Guess which state's senior senator has gone to extreme lengths to avoid paying sales and luxury tax on his new $7M yacht? If you guessed the same one who had his custom yacht built in New Zealand during these challenging economic times, you are correct.
http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view/20100723senator_skipper_skips_town_on_sails_tax/
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Items from my Mailbox: Thanks Moose Man
Subject: CAN ANYONE CLAIM THAT LEE IOCOCCA, A LIFETIME DEMOCRAT, IS WRONG?
If you read anything today, read this, you owe it to yourself
IACOCCA SPEAKS OUT ON OBAMA
Just as true today as it was when his book first came out.
He was, and still is, a brilliant businessman!
Often we need to be reminded of Iococca's words.
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'.
Lee Iacocca Says:
'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage with this so called president? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of tax cheating clueless leftists trying to steer our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even run a ridiculous cash-for-clunkers program without losing $26 billion of the taxpayers' money, much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'trust me the economy is getting better..'
Better? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the Democrats out along with Obama!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore..
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.. While we're fiddling in Afghanistan , Iran is completing their nuclear bombs and missiles and nobody seems to know what to do. And the liberal press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with thumb up your butt and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
We're immersed in a bloody war now with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. But our soldiers are dying daily.
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the world, and it's getting worse every day!
We've lost the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are going to skyrock again, and nobody in power has a lucid plan to open drilling to solve the problem. This country has the largest oil reserves in the WORLD, and we cannot drill for it because the politicians have been bought by the flea-hugging environmentalists.
Our schools are in a complete disaster because of the teachers union.
Our borders are like sieves and they want to give all illegals amnesty and free healthcare.
The middle class is being squeezed to death every day.
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point..
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping the government will make it better for them. Now, that's just crazy.. Deal with life.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, look what Obama did about it!
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the Chicago gangsters in Congress. We didn't elect you to turn this country into a losing European Socialist state. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America . In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years since 9/11.
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our future is at stake!!
If you read anything today, read this, you owe it to yourself
IACOCCA SPEAKS OUT ON OBAMA
Just as true today as it was when his book first came out.
He was, and still is, a brilliant businessman!
Often we need to be reminded of Iococca's words.
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'.
Lee Iacocca Says:
'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage with this so called president? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of tax cheating clueless leftists trying to steer our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even run a ridiculous cash-for-clunkers program without losing $26 billion of the taxpayers' money, much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'trust me the economy is getting better..'
Better? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned, 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the Democrats out along with Obama!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore..
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.. While we're fiddling in Afghanistan , Iran is completing their nuclear bombs and missiles and nobody seems to know what to do. And the liberal press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with thumb up your butt and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
We're immersed in a bloody war now with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. But our soldiers are dying daily.
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the world, and it's getting worse every day!
We've lost the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are going to skyrock again, and nobody in power has a lucid plan to open drilling to solve the problem. This country has the largest oil reserves in the WORLD, and we cannot drill for it because the politicians have been bought by the flea-hugging environmentalists.
Our schools are in a complete disaster because of the teachers union.
Our borders are like sieves and they want to give all illegals amnesty and free healthcare.
The middle class is being squeezed to death every day.
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point..
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping the government will make it better for them. Now, that's just crazy.. Deal with life.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, look what Obama did about it!
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the Chicago gangsters in Congress. We didn't elect you to turn this country into a losing European Socialist state. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America . In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years since 9/11.
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our future is at stake!!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Summer Doldrums: Was the Tea Party Just a Dream?
Was the Tea Party just a dream? A fantasy? The first real grass roots movement that fizzled because Americans have the concentration span of goldfish?
Harry Reid has closed the gap with Sharon Angle. The Democrat shill has closed the gap against Rand Paul. Peter Schiff will likely lose in the primaries. Scott Brown has sold us out.
There is no way to soften that last observation. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_howard_rich/financial_reform_and_america_s_march_to_marxism
From the above link:
Contrary to Barack Obama’s rhetoric about protecting consumers, his new financial reform law represents a dangerous big government power grab that willfully ignores the true roots of the recent financial crisis.
It is also the latest example of America’s “march to Marxism,” the not-so-gradual implementation of a command economic system in which the free market is taxed and regulated into oblivion while new and expanded government bureaucracies wield unprecedented power.
Brown sold us out on the very essence of freedom. But let's not belabor the point. There are other issues that deserve our attention.
http://www.frumforum.com/will-obama-sink-the-dems-in-november
Fact is, large numbers of Americans still love the pride of Indonesia. And if they aren't going to change their minds about him after his first 18 months in office, they will never change their minds. His numbers have bottomed out. We are battling a fundamentalist cult who practice willful ignorance and unconditional loyalty as articles of faith. This is not hyperbole. His followers truly believe in his transcendent qualitiies.
I want to believe in November but the air seems to be leaving the tea party balloon. I hope I am wrong.
Harry Reid has closed the gap with Sharon Angle. The Democrat shill has closed the gap against Rand Paul. Peter Schiff will likely lose in the primaries. Scott Brown has sold us out.
There is no way to soften that last observation. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_howard_rich/financial_reform_and_america_s_march_to_marxism
From the above link:
Contrary to Barack Obama’s rhetoric about protecting consumers, his new financial reform law represents a dangerous big government power grab that willfully ignores the true roots of the recent financial crisis.
It is also the latest example of America’s “march to Marxism,” the not-so-gradual implementation of a command economic system in which the free market is taxed and regulated into oblivion while new and expanded government bureaucracies wield unprecedented power.
Brown sold us out on the very essence of freedom. But let's not belabor the point. There are other issues that deserve our attention.
http://www.frumforum.com/will-obama-sink-the-dems-in-november
Fact is, large numbers of Americans still love the pride of Indonesia. And if they aren't going to change their minds about him after his first 18 months in office, they will never change their minds. His numbers have bottomed out. We are battling a fundamentalist cult who practice willful ignorance and unconditional loyalty as articles of faith. This is not hyperbole. His followers truly believe in his transcendent qualitiies.
I want to believe in November but the air seems to be leaving the tea party balloon. I hope I am wrong.
Wild Card Wednesday: The Irrepressible William Ayers
HEY BILL,TELL US ABOUT THE TIME YOU BOMBED THE PENTAGON
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Why Is It That People Who Can Grasp Scientific Complexities Cannot Grasp Rudimenatary Economics?
All my life I have known people like TJ, The Amazing Athiest, who is being rebutted here. At 0:28 our hero alludes to the frustration and anger TJ expresses for people who cannot understand evolution and yet TJ cannot grasp the merits of capitalism.
Anyone who has attended college knows TJ the athiest. He prides himself on his intellect and that is commendable. He fancies himself superior to people of faith because of their irrationality. But TJ is as selectively rational as any church goer. When it comes to economics, TJ shuts down the reason machine.
It is not that economics is hard to grasp in the same way as say, nuclear physics. Yes, the dismal science can get complex but the rudiments of economics are simple and obvious. The problem is that economics often leads to counterintuitive and/or unaesthetic conclusions. And if you were educated in most parts of the world--the US, Canada, Europe included--true economics is heretical.
We all know TJ. Selectively rational. As dogmatic as any jihadist. Empirical until empiricism yields unpopular answers. Good ole TJ.
VALID POINTS BUT CAN YOU MAKE CAPITALISM STYLISH?
Anyone who has attended college knows TJ the athiest. He prides himself on his intellect and that is commendable. He fancies himself superior to people of faith because of their irrationality. But TJ is as selectively rational as any church goer. When it comes to economics, TJ shuts down the reason machine.
It is not that economics is hard to grasp in the same way as say, nuclear physics. Yes, the dismal science can get complex but the rudiments of economics are simple and obvious. The problem is that economics often leads to counterintuitive and/or unaesthetic conclusions. And if you were educated in most parts of the world--the US, Canada, Europe included--true economics is heretical.
We all know TJ. Selectively rational. As dogmatic as any jihadist. Empirical until empiricism yields unpopular answers. Good ole TJ.
VALID POINTS BUT CAN YOU MAKE CAPITALISM STYLISH?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Media Monday: Is The Honeymoon Over?
Actually, I don't mind executing US traitors abroad. They are talking about John Walker Lindh types here. JWL took up arms against our side. Should have shot him. You go, Mr. President!
But with Jeffrey Immelt openly bashing Obama and Dylly Rat sniping at the chosen one, we have to ask oursleves if the tide has turned
HEY RATSO, DOES OLBERMANN KNOW YOU'RE TALKING TRASH ABOUT HIS DEITY?
But with Jeffrey Immelt openly bashing Obama and Dylly Rat sniping at the chosen one, we have to ask oursleves if the tide has turned
HEY RATSO, DOES OLBERMANN KNOW YOU'RE TALKING TRASH ABOUT HIS DEITY?
Media Monday: I Wish Penn Gillette Had His Own Talk Show Or Et Tu Seth
WHO KNEW THAT SETH MCFARLANE THE ICONOCLAST WAS JUST ONE MORE FASCIST ELITIST?
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Best Political Analysis of The Ruling Class To Date
Or the best that I have seen anyway.
In the early 80's I came to the conclusion that the central power struggle in America was not left vs. right, liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Republican. The central struggle is insider vs. outsider. We didn't have blogs in those days (it sucked) and my observations usually fell on deaf ears. So you will have to take my word that I was a latter day Nostradamus who saw a glimpse of our ugly future.
Please follow the link. As much as I despise Emmitt Terrier (for reasons I can expound upon some other time) I implore you to read the article. Angelo M. Codevilla has written a scathing critique of our overlords, our social superiors, our upper crust. He has torn the mask off the villain for all to see. Judge for yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. http://spectator.org/archives/2010/07/16/americas-ruling-class-and-the/print
A few quibbles. I disagree with the author's assertion that rustics have rejected Hollywood pop culture for Nashville/Branson culture. Firstly, the people who watch movies are not necessarily elitists or luftmenschen or dupes. I stopped watching movies partly for political reasons (although the rise of the remake was my larger grievance) but a lot of outsider/tea party/conservative types still patronize them. They are not as offended by propaganda as I seem to be.
Secondly, today's country music is not usually counter-culture (although there are some interesting artists in the alt-country category) nor is it egalitarian or anti-elitist. Country music died when rural areas became suburbs. Today's country artists are not the sons of sharecroppers or the daughers of coal miners. Today's country artist is a failed rocker who grew up listening to Led Zeppelin and making fun of George Jones (if he even knew who he was.)
I will also disagree that members of the military are more sympathetic to peasant than to patrician. Without trying real hard I can name off John McCain, Colin Powell, Wesley Clark, Barry McCaffrey, Scott Brown, Colonel David Hunt (who revealed on a Boston talk show that he voted for Obama) as warriors who support the premise of a ruling class. They might think that they could better lead the ruling class but they are in agreement that the unwashed masses need to be ordered about.
Mostly, I have to disagree with the author's statements regarding marriage and divorce. Divorce is like surgery. It should only be done as a last resort. It can be painful and bewildering. But it can literally (and I use that term LITERALLY) save your life. No-fault divorce offers the citizenry a small respite from priveleged-class rule. The option to exclude Kagan wannabes from one's mediations seems like a step in the right direction and one the author would support.
Quibbles aside, this article shines the spotlight on our "aristocracy of pull." Read it!
In the early 80's I came to the conclusion that the central power struggle in America was not left vs. right, liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Republican. The central struggle is insider vs. outsider. We didn't have blogs in those days (it sucked) and my observations usually fell on deaf ears. So you will have to take my word that I was a latter day Nostradamus who saw a glimpse of our ugly future.
Please follow the link. As much as I despise Emmitt Terrier (for reasons I can expound upon some other time) I implore you to read the article. Angelo M. Codevilla has written a scathing critique of our overlords, our social superiors, our upper crust. He has torn the mask off the villain for all to see. Judge for yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. http://spectator.org/archives/2010/07/16/americas-ruling-class-and-the/print
A few quibbles. I disagree with the author's assertion that rustics have rejected Hollywood pop culture for Nashville/Branson culture. Firstly, the people who watch movies are not necessarily elitists or luftmenschen or dupes. I stopped watching movies partly for political reasons (although the rise of the remake was my larger grievance) but a lot of outsider/tea party/conservative types still patronize them. They are not as offended by propaganda as I seem to be.
Secondly, today's country music is not usually counter-culture (although there are some interesting artists in the alt-country category) nor is it egalitarian or anti-elitist. Country music died when rural areas became suburbs. Today's country artists are not the sons of sharecroppers or the daughers of coal miners. Today's country artist is a failed rocker who grew up listening to Led Zeppelin and making fun of George Jones (if he even knew who he was.)
I will also disagree that members of the military are more sympathetic to peasant than to patrician. Without trying real hard I can name off John McCain, Colin Powell, Wesley Clark, Barry McCaffrey, Scott Brown, Colonel David Hunt (who revealed on a Boston talk show that he voted for Obama) as warriors who support the premise of a ruling class. They might think that they could better lead the ruling class but they are in agreement that the unwashed masses need to be ordered about.
Mostly, I have to disagree with the author's statements regarding marriage and divorce. Divorce is like surgery. It should only be done as a last resort. It can be painful and bewildering. But it can literally (and I use that term LITERALLY) save your life. No-fault divorce offers the citizenry a small respite from priveleged-class rule. The option to exclude Kagan wannabes from one's mediations seems like a step in the right direction and one the author would support.
Quibbles aside, this article shines the spotlight on our "aristocracy of pull." Read it!
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