All posts by Mike

Politics, Science and Edumacation, Socialism, Taxes and Spending

Wednesday Night Linkorama

  • You know what I’m always saying about the Law of Unintended Consequences? Here’s an example.. There are agencies out there that will give you an advance loan on your paycheck. But in order to make it economically feasible, they have to charge a small fee which, if extrapolated over a year, works out to an extremely large interest rate. We’re talking 50% or more. Many of the people taking these loans were military personnel. Clark Howard, in particular, used to go off on how evil these loans were, branding the loan companies “unpatriotic”. So Congress outlawed them. And now the soldiers can’t get paycheck loans. Nice.
  • Maryland and Michigan are sending their taxes through the roof. I knew this would happen when O’Mallay was elected. I knew it. Serves you right, Maryland idiots, for rejecting Mike Steele. Enjoy the recession.
  • While I love college football, I hate what it does to academics.

    After the facilities are completed, the meter keeps running. Thanks primarily to the football stadium upgrades, the Longhorn athletic department’s yearly debt service will double over the next year, to about $15 million annually. Utilities — air conditioning, heat, water — and maintenance cost the athletic department another $4.75 million a year — $115,000 just to keep the department’s grass football, softball and soccer fields soft and green.

    Heavily recruited high schoolers expect flashier personal amenities, too, and UT obliges. Following its Rose Bowl victory, the football team was rewarded with a $200,000 renovation of its players lounge, a retreat with four TV projectors (screens drop from the ceiling at the push of a button embedded in a six-foot replica of the UT tower), six flat screen TVs, four X-boxes and three PlayStations.

    Two floors down, the football locker room boasts another new lounge area, with five flat-screen TVs and a three-dimensional, lighted 20-foot Longhorn on the ceiling. Men’s and women’s basketball players can relax in their own private living rooms, each with large TVs, video games and recliners. (New recliners cost $15,020 last year.) The golf teams have a private player lounge at their new clubhouse.

    This is absolutely disgusting. The football team gets is prestige from the University, not vice versa. They should be pouring money back into the school to fund scholarships and reduce tuition.

  • Radiohead is giving the middle finger to the big record companies. Bravo.
    • Politics

    Bond, Baby Bonds

    Hillary is proposing to give every child a $5000 bond at birth. It would be popular, no doubt. And practically the first thing the libs would squeak is, “If we can find $190 billion for a war in Iraq, we can find $20 billion for kids!” Of course, we’re deficit spending out the ying-yang, so we actually can’t find money to spend in Iraq.

    You have to almost admire the brazenness of it. Mrs. Clinton isn’t even pretending this is anything but a wealth transfer. All the “rich” will have money taken from them and it will be given to babies. They’ll probably combine it with the return of the inheritance tax so they can say they’re making “all Americans the heirs of the wealthy”. So the rich don’t get the pleasure of making the babies, just the pleasure of paying for them.

    I shouldn’t beat this particularly straw man, but I can’t resist. I’m in a good mood today, so breaking down liberal stupidity will be fun.

    First, not longer after this is implemented, we will get cries to raise the amount (see SCHIP). After all, doubling it to $10k is only another $20 billion. If we can find money for [insert name of war here], we can find money for America’s kids! We will also get calls to provide money to kids who were born just before the program was implemented.

    Second, will it be in a government-run trust – like the trusts that are going bankrupt all over the nation and consist entirely of little pieces of paper that say, “IOU $6 trillion”? Or will be allowed to invest it in “approved” funds? (And you thought private investment was baaad!) I suspect that what would happen is every kid in America would be issued a piece of paper at birth that is redeemable at age 18 for $10,000 (4% interest, about what bonds are earning).

    Third, no matter how much our politicians twist and turn like a bunch of twisty turny things, the law of unintended consequences will be obeyed. Parents blowing money on themselves instead of setting up college funds; lower and middle income people having babies they can’t afford on the promise of five grand. And what about illegal immigrants? If they download a baby on our soil, do they get $5k? Thank you, Mrs. Clinton. You’ve now created a $5,000 incentive to break the law.

    If Mrs. Clinton makes this a centerpiece of her campaign, and wins, many of these unintended consequences will happen, regardless of whether she implements the program or not. When politicians make huge promises, millions think those promises have been delivered once they are elected. I can still remember after Bush was elected, people being puzzled because their taxes hadn’t been cut.

    What really gets my boxers in a bunch is that I am a new father myself. I thought about the government giving me $5000 to deposit for her future.

    And, to be honest, I felt a little sick.

    I don’t want the government’s stinking money. I want to provide for my own baby (shortly after she was born, I salted some money away in a 529). She inspires me to work harder and be more responsible. One of the great pleasure in life is coming home after work, seeing her asleep in the crib and knowing I’ve done right by her, even if she doesn’t know it.

    With this proposal and the clamor to expand SCHIP, Hillary wants to take that away and make my daughter and every other daddy’s daughter in the country a government-bought dependent. I’m sure Mrs. Clinton fantasizes that every dad, instead of providing for his own daughter, will put put a picture of Hillary above the crib and tell their daughters, “That’s President Clinton! She’s building your future!”

    Get the fuck out of my nursery, bitch. You’re not her father. It’s not your damned job to give her wealth, it’s mine. Confine yourself to keeping the criminals away and the terrorists at bay. Keep the economy humming with benign neglect. But don’t make her your dependent from the Baby Bumbo on.

    Quit offering us money. We don’t need your stinkin’ charity. That goes for all of you up in Washington, Republican and Democrat, Left and Right, conservative and liberal. Raise your own damned kids. And let me raise mine.

    'Culture', Law and Order, Politics

    Monday Morning Linkorama

    Ugh, I was up until 4 am working on proposals. So here is my list of Monday links:

  • So your 9/11 conspiracy theory is gibberish? Sue!
  • More Numbers in the Dark. You know that massive crime wave that’s happening? Um, no. Also that study that says men are happier than women? It might just be a noise spike. Always remember that we get our news from people who flunked math and science.
  • You know Media Matters? The organization that loves plucking quotes from guys like Bill O’Reilly out of context? They’re part of the Clinton/Soros Empire. Now the article is complicated and, frankly, a bit paranoid. But you know that if similar ties existed between George Bush and, say, the Swift Boat Vets (oh, wait they do!), everyone would go nuts. I’m curious … how many liberals has Media Matters gone after?
  • Juan Williams has a more coherent defense of O’Reilly. Now look, I’m not fond of Bill O’Reilly. In fact, I don’t like his show at all. But his Sylvia’s comment is being taken completely out of context. It’s fine when The Daily Show does this. That’s a comedy show. But when news organizations do it? Jesus.

    When I saw the segment on The Daily Show, I knew the quote was being taken out of context. Why am I smarter than people who analyze the news for a living? How can a dippy blogger be more attentive to this sort of thing than people getting paid for it?

  • Dick Nixon was an anti-semite. Big surprise. Of course, FDR did little to stop the Holocaust.
    • Sports

    What a Weekend!

    First, the Day of Upsets. Now the New York Mets complete one of the great collapses in baseball history (or, if you’re an optimist, the Phillies complete a great comeback). And Colorado wins 13 of 14 to force a one-game playoff.

    I love baseball.

    Here is Derek Jacques proving that he is the exact opposite of a Sports Media Twerp.

    It wasn’t the wrong call two weeks ago, to declare that the Rockies’ playoff run was effectively over. It took an unbelievably good stretch of baseball for them to force this tiebreaker. But even though I stand by what I wrote then, I’ll admit that one of the great pleasures of this last week has been the Rockies proving me wrong. Following their games down the stretch has more than justified the expense of my Extra Innings package. Teams defying expectations like this is what makes baseball enjoyable.

    So tomorrow, as the Rockies face Jake Peavy in Denver, I’ll be rooting for them to finish the job. Maybe I’ll wind up eating a bit of crow as a result, but I hear it doesn’t taste all that bad.

    Sports

    My TMQ Moment

    One of the reasons I love Tuesday Morning Quarterback, despite the diatribe I will post later tonight, is that I’ve learned a lot about football. Today, Gary Kubiak of the Houston Texans is basically giving the game to the Atlanta Falcons:

  • He asks for a review of the spot on a 4th and short to try to push the Falcons back maybe a foot, so it’s 4th-and-0.5 instead of 4th and inches. Oops, it gets spotted for a first down.
  • On a short goal situation, he has Matt Schaub sprint back ten yards on a rollout, where he almost gets sacked.
  • On 3rd and a foot to the end zone, he calls an outside run for Ron Dayne, who gets stuffed.
  • The Falcons had called a time out, so he gets 3rd and a foot the goal again. Outside pitch to Dayne; fumble nearly recovered by the Falcons.

    • Jeez, Kubiak. Just run up the middle!

    Sports

    Holy Crap!

    Why do I like college football? Days like today. West Virginia upended on Thursday by a USF program younger than my car; Oklahoma nipped by unranked Colorado (a 22.5 point underdog); California barely escapes Oregon with their ass intact; Clemson done in by a bunch of guys with slide rules (I love it when Tech upsets the football factories); Texas crushed by unranked K-state (14.5 point underdog); Rutgers bested by unranked Maryland (16.5 point underdog); Wisconsin frightened by unranked MSU; USC on life support against unranked Washington (20.5 point underdog); Alabama undone by unranked FSU; Florida chokes against unranked Auburn at home (18 point underdog).

    It’s not just that five of the top ten lost with two barely escaped with their hides intact. It’s that these seven teams were favored by a combined 116.5 points. Even LSU and Ohio State failed to cover the spread.

    I went 7/22 in picking football games this weekend. And I loved it.

    This just shows you what the SMTs know. Slowly, their pre-season picks are going down in flames.

    'Culture', Politics, War on Terror

    Early Redacted

    1 Comment

    There’s some controversy brewing over Brian de Palma’s Redacted, a dramatization of the brutal Mahmudiyah Killings (Note that our “evil” military is tossing these assholes in prison for potentially the rest of their lives). The movie won the Silver Lion at Venice and the user ratings at IMDB show something interesting:

    US Voters: 3.4
    Non-US Voters: 8.2

    Now, raise your hand if you are surprised that a film portraying a brutal atrocity by Americans is very popular in Europe. (Put that hand down, Chris!). Europeans loved Loose Change and every other 9/11 conspiracy book/movie. My cat could make an anti-American movie and win, at minimum, the Palme d’Or.

    I’ll wait until the November release to try to decide whether or not to join in the inevitable Right Wing bloviation-fest. But I should note something about the newly certified Great Film-Maker Mr. De Palma.

    Number of Oscar Nominations for Brian de Palma: 0
    Number of Golden Globe Nomination for Brian de Palma: 0
    Number of Razzie Nominations for Brian de Palma: 5

    I’m just sayin’.

    Good thing he made this. Now he’ll get some nominations, even if the film itself is his usual crap. When your best film is The Untouchables and the best thing you’ve done in the last ten years is the lesbian scene in Femme Fatale, I guess it’s time to go political.

    Healthcare, Immigration, Science and Edumacation

    Friday Morning Linkorama

  • I haven’t commented much on immigration on this site, since it seems to me everyone involved is using the issue to grind unrelated axes. But you have to grin at this story. A town in New Jersey outlawed illegal immigrants and..

    With the departure of so many people, the local economy suffered. Hair salons, restaurants and corner shops that catered to the immigrants saw business plummet; several closed. Once-boarded-up storefronts downtown were boarded up again.

    Doh!

  • One of the big breakthroughs in my political thinking was realizing when people were cherry-picking the facts. Cato has a classic example. Supporters of NCLB are crowing about the improving test scores of 4th and 8th graders. Ignored? The ongoing plunge of high school seniors.
  • Some people are actually interested in having a good debate on healthcare. In this corner, we have Michael Cannon and in this one Jesse Larner, who was kind enough to e-mail me after I disagreed with him over at Moorewatch.
  • An interesting article at The Economist explains why France’s healthcare system works to the extent that it does. Big reason? Medical school is paid for and lawsuits are rare.
    • 'Culture', Law and Order, Politics

    Fisking Sully

    1 Comment

    What Sullivan says:

    Three times as many black men will spend tonight in a prison cell as in a college dorm room. That number is almost as bad for Hispanics. A quarter of a century ago, the ratio was even.

    What the study actually says:

    The numbers, driven by men, do not include college students who live off campus. Previously released census data show that black and Hispanic college students — commuters and those in dorms — far outnumber black and Hispanic prison inmates.

    Now my reading of this is that blacks and hispanics have moved off campus — much like the rest of the student body. The crowing headline that “three times as many black are in jail as in college” is pure hysterical race-baiting that misses and obfuscates the more important point:

    The data show that big increases in black and Hispanic inmates occurred since 1980.

    Not stated is how big the increases have been for whites. I went to the Census Bureau website but their data is almost deliberately opaque. I couldn’t get a handle on what it actually said and nor find the answer to the real question: Over the last 25 years, how has the incarceration rate changed for blacks, white and hispanics?

    One things I’ve learned about social scientists. When they present you with answers to the wrong question, it’s because the answer to the right question didn’t fit their agenda.

    The real story here is that our prison population has exploded over the last thirty years, primarily because of the War on Drugs. That’s something that affects all of us, not just black people. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. That needs to change. For everone.

    'Culture'

    Over-Rated

    2 Comments

    MSNBC has a fantastic article on the “more fame than talent club“. So I just know you want my opinion:

  • Jessica Alba. OK, she’s not that good an actress. But I don’t really care. She can be good given the right role – she was the only reason to watch Dark Angel and was very sexy in Sin City. But she needs to put some weight on. She’s gotten way too skinny.
  • Jessica Biel. Agreed, but she was effective in The Illusionist. Another actress who picks bad movies.
  • Jessica Simpson. I don’t even think she’s that hot. She looks like a barbie doll.
  • Adrian Grenier. To be honest, I don’t know who the hell this is.
  • Elton John. Perhaps today, but the man has been show business for decades. Give me a break. I don’t like his music either but the man is an icon.
  • Nicole Kidman. I have to think about this one. Kidman is supposed to be this great actress. But I actually think she just picks really good movies to be in. I don’t think I’ve ever watched on of her movies and said, “Wow, Nicole made that movie!” My aussie wife will now kill me.
  • Carlos Mencia. Oh, abso-fricking-lutely. He is making a career out of being politlcally incorrect. He’s sometimes funny. But he’s an infamous joke-stealer and, once you get past the shock value, not that funny after all.
  • John Travolta. Don’t get me started.
  • Renee Zellweger. I have to agree with this one. Her career is one of the more unfortunate things to come out of that repulsive Jerry Maguire film. At least Cuba Gooding, Jr. has charisma if not talent. But, funny me, I think acting involves more elements than making squinty faces. I will, however, say, that Zellweger was great in Bridget Jones’ Diary. If they wanted to give her an oscar, that was the film.

    • There are many times I could add to that list, if I weren’t gooned on cold medication. Ben Affleck is a name that immediately jumps to mind. Michael Bay is another. Martin Lawrence. Richard Gere. Sandra Bullock. So many pretty not-so-talented people; so little time until I have to give my talk tomorrow.

    'Culture'

    Death Rattle

    1 Comment

    Today, I bought my daughter her first toy. Or at least tried. All I wanted was a simple straight-forward rattle. Just a damned stick with a damned ball on one end that made a lot of noise and that I will one day step on and subsequently fall down the stairs.

    You can’t buy one. Babies R’ Us doesn’t have them. Nor does Amazon, nor does Ebay – except for expensive souvenier rattles. They have plenty of soft stuff and “natural” or “educational” toys but not just a simple God-damned rattle that my little girl can pick up and shake and make happy goo-goo noises as a result of her burgeoning musical talent.

    What the hell?