama is extending the Bush wars in Iraq & Afghanistan that makes them ok? My team, right or wrong?

Interesting Immigration Letter

I was advised recently by Brad Klopfenstein that he was taking a letter to US Senator Dick Lugar, regarding immigration reform. Here's the text:

Small Business Petition to Congress for Real Immigration Reform

Dear Senator Lugar:

We need immigration reform that will protect American jobs; will require all immigrants who are in the country illegally to register with the government, undergo background checks, study English, and pay taxes; enforce our laws and protect our borders; protect employers; and provide local governments with the funding and tools they need to implement comprehensive reform. Small businesses need immigration reform to do our part for economic recovery and to ensure a stable workforce for Indiana. We, the undersigned small businesses of Indiana, urge you to pass just and comprehensive immigration reform this year. We must prevent unscrupulous employers from exploiting undocumented workers and undercutting honest competition. We need you to move forward with a common sense solution that upholds our values of fairness and justice while securing the border, offering a
pathway to citizenship, and modernizing our immigration system.

The time for action is now.

I've long been of a mixed mind on this issue. At the core, I really want to see open borders. That's the idealist in me. But the realist keeps intervening.

It bothers me that non-citizens come into the country to frequently take jobs under the table, so they aren't paying taxes. Then, they often take advantage of services collectively provided for, such as schools or emergency rooms. I don't believe it just to provide services to non-citizens.

Could local employers not give jobs to illegal immigrants? Sure, but I understand why they do. The tax burden on employers is so high that they can pay someone off the books far more than they can someone on, and be money ahead. So, if they can pay an illegal way less than someone on the books, they get way ahead. There's the incentive for employers willing to take a risk. Those competitors not willing to risk running afoul of the law are at a comparative disadvantage.

So, the issue needs to be addressed. I'd like to see us get to where my own ideal can prevail, but we're giving away the store at a time when there's very little in the till anyhow.

Utilities, Cities, Stupid

Some basic economics lessons for civic leaders ought to be a prerequisite for office. The stupidity is astonishing in light of the inability to grasp something so simple. Check this out, regarding water rates, from ABC News:

The grim economy is hitting some consumers in the wallet in yet another way: their water bills.

Many water utilities are raising rates because water use is down, in part because manufacturers have closed or are cutting back, tourism has fallen and the real estate market is in the doldrums.

and

Water companies for the most part get their money from customers. When water consumption goes up, revenues go up — but when consumption falls, so do revenues.

Water companies often raise rates to pay for high-priced capital expenditures, such as new water lines or treatment plant expansions. But they also have to hike rates when water use goes down to bring in enough money to pay their basic operating costs.

They have it exactly backward, in the same way as cities screw up on tax policy. If demand is low, you're going to jack up the rates? But that will just further drive down usage!

Cleveland didn't (doesn't) get this. Population starts to leave, so in an attempt to keep the tax revenues from falling, they jack up the rates... which makes more people leave, so they jack up the rates... Duh!

If you want to attract people top cities, or encourage water usage, LOWER the rates. People will have more incentive to come to the city, or to use the water. If you want to cut costs (the other, more greatly neglected way to strike a balance), lose some employees. After all- usage is down! Less for them to maintain.

As for me, I'm not entirely unhappy that water usage is down. Water resources are scarce, and lower usage natioally might allow some aquefers to recharge. Many desperately need to be. Raising rates is an excellent conservation tool. Idiot utility managers are accidental environmentalists.

What Value, Tea Partiers?

When not being denigrated as 'teabaggers', when not painted with a broad brush by focusing on the nuts any group has, the Tea Partiers can bring great value to the public discourse. For one thing, several of the Tea Partiers I know and have met have an excellent knowledge and grasp of the US Constitution.

I love this grilling a US Representative- a person sworn to uphold the Constitution- gets from a Tea Partier, and the fail as he at first tries to buffalo his way through, then has to confess he doesn't know his basic job description.



(h/t Joyce Merrill)

Schools Need Greater Local Control

Indiana Senator Luke Kenley (R-District 20) helped clog my mailbox today with his latest propaganda. The headline of the second item reads "Lawmakers give schools funding flexibility, more local control".

He's touting the greatnetss of House Enrolled Act 1367, which was passed in the recent legislative session. What's the big deal?

"Under this new law, schools can claim up to 5 percent of funding normally dedicated to capital projects and use it for instructional purposes. Schools agreeing to pay freezes for staff, with exceptions for built-in raises based on experience and new degrees, can use up to 10%"

5%? 10%? Yeah, big deal.

I can't see why the state has any say on how the districts spend their money. The capital needs of a school district that has 100-year-old buildings is vastly different than one that has 10-year-old buildings, such as Hamilton County. Alas, the state dictates a formula in a one-size-fits-all cramdown.

Another large part of the problem schools in Hamilton County face is the manner of directing the dollars. Because the tax dollars are collected here, sent to the state, and then have some value skimmed off by the state government, and still more redistributed to urban and rural counties, Hamilton County is a donor county.

It's interesting to me that Kenley touts this new law to voters here. What becomes clear is that he does a rotten job of representing the interests of the people in his district on this issue.

Things have been so bad here in Fishers that the voters passed a referendum for additional taxation in support of the schools. If local dollars stayed in the locality, the referendum would have been unnecessary. I've never heard Kenley say a thing about defending local interests or about removing the state from the equation. As far as I can tell, he's part of the problem.

Not a Joke

LNC Chair Bill Redpath is scheduled to appear on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight on Comedy Central. Link to LP press release.

Redpath is scheduled to talk about the Census. That's nice, but I wish he was going to talk about the wars in Iraq & Afghanistan, the Patriot Act, and civil liberties under the Bush-Obama continuum. Better than not appearing.

In other news, candidate for LNC Chair Wayne Root was on CNN with Larry King earlier this week. Here's the video:

April 1st Begs A Good Joke

An oldie, but a goodie...

While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies.His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.""No problem, just let me in," says the man.

"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in n heaven," says the senator."I'm sorry, but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises... The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St.Peter is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit heaven."

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity." The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell."

So, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. "I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?

"The devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted."

WXNT Appearance Update

The Monday visit to WXNT 1430-AM was very good. The 'Abdul In The Morning' show has always been a good forum, and Abdul is a great host.

If you weren't able to listen live and want to hear the hour without the news & commercial breaks, follow this link for an MP3 audio file.

Kole On WXNT, Monday

I'll be on the Abdul In The Morning Show on WXNT 1430-am at 7am, to talk all things Libertarian. State Chair Sam Goldstein and LPIN Executive Director Chris Spangle will join me live in the studio.

I'll be looking to get a few words in about the upcoming County Convention and the platform we will adopt there. Who knows what delightful curveballs Abdul will have for us besides. Tune in or listen online at www.wxnt.com

Reason Saves Cleveland, Part 4 - Embrace Business

Great quote in the first minute: "It's easier to move out than it is to move in". This, and the idea that people have choices, seems utterly lost of Cleveland's elected officials. It was true when I left nearly eight years ago, and seems unchanged. A telling stat at 3:15 is that Cleveland's tax burden was 45th heaviest in 1977, but 7th worst in 2007. And they wonder why population is flowing out. Well, duh.

"Cleveland seems to be more focused on tax revenue than it is on the overall business climate". Unfortunately, this seems also true of the Fishers Town Council. One of the phrases I use when talking local politics is "Let's not reinvent Marion County". Yes, that's Indianapolis, but the same thing applies anywhere, and that's the point. Policy matters, more than weather or cultural attractions.



Great series!

Oh, did you get a load of Joe Cimperman? He's certain that Cleveland offers a great business climate, but when told that some business owners disagree, his reaction wasn't, "What policy offends them?" but "Who are they?" I'll never forget first seeing this attention hound at a rally surrounding St. Michael's Hospital, which was going to be closed because it was losing money hand over fist. Cimperman wanted to force them to remain open. Yes, force.

Cimperman is a big help though! He took one poor business owner and reduced his red tape hell from 10 years to 1.5 years!

Hey Joe. Psst. Nobody wants to wait 1.5 years to expand a parking lot. They're going to leave. 1.5 weeks should be the maximum time on that.

Reason Saves Cleveland, Part 3 - Privatization

One of the mistakes Cleveland makes is to do a great many things that private industry could, and shoud, do. For example, Cleveland's city employees collect the trash from residences within the corporate limits. If I wanted a private company to do that, I couldn't. It was forbidden by municipal ordinance. Here in Fishers, we have four different companies competing to collect trash, and none of the things I was told would happen in Cleveland have come to pass. My streets are not strewn with trash. I do not have an endless parade of trucks creating traffic, noise, and smell nuisances. We do not have people stocking trash in the backyard in order to avoid to bill. I get a bill for $70 every three months. My property taxes are about a half of what they would be for comparable property in Cleveland. To save $2,000/year as opposed to pay $280? I'll do that trade all day long, every day of the year.

Reason suggests that Cleveland should inspect its services while applying the 'Yellow Pages Test'. That is, if there are commercial enterprises offering services provided by the City, the City should privatize. The gain would be a decrease in the public payroll and legacy costs into the future.



It is no surprise to me that Reason identified trash collection among 10 things Cleveland should privatize.

Reason Saves Cleveland, Part 2 - Schools

I really loved seeing the solutions that are working in places like Oakland. Look at these kids, who are excited about learning and success, and are thinking ahead to college!



Cleveland needs this. Heck- Fishers great school system and all could use this kind of overt pro-college thinking. I love it!

Indiana To Put A Tax Hike On The Table?

Well, my conservative friends, what do you think about this? From Indy Star:

"If we don't see a really significant improvement from anything I see right now, it'll be extraordinarily difficult next year," Daniels said. "In the 10 months between now and the beginning of the next legislature, our number one priority is going to be to try to maintain Indiana's solvency, Indiana's AAA credit rating, Indiana's position as one of the handful of states that only nicked, as opposed to gouged, education and didn't raise taxes.

"That's going to be a tough thing to bring off."

Tough? Really? Only elected officials committed to large government, and people who take out loans to pay for snacks can talk this way.

In the Kole house, when the income slows, the spending slows. Sure we dip into the savings if it comes to that, but we will cut everything but the essentials if and when it gets desperate.

Essentials carries a strict definition here. Food, mortgage, utilities, gasoline, insurance. By utility, I mean water and electricity. Cable TV? Well, we don't have cable TV. That's a 100% cut. We don't go out to eat when it gets desperate. We don't go out for entertainment in such times. State government?

Since forecasters released new economic projections in December, state revenues have fallen short of projections by $160 million in the past two months. In fact, revenue has missed projections for 17 consecutive months, leading Gov. Mitch Daniels to order 20 percent in cuts to state agencies, a $150 million -- or 6 percent -- cut to state universities, and a $300 million -- or 3 percent -- trim to K-12 schools.

How did this man get the nickname, "The Blade". Call him "The Penknife", or "The Fingernail File". These are more appropriate.

If the objective is to maintain solvency, then get to some serious cutting. I haven't seen any departments closed. Some items have been merged, but I am unaware of anything eliminated. At the very least, if the money isn't there, departments that survive can be cut to 50%, and schools can be cut at least 10%.

Our state government is made up of a bunch of babies. If Daniels and state legislators lack the fortitude, they should get out of the way and let those who have it step in.

"After five years of building a $1.3 billion reserve, it's been shrunk by half in the past eight months, and that's after cutting $800 million of spending," said Ryan Kitchell, director of the state's Office of Management and Budget.

"With revenue continuing to decline at unprecedented double-digit rates, our toughest decisions are still ahead of us."

Bollocks. Libertarians in the statehouse would have maintained the entire reserve. Cutting is not a tough decision, especially when economic forces make it such that explaining the cuts is child's play.

Reason Saves Cleveland, Part 1

With much anticipation on my part, Reason.tv has begun to release "Reason Saves Cleveland", in installments.

Just an intro, but for those who don't know Cleveland's story, or have never seen much of the city, Part 1 is a nice primer.

I can't wait to see more of the series! Libertarian principles applied to Cleveland. What a concept!

Business Property Owners Lose More Ground

The Indiana legislature has ended its' short session so the members can go campaign for re-election in November. The one item that struck me more than any other points to the further assertion of government that business property owners will continue to have less and less to say about what goes on on their land, and that those who show up on it will have increasingly more the say.

This trend started in great earnest with the discussion of smoking bans on business property. Governments at all levels are increasingly saying that business owners cannot set policy on their property, because even though private property, they are places of public accommodation.

So, it certainly does follow that the Indiana legislature approved a law permitting employees to bring guns onto business property, regardless of whether the business owner approves. From the Indy Star:

The legislature passed House Enrolled Act 1065, which lets most employees take their guns with them as they drive to work and park in a company-owned lot, as long as the weapons stay out of sight in a locked vehicle. And it passed House Enrolled Act 1068, already signed into law by Daniels, that will keep gun permit information secret.

The losers here? The media and businesses.

Business groups argue that companies should be able to set their own policies on handguns to safeguard their property and employees. They point to workplace incidents where disgruntled employees have retrieved a weapon from their cars and opened fire.

The Star got it right on business as loser here. I'm all for the right to self-defense and the right to bear arms. However, the rights or property come first for me. If I don't want your gun on my property, that should be my call. Alas, in today's America, if you own business property, you can go to hell. Someone else gets primacy on what is now only nominally 'your land'.

Update: One day, I'll learn never to use my Mac for these posts. It's not really the fault of the Mac so much as Blogger. If I cut something from a source when using the Mac, Blogger preserves the font type and size. try to make it uniform? Forget it. Blogger freaks out and makes it worse. Doing the same operation on the PC leaves everything uniform. I like uniformity.

Greedy Government, Colorado Edition

I get fighting mad every time I have to endure someone label a person who tries to preserve what they earned or own as 'greedy'. The real greed lies with rapacious governments, ever trying to spend other people's money. That's greed.


Now, while I am woefully underemployed right now, the next time I am buying a CD or book, it's coming from Amazon, who reacted to the State of Colorado's greedy hands with a a cutting of ties with their online referring associates. From Huffington Post:

In response to recent legislation in Colorado (HB 10-1193), Amazon.com has sent a letter to its affiliates in Colorado informing them that the on-line sales giant will no longer be advertising through businesses in the state that that make money by referring buyers.

In order to close a $1.5 Billion budget gap, Colorado Democrats this session have passed a law that would make it possible to collect sales taxes on on-line purchases by creating an economic nexus between state residents and on-line retailers.

The bill, which was part of a package of tax measures aimed at increasing revenue, originally sought to create a nexus between the state and on-line retailers based on their ties to local affiliate websites, which link to products. The bill was ultimately altered due largely to fears that retailers like Amazon would simply cut ties to Colorado companies that make money by referring buyers.

The final bill, which was signed into law in February, instead required large online retailers to start collecting sales taxes or provide a summary of people's web purchases in the state, leaving affiliates out of the equation. This created an economic nexus without making local affiliates a scapegoat for paying local sales taxes.

Amazon has apparently elected to cut dies (sic) to its Colorado affiliates regardless.

Good! I can't blame any business that decides the tax burden is too onerous to carry on, and quits or moves to a less offensive location. Do we learn nothing from history? This country was made on being a place of lower taxes, fewer wars, and cheap labor. Got any idea how the British Empire sank? Higher taxes, endless war, and very expensive labor.

Too bad Amazon didn't decide to stop selling to Colorado entirely. That would have been a wise pre-emptive strike message to any other state that wants to crush the economic engine that powered the Clinton years.

In a press release, Governor Bill Ritter admonished Amazon:

"Amazon has taken a disappointing - and completely unjustified - step of ending its relationship with associates. While Amazon is blaming a new state law for its action, the fact is that Amazon is simply trying to avoid compliance with Colorado law and is unfairly punishing Colorado businesses in the process."

Well, go pound sand, Governor Ritter. Your lack of understanding is profound.

Is Amazon trying to avoid future taxation? You bet! That makes them smart. Unjustified? Should people and their business be chained to locations? Should they be forced to make decisions to work against their own interests? Ritter apparently thinks so.

Too many elected officials forget why businesses exist- so that goods or services can be sold, to the mutual benefit of consumer and provider. Nobody goes into business for the purpose of fattening the coffers of state government. Only an idiot- a greedy idiot- would lose sight of this. When too put upon by greedy pinheads, of course sensible people want to leave. For reference, see: Cleveland, Detroit, Youngstown, DC, and a host of cities that have bled population as a result of their tax policies.

Lucky I visted Colorado in 2008. It's off the list for places to spend money for some time to come.

Note: Huffington Post is one of the most irritating sites to use. There is so much junk going on that scrolling down, and cutting and pasting is a painful chore, waiting for all the crap to load. Great that they get the ads, but HuffPo makes Facebook look sleek and elegant by comparison.

Drew Carey Series Soon

I'm really excited to see the Reason.tv series 'Reason Saves Cleveland', just five days from launch. As posted earlier, I am one of most of my friends who left Cleveland. Of my close friends, I was the last to leave. I moved to Indiana and gave myself an immediate, large raise, just because the taxes were so much less here- and Indiana isn't even my idea of a low-tax state!

Cleveland has been more or less controlled by Democrats and Democratic, liberal, progressive ideas for more than 100 years, starting with Mayor Tom L. Johnson. Those ideas have done nothing to save the shedding of more than half the city's population since 1950. I tried to build interest in libertarian ideas, but who am I, right? So, it's exciting that Drew Carey, one of Cleveland's most prominent favorite sons, who also left town for better opportunities, is the face of this Reason documentary. I don't think Cleveland would give it a serious look if it weren't Drew Carey.

On Monday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer put the series on the front page, above the fold. Here's an online version's highlights:

Cleveland's woes -- population loss, failing schools, lack of economic spark -- are no joke to comedian and native son Drew Carey, who advocates for less government, more competition and lower taxes to bring the city back.

Carey took time off from his gig as host of TV's "The Price Is Right" to help produce and star in a series of Web reports detailing Cleveland's woes and a number of proposed fixes that will be launched next week on reason.tv, the Internet arm of the nonpartisan, libertarian-leaning Reason Foundation, on whose board Carey serves.

Carey established reason.tv three years ago and has developed a number of short Web documentaries to highlight government's heavy-handedness. Now, the lens turns to his hometown with a six-part series called "Reason Saves Cleveland." It comes on the heels of Cleveland's "most miserable city" ranking by Forbes.com.

and

The series, reported and produced by reason.tv's editor Nick Gillespie, explores problems in Cleveland and other rust belt cities and offers solutions using examples from other cities -- such as Houston -- that are enjoying success and population growth.

Bottom line? As the Web site's motto reads, "Free minds and free markets." In other words, move out of the way, government. In a town like Cleveland, with big government bureaucracies, cumbersome regulations and old-school unions, the series argues, it's no wonder times are so tough.

Now, will Cleveland listen? Hard to say, especially in light of repeating failing policy for 100+ years. When I lived there, I always found myself muttering, "What will it take?" Maybe this is the thing. I hope so.

Two Blue Laws, One Stone

Or, bill. Looks like the Indiana legislature is on its' way to repealing two laws that deal with alcohol sales. From the Lafayette Journal-Courier:

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Senate has given final legislative approval to a bill allowing Indiana's microbreweries to sell beer for carryout on Sundays.

The Senate voted 28-17 Monday to endorse House changes to the bill. The measure now heads to the desk of Gov. Mitch Daniels for his consideration.

The bill would limit the amount of beer a microbrewery can sell to about two cases per transaction. Indiana's 32 microbreweries have limits on how much beer they can make each year.

The bill also repeals a law that prohibits alcohol sales during voting hours on election days.

I remember how arcane and of the 1950's South I thought these laws were upon arrival in Indiana in 2002. Good to see them repealed.

There's still work to be done, though. I had no idea that Indiana limited production of microbreweries. What kind of madness is that? If Barley Island or Three Floyds are able to sell from vats the size of Rhode Island (to quote a beer ad of yore), why shouldn't they? In this economy? Let them sell!

(H/T: Doug Masson)

Money Has Nothing To Do With Results

I find the proposition that money = results with regards to public schools positively infuriating. Allison Maguire is running for Pike Township School Board, and she posts some interesting numbers that underscore this.

We spent $12,572 per student during school year 07-08, we pay teachers $52,000 on average, yet we are consistantly below state averages on the ISTEP Math and Language Arts scores and National SAT scores.

When you look at the graphs provided on the State's website, you see the Pike Township scores below the national average for every category, for every year, and falling.

With most things run by government, solutions become axiomatic towards more money. If scores are failing? Must be underfunded! If scores are rising? That's a good program that deserves to be rewarded!

We're a very stupid people.

Reason Saves Cleveland

As one who grew up and lived in Cleveland for some 34 years, I will be very interested to see the results of Drew Carey's project with the Reason Foundation, called 'Reason Saves Cleveland'.

My opinion of Cleveland was that it was a city that had an iron grip clutching to the past that left- the days of exceptionally high-paying jobs that required workers to show up and bring a marginal skill set with them. Virtually all public policy I ever reviewed could predictably lead to brain and wealth drain. Truly, you have to be a fool to live in the City of Cleveland, in my opinion.

I will follow with interest. Alas, my opinion of the City is that it is rather the logical conclusion of the old adage, "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink". In Cleveland's case, "You can hold the horse's head under water, and it wouldn't drink to save it's life. The only water it will take in will drown it."

Findings Sure To Create Anger

I remember when the book "The Bell Curve" was released. It created brisk animosity with its' findings. Well, another libertarian has a study that will certainly cause much gloating in some, great anger in others. From a CNN report:

Political, religious and sexual behaviors may be reflections of intelligence, a new study finds.

Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa at the the London School of Economics and Political Science correlated data on these behaviors with IQ from a large national U.S. sample and found that, on average, people who identified as liberal and atheist had higher IQs. This applied also to sexual exclusivity in men, but not in women. The findings will be published in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly.

Kanazawa's biases?

Neither Bailey nor Kanazawa identify themselves as liberal; Bailey is conservative and Kanazawa is "a strong libertarian."

I just made up that libertarians tend to have IQs around 130. It's the only reason I can think of not to have included other worldviews beyond 'liberal' and 'conservative'. There will be enough animosity and jealousy without having to include libertarians and their vastly superior IQs. Only thing that makes sense. Ha!

Afghanistan Today's Vietnam?

I thought the Left and the Democrats had it right when some warned against Iraq turning into the next Vietnam, back in 2002. We're still there, but we're also still in Afghanistan, which President Obama has called 'the right war'.

I thought this opinion in CNN today was noteworthy in comparing Afghanistan to Vietnam. From Andrew West:

After the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, U.S. Col. Harry Summers remarked to his North Vietnamese counterpart, "You know you never defeated us on the battlefield." After a moment, the North Vietnamese officer replied: "That may be so, but it is also irrelevant."

Although that blunt exchange took place nearly 35 years ago, it's still worthy of close consideration in light of America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Americans did win their battles in Vietnam, but, as the outcome of the war made clear, raw battlefield prowess did not lead to victory. Why? Because the war there was not for Americans to win or lose. It was a Vietnamese war.

Looking to capture and bring to justice those who masterminded the attacks of 2001 is excellent. Going to war within a country to root out terrorism, generally? Not our war.


Where are the Democrats who were opposed to the wars when GW Bush was president? I can only conclude by their general silence that their opposition was not principled, but raw political opportunism.

Conventions & Platforms

I've always been a little flat on the Libertarian Party's national platform. It doesn't function like a party platform should, but rather as a manifesto. That's ok for a new party, but not one that is trying to let the country know, "We're an established party, and here is what we will do as a focused effort to improve the country. Now, vote for us on the strength of this".

I believe that at each national convention of the LP, we should be adopting 3-5 planks that represent our solutions to the major issues of the day. If I could wave my magic wand, the platform going into 2010 elections would look like this:

1. No more bailouts. Nobody is 'too big to fail'. If you make bad decisions, they won't be subsidized by the rest of the country.
2. No more stimulus spending. Deficit spending is a placebo, and doesn't generate genuine wealth. It drains the country of tomorrow's wealth.
3. Fix the health care problems caused by government intervention. Eliminate the federal mandates that generate inefficiency and needlessly drive up costs.
4. End the wars. Pull out of Iraq & Afghanistan immediately. Stop trying to be the world's police officer. It doesn't work.
5. Restore civil liberties. Repeal the Patriot Act and all other laws that direct law enforcement to spy on American citizens.

For my part, as a County Chair, I will be directing the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County towards having a platform that does just this sort of thing- presents the issues and solution we will run on locally for 2010.

Doing this does not represent an abdication of the full range of policy solutions libertarians have for the myriad issues we could address. Rather, it prioritizes the response to the most pressing issues affecting the greatest number of citizens.

I'll have info on the LP of Hamilton County's convention posted shortly.

Update: A correction has been made to replace the word 'panacea' with 'placebo'. Thanks to Todd for the Websterian QC action!

I'm A Victim of Credit Card Fraud!

Now I'm sure it's just coincidence in following up my previous post with this, but yesterday, I found a curious entry on my Visa statement.

2/14 Taco Bell $31.24

That jumped out at me because a) it was Valentine's Day, and I sure wasn't taking my bride there if I wanted not to sleep on the couch; b) I can't remember the last time I ate at Taco Bell; and c) even if I did, I can't imagine eating 30 tacos.

So, I called Chase and had the charge investigated. I found out the charge was made in Dallas. I've never even been to Dallas! They said a card had been swiped there.

This was all mystifying to me. I'm pretty responsible with financial documents and credit cards. I use a cross-cut shredder. The remnants of credit cards do go into the trash can, while the old shredded statements are used for kindling in the fireplace. It's good kindling, too!

I had an old friend tell me he had a scam run on him where someone made an entry, he didn't catch it, and they attached his account to a PayPal account, drained his charge account, and closed the PayPal account. Well, that's pretty scary!

Fortunately, Chase closed my card account after reviewing my other charges. The Taco Bell one was the only one I didn't recognize. I'll be refunded the money on that charge, and will get a new account.

I'd love to know what I can do to be more careful.

As Usual, 'Reform' Makes Things Worse

This time, it's credit card 'reform' that will help enrich the credit card companies that were supposed to be reigned in. From Reason Hit & Run:

Lo some nine months ago, Congress took a politically courageous stand against mom, apple pie, and credit card issuers by supposedly reining in the excesses of the latter (excesses which largely consisted of giving lots of people the ability to purchase goods and services on the automated installment plans otherwise known as credit cards). The goal of the new legislation was to clear the books, start anew, blah blah blah, and hem in the contagion known as excessive credit, which was widely believed to be behind the financial crisis that may or may not be over. And, at the same time, of course, Congress was going to make sure that all Americans had access to the credit that is our god-given birthright. The streets of America are paved with gold MasterCards and all that.

So now the new rules are in effect. And credit card issuers (banks, mostly) are now coming up with new ways to squeeze money out of customers, just like restauarants doubling up on corkage fees, extra charges for more butter, you name it.

So many people want Congress to act. Not me! Give me gridlock, stalemate, pussyfooting, and deliberation! I can't think of a single Congressional 'reform' in my lifetime that made anything better, only worse.

Great Olympic Hockey!

I've really been enjoying what I can catch of the Olympic hockey this year, mens' & women's. It wasn't the Miracle On Ice last night, but watching the US men's team defeat the Canadians, in Canada, while playing most of the game in the American defensive zone, was a great thrill. From NHL.com's report on USA's 5-3 win:

[T]he young and brash Americans had silenced not only the capacity crowd at Canada Hockey Place, but an entire nation with a gritty 5-3 win that featured two goals by Rafalski, single strikes from both Langenbrunner and Drury and 42 saves from Miller.

"Those guys know what to do to win," said American coach Ron Wilson.

David Backes, part of America's youth brigade couldn't suppress a smile when asked about the veterans stepping to the fore Sunday.

"Veteran leadership; there's not much of it, but those are the guys that came here tonight and got it done," said Backes, who is making a name for himself on the international game's biggest stage. "Ryan Miller, Brian Rafalski, Jamie Langenbrunner. Those are guys that are blue-collar and get it done."

They certainly did Sunday, against what many considered the longest of odds.

Canada entered this tournament as the odd-on favorite and, on paper, was better than the Americans at almost every position. Now, the Canadians (1-1-0-1, 5 points) are relegated to Tuesday's qualification round, forced to play Germany in an unwanted winner-take-all game.

The Americans (3-0-0-0, 9 points) not only win Group A, but will have one of the top-two seeds in Wednesday's quarterfinal round.

While I'm excited, I doubt this win is yet capturing the imagination of Americans from sea to sea.
1980 won't be duplicated. It can't be. Those were different times.

The Soviet Union and other Soviet Bloc countries fielded teams that were amateur in name only, unofficial pros from the Red Army teams. More importantly, it was still the Cold War, and besides that, the US had endured a 10+ year malaise. The country needed something to believe in and rally behind, and this was it.

Since those conditions don't exist, I love the fact of the NHL pros in the Games. The competition is as level as it's ever been, and at a high level besides. People think of Canada & Russia as the top teams, but the Swedes won the last gold, and are undefeated with the US. Great hockey!

The US is not assured a medal yet, but they are spared the first round of elimination games. After that, win one game, and the US will advance to the medal round.

The US women are in the same spot, having won their preliminary games. I do hope the women's final is US-Canada. Unlike the men's game, there is great disparity in national talent, and the North American squads are far and away the most talented.

Morgan Freeman on our Economy

This sums up our economy for me. Morgan Freeman portrays me, and the young man is an amalgam of Ben Bernanke, The Obama Administration, The Bush Administration, and Congress.

Canadians Still Come To The US For Health Care That Matters

When the Premier of a Canadian Province leaves his country for the US for heart care, that tells me about all I need to know about the relative differences between socialized health care and private care. Basic facts, from the CBC:

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams will be sidelined from three to 12 weeks because of heart surgery he'll undergo at an undisclosed location in the United States, acting premier Kathy Dunderdale says.

Telling details:

"Having the surgery done in the province was never an option that was offered to him," Dunderdale said.

"Ultimately, we have to be the gatekeepers of our own health, and he has taken medical advice from a number of different sources," she said. "Based on all of the medical advice that he's received, he is doing what is best for him, to do everything he can to ensure that he can have the best outcome from the surgery and that he can be back on his feet and back here doing his job as quickly as possible."

Never an option. Doing what's best for him. Well, so great that the Canadians in high places can leave their country to get adequate care. What about the rest of the country? The little people?

More! How about the claims that innovation will be stifled in the US if we have socialized care. That's BS, right?

Kaminski said people shouldn't view his decision to seek medical help elsewhere as a condemnation of Canada's medical health system.

"It could be something as simple as a slightly new technique that's being tried that gives a speedy recovery and that's not yet approved in Canada," she said.

Kaminski said it might also be a procedure that can't be performed for whatever reason by medical professionals in the province.

People vote with their feet. That's where the results are shown. One could say, "Oh, the Premier left Newfoundland, which is a pretty remote Province". True, but he didn't go to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, or Vancouver, either. He went to the USA.

We're stupid if we want this here.

Williams is not the first Canadian politician to go to the US for treatment. CBC has a clip showing more:http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/player.html?clipid=1403201839

Another Thought On Bayh

One of Senator Bayh's stated reasons for bowing out is the increasingly partisan nature of the game.

Ok, but if Bayh is a moderate, and believes that being a moderate is for the better, what does leaving accomplish but reduce the number of moderates and throw it more over to the more purely partisan? It doesn't make sense.

I'm a Libertarian, and it's frustrating as hell being one. So, I should quit, stand aside, and assure that the Republicans and Democrats continue to destroy the country? Um, no.

I really believe one of two things, or a combination: He didn't want his wife to take arrows on the basis of her corporate board positions; and, there's some heavy dirt out there that he just didn't want to have see the light of day. Pure speculation, of course.

Why Delay?

Can someone smarter than me explain why school districts have these two-hour delays? I mean, other than to make the lives of parents more difficult, because employers aren't on a delay.

A Good Time To Revisit The 17th

Indiana just turned into a circus with Evan Bayh's retirement announcement. It wouldn't be the case if the 17th Amendment hadn't been passed.

Quick! What's the 17th?

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

Big deal, right? Prior to the passage of the 17th, the various state legislatures appointed their two US Senators, for the purpose of protecting the interests of the states.

It was with great amusement that I visited the Daily Kos to observe the wailing, anguish, and knashing of teeth over the 'betrayal' of Bayh to the Democratic Party. You know what? If you're in any state other than Indiana, you can get bent! Bayh isn't your Senator! Project the failings of your party onto your own Congress Critter!

Now, I know- it's impossible to reconcile the votes of Bayh and Dick Lugar and conclude that both could possibly have had the interests of Indiana in mind. And, prior to the passage of the 17th, the state's legislature could have observed the very thing, and recalled one or the other, and installed a new Senator.

While the push for direct election of Senators was populist inspired, and while it did take that power away from the states (the real Point Of Beginning for the diminuation of State's Rights, btw), it empowered a new class like never before- corporate donors, which tend to be national interests.

Ironically, it was also intended to diminish the influence 'industrialists' had over Senators. Oops! The anticipated main attraction in Bayh vs. Coats was to be the attacks against Bayh's corporate interest wife, and against Coats' corporate interest last 12 years.

This wouldn't be, couldn't be, with legislature appointed Senators. There would be no campaign committees for Senators. They wouldn't spend their time chummying with lobbyists for the purpose of trading law for war chests. They would have to please their statehouse.

Bayh Quits

The first thing that came to mind for me upon the news of Evan Bayh's sudden announcement that he is retiring from the US Senate is regards the rules for elections. Tomorrow is the deadline for Democrats and Republicans to file their signatures to be on their parties' respective primary election ballots. A Huffington Post article sums up the rules well.

It does not appear that there will be time for Indiana Democrats to choose a top-flight candidate to back, and get signatures for. There was one intrepid Democrat, Tamara D'Ippolito, who was prepared to give Bayh a Primary challenge- if she herself could collect the necessary signatures on time, which has not been done. This suits the Democratic Party elite, apparently. From Fire Dog Lake:

I just spoke with Tamyra D’Ippolito, the candidate who was already running in the US Senate primary as a Democrat in Indiana before Evan Bayh ended his re-election bid today. D’Ippolito’s potential presence on the primary ballot complicates the ability for Indiana Democrats to handpick a nominee. If nobody qualifies for the primary, Indiana Dems can choose the candidate. But if D’Ippolito qualifies, then she would be the only candidate on that primary ballot, and Brad Ellsworth or Baron Hill or whoever would have to run a write-in campaign to defeat her in that primary in May.

So how’s D’Ippolito doing? She’s collected 3,500 of the 4,500 signatures, 500 in each Congressional district in Indiana, which are needed by noon tomorrow in order to qualify. D’Ippolito said that she’s particularly short in IN-08, in the Terre Haute/Evansville area of the district. Her campaign manager has contacted all of the heads of the county Democratic parties asking them if they would help her get on the ballot.

But she’s not getting the sense that they want to be helpful in that effort. “Politics in Indiana is the old boy’s school. They’re getting ready to put one of their own in,” D’Ippolito, a cafe owner in Bloomington who gained experience in politics running a primary campaign for Gretchen Clearwater in 2006. “My gut feeling tells me they’re meeting in a room, I don’t know if they’re smoking cigars,” D’Ippolito said, basically working under the assumption that Bayh’s announcement was timed so the state party could pick the nominee by themselves. “The timing of this is amazing.”

D’Ippolito told me she is the first woman to ever run for the US Senate in Indiana. Her impression from working on prior campaigns and from this one is that Indiana political culture is a “tight old boys school, it borders on sexism.” In a state where the population is 52% women, D’Ippolito says “in the future, we women of Indiana are not going to tolerate” the chummy, insider culture.

Now, I suspect it may be as much as that she's a complete unknown, and one that hasn't raised any significant money, and hasn't yet mustered the needed signatures. Her website is child's play. Really, when I looked it over this afternoon, the first thing I thought was, "A complete amateur like this could perhaps win the US Senate, thanks to party label. I can think of a thousand better Libertarians".

But her comments are interesting. The Democrats? Good ol' boys? Borderline sexists? I love it. May they eat each other alive.

And I'm Santa Claus!

I must be, if the President really believes what he's saying here. From Bloomberg:

Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama said he and his administration have pursued a “fundamentally business- friendly” agenda and are “fierce advocates” for the free market, rejecting corporate criticism of his policies.

“The irony is, is that on the left we are perceived as being in the pockets of big business; and then on the business side, we are perceived as being anti-business,” Obama said in a Feb. 9 interview in the Oval Office with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, which will appear on newsstands tomorrow.

Well, those on the left are correct- the Administration is in the pockets of big business. Note how he did not say, 'and then on the big business side...'. He said, 'then on the business side, we are perceived as being anti-business'. That's an important distinction, and business (generally) is correct in its' criticism as well.

What is fundmantally business friendly about considering compelling all business owners to provide health insurance for their employees, whether they can afford to do so or not? Or, about considering environmental regulations that would make our energy costs skyrocket? What is inherently 'free trade' about the huge tariffs the Administration slapped on Chinese tires? Or, in taking a huge stake in GM?

It seems like Obama recognizes some inherently beloved aspect of the terms 'free market' and 'business friendly' such that he can sling them around without meaning.

“We are pro-growth,” Obama said. “We are fierce advocates for a thriving, dynamic free market.”

Yeah, right. I can tell how much you respect a free market by how much you meddle in it. Bollocks.

Unemployment Images

Now this is positively frightening.



For a cleaner view, follow this link.

Under the Bush Administration, jobs were being lost, and under a full year of Obama's Administration, it has gotten worse. When you read comments that follow graphics like these, the wilfull partisan ignorance is amazing. Mainly, both sides have failed. Pointing fingers at the Rs or Ds yields one response: You're both right. They're at fault.

Who The F?

I had to laugh when checking out ESPN's website this morning. They had a poll asking which song The Who will play at halftime on Sunday. The winner, in something like 45 of 50 states? "Who Are You".

Give the NFL's edginess about FCC regulations since the Wardrobe Malfunction, I'm thinking there's no way they play "Who Are You". Hope they do. I love the tune, and NFL nervousness makes me grin.

Asylum For Germans?

When is the last time a German national fled his country for the USA seeking something like religious freedom? Looks like 2006. From a Time Magazine article:

Uwe and Hannelore Romeike are not like other asylum seekers, people fleeing war or torture in places like Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia. They're music teachers from a village in southern Germany. And yet, in what appears to be the first case of its kind, the couple and their five children were granted asylum in the U.S. last week by an immigration judge who ruled that they had a "well-founded fear of persecution" in their home country for engaging in what has become a popular albeit somewhat controversial American practice — homeschooling their children.

The Romeikes, who are Evangelical Christians, took their three eldest children out of school in the town of Bissingen in 2006 because they were concerned about the impact the government-approved curriculum and the public-school environment would have on their social development. "Over the past 10 to 20 years, the curriculum in public schools in Germany has been more and more against Christian values, and my eldest children were having problems with violence, bullying and peer pressure. It's important for parents to have the freedom to choose the way their children can be taught," Uwe Romeike said in a statement provided by the couple's attorney, Michael Donnelly of the Virginia-based Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

It's as much religious freedom as educational freedom, so the last lines of the story intrigued me greatly:

The ruling is sure to ignite passions on both sides of the debate — and may spur other parents around the world to follow the Romeikes' lead. If this happens, the U.S. could see a flood of a new type of refugees —educational asylum seekers.

With the kinds of jobs current immigrants tend to seek drying up, we've seen a slackened rate of immigration from places like Mexico in the last year or so. Might this ruling indeed spur a new kind of immigrant? It all comes as a surprise to me, as I had viewed American homeschoolers as a sort of hassled bunch. Apparently 'hassled' and 'freedom' continue to be relative terms. Good to know we're more free, and at least for one family, a destination.

Super Graft

The Indianapolis Colts made two Super Bowl tickets available at face value to each of the members of the City-County Council. To get the measure of the graft that represents, consider how difficult it is to get that ticket at any price.

I just checked Stub Hub, a ticket re-seller, where I bought NY Rangers tickets two weeks ago at 60% face value. The cheapest nosebleed seat is currently posted at $1,418. The good seats in Section 114 go for as much as $9,131. Each. Hell, they're $3,000+ in the end zones! Stub Hub Super Bowl ticket link.

I don't care that the tickets were offered at face value. The City-County Council votes on Capital Improvement Board issues, which can (and has) put money directly into the pockets of Colts ownership. It's graft. There's no other way to describe it.

I am very proud of Libertarian Councilor Ed Coleman, who was apparently just one of three Councilors to refuse the offer. Why elect Libertarians? They can't be bought like Republicans and Democrats can. 26 of their Councilors accepted the graft, according to the Indy Star:

Ward said the Colts received requests from 32 legislators and four members of Congress. Each was able to purchase two tickets.

Twenty-six of the 29 City-County Council members had purchased two tickets at the $800 face value.

"It's a show of appreciation for their public service," Ward said. "It's very typical among professional sports teams to make this offering."

I'd like to know who did take the tickets. Their names should be MUD.

Free Speech Isn't Always Easy To Sort Out

I had a Facebook dialogue prompt this post, centering on Super Bowl ads for CBS' broadcast, where in one case, perfectly good money was refused because of one controversial message, and in another, a different controversial message will be aired. From a Christian Science Monitor article:

Working in a tough advertising climate, CBS surprised many Americans by explaining a new policy on advocacy ads after news emerged that it had agreed to show an antiabortion ad featuring Florida QB Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam.

That decision caused an uproar over the ad itself, the sponsor (the conservative organization Focus on the Family), and the prospect of politics seeping into a three-hour block where most Americans are trying to escape from the daily grind.

But after CBS on Friday rejected a potentially controversial ad from ManCrunch, a Toronto-based gay dating site, it opened itself up for criticism – which came fast and furious. The so-called “man-kiss ad” shows two football fans touching hands over a bowl of potato chips, which then leads, as the ad implies, to a make-out session."

CBS has a problem when they do something like this at the same time as they allow an anti-gay group like Focus on the Family to place ads during the Super Bowl,” says Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD.) “This network should come clean to the public about what's going on because this seems to be a homophobic double standard."

Well, of course it's a double standard. Interested parties certainly should be unhappy with CBS. Complain loudly if you don't like it. Just don't call it censorship or an affront to free speech.

As owner of their channel, CBS has every right in the world to air, or not air, anything it chooses. They have the right to display any bias they wish with their advertising. That is genuine free speech, when the owner of the medium decides. Indeed, the worst case scenario would be that CBS was made to air an ad it didn't wish to. That's worse than censorship. That's fascism, literally, where one owns a property, but is dictated as to its' use.

As for me, I would love to see other broadcast stations take up the ad. Sure, it's not the same as advertising to the largest TV audience of the year. At the same time, the rejection has generated some buzz that would-be advertisers don't usually enjoy more than a week before the big game.

So, here's what all the fuss is about:



Just doing my part to show that ManCrunch hasn't been censored. Gratis.

(The most objectionable part is showing a Packer and Viking fan embracing. Everyone knows that would never happen.)

Update: Apparently, there is an ad that should be every bit as controversial as these, courtesy of Bud Light. Check out this Reason blog post.

Ugly Business In The Indiana Senate

It seems that every year, Indiana's Senate passes a bill that causes me to feel shame about the state I live in- one that recommends a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

For one thing, the premise is complete bunk. From the mouth of the author, via the Indy Star:

"Marriage is one of the foundations of our society," said Sen. Carlin Yoder, R-Middlebury, who authored the amendment. "It is something that I firmly believe needs to be protected."

I've never understood, despite a ton of hot air, how a same-sex union threatens marriage. I'm married to my wife, and not once have I felt any suspect inclination that it would come crashing to an end upon hearing that gay people were marrying in California or Massachusetts, or some other state. Nothing affects my marriage, because it is between myself and my wife.

You want to protect marriage, Yoder? Ban divorce.

Better yet, get government out of the business of regulating marriage altogether. Let the churches marry people who want to be married. Let the courts uphold the contracts and agreements made by two people, whether married or not. How hard is that?

Apparently, for Republicans, that's too much to take. They apparently are much happier sticking their nose into people's private lives. Don't be fooled by their rhetoric about smaller government. What a load of crap. Don't let me hear another Republican derisively shout 'socialism'! Physician? Heal thyself!

So, I was especially proud of the Libertarian Party of Indiana, when the party stood up to declare opposition to this bill.

The notion of changing our Constitution to include Senate Joint Resolution 13 is in complete disharmony with the Preamble of this State’s guiding document.

Our Constitution reads, “WE DECLARE, That all people are created equal; that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that all power is inherent in the People; and that all free governments are, and of right ought to be, founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and well-being.”

Let me translate for the proponents of SJR-13. Our government was instituted to protect the right of every Hoosier to make decisions as they see fit. Our Constitution was written to protect us from invasive government.

Shame on those members of both the Senate and House that seek to violate the purpose of our Constitution. For all the sign waving by my Republican friends about liberty and socialism, it is striking that they would propose to write into this document discrimination and direct government interference.

Beyond this, the Republicans who promote this nonsense actually make Pat Bauer look like he's got his finger on the pulse of the state. From the Star:

House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said the amendment is unlikely to receive a hearing this year, arguing the state's trial and appeals courts have upheld Indiana's marriage law.

"It's the same old song," Bauer said. "Some people don't have enough to do creating jobs and moving this economy forward, so they think up divisive things."

So, I'm proud of the LPIN, and ashamed of the Republicans. Why could I never get on board with the Republicans? Because they do so many irrelevant and needlessly antagonistic, counterproductive, and oppressive things.

What The Talk Will Be Tomorrow

Did the President give a speech tonight? Forget about that. Glenn Beck will be all over what Chris Matthews said on MSNBC. It's so egregious that Media Matters posted it up:






I was just remarking the other day what a complete douchebag Chris Matthews is. So it goes.

If Glenn Beck said this, there would be calls for his head and his job. Let's see if there are similar calls for Matthews.

It's just as well. The State of the Union address was what is becoming typical Obama: Great speechifying, little real substance, contradictions and impossibilities within the text, and the masterful deception of making one's own messes appear to have been someone else's doing and cause for alarm/action. Seemed like a campaign speech rather than a report.

What? There's Waste?

On the drive from NYC to Cleveland last week, I saw the highway signs referred to in this CNN article:

A state senator from Ohio says his state is spending $1 million on road signs to advertise the use of stimulus money for road projects. In other words, the state is using your money to tell you it's spending your money.

State Sen. Tim Grendell, R-Ohio, calls it a waste of taxpayer dollars. The road signs he's concerned about display words such as "Project Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" Some road projects have two signs, and some don't have any at all, but the signs aren't cheap.

The bigger signs can cost as much as $3,000 each, according to Grendell, who says this is just a big "thank you" to the Obama Administration.

He told CNN, "Send a fruit basket if you want to say 'thank you.' Don't waste a million dollars saying 'thank' you to Washington for giving us back our tax money."

Grendell says the message here is that stimulus dollars are "being spent stupidly."

Ohio's Department of Transportation says that criticism misses the point -- that this is all about transparency.

Oh, it's transparent all right. It's easy to see that money is being flushed down the shitter. Why not just post big signs campaigning for Obama's re-election? Yeah. Send the fruit basket instead. That it is called the 'American Recovery and Reinvestment Act' allows one to see through what a gigantic load of BS it is.

I've seen the same signs in southern Indiana, on I-64 between Louisville and Evansville, if memory serves. My reaction then was that it was more a big gesture of patting onesself on the back. The angle of the waste of it didn't even occur to me. $3,000 per sign? Wow.

Who Says A Libertarian Doesn't Pray For Obama's Success?

Wow. Was just looking over my 2009 tax info. Scary stuff. In 2009, I made half of what I made in 2008, which was half of what I made in 2007. Depressing.

I can't afford to half my income again, so yes, I do pray for Obama's success and a turnaround in the economy. I don't have a lot of faith in the process of repeating so many Bush mistakes that got me and so many others to this point, but I have to hold out hope, don't I?

Kind of funny, but I really long for the days when I would write a check to cover my taxes that went above my withholding. Haven't 'had the pleasure' in waaaaay too long.

NFL All-Star Game A Joke

None of the pro sports has an all-star game more irrelevant than the NFL. It was bad enough that the league used to host the game after the Super Bowl, so as to be anti-climactic. Now the game is hosted the week before the Super Bowl, assuring that nobody from the two best teams in the league will play.

I mean, why would anyone want to see Drew Brees, or Peyton Manning, or six other Colts play, right? Check out this article for yuks.

All other sports host their games mid-season. I know the NFL is rightly concerned about injuries occurring during an exhibition game. Why not just have a skills competition? The NHL does it, and it's every bit as entertaining, or moreso, than the actual all-star game.

Back From New York

I spent the better part of last week in New York City, helping my friend Steve move. The City is still fun for me, but it appeals to me a lot less than it once did. I'm sure having two little kids at home makes Indiana more appealing than NYC, but there were trends I noticed that I didn't like.

The City is getting dirty again. I noticed a lot more litter everywhere I went.

The panhandling is increasing. Several times, people got on the train for the sole purpose of loudly announcing their personal tale of woe, and trying to pull the heart strings & purse strings. I hadn't seen this in more than 10 years.

Then, after going to a great Indian restaurant, the Jackson Diner in Jackson Heights- one an Indiana recommended to me- I realized that there is an Indian restaurant every bit as good in Fishers (India Sizzling).

I love the full-on ethnic diversity in places like Jackson Heights, in Queens. Indiana positively lacks this. But the tradeoffs? Noise, foul smells, dog crap on every sidewalk, hellish traffic, crowded slow trains, high prices... Feh.

Had a great exchange with a receptionist at the Museum of American Finance, on Wall Street. We got to talking and it came out that I am from Indiana. With the Jets-Colts game coming up, it went like this:

Her: Are you ready for the big game?
Me: What big game?
Her: What do you mean, 'what big game'? My Jets and your Colts!
Me: (Ignoring that they aren't 'ours') Big game? That's in three weeks.
Her: What's the matter with you? The game is this Sunday.
Me: Yeah, but that's not the big game. The Super Bowl is in three weeks. The Jets are a nice tune-up for the Colts.
Her: Uh, hey!

Good museum. Indiana also lacks the sheer volume and range of museums NYC has, and I couldn't have had this banter here at home. Still- nice place to visit, but no longer any desire to live there.

Purity or Compromise

I had a very interesting, very provocative article sent to me, covering the political suicide that is ideological purity. Check this out, on Frum Forum:

One thing political parties and partisans seem never to learn: the purer you are, the more you lose.

The divisions of Red and Green parties in ancient Rome, where heads literally rolled, have manifested themselves in the blog beheadings by the two greatest proponents of purity in American politics today: the “progressive” left of the Democratic Party and the “purifier” forces in the Republican Party. So far, the great achievements of these two forces has been two-fold: the Progressives have been able to help President Obama’s approval ratings tank; and, the Republican purists have been able to facilitate the Republican loss of the 23rd House District of New York and help push Sen. Arlen Specter over to the Democratic Party. But, MoveOn.org and the Club for Growth have so much more work to do. After all, the theological nature of these two groups demands that they drive out apostasy even if it means that they defeat the very policies they purport to support.

For a tidy case in point, check out this urgent article on the need for Massachusetts progressives to defeat Coakley:

It is very important that progressives help defeat Coakley. Please read my explanation. The more power the folks in the Democratic Corporate Suck Up wing of the party gain, the more we will have to fight to make the party move to the left. I do not think that many progressive Democrats understand that putting such people as Coakley into power is worse than having a Republican in the seat. Just being in the Democratic Party does not and will not ensure a progressive agenda. Do you not see that? So, if you get her into the seat, what makes you think she will be any better than Lincoln, or Nelson, or Lieberman! It will, in fact, ensure that there will be NO progressive agenda. It was not the Republicans who failed us of late. It was the Democrats. We will never succeed as long as the Dem’s can talk liberal and vote corporate.

One lesson I learned by observation was that when politics becomes an all or nothing game, you are bound to get nothing. At the same time, look at Ron Paul. He ran a very ideologically pure campaign, and sparked great interest. Maybe not votes in the primaries, but a real following, and a development of his ideas. Barry Goldwater didn't win in 1964, but he set the stage. Etc. If some of Paul's bills advance and are passed, that marks a win for purity. For now...

In my own case, I consider myself a fairly radical libertarian. This may shock some of the folks who declined to back my campaign in 2006 on the basis of my running as a moderate Libertarian. That was my campaign strategy. All or nothing? I wasn't in it for nothing.

I also learned a lot from observing Ted Kennedy. He never came out and declared himself a socialist, although I believe that is exactly what he was. He always called for ever more incremental movements in his direction. Damned if he really didn't take tremendous gains over the life of his Senate career.

Going back to the Frum article, there are a few things I take issue with. Calling Ronald Reagan a libertarian? Check his war record as President and then get back to me. (Oh, was I being too pure there?) Then this:

If we were to scratch most of the Tea Party protesters, we would probably find just as many libertarians as social conservatives, if not more. Indeed, the battle within the GOP won't be among so-called moderates, social conservatives, and populists. The real battle will be between the pro-Ayn Rand Club for Growth (which supports the right of any banker in New York City to make any amount of money he or she can) and the populist Tea Party gang (which wants to hang every banker in New York City). The present marriage of convenience between these two forces cannot last. Can one imagine a true Tea Party member supporting the right of Goldman Sachs' employees to make as much money as they can, regardless of the consequences to society? Or the Club for Growth insisting that their members absolutely condemn abortion in any circumstance?

It's a lot grayer than that. I reckon there are a lot of Tea Party folks who don't care how much bankers make, but care deeply about how much money Congress throws to the banks. They surely do react to the bonuses that come out of public largess, but if those bonuses were private money, many (most?) wouldn't fuss a whit. Also, many of the staunchest anti-abortion social conservatives reserve judgment on abortion in the cases of rape and incest.

The bulk of the article rings true to me, but sadly. The sad thing really, is that it points to more of this Bush-Obama morph, running to the center on no ideology at all, but the mere expedience of the moment which consists little more than of sticking one's finger in the air to see which way the wind blows. That ain't leadership. Look at what it's doing to us with this corporatist war-state.

(Big h/t to Wainstead!)

Yum, Yum! Plate O' Crow!

Looks like I was proven wrong about the Colts chances after resting players. Where's my fork and my salt? Todd, can you help a feller out here?


While I did watch the game, and was pulling for the Colts, I found myself fairly detached from it. I watched hockey and surfed at the same time. I'm not one of those sports fans who merely cheers on the team wearing my colors. I like my teams to have certain characterisitcs that I can identify with. Shrinking from greatness and history is just not something I can get behind.

I've struggled with being a San Jose Sharks fan these last couple of seasons. Now they are one of the most talented teams in the league. It wasn't always the case. My favorite years backing the Sharks were '99-04. These were the years with decent talent like Owen Nolan, Mike Vernon, Mike Ricci, Vincent Damphousse, and Gary Suter. They were coached by Daryl Sutter, and were a tough, gritty team, with players like Bryan Marchment, Stephane Matteau, Adam Graves, Dave Lowry, Ronnie Stern, Tony Granato, and Ron Sutter. These teams acheived beyond their talent, and I really wanted to pull for them each and every game.

Now? They team often takes the tack of, "We're the great San Jose Sharks. We merely need to put our sticks on the ice, and we'll win". They've gotten knocked out of the playoffs, early in the playoffs, every season since coach Sutter left.

Give me heart over talent any day. I couldn't tell which it was that won the game for the Colts yesterday. Maybe a little of each. Maybe a lot of Ravens' mistakes. Big mistakes.

I'll watch the next game. Well, at least part of it. I'll be playing hockey during part of it. I really don't suspect I'll be thinking about the Colts even a little bit while out on the ice.

A Replacement For George Carlin?

I snickered when I read the CNN politics page link teaser, "Sarah Palin Gets Vegas Gig". No, she isn't doing stand-up, even if her candidacy for VP seemed like a Neil Hamburger routine. But no, she's addressing the alcohol industry at a convention. From the CNN report:

Washington (CNN) - Las Vegas and alcohol probably aren't the first two things that come to mind at the mention of Sarah Palin, but the former vice presidential candidate is about to change that.

At least that's according to Craig Wolf, the president and CEO of the Wine and Liquor Wholesalers of America, who announced Tuesday that Palin will keynote the group's annual convention and and expo in Las Vegas in early April.

"Governor Palin is a great supporter of America's free enterprise system and understands that industries like the beverage alcohol industry play a key role in driving our national economy. We're proud and honored to welcome her as a speaker," Wolf said in a statement. "We expect she will share with the convention attendees her analysis of the current political environment and her vision for America's future."

If she were such a great supporter of truly free enterprise, she'd get up before them and let them know that she finds the wholesaling laws to be protectionist and generating a needless, inefficient monopoly for middlemen.

I know that would be bad form, taking their speaking fee and then bursting their bubble. But hey, just saying. I guess maybe the reason Palin appeals to conservatives is that they don't understand liberty.

What Next? Jokes on SNL?

The Onion has a take on the Colts rested players. Excellent.

Colts To Rest Starters For First Game Of Playoffs

INDIANAPOLIS—At his weekly press conference Monday, Colts head coach Jim Caldwell announced that he will rest key starters during the divisional round of the AFC playoffs to keep his players fresh for a Super Bowl run. "You can't win the Super Bowl if you don't get there with all your players healthy," said Caldwell, who added that next Saturday quarterback Peyton Manning would probably get the first two series, which will mostly be comprised of running plays. "Dwight [Freeney] and Dallas [Clark] will get about a quarter in the AFC Championship game. But honestly, even if we make it to the Super Bowl, I can't see playing these guys the whole game. The 2010 season is closer than you think." Throughout the entire press conference Manning could be seen in full uniform, stalking and pacing in the back of the room.

Heh.

A Soup of Thoughts on Travel and Food

I'm going to New York City next week, and looking forward to the food. Mainly, I'm staying in Queens, in Jackson Heights, which has more ethnic food of excellent quality than all of Indiana, far as I can tell. I am certain that I will eat Indian and Afghani, and probably eat in Chinatown for Dim Sum. Other options include a huge range of Latino offerings (Mexican, Columbian, Ecuadoran) and of course Italian.

New York is a funny place. Because I started going there in the late 80s, I still kind of think of it as a wild, permissive place. That's not in line with the outward reality, what with the smoking ban, the assault on trans fats, and now an attack on salt. From CNN:

First it was trans fats. Then it was high-calorie fast food. Now, the New York City Health Department is tackling another diet enemy: salt.

The department unveiled an initiative Monday urging restaurants and food companies across the country to voluntarily reduce their products' salt levels, city officials said.

"Salt is a huge problem in our diets," said Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control Program at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "The majority of us consume too much salt, which increases blood pressure and puts us at risk for heart attack and stroke."

New York has partnered with cities, states and national health organizations across the country with the goal of cutting the salt in packaged and restaurant foods gradually by 25 percent over five years. Doing that would reduce the nation's salt intake by 20 percent, Angell said.

The funny thing is, I don't smoke (never have), don't eat a lot of fast food, and I have low blood pressure (have even been advised by my physician to increase my salt intake at times). I didn't need any laws to bring me to this way of life, as astonishing as that may be to a pointy-headed New Yorker.

I'm kind of interested to see what impact these laws have had on the food there. One place I want to visit is Manhattan's Skylight Diner. They have many Greek dishes, but their fries were to die for. I want to see how they taste, along with some of their other obviously high calorie offerings.

This year, I chose to give up sodas. Now, my friends know what a sacrifice that is. I LOVE sodas. I used to drink 4 liters of Coke daily. When I started realizing that I could shed a few pounds just by switching from regular Coke to Diet Coke, I lost eight pounds. But, I've had a kidney stone, and phosphoric acid is an obvious culprit, so I dramatically cut my cola intake back in 2006.

Mind you, I did this without the benefit of a well-intentioned law directing me accordingly. I gathered the data, and made a choice. Isn't that incredible! That's not supposed to actually work in the real world.

And, I've said nothing about root beer. I really loooooove root beer. No matter. I've given them up. Gone 11+ days now without one. It's a matter of my personality that I find it easier to go completely without at first. Maybe come Summer I'll allow myself the occasional fizzy treat. But for now, a clean break. Lots of unsweetened ice teas, with loads of lemon for me!

Global Warming, Indeed

This weather we're having must be the effects of global warming. From CNN:

Floridians braced for a second surge of Arctic air that promised to dip well into the southern parts of the state. Key West already set a record low temperature on Thursday, bottoming out at 47 degrees -- shattering the previous low set back in 1897. Temperatures on Sunday and Monday are expected to be in the low-to-mid-40s.

Here I was expecting Florida to submerge under the rising oceans. Maybe that investment in real estate in rural Georgia was a hasty move.

Why The Fight?

Interesting. Democrats have been pushing for heavy taxes on estates, so it is a curiosity that Mel Simon's estate is being fought over in the courts. Per the Star:

One of Simon's daughters, Deborah J. Simon, is accusing her father's second wife, Bren, of coercing her ill husband to sign a new estate plan a few months before his death, while he was gravely ill and dependent on her for care.

The new estate plan increased Bren Simon's share of the estate by hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a complaint filed by Deborah Simon in Hamilton Superior Court. Meanwhile, the change essentially eliminates all charitable donations and dramatically reduces the inheritances of Deborah and her two siblings, the complaint alleges.

Bren's a good Democrat. She should be pleased to see unearned wealth handed over to the omnipotent state. Government knows best what to do with money, after all. Tax those rich people as they pass! Heavily!