The sky is falling

(originally posted April 30, 2008)

Duck and cover!!! The end is near!!! The economy is in a recession!!!! The economy nearly stalled, it only grew by .6%!!!

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Accounts released their figures for the GDP for Q1 of 2008. And the economy only grew by .6 percent.

I can hear the wailing and rending of garments as people continue to listen to the agenda driven media out to convince people the economy is bad, as they have since the run up to the 2006 congressional elections. Now I am not saying that the economy is rosy and we have nothing to worry about.

We still have a government that has failed to stand up to leftard special interests leaving us without a comprehensive energy plan. We have a congress that feels morally superior in bankrupting their nation by sending food prices through the roof because one day the brilliant idea of buring fossil fuels to process food into fuel to take the place of fossil fuels sounded like a good idea to them.

We have a congress that so wanted to endear themselves to people they forced banks to write mortgages to people who would not normally qualify for them, and allowed those banks to charge whatever they wanted to allow those most desperate people the opportunity to live in a house... for a few years until they could no longer afford the ballooning payments. So now we have foreclosures and empty houses all over the country.

I could go on but I can't. The media is pulling everyone's strings about the economy being a disaster. We were enjoying the longest period of sustained economic growth in the history of the country until the media finally shook consumer confidence.

Using the IMF's figures for our GDP for 2007 a .6% increase equates to growth of roughly $100B for the first quarter. Of the 179 economies listed in the IMF only 55 had greater GDPs for all of 2007 than the US grew in this one 3 month period. And if you read the BAE's realease you'll see a lot of good mixed in with the bad.

So what is my point? If you want to be afraid of something, be afraid of the media, they have a vested agenda in ruining the US, they are no longer the fourth estate, they are the fifth column.

Killing us softly

(originally posted April28, 2008)

The nation's phenomenal economic growth period was finally brought to a standstill by almost 18 months of the left telling everyone how bad the economy was. For almost 6 years the GDP grew faster than the national deficit, personal income grew at the fastest pace in 20 years, the stock market crashed through artificial barrier after artificial barrier, and consumer spending was unchecked.

Then the bubble burst. The most important 25% of a country's economy is confidence, without it the economy is stagnant, it cannot grow. People hedge their bets and squirrel money away instead of spending or investing it.

What caused the bubble? What event came first? The market finally took a breath last November, there was a hiccup February 2007 but it turned out to be a gasp of air before soaring even higher. And then there was the housing market bubble retraction.

The air was let out of that bubble after a rogue French banker made over $6B in unauthorized trades and his bank had to cover their debts, and they did so by buying their way out of the deal, one of the banks whose stock they dumped was highly leveraged in the junk mortgage market. After the French bank undid their trades they announced it publicly and admitted what happened, this further shock the European market causing them to drop risky ventures for more stable positions... this was the event that caused the US housing crisis.
Of course the event that permitted the housing market to slump was the one designed by congress a decade ago to put people into houses. The revision to the Community Redevelopment Act told banks they could open no new branches unless they offered loans to "the most needy segment" of our society. This caused a new era in banking where the banks could offer, at the request of the federal government, predatory loans with unconscionable terms to a fragile segment of the society... and just for fun they could offer people with histories of bad financial judgement the same predatory rates... all authorized by the government.

Which of course explains why Pelosi, Waxman, and Reid have yet to call bankers up to Capitol Hill to find out who is at fault... they know who was at fault, they wrote the law that authorized it. And speaking of predatory rates, they also led to historic profits in the financial sector, at the same time the oil industry was also engorged in cash. As a matter of fact if you take the top three oil companies profits for 2007 you get $72,118M on sales of $720,272M for a return of 10.0% and if you take the top three banks you get $57,115M in profits on $363,767 for a return of 15.7%. So if someone is making obscene profits, I'd say the banking industry is gouging customers far more than the oil companies.

But I'm not here to talk about banks, I'm talking about corn. It is the staple of the food chain. It feeds humans and animals alike. And most of the feedstock corn ends up being consumed by humans via diary and meat products. When talking about ethanol it is hard to remind people that I was once a liberal. I was so appalled at what was happening in Africa that I troubled myself to research the atrocities there and saw a common thread, the triumvirate of France, Russia and Belgium were somehow related to each and every case of mass extermination and genocide being committed on that continent. I also discovered that the US was sending so much food and feedstock to Africa it was causing our food costs to rise, which I was OK with because it was helping people. Then my liberal blinders fell off and I saw that it was helping some people, the ones in power creating those cases of genocide and mass starvation. The people in control of the country kept the food and the people from the other tribes were being exterminated slowly.

So as out dumbass congress is working feverishly to kill the economy over the last 18 months in a game of spite to deny President Bush of a legacy they were also pretending they know about energy and how corn derived ethanol is a renewable substitute for fossil fuels. So they mandated 15% ethanol in gasoline and forced higher gas mileage standards on auto manufacturers. The food costs of course are not just increasing in corn and corn-related products (dairy and meat) but other crops, such as wheat, are being converted to corn to meet the demand of the ethanol plants and food sources, and, of course, to make a profit.
In the meantime, as hard as it is for people in the US to pay $4.50 a gallon for milk, $2.50 for a dozen eggs and $3.00 for a loaf of bread (which has recently shrunk from 22 to 20 ounces) imagine what it is like for people in Africa and other countries that rely on US food and feedstock. 25% of the world's grain comes from the US and 20% of the feedstock is grown here. Corn ethanol plants don't just increase our prices, it increases the price in Africa while decreasing the supply dramatically. And when food is scarce or expensive in Africa the people in control have demonstrated they have no qualms about starving off their political enemies.
So where does this lead? To the Congress enacting more laws than they should, encompassing areas they have no constitutional right to meddle in while ignoring those limited powers granted them by the constitution ( a comprehensive energy policy is a national security issue). And my final point is that the United States is the world's greatest country, blessed with an abundance of natural resources and fertile land that makes us the breadbasket of the world. We were granted stewardship of this country not only so we can thrive, but to lead (and feed) the world.

But instead of taking this responsibility seriously we elect the same partisan hacks to Congress, not to represent us, but to represent their party. We send them to Washington to tack 20 to 25 percent onto each spending bill in earmarks, which are reach arounds to their political cronies and supporters.

In the 18 months since Pelosi took over she passed one of her six pieces of essential legislation from her first 100 hours (counted in dog years). She passed the minimum wage law the effects of which will go unseen due to the rabid fanaticism of the left of Bushate and caving in to the environmentalist leftards... the extra money will go to pay for bread, milk, gas and electric. So much for the economy stimulating checks you asshats, its going to the big bad oil companies so people can get to work.

Reich endorses Obama: The Fix Is In

(originally posted April 18, 2008)

After saying how he'd been friends with the Clinton's for 40 years, and after a stint in Bill's cabinet, Robert Reich endorced Obama.
He gave a a reason the ads Hillary ran calling out Obama for his speech in San Francisco where he let it slip he sees small town residents as bitter.
This will start an avalanche of Democrat stallwarts hopping into the ring. The reasons are two-fold. It is now out in the open, the DNC has decided Obama will be their candidate so it is safe. And just in case Obama wins people want to be lined up as being among the first to back him.
Just yesterday I said that if Hillary didn't win huge in Pennsylvania we would see a trickle of super-delegate support. But now the fix is in.
A rush of super delegates can end this before Pennsylvania where we will see the true divisiveness of Obama. He will win in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, she will win the rest of the state. The party does not want this to happen almost as much as they don't want Hillary to be the candidate.

I was going to call this the dumbest headline ever...

'Restless' Independents, Not Parties, May Select U.S. President

But then I realized I was wrong on both counts. (Moi wrong??? Yes it does happen from time to time.)

1. It is not the dumbest because perhaps I take for granted that everyone pays attention to elections and politics.
2. Ever? Not even close, but it was the dumbest I read today.

For example, I take for granted that everyone knows that in any given national election from 37 to 43 percent of voters will vote Democrat, another 37 to 43 percent of the voters will vote Republican, politicians split that up the middle and estimate 80% of all voters are strict partisans. This will and does happen; even in the biggest blowout in the history of the country, 1984, Mondale still got 40% of the vote.

That means 20% of the voters are independents; it is that 20% that chooses the president.

Now of course that is not 20% of the entire population... that is 20% of voters.

Why Obama will get the nomination

(originally posted April 17, 2008)
Stick the fork in Hillary... she's done.If Obama gets the nomination her somewhat more moderate supporters won't vote for B. Hussein, they will vote McCain. In that case McCain wins but the more important Congressional election results will likely go unchanged, he won't have long coat tails crossing party lines.If the super-delegates back her over Obama his ultraleft and black supporters won't vote. This will effect many House and Senate races, and remember 22 GOP Senate seats are up for grabs and 12 Democrat seats that may go GOP due to low Democrat voter turnout.The DNC knows this and has seen it for months, that is why Richardson, a Clinton loyalist, and other high profile party members are putting their backing behind Obama. B. Hussein may lose but he'll help the DNC win congress big time. Nominating Hillary will lose the White House, Senate and House of Reps., the DNC just got back in power, they don't want to lose it after two years.

Last night's debate showed a stronger Hillary than we have seen, and Obama was off his game. But although ABC is patting themselves on the back for "asking the tough questions" those questions were largely left unanswered with both Hillary and Obama talking around them. Only once did a moderator force an answer, Stephanopolis dogged Hillary until she finally said that Obama is electable. She doesn't believe so, and is right, but to say otherwise would cost her any hope of getting the nomination as the super-delegates would all go Obama.

Unless Hillary wins Pennsylvania by such a huge margin she pulls ahead in the total vote count she will be pressured to step down. A close race will have super-delegates coming off the fence for Obama a few a day until he goes ahead in pledged delegates or she concedes. The last thing the party wants is a longer period of in-fighting. McCain is making inroads with independents, undecideds, and moderate Democrats, time is dwindling to win them back.

Doubt Thrown on Global Warming-Hurricane Link

(originally posted April 13, 2008)

Doubt Thrown on Global Warming-Hurricane Link
A Prominent Storm Expert Changes His Tune

Now they could have come clean and admit that they are just making this global warming crap up as they go along. But that would be honest and would dry up their coffers... and they don't want the money faucet to shut off until they come up with the next great scam to swindle money from the masses.

But one thing I'd like to point out, in the sub-headline they address thier fellow conspirist in this global warming hoax as a "prominent hurricane expert" when in fact he is a virtual unknown. The real hurricane experts are at NOAA's National Hurricane Center, but since many of those scientists have expressed doubts on antropomorphic contributions being behind global warming they are being marginalized by the media and others with pro-warming agendas.

The Hero of Chapaquiddick does it AGAIN

(originally posted April 11, 2007)

Senator Kennedy, has once again expressed outrage towards the White House.

This time at the not so astonishing revelation that Bush approved water-boarding. (For the not so factually impaired Bush has admitted his office approved harsh, or aggressive, interviewing techniques. The Select Intelligence Committee was briefed on it as well.)

I guess Kennedy is upset because water boarding only simulates drowning. He obviously prefers the real thing.

Actual quote from The Swimmer regarding his amnesty bill.

At the time I opined that perhaps he should stop making references to drowning. But like a killer returning to the scene of the crime, or perhaps out of shear hubris and to rub people's nose in the fact he got away with murder, The Hero of Chappaquiddick continues to reference water.

Denial; it's not a river in Colorado

(originally posted April 9, 2008)

The last two weeks have seen me on a whirlwind tour of the US, well at least Colorado and Oklahoma. There has also been a whirlwond stirring about the "Absolute Mexico" ad.

I was at a company that had two plants, one in Pueblo and one in Cañon City... they have two others but I was only at two of them. When I was in Pueblo the maintenance supervisor, who was my company contact, started filling me in on the history of Colorado, including, among other things, that Pueblo was an Indian word and the name of the tribe that settled in Colorado. He said the same of Cañon City, that it's name was also derived of an Indian name.

Now I didn't want to argue with the guy so I just let him finish and politely got him to focus on my audit of the plant. At lunch I talked with a woman who was of Mexican decent but was born in that area, I asked her why she didn't correct the maintenance supervisor and she asked "Why?" when I pointed out that as a spanish speaker she knew he was wrong that pueblo and cañon are spanish words she stopped me in mid-sentence and said "No, they are Indian words, pueblo means city in Indian."

So this weekend as people began to get worked up over the Absolut ad my initial thought was to wonder if these people (who I know are probably not representative of most Coloradans) will finally learn that until 160 years ago Colorado was part of Mexico.

Probably not, since the ad was ran in a Mexican magazine with a circulation of 500,000 which in a novel twist includes "pass arounds" in their circulation numbers. But thanks to Drudge, and people with little sense of humor (or is that little sense of history?), the ad got Absolut a ton of free advertising which in 6 months the only thing people will remember is "Absolut" and forget the rest of the ad, or that they are supposed to be boycotting it.

Absolute Mexico? I think Absolute Nonsense is a more appropriate name. Not for the ad, but for the furor it triggered here in the US.