Not raising the national debt limit is NOT default

Obama has been saying that he will default on the obligations of the United States (treasury bonds) if Congress doesn't raise the federal debt limit. 
   That's scare mongering.  Tax revenue is enough to cover two thirds of the federal spending.  So pay off the bonds with tax revenue, pay the armed services (you're gonna need 'em).  Pay social security 'cause of the political uproar that will result if you don't.  Furlough all the civil servants, except maybe air traffic controllers. Stop buying (or at least paying for) new toys for the armed services.  Stop highway construction, farm subsidies, Congressional pay and benefits.  Close down Agriculture, Health & Human Services, Transportation, Commerce, CIA, NSA, EPA, FDA.  If you run out of money, pay suppliers (including medical suppliers) with IOU's.  We can make it.  We might even find we can save serious money.

First Test Flight for Bombardier CS100

After $3.4 billion and 5 years development, The CS100 airliner made it's first test flight.  CS100 is an ordinary looking twin engine jetliner with 110 seats.   That's small, the bread and butter Boeing 737 seats 150 to 170, but it's big enough to be a real inter city airliner, rather than a puddle jumper.  Bombardier has 177 firm orders for it.  Boeing and Airbus have a competitor.  
   It is the first airliner to use Pratt and Whitney geared turbofan engines which promise extra good fuel efficiency.  P&W has great hopes set on the geared turbofan.
   If this works out, it will promote Canada in to the very select club of nations advanced enough to manufacture airliners.  Right now the club consists of the US, the Russians (barely), France and Germany (Airbus).  That's pretty small.  The Chinese have a project going but not going well.  
   

Does anyone think we can talk the Iranians out of their nukes?

The Iranians have been working to get nuclear weapons for years.  They want nukes badly.  They want nukes to prevent the Americans from doing regime change on them, like we did on Saddam Hussein 10 years  ago.  The Iranians figure if the Americans can knock over Iraq in a month, something which the Iranians failed to do after a ten years war, then the Americans can take them over just as easily.  The Ayatollahs have no desire to wind up hiding in foxholes like Saddam did.
   There is nothing we can offer Iran in return for scrapping their nuclear program. The Iranians are dead set on getting nukes, they have spent a load of money on them, they have endured economic sanctions, they are so close they can taste it, they aren't going to quit now.
  No matter what deals we offer, what threats we make, the Iranian nuclear program is going ahead.
  And yet, our Obama, is taking the occasion of the UN dog and pony show, to talk about negotiation with Iran.  The Iranians are fine with that, they will happily negotiate until hell freezes over, or until they set off their first nuke.  Sure we can negotiate, but nothing is going to come of it.
   Obama is OK with that, as long as the negotiations are going on he doesn't have to make any commitments, or even worse, go to Congress and ask for military action against Iran.   He is hoping that things will drag out long enough for him to leave office without having to make a move.
   It's time for another Stuxnet.

Light weight fighter

Textron, ( parent of Cessna and Bell helicoptor) and a new company Airland, are developing a new light jet fighter, called Scorpion, on their own money.  Scorpion is a big step up from the turbo prop Super Tuscano light fighter in terms of range, payload and speed.  It's main claim to fame will be low cost per flying hour.  Textron-Airland is claiming $3000 per flying hour, which is cheap cheap cheap compared to $24,899 per flying hour for an F-16.  For missions in friendly airspace (Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, South America) where the supersonic speed and huge payload of  advanced fighters isn't needed,  it could be a winner. 
  The aircraft is a twin engine, two seat, smallish aircraft, capable of lifting 10,000 pounds of bombs and rockets, 2400 mile ferry range, with a modest top speed of 430 knots.  The Viet Nam era F105 Thunderchief usually flew with only 4500 pounds of bombs, which makes the Scorpion a heavy duty bomber.  With its modest top speed, Scorpion is dead meat against enemy fighters, but if the enemy doesn't have fighters, it's home free. 
   Can they sell Scorpion to USAF?  It will be a tough sell.  USAF is run by fighter pilots who want to buy the hottest fighter possible.  These are combat veterans who all have memories of that time when a little extra speed or altitude or firepower saved their lives.  Guys like this don't like to buy second best any thing, they want to buy only the best.  Then there is the budget crunch.  USAF is short on money and looking around for things to cut to stay in business.  The thought of  sacrificing some F-35 money, and some F-35's, to get mixed up with a low performance light weight fighter isn't going to be attractive.  Textron-Airland is going to have to pitch the Scorpion to the Pentagon bean counters, who like cheap cheap cheap, rather than Air Force officers. 
   If USAF buys some, then it can be sold overseas.  Overseas buyers look on USAF acceptance as a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  If the Americans will fly it, it's got to be OK.  If the Americans aren't flying it, its probably a death trap. 

Welfare for Lawyers

The TV News announced that the lawyers are going to stall around on the Boston bomber case for another four months.  They will tell us what they are going to charge him with in January of 2014.  And I am sure the lawyers will all be drawing full pay for doing nothing.  We know what Tsarnaev did,  first degree murder, a dozen counts.  You don't have to be a lawyer to know that.
   Let's get on with it.   We should have put him on trial  back in June, convicted him and executed him.  Justice delayed is justice denied.  

Dealing with Assad's chemical weapons.

Lots of talk about this subject, negotiations, sharing of credit/blame.  Assad asked for $1 billion dollars to destroy his poison gas.  Henry Kissenger  said nice things about it this morning.  Kerry has had meetings with the Russian foreign minister.  Looks like the "international community" is setting up for a years long carnival.

   Here's what ought to be done.  Intelligence reports that the Syrians have 1000 tons of stuff.  That's a little too heavy to lift out with helicopters.  But an ordinary Army truck can handle 5 tons with ease.  That means 200 truckloads.  We can do that.  Have some tanks to lead the convoy,  bring infantry in armored personnel carriers, provide air support, some choppers right over head, jet fighters on 5 minute alert to back them up.  Drive to the storage site.  Drive the lead tanks thru the gate.  Doesn't matter whether the gate is open or closed.  Load the chemical weapons onto the trucks.  Drive back to the seaport.  Drive trucks, tanks, APC's and all right onto the Roll on/ Roll off cargo ship waiting at the pier.  Steam out of harbor.
   Repeat for each Syrian chemical weapons storage site.  The Economist published a map showing where they are.  If they know, surely Mossad or CIA can do as well.  

   Of course this means American troops going on the ground in Syria.  That will cause intense political heartburn in DC.   But, it will solve the problem of Assad's chemical weapons, for real.  

Obamacare Software Fail?

The newsies are talking about a bit of software that was supposed to compute Obamacare subsidies is broken.  Well, if you hire lame programmers maybe.  But this is such a simple problem, I could have programmed it, tested it and delivered it in a month.  Compared to programs the keep track of every airline seat in the world, all the space junk in orbit,  routing a 20 layer PC board,  figuring Obama care benefits is child's play.
   The newsies have been concealing the name of the contractor lest he be mocked.