Speaking up for Jim Webb. (Webb was elected Senator in 2006, not 2004.)
On the expense and disruption of Presidential visits. Note also that there is a trickle-down effect: many a self-important governor and mayor will imitate the Presidential way of travel.
On the left and children of all ages.
On protests against CA education budget cuts. (Scroll down to 'gs said' or 'March 6, 2010 7:34 AM'.)
David Cameron reminds me of John Lindsay, not John McCain.
On Charlie Rangel's exit.
On the GOP establishment and it's ignoring of Paul Ryan. (Unfortunately, getting too specific about budget cuts opens you to attacks by supporters of those programs: you don't care about national defense, you don't care about The Children, etc etc
Why what is not happening could be worse than what is.
On Robert Frost's Design, Intelligent Design, and evolution. (Scroll down to ''gs said' or to 'March 9, 2010 11:05 AM')
On Rachel Corrie. John O'Neill's phrase about "rich American kids vacationing in other peoples miseries" is spot on.
On the morality of technology and Kurzweil's Reflections on Avatar. My comment is the first.
In support of Amazon's retaliation against Colorado's taxation efforts--but cautioning that the company acts against the public interest when it suits its purposes.
Shades of George MacacAllen: here, here, and here.
On Afrocity's PTSD-like symptoms: here and here.
On David Brooks: here and here.
Suspicion of the Republican resurgence.
On wrecking the country via immigration.
On the gravity of Obamacare: here, here, here, here, here, and here.
On getting illegal-alien amnesty through Congress, and the role of data overload in contemporary politics.
On Bush's Ben Tre logic. On Limbaugh's expertise in financial economics.
More on healthcare and Congressional machinations: here, here, here, and here.
On Obama and American Jews: here and here.
On the role of spiritual experience in the religious right's politics: here, here, and here.
On Michele Bachmann and Obamacare repeal. Also here, here, here, and here.
On bad poetry: here and here.
March 1, 2010
February 28, 2010
Dude, Here's Your Flying Car Home
Here, here and here.
Roving residential communities? Could they be scaled down to single-unit mobile homes? The air traffic control would be tricky and safety considerations would probably dictate automated and remote pilot override capabilities. But why not?
Addendum 20103013. Variations on the theme are here, here, and here. In addition to a race, I'd like to see a contest for airborned longevity (including weight classes). Resupply allowed.
Roving residential communities? Could they be scaled down to single-unit mobile homes? The air traffic control would be tricky and safety considerations would probably dictate automated and remote pilot override capabilities. But why not?
Addendum 20103013. Variations on the theme are here, here, and here. In addition to a race, I'd like to see a contest for airborned longevity (including weight classes). Resupply allowed.
February 27, 2010
The Sanfords are Divorced
I Like This Hopeless Cause
Jim McGovern is my Congressman. Though I strongly disagree with his leftist orientation, his responses to my constituent inquiries have been courteous and to the point. He is a competent professional politician: I still remember how skillfully he ejected his hapless predecessor, the stupid incumbent Republican Peter Blute. I expect McGovern to survive even if the GOP makes historic gains in November. He is no Martha Coakley.
Nevertheless, I have to salute Mike Stopa's quixotic effort, in particular this:
If the government is the employer of last resort in a recession but there's no need to restrain government growth during economic expansion, when exactly do we stop government from growing faster than the economy?
If American voters reduced government workforces during a recession, that would be a major step toward delegitimizing the impacted governments. (I mean delegitimizing government's claim to be public's master and/or nanny rather than creature and servant.)
Nevertheless, I have to salute Mike Stopa's quixotic effort, in particular this:
I am calling for an immediate reduction in the civilian federal workforce of 10 %. While businesses big and small across America have to tighten their belts in order to adjust to hard economic times, the federal government has become more bloated than ever, topping 2 million (including military personel) for the first time in ten years. Upon election, I will propose legislation that will immediately reduce the civilian workforce from 1.25 to 1.1 million and will freeze the workforce at those levels until the unemployment rate overall drops below 6 %.This is so gloriously anti-political I have to love the guy. I wish the GOP and Tea Partiers would find a way to make this point in an electorally palatable way. Perhaps a federal hiring freeze would fly?
If the government is the employer of last resort in a recession but there's no need to restrain government growth during economic expansion, when exactly do we stop government from growing faster than the economy?
If American voters reduced government workforces during a recession, that would be a major step toward delegitimizing the impacted governments. (I mean delegitimizing government's claim to be public's master and/or nanny rather than creature and servant.)
Hopefully Wrong, but Maybe Not
I've seen a few posts claiming the Democratic Party is controlled by doctrinaire leftists who view losing elections as an acceptable price for forcing irreversible changes on American society. Here's one.
Meanwhile, Instapundit links to WSJ's John Fund's Speaker Pelosi’s Treasure Hunt for Votes Isn’t Going Well...and the Intrade odds for Obamacare have climbed steadily to 2:1.
Meanwhile, Instapundit links to WSJ's John Fund's Speaker Pelosi’s Treasure Hunt for Votes Isn’t Going Well...and the Intrade odds for Obamacare have climbed steadily to 2:1.
Blue-Sky Conjecture
The Obama Administraton's decision to refocus NASA on commercial applications will be as important fifty years from now as today is the decision, about fifty years ago, to begin work on what became the Intenet.
February 21, 2010
Medical Marijuana: Entrapment and Worse
Radley Balko reports:
****************
Doubtless many growers of medical marijuana do not have compassionate motives, but that's not the point.
Last Friday, the DEA raided a medical marijuana producer in Colorado. The story needs some fleshing out, but at the moment it appears that Chris Bartkowicz wasn't violating any state law. Medical marijuana is legal in Colorado. His offense appears to have been boasting about how much money he makes growing the drug for patients...The DEA is not only unapologetic, they appear to be blatantly ignoring last year's directive from the Obama Justice Department instructing U.S. attorneys to allow medical marijuana growers and distributors to operate so long as they're complying with state law.From the Balko link:
Along with the raid, Jeffrey Sweetin, the Drug Enforcement Administration's special agent in charge of the Denver office, sent a message to anyone involved in Colorado's increasingly profitable medical-marijuana industry. (p)"It's still a violation of federal law," Sweetin said. "It's not medicine. We're still going to continue to investigate and arrest people."Reason notes:
...
A memo in October from Deputy U.S. Attorney General David Ogden said federal agents should not target people in "clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana." The memo led many in Colorado's medical-marijuana community to believe that federal agents would no longer raid medical-marijuana dispensaries or growers.
Guidelines included in the memo to distinguish between lawful medical-marijuana operations and unlawful ones include whether the operations produce more plants or generate more money than state laws intend. Sweetin said those guidelines put much of Colorado's medical-marijuana industry in the crosshairs and that he has been gathering information on dispensary owners and their operations for months.
"Technically, every dispensary in the state is in blatant violation of federal law," he said. "The time is coming when we go into a dispensary, we find out what their profit is, we seize the building and we arrest everybody. They're violating federal law; they're at risk of arrest and imprisonment."
The really galling aspect of this case is that Jeffrey Sweetin, who runs the DEA's Denver office, does not even pretend to be interpreting state law, as the Justice Department memo ostensibly requires.Wrt another raid, I commented:
The government has engaged in entrapment.Another note to Obama: when federal police ignore the President's policy directives and pursue their own agenda, they have begun acting like a Praetorian Guard.
"We're going to be restrained, sensible and decent about medical marijuana," sez the Prez.
So the providers come into the open, and...wham!
A jury might accept an entrapment defense--I would--, so I look for non-drug offenses to be included in the indictments.
********
Note to Obama: you can confiscate a lot of money by pulling the same trick with delinquent taxes.
****************
Doubtless many growers of medical marijuana do not have compassionate motives, but that's not the point.
February 19, 2010
Coincidence?
1. A Microsoft executive calls for Internet "driver's licenses". A Time Warner columnist chimes in with an "opinion" piece.
2. War game reveals U.S. lacks cyber-crisis skills, thunders the Washington Post. The Bipartisan Policy Center, which sponsored the war game, has no blatant ties to the IP monopolies, but it was founded by the kinds of 'centrists'--Howard Baker, Bob Dole, Daschle, George Mitchell, Gephardt--who did not get where they are by bucking special interests.
I'm not questioning the threat. I'm questioning the government's capability to deal with it. I'm saying the government's first instinct is not to address the threat, but to use it as a pretext to expand its power. (Per Instapundit, it sounds like "they’re after powers more than skills, which is typical.")
3. Law enforcement special interests want to automate the process of searching a suspect's Web history. Note that they refer to 'legal process requests', not warrants. The whole system would be encrypted and access would be restricted to law enforcement.
Hey, what could go wrong? The policeman is my friend...
*********
Ben Franklin must be rolling in his grave.
2. War game reveals U.S. lacks cyber-crisis skills, thunders the Washington Post. The Bipartisan Policy Center, which sponsored the war game, has no blatant ties to the IP monopolies, but it was founded by the kinds of 'centrists'--Howard Baker, Bob Dole, Daschle, George Mitchell, Gephardt--who did not get where they are by bucking special interests.
I'm not questioning the threat. I'm questioning the government's capability to deal with it. I'm saying the government's first instinct is not to address the threat, but to use it as a pretext to expand its power. (Per Instapundit, it sounds like "they’re after powers more than skills, which is typical.")
3. Law enforcement special interests want to automate the process of searching a suspect's Web history. Note that they refer to 'legal process requests', not warrants. The whole system would be encrypted and access would be restricted to law enforcement.
Hey, what could go wrong? The policeman is my friend...
*********
Ben Franklin must be rolling in his grave.
Stopped Clocks or Straws in the Wind?
Obama has sent reinforcements to Afghanistan. He has invited Republicans to negotiate on health care. He wants to support the role of the private sector in space. When Congress did not join in, he created a panel to study deficit reduction. He met with the Dalai Lama despite Chinese objections.
Could he finally be learning the job? Too soon to tell.
Could he finally be learning the job? Too soon to tell.
February 18, 2010
Dhimmitude to Grizzly Bears
I am delighted to share my property with wildlife--as long as they fully understand who belongs to the dominant species.
This Forest Service page has many interesting links related to the government's efforts to restore grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. Clicking through, I came to these Tips for Residents in Grizzly Country.
Unfortunately, the term 'grizzly country' is all too literal: the document discusses how humans, at their own effort and expense, should make themselves and their property unattractive to the bears (without harming the dears, of course).
My suggestion: enlist Charles Darwin to teach the bears that bothering humans has excruciating or fatal consequences.
Addendum 20100227. Oh, and by all means kill the orca that drowned his trainer, and was involved in two previous human deaths to boot.
I don't know if the brute is being kept alive because of squeamishness or greed. Maybe both.
In a society that, apparently, can never have too many counterproductive safety measures, why did SeaWorld make no provision for intervention? Squeamishness, stupidity, or greed? If the orca had been killed to save the trainer, would they have gotten worse publicity than they have after the trainer died?
In principle I agree that Dawn Brancheau (RIP) knew the risks and should not have been prevented from accepting them. In practice, I question whether that's the ethical foundation on which SeaWorld's operating policies rest.
This Forest Service page has many interesting links related to the government's efforts to restore grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. Clicking through, I came to these Tips for Residents in Grizzly Country.
Unfortunately, the term 'grizzly country' is all too literal: the document discusses how humans, at their own effort and expense, should make themselves and their property unattractive to the bears (without harming the dears, of course).
My suggestion: enlist Charles Darwin to teach the bears that bothering humans has excruciating or fatal consequences.
Addendum 20100227. Oh, and by all means kill the orca that drowned his trainer, and was involved in two previous human deaths to boot.
I don't know if the brute is being kept alive because of squeamishness or greed. Maybe both.
In a society that, apparently, can never have too many counterproductive safety measures, why did SeaWorld make no provision for intervention? Squeamishness, stupidity, or greed? If the orca had been killed to save the trainer, would they have gotten worse publicity than they have after the trainer died?
In principle I agree that Dawn Brancheau (RIP) knew the risks and should not have been prevented from accepting them. In practice, I question whether that's the ethical foundation on which SeaWorld's operating policies rest.
February 16, 2010
Diana Moon-Glampers is a SoCal Educrat
See here and here. Berkeley High School is on the verge of eliminating after-school science labs because of the racial disproportion in their use. Apparently a performance gap between races is a no-no that jeopardizes funding, so the local educrats are reacting by penalizing the motivated high achievers. Harrison Bergeron High, Instapundit aptly names it. (The first link says 'too many white kids', but what about Asians?)
Then there's the vice-principal of a technology magnet school who locked down the place and called the bomb squad when a kid brought in a homemade motion detector.
Then there's the vice-principal of a technology magnet school who locked down the place and called the bomb squad when a kid brought in a homemade motion detector.
Why Bye Bye Bayh?
Indiana Senator Evan Bayh's decision not to seek re-election was apparently coordinated with the state's Democratic establishment. Possibly the White House was in the loop.
Is Bayh being positioned for SCOTUS, a major Cabinet post, or the 2012 VP nomination?
Is Bayh being positioned for SCOTUS, a major Cabinet post, or the 2012 VP nomination?
February 15, 2010
When Pain and Anguish Wring the Brow,
A Ministering Angel Thou. Not.
It is a sad fact of life that women send Dear John letters to deployed military. I'm not censuring their human frailty: it's the smugness that gets me.
Writing self-centered columns about dumping your significant other is something new.
Callously dumping a vulnerable life partnet is not confined to one gender or one branch of the political spectrum: ask Newt Gingrich or John Edwards.
Maybe there should be annual awards like the Emmies. Anyone for the Amies?
Writing self-centered columns about dumping your significant other is something new.
Callously dumping a vulnerable life partnet is not confined to one gender or one branch of the political spectrum: ask Newt Gingrich or John Edwards.
Maybe there should be annual awards like the Emmies. Anyone for the Amies?
February 9, 2010
Comments: February 2010
On the progression of irresponsibility about the deficit.
On the Administration's space policy and Bill Richardson. On skepticism in the House.
On Obama's call for bipartisan healthcare negotiations. Maybe the GOP won't fall for the ploy.
On discrimination in college admissions. (Scroll down to 'gs said...' or '7:50 PM'.)
On removing NH Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (scroll down to 'gs said' or to '9:36 PM, February 08, 2010'.) Here too.
On the Iran resistance. On Iran in Iraq.
On the late Howard Zinn's A People’s History of the United States.
sigh Palin, Palin (scroll down to 'gs' or look among 'Feb 7, 2010'), Palin (scroll down to 'gs writes' or to 'February 7th, 2010 10:31 am' for Palin isn’t an alternative to Obama. She is the Right’s version of Obama.).
On learning Asian and Hispanic languages, and the clash of civilizations. (Scroll down to 'gs said...' or '10:24 AM'.)
On responding to potential climate threats sensibly and reversibly.
On Michelle Obama's obesity initiative. Here too.
On Orin Hatch at a Tea Party.
On the surveillance state's beachhead in Philadelphia's public schools.
On the Google trial in Italy. If Google has declined to abet the Italian government's desire to control Internet speech, might the conviction be a reprisal?
On an unintentionally hilarious defense of rampant SWAT tactics. See this too.
On the Administration's space policy and Bill Richardson. On skepticism in the House.
On Obama's call for bipartisan healthcare negotiations. Maybe the GOP won't fall for the ploy.
On discrimination in college admissions. (Scroll down to 'gs said...' or '7:50 PM'.)
On removing NH Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (scroll down to 'gs said' or to '9:36 PM, February 08, 2010'.) Here too.
On the Iran resistance. On Iran in Iraq.
On the late Howard Zinn's A People’s History of the United States.
sigh Palin, Palin (scroll down to 'gs' or look among 'Feb 7, 2010'), Palin (scroll down to 'gs writes' or to 'February 7th, 2010 10:31 am' for Palin isn’t an alternative to Obama. She is the Right’s version of Obama.).
On learning Asian and Hispanic languages, and the clash of civilizations. (Scroll down to 'gs said...' or '10:24 AM'.)
On responding to potential climate threats sensibly and reversibly.
On Michelle Obama's obesity initiative. Here too.
On Orin Hatch at a Tea Party.
On the surveillance state's beachhead in Philadelphia's public schools.
On the Google trial in Italy. If Google has declined to abet the Italian government's desire to control Internet speech, might the conviction be a reprisal?
On an unintentionally hilarious defense of rampant SWAT tactics. See this too.
February 7, 2010
Palin is the Obama of the Right
I've been groping for some time to express my reaction, and have finally found something that rings true. It's in the title.
Addendum 20100208. Like this gal says.
Addendum 20100208. Like this gal says.
February 6, 2010
Happy Birthday, RWR
Wherever you are, if you are.
Apparently the birthday is becoming a Republican holiday, joining Lincoln's birthday.
No offense to Dwight Eisenhower, who was a successful President but not a transformational one. Theodore Roosevelt probably was a transformational President (trust busting and projecting America onto the world stage), but too erratic to warrant veneration.
Apparently the birthday is becoming a Republican holiday, joining Lincoln's birthday.
No offense to Dwight Eisenhower, who was a successful President but not a transformational one. Theodore Roosevelt probably was a transformational President (trust busting and projecting America onto the world stage), but too erratic to warrant veneration.
February 1, 2010
Is Obama Finished? GOP Blowout in November?
Maybe not.
Intrade has the odds of Obamacare by summer at 40%.
ITG's Chief Economist Robert Barbera has been saying that jobs are on the way.
Obama's meeting with the House Republican caucus is a Clintonian move to the center--or so it appears to the voters, even if it turns out to be cosmetic[1].
The Republicans should make gains like the minority party historically does during an off-year election. However, much of the right blogosphere is behaving as though a blowout is in the bag. A nasty surprise could be in store. Just ask Congressman Doug Hoffman.
************
[1] Addendum 20100208. And cosmetic it may be.
If, indeed, Obama chooses Carteresque intransigence to Clintonian adaptation, who is the Reagan who will unseat him?
Palin?
Give. Me. A. Break.
Addendum 20100215. The Tea Party is running an independent candidate against Harry Reid. Instapundit, sensibly, is not pleased:
Intrade has the odds of Obamacare by summer at 40%.
ITG's Chief Economist Robert Barbera has been saying that jobs are on the way.
Obama's meeting with the House Republican caucus is a Clintonian move to the center--or so it appears to the voters, even if it turns out to be cosmetic[1].
The Republicans should make gains like the minority party historically does during an off-year election. However, much of the right blogosphere is behaving as though a blowout is in the bag. A nasty surprise could be in store. Just ask Congressman Doug Hoffman.
************
[1] Addendum 20100208. And cosmetic it may be.
If, indeed, Obama chooses Carteresque intransigence to Clintonian adaptation, who is the Reagan who will unseat him?
Palin?
Give. Me. A. Break.
Addendum 20100215. The Tea Party is running an independent candidate against Harry Reid. Instapundit, sensibly, is not pleased:
Two words: “Ross Perot.” Two more: “Ralph Nader.”As above, two more: "Doug Hoffman".
January 27, 2010
Lech Walesa Campaigns for Illinois Republican
Imagine the conniption fits the Right would be having if Nelson Mandela or Desmond Tutu campaigned for Obama.
R.S. McCain gushes:
*********
Foreigners don't belong in US politics. Period. (They're free to kibitz of course, but candidates who let them play are unworthy of support.)
My no-confidence feedback to the GOP is validated.
R.S. McCain gushes:
It's not every day that a Nobel Prize winner becomes involved in a U.S. election, but Lech Walesa -- famed for his Cold War leadership of the Solidarity movement in Poland -- will be campaigning this week for a GOP gubernatorial candidate in Illinois.(Boldface mine.) Jimmy Carter and Al Gore immediately come to mind. (Mandela and Tutu have also won the Nobel Peace Prize.)
*********
Foreigners don't belong in US politics. Period. (They're free to kibitz of course, but candidates who let them play are unworthy of support.)
My no-confidence feedback to the GOP is validated.
January 24, 2010
This Is Not What I Mean by Conservatism
The Tories want to impose draconian taxes on liquor.
Not only are Western political elites sending the countries they govern down the tube, they don't want to let us drink ourselves into oblivion while they do it.
Not only are Western political elites sending the countries they govern down the tube, they don't want to let us drink ourselves into oblivion while they do it.
January 23, 2010
The Bernanke Confirmation Process
Congressional refusal to confirm Bernanke for a second term would be like firing Grant because his armies took casualties while winning the Civil War.
Wait, they tried to do that too, didn't they?
Wait, they tried to do that too, didn't they?
January 22, 2010
Why is the Market Down?
The sudden uncertainty about Bernanke's reconfirmation, of course. A WSJ blog headlines "Warren Buffett Predicts Chaos If Bernanke Is Not Re-Confirmed". Buffett:
If the market hates uncertainty, what is it making of the latest SEC fishing expedition about market structure? Money quote from the Concept Release (pp 41-42):
BUFFETT: If I could vote twice, I would. He should be, I mean, he did a magnificent job over this period. Now, everybody can do it somewhat better. We could sit here and armchair quarterback him, but when I look back at particularly September and October of 2008, he took some extraordinary actions that, if they hadn't been taken, willingness to act like that, and even stretch his authority some. But he did what you do, and we talked about it being an economic Pearl Harbor, he did what should have been done in response to that Pearl Harbor. And I think he's done a stellar job.The full transcript is here.
BECKY: What happens if he's not reconfirmed? What's at risk?
BUFFETT: Well, just tell me a day ahead of time so I can sell some stocks. (Laughs.)
BECKY: You think there would be a strong selloff?
BUFFETT: Oh, I think so, sure.
BECKY: Across the board?
BUFFETT: Yeah. I think it'd be justified.
BECKY: You do?
BUFFETT: Yeah, I think - I think one of the - I think Congress generally is the worry of the American people, particularly what they've seen over the last 12, 18 months. If Congress essentially said we can do this better then a Ben Banana, and we think we know, I would get very worried.
If the market hates uncertainty, what is it making of the latest SEC fishing expedition about market structure? Money quote from the Concept Release (pp 41-42):
In addition, what standards should the Commission apply in assessing the fairness of the equity markets? For example, is it unfair for market participants to obtain a competitive advantage by investing in technology and human resources that enable them to trade more effectively and profitably than others?The text is the SEC's. The boldface, dropped jaw, and boggled mind are mine. Who's in charge at the SEC, Handicapper General Diana Moon-Glampers?
January 19, 2010
The Eyes of the Nation are on Massachusetts
I never thought I'd write that. It gives me a shiver. How incredible to have an important vote.
I pushed the cement snow off my car and got to the polling place in my rural Central MA town of maybe 4000. At 3:00, 1100 people had already voted.
The holbytlan emerge from their humble burrows and shake the towers and councils of the Great.
Addendum. This is a good line too:
Addendum. I'd made up my mind to leave Massachusetts if in a financial position to do so. The 25% hike in the sales tax during a deep recession was the last straw.
I may revisit my decision if Brown wins.
I pushed the cement snow off my car and got to the polling place in my rural Central MA town of maybe 4000. At 3:00, 1100 people had already voted.
The holbytlan emerge from their humble burrows and shake the towers and councils of the Great.
Addendum. This is a good line too:
And once again, there is a Tea Party in Massachusetts.The whole thing is worth reading.
Addendum. I'd made up my mind to leave Massachusetts if in a financial position to do so. The 25% hike in the sales tax during a deep recession was the last straw.
I may revisit my decision if Brown wins.
January 18, 2010
A Better Choice for First Black President
Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown:
NB: the foregoing holds irrespective of Brown's race or political philosophy.
If we as a state want to make a New Year's resolution, I suggest taking a good look at the California we have created. From our out-of-sync tax system to our out-of-control civil service, it's time for politicians to begin an honest dialogue about what we've become.Mind you, I'd probably be howling in protest if he had the job--but I wouldn't be terrified that he'd run the country off a cliff.
NB: the foregoing holds irrespective of Brown's race or political philosophy.
January 17, 2010
Coakley-Brown and the Miracle on Ice
Sunday's polls are in and all show Brown with a lead. The Intrade odds have increased to 7:4 in his favor.
For an upset of this magnitude, everything has to go Brown's way. One glitch and he has a moral victory, i.e. he loses (and can start running for governor).
The fact that tomorrow is a holiday might give the machine time to regroup: many voters can be reached at home instead of being inaccessible at work.
For an upset of this magnitude, everything has to go Brown's way. One glitch and he has a moral victory, i.e. he loses (and can start running for governor).
The fact that tomorrow is a holiday might give the machine time to regroup: many voters can be reached at home instead of being inaccessible at work.
January 15, 2010
Is This Democrat Rooting for Scott Brown?
Deval Patrick, I mean.
Deepest-blue Massachusetts has nevertheless had a run of Republican governors--Weld, Celucci, Romney--until Patrick conned us into taking a chance on the one-party thing.
If Brown loses, I'm guessing he will immediately take aim at the unpopular Patrick.
Moreover, unlike his three GOP predecessors, Brown seems rooted in the state. He just might try to build up the state GOP instead of viewing the governorship as a steppingstone. (Correction: Four GOP predecessors. I mercifully forgot Jane Swift.)
Patrick has not been visible on behalf of Coakley. Part of that might be that he's so unpopular that he'd do more harm than good--but part might be self-interest. (Will Deval share the stage when his buddy Barack visits? You'd think a Democratic governor almost has to appear with a Democratic President. Hopefully the Brown people will manage some Patrick-Coakley photos although I'm guessing the Democrats anticipate the danger.)
Addendum 20100116. Brown's contribution page has an option for recurring monthly donations. Patrick is up for reelection this coming November.
Deepest-blue Massachusetts has nevertheless had a run of Republican governors--Weld, Celucci, Romney--until Patrick conned us into taking a chance on the one-party thing.
If Brown loses, I'm guessing he will immediately take aim at the unpopular Patrick.
Moreover, unlike his three GOP predecessors, Brown seems rooted in the state. He just might try to build up the state GOP instead of viewing the governorship as a steppingstone. (Correction: Four GOP predecessors. I mercifully forgot Jane Swift.)
Patrick has not been visible on behalf of Coakley. Part of that might be that he's so unpopular that he'd do more harm than good--but part might be self-interest. (Will Deval share the stage when his buddy Barack visits? You'd think a Democratic governor almost has to appear with a Democratic President. Hopefully the Brown people will manage some Patrick-Coakley photos although I'm guessing the Democrats anticipate the danger.)
Addendum 20100116. Brown's contribution page has an option for recurring monthly donations. Patrick is up for reelection this coming November.
January 10, 2010
Important Point, with More Important Implications
Steve Wolfram notes that computers do mathematics very differently from humans (I've read similar things about chess programs: they play differently from a human with enhanced speed and memory):
This is a worthwhile historical overview.
When Mathematica was young, we actually used to include as part of our software distribution a lot of source code for doing things like symbolic integration. It happened to be easier to do the software engineering that way. And we had the idea that perhaps occasionally someone would look at the code, and give us a good suggestion about it.So what are the implications for AI? For the techno-optimism that future AIs will be human-friendly?
But that turned out to be completely unrealistic. The code was pretty clean. But it was mathematically very sophisticated. And only a very small number of experts (quite a few of whom had actually worked on the code for us) could understand it.
And the only tangible thing that happened were a few tech support calls from people who thought they could modify some piece of the code—and were about to horribly mess things up.
This is a worthwhile historical overview.
January 6, 2010
France Strikes Again
After the monumentally incompetent Bush administration and the possibly worse Obama, it's bad form for an American to gibe at the Europeans, but I can't resist. From the BBC:
I don't expect this law to be applied uniformly, objectively or fairly. I do expect it to be extended beyond cohabitants.
Could 'psychological violence' be invoked to circumvent the USA's First Amendment? Look for the usual suspects to get interested.
Addendum 20100107. Chicks on the Right captures the insanity:
Addendum 20100117. According to Rasmussen, 32% of Americans favor such a law (40% opposed and 27% undecided).
A republic, if you can keep it. More and more of us are uninterested in keeping it.
Addendum 20100303. The French are on the verge of passing a law requiring electronic monitoring bracelets for husbands who have a restraining order to avoid their wives.
The French government wants to take the controversial step of introducing a new law banning "psychological violence" between married couples or partners living together.The law is expected to pass.
I don't expect this law to be applied uniformly, objectively or fairly. I do expect it to be extended beyond cohabitants.
Could 'psychological violence' be invoked to circumvent the USA's First Amendment? Look for the usual suspects to get interested.
Addendum 20100107. Chicks on the Right captures the insanity:
What are they going to ban next? The silent treatment?Yours truly comments. Here too.
Addendum 20100117. According to Rasmussen, 32% of Americans favor such a law (40% opposed and 27% undecided).
A republic, if you can keep it. More and more of us are uninterested in keeping it.
Addendum 20100303. The French are on the verge of passing a law requiring electronic monitoring bracelets for husbands who have a restraining order to avoid their wives.
Speaking of Incompetent Security
Apparently we are not alone. The BBC, which is not an unbiased source afaic, reports:
At least the Danes didn't bomb the Chinese delegation's quarters.
China's chief negotiator was barred by security for the first three days of the meeting - a serious issue that should have been sorted out after day one. This was said to have left the Chinese delegation in high dudgeon.No kidding.
At least the Danes didn't bomb the Chinese delegation's quarters.
January 5, 2010
Massachusetts and California
If MA shared a border with Mexico, we would be in the same shape as California.
(The prosperity from CA's Pacific ports and natural resources has also contributed to the arrogant airheaded idealism that got them into their mess.)
(The prosperity from CA's Pacific ports and natural resources has also contributed to the arrogant airheaded idealism that got them into their mess.)
Comments: January 2010
On the Scott Brown candidacy for Massachusetts' open Senate seat. Here too.
On Brit Hume's call for Tiger Woods to become a Christian.
On the Coakley-Brown race: here, here, here, and here. Here and here too. Here and here, here and here.
On f*gg*t humor at Notre Dame. Scroll down to "gs on January 15th, 2010 10:31 pm".
On online reaction to Bernanke's confirmation difficulties. Scroll down to "6:19 pm January 22, 2010 gs wrote".
On Obama's bright idea that government contractors must be certified as non-tax-delinquent. I suggest that compliance costs may outweigh money saved. Scroll down to "Posted by: gs | Jan 20, 2010 10:01:00 PM".
On the fearful state of the Union.
On the pending shutdown of after-hours science labs in Berkeley High School.
On Brit Hume's call for Tiger Woods to become a Christian.
On the Coakley-Brown race: here, here, here, and here. Here and here too. Here and here, here and here.
On f*gg*t humor at Notre Dame. Scroll down to "gs on January 15th, 2010 10:31 pm".
On online reaction to Bernanke's confirmation difficulties. Scroll down to "6:19 pm January 22, 2010 gs wrote".
On Obama's bright idea that government contractors must be certified as non-tax-delinquent. I suggest that compliance costs may outweigh money saved. Scroll down to "Posted by: gs | Jan 20, 2010 10:01:00 PM".
On the fearful state of the Union.
On the pending shutdown of after-hours science labs in Berkeley High School.
A Benign Variant of Alcohol?
The Telegraph reports on UK research (HT: Instapundit):
If the government allows the step to be taken:
(Medical researchers might be getting a better handle on high blood pressure too.)
The synthetic alcohol, being developed from chemicals related to Valium, works like alcohol on nerves in the brain that provide a feeling of wellbeing and relaxation.If it's related to Valium, how confident are they that it's not addictive? For that matter, I wonder if there's more to alcoholic dependency than desire for a pleasant buzz. Still, this worthwhile research is a clear step forward.
But unlike alcohol its does not affect other parts of the brain that control mood swings and lead to addiction. It is also much easier to flush out of the body.
Finally because it is much more focused in its effects, it can also be switched off with an antidote, leaving the drinker immediately sober.
If the government allows the step to be taken:
The new alcohol is being developed by a team at Imperial College London, led by Professor David Nutt, Britain's top drugs expert who was recently sacked as a government adviser for his comments about cannabis and ecstasy.The usual special-interest coalition of zealots and grifters controls the regulatory process. This is a(n unintended?) consequence of the War on Drugs and collateral damage from the Precautionary Principle. In effect, the government's effort to stop the damage done by (some) drugs is stifling the development of safe alternatives. Remember: the issue is never the issue. The issue is control.
...
“No one’s ever tried targeting this before, possibly because it will be so hard to get it past the regulators.
“Most of the benzos are controlled under the Medicines Act. The law gives a privileged position to alcohol, which has been around for 3,000 years. But why not use advances in pharmacology to find something safer and better?”
Getting the drug approved could be hard for the team as clinical trials are expensive, and it is not clear who would pay for them, according to Professor Nutt.
He said that the traditional drinks industry has not shown any interest, however some countries might be persuaded to sponsor the team.
(Medical researchers might be getting a better handle on high blood pressure too.)
January 3, 2010
Wheels within Wheels
December 31, 2009
Good News and Bad News
The bad news is the TSA harassment of two bloggers who posted an unclassified security directive (HT: Instapundit).
The good news is that the Federal courts just might be starting to rein in unwarranted police use of tasers.
Addendum 20100105: I've seen reports that the government has dropped the subpoenas against the bloggers.
The good news is that the Federal courts just might be starting to rein in unwarranted police use of tasers.
Addendum 20100105: I've seen reports that the government has dropped the subpoenas against the bloggers.
December 30, 2009
Worst Decade Ever (?)
According to Reason TV, it was.
Think where we’d be if we hadn’t started with unprecedented prosperity and power. Think where we’ll wind up if we persist.
And we are persisting.
If governed as we are today, I question whether we would have won WW2 (or WW1 for that matter) or the Cold War.
Think where we’d be if we hadn’t started with unprecedented prosperity and power. Think where we’ll wind up if we persist.
And we are persisting.
If governed as we are today, I question whether we would have won WW2 (or WW1 for that matter) or the Cold War.
December 28, 2009
America Was Once Like This
From the Daily Mail:
In four years, I doubt you could even get regulatory approvals to break ground in the US.
Unveiled: China's 245mph train service is the world's fastest... and it was completed in just FOUR yearsLook at the images.
In four years, I doubt you could even get regulatory approvals to break ground in the US.
December 27, 2009
Drug War
Mexico is losing reviewing its options.
I've read--in National Review iirc!--that US insistence on Drug War poppy eradication has helped the Taliban to rebound in Afghanistan.
The last Mexican election was a very narrow win for the conservative. Will the Drug War help bring us an openly anti-American far-left Mexican government that openly allies with the drug cartels and drives even more illegals (excuse me, undocumenteds) into the US than have already been coming?
Obama's missteps should not make us forget what a moron Bush was.
I've read--in National Review iirc!--that US insistence on Drug War poppy eradication has helped the Taliban to rebound in Afghanistan.
The last Mexican election was a very narrow win for the conservative. Will the Drug War help bring us an openly anti-American far-left Mexican government that openly allies with the drug cartels and drives even more illegals (excuse me, undocumenteds) into the US than have already been coming?
Obama's missteps should not make us forget what a moron Bush was.
December 22, 2009
Worth Its Own Post
Pajamas Media commenter 'kazooskibum' has been repeating:
When a legitimate issue does come up that calls for pulling together and shared sacrifice, the government will have no credibility left. (I'm not saying it has any now.)
Remember: The issue is never the issue. The issue is control.Amen.
When a legitimate issue does come up that calls for pulling together and shared sacrifice, the government will have no credibility left. (I'm not saying it has any now.)
December 18, 2009
I Approve. So Am I a Pro-Slavery Racist?
From Althouse commenter JohnAnnArbor:
Given the way the existing Constitution is distorted to excuse federal power grabs, I'm not sure such an amendment would make any difference.
I think they should have to read every bill aloud in its entirety. That would keep them from larding everything up.Ludicrous though the title of this post is, IMO that very slur would be flung at someone who proposed to amend the Constitution according to the CSA example.
Historical trivia: the Confederate constitution tried to avoid Congressional amalgamation of unrelated items in one bill:
"(20) Every law, or resolution having the force of law, shall relate to but one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title."
Given the way the existing Constitution is distorted to excuse federal power grabs, I'm not sure such an amendment would make any difference.
December 17, 2009
LGF: JBS@CPAC
Charles Johnson reports that the John Birch Society has been accepted as a cosponsor of the Conservative Political Action Conference.
No reaction yet from National Review, once the standard-bearer of rational, principled conservatism (w/wo religion).
************
Johnson also posts an image of Wasilla Councilwoman Sarah Palin reading a Bircher article. Googling reveals that this image was known to the left blogosphere during the 2008 campaign. It's curious that it was not emphasized by the MSM.
When they recall how Reagan was smeared by his enemies, some people might be reluctant to relinquish their hopes for Palin. However, the false and malicious canards flung at Reagan seem to be valid when applied to Palin.
No reaction yet from National Review, once the standard-bearer of rational, principled conservatism (w/wo religion).
************
Johnson also posts an image of Wasilla Councilwoman Sarah Palin reading a Bircher article. Googling reveals that this image was known to the left blogosphere during the 2008 campaign. It's curious that it was not emphasized by the MSM.
When they recall how Reagan was smeared by his enemies, some people might be reluctant to relinquish their hopes for Palin. However, the false and malicious canards flung at Reagan seem to be valid when applied to Palin.
Is a Meme Developing?
The Moderate Voice:
It's is a tailor-made slogan for a third party.
(Obviously, alternating the government between two successively more incompetent parties cannot work indefinitely. It may fail sooner and more drastically than most people expect.)
Precisely which of the two incompetent political parties is less incompetent?This is what I thought even before posting here and here.
And which incompetent party do you choose to bollix up the country and disappoint you for a few more years?
It's is a tailor-made slogan for a third party.
(Obviously, alternating the government between two successively more incompetent parties cannot work indefinitely. It may fail sooner and more drastically than most people expect.)
December 16, 2009
California
The state might be better managed if we returned it to Mexico.
Demographic trends may bring that about. IMHO a more plausible worst-case scenario is a Latino majority exacting a steady stream of concessions from Washington, as Quebec does from Canada.
At least Mexico would have the common sense to tap the state's natural resources which are currently off-limits due to environmentalist special interests.
The fate of Berkeley-type watermelons who tried the obstructive ploys to which they have come to feel entitled would be...entertaining. Perhaps grimly so.
Demographic trends may bring that about. IMHO a more plausible worst-case scenario is a Latino majority exacting a steady stream of concessions from Washington, as Quebec does from Canada.
At least Mexico would have the common sense to tap the state's natural resources which are currently off-limits due to environmentalist special interests.
The fate of Berkeley-type watermelons who tried the obstructive ploys to which they have come to feel entitled would be...entertaining. Perhaps grimly so.
My Evil Idea
Gene Healy on making criminals out of all Americans:
The law has become so complicated that Congressional researchers can't even enumerate the crimes that Congress has created? This is a job for...Artificial Intelligence!
Some public-spirited entrepreneur should create a software package that runs along the lines of a search engine. The enterprising prosecutor types in a target's behavior and the engine returns the crimes that are compatible with those actions.
In fact, every police department should have one! Initial versions might require an officer seeking a pretext for an arrest to call a dispatcher who will run the program and relay the options to the officer. Very quickly, however, voice recognition software can take the dispatcher out of the loop and automate the entire process.
(According to Healy's piece, Jim Webb is taking this issue on. Good for him. I'm glad I donated to his campaign against MacacAllen.)
There are now more than 4,000 federal crimes, spread out through some 27,000 pages of the U.S. Code. Some years ago, analysts at the Congressional Research Service tried to count the number of separate offenses on the books, and gave up, lacking the resources to get the job done...(HT: Instapundit) So much for limited government in a free country. Note that the impetus is bipartisan. (Note also bipartisan legalization of things like intellectual-property banditry and expansive eminent domain.)
You can serve federal time for interstate transport of water hyacinths, trafficking in unlicensed dentures, or misappropriating the likeness of Woodsy Owl and his associated slogan, "Give a hoot, don't pollute."...Bills currently before Congress would send Americans to federal prison for eating horsemeat or selling goods falsely labeled as "Native American."
"Is that the system we have, that Congress can say, nobody shall do any bad things?" an exasperated Scalia asked (Deputy Solicitor General) Drebeen. The system we have comes pretty close, unfortunately. And a federal criminal code that covers everything delegates to prosecutors and the police the power to pick their targets at will, leaving everyone at risk.
The law has become so complicated that Congressional researchers can't even enumerate the crimes that Congress has created? This is a job for...Artificial Intelligence!
Some public-spirited entrepreneur should create a software package that runs along the lines of a search engine. The enterprising prosecutor types in a target's behavior and the engine returns the crimes that are compatible with those actions.
In fact, every police department should have one! Initial versions might require an officer seeking a pretext for an arrest to call a dispatcher who will run the program and relay the options to the officer. Very quickly, however, voice recognition software can take the dispatcher out of the loop and automate the entire process.
(According to Healy's piece, Jim Webb is taking this issue on. Good for him. I'm glad I donated to his campaign against MacacAllen.)
December 14, 2009
Megan McArdle on the Complexity Bubble
Here:
What if the government still operated at 1930s efficiency with today's technology?
Have the parasite classes learned how to coopt technology? (For example, the thousand-page special-interest laws that Congress does not read could not even have been printed a century ago.)
Just because technological innovation saved us from decline and fall in the past, it may not necessarily do so in the future.
...Every so often I'll read some description of a project out of the olden days--the battle against malaria in Panama, the handling of the Great Mississippi Flood, or the creation of the WPA--and just marvel at how fast everything used to be. The WPA was authorized in April of 1935. By December, it was employing 3.5 million people. The Hoover Dam took 16 years from the time it was first proposed, to completion; eight years, if you start counting from the time it passed Congress.Would we have won the Cold War if not for our technology? Technology includes the atom bomb which perhaps prevented the Red Army from sweeping across Europe after WW2, and the 1980s military upgrades which the Soviets could not afford to match.
Contrast this with a current, comparatively trivial project: it has been seventeen years since the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor was established by USDOT, and we should have a Record of Decision on the Tier II environmental impact statement no later than 2010. This for something that runs along existing rail rights of way, and in fact, uses currently operating track in many places.
What if the government still operated at 1930s efficiency with today's technology?
Have the parasite classes learned how to coopt technology? (For example, the thousand-page special-interest laws that Congress does not read could not even have been printed a century ago.)
Just because technological innovation saved us from decline and fall in the past, it may not necessarily do so in the future.
December 12, 2009
Tiger Woods, Eloit Spitzer, and Mark Sanford
Spitzer resigned and is still married. Sanford clung to office and his wife just filed. Coincidence?
Woods has taken an indefinite leave from golf. "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try."
To resurrect a relationship wrecked by infidelity, it is probably necessary to demonstrate to the estranged partner that nothing is more important than she/he. But is it sufficient?
Woods has taken an indefinite leave from golf. "It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try."
To resurrect a relationship wrecked by infidelity, it is probably necessary to demonstrate to the estranged partner that nothing is more important than she/he. But is it sufficient?
More Damage from Compassionate Conservatism
Reason notes that, under Bush, for the first time since World War 2, growth in government employment apparently outpaced private-sector growth (HT: Instapundit).
The Communists said the state would wither away...eventually. Were Bush's theocratic handlers imitating the Marxists? Of course they'll reduce the size of government...when the Peaceable Kingdom is attained...real soon now...
The Communists said the state would wither away...eventually. Were Bush's theocratic handlers imitating the Marxists? Of course they'll reduce the size of government...when the Peaceable Kingdom is attained...real soon now...
December 9, 2009
TARPmeister Emeritus Neel Kashkari
The Washington Post profiles his recuperation and reminiscences.
Meanwhile, some are atwitter that he took a job with PIMCO. Since he took a grueling job with a big pay cut and an enormous professional risk, at first blush I'm not inclined to fault him for cashing in on his success.
I take the point about a revolving door between government and industry. But there is also such a thing as public service. I take the point about lobbyist influence and regulatory capture. But I don't want policy made exclusively by academics and NGO goo-goos with no private-sector experience.
Meanwhile, some are atwitter that he took a job with PIMCO. Since he took a grueling job with a big pay cut and an enormous professional risk, at first blush I'm not inclined to fault him for cashing in on his success.
I take the point about a revolving door between government and industry. But there is also such a thing as public service. I take the point about lobbyist influence and regulatory capture. But I don't want policy made exclusively by academics and NGO goo-goos with no private-sector experience.
December 8, 2009
Hitchens on Palin
In Slate:
Palin's looks are going. Video close-ups reveal heavy pancake makeup that doesn't entirely conceal crow's feet.
Soon she'll look like Harriet Miers.
In 1992 Hillary Clinton successfully mimicked an all-American girl, but she has found a way to age in the public eye. In contrast, Harriet Miers looks will not mesh well with Palin's high-pitched voice and cheerleader demeanor.
**********
Hitchens says that a key Palin advisor is linked to Nixon's anti-Semitism. Maybe so, but I recall a video that showed an Israeli flag in then-Governor Palin's office.
...the usefulness of Sarah Palin to the right-wing party managers is that she combines a certain knowingness with a feigned innocence and a still-palpable blush of sex. But she should take care to read her Alexander Pope: That bloom will soon enough fade, and it will fade really quickly if she uses it to prostitute herself to the Nixonites on one day and then to cock-tease the rabble on the next.He comes up to the edge of what I've been meaning to say.
Palin's looks are going. Video close-ups reveal heavy pancake makeup that doesn't entirely conceal crow's feet.
Soon she'll look like Harriet Miers.
In 1992 Hillary Clinton successfully mimicked an all-American girl, but she has found a way to age in the public eye. In contrast, Harriet Miers looks will not mesh well with Palin's high-pitched voice and cheerleader demeanor.
**********
Hitchens says that a key Palin advisor is linked to Nixon's anti-Semitism. Maybe so, but I recall a video that showed an Israeli flag in then-Governor Palin's office.
Among the Decay, a Sprig of Progress
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.
One small sprig for man, and...?
I hope so.
One small sprig for man, and...?
I hope so.
Yes, Exactly: Corruption
If I haven't written this down, I meant to:
When a government gets big enough, it automatically becomes corrupt. Period.
Instead, we are asked to believe that the government is some kind of omniscient omnipotent sapient unified field that can unfailingly implement the greatest good for the greatest number--if we only let it.
IMO, just as a big enough government automatically becomes corrupt, a big enough government automatically seeks to de facto disenfranchise the electorate.
When a government gets big enough, it automatically becomes corrupt. Period.
Instead, we are asked to believe that the government is some kind of omniscient omnipotent sapient unified field that can unfailingly implement the greatest good for the greatest number--if we only let it.
IMO, just as a big enough government automatically becomes corrupt, a big enough government automatically seeks to de facto disenfranchise the electorate.
December 6, 2009
December 3, 2009
Comments: December 2009
On Doonesbury and Day by Day.
On a potential government bailout of Big Media: here and here.
On an example of "conservative" racism.
On the Antoun murder at SUNY Binghamton.
On various things, including Obama:
On why worthwhile and uncontroversial things related to climate change don't get done.
On an appallingly dumb argument for tax increases.
On a major Chinese technology company snubbing the US stock market.
On Rand Simberg's "The Precautionary Principle and Global Warming":
On the UK Livni indictment.
On Kurzweil's latest prediction.
On avoiding out-of-state traffic tickets.
On "universal jurisdiction".
Here and here, on Obamacare.
On the Wen-Obama photo. The subsequent comment is worth reading.
On conservative overconfidence: here, here, and here.
On China's governance and America's Founders (and foundering) Addendum 20100311: Jonah Goldberg accuses Tom Friedman of admiring Chinese authoritarianism. That is not my intention.
On the government reaction to the attempted Delta bombing: here and here.
On Bush as a forerunner of Obama's statism.
On a potential government bailout of Big Media: here and here.
On an example of "conservative" racism.
On the Antoun murder at SUNY Binghamton.
On various things, including Obama:
I don’t want Obama to fail–because of the damage to the country, not out of any love for Obama–, but he’s in a tough spot (of his own making). Part of his coalition is defecting because his governance is dysfunctional, and part is defecting because his governance is not dysfunctional enough.On deciphering multiculturalism:
“practicing mainstream traditions” = “bigoted”On Truman, Reagan, and Palin.
“deprecating the flaunting of minority or emerging-subculture practices” = “narrow-minded”
On why worthwhile and uncontroversial things related to climate change don't get done.
On an appallingly dumb argument for tax increases.
On a major Chinese technology company snubbing the US stock market.
On Rand Simberg's "The Precautionary Principle and Global Warming":
Glenn Reynolds keeps saying that when the bigshots who say it’s a crisis start significantly modifying their own behavior, he’ll start taking them seriously.A more constructive follow-up is here.
I’ll start taking the AGW Greens seriously when they seriously push back against their own extremists who impede nuclear, solar and wind power. I’ll start taking them seriously when they get behind the solutions that moderate warmists and skeptics can both accept.
By refusing to do so, the Greens may be endangering civilization as much as they claim the traditional energy industry is doing.
No enemies on the Left. No enemies on the Green.
On the UK Livni indictment.
On Kurzweil's latest prediction.
On avoiding out-of-state traffic tickets.
On "universal jurisdiction".
Here and here, on Obamacare.
On the Wen-Obama photo. The subsequent comment is worth reading.
On conservative overconfidence: here, here, and here.
On China's governance and America's Founders (and foundering) Addendum 20100311: Jonah Goldberg accuses Tom Friedman of admiring Chinese authoritarianism. That is not my intention.
On the government reaction to the attempted Delta bombing: here and here.
On Bush as a forerunner of Obama's statism.
December 1, 2009
NFL: New Orleans and Indianapolis
The NFL's publicists must be salivating at the thought that two undefeated teams might meet in the Superbowl.
Not that that prospect would affect the refereeing, oh my, no...
*********
It's noteworthy that New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is 6'0''. (I had assumed for some time that he was too short for the NFL.)
Not that that prospect would affect the refereeing, oh my, no...
*********
It's noteworthy that New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is 6'0''. (I had assumed for some time that he was too short for the NFL.)
November 29, 2009
Was WW2 Worth the Effort?
Seeing today's UK, British WW2 vets wonder if their struggle was worth it. (HT: Instapundit.)
The only Brit politician they have a good word for is the late anti-immigration Enoch Powell.
What does the Queen think? Not that she would say...but, as Elizabeth Windsor, she was a volunteer too.
(IMO today's decadence does not compare with Nazi rule, but the vets' bitterness is understandable. Decadence is decadence, and it must be heartbreaking to witness it after experiencing the crucible of WW2.)
Update 20100604. Surely those Brits didn't regret fighting Hitler. Their disillusionment came because they were fighting for something good, not just against something evil.
Cf. Let It Burn.
The only Brit politician they have a good word for is the late anti-immigration Enoch Powell.
What does the Queen think? Not that she would say...but, as Elizabeth Windsor, she was a volunteer too.
(IMO today's decadence does not compare with Nazi rule, but the vets' bitterness is understandable. Decadence is decadence, and it must be heartbreaking to witness it after experiencing the crucible of WW2.)
Update 20100604. Surely those Brits didn't regret fighting Hitler. Their disillusionment came because they were fighting for something good, not just against something evil.
Cf. Let It Burn.
November 27, 2009
Kimball on Retribalization
I posted the following regarding Obama's Inaugural Address:
Roger Kimball worries that things are going in the wrong direction. I submitted this as a comment:
Addendum 20071129. Kimball accepted the comment and it is here.
IMO a major, essential part of American exceptionalism is the USA's unique opportunity to become a template for a modern post-tribal society.My opinion of Obama is not nearly as favorable as it was at the time. However, my interpretation of American exceptionalism predated the speech, and I continue to maintain it.
Roger Kimball worries that things are going in the wrong direction. I submitted this as a comment:
IMO the USA has a unique opportunity–American exceptionalism, if you will–to become a template for a modern post-tribal society. As we continue to debase our Founding ideals, the risk of failure is rising. I suspect that history would not assess our looming postmodern tribal society as a success.In case the comment doesn't appear, I'd like to record the comparison of a modern post-tribal society and a postmodern tribal society. Glib but not infelicitous, if I may say so myself.
*******
Newman, Aristotle, Horace and Homer, all in the opening paragraph…
Sir, it is your prerogative to define your intended audience. Nevertheless, while your sometime displays of erudition may appeal to a limited group of Pajamas readers, they also might disconnect you from a larger group that would benefit from your insights.
Addendum 20071129. Kimball accepted the comment and it is here.
This Contrast Was Worth Drawing
The Navy SEALS who captured the mastermind of the Fallujah atrocity are facing courtmartial for apparently punching him in the mouth.
Meanwhile, the military's powers that be managed to ignore Islamist mass murderer Nidal Malik Hasan's increasingly flagrant dysfunction. (From a NY Post editorial via Instapundit.)
We are right back to being Carter's pitiful giant--and I see no Reagan on the horizon.
Meanwhile, the military's powers that be managed to ignore Islamist mass murderer Nidal Malik Hasan's increasingly flagrant dysfunction. (From a NY Post editorial via Instapundit.)
We are right back to being Carter's pitiful giant--and I see no Reagan on the horizon.
November 25, 2009
But Don't Call Him a Socialist!
Wow (HT: Instapundit). There is virtually no private sector experience in the economically oriented part of Obama's cabinet. The contrast with other Presidents is especially stark. (I'd still like to see the J.P. Morgan report on which the assertion is based.)
November 19, 2009
Comments: November 2009
On persecuting Chinese-American aeronautics genius Qian Xuesen, who returned to China and its led missile research. Quian (aka Tsien) died about the same time as Nien Cheng, author of Life and Death in Shanghai.
On General George Casey, the diversity-loving Army Chief of Staff. Positioning yourself for a cushy civilian job, General? (Addendum 20091129. Cf. Roger Kimball.)
On David Cameron.
On a possible return to relevance of the stoic virtues.
On "Sarah Palin and the Decline of Conservatism"
On "Corruption, Panic and Incompetence Fueled Geithner's Backstairs Intrigue". (Follow-up here.)
On "Fear and loathing of the plutocracy 2". Follow-up here.
Palin was booed in Indiana. Has the Right produced its own Joanie Phoanie?
On the British surveillance state. (Got something hide, do you? -> Got something to hide, do you?)
On retribalization. (Instead of evolving into a modern post-tribal society, we may be devolving into a postmodern tribal society.)
On a silly right-wing politicization of Thanksgiving--but take a look at the other comments.
On Intel, AMD and DEC.
On General George Casey, the diversity-loving Army Chief of Staff. Positioning yourself for a cushy civilian job, General? (Addendum 20091129. Cf. Roger Kimball.)
On David Cameron.
On a possible return to relevance of the stoic virtues.
On "Sarah Palin and the Decline of Conservatism"
On "Corruption, Panic and Incompetence Fueled Geithner's Backstairs Intrigue". (Follow-up here.)
On "Fear and loathing of the plutocracy 2". Follow-up here.
Palin was booed in Indiana. Has the Right produced its own Joanie Phoanie?
On the British surveillance state. (Got something hide, do you? -> Got something to hide, do you?)
On retribalization. (Instead of evolving into a modern post-tribal society, we may be devolving into a postmodern tribal society.)
On a silly right-wing politicization of Thanksgiving--but take a look at the other comments.
On Intel, AMD and DEC.
November 18, 2009
Complaints about the Bailout
They're coming from both ends of the political spectrum.
While we're still coughing up water after being saved from drowning, are we blaming the lifeguards for getting us wet?
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better."
While we're still coughing up water after being saved from drowning, are we blaming the lifeguards for getting us wet?
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better."
November 16, 2009
Belichick's Gamble
Initially I was aghast, like many fans and commentators, when I learned that the Patriots went for it on 4th and 2 for their 23 and a 6 point lead--and lost the game.
Then again, as this article notes, the Patriot defense is no longer the legendary Belichick defense that let the Giants defeat the Bills in the SuperBowl. In fact, as this article notes, they've done their best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory--and succeeded all to often. Belichick may have recognized that.
This blogger loathes Belichick but defends him for that very reason.
I'd like to see another Lombardi Trophy or two from the Brady Patriots before that done, but it's looking like the Fates are frowning on that.
(Recall that years ago near the end of a close game in Denver, Belichick took a safety rather than risk punting from his own end zone. After Denver's resulting field position, the Patriots won the game.)
Then again, as this article notes, the Patriot defense is no longer the legendary Belichick defense that let the Giants defeat the Bills in the SuperBowl. In fact, as this article notes, they've done their best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory--and succeeded all to often. Belichick may have recognized that.
This blogger loathes Belichick but defends him for that very reason.
At the end of the day, it was an unconventional call that's easy to question, given how things turned out. Belichick, though, has made a hall-of-fame career and built his own legend around making decisions just like that one. That way of thinking is what makes him great. If he wasn't willing to take those risks or do the unconventional thing, he wouldn't be Bill Belichick, future hall of famer and NFL coaching legend. He'd be Bill Belichick, that doofus that the Browns hired once a long time ago.I have to agree.
I'd like to see another Lombardi Trophy or two from the Brady Patriots before that done, but it's looking like the Fates are frowning on that.
(Recall that years ago near the end of a close game in Denver, Belichick took a safety rather than risk punting from his own end zone. After Denver's resulting field position, the Patriots won the game.)
November 15, 2009
November 14, 2009
Disgusting
Obama bowed to Emperor Akihito.
And he bowed to King Fahd.
But not, iirc, to Queen Elizabeth. Curious, no?
Those bows, all by themselves, demonstrate his clueless unfitness for office. I can't put it any better than the Powerline link does:
Addendum 20091115. Instapundit has a reader who begs to differ--and additional links that criticize the bowing.
The Anchoress links to the most definitive takedowns, here and here, that I have seen to date.
And he bowed to King Fahd.
But not, iirc, to Queen Elizabeth. Curious, no?
Those bows, all by themselves, demonstrate his clueless unfitness for office. I can't put it any better than the Powerline link does:
Ashamed of his country but arrogant about himself--what a disgusting combination.(However, I don't think that Powerline's analogy to Macarthur and Hirohito holds water: Macarthur was the commander of an occupying army. sigh Why is the Right so fond of bridges too far?)
Addendum 20091115. Instapundit has a reader who begs to differ--and additional links that criticize the bowing.
The Anchoress links to the most definitive takedowns, here and here, that I have seen to date.
November 13, 2009
Water on the Moon!
NASA has announced it. Google has posted a news report.
This news is good, and important.
Not important for the outcome of the next election or two: important for the outcome of the next century or two.
Note this from the NASA press release:
This news is good, and important.
Not important for the outcome of the next election or two: important for the outcome of the next century or two.
Note this from the NASA press release:
"The full understanding of the LCROSS data may take some time. The data is that rich," said Colaprete. "Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years."I can't resist speculating: if those substances are intriguing enough to make a human lunar presence financially profitable, history has just been changed--not on the scale of centuries, but on the scale of decades.
November 8, 2009
Who Would Jesus Tax?
Up to a point, I'm favorably disposed toward sin taxes, but this gives me pause:
4It is not for kings, O Lemuel,Jesus was a Jew. I'm thinking he'd have menschlichkeit.
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Or for rulers to desire strong drink,
5For they will drink and forget what is decreed,
And pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
6Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to him whose life is bitter.
7Let him drink and forget his poverty
And remember his trouble no more.
8Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all the unfortunate.
9Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
The Right Follows "The Narrative" Too
I oppose the Obama/Pelosi agenda, but facts are facts--
According to Jennifer Rubin:
Since Pajamas Media was started in response to the MSM’s inadequacies, I am surprised that PJM’s Washington editor would make a gross error like this.
According to Jennifer Rubin:
…If Pelosi gets her 218 votes, it will be unprecedented. It is fair to say that never will a piece of legislation this sweeping (and damaging) have been passed over the opposition of so much of the electorate and on the votes of such a narrow ideological slice of the governing class.Wikipedia:
The draft began in October 1940. By the early summer of 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt asked the U.S. Congress to extend the term of duty for the draftees beyond twelve months. On August 12, the United States House of Representatives approved the extension by a single vote.[5] As Karl R. Bendetson said, "Mr. Rayburn banged the gavel at a critical moment and declared the Bill had passed."[6]Note that this happened four months before Pearl Harbor.
Since Pajamas Media was started in response to the MSM’s inadequacies, I am surprised that PJM’s Washington editor would make a gross error like this.
November 7, 2009
Who is Deborah Gyapong?
Whoever she is, she makes sense (boldface mine):
Our culture is suicidal, folks. Somehow the part of us that is still awake has to rouse the lethargic body and grab the phone and call 911.How would an Islamist interpret multiculturalism and the post-atrocity handwringing? He might well conclude that the infidels acknowledge they are wrong and Allah is clouding their minds on behalf of the Faithful.
As I said, this is NOT about Muslims. It is about the decay of western civilization and its embrace of some strange death wish. We're the ones who love death---our own.
Question
How vigorously should Nidal Malik Hasan be interrogated if there is plausible suspicion that others were involved in the Fort Hood atrocity (especially if there is danger that similar events could follow)? For example, under what circumstances, if any, should he be waterboarded?
Addendum 20091109. Plausible suspicion might be taking shape: see here and here.
Going Muslim: the unspeakable is beginning to be spoken.
Addendum 20091109. Plausible suspicion might be taking shape: see here and here.
Going Muslim: the unspeakable is beginning to be spoken.
November 3, 2009
The Kind of News We Need
Berkshire Hathaway is acquiring Burlington Northern Santa Fe:
(Btw, I too have wondered what the Next Big Thing might be. For Bill Clinton, it was the Internet.)
Addendum 20091118. More from Warren Buffett and Bill Gates (full unofficial transcript here.):
Addendum 20091212. While Buffett has a reputation for integrity, note that his Burlington acquisition presumably needs government approval.
...the transaction is valued at approximately $44 billion, including $10 billionMore from Buffett here:
of outstanding BNSF debt, making it the largest acquisition in Berkshire Hathaway history.
“Our country’s future prosperity depends on its having an efficient and well-maintained rail system,” said Warren E. Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and chief executive officer. “Conversely, America must grow and prosper for railroads to do well. Berkshire’s $34 billion investment in BNSF is a huge bet on that company, CEO Matt Rose and his team, and the railroad industry.
“Most important of all, however, it’s an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States,” said Mr. Buffett. “I love these bets.”
...Fortunately, our two big businesses, insurance and our utility business, aren't really affected that much by the recession. But most of our businesses are still feeling severe effects from the recession. They are not going down. It's stabilized. There's not this fear that was prevalent eight or ten months ago, but business has not bounced very much. It will. I don't know when, but it will. We wouldn't be putting out the equivalent of $34 billion unless I felt there's a lot of good years for America. America's best years lie ahead. There's no question about that.Like Buffett's interviewer said, I want to stand up when I hear talk like that.
...
...But this country will solve its problems. We're not so good necessarily at avoiding problems, but we're pretty good at solving problems. And I remember back in the early '80s, we thought that Germany and Japan were going to eat our lunch and we'd all just be working at McDonald's and cutting each other's hair or something to keep busy. But we added tens of millions of jobs since then. So, we do come up with things. You can't predict that we'll have a software industry or you can't predict that we'll have a great aircraft industry, but those things come along. And the world right now, 12 percent of our GDP is going to exports and 35 years ago only 5 percent was. So we are making some things the world wants. But I agree with you, Governor, you've really got -- you've got to count on the potential of people that you and I don't even know coming up with new things to do that the world wants. Historically we've been very good at that and I think we'll be good at it in the future.
(Btw, I too have wondered what the Next Big Thing might be. For Bill Clinton, it was the Internet.)
Addendum 20091118. More from Warren Buffett and Bill Gates (full unofficial transcript here.):
BECKY: All right. Welcome back, everybody. Gentlemen, last question today. If America was a stock, would you buy it? Bill.Isn't there a saying to the effect that no cynics get rich?
GATES: You bet.
BECKY: Warren.
BUFFETT: On margin.
Addendum 20091212. While Buffett has a reputation for integrity, note that his Burlington acquisition presumably needs government approval.
October 31, 2009
The BNP and Likeminded Volks
Here, at Instapundit:
Addendum. "The problem is that the political establishment is in a tizzy, and they have no idea how to deal with them." Sure they do: sell the country, and traditional British liberties, out to the Eurocrats in Brussels. This is why people don't trust politicians. If the Tories win the forthcoming Brit election as expected, that smug corn-fed oaf Cameron will get Labour back in power in no time. And I've seen speculation that he'll preside over the dissolution of the United Kingdom.
Good thing they cleansed the Conservative Party of Thatcherism, right? Just like US RINOs and Reagan. "Read my lips."
Irresponsible and dishonest government abets evil. Plus, some further thoughts from Andrew Ian Dodge. “...The problem is that the political establishment is in a tizzy, and they have no idea how to deal with them. . . . The major parties are not addressing the subjects on which the BNP are gaining votes. Citizens are expressing concern about the present level of immigration, Muslim extremism, and lack of equal access to jobs, education, and social housing..."Speaking of immigration:
The huge increases in migrants over the last decade were partly due to a politically motivated attempt by ministers to radically change the country and "rub the Right's nose in diversity", according to Andrew Neather, a former adviser to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett.Arguably it's even worse in the US: the Democrats view Hispanic immigration as a source of votes, and of demand for government social services; the Republicans welcome Hispanics as potential votes for the religious right (and, of course, as cheap labor).
Addendum. "The problem is that the political establishment is in a tizzy, and they have no idea how to deal with them." Sure they do: sell the country, and traditional British liberties, out to the Eurocrats in Brussels. This is why people don't trust politicians. If the Tories win the forthcoming Brit election as expected, that smug corn-fed oaf Cameron will get Labour back in power in no time. And I've seen speculation that he'll preside over the dissolution of the United Kingdom.
Good thing they cleansed the Conservative Party of Thatcherism, right? Just like US RINOs and Reagan. "Read my lips."
The More Incompetent They Become,
the More Power They Demand
I emailed that line to Instapundit and he used it.
Is society getting so complex that unintended consequences randomize the effects of policy initiatives?
Is society getting so complex that unintended consequences randomize the effects of policy initiatives?
October 30, 2009
Marin Alsop
I was driving around and heard the Dvorak 9th. The conductor was trying to let me know what the composer was saying rather than what he was saying about the composer.
Oops! Rather than what she was saying about the composer.
It's been a long time since I was into music as much as I'd like to be, but I remember that I could play a recording by Eugen Jochum with a score in front of me and hear every note. That's the experience that Alsop's Dvorak reminds me of.
Oops! Rather than what she was saying about the composer.
It's been a long time since I was into music as much as I'd like to be, but I remember that I could play a recording by Eugen Jochum with a score in front of me and hear every note. That's the experience that Alsop's Dvorak reminds me of.
October 23, 2009
Where Are the Physicists?
The AAAS reports it has joined other scientific societies in a letter to the Senate. The letter states that anthropogenic global warming is real and urges legislation.
The American Physical Society is not a signatory.
The American Physical Society is not a signatory.
October 22, 2009
Why the Blogosphere (the Web?) is Unreadable
Nathan Myhrvold explains:
Another ploy is to find one sentence--one phrase--one word--to disagree with and behave as though the counterparty's entire position consists of that. From experience, I can say that such an attitude discourages efforts to do conscientious research like digging out hyperlinks, or to meet one's opponent halfway.
Addendum. Another ploy is to state one's position in a venomously supercilious tone. Instead of an illumination of differences and common ground, a discussion becomes a sneering/shouting match (or the vitriol-thrower is left to "win").
...Once people with a strong political or ideological bent latch onto an issue, it becomes hard to have a reasonable discussion; once you’re in a political mode, the focus in the discussion changes. Everything becomes an attempt to protect territory. Evidence and logic becomes secondary, used when advantageous and discarded when expedient. What should be a rational debate becomes a personal and venal brawl. Rational, scientific debate that could advance the common good gets usurped by personal attacks and counterattacks.(Cf. this comment.)
Political movements always have extremists — bitterly partisan true believers who attack anybody they feel threatens their movement. I’m sure you know the type, because his main talent is making himself heard. He doesn’t bother with making thoughtful arguments; instead, his technique is about shrill attacks in all directions, throwing a lot of issues up and hoping that one will stick or that the audience becomes confused by the chaos. These folks can be found at the fringe of every political movement, throughout all of history. Technology has amplified them in recent years. First with talk radio and then with cable TV, the extremists found larger and larger audiences.
The Internet provides the ultimate extremist platform. Every blogger can reach millions, and given the lack of scrutiny or review over content, there is little accountability. Indeed, the more over-the-top the discourse is the better — because it is entertaining. Ancient Romans watched gladiators in much the same way that we read angry bloggers.
Another ploy is to find one sentence--one phrase--one word--to disagree with and behave as though the counterparty's entire position consists of that. From experience, I can say that such an attitude discourages efforts to do conscientious research like digging out hyperlinks, or to meet one's opponent halfway.
Addendum. Another ploy is to state one's position in a venomously supercilious tone. Instead of an illumination of differences and common ground, a discussion becomes a sneering/shouting match (or the vitriol-thrower is left to "win").
October 16, 2009
A Gem of a Comment
Rand Simberg reports on a space privatization effort impeded by bureaucratic red tape. Two of his commenters weigh in. I spend months going through tripe on the Web, wondering why I bother, and then suddenly there a gem like Brock's:
This is what happens when you loose sight of your values and goals, and only have rules to guide you.Bill Maron makes sense too:
I get so tired of hearing about faceless ‘crats. It’s time to put names and faces to these unelected people who get to decide so much of our business.That one sentence by Brock is worth more than volumes of boilerplate from libertarian/conservative pundits.
Denying Darwin
It's been said that the 20th century was the century of physics and the 21st will be the century of biology. (Even though some of the people saying it are biologists casting covetous eyes on the already low US funding for the physical sciences, the claim is plausible.) The 20th century was an American century; in 2000 it looked like the 21st would be another one. Now, quite apart from the endemic corruption and incompetence:
The public's belief in Darwinian evolution has been polled in 34 developed countries. The USA ranks second-to-last.
American exceptionalism...
Afterthought. There are also the kooks who compare skepticism about anthropogenic global warming to denial of evolution. Maybe the two factions deserve each other. Unfortunately, they bid fair to bring the country down, while shrieking that The Other is to blame.
The public's belief in Darwinian evolution has been polled in 34 developed countries. The USA ranks second-to-last.
American exceptionalism...
Afterthought. There are also the kooks who compare skepticism about anthropogenic global warming to denial of evolution. Maybe the two factions deserve each other. Unfortunately, they bid fair to bring the country down, while shrieking that The Other is to blame.
October 14, 2009
Zero Tolerance...of Political Opposition?
Instapundit reports on Scouts being expelled from school for concocted weapons charges.
How much of such “zero tolerance” is bureaucratic stupidity, and how much is outright evil?
School administrators are part of the social-services establishment, which is dominated by the political left. They presumably are disproportionately likely to favor gun control, to deprecate the individual’s right to self-defense, to dislike the military, and to view Scouting with suspicion as a paramilitary organization.
Are they misusing the power of government against their young and defenseless future political opponents?
How much of such “zero tolerance” is bureaucratic stupidity, and how much is outright evil?
School administrators are part of the social-services establishment, which is dominated by the political left. They presumably are disproportionately likely to favor gun control, to deprecate the individual’s right to self-defense, to dislike the military, and to view Scouting with suspicion as a paramilitary organization.
Are they misusing the power of government against their young and defenseless future political opponents?
October 13, 2009
Islamist Plot to Blow Up the Universe
Annie Jacobsen is on top of the "story".
Right after posting this entry, I will submit the following comment:
Right after posting this entry, I will submit the following comment:
"The LHC is not a nuclear facility. There’s nothing there that can help you obtain nuclear material, enrich nuclear fuel, build a fission or fusion device of ANY kind, detonate or deliver it. Take a big deep breath and start reporting responsibly." That much of Matthew #3's comment I can agree with.It'll be interesting to see what happens. Not every PJM writer rejects dissenting comments, but some do.
You write, "The results, the scientists hope, will create mini black holes and allow scientists to further explore theories about what happened after the Big Bang created the universe 14 billion years ago. Throw terrorists into that mix and a lot could go wrong."
What you write about something I know a little about is flagrantly wrong. Why, then, should I rely on your judgment about things I know nothing about?
It's not a good idea to cry wolf when the threat is real.
October 12, 2009
Stating the Unmentionably Obvious
An Aussie site asks if America would go to war for oil if things got bad enough, e.g as a result of the dollar being demoted from reserve-currency status.
The war for oil might be accompanied by a civil war (which the environmental Left would likely lose). Would there be a draft and 60s-style resistance? A war for oil would be both less moral and more dictated by national interest than Vietnam was. Moreover, the US has a lot of domestic resources whose utilization currently is blocked for political reasons.
...But our main point is that the oil game is not just a currency game. It's a power game. And it's silly to think the U.S. would relinquish its control over the oil market so easily. There will be a fight.(HT: Instapundit)
The war for oil might be accompanied by a civil war (which the environmental Left would likely lose). Would there be a draft and 60s-style resistance? A war for oil would be both less moral and more dictated by national interest than Vietnam was. Moreover, the US has a lot of domestic resources whose utilization currently is blocked for political reasons.
October 7, 2009
Please, Mr. Crocodile, Eat Me Last
According to Reuters, the hedge fund and private equity industries are calling for US regulation of venture capital:
WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - U.S. hedge funds and private equity firms told Congress on Tuesday that all advisers to private pools of capital should be subjected to the same level of federal scrutiny, including those managing venture capital funds.Hedge funds had my sympathy because they were unfairly scapegoated during the finance meltdown. I've lost a good deal of it after this.
A draft U.S. bill would require advisers of hedge funds and private equity funds to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, thus forcing more disclosures to regulators and investors.
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