Month: July 2009

Cash for Clunkers = Euro Technocrat Fail

Cash for Clunkers = Euro Technocrat Fail

As you can see if you visit the scrappage article at Wikipedia the program in the US is not hope and change, but rather just another failed program borrowed from the Technocrats in Europe.

Congresswoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is fond of pointing at the German program, but if she had looked close at all, she would have seen that the German program also ran out of cash almost as soon as it was implemented. Strange that they wouldn’t have noticed that large fail in Germany that was rectified by the government spending more money to buy people cars don’t you think? This is how Democrats get monstrous programs: they advertise a nickle as the cost when the true costs are a quarter.

I pretty much expect the same to happen here: we will see an emergency declared and Congress will vote some more of your money back to the public but in a manner they choose rather than a manner you personally choose.

Why did they halt the program? The buzz says they ran out of cash or  that they couldn’t process the load quick enough, but you could also speculate on other causes. Perhaps more people are buying more Toyotas and Nissans than GMs and Chryslers. Perhaps the loans are looking pretty marginal because people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to cobble together a down payment are able to now. Who knows?

UPDATE: Lawhawk reports that the house has approved  more as predicted.

I favor the program continuing however. We might as well since the Euros are doing it and if we don’t we lose what really amounts to a trade war started by the Euro’s large subsidization of their auto industries the past two years.

You also need to look at Euro Technocrat’s past interference in the auto market in pursuit of ecology for what might be next from our Technocrats and Czars.

Here’s a lecture from an expert who’s pretty convinced that the shortage of light sweet crude we’ve seen the past two years is a combination of Euro environmental regulations & incentive programs driving Euros to diesel coupled with Saudi market interference.

Some Good Questions on Healthcare

Some Good Questions on Healthcare

Since this health care bill has been 100 percent crafted by West state urban Democrats, what are the long term effects and unforseen consequences to rural and suburban clinics, hospitals, and services? Even if they have the best of intentions they also have some inescapable urban bias due to their lack of knowledge about rural and suburban health care.

Will non-urban providers be able to meet the inevitable regulations, policies, and guidelines that regulation like this creates? Will the catch 22’s in the bill put some out of business? Will patients need to drive long distances to receive health care, only to wait in long lines in Urban hospitals? Will this impact boutique and flat fee clinics that have been springing up and defraying costs? Will rural patients need to pay out of pocket for urgent care needs if that drive is too long for the serious nature of the problem? Will some Rural and suburban hospitals and clinics close because they are unable to meet the burdens of new requirements?

I don’t have the answers folks, but these are all good questions to be asking.

A Boat on the Reef With a Broken Back

A Boat on the Reef With a Broken Back

… And I can see it very well.

To follow up on my earlier post about the real story of the collapse of Obama’s mandate and political capital on the reef of realpolitik and Dem infighting in Congress I proffer a few links:

The Hill: July has been a Disaster for Obama, Hill Dems

Ezra Klein: The Ghosts of Clinton Care

MSNBC: Congress Punting on Health Care Floor Vote

Politico: Dems Search for villains on healthcare [ We have met the enemy and he is us…]

RCP: Unreality Based

RCP: 10 Questions for supporters of Obamacare

The Note: Dems vs Dems

To recap: His two signature initiatives, Cap and trade and healthcare, are both stalled and creating animosity in Congress. Maybe with the high tide of return from recess they can effect some repairs and float these off the reef, but it’s not looking positive for the President.

One other note on this: Maybe it’s not Obama’s mandate that’s lying on the reef; maybe it’s Pelosi‘s West state mandate Agenda. Depending on venue it might be that some run against Obama in 2010, and some run against Pelosi.

On Google Books & The Settlement

On Google Books & The Settlement

Not many are aware of the breadth of the Google Books initiative, or the controversies it has created. I became aware of it from reading Vernor Vinge’s “Rainbow’s End“.

Here’s Google’s Alexander MacGillivray talking about the service, the legal challenges, and the settlement.

This makes it worthwhile to get a library card again, there are many out of print books that I want to read again.

Thanks go to the Berkman Center for the session.

West State Democrats

If you look at the power structure of the Democrat party you see that almost their entire leadership is from Western states

West State Democrats

Just an observation: If you look at the power structure of the Democrat party you see that almost their entire leadership is from Western states. Even President Obama comes from West of the Mississippi. Pelosi and Waxman are from California, Reid and Baucus are from Nevada and Montana. There aren’t any eastern democrats with positions that have a scintilla of real power in the congress.

This can’t sit well with East coast democrats nor the blue dogs, and that ignores the midwest Republicans. Effectively 3/4 of the country region-wise is disenfrancised and walled off from effective political power.

Obama & The Real Story

Obama & The Real Story

The real story for Obama is grim right now: unemployment is at new-century record highs, his first six months in office are a failure, his budget is delayed, transparency is delayed, health care reform is on the rocks, and dissension within his caucus is at an all time high as they wind down toward recess.

If the real story were front page and center now everyone would be focused on the house and the splintering over health care going on there. The press would be dissecting the bill and the points of contention for the public with a bit more vigor than the shorthand of triggers and public options. It’s at the point  where there could be a rebellion and coming leadership change in the Democrat caucus if things continue this way. Even though there are outward signs of unity, this is surface only, and with elections looming in 15 months more is on the line than it would seem at the moment.

True to form when faced with real opposition and a bad news cycle,  President Obama has a habit of changing the subject. That’s why the Gates gaffe was made and in my opinion it was intentional. It’s also probably not a coincidence that nirtherism is front and center in the news again, even though left, right, and center are all calling birth certificate conspiracists marginal and crazy.

These things take the focus off of what’s important and change the subject to topical and idiotic irrelevancies. These are very skillful distractions, everyone has an opinion on racism – with the public in overwhelming agreement that it’s bad — and they all want to talk about it. Much more fun than talking about the boring points of a trillion dollar health bill, n’est ce pas?

It’s also always more fun to talk about marginal nutballs on the right than the unemployment picture too.

Obama is very skilled at these smoke and mirror tricks and by making himself the lightning rod he’s managed to take the focus from the real story for a moment: but his first six months are still not sitting well with the public, and his health care reform is a boat on the rocks of a distant shore.

Kasey at the Fence

Kasey-at-the-Fence

Kasey at the Fence

Kasey typically barks when people come by, generally not in a mean tone, more of a “please come over here and play” tone. The exception is when the garbage truck comes. I think she worships it and all of the interesting smells it brings with it.

Grunge Rolling

Grunge Rolling

Now you can Grunge roll someone…

From the Youtuber’s page to give credit where it’s due:

DJ Morgoth is an excellent mashup creator and DJ based in Germany. He runs an awesome night called Mashup Your Bootz.

He made this great mashup, so I made a video of it for him.

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit

versus

Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up