Saturday, July 11, 2009

Party of Corruption, Part 68

A Maryland company received an incredible $18 million government contract to design a government web site. They have already received $260 million in government contracts since 2000. The company's executives have donated $19,000 to current House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Democrat, Maryland). None of that company's employees made political contributions to any other politician.

Obama Talking Like a Hypocrite Again

Obama made a speech in Ghana that included the following:

No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top....
The top marginal US corporate tax rate is 35%. If some foreign corrupt bureaucrat charges a US company 20% of its revenues as a bribe in exchange for not paying any additional taxes, it would be a bargain.

Exposing the Pseudo-Science of "Climate Change"

Last week one of the four official sources of temperature measurement, compiled from satellite data by the University of Huntsville, Alabama, showed that temperatures have now fallen to their average level since satellite data began 30 years ago.

British Appeasement of Islamic Criminals

British police ordered to give greater leeway to Muslim criminals to avoid a radical reaction.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Party of Corruption, Part 67

The former chief of staff of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (Democrat, Illinois) pleaded guilty to corruption and will be testifying about his former boss's attempt to sell a Senate seat.

Democrats Plan to Nationalize More of the Economy

There is a recent report from Britain suggesting that the 120,000 Parkinson's disease sufferers in Britain are receiving appalling care from their government health care. Meanwhile, Democrats are planning to raise taxes for their own government health care plan. The Obama Administration is offering a poisoned chalice to small businesses by offering them bailout funds. Apparently, there may soon be no business that is too small to fail. All businesses will come under government supervision. Finally, California is paying out $80 million/day in welfare checks. If that payment is cut off immediately, 1/3 of the state's budget shortfall will be closed. This makes nonsense of politicians whining that the state is running out of money. The problem is with the state insisting upon spending money on the least productive segments of society.

US Nuclear Posture in Japan

The Japanese government had a secret agreement with the US since 1960 to allow US naval vessels carrying nuclear weapons to transit Japanese waters.

Party of Corruption, Part 66

[T]he 872 counties that supported Obama received about $69 per person [from the federal pork-barrel spending bill]. The 2,234 that supported McCain received about $34.

Practical Solutions to California's Budget Problems

While California's politicians are busy debating additional regulations on the agricultural and food industries, other people are coming up with practical solutions to relieve the state's budget crisis, such as cutting off social welfare for illegal immigrants.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Obama Administration = Amateur Hour

The White House spelled Obama's name wrong.

More on the Continuing Decline of the US Economy

The $787 billion pork-barrel spending bill has been funding social welfare. It is not surprising that unemployment rate is continuing to skyrocket. After all, the bill is funding the parasitic segment of society. Meanwhile, Democrats are busy adding more pork-barrel spending in their government health care bill. At the same time, tax increases in California is increasing unemployment. Finally, we see the laws of economics at work when a company chose to close down a factory when its union refused to compromise on wages. I advise the company to move to China. Chinese workers will not be demanding $22/hour wages and 9 weeks of paid vacation.

Small Arms Trade

The United States was by far the biggest importer of pistols and revolvers, accounting for 54 percent or 173 million dollars of imports [from 2000-6].

Russian Air Power During Its Recent Georgian War

Russia lost 6 aircraft during its recent war against Georgia, 3 of which were shot down through friendly fire.

9th Circus Court Panel Repudiates Freedom of Conscience

I suggest that the pharmacists in question should appeal to the Supreme Court.

Racist Attack in Akron, Ohio

A white family and 2 of their friends were attacked by a mob of 50 African-American teenagers shouting: "This is a black world!"

Graphene

[A] carbon sheet that's only one atom thick but is stronger than diamond and conducts electricity 100 times faster than the silicon in computer chips.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Party of Corruption, Part 65

A former executive for a defense contractor with ties to Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha has been charged by federal prosecutors with taking about $200,000 in kickbacks from a subcontractor.

The Democratic Agenda: Tax, Spend, Regulate

Democrats are considering raising $114 billion in taxes on alcohol and soda. They are also considering additional regulations in every field from farming to the energy industry. They're also interfering with the hiring policy of Boeing.

Obama's War Against Transparency

The Obama Administration issued a veto threat for the 3rd time since its inauguration in protest over Congress's effort to find out about the executive branch's internal deliberations. Meanwhile, it has emerged that the current administration's "climate czar"

...instructed auto industry execs "to put nothing in writing, ever" regarding secret negotiations she orchestrated regarding a deal to increase federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

China and India Decline Invitation to Commit Economic Suicide

While Democrats plan to ruin the US economy with their cap and tax plan, India and China have, quite astutely, declined to set any limits on their greenhouse gas emissions. Some say that the future belongs to China. If so, then Democrats made it possible. I'm reminded of the old saying: There is a lot of ruin in a nation. That's particular apt when it comes to the Democratic Party.

Does Obama Have a Russia Policy?

It certainly doesn't look like it. Obama veers from trying to kiss up to Moscow to gratuitously insulting them.

Israel may be Attacking Iranian Computer Systems

I think that the importance of so-called "cyberwarfare" is probably overrated. There is no sign that such efforts can stop Iran's nuclear program. At most, it can only disrupt it and slow it down slightly.

China's Growing Presence in Latin America

Trade between Latin America and China rocketed from $10 billion in 2000 to $140 billion in 2008.

Murderer of Unborn Infant Sentenced

16-year-old teenager sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an unborn infant.

Rapamycin

Antibiotic proven to slow down aging in lab tests.

Nazi Germany's Stealth Bomber Project

The Horten Ho 2-29 actually made a successful test flight in late 1944. It employed stealth design and radar-absorbent material.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

More on Obama's Campaign Contributors/Ambassadors

Among other big fundraisers, Mr. Obama's recent nominations include:

c Laurie Fulton, a lawyer who raised at least $100,000 for Mr. Obama, to be ambassador to Denmark.

c Louis Susman, a former bank executive and prominent Democratic donor who raised at least $200,001, for the United Kingdom.

c Charles Rivkin, who recently resigned as chief executive and president of W!ldbrain, an entertainment production company, and who raised at least $500,000, for France.

c Vinai Thummalapally, a roommate of Mr. Obama's at Occidental College who raised between $100,000 and $200,000, for Belize.

c Bruce Oreck, a lawyer who raised at least $500,000 and worked at his family's business, the Oreck Corp., seller of Oreck vacuum cleaners, until the company was sold in 2003. He has been nominated for ambassador to Finland.

Rationing Health Care: The British Experience Coming to US Shores

If Democrats succeed in passing their government health care plan, Americans can look forward to having their health care rationed just like the British.

The High Cost of Agricultural Subsidies

Agricultural subsidies cost $25 billion/year. The International Trade Commission calculated that the benefits of removing tariffs on food imports is worth another $2 billion.

Obama is a National Security Risk

I would have preferred that terrorists were never tried in the first place. The Obama Administration's idea of keeping terrorists detained after they have been acquitted by a court of law will make a mockery of the judicial system. This is a man who seems to think that policy consists of chanting "hope" and "change" until the cows come home. Now he is beginning to realize that things are not as simple as they looked from the Senate and that his predecessor had a better grasp of things than him. Unfortunately, such realization appears to be episodic rather than systemic. Hence we see him offering to terminate missile defense to the Russians on a silver platter. Ironically, Obama may be even more fanatical about democratization than Bush, hence his idiotic statement:

The United States has not always stood as it should with some of these fledgling democracies, but over the last several years, I think both Republicans and Democrats in the United States have recognized that we always want to stand with democracy, even if the results don't always mean that the leaders of those countries are favorable towards the United States.
[emphases mine]

This statement is absurd in 2 ways. First is the elevation of democratization as some sort of objective good that transcends US interests. Exactly who does Obama think elected him? Second, I can't help but notice that no such statement was made to support the Iranian opposition a few weeks ago when they protested against their rigged election.

There are signs that Obama's radicalism is beginning to turn off voters, as people begin to shift rightward in response to his policies. Unfortunately, that realization is too late. The US will suffer from Obama's legacy for a long time to come.

Honor-Killing in Jordan

A court on Tuesday halved the jail term of a 29-year-old Jordanian man who shot his raped sister 12 times "in the name of honour"....

Pre-WWI German Plot to Destroy British Gold Reserves

William Melville, former head of the British Secret Service Bureau, was concerned about the possibility that German intelligence was planning to destroy Britain's gold reserves prior to the outbreak of WWI.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Democrats Clamor for a Recession

Now that the unemployment rate is higher than what Obama said it would be if his so-called economic stimulus bill was not passed, Democrats are naturally clamoring for... another stimulus bill! This is in total disregard of the looming debt crisis that threatens to bankrupt the country. Meanwhile, I am pleased to report that there seems to be a citizens' initiative to boycott Government Motors. Government Motors will probably end up being one of those Soviet-style state-owned industries which was characterized by a high degree of inefficiency, unsellable products, and perpetual government subsidies. In related news, New York state has eagerly signed on to Obama's jihad of subsidizing inefficiency by increasing welfare expenditures. Liberals have essentially declared war on the laws of economics by deliberately subsidizing the least productive segments of the economy. Finally, as California starts issuing IOUs, a number of major banks stated that they will reject them and the state's debt rating has been cut to BBB which is only 2 steps above junk status.

Obama Puts His Naivete Above National Security

President Barack Obama and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev on Monday agreed a target of cutting vast Cold War arsenals of deployed nuclear warheads by around a third from current levels to 1,500-1,675 each.

.....

But the cuts announced on Monday only take the United States and Russia 25 operationally deployed warheads below a range of 1,700-2,200, which both sides had already committed to reach by 2012 under the 2002 Moscow Treaty.
Needless to say, the Moscow Treaty was signed by Obama's predecessor. The reality is that this new treaty is a major victory for Russia. Considering that Russia can't even pay off soldiers it is discharging while it is reforming its military, it is not surprising to see that the state of Russian nuclear forces has declined so far. This treaty cannot be justified by US interests. It can only be explained by Obama's naivete.

The Green Shirts

Britain's environment police. In related news, a study has called into question the placement of US temperature monitoring stations. Only 11% met study requirements.

Tiger Without Stripes

There are less than 20 white Bengal tigers that were born without stripes.

Thinking About Power

The Monarchist blog is a blog written by... well, monarchists. Specifically, monarchists of the British commonwealth. The contributors are mainly from Britain and Canada. It often includes thought-provoking posts, (not to mention pictures of state pageantry that only a monarchy can do properly) such as its 7-part series on the nature of states. (classic imperialist, revolutionary, socialist, progressive, populist, libertarian, and constitutionalist) Its latest contribution to the world of political theory is well worth reading:

Victorian Britain was the classic night watchman state. While [Gladstone] and [Disraeli] might have been the most powerful men of their age, their real power over the typical British subject was a lot less than a small town mayor today. As a rule sane men don't want great power over other men. Just enough power to get a specific task accomplished. When the state assumes the role of protector, educator, secular priest and dietitian, it naturally attracts men and women who enjoy wielding that sort of power over their fellow citizens. In other words crazy people.
Whereas Lord Acton famously remarked that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, this contributor to the Monarchist blog seems to be suggesting something different. Acton assumes that power corrupts innocent people whereas this blogger is suggesting a kind of selection effect in which the scope of power available attracts the kind of people who want such power. Since the modern state is relatively more totalitarian than past conceptions of the State, it attracts a particular kind of politician just as cow dung attracts flies.

I have often suspected that the system of checks and balances in the US constitution, though well-intentioned and well-designed, may contain a significant flaw of its own. Since members of the 3 branches of government are well aware of their constrained powers, they may feel free to indulge in them, putting faith in a piece of paper (i.e. the constitution) and other branches of government to check their power. The result is that the power of all 3 branches expands indefinitely, crowding out private space and initiative. The constitution functions best when power is wielded by men capable of self-restraint, people who recognize the extent of their power, are humbled and even frightened by it, and therefore resolve to use it as sparingly and carefully as possible. The current state of affairs, in which the State is "protector, educator, secular priest and dietitian" is hardly what the Framers had in mind. The current level of taxation is well beyond what King George III could have dreamed was possible. One wonders how long this state of affairs can last.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

More on Obama's Ambassador/Campaign Contributor Corps

Of the Obama administration's 55 ambassadorial nominees so far, 33 -- or 60% -- have gone to people outside the foreign-service ranks....

Israeli Policy Toward Iran

Israel is hoping that the Obama Administration will support stronger sanctions against Iran if talks about disarming their nuclear program fail. That was never a possibility. Israel would be wise to take military measures instead.

New START?

The Obama Administration may bypass the Senate with its new arms reduction treaty. A treaty that is not ratified by the Senate carries no legal force as such. Of course, Obama can implement it as an executive agreement but those are easily reversed by another administration. Current level of US nuclear arms is low enough. Senate Republicans should reject any attempt at a further reduction. I would be in favor of simply an extension of the Moscow Treaty. The Russians are also blackmailing Obama over the proposed arms reduction treaty. It's entirely possible that Obama will cave in. In fact, his proposed budget already includes a cut in funding for missile defense. Fortunately, that can be reversed by a future administration as well.

India Plans to Liberalize Labor Market

At a time when Democrats are busy fastening more red tape on businesses, India is moving in the opposite direction.

Coffee may Reverse Alzheimer's

5 cups/day can keep Alzheimer's away?

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Democrats Busy Doing Favors for Their Friends

Sen. Inouye (Democrat, Hawaii) contacted federal regulators about possible aid for a Hawaiian bank. The bank eventually received $135 million. Inouye happened to hold stocks in that bank.

AU Sides with Mass Murderer Against ICC

I am pleased to report that the African Union decided to suspend cooperation with the International Criminal Court in protest over their indictment of the Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity in Darfur. After all, Africans must all stick together.

Honduras Preemptively Withdrew from OAS

The Honduran government upstaged the Organization of American States.

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

The Obama administration will proceed with a Bush-era plan to use National Security Agency assistance in screening government computer traffic on private-sector networks, with AT&T as the likely test site, according to three current and former government officials.

A Polish Martyr

Polish geologist killed by the Taliban because he refused to change his faith to Islam.

Biden Embarrassed Himself, Again

At a town hall meeting this week in Perrysburg, Ohio, on the middle class and manufacturing, the vice president told the crowd that "the Buick LeSabre is made in Ontario, Canada," and that "the UAW worker in Canada makes the same wage as the UAW worker in the U.S."

.....

Had Biden's staff better briefed him, he might have known that the LeSabre was discontinued in 2005, that model was made in the United States, not Canada, and workers in Ontario are members of the Canadian Auto Workers which broke off from the UAW in 1985 and became an independent union.
Then he dismissed the governor of New Jersey.

The Quest for the Perfect Burger

Chefs offer insights on how to create the best-tasting burger.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Democratic Nepotism

Obama chose the daughter of a Democratic congressman as a member of the FCC.

Democratic Party: There is a Deficit?

Democratic congressman proposed to take money paid into the TARP program for social welfare. Meanwhile, the economic situation of the US continues to deteriorate:

Be sure to thank the President and Congress. This week, with news of some 467,000 jobs lost in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the U.S. has now lost about two million jobs since the economic stimulus package passed. Even more notable is that the average workweek has been slashed to 33 hours - the lowest number on record. When the President signed his $787 billion stimulus package into law, he confidently asserted that unemployment would not exceed eight percent. If Congress hadn't passed it, he warned, it would rise to nine percent by 2010. Well, unemployment reached 9.5 percent last month, meaning, by the President's own logic, that his stimulus package has failed.

Obama Will Keep Secret Prisons Open

It's nice to see Obama take a stand against the peace kooks of his party. However, he made the mistake of trying foreign terrorists in the US.

Britain Receiving the Kind of Diplomatic Support It can Expect from the EU

This parallels the kind of support Britain received from the EU during the hostage crisis in 2007. The difference this time is that whereas in 2007 the Bush Administration offered a show of force to try to intimidate Tehran, this time, the Obama Administration is bending over backwards for Tehran.

Russia Offers Transit Route to US

This is nothing more than their effort at acquiring more leverage over the US. It runs in parallel with their campaign to coerce central Asian states into shutting down US bases and and transit routes.

Comparison of British and US Military Efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan

Over a 2-year period, the US acquired 11,700 new MRAPs. The British number is 235. This shows that the British simply is not taking the threat of mines and IEDs seriously. If the British truly want such vehicles, I'm sure an arrangement can be made so that they can jump ahead of the queue. Such an arrangement was made when some US allies acquired C-17 cargo aircraft.

Growing Ties Between Burma and North Korea

Burma is purchasing arms from North Korea.

Honduras is Ignoring the Angry Press Releases from Abroad

They have offered to hold new elections early while rejecting any thought of allowing their former president to return.

Snapshot of British Society

There have been an estimated 8,000 forced marriages in England last year. Not surprisingly, most of the women were teenage girls from Pakistan or Bangladesh. In related news, the British government decided not to release names of fugitives on the ground that it will violate their privacy.

3 New Species of Australian Dinosaurs

They were found in western Queensland.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Party of Corruption, Part 64

Congressman John Conyers (Democrat, Michigan) dropped a probe into the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) even though the organization has been charged with voter fraud in multiple states. Aside from the fact that Democrats are beneficiaries of that organization's activities, Obama used to work for them as well.

A North Korean 4th of July Celeration?

I think it is possible that North Korea may celebrate the US Independence Day by shooting a missile toward Hawaii on the 4th of July. The test will be part of the regime's strategy of blackmailing the Obama Administration. The missile will probably land just outside Hawaii's exclusive economic zone to avoid any possibility of military retaliation while intimidating Obama. The symbolic importance of such a test is obvious. Aside from demonstrating their improving military capabilities, Obama was born at Hawaii.

US Unemployment Rate Reaches 9.5%

This is the highest level in 26 years. Meanwhile, the government is trying to extract more tax revenue from the people and monitor their movements at the same time. While large corporations are "too big to fail," small companies fail by the tens of thousands.

More on the Evils of Government Health Care

Democrats plan to impose $1,000 fine for anyone who refuses to buy health care. Government health care in Britain has led to dirty hospitals. In France,

...there are already "medical deserts," particularly in the suburbs and countryside. In some places, patients wait more than six months to see an ophthalmologist.

In 2004, 286 of the country's top hospital doctors signed a petition bemoaning the shortage of doctors and nurses and increases in waiting lists. The petition read, "In casualty units, sick people have to wait for hours, sometimes even days, on gurneys, because there are no beds."

Yet France hasn't saved money. Despite regular cost-cutting announcements, the books haven't sustainably balanced since the system started in 1945.

Obama's Faith in the Cult of Environmentalism is Misplaced

“In April, the Polish Academy of Sciences published a document challenging man-made global warming,’’ Kimberly Strassel noted in The Wall Street Journal the other day. “In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to tap Claude Allegre to lead the country’s new ministry of industry and innovation. Twenty years ago Allegre was among the first to trill about man-made global warming, but the geochemist has since recanted... Norway’s Ivar Giaever, Nobel Prize winner for physics, decries it as the ‘new religion.'"

Closer to home, the noted physicist Hal Lewis (emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara) e-mails me a copy of a statement he and several fellow scientists, including physicists Will Happer and Robert Austin of Princeton, Laurence Gould of the University of Hartford, and climatologist Richard Lindzen of MIT, have sent to Congress. “The sky is not falling,’’ they write. Far from warming, “the Earth has been cooling for 10 years’’ - a trend that “was not predicted by the alarmists’ computer models.’’

Fortune magazine recently profiled veteran climatologist John Christy, a lead author of the 2001 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. With his green credentials, Fortune observed, Christy is the warm-mongers’ “worst nightmare - an accomplished climate scientist with no ties to Big Oil who has produced reams and reams of data that undermine arguments that the earth’s atmosphere is warming at an unusual rate and question whether the remedies being talked about in Congress will actually do any good.’’

No one who cares about the environment or the nation’s economic well-being should take it on faith that climate change is a crisis, or that drastic changes to the economy are essential to “save the planet.’’ Hundreds of scientists reject the alarmist narrative. For non-experts, a steadily-widening shelf of excellent books surveys the data in laymen’s terms and exposes the weaknesses in the doomsday scenario - among others, “Climate Confusion’’ by Roy W. Spencer, “Climate of Fear’’ by Thomas Gale Moore, “Taken by Storm’’ by Christopher Essex and Ross McKitrick, and “Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years’’ by S. Fred Singer and Dennis Avery.