And that is what Obama is playing on the debt ceiling. He wants a tax hike. The Republicans want spending cuts. Obama thinks the Republicans will cave if he stands tough. The House Republicans are thinking the same. Head on collision anyone?
When a top level meeting at the White House breaks up after only 90 minutes, they are not doing serious bargaining.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Media Matters vs the NRA
Long discussion of "media mattters"(a liberal anti fox news website). The liberal member of the panel kept comparing media matters to the NRA.
Not a good comparison. The NRA represents some 2 million dues paying members. Media matters represents a dozen or so lefty bloggers.
Not a good comparison. The NRA represents some 2 million dues paying members. Media matters represents a dozen or so lefty bloggers.
Windows 7 takes a step backward toward DOS
Back in the bad old days when a program locked up, you could reboot (control-alt-delete) or cycle power to regain control. Windows NT, ancestor of today's windows fixed that. Control-alt-delete brought up Task Manager which allowed you to select the errant program with the mouse and shut it down.
Windows 7 seems to have broken this handy feature. Task Manager still come up, but the mouse doesn't work, which makes it nearly impossible to do anything useful with Task Manager.
"Nearly" means there are some keyboard short cuts that allow the user to do mouse things with keystrokes but few people remember what those short cuts are. I surely don't.
Windows 7 seems to have broken this handy feature. Task Manager still come up, but the mouse doesn't work, which makes it nearly impossible to do anything useful with Task Manager.
"Nearly" means there are some keyboard short cuts that allow the user to do mouse things with keystrokes but few people remember what those short cuts are. I surely don't.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)
Obama thinks Detroit can achieve 52 mile per gallon. In fact they are making regulations right now that will require 52 mpg in a few years. The only way to do this for real is to stop making pickup trucks, SUV's, full size sedans, and minivans, and make nothing but tiny four seat econoboxes. In the real world, the only way to increase gas mileage is make the car lighter and the engine smaller. So get ready for a lot of plastic, less sound deadening, and little tiny engines that have to wind up to 10,000 rpm just to pull up a steep driveway. And wait for the turbo to spool up before you get much power.
If you have a family to move and a house to maintain, your only hope is to find a used minivan surviving from the 2010's and restore it.
If you have a family to move and a house to maintain, your only hope is to find a used minivan surviving from the 2010's and restore it.
Friday, July 8, 2011
A balanced budget amendment
The Congress critters are talking this up. But does it really do anything? A balanced budget occurs when authorized spending is less than estimated revenues. An ancient method of "balancing" a budget is simply to estimate more revenue. Presto, chango, look we have a balanced budget, on paper.
Then there is the "off-budget" scam. Like the post office. USPS is really a government operation, but since it was "privatized" it doesn't show up on the federal budget. Lots of other things could be moved off budget too.
And then there is the emergency escape hatch. In times of dire emergency it will be OK to go in the red. And somehow every year has a dire emergency, and therefore we can spend more than we take in for "just that year".
Polls show that 72% of voters are in favor of a balanced budget amendment. But the same polls show that only 30% of voters are in favor of a balanced budget amendment if it cut their benefits or raised their taxes.
Translation, the voters are in favor of reduced spending, but they don't want to talk about bad things like cuts and tax hikes. Understandable.
Politicians can curry favor with voter by talking about balanced budget amendments rather than bad things like cuts and tax hikes.
We will go down the same drain the Greeks are going down if politicians won't talk about cuts and tax hikes.
Then there is the "off-budget" scam. Like the post office. USPS is really a government operation, but since it was "privatized" it doesn't show up on the federal budget. Lots of other things could be moved off budget too.
And then there is the emergency escape hatch. In times of dire emergency it will be OK to go in the red. And somehow every year has a dire emergency, and therefore we can spend more than we take in for "just that year".
Polls show that 72% of voters are in favor of a balanced budget amendment. But the same polls show that only 30% of voters are in favor of a balanced budget amendment if it cut their benefits or raised their taxes.
Translation, the voters are in favor of reduced spending, but they don't want to talk about bad things like cuts and tax hikes. Understandable.
Politicians can curry favor with voter by talking about balanced budget amendments rather than bad things like cuts and tax hikes.
We will go down the same drain the Greeks are going down if politicians won't talk about cuts and tax hikes.
Private sector jobs create wealth
And government jobs consume it. NHPR was talking about employment this morning, after a dismal jobs report for last month. The economist doing the talking was full of gloom and doom, there is no sector of the economy with any hiring going on. He thought it was just dreadful that 400,000 government employees had been laid off.
In actual fact, private sector workers, farmers, miners, factory workers, truck drivers, telephone linemen, loggers, salesmen, create real wealth which pays for all the government workers. Government workers don't produce wealth. In fact those 400,000 government workers were costing $400 million in pay and benefits, all if which comes from taxes on the private sector workers.
In actual fact, private sector workers, farmers, miners, factory workers, truck drivers, telephone linemen, loggers, salesmen, create real wealth which pays for all the government workers. Government workers don't produce wealth. In fact those 400,000 government workers were costing $400 million in pay and benefits, all if which comes from taxes on the private sector workers.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Lying to the cops is a crime?
Didn't used to be. But it is now. As everyone in the universe must know, the jury refused to convict Casey Anthony on the charges of murder and child abuse. They did convict her on charges of lying to the cops. In short, the prosecution lacked enough evidence to convict on the serious charges, but after three years of investigation and interrogation they found some inconsistencies in her answers and heh presto, we got something we can pin on her.
If, God forbid, the prosecutors came after me and grilled me for three years, and kept notes, they would be able to catch me on something I said. As a defendant, your best bet is never to say anything to the cops. With or without your lawyer present.
If the prosecutors cannot get the jury to convict on serious charges, the defendant ought to go free.
If, God forbid, the prosecutors came after me and grilled me for three years, and kept notes, they would be able to catch me on something I said. As a defendant, your best bet is never to say anything to the cops. With or without your lawyer present.
If the prosecutors cannot get the jury to convict on serious charges, the defendant ought to go free.
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