Drilling

Good for the Obama administration. They have taken a sensible approach to developing our domestic crude resources. The announcement will be made by President Obama and Secretary Salazar. Vast offshore areas will be opened for development. The areas included are the Atlantic coast, new areas of the Gulf and the northern Alaskan Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

It will be many years before these areas are in production, but this is a step in the right direction to reducing our oil imports.

Free speech, or merely discounted speech?

This peckerwood Koran burning preacher in Florida has created a problem for the ruling political class. Clearly what he did is protected speech under the First Amendment, but they so want to make it illegal because it offends Muslims. Sen. Lindsay Graham compares it to flag burning, which he would also like to make illegal. Both actions may be repugnant, but that is the point isn't it? Free speech is irrelevant if it is only innocuous and inoffensive.

James Allan opines in The Australian:

The only valuable sort of freedom of speech is the sort that allows people to do or to say what others find wrong-headed, offensive, distasteful and intolerant.

Being free to say and do what everyone else wants you to say and do is not a liberty or freedom you will ever have to fight for; it will make little difference to anything . . .

I think any good, well-functioning democracy requires its citizens to man up and grow a thick skin. If you’re offended, tell us why the speaker is wrong. Don’t ask for a court-ordered apology and some two-bit declaration.

That seems about right to me.

Seriously

It seems to me that we are in a time when our country has serious problems. The term crisis is bandied about, and I'm not sure that it is accurate. But we are near a crisis in our economic condition as a people and as a nation.

I see polls where the American people are asked about the biggest problem facing the country, and the economy and jobs rank in the top three always. It is not clear to me why the economy and jobs are decoupled. Unemployment and an ailing economy are the same thing. Without normal employment our economy cannot be considered healthy.

Fortunately the last election, and some of the people elected show a seriousness about addressing our problems. There are, finally, some people in Washington who realize that continued deficit spending will destroy the long-term health of our economy, and, perhaps, cause irreparable harm.

I am still astonished to hear that the solution proposed by some is to spend our way out of the current hole. That makes no sense either logically or economically. I have yet to see a credible economic model that demonstrates that further spending will do anything but make the situation worse.

It is our responsibility to support the adults in Washington in whatever way we can. And, conversely, to tell the children to be quiet and go back to playing with their Legos.

Spending less

It is refreshing to hear the debate in Congress. The whole tone is so different than two years ago. Then the debate was over where to spend and how much. The debate now is where to cut and how much.

The dreaded tea party faction is holding to their principles of reduced federal spending, and this is giving the leadership heartburn. The leadership would like to act as it did when last the Republicans were in control, and mouth platitudes about fiscal responsibility while increasing spending. The freshman Congressmen will not allow it.

Obviously, spending restraint means that constituencies will not get everything that they have in the past. It is good that the feeling is one of sharing the pain. As with compromise; if no one is completely happy with the result, then the outcome is probably good.

I don't want it

I want to make it clear that I am not interested in being Secretary of State. If Sen. John Kerry doesn't want it neither do I.

I really mean it. Do not throw me in that briar patch.

Himalayan glaciers are not melting because of global warming

An article in "The Telegraph" discusses the findings of three researchers. They found that about half of Himalayan glaciers were actually advancing rather than retreating. It seems debris cover is the determining factor in rather the glaciers are growing or shrinking.

Climate is such a complex thing that it seems any prediction of its direction is about as accurate as putting your finger up in the wind.

Social security tax cut

Effective January 1 the employee social security tax has been reduced from 6.2% of salary to 4.2%. This is a decrease of 32%!

I am on board with any decrease in the tax burden.

Vice-President Biden claims this will create jobs because it will put more money in the pocket of the consumer. In my opinion if the cut had applied to the employer share that would have created jobs quicker because it would have been a direct reduction in salary expense. This would have allowed dollars for additional employees.

I'm not sure we should listen to VP Biden though, since he seems to be economically illiterate. Here is a quote from him; "The legislation creating the tax cut requires that any money the payroll tax would have provided to Social Security be replaced by other U.S. general revenue funds, protecting Social Security without an additional burden on taxpayers."

This phrase "without an additional burden on taxpayers" is outrageous. Does he not know that general revenue is raised from taxpayers the same as social security funds, or does he just think the public is so stupid that they don't know when you're picking their pocket in order to give them an allowance.

Obamacare really is about taxes

In arguments before a Florida court, where the constitutional challenge to the insurance mandate is being heard, Justice Department lawyer Ian Gershengorn said health insurance is "a financing mechanism," not a product.

It seems to me that this opens a completely new line of argument about the constitutionality of the mandate. A financing mechanism is a taxation term. Again we have administration lawyers stating that the mandate is a tax, but in this case they are claiming that health insurance premiums are a tax.

Traditionally health insurance is viewed as a contract between the insurer and the insured, with the premium purchasing a menu of services in the event of certain occurrences. What Gershengorn is arguing completely changes what insurance, and the insurance market, has always been.

Insurance Mandate as a Tax?

I'm no constitutional scholar, but I have read the Constitution. It seems to me that our government is allowed to levy tariffs, and by the 15th amendment, an income tax. Now we have the administration claiming that the health insurance mandate is a tax, justified under the "power to lay and levy taxes." I don't see how this tax fits within the definition of a tariff or income tax. Maybe it's a tariff because you're importing all that fat and poor health.

Liberalism described-Duh!

Rewarding irresponsibility and punishing hard work and thrift. This is nothing new, it is the liberal (progressive) agenda since forever. The parable of the ant and the grasshopper is a description of progressives with them siding with the grasshopper. Sadly they are ascendant after the 2008 election. I think the worm will turn in the next election.

Hi. My Name is Barack Hussein Obama, and I am one Deluded SOB

President Obama is convinced that the BP oil spill is the equivalent of 9/11. The man is just grasping, trying to make himself somehow more important.

The oil spill is bad, but in no way approaches a terrorist attack that killed 3,000 people. This is a disaster, but the loss of life stands at 11. The comparison is ridiculous. The man lives his life as a victim; the Bush administration left me with this mess, the middle East is worse than it's ever been, the oil spill is like 9/11.

The scary thing is, what will he do when actually addressed with a real national security disaster? My guess is curl up in a ball and cry like the little bitch that he is.

Stupid Congressman (I know that's redundant)

Rep. Anthony Weiner(D-NY) gets gored in the hand by an angora billy. How much of a dork do you have to be to let that happen?

The whole point of this exercise was to decry the mohair subsidy. So what is this genius vowing to do? He is not going to wear wool until the subsidy is eliminated. The clueless dumbass doesn't even know wool comes from sheep and mohair comes from goats.

I'm glad he's a New Yorker and doesn't represent any intelligent segment of the country.

ADDENDUM: In the video, brainiac Weiner points to the goats ear tag and says, "look they even come with earmarks." How totally clueless can you be. If you don't know a damn thing, you should shut up.

ADDENDUM: This just in; Congressman Weiner (D-NY) is opposed to subsidies to pig farmers. He promises not to eat beef until the pork subsidies are stopped!

Crazy Aunt (not quite) in the Attic

Helen Thomas has been crazy for years, but this is nuts even for her. I guess when you get old enough, or drunk enough, you say what you truly think.

Jews back to Germany or Poland? That is insane. They have as much right to their homeland as the Palestinian occupiers. The Israelis were there 3,000 years ago. If the Arab nations really cared about the Palestinian's they would take them. But they provide such a useful reason for continuing the death to Jews hatred, that that will never happen.

Illegal? So what?

John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (or whatever),said his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona authorities.

What?

Those of you who know me, know I think illegal immigration is not a big deal. These people are no more prone to illegal activity than citizens. Additionally, I believe they add positively to our economy. BUT; if your job is to enforce immigration law then when confronted with an illegal alien you must act. Here we have a federal official acting to nullify law that he is tasked to uphold. What the hell are we paying him for? Clearly not to do his job.

You're fired dumbass!

EU to be renamed Zombieland, Euro the Zombie

The Euro is a zombie currency. That would be really funny if it wasn't so true.

Internet Explorer?

I saw a web posting, "The ONLY thing Internet Explorer is good for is downloading Firefox and Google Chrome, and it's not very good at that."

Amen to that.

Tea Party - Too Popular for Comfort

Charles Postel opines on the Tea Party movement in a Reuters piece. This is a continuation of the liberal mind not being able to believe or grasp the obvious. (He is from San Francisco so he lives in a fever swamp of idiocy.) It is impossible for these progressives to understand that the movement is really just about limiting government and living within our means. Postel claims Tea Partiers are hostile to federal spending on jobs. That seems right, but that is a limiting and incomplete statement. They are hostile to federal spending for any reason that is unsustainable.

There is an anti-incumbent wave, and it is being driven by the belief that spending must be reined in. This is not just anger against Democrats. The Republicans spent like fools during the Bush presidency, and now the Democrats are doubling down. The Tea Party group seems to understand that it is not the President who budgets and spends, it is Congress, and they are willing to do something about it. Sen. Bennett of Utah lost at the state Republican convention after serving three terms, because he is a spender.

This is a sizable movement with the support of a large percentage of the general population. Continuing attempts to vilify seem to only build the movement. The liberal media doesn't understand that if they are against something, that is an indication to many that it must be a good thing.

A New Voice on the Supremes

Paul Campos writes a lengthy analysis of Elena Kagan as a potential nominee to SCOTUS.

It is worth a read. The takeaway is that her political views are unknown, but she is intelligent, has a good legal mind, and would be an asset to the Court. This is exactly what a nominee should bring to the table.

All of this political infighting over a nominees views on abortion in particular, or any other issue in general, is just bullshit. If a candidate is a qualified, quality jurist they should be seated.

The risk the Obama administration takes in appointing such a person is that they don't know where they will fall in their decisions. Any administration wishes to put Justices on the Court who will fit its particular political philosophy. This can result in a Souter appointment.

I say that if Pres. Obama appoints Kagan she should be swiftly confirmed.

Mike Myers has outdone himself. This is amazing.

Send lawyers

I just heard that the President is responding to the massive oil spill by sending a large number of government attorneys to Louisiana. That's just the right thing to remediate an oil spill. I guess you tie them end to end, and float them in front of the encroaching slick? I just can't imagine what other useful purpose they might serve.