Veteran’s Day

Hey.  Google put up a Veteran’s Day thingy.  Way to go.  I didn’t think they had it in them.

The French? Really?

When the French, yeah, the French, can see it, maybe there could be a chance for San Francisco after all.

Remember, it was the French president, of all people, who described our president as naive and narcisstic, when it comes to his approach to atomic threats from Iran. Yeah, the French president. (I may be wrong about this, but my impression is that the last time the French were seriously warlike was with Napoleon. Or maybe back in 1066.)

I don’t think it’s that the French have decided to “cowboy up.” (I’m in Arizona right now, and I heard somebody say that.) I think it’s that the French are thinking that they are closer to Iran than we are, and they are seeing Putin “cowboy up.”

Could it be that the French are rightly concerned whether or not we could be trusted to come to the rescue, for a third time? And that’s a fair question, the answer to which I’m not at all certain I’m comfortable that I know how it should be answered, let alone how it would be answered when the time comes.

The Bust-out, I mean, Bail-out . . .

Now this is going to be interesting, particularly if other people decide to get on board with it.

Basically, we are talking about actually following the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, and we are right back to the states’ rights arguments of the fifties and sixties — which, I might add, got overwhelmed in what passed for hopeychangeyness of those times during conditions of cold war emergency.

The emergency conditions required the states to tacitly consent to  strong  federal government to do whatever it took to shelter us from being overwhelmed  by a nuclear international socialism.  We got bigger government.  Some pointed out that by accepting a more centralized government which increasingly intruded into personally liberties, we were more closely resembling our Marxist foes.  But that notion was thought to be dangerous nonsense in times of emergency.

It’s always an emergency that requires us to give in to erosion of liberty, with the implication that when the emergency is over, liberty can be tolerated once again.  But the sense of emergency never ends.  We just add to it.

For example, the current economic emergency only took about ten years to create, despite warnings that it was coming as early as 2002, by the Bush administration, and the warnings were repeated periodically, and John McCain went so far as to introduce legislation to deal with the dangers presented by Fannie and Freddie dominating home mortgages.  It all came to nothing as the other side of the Congress denounced Bush as a warmonger and a moron, and Schumer and Franks assured everybody that our mortgage system was incredibly sound and socially beneficial to boot.

I suppose from the point of view of the corrupt Washington power brokers, it was true.  Any industry which could afford to so profligately spread cash around amongst the elite elected, must be doing well.

Now, we have a full-blown emergency, and the Ds are complaining that the Rs are dithering around dangerously, and denying the remedies required by the need to manage the emergency.  And what do they say is needed?  Well, we are going end up  “owning” banks and big businesses — when it appears that they cannot manage their way out of the piles of political obligation that will arrive at about the same time the bail-out does.  Business cannot survive if their customers cannot afford to buy their products, and people cannot afford to buy much if their money is going to Washington to pay for the bail-out.  And, oh, the Rs aren’t all that much more honorable in this mess, as they want to create the appearance that they aren’t rolling over on this on, by insisting on doing everything the D’s propose, only less 4%.

Wait a minute! Why, it looks a lot like a classic Chicago mob bust out.   Loan the struggling businessman $1500 you know he can’t repay when it’s due, and “refinance the debt” by giving him more time at ever more interest and with the addition of a little creative threatening of his family and manhood, you can end up owning a business for actual investment of only $1500.  Then liquidate the business because even salvage value is a lot more than the $1500.  That’s a bust out, Chicago style.

Well, we’ve already gone way far down that path, for any states to be talking about constitutional states’ rights at this late date.  Goldwater died on that hill in 1960.  And Obama won, brandishing the power of the federal government to be a hope and change agent.

So if Arizona and New Hampshire want to talk about the Ninth and Tenth Amendment at this late date in the process, they had damn sure be ready to protect themselves.  Otherwise, the feds are going to come break their legs and rape their baby sisters in front of them if they won’t stay with the program and play  ball.

Unless . . .  I’m just thinking here . . . unless maybe some other states would do the same thing, and a bunch of states would just start lobbing tenth amendment arguments at the federal government and if there were enough of them . . .

Nah, Oregon will never go for it.  We already think the U.S. should be ruled by the United Nations.

Is it time to start calling everybody “comrade” yet?  Or do we wait for later?

Movie review . . .

My bride and I rented Mamma Mia! – The Movie.

Don’t make the same mistake.  By any standard you can think of, this is a stinker for the ages.

Our government has the answer . . .

“Stupidity got us into this mess–why can’t stupidity get us out?”– Will Rogers.

Hide the silver, Congress is in session . . .

The United States Congress is going to be back and open for business this Monday.

I figure you have until about 3:00 in the afternoon, Monday, to gather up all your extra cash into nice firm rolls, stick the rolls into glass jars with screw-on lids, and bury them in the back yard.

What?   You don’t have any glass jars or back yard?  You don’t have any extra cash either?  You don’t even know anybody who has any extra cash worth burying?

I guess that means Congress already got it all.  It’s gone.

So I guess that necessarily means that you won’t be bothered, since its all gone,  if income taxes are increased,  since income taxes pre-suppose there’s something there to take but they already got it all.

Hey, no problemo here.

And you won’t mind if Congress gives it all away to corporations, banks, and insurance companies, as their revenue is in the crapper  seeing as how there isn’t enough money left amongst the citizenry to keep  corporate officers going in their accustomed style.

You might, however, ask yourself how it is that a young man of no talent, modest means,  negative physical attractiveness and mediocre intellect can nevertheless live a lifestyle that takes about 3 quarters of a million a year to produce, while earning only about $150,000 a year, and still eventually retire with millions — all while producing nothing of any real value?

No, that’s an easy question.

The hard question is why people are attempting to hold up banks, pizza shops, and car washes when they could go into the politics.

A Refugee Family’s First U.S. Christmas

If the United States is an exceptional country, it isn’t for its wealth.  This is worth a read.

A white Christmas . . .

Merry Christmas, Ho, Ho.   Ho.

Watched the old-time Hollywood White Christmas last night, with Bing Crosby singing that he was dreaming of a white Christmas, as were they all.  Great old musical.  For the penultimate scene, the barn doors are opened to reveal a snow-covered rural wonderland, the Hollywood idealized Christmas.  Just like nearly all Christmas cards.  Snow is the ideal for Christmas.

Did you ever notice that there’s frequently a difference between the real and the ideal?

Snowed in here.  As you may know, Portland generally pretty much shuts down with only an inch of snow.  When that happens, all the busses mount chains and the schools close. And beyond that, not many decisions get made as snow is a great mystery ’round here, causing virgins to hide their expressions of indecision in their skirts and fearless men to weep in confusion.  There’s only maybe a couple of dozen snow shovels altogether in the entire metropolitan area, and they can’t be located as their owners forgot where they put them last.

Well, this time, we really have real snow. We’ve been getting it for a week and a half now and there’s another few inches scheduled for today, and more to follow tomorrow.  Temps haven’t been above freezing for two weeks, so we have significant accumulation.  Why?  Because our city management is staffed with idealists who’ve evidently become stuck on the notion that their job is to protect the environment from the consequences of civilization.  As I say, idealists.

If it comes to a real choice between clearing the roads of snow and moving people from home to work safely using the roads and vehicles we have, or keeping the environment safe for Thumper Bunnyrabbit to receive a visit in his warm, cozy burrow under a tree from his friend, Angela Squirrel, so they can hang their Christmas stockings on the mantelpiece, well, be sure to leave plenty of travel time and keep the trunk of your car stocked and ready for emergencies.  As I say, idealists.  And since an ideal city would move its citizens around to their destinations, brewpubs after work and coffee bars before and during, by means of light rail, suspended trams, monorails and bicycles, well, if you want to get around, plan on squatting down with cold breezes blowing down the back of your pants as you mount tire chairs on your car.  It’s our way.

As for me, well, I’d rather watch the movie than try to live the ideal.  Happy Holidays.

$eason’s Greeting$

‘Tis the season.   Ho, ho, ho.  So we’re hanging colored lights and wrapping gifts, and my bride of 40 plus years up and says, “I’m never buying cheap wrapping paper again.  You fold it and color comes off.  I like the kind with lines on the back, so you can cut it.  I’m just never buying cheap paper again.”  I agree and offer encouragement and support for the idea.  It makes a difference when you buy on quality, and frequently the price isn’t all that much more.

But then it occurred to me that pretty soon the good gift paper will be gone.  Unavailable.  Why?  Because of the dominating principal of commercial competition.  Cheap and shoddy will eventually drive out the good.  Oh, there are exceptions, like personal blade razors and auto tires.  But lots of stuff once made to last for 75 years with maintenance, has been replaced with cr*p.  You know.  Wood grain that is printed on.  Bearings, auto bumpers and clothing made of poly.   Gasoline adulterated with alcohol.   Ugly shoes made of neon-colored injected vinyl.  Michael Moore in place of Jonathon Swift.   Opinion polls in place of analysis and decision.  Bah.

And this principle, the shoddy drives out the good,  probably applies in politics as well.  Which means that some day we are all going to  be living in a places run like the governments in Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Chicago.  Bah.  And humbug.

But I don’t care.  I really don’t care.

As I said, ’tis the season, and I can hardly wait,  just like a little kid.  Because I’ve got some gifts ready that’s really going to light up some eyes in just a few days from now.

Possible Headline: Global Warming suffers under Bush administration . . .

Now it turns out that George Bush has screwed up global warming for us!  The Senate says so.  So it must be true.  The earth is cooling under George Bush.

Just thought I should stir the pot a little bit.

Ever notice how if you put politicians on both sides of a scientific or economic issue, all you can possibly gain from the exercise is disinformation and misinformation — on both sides of the issue?

On the other hand, suppose a politician was asked his opinion on, well, anything, and he responded that he didn’t know anything about it.  Would you be able to vote for him in spite of the fact that he confessed his ignorance?  Or would you vote for him because he admitted being ignorant?  It doesn’t matter what your answer would be; politicians can pretty much always be relied upon to overestimate or overstate their subject matter competence.

No wonder  I figure the survival of our Republic is uncertain.