Holy Crap!

In some small irony I have been 'published' in the New York Times....



Not sure how that happened...

We Get What We Vote For - Part III

Not sure why anyone would want to live in California anymore....

"California Democrats devise plan to hike taxes. By structuring them as fees, they would skirt GOP opponents and raise $9.3 billion. A court fight looms."

Like this is a great shock to anyone? Sigh....

"Republican legislators and antitax groups promised legal challenges to derail the Democrats' plan. "Raising taxes on people and playing funny math and calling it fees is not governing," said Assembly GOP leader Michael Villines of Clovis. "That's trickery, is what that is.""

Good luck guys. If you don't succeed, perhaps you can hitch a ride with one of the businesses fleeing out of the state...

(Hat Tip: Instapundit)

We Get What We Vote For - Part II

Ken Salazar will be Obama's selection to head up the Department of the Interior.

"Mr. Salazar’s most urgent task will be to remove the influence of politics and ideology from decisions that are best left to science."

Funny, but I doubt that the Obama administration will be bringing 'science' to Interior. I think that they will probably be bringing religion instead....

Praise Gaia and pass the the carbon credits....

We Get What We Vote For - Part I

Congratulations North Carolina, you will finally get the change you voted for....

"With gas-tax revenues plummeting, the state of North Carolina is looking seriously at taxing motorists for how far they drive."

I hope you are very happy with your choices....

Bush Subjected to Torture by Iraqis

Isn't it funny how one election can change everything.

Not too many years ago, simply subjecting people to humiliation and insults was defined as torture. Now, if someone subjects someone else to "the worst possible insult...meant to show extreme disrespect and contempt...", he is somehow a hero and probably a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Change has arrived! Now we are just waiting for hope to show up....

Following the Madoff Money

In a Corner post earlier today by Victor Davis Hanson, the question was posed:

Given what we know of Stevens, Rangel, and the Freddie/Fannie circle, surely no one like Bernie Madoff steals billions right under the N.Y./D.C. radar without friends in high places. Can't our media do some research and find out exactly to whom and to what degree he donated to Congress?

Since things like this are now fairly easy for us in the great unwashed populace outside of the media, here is what a quick look turned up.

Madoff personally gave $100,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee since 2005. Bernie and relatives (also co-workers at his Hedge...err...Ponzi Scheme) have also given lots of money to many pols, including Chuck Schumer ($39k), Ed Markey ($43k), Ron Wyden ($33k), and the Securities Industry Assn (Lobbying Assn; $61k). Schumer is a natural recipient, since he is not only the senior Senator from NY, but also on the Senate Finance Committee. Wyden is on the same Senate Finance Committee. Markey is on the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Why would Madoff ever contribute to them??

And in case anyone wants to play 'Name that Party', Madoff ( and his several relatives/co-workers) gave Democrats over $290,000, and only $33,000 to GOP entities (including a Congressman who, shockingly, was on the House Energy & Commerce Committee)

More to follow....when I have time, I will try to take a deeper look at which of those many Pols (like Schumer, Markey and Wyden) not listed here were involved in Committees that touched the Securities industry.

UPDATE: I suppose my sagging faith in the press might have been a little unwarrented this AM. Mark Hemingway, also in the Corner, points to the fact that Politico.com is actually doing some journalism on this issue, "Madoff bought influence in Washington". Sadly enough (but perhaps not surprisingly) the only Pol to be mentioned by name 'above the fold' for taking campaign contribution from Madoff was a Republican.

The Madoffs were also hefty donors to political candidates. In total, the Madoff family has donated more than $380,000 to political candidates, parties and political action committees since 1993, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The giving skewed largely Democratic, although donations were made to several Republicans, including scandal-ridden Rep. Vito J. Fossella (R-N.Y.).

You have to go to page 2 of the story to find out that Chuckie Schumer raked in his $39k, and $100k for his DSCC. Fossella is an odd choice to mention, seeing as how he got a whopping $4000 from the Madoff clan (only $1000 from Bernie), and $0 after 2001. He is (was?) however on the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Anyone seeing a pattern here? Heck, fellow Republican ( and once again former House Energy & Commerce Committee member) Jack Fields got $14K from the Madoffs. But I guess that Fossella was the closest that Politico could get to a current 'scandal-ridden' Republican (DUI, Affair) to try to pin the tail on the elephant....

Beer o' the Night

Left Hand Deep Cover Brown Ale....could be better....



UPDATE: OK, since it is Friday, I had to have something else...

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale...the old classic....

Capitalism Saves the Planet?

For years, we have been told that our rampant obsession with Capitalism and a consumer society was leading to the demise of the planet.

Ironically enough, the recent economic downturn has sent the critically important (or so we have ben told) recycling biz into a nosedive. Turns out, no one wants to buy recycled materials if there is no market to use them to make other products.

Just months after riding an incredible high, the recycling market has tanked almost in lockstep with the global economic meltdown. As consumer demand for autos, appliances and new homes dropped, so did the steel and pulp mills' demand for scrap, paper and other recyclables.

Cardboard that sold for about $135 a ton in September is now going for $35 a ton. Plastic bottles have fallen from 25 cents to 2 cents a pound. Aluminum cans dropped nearly half to about 40 cents a pound, and scrap metal tumbled from $525 a gross ton to about $100.

Ooops. Guess we need that evil capitalism idea after all. Though perhaps the new Obama Administration could mandate price controls on recycled scrap. That way we could continue to save the planet through the goodness of government, and avoid the ickiness of a market-driven solution....

Corruption You Can Believe In!

Lets see....what does it tell you when a throughly corrupt politician, who is only in it for himself and the money, wants either one of two jobs...

a) Union boss and obvious benefactor of the soon to arrive 'Card Check' legislation

or

b) Secretary of Health and Human Services in the soon to arrive Obama Administration

What is wrong with the second one you ask? It appears to be a very altruistic choice, right?

Perhaps. However in my estimation, when you have a throughly corrupt politician who is only in it for himself and the money , who is eyeing a fairly backwater cabinet position in which he has no prior professional expertise, then you are probably looking at the segment of the economy where there will be the most change, and certainly the most shakedown money...errr, patronage...helping to shape that change.

I fear for the future of American healthcare under the Obama Administration, even if this low life is nowhere near it...

Home Sweet Home

My six-months of Afghanistan fun are done!

Got plenty of leave on the books, so I won't be back to work until January...