The Obamessiah's "Uh" Count....

Stocks?

It will be lovely at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange today. 5 minutes in and its already declined about a 1000 points or 5.5%.

What the Heck Were They Thinking?

This must be from decades ago. But someone must have decided to name this stuff like they did.

Yummy.....

Why would someone even try to sell this? And the cholesterol is so high? And it has milk in it!!!! Yuck.

How To Drive a Liberal Crazy.....

Write something like this and publish it in the New York Times!!!!!

Now I would like to enter these treacherous waters again and venture another prediction: within a year of the day he leaves office, and no matter who succeeds him, George W. Bush will be a popular public figure, regarded with affection and a little nostalgia even by those who voted against him and thought he was the worst president in our history.

Ha ha ha. I like George Bush.

Passage of the Day....

From a year-and-a-half ago....

America’s gaping current account deficit didn’t just appear out of thin air. It is an unmistakable outgrowth of an extraordinary deficiency of domestic US saving – a net national saving rate that plunged to a record low of just 2% of GDP over the past three years. Lacking in national saving, the US, with its penchant for strong growth, had no choice other than to import foreign saving from abroad – and run massive current account and trade deficits to attract the foreign capital.

A trade deficit is the mirror image of the savings deficit. As savings fall, the trade deficit rises. So, America's tax policy that is punitive against savings therefore encourages consumption and the accumulation of personal debt. this is where we are now. As we have seen in the recent 12 months, the implosion of the credit markets will cause a drop in consumption greater than the decrease in income. Savings will increase and the trade deficit will decrease dramatically. Unfortunately, due to bad government policy over the past 70 years, the markets were unable to make the small adjustments necessary and now the markets will make the adjustments necessary without government intervention.

10 Steps to Being a Perfect Liberal......

1. If you are a male: find your manhood and remove them.
2. If you are a female: find your ovaries and remove them.
3. Put your complete trust in the government.
4. Speak of change. When the time comes do nothing.
5. Realize that the constitution is just some guide lines that aren’t necessarily rules.
6. Believe in the chosen ones mentor and spiritual leader for 20 years. “The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people, God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”
7. Demean our soldiers, prop up our enemies and speak against their mission.
8. Steal from the rich and give to the poor. Wear tights if you must.
9. It’s not the size of the government that counts but the amount of money you poor into it.
10. Finally, quite your job, beg for government financial support, don’t bathe, wear tie dye t-shirts, smoke marijuana, hate George Bush, Hate America, Love Cuba, worship Hollywood and get angry about satirical articles because you’re so sensitive.

I hate Liberals and despise all Democrats. In fact, I hate them completely and totally. I think that Democrats and their socialist philosophy is now coming home to roost in the US. Governments cannot regulate markets. Governments cannot support markets. They are incapable of understanding markets since there are few people within these markets that have such a complete understanding. Markets are thousands of people making decisions without central planning. Impossible to regulate, impact nor control.

Democrats are the party of race based politics and class warfare. Violence against conservatives is acceptable in most Liberal circles and this is ever so typical in my former hometown of New York.

If the Devil was running against a Democrat then I would vote for the Devil.

Prosecuting Political Speech in Missouri....

Even If You Are Remotely Interested In the Financial Problems In the US, You Sould See This.....

This is what happens when a government mixes social policy and good business sense... good business sense gets left out of the equation.

Quote of the Day....

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I am here to help.

-Ronald Reagan-

The Obamessiah Looking to Shut Up Critics....

And yet, shouldn't the campaign rebut these allegations in the venue where they turn up?

Instead, it tries to shut them up.

While writing rebuttal after rebuttal online, the campaign and its supporters have been threatening television stations and networks with boycotts of sponsors and legal action for airing a commercial produced by this year's reincarnation of the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

So, in addition to lawsuits and angry calls for action against offending news venues, the Obama campaign also threatens to organize boycotts against advertisers and others involved with the news organizations.

The Obama equivalent of Brownshirts?

Politics Is Not Free Speech According To the Obamessiah....

What Senator Obama and his helpers are doing is scandalous beyond words, the party that claims to be the party of Thomas Jefferson is abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment.

Yes, lets use prosecutors to quiet up the critics of the The One. How wonderful these people are.

Passage of the Day....

What’s depressing, to a person like me, is that Obama has mastered the trick of coming off as perfectly moderate — even when your career and thought have been very different. Listening to Obama last night, you would have taken him to be a Sam Nunn, David Boren type. No ACORN, no Ayers, no Wright, no community-organizin’ radicalism, no nothing. He certainly knows what it takes to appeal to people in a general election. Then, once he’s in — if he gets in — he will govern as far to the left as possible.

From here. Its amazing to me that this empty suit, Barak Obama, has the ear of normal Americans as if he is a serious candidate and one that is even remotely interested in the average person. He is not. He is like one of those kinds of people that I knew in college that had all the big government answers. Anti-military, transfer payment, race baiting, Utopian thinking clowns. There is very little that comes out of that guy's mouth that is even remotely attractive me as an American.

The US Economy....

Consumer spending accounts for around 70% of GDP up from around 60% 20 years ago. I have stated in the past, that consumer spending needs to fall back to the 60% level. What that implies is not necessarily a bad thing. What consumers don't spend, they save. So, a change of 10% of GDP shifting from consumption to savings is around $1.3 trillion of additional savings and investment.

The problem is, as we are seeing in the current financial crisis, is that the risk that this change will come about very quickly instead of over time. We have to see about that.

But also, US tax policy HAS to change. Tax policy that gives more money to middle class consumers, unfortunately, typically goes into consumption and does not increase savings. Tax policy in the US is simply horrible. What sense does it make to, for example, create tax benefits of mortgage interest? What does this do? It encourages more debt. It increases the cost of housing since people do not mystically get the benefit but look at the after tax cost of buying a house. So, if there was no tax benefit for mortgage interest, then the price of housing would fall to a price so that the after tax cost is the same as if there was a tax benefit over time. So, therefore, its silly to have this tax policy for mortgage interest. Taxes change people's behavior and skew decision making.

Where the Heck Is.....

I watched the debate tonight and the Obamessiah keeps talking about Pawkistan. Where the heck is that?

I have to say that neither candidate spoke very well. I cannot stand Obama since he is typical socialist Democrat. I am also not particularity fond of McCain but he is closer to my politics than the other candidate.

Where

Government Mandates Bury the US Banking and Investment Banking Industries....

Quote of the Day.....

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.

-Alexis de Tocqueville-

Quote of the Day....

Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through,

-Alcee Hastings, Congressional Representative from Florida

The Root Of The Problem....

From the LA Times in May 1999....

In 1992, [a majority Democratic] Congress mandated that Fannie and Freddie increase their purchases of mortgages for low-income and medium-income borrowers. Operating under that requirement, Fannie Mae, in particular, has been aggressive and creative in stimulating minority gains. It has aimed extensive advertising campaigns at minorities that explain how to buy a home and opened three dozen local offices to encourage lenders to serve these markets.

Most importantly, Fannie Mae has agreed to buy more loans with very low down payments–or with mortgage payments that represent an unusually high percentage of a buyer’s income. That’s made banks willing to lend to lower-income families they once might have rejected.

The top priority may be to ask more of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two companies are now required to devote 42% of their portfolios to loans for low- and moderate-income borrowers; HUD, which has the authority to set the targets, is poised to propose an increase this summer. Although Fannie Mae actually has exceeded its target since 1994, it is resisting any hike. It argues that a higher target would only produce more loan defaults by pressuring banks to accept unsafe borrowers.

When resources are allocated to sectors of an economy that would not have received attention except for government meddling, those resources are diverted from other sectors that may have more deserving and overall more productive for an economy as whole. So as we go through the bailout process, keep in mind that maybe it wasn't just the greed of Wall Street (which is natural and desirable for an economy) but also the culpability of a social policy out of Washington that mandated upon these organizations.

Another One Blames Regulation....

My question, is this....

Given the large amounts of regulation that the banking an financial services industries now face, what is that makes people think that even more government regulation is a solution to today's or tomorrow's problems? And why didn't regulation do the job it is supposedly designed to do in this current situation?

Regulation seems to beget more regulation as governments with some politics overlaid on the decision making process continue to meddle in the allocation of capital.

Another fellow weighs in on this, here.

Revamp In 2003....

The Bush administration proposed a revamp of the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back in 2003 but it didn't get any traction in Congress. Here is the story. Its interesting to note the people that were against this.

Someone Thinks.....

That American taxpayers stand to GAIN as much as $2.2 trillion on the bailouts. Yes, that is make profits of $2.2 trillion for these investments. Read it here.

Interesting Passage.....

And finally, appalled by the media and chattering heads calling the whole mess a "crisis of capitalism" when the plain facts show the opposite. The whole "subprime mortgage" instrument was invented by bankers specifically to assuage heavy-handed Congressional demands to swell the number of minority and low-income homeowners, 20 years ago. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were already bloated quasi-government bureaucracies, dangerously freed from many conventional market disciplines. And among the chief beneficiaries of the current bailout are the most extravagant contributors to the Democrat Party.

As one of my more knowing correspondents put it: "Wall Street loves money but hates free markets, because free markets distribute economic benefits to those who earn them, rather than to those best able to seize them."

It wasn't capitalism that created this crisis. Capitalism will always have it ups and downs and there will always be winners and losers. But this crisis isn't about capitalism gone wild but reliance on regulation and government programs that do not work. The road to serfdom is paved with the corpses of good intentions.

3rd Race at The Honeymoon Is Over Downs.....

New Nigerian Scam?

Dear Beloved American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Minister of the Treasury of the Democratic Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of $800 billion USD. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gramm, lobbyist for UBS, who (God willing) will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a former U.S. congressional leader and the architect of the PALIN / McCain Financial Doctrine, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. As such, you can be assured that this transaction is 100% safe and risk free.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully
Minister of Treasury
Paulson

Melamine In Milk....

Some milk products in Hong Kong are tainted with industrial chemical melamine. The Hong Kong food safety department is doing testing and the results of these tests are posted here. It is important to note that they give both the positive and negative results on the same report, so one must distinguish between the good and the bad.

I Suppose That Its About Time.....

For the past 2 decades the American banking system has been losing its mojo. However, over the past year and most lately, in the Treasury's bailout of the American financial system, banks are on track to regain their status as premier financial lenders to corporations around the globe.

You may ask, 'What the heck are talking about Glenzo?' Well, let me tell you, then. There has been a huge disintermediation out of banking into alternate financial products. Take money market funds, for example. Money market funds rose to prominence in the early 1980s since they were able to offer much higher interest rates to investors than the banks were allowed and deposits left the banking system and migrated to these new products. The regulation of the banking system did not allow them to compete in price whereas, competing products were not susbject to the same rules. The Money market funds invested in the commercial paper of the same corporations that were customers of the banks lending businesses. So both deposits and customers left. Then, other companies came in to take away other businesses. Companies such as GMAC that financed the purchases of cars by issuing commercial paper took away more business.

So over the past couple of decades, much business has left these institutions. However, given the stress in the financial system, I venture to guess that people will on the margin move business back to the these stogy banking giants. However, Americans and their bankers will now be moving closer together. We will again be getting our mortgages there and depositing our money there. Large companies will be borrowing money there instead of Wall Street where these loans were, in the past, packaged to look better than they really are.

As the crazy philosopher Nietzsche said....

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

So, while the typical Democrat is thinking that we are already dead, gnashing their teeth and pointing fingers, the rest of us will be doing what makes sense. On the margin, we will move our deposits into the safer banking system. Banks will become super liquid as the US Treasury buys troubled assets from them and they will be capable to make loans to sensible job creating industries again.

As the gloomy Dr. Nouriel Roubini writes there is more to come.....

The next stage will be a run on thousands of highly leveraged hedge funds. After a brief lock-up period, investors in such funds can redeem their investments on a quarterly basis; thus a bank-like run on hedge funds is highly possible. Hundreds of smaller, younger funds that have taken excessive risks with high leverage and are poorly managed may collapse. A massive shake-out of the bloated hedge fund industry is likely in the next two years.

I also agree with him, that we are facing a very severe recession, not just at home, but around the globe. The financial system is being forced to shift gears over a very short period of time and this will cause stress and dislocations. People will adjust, people will figure out how to navigate the new waters and eventually, we will continue on with our living our lives.

What Americans do not realize, since I was hearing extraordinary amount of whining by some people on my trip back this summer, is that some of the same problems that affect Americans also impact many peoples around the globe. Things do not happen in the US in vacuum. Remember, the global economy cannot flourish without a flourishing America. Also, the US cannot move forward till other nations tackle their problems. Europe, is facing much more stress, where government entitlements to healthcare, retirement income and other silly unsustainable wealth transfer programs will not allow these countries to address problems facing them today.

Bill Clinton Likes Sarah Palin....

Really? Of course. Not because he is serial philanderer but because Sarah is someone that normal people can relate to...

"I come from Arkansas, I get why she's hot out there," Clinton said. "Why she's doing well."

Speaking to reporters before his Clinton Global Initiative meeting, the former president described Palin's appeal by adding, "People look at her, and they say, 'All those kids. Something that happens in everybody's family. I'm glad she loves her daughter and she's not ashamed of her. Glad that girl's going around with her boyfriend. Glad they're going to get married.'"

Clinton said voters would think, "I like that little Down syndrome kid. One of them lives down the street. They're wonderful children. They're wonderful people. And I like the idea that this guy does those long-distance races. Stayed in the race for 500 miles with a broken arm. My kind of guy."

SNL McCain Skit....

The One.....

As President of the US, the Obamessiah will perform all kinds of miracles since he tells you that he plans to do such things. But he is a guy that has only talked and his record, in my humble opinion, is devoid of almost any action except being in campaigns...

In one sense, this is not surprising. He has a quicksilver quality. Even after two autobiographies, Mr. Obama remains something of a floating, uncrowded presence. His story (and he is so impressively self-aware as to have made the most acute comment on it) is temptingly open-ended, very much a page to be written on. He himself has written, most memorably: "I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."

Read this from the British Globe and Mail, here.

And of course, if he loses, its because of bigotry. Some Democrats (yea, the party of racial equality) harbor bigoted feelings towards blacks....

Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks — many calling them "lazy," "violent," responsible for their own troubles.

Got to love that the race card is constantly being played. Maybe, just maybe, some people do not like a candidate that stands for nothing and promises everything. And maybe, just maybe, they will vote not on racial bias but on who they think is better prepared and capable to lead our great nation.

One Nation Under God.......

God has now become a weapon to club those that use language of faith or even historical language of faith....



I have to say, that as I get older, I am becoming more and more intolerant of the hyper-secular left. The knuckleheaded comments that I have had to endure from supposedly educated and 'tolerant' people of the left have amazed me with their stupid blatherings. Its as if they have adopted some new secret religion that everybody accepts as gospel but one that I unfortunately do not understand. I have to say, that I have grown to hate Democrats.

Charlie Gibson and his silly questioning if we are in holy war or maybe a crusade shows that there is a sickness in American politics and one that I will not tolerate.

Populists Against Speculators.....

There has been much fretting and gnashing of teeth over the role of speculators in the gigantic rise in the price of oil over the past several years. Also, our political leaders, including candidates Obama and McCain, have been taking populist regulatory stances against these important price finding mechanisms. What role does speculation play in the change of a price of certain commodities? I argue that it plays no role what-so-ever in the long-term price of any good or service.

Many years ago, the Hunt brothers tried to corner the market in silver. They purchased the physical commodity, put it in a warehouse and then continued to purchase silver in the futures markets (where one agrees to pay a certain price for delivery in the future). The implied threat is that the Hunt brothers would have forced delivery of the silver when supplies were already tight.

As per Wikipedia....

Beginning in the early 1970s, Hunt and his brother William Herbert Hunt began accumulating large amounts of silver. By 1979, they had nearly cornered the global market. In the last nine months of 1979, the brothers earned an estimated $2 billion to $4 billion in silver speculation, with estimated silver holdings of 100 million oz.

During the Hunt brothers' accumulation of the precious metal, prices of silver futures contracts and silver bullion during 1979 and 1980 silver prices rose from $11 an ounce in September 1979 to $50 an ounce in January 1980. Silver prices ultimately collapsed to below $11 an ounce two months later.

In 1989 in a settlement with the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Nelson Bunker Hunt was fined US$10 million and banned from trading in the commodity markets as a result of charges stemming from his attempt to corner the market in silver, leading to a commodity crash known as Silver Thursday. This was in addition to a multimillion-dollar settlement to pay back taxes, fines and interest to the Internal Revenue Service for the same period.

Hunt filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code in September 1988, largely due to lawsuits incurred as a result of his silver speculation.

Oops. Those dreaded speculators lost money? In this case billions. Real markets humbled people that thought that they could control a market. Liberals, please take note. As an aside, the collapse of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae shows that even well intentioned government programs cannot suspend the humbling hand of real markets.

So, back to speculators. Lets assume that speculators want to drive up the price of a commodity like oil. First, in order to benefit, they have to own oil to make a profit if the price rises. No speculator makes money if the price rises and they do not own anything. So they need to buy. And to own, they have to store it and that costs lots of money.

And, in order for prices to rise, there have to be more buyers than sellers. So, on balance, speculators can cause prices to rise, short-term by increasing the buying demand relative to sellers. Remember, for every buyer of any commodity, whether physical or in the futures market, there has to be a seller. That is how prices are reported, by actual transactions.

So, by definition, for every speculative buyer, there has to be a seller. Every transaction has to have both a buyer and seller. Some of these people are speculators too that sell. So if a speculator sells and the price rises, they lose. So in this mad rush of buyers and sellers, a price is determined. When prices rise very very high as they did with oil this past Summer, it is foolish to think, that speculators also were not sellers at those high prices tempering the rise.

So, blaming speculators for only the rise, is shortsighted particularity in light of of a CFTC report sited in this WSJ Op-ed...

Lo and behold, the CFTC found that index traders and swap dealers actually reduced their stake in crude oil futures as prices spiked. The number of contracts held by these investors betting that prices would increase -- the net long position -- fell by 11%, and more were shorting oil than going long over the six-month period. In other words, index traders and swap dealers were driving the future price of oil down.

Commodity index funds also have a much smaller share of the oil market than everyone thought: just 13%. Even if the figure was 70% or more, as some assumed, it wouldn't have mattered. In a futures exchange, trades are matched, so one trader's gain is another's loss. The overall volume is irrelevant.

Hmmmmm. I suspect, that in reality, people were concerned about inflation. As a result of that, some assets for large investors such as pension funds were moved into asset classes that perform well in inflationary times. So these funds flowed into buying hard commodities as an asset allocation strategy. These investors, by definition, are not speculators. so, on the margin, money flowed into buying these commodities casuing prices to rise. More buyers than sellers.

But one must also consider what impact higher prices have besides the populist higher prices at teh gas pump. One of the immediate impacts is that demand falls. Also, previously unprofitable supply finds its way to market. Furthermore, alternative energy sources become competitive in price such as wind and solar power.

So, in my humble opinion, the price mechinism works. We have been warned that we do not have unlimited supplies of oil and that we need, not as governments but as individuals, to think about how to change our lives and reduce personal risk tied to energy. Thank God that markets have been allowed to operate.

Quote Of The Day.....

If you make fun of Sarah Palin's Fargo accent, be wary. The woman will stick you in the wood-chipper.

-Blogger, Quaintessential-

The Whole Gibson/Palin Interview....

The redacted parts from the interview are the ones in bold. Seems like some reasonable questions and answers and can read it here. But I am not too sure that it makes sense to use cut out answers and followup questions implying that a later answer to a previous question is how the candidate answers. I do not know how these news organizations treat these kinds of things so I have no opinion if there was any bad behavior here.

Cramer Goes Wild A Year Ago.....

He hits the nail on the head. The financial markets have been a slow motion train wreck, but there is little that a government can do about these things, unfortunately.

Some People Are Speculating.....

That Sarah Palin is the anti-Christ. Funnyman Greg Gutfeld opines on all the coincidences leading to this conclusion.

The Number One Reason To Vote For Barak Obama......

Finally, Tucker Carlson, the witty veteran of cable television shows, who’s been mercilessly and unfairly maligned by left-wingers, expressed an opinion that’s close to my own. “Even those who supported Hillary in the primaries will scold the rest of us for voting against a black man. They’ll be shrill and self-righteous, more even than usual, and they’ll never stop. It’s almost enough to make you want to vote for Obama, just so we won’t have to hear them.”

Yikes.

I think that its time for another civil war in the US. The anti-gun Liberals will have quickly arm against the 'they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them' folks that have no time for the bloodsucking Liberals of New York.

SNL Palin/Clinton....

Had to use the Fox News clip since the NBC one isn't allowed on Youtube.

Punishment....

This is the kind of noise that I have heard from Liberals in the past....

Near the end of a town hall meeting in Johnstown, Pa., a woman arose to offer a passionate plea to Barack Obama to "stop these abortions."

Obama's response was cool, direct, unequivocal.

"Look, I got two daughters -- 9 years old and 6 years old. ... I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

"Punished with a baby."

Wow, having a baby is punishment? How is that? What about the nexus of responsibility and personal choice. Does one trump that other? This is the article that I took the quote from.

But the bottom line, in my mind, is that children are not a "punishment" or an inconvenience but something that is part of normal living.

During a discussion with some buddies in a cafe in New York City, I stated that I do not support the right to abortion. Thinking like this, I am definitely deep behind enemy lines. A friend of mine defended a decision when his girlfriend got an abortion stating that a baby would have ruined their lives. Yes, it would have ruined their lives. They didn't have a chance of having a life together baby or not and a baby may have compelled them towards a disastrous attempt. I could only talk to that they made their decision and that I am a realist. Abortion will happen whether or not I agree with it. Lots of things will happened that I will not agree with, but I do not have much say in these matters.

I know that they felt that they had the right to terminate the fetus and all that I could argue is who talks for the life of the unborn? But as I thought about it, I realized that it wasn't the baby that would have ruined their lives but the life that they had chosen to live at that time. It wasn't a life that had any future. It was not one where children play any role. They, despite their age, had no intent of living a life of an adult. They, were physically able to conceive children, but were 'too young' and incapable of crossing over into an area where their relationship was strong enough to support both of them and children.

I, for one, have never had more fun or pleasure than I have had from my children.

McCain Is A Computer Illiterate.....

According to the Obama campaign, John McCain is a computer illiterate....

"Our economy wouldn't survive without the Internet, and cyber-security continues to represent one our most serious national security threats," Pfeiffer said. "It's extraordinary that someone who wants to be our president and our commander in chief doesn't know how to send an e-mail."

McCain has said he relies on his wife and staff to work the computer for him and that he doesn't use e-mail.

I have to say, I think that this amazing since I am a heavy user of my computers and cannot imagine not using one.

However, in a biography piece from the Boston Globe in 2000, we read this...

The outrage comes from inside: McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes.

I guess that the Obama people think that disabled people are not fit to serve in certain roles that only Liberals determine or understand.

Of course, some have questioned the Obama campaign's computer literacy since it may have been worthwhile to have googled and to have read this article before proceeding on this kind of claim.

The floundering Obama campaign appears to be lashing out indiscriminately since McCain has been polling much better after the nomination of Sarah Palin as his VP pick.

Another Great Quote....

The media could get videotape of Mrs. Palin saying, "We should invade Mars and it will be easy because Mars is hidden inside my hair!" and people would say, "Stop sliming Sarah!

-Peggy Noonan, WSJ Opinion writer-

Here.

Quote Of The Day.....

What is the difference between Palin and a Muslim fundamentalist? Lipstick.

-Juan Cole, professor of modern Middle Eastern and South Asian History at the University of Michigan

Juan Cole and ilk, are part of the unhinged left that has become more-and-more centrist Democratic thought. Read the article here.

Interesting.....

McCain was behind 60/40 just a short time ago. Now McCain has a slight advantage in the political prediction markets. But I do not think that the absolutely numbers are significant. What is important is the change where Obama had the advantage and now its virtually tied.



And very very interesting, Clinton still is coming in with a 3% chance of winning? How the heck can this be?

Never Forget....

Hurricanes, car crashes and other random disasters that lead to the unfortunate loss of life, are not the equivalent of what happened to us on September 11th 2001. On that date we were brutally attacked as the sister of one of the pilots that lost his life speaks to here....

The attacks were not a random act of violence or insanity. They were a deliberate and brutal act of war committed by religious fanatics engaged in Islamic jihad against the United States, all non-Muslim people and any Muslim who wishes to live in a secular society. Worse, the people who perpetrated the attacks have explicitly told us that they are not done.

These fanatics attacked the World Trade Center years earlier and people were relieved that only 6 people lost their lives. But 3,000 died years later and how many will lose their lives when these people attack again? And as the writer tries to communicate, it is not the body count that is important. It is the fact that these people exist and want to do us harm that is important.

Americans trust others. We have a positive outlook on life and seek to make not just only our lives better but also of those in other nations. However, some people seek to injure us. So, with determination we must and are actively meeting this threat head-on. Some think that it is worthwhile to try appease fanatics. But as we see from the previous 2 attacks in New York on the World Trade Center, this may not be plan that has any hope in succeeding. Why should these Muslim fanatics stray from their desire to attack the US?

The One.....

Thinks that you are stupid.

Obamessiah......

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn): "Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus, who our minister prayed about. Pontius Pilate was a governor."

So Obama is Jesus? And governor is.............Sarah Palin? Ha hah. Its getting weird now.

September 10th, Day Of Innocence....

September 11th, the day that the eagle got angry.

I Read Clarence Thomas'es Autobiography.......

It was interesting since I viewed his autobiography not as an explanation of his positions and why he thinks the way that he does, but just as one man's journey. As a constitutional originalist, he is very concerned about affirmative action and its impact on the American experience. It makes sense to be concerned over time that these programs create less competition and allows some sectors of society to have lower expectations. Does anyone want to be facing a serious medical condition requiring surgery, for example, and wonder whether the surgeon was not the best and brightest but moved through the system in order to meet some kind of racial preference program? Why shouldn't one consider this? These are the kind of things that need to be said....

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said Tuesday that African-Americans are better served by colorblind programs than affirmative action.

Thomas, addressing leaders of historically black colleges, said affirmative action "has become this mantra and there almost has become this secular religiosity about it. I think it almost trumps thinking."

A longtime opponent of race-based preferences in hiring and school admissions, Thomas said, "Just from a constitutional standpoint, I think we're going to run into problems if we say the Constitution says we can consider race sometimes."

I like this man.

The Number 1 Reason to Support McCain Over Obama....

The BBC conducted a global poll on the US election preferences and came out with this....

The margin in favour of Senator Obama ranged from 9 per cent in India to 82 per cent in Kenya, while an average of 49 per cent across the 22 countries preferred Senator Obama compared with 12 per cent preferring Senator McCain. Some four in 10 did not take a view.

"Large numbers of people around the world clearly like what Barack Obama represents," GlobeScan chairman Doug Miller said.

So these people prefer Obama 49% to 12%.

I have to say, my 2-term support of President George W. Bush gave me the most pleasure in the area of global preferences. I have to say, that it is a badge of honor to be reviled by the world, particularly with the smug worthless nihilist European socialists that people oddly look up to for economic and social policy in certain political circles (liberals) in the US. Nothing would please me more than annoying these clowns with a McCain victory.

Pig With Lipstick.....

For someone who says that words matter, its unfortunate that after Sarah Palin's hockey mom/pitbull/lipstick joke, the Obamessiah says that a pig with lipstick is still a pig. As you can see below, and the timing of the crowds applause, they knew that he was linking Sarah Palin's lipstick comment with his. Of course the blogosphere has been all over this.



The urban dictionary says this....

1. Lipstick on a pig

slang for when someone tries to dress something up, but is still that something. usually used on ugly broads, when they put on a skirt and some lipstick and well, they still look like the same disgusting pig.

So this is Obama's new kind of politics?

2nd Quote Of The Day......

"When Sarah got up there, it was like Ronald Reagan in a dress."

-Kinky Friedman, cowboy philosopher on VP candidate Sarah Palin's appearance and speech at the RNC-

Kinky Friedman is a cowboy philosopher, Democrat pundit and Fox News contributor.

Quote Of The Day....

I contend that reducing the role of money of politics in order to make politics more honest is like trying to make airplanes safer by reducing the role of gravity. Let's get money out of politics by making politicians less powerful.

-Cafe Hayek blog

The post here. Money in politics mostly refers to campaign contributions but I also argue that more importantly it is the money that politicians have at their disposal from taxes intended for their prosecution of public policy.

I am not a fan of campaign finance laws as they currently stand and am not a fan of McCain-Feingold campaign laws. I think that freedom of speech and supporting candidates that one likes trumps some kind of hypothesis that reducing campaign gifts reduces influence. Some people argue that there should be limits to influence in politics associated with monetary support for a candidate. I argue that as long as the government takes responsibility for distributing multiple trillions of dollars annually, it is natural that people try to influence those decisions.

I argue that governments should not be redistributing wealth despite designs on good intentions since it is not something that governments do well. Governments tend to redistribute wealth to the benefit of politicians and not necessarily for the benefit of people. Besides, how do bureaucrats in Washington know what people really need? And do these needs meet the hurdle that it is only government that can solve these problems and that it is int he best interest of all Americans to have a public policy solution to these perceive problems? I argue that we should seek to eliminate the role of government in healthcare, retirement and a host of other things that governments do not do well.

Nationality?

Who can guess the nationality associated with the photo below?



I suppose its quite obvious. The answer here.

In Praise Of Juan Williams...

I have to agree with this from right-of-center blog, Powerline....

Next, Juan Williams of Fox News. Juan is a Democrat and a liberal, although there are many areas where we would find common ground. More important, by all accounts he is a good guy. My wife ran into him on the beach in Florida a couple of years ago and confirmed this impression. (If you haven't noticed, personal qualities go a long way with me. As I've said before, the personal is not political.) Williams has participated in Fox News's coverage of the rise of Barack Obama, and he has been open about how much Obama's candidacy means to him as an African American. At the same time, he has made a sincere effort to put his own feelings to the side and comment fairly and objectively on the Presidential campaign. He has, at times, been sharp in his criticism of Obama and his campaign. I've never seen a better example of a journalist who acknowledges his own perspective while at the same time, trying his hardest to give viewers a fair and objective commentary. I tip my hat to him.

When one that sees him on Fox his honest commentary is both insightful and fair. Also, Juan was a supporter and confident of Clarence Williams during his difficult and trying Supreme Court confirmation hearings according to his autobiography.

McCain=Bush 3 ???

The DemNOcrats have tried to make the McCain candidacy the 3rd term of George W. Bush. One could also say the next president is the 56th term of George Washington. But to say that John McCain is anything like George W. Bush is just silliness and I like GWB. I am exceedingly happy that I voted for him on several levels. One being that he drives liberals crazy, but I also know, from speaking to my uber-liberal family members and their attitude towards him even before he took office, that he would never have gotten a fair shake from the crazy left. I know that the past 8 years been a tough time for the US, but its been tough in many many places in the world. Specifically, where I think that GWB has made a big mistake, like going crazy on domestic spending, he loses his luster as the President that I voted for. A Republican should never try to out-Democrat Democrats by spending wildly on silly social programs. The apex of REpublicanism in recent history, wasn't really the Reagan years but the years that REpublicans ran the Newt Gingrich Congress.

But back to McCain. He is own man. No one can argue sensibly otherwise. And I think that this encapsulates him quite well...

McCain has bucked his party's base: on immigration as recently as last year; on global warming; on campaign-finance reform.

Republicans nominated him even though they know that, if elected, he will drive them insane. He'll be too chummy with Democrats. They also know that, unlike the ousted GOP congressional leadership, he will fight pork-barrel spending. Most important, they trust that he'll do what must be done in Iraq and Afghanistan -- no matter what the polls say.

McCain is not my favorite. He will drive me crazy. But I would never vote for a socialist and therefore I will never pull the lever for Democrats. Therefore, I am 100% behind John McCain and his breathe of fresh air, Sarah Palin running mate.

Quote Of The Day.....

My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God.

-Presidential candidate John McCain in his RNC acceptance speech-

RNC...

I am a total partisan, but John McCain's acceptance speech was phenomenal.

Feminists Are Angry.....

So, I guess that many of these feminist woman are not believers in Sarah Palin. No problem, they would never vote for a Republican anyway since they have this 'thing' about the GOP. So, I read today's piece by uber-feminists Gloria Steinem. Please have a look at these 2 little passages....

Women have become so politically powerful that even the anti-feminist right wing -- the folks with a headlock on the Republican Party -- are trying to appease the gender gap with a first-ever female vice president.

and....

So let's be clear: The culprit is John McCain. He may have chosen Palin out of change-envy, or a belief that women can't tell the difference between form and content, but the main motive was to please right-wing ideologues; the same ones who nixed anyone who is now or ever has been a supporter of reproductive freedom.

There is nothing like being a one issue voter. But how can these right-wing ideologues that have a 'headlock' on the GOP both be anti-woman (m she says feminist)and appeased by Sarah Palin? Do feminists like Gloria Steinem represent all women or a just a portion of the population of women? Because in Steinem's opinion, Palin doesn't believe the exact dogma of the 'feminists' does this make her less of a woman? No. Since she doesn't embrace what Gloria Steinem values, does this mean that Palin doesn't support women? Well, we will see what woman voters think about that. Isn't that what voting for elected officials is all about? Is Palin anti-woman or does she embrace her life as a female as does this the way that she feels fit? I do not think that Palin is some doormat that does or believes what she is told to believe. This is what is so frightening to the Gloria Steinem's of the world. That someone can come to a different conclusion despite having the same chromosomes.

And what about this reproductive freedom? I looked at the Constitution today, and even in the amendments, there was no mention of reproductive freedom.

I like having this debate. Is Sarah Palin against reproductive freedom? I suppose that that from a Clintonesque perspective depends how you define reproductive freedom. In my humble opinion, reproductive freedom means for a society that has values are not absolute. Woman (and men) should choose to have children, how many to have and to make a life together as a family. Neither the man nor the woman have a superior right in this relationship. But what I think that Palin is for is responsibility and a belief that the unborn have some kind of rights.

So, lets consider this, rights as considered by philosophers over the ages are not unlimited nor absolute. In this case, one's rights do not extend in territory where they would harm others except in situations such as self-defense. In order to accept that unfettered access to abortion is an issue of a right, then one has to define the unborn as not being human, otherwise, it is murder. However, if left to natures course, most of the unborn become humans. Here is where I have a problem with the whole debate; I think that the courts have found, as a matter of convenience, that abortion is allowable during the first trimester except in cases of rape or serious medical problems with the mother. What is the objective reasoning for this? Some have argued that a baby can become viable outside of the womb at around 22 weeks, and this makes sense as a cut-off point for abortions. Yes, but a fetus inside of 22 weeks is viable (as a human) if it remains in the womb. What does this period suggest? I think that it is just convenience. A baby is not viable even after birth unless it is cared for and fed. Staying in the womb is the proper care for the unborn just like the proper care of a child is expected after birth.

So, I am not a believer in Steinem's reproductive rights argument. Also, I am not a believer that any reproductive decision is solely a woman's to make. By removing men from the decision, you also allow them to extract themselves from responsibility. I think that this has consequences that effect communities, people and families far beyond the narrow discussion surrounding abortions. By removing men from the equation, traditional responsibilities of men are diminished. Men without portfolio, in my opinion, lose their societal bearing and andd their won sense of self worth. And this has consequences to reach beyond the simple reporductive rights argument.

Quote Of The Day.....

Drill, baby, drill.

-Chant of the crowd at the RNC-

The Democrats And Starving Amercians....

Of course, I have heard from Democrats how horrible the economy is in the US. And of course, I have heard that I do not understand how bad it is since I do not live there. But I also think that Democrats tend to see anecdotal evidence, always seeking the worst, and do not look at broader economic statistics particularly when compared to other countries that may be experiencing similar situations....

Economic growth. U.S. output has expanded faster than in most advanced economies since 2000. The IMF reports that real U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an average annual rate of 2.2% over the period 2001-2008 (including its forecast for the current year). President Bush will leave to his successor an economy 19% larger than the one he inherited from President Clinton. This U.S. expansion compares with 14% by France, 13% by Japan and just 8% by Italy and Germany over the same period.

The latest ICP findings, published by the World Bank in its World Development Indicators 2008, also show that GDP per capita in the U.S. reached $41,813 (in purchasing power parity dollars) in 2005. This was a third higher than the United Kingdom's, 37% above Germany's and 38% more than Japan's.

So, what does this tell us? That economic performance has been pretty good relative to the performance of other nations. For some reason, Democrats think that electing a socialist will somehow help economic performance? Its really quite delusional.

I know that many Liberal Democrats are worrying huge about the Chinese creating economic havoc and outperforming the US. The US GDP was $13.8 trillion vs. China's $3.2 according to the World Bank. So, the US economy is 13.8/3.2=4.3 0r 4.3 times as big as China. If the growth potential of the US economy is 3.0%, then the Chinese economy needs to grow at 4.3*3.0=12.9 or 12.9% to generate and equivalent amount of GDP in nominal dollars as the US economy does. Economic performance of China has been impressive but it will be very difficult to foresee China's populace raising their standard of living to the US in the foreseeable future.

Furthermore, Growing economies are not a zero sum gain as some Democrats want you to think. All economies can grow and lives across the globe improved. Just look at the improvements that have been achieved over the past 1,000 years or even the past 100. And the most important thing to understand is that these improvements have come about not because of government intervention, programs or initiatives but from people. People working hard on their ideas on their own.

The Memorial Stone....

Sam died. His will provided $30,000 foran elaborate funeral. As the last guests departed the affair, his wife Sarah turned to her oldest and dearest friend. "Well, I'm sure Sam would be pleased," she said.

"I'm sure you're right," replied Jody, who lowered her voice and leaned in close. "How much did this really cost?"

"All of it," said Sarah. "Thirty-thousand."

"No!" Jody exclaimed. "I mean, it was very nice, but $30,000?"

Sarah answered, "The funeral was $6,500. I donated $500 to the synagogue. The whiskey, wine and snacks were another $500. The rest went for the Memorial Stone."

Jody computed quickly. "$22,500 for a Memorial Stone? My God, how big is it?"

"Two and a half carats."

The Collapsing Economy.....

Its just awful out there, mass starvation, massive infestation of cockroaches, cats sleeping with dogs, etc. So, as we see here, continued awful economic numbers disturb the markets.....NOT....

Orders to U.S. factories rose by a larger-than-expected amount in July as demand for commercial aircraft, heavy machinery and iron and steel all posted solid gains.

The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new orders increased by 1.3 percent in July, much stronger than the 0.8 percent increase economists had been expecting. The July advance follows an even bigger 2.1 percent increase in June and represents the fifth straight rise in orders.

I know, as far as Democrats are concerned, its the end of civilization as we know it. Unless, of course, The One is elected God, I mean the President of the United States of Socialist Europe, and we will, therefore, all be living in caves and surviving by eating dirt.

Someone told me that I since I ddo not live in the United States, I have no idea how bad it is there. It must be just simply awful. Yea, I suppose if one is always looking under rocks, then one will sometimes see worms.

McCain/Palin....

The secretly recorded McCain/Palin VP offering.

Name One Thing That The Obamessiah Has Accomplished....

Except run for office......

Quote Of The Day....

My father used to tell me that a fool with a plan is better than a genius with no plan.

-T. Boone Pickins-

The Liberal Media.....

The media has been so in the tank for The One, the Obamessiah, that as Pennsylvania Governor, Ed Rendell said, the fawning coverage has been 'embarrassing.' So all of the 'professionals' in the media that feed BHO softball questions have decided to play hardball with a candidate...

In 72 hours, the media has subjected Bristol Palin to more scrutiny than they've given to Barack Obama in two years.

The media's sycophantic Democrats dressed up as journalists are finally being tough, that is being tough on a 17-year old pregnant daughter of -how dare they Republicans nominate a woman to be Vice-President when WE are the parity of racial and gender diversity- Sarah Palin. Of course, when whispers about love lips Liberal John Edwards, who actually was running for the nomination against the One, were going on, the media had absolutely no interest what-so-ever in pursuing this story. Why is that?

I have been hyper-critical of the left-leaning American press for well over a decade. They have destroyed their objectivity and are no longer a trusted source of objective reporting and news.

More Threats From The Left....

In the Philaddephia Daily news, an opinion piece by Fatimah Ali threatens voters with a race war.....

If McCain wins, look for a full-fledged race and class war, fueled by a deflated and depressed country, soaring crime, homelessness - and hopelessness!

Plenty of Americans would rather stay in their dream state than to recognize the poverty sweeping across the country, right here, right now.

So what does this mean? Threats of violence against whom? White voters in Philadelphia that do not vote for Obama can expect that violence will be used against them? Its no surprise to me that the Liberals threaten violence against nameless others. Its the Liberals that think that they are so morally superior that they can use violence and not dent their moral authority? Yea, we know, Liberals want equal rights and people with equal economic results, blah, blah,blah.

I have been amazed to hear Liberals over the years make excuses for threats and violence. Do Republicans threaten its citizenry with violence if they do not vote for them?

This Liberal opinion piece does not surprise me at all. It is full of threats. The writer also paints a picture of America that sounds more like Zimbabwe. Starving children, hopelessness, no jobs, blah\, blah, blah.

I know that people from Philadelphia are crazy but its really difficult to take these delusional Liberals seriously.

Palin....

The San Francisco Chronicle on VP Candidate, Sarah Palin.

Passage Of The Day....

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

-Ecclesiastes 3:11-

The day that I arrived back to New York in June, my old college roommate and dear friend, Matt, suddenly died. At 48, he left a wife, 3 young children, a successful legal career and his death was the day before his parents 50th wedding anniversary. I heard that he died in the arms of a colleague since the firm, where he was a partner, was having an offsite celebration and he succumbed on the plane ride back.

One of the speakers at Matt's funeral said that untimely deaths like his causes one to question their faith as he did. It is difficult to see what God's plan is and why these types of disasters, if God sees and knows all, are allowed to happen. Philosopher Nietzsche offered that the reason that these horrors happen is because God is dead. What a hopeless outlook on life.

There are horrors in our world. We see so many examples of injustice, death, destruction, miserable and shortened lives. We could spend our days engulfed in fear or pity. But, I suppose that these things are the nature of life and we are tasked with making the best of the hand that we are dealt.

I take comfort in the passage from Ecclesiastes above. We all endure pain, some probably more than others, but life's challenges are all to real for each and every one of us. But God, through his human embodiment in Jesus and the victory of his Resurrection over the tragedy of his own death, is telling us, that for believers, we can take comfort in our lives where there is both tragedy and pleasure. There is beauty in life and I think that we are compelled to enjoy our days. This is our task in life.

The pain of my friend's death to his living friends and relatives will dissipate over time. It will be replaced with memories of the fun times and pleasures that we shared together. Thinking of my friend Matt, and some of the antics that he was the center of, brings a smile to my face. Eventually, we will all join our relatives, friends and colleagues in eternity and over time, we will all be beautiful memories.