Round Up

Lorie Zapf's staff left me a phone message today, but I wasn't available to take the call. I will try again tomorrow, I'm highly interested to hear what her position on the new city hall might be. At least the caller was apologetic for not getting back to me.

I could barely believe that I had tuned in to a memorial service today. Whistling, cheering, themed t-shirts? Really? Could we respect the dead?

IMAO nails it in dissecting the left:

That’s why so many on the left were so excited by the Giffords shooting. They were convinced here was finally the proof of their religious faith about the right’s “dangerous rhetoric” and they could hardly contain their glee at the tragedy. When the facts came out and they didn’t get the prize they hoped for, they just couldn’t let go of their narrative because to them it’s so true no matter what happens in reality.

At least the President said something decent:

Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding. In the words of Job, "When I looked for light, then came darkness." Bad things happen, and we have to guard against simple explanations in the aftermath.

For the truth is none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped these shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man's mind.

Locally, I missed that Carl DeMaio has taken the first steps to run for mayor. I really like DeMaio, but I holding fire on any endorsement for now. His rhetoric and policy proposals over the last year have been very Tea Party-esque, but I haven't done much research on his overall record. DeMaio is the only one who seems to be serious about legally challenging the actuarial realities of the pension crisis in the city.

Also, in local news, I am saddened to see Coach Brady Hoke going to Michigan. He did a great job in turning around a moribund SDSU football program. I watched them defeat my Alma Mater in the Poinsettia Bowl and they played a well disciplined game on both sides of the ball, that was a credit to the coaching staff's work.

Programming announcement: I have been asked to cross-post some of my blogs to sdrostra.com under the B-Daddy name. Quite an honor to have my posts on the same page as Richard Rider. I want to kick off with a meaty local post, so this won't be the first one.

Quick Hitters

Today's headlines and comments offer such a broad range of topics, I can hardly focus on any one in particular.

Thoughtful commenter Steve, who often challenges me and Dean asks "What alternative plan would get more people to engage in end of life planning?" in response to my objection to government incentives to have this discussion. My response, nothing. The discussion shouldn't be the subject of government incentives because it pollutes the discussion. Further, medicare needs to be fundamentally changed because the government has an incentive for people to die early. If we are going to subsidize elderly health care, then we would be better off providing them a voucher to purchase their own health insurance, to which they could add their own funds. The health insurers could offer plans that include the counseling or not and the individual patients could make the decision.

According to the New York Post, union sanitation workers deliberately slowed the clearing of city streets to protest budget cuts, and the demotion of supervisors. There are indications that the demoted supervisors were culpable. Thanks for making the case for privatization gang. If private firms were contracted to do the work, this would not have happened if proper incentives were in the contract. (A big if, but I know of many ways to put proper incentives in contracts.)

I am worried about the economic recovery. The Wall Street Journal has some contradictory indicators. First, loan activity to businesses is increasing, usually something that is a lagging indicator for economic for recovery. Contrariwise, we see home prices stalling which could presage a double dip recession. My intuition is that housing prices were never allowed to fall far enough to allow for the economy to recovery. Peter Schiff makes that case today, but a picture is often worth a thousand words:


The efforts to prop up the housing market are going to come back to bite this administration, as falling prices and loss of equity choke off recovery.

Finally, more government action to help you die more quickly, at least if you have breast cancer. The FDA is forbidding the use of Avastin in the late treatment of breast cancer, on the basis that it is not "sufficiently" effective. Sufficiently in this case means that it costs too much. When did the FDA get into the business of deciding which drugs are too expensive? Avastin is good enough to treat other forms of cancer, and the FDA has not been aggressive in the past about off label use, so why the rush now? Does Obamacare have anything to do with it? Rivkin and Foley lay out the whole sordid tale.

However, there is some good local news. Walmart collected enough signatures to put the big box ordinance on the ballot. Now the City Council is going to have reconsider their folly. I hope they will repeal the ordinance and spare us the expense of an election. Another opportunity for new council member Lorie Zapf to shine.

Quick Hitters

Since World War II, we have had socialized medicine, primarily funded by employers, but increasingly by government. To solve our health care woes, we need to wean ourselves from third party payer and get the patients' economic interests aligned with their health interests. This thought prompted by the more reports of increasing health insurance costs.

It has been widely reported that Bjorn Lomborg, noted global warming skeptic, has changed his mind and is now saying that global warming is a problem. That is false, he has always said that global warming is a problem, but so is hunger, high infant mortality, and the recession. His view shows that the real issues around are technological and economic and that appeals to SCIENCE by the left are naked grabs for power. He proposes relatively modest measures at reason.com.

Last weekend I went to the convocation for incoming freshmen at SDSU that was overall fairly reasonable, but had this bit of indoctrination: a pledge to work for "social justice." To help those freshmen to stay free of the stench of socialism, the most failed ideology in the history of mankind, I offer the following. Social justice means:

• People should retain the fruits of their labor, it is theirs by right.
• Agreements reached in good faith are honored under law.
• The poor are not denied the right to work in their chosen occupation by restrictive licensing laws.
• We will judge all persons on the content of one's character, not the color of one's skin.

New commenter Shane Atwell rightfully excoriates Big Business for its lack of devotion to free markets, indeed a dogged willingness to become socialist hacks to preserve its position. He also takes on the Republican party for failing to fully defend liberty and just not getting it. Interestingly, Michael Barone captures these sentiments as well with an aptly titled article Down with Big Government, Big Business, Big Labor. Dang, that could be a Tea Party motto, it is the evil triumvirate of the ruling class.

Quick Hitters

I was looking around for news items today that demonstrate the idiocy of the current administration and found a target rich environment. (Apparently, so have the North Koreans.)

1. Health Care Costs Already Underestimated

HotAir breaks down the impact of the removal of a subsidy to corporations that was used to keep retirees on the corporate prescription drug plan. The Congress counted as savings towards the cost the elimination of this subsidy; but businesses are going to eliminate the subsidy and push their retirees on Plan D medicare drug plan, increasing those costs, voila, increasing deficits.

2. Obama Makes Mortgage Mess Worse

H/T again to HotAir. The administration demonstrates its economic illiteracy by demanding that banks allow unemployed borrowers to not have to pay their full mortgage payment. This will encourage lending to help the recovery how? With lenders losing money on existing loans, and the chance that any particular borrower will get reduced payments because they lose a job, new lending will be harmed. This will not stop the problem of underwater borrowers, who fall into about three equal categories: Those for who will eventually default, no matter what help they receive; those who will work their way out of the mess on their own; and those who might be helped.

3. Humiliating the Prime Minister of our only really ally in the Middle East.

Netanyahu was in Washington this week for talks with Obama; but was treated shabbily by a President willing to bow to Saudi royals and high five Chavez. Not only was there no photography allowed of the Israeli PM, but apparently, the Israelis were left to cool their heels for an hour while Obama had dinner, put his kids to bed, who knows?

4. The President doubles down on the lies he told to sell health care. (From the New American, this one just writes itself.)

If Republicans want to run on a platform of repealing the health care reform Barack Obama signed into law on Tuesday, the President is encouraging them to "go for it!" "They're actually going to run on a platform of repeal in November," Obama told a gathering of about 3,000 yesterday at the University of Iowa field house in Iowa City (left). "And my attitude is, go for it! If these congressmen in Washington want to come here in Iowa and tell small-business owners that they plan to take away their tax credits and essentially raise their taxes, be my guest,"

Go for it? I think we will. The Tea Party will be working hard to do just that. Mr. President what's your estimate of the number of seats your party loses in November?

Quick Hitters

San Fran Chronicle headline:

Government should defend climate science

Bdaddy responds in the comments: I disagree with this article and the Constitution is on my side:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.


Ever notice how Democrat favored policies have a racist outcome, even if Dems aren't racist? Welfare trapped minorities into a life of dependency. Racial quotas breed resentment of minorities. Public school monopolies primarily put inner city minorities at a disadvantage. Abortion impacts blacks disproportionately more than whites. The latest? Minimum wage increases enacted in 2007 are strongly correlated with increasing black teen unemployment. The WSJ has the story, but here is the picture worth a thousand words.


Speaking of harm to the black community, Obama's lies about abortion and health care continue unabated. Despite promising to keep the balance of the Hyde amendment, here is what he is really up to.

The president's plan goes further than the Senate bill on abortion by calling for spending $11 billion over five years on "community health centers," which include Planned Parenthood clinics that provide abortions.

Finally, when will the Republicans do something to deserve our vote? They tossed Jim Bunning over the side because he had this CRAZY notion that any spending should be accompanied by a means of paying for it and he held up a bill extending unemployment benefits because of it. Instead of making him a poster boy for Democrat ridicule, and he plays the part well, the GOP should have gotten behind the idea. The public is anxious and fed up with the debt and deficits. The Tea Parties got started in opposition to porkulus, TARP and bailouts and a dread over the debt. WHEN WILL YOU GET IT, GOP?

Quick Hitters

Dean reminds us of this administration's war on democratic institutions in Honduras. After peaceful elections, and a smooth transfer of power, our State Department wishes to continue to cover it's face with eggs as it acts petulantly towards Hondurans.

The blowback from Obama's Supreme Court remarks was all over the blogosphere and even the MSM. (BTW, Legal Insurrection is the other fabulous legal blog you're probably not reading.)

The stupidity of trying KSM in New York appears to have finally reached Obama, as Congress seems set to deny security funding for the trial, he is looking at other venues. Seems not too bright to invite another terror attack in New York symbolically so close to the former site of the WTC.

Despite the "fighting" words in the SOTU, I think the odds of any kind of health care porkulus are sinking. Last trade for a public option by the end of June 2010 was down to 10% as of this writing. Good to see Republican Paul Ryan introduce an alternative, details here, summary here. I have quibbles with some of the proposals, but it is so much more market oriented than anything conjured up by the Obama-Pelosi-Reid triumvirate as to be a breathe of fresh air. Ed Morrisey is spot on at the end of his article:

Republicans cannot afford to cede this ground to Democrats again, now or in the future. By ignoring it for so long, they almost allowed a Trojan horse for a single-payer system to succeed. Political parties have to offer real solutions in order to remain relevant, a lesson Ryan has learned — and hopefully can teach the rest of the GOP.

Quick Hitters

I thought about an explanation for my absence from blogging, but I remembered a post-game quote from one of the players explaining why Navy was able to come back after a bad first half last weekend. He said Coach Niumatalolo's most frequent catch-phrase is "No excuses, no one cares." More than a rebuke against whining, it also means you need a short memory for failure and should just focus on moving forward to success.


At the end of a video-teleconference at work this week, one of the participants wished everyone a Merry Christmas. Unbelievably, a senor Navy officer stated afterward, soto voce to me, "You can't say that." I was aghast and just walked away. PC really is running amok in the Navy today.

HotAir has become my favorite news source. They tipped me to this lengthy article about the real reason people hate government run health care. Once the government is paying for health care, or your employee for that matter, we all end up paying for other people's stupid choices in lifestyle and behavior. The result?

Because that’s what socialized medicine does: it turns each of us into a little fascist. A nagging nanny who tells other people what to do and how to live.

Now, I really don’t care if you overeat, smoke like a chimney, hump like a bunny or forget to lock the safety mechanism on your pistol as you jam it in your waistband. Fine by me. And as a laissez-faire social-libertarian live-and-let-live kind of person, I would never under normal circumstances condemn anyone for any of the behaviors listed above. That is: Until the bill for your stupidity shows up in my mailbox. Then suddenly, I’m forced to care about what you do, because I’m being forced to pay for the consequences.

I earlier commented on BwD that Krauthammer should let Iowahawk do the satire and Charles "the Hammer" should stick to the wonky stuff. Iowahawk returns the favor with a very lengthy post on the machinations behind "value added homogenized data" proving AGW. It's worth a read, especially if you have a technical background.

Quick Hitters

This administration seems hell bent on making our problems worse, every day. Some examples.

Headline from WaPo.

U.S. pushes for emissions cuts from China, developing nations.

As if that is really going to happen. India's announcement that they will slow emissions growth (different from actually cutting emissions) by 20%-25% is little more than status quo. China will just cheat. So America will suffer the job killing consequences of a demonstrably ineffective policy of cap and trade, which won't even cut CO2 emissions, much less impact the environment.

The EPA, as expected, ruled that CO2 is a harm to the environment. However, to make such a finding they must show that humans are being harmed. In the technical document a number of unproved assertions are made. I would love for this to go to court, where their data can be exposed. Here is a quote:

It is very likely that heat waves will become more intense, more frequent, and longer lasting in a future warm climate, whereas cold episodes are projected to decrease significantly.

Tell that to Dallas.

Meanwhile, Obama is calling for Stimulus III because the first two are working so well to keep down the unemployment rate. This recession is a recovery from asset bubbles due to government intervention in the economy. Until those are unwound and overall debt is reduced, businesses are not going to be able to bring the country out of economic doldrums. By continuing the failed policies of the past, only more so, Obama is making the economy worse. Further, small businesses are facing uncertainty over health care costs, cap and trade costs, potential continuation of Sarbanes-Oxley auditing, and the expiration of death tax relief. No wonder the economy isn't growing.

Quick Hitters

As you probably know I am doing a little extra blogging over at BwD as Dean makes a Road Trip to Colorado. The confluence of three bloggers on one conservative blog who are also all employees of the feds got me thinking.

What is up with Democrats unwillingness to debate? Humana, an insurance company, sent its customers a TRUE MAILING, that Max Baucus' Senate Health Care bill will cut payments to seniors on the Medicare Advantage program. Then:

ABC's World News Tonight covers the controversy over Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) asking Medicare to investigate Humana for sending letters to its customers about potential Medicare Advantage cuts...

Mitch McConnell is a personal hero of mine. Anyone whose name is attached to a Supreme Court case challenging the Federal Elections Commission has got to be doing something right, see McConnell vs FEC.

Over at the WSJ, liberal columnist Thomas Frank asks essentially the same question, this time about the Health Care debate. Here is what that liberal has to say after opining that much of our recent economic troubles accrue to Bush era laissez-faire dogma. (I disagree, but who cares.)

I have concerns about the rhetoric being used as well, and about the louts and the bullies who use it. But it seems clear that Mrs. Pelosi's aim is to avoid debate when she ought to be wading into the thick of it. Her team has the arguments; it has the facts; it has gale-force historical winds at its back: Why not give back as good as you get? Why not simply beat the other side instead of complaining tearfully that they play too rough?

Frank never answers his own rhetorical questions, maybe because he can't, so he ends with this:

Conservatives, on the other hand, have been crusading nonstop since the days of Barry Goldwater. Every economic issue is a grand moral issue for them—this particular one, even in its lukewarm Senate Finance Committee version, is "a stunning assault on liberty," according to Sen. Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.)—and until liberals are prepared to contest those terms, they will have to live with a little incivility.

Darn tootin' every economic issue is a grand moral issue. Somebody needs to read the Road to Serfdom. I say this to Thomas Frank and all the other lefties, I am part of the Freedom Coalition and I'm not giving up on the idea of freedom.

Speaking of freedom, that's a word Sarah Palin is using frequently. I like her apt description of the Tea Party movement in her recent Hong Kong speech.

The “Tea Party Movement” is aptly named to remind people of the American Revolution – of colonial patriots who shook off the yoke of a distant government and declared their freedom from indifferent – elitist – rulers who limited their progress and showed them no respect. Today, Main Street Americans see Washington in similar terms.

Well said. Sarah Palin may turn out to be more effective out of office than in. Kind of a counterweight to the Goracle. I would love to see that debate.

Quick Hitters

I've been following the health care debate on DailyKos and sometimes wonder what it would take to get through to the left. I saw the readers repeatedly argue that health care is a right. How is that? You have the right to someone else's labor?

Watched Rachel Maddow again, and this time she was supposedly showing how the evil Republicans have no health care plan. She ridiculed, without any meaningful explanation, a clip in which Sen David Vitter (R-LA) said that he supported re-importation of cheaper drugs because it would cause a collapse of Big Pharma's pricing scheme. Maddow fails to realize that the cheap drugs Canadians and other countries purchase are subsidized by the United States. Re-importation would allow us to capture some of those subsidies. This is actually a very reasonable idea. Since when are Democrats against lower prices on drugs for Americans anyway? This actually started out as a Democrat idea. Has MSNBC become so hyper-partisan that they can be baited into attacking anything a Republican says? The Daily Kooks picked up on this as well, but 100 comments down, I noticed that some commenters recovered their sanity and remembered why the Dems had proposed re-importation in the first place.

Lost my drivers license recently. The CA DMV says that I had to send away for a form to get a new one. I got the form a little over a week later. Can I just send it in? No, the DMV web site directed me to make an appointment to get my new license. When I query the web site for the next appointment at either San Diego location, I get this message:

Sorry, no appointment is available at this office. Please choose a different office

This message repeats as I spiral out from San Diego to every DMV office until I get to Coalinga. I am sure state and federal government will health insurance with this same vaunted efficiency of say, the DMV or the Post Office.

Alan Reynolds has an excellent article over at the Wall Street Journal arguing that the stimulus spending is not responsible for the recovery, if any, that is underway. Further, if we actually do spend the stimulus money, it will only worsen the recession based on empirical evidence. Only a tiny fraction has been spent. Historically, other countries, including our own, during the Depression, have been unable to spend their way to economic good times.