Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Finally - the mystery of the Grant Park Milk Puddles is solved
Chris Matthews might want to print this off and take it with him to his next doctor visit.
And For Good Reason, Too
61% of Americans Oppose Auto Bailout
"A full 70% of respondents indicated that a bailout is unfair to taxpayers."
That's because it is. These are not the principles upon which this economy is built. Applying socialist policies to a supposedly free market enterprise is doomed to fail. I'm all for a robust automobile industry in the US, as well as the jobs that would go along with it. But it has to be real - meaning competitive in quality, features, and price.
The best thing for America is not to "Buy American" simply because something was made here... the best thing for America is to have America build the best products. Then everyone will be buying American (except the Japanese, of course).
Similarly, the best thing for the American auto industry is not to throw (other people's) money at it and artificially make it look successful. The auto makers need to compete better, with more efficient labor, higher quality, competitive performance and pricing, and less annoying advertisements.
"A full 70% of respondents indicated that a bailout is unfair to taxpayers."
That's because it is. These are not the principles upon which this economy is built. Applying socialist policies to a supposedly free market enterprise is doomed to fail. I'm all for a robust automobile industry in the US, as well as the jobs that would go along with it. But it has to be real - meaning competitive in quality, features, and price.
The best thing for America is not to "Buy American" simply because something was made here... the best thing for America is to have America build the best products. Then everyone will be buying American (except the Japanese, of course).
Similarly, the best thing for the American auto industry is not to throw (other people's) money at it and artificially make it look successful. The auto makers need to compete better, with more efficient labor, higher quality, competitive performance and pricing, and less annoying advertisements.
Sticky Pendulum
Not just another great band name... apparently a very real problem in Minnesota, too.
UPDATE:
Now the Minnesota "Independent" tells us that Franken is claiming the actual lead. You know, like mathematically this time.
Does that mean the pendulum broke?
Senate recount: Pendulum swings to FrankenSure sounds like a definite change in the race, doesn't it?
Franken unexpectedly picked up 37 votes...Hmm... 37... so now he's in the lead?
By the end of Tuesday, with 93 percent of the total vote recounted, the Republican's [EDITOR'S NOTE: Franken is NOT the Republican] lead stood at 303 votes...I see. So it's a moral victory? Not exactly what the headline implied...
UPDATE:
Now the Minnesota "Independent" tells us that Franken is claiming the actual lead. You know, like mathematically this time.
Does that mean the pendulum broke?
Shudder.
How will you be celebrating B.O.D.?
MARION, Ala. (AP) — A small central Alabama county whose mainly black residents gave Barack Obama more than 70 percent of the vote on Election Day has created an annual holiday in honor of the president-elect.And the "Look what I did, Dad!" moment comes a few paragraphs down:
The Perry County Commission voted 4 to 1 to observe the second Monday in November as "The Barack Obama Day." County offices will close and its roughly 40 workers will get a paid holiday.
The sponsoring commissioner, Albert Turner Jr., said the holiday is meant to highlight the Democratic president-elect's victory as a way to give people faith that difficult goals can be achieved.
Turner said copies of the resolution, adopted at a Nov. 25 meeting, have been mailed to Obama and his transition team.I think someone deserves a pat on the head!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
I Could See This Backfiring
Chicago Leases Parking Meters
Chicago on Tuesday said it agreed to lease its parking meter system to a fund managed by Morgan Stanley in a 75-year, $1.16 billion deal...
Proceeds from parking tickets will still go into city coffers.
So you've got one party collecting the meter fees, but with no incentive to write tickets for expired meters. The other party now has more incentive than ever to write tickets... so a likely scenario coule be... we're going to need hordes of Voracious Meter Maids* trolling the streets looking for one-minute-past-due meters.
We may even end up offsetting any savings by having to hire more unionized, neon-yellow-clad fitness buffs to walk around scowling and sticking permanent adhesive on windshields, side mirrors, and windows.
*Note to Stoj: Apologies for infringing on the name of your high school punk band.
Chicks Dig 'Em
Big push lately to socialize the US auto industry, and I, for one, am for it.
Is it because I cherish the thought of my tax dollars being handed over to wealthy people with a proven track record of mismanaging such funds? No...
I just can't wait for a whole new line of sexy, high-quality automobiles. A possible preview of the 2010 Auto Show:
"Why, yes... that does come in faded drab."
Monday, December 1, 2008
Good News/Bad News
Panel says U.S. has been in a recession since Dec. 2007
Sorry, that was the good news. Good because it means we're already a year into this thing. That means we'll be coming out of it all the sooner, right?
Probably not. See, the "panel" in question, the National Bureau Of Economic Research, has their own definition of recession, and it flies in the face of any traditional definition of the word (except for Paul Krugman, whose sky is falling weekly when there is a Republican president).
See, according to the NBER, a recession begins when we reached an economic peak. That means that, although things were seemingly chugging along nicely around Christmas last year, we were actually in recession because of the downturn that occurred after. I know, it makes no sense to me either because it requires Nostradamus-like foresight to have any predictive capability. How does one know when we've reached a productivity peak except in hindsight?
Sorry, that was the good news. Good because it means we're already a year into this thing. That means we'll be coming out of it all the sooner, right?
Probably not. See, the "panel" in question, the National Bureau Of Economic Research, has their own definition of recession, and it flies in the face of any traditional definition of the word (except for Paul Krugman, whose sky is falling weekly when there is a Republican president).
See, according to the NBER, a recession begins when we reached an economic peak. That means that, although things were seemingly chugging along nicely around Christmas last year, we were actually in recession because of the downturn that occurred after. I know, it makes no sense to me either because it requires Nostradamus-like foresight to have any predictive capability. How does one know when we've reached a productivity peak except in hindsight?
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