What does the Ames Straw Poll mean?

The TV newsies love it, it's a straight forward, simple opinion poll that can be easily comprehended by uneducated journalists. It pops Michelle Bachmann up to the top and drove out Tim Pawlenty. It brought in Rick Perry so we cannot say it limited the field much.
It doesn't really solve the Republican's candidate problem. Michelle Bachmann is too much into wedge issues (aka "social conservatism") to appeal to the independents. Up here in the Northwoods independents are 30% or more of the registrations and control the election. Independents are very accommodating to Tea Party ideas but either don't want to get mixed up in wedge issues, or they approve of gay marriage and are pro choice. Either way, Bachmann is unlikely to attract them. Most NH Republicans just want some one to beat Obama, and that means someone who can attract the independent vote.
So far Romney, despite some baggage, looks like a good bet. We don't know much about Perry except that he has created a lot of jobs in Texas. That sounds good. The Wall St Journal ran an uncomplimentary-to-Perry op-ed on Saturday. The Journal describes a Texas state economic development fund that made a lot of grants to contributors to the Perry campaign. Clearly the Journal wishes Perry would go back to Texas.

So what is the Tea Party

So far, the Tea Party is not a tradiditional American political party. It does not have ballot access like the Republicans and Democrats have, and it does not run candidates. The best description of the Tea Party is an effective political pressure group. This may change, but as of right now, that's how it is.
The Tea Party is most concerned about taxes and spending. Specifically the US budget is un sustainable, we cannot borrow 40% of Federal spending for ever, there isn't that much money in the world. In fact the only reason the US can still sell Treasury bonds is that investors don't think the US will default on them, and all the other places to invest (stock market!) look worse. As soon as Great Depression 2.0 clears up, treasuries will compete with other investments at a disadvantage. The Tea Party was created to oppose this flushing of the American dollar and economy down the drain. I receive constant emails urging the Tea Party members to stick to their guns, (taxes and spending) and avoid wedge issues like gay marriage and abortion.

Hot Landing Zones (LZ) are very dangerous

My condolences to the families of the men killed in the Afghanistan chopper crash over the weekend. They gave their lives defending the country and deserve all honor.
We learned in Viet Nam that landing a chopper under enemy fire is very dangerous, helicopters are not bullet proof. Ordinary rifle fire will penetrate every part of the fuselage, and every part of passengers and crew. According to the TV news, the Chinook was hit with an anti-tank rocket. Such a rocket can kill an armored tank. An all aluminum chopper is no contest.
Helicopter air assault is very dangerous. We should be thankful to have soldiers brave enough to take part in it.

Federal regulation cost enhancement

Aviation Week reports that Boeing has made 1200 test flights with five aircraft to meet 1700 FAA certification requirements. This is for a new version of the venerable 747, which has been flying passengers for nearly 40 years.
1200 flights is one hell of a lot of flying. My old Air Force fighter squadron needed a year to rack up that many sorties. And this is a minor modification of a well proven and highly reliable aircraft with a magnificent safety record.
Could this be yet another case of government desk weenies making a company jump thru expensive hoops just because they can?
Each test flight burns up $40,000 worth of jet fuel. To say nothing of paying the flight crew, and the maintenance effect.

Gold now priced like Platinum

The price of gold has risen so much that it is now as costly as platinum.

Lots of hand wringing, but no calls for action

Fox news and the WSJ have been wringing their hands over the debt down grade from AAA to AA+. Lots of unhappy talk about who is to blame, how bad or not bad it will be. No calls to do something about it. Let's get the economy growing again, that will put people back to work, paying taxes rather than collecting unemployment, companies making money, that's what will fix the debt crises.
If half the hot air devoted to finger pointing and post morteming would go into advocating fixes we would be home free.
By the way, it ain't the Tea Party's fault. We have been spending more than we take in taxes for a long time, digging a deep hole. The Tea Party understands the first rule of holes. When you are in a hole, stop digging.

Dems don't compromise either

The Dems, who complain about lack of compromise from Tea Partiers and Republicans, have shown how intransigent they can be. They shut down the FAA, furloughing 4000 bureaucrats, shutting down airport construction projects, laying off a bunch of construction workers, all over a measly $16.5 million in pork which the Republicans wanted to trim.
To be fair, there was one other issue. The Obama appointed FAA had issued a rule making it easier to unionize a company and the Republicans wanted to repeal it, putting things back the way they have been since the 1930's. But still, it was a minor issue, abet one dear to the hearts of labor unions.
As an observer on the side lines, it is incredible that the dems refused to give the Republicans $16.5 million in cuts and a union issue. $16.5 million is chicken feed and any company under FAA jurisdiction that isn't union now is unlikely to go union under any rule. But the dems dug in their heels and refused to compromise (aka give the Republicans what they wanted in return for keeping all those good democratic voting bureaucrats on the payroll).