Obama is the new JFK?

Please......let's not resort to absurdities, shall we?

Obama is a likable enough guy with plenty of charisma, but really.......

Here' s some points for comparison.

How can you compare

".....it's a disgrace we haven't talked to the leaders of (state sponsors of terrorism such as) North Korea, Syria and Iran."

......with

"We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, and oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty."

"Downturn? Yes.....Recession? No."

Donald Lambro tells us why.

Key points:

"We've been hearing the mantra of recession over and over again for sometime now. It was a drumbeat throughout 2007 from people who had their own political agenda."

Ya think?

"With all its problems, the U.S. economy turned the corner into 2008 with some strong fundamentals that could help get it through this downturn faster than anyone expected: strong export sales in a still-booming global economy, tumbling interest rates, the Fed's infusion of liquidity into the financial system, strong corporate earnings, relatively low tax rates that need to be reduced further and a resilient, high-productivity economic infrastructure that has pulled us through hard times before.

These are reasons to remain optimistic about overcoming this latest economic challenge. Anyone who bets against the American economy will lose."

In the comments to the Lambro article, Mac Moore nailed it:

"Lambro has identified the powerful nature of perception over fact. To many, it matters not that we are in a recession or not, only that it is perceived as one, therefore, it is. Unfortunately, perception is a two-sided sword: for positive thinkers, it will deliver positive results; for negative thinkers, it will deliver negative results.

Our Main-Stream-Media has done its best to pound the drum of negativism and recession -- albeit mostly for political gain. Even a positive-minded society with a positive economy will sooner or later succumb to such constant propaganda.

Perception will make it so."

Exactly.

Do not let anyone convince you otherwise.

"Oh, boo hoo! Nobody even CARES about 'global warming' anymore!"

......from John McCaslin:
"

"Climate change may be a top issue in the minds of California voters, but so far it's played only a cameo role in this year's presidential race. The League of Conservation Voters has been tracking the number of questions asked of the presidential candidates on the Sunday news shows and the debates televised by the major networks. Of the more than 2,900 questions asked, only four have mentioned the words 'global warming.' "

— Zachary Coile, San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 27, 2008

On Paul Krugman's (and others of the "Doom and Gloom" brigade) continuing decent into total irrelevance

Appropriate comments by Paul Greenberg:



"This does not mean that Professor Krugman's lamentations are without their uses. While not printing them all, we do save the most depressing for those times when the economy seems to need a real boost.

What with all the talk of recession in the air, the stock market skidding, the Fed cutting its interest rate like mad, the president and Congress hurrying to do something even if it's wrong, the time had come to roll out the ultimate weapon: a Paul Krugman column. Maybe two in succession. Desperate times required desperate measures."


If we substituted "Ed Cone" for "Professor (or Paul) Krugman", we could be talking about local prognostications too, couldn't we?

Concerned about the upcoming Guilford County school bonds?

Let's see what we can learn from the Wake County experience.

Excerpt:

While the WCPSS may use a court of law to contend a group of taxpaying parents don’t have a right to question what they do, we will soon have another chance to show the real meaning of 'taxpayer standing.'

Sometime in the next two years voters will be asked to approve massive new funding for the WCPSS, likely through a combination of higher taxes and bonds."

"Taxpayer standing".......that has a nice ring to it.

With Grier gone, will this FINALLY be the year we tell certain people "no more", despite the demagouging that's sure to be heard?

Regarding the Santa Claus/Tooth Fairy effect of the "stimulus" package

Professor Williams tells us the "how" and the "why" of it.

Noteworthy:


"If we are headed into a recession, these proposed stimulus packages will make little difference. Previous experiences have shown that (1) it takes a long time to enact tax law, making it too late to prevent a recession, and (2) many people save a large portion of any tax rebate. A far more important measure that Congress can take towards a healthy economy is to insure that the 2003 tax cuts don't expire in 2010 as scheduled. If not, there are 15 separate taxes scheduled to rise in 2010, costing Americans $200 billion a year in increased taxes.

Adding to the economic effects of that tax increase are the disincentive effects of the measures that Americans will take between now and then in anticipation of those tax increases. According to economists Tracy Foertsch and Ralph Rector, making the 2003 tax cuts permanent will annually add $76 billion to the GDP, create 709,000 jobs and add $200 billion to personal income.

The call for stimulus packages represents the triumph of political arrogance over common sense. The U.S. is a massive $14 trillion economy. The size of proposed stimulus packages range from $150 to $200 billion, which is about 1 to 2 percent of our GDP. Economy-wide, that's a drop in the bucket likely to have little or no effect. Congress ought to focus on measures that create greater long-term productive incentives such as reducing corporate taxes, estate taxes and personal income taxes as well as economic deregulation."





Here's Professor Sowell's take:

Excerpt:

"People who went way out on a limb to buy a house that they could not afford are now being pictured as victims of a heartless market or deceptive lenders.

Just a few years ago, people who went out on that limb made money big-time in a skyrocketing housing market. But now that they have been caught in the ups and downs that markets have gone through for centuries, the government is supposed to bail them out.

Solving short-run problems, especially in an election year, often means creating long-run problems. Pumping money into the economy can help many problems. but do not be surprised if it also leads to inflationary pressures and financial repercussions around the world."


That's just good, common sense economic advice, the kind that's rarely found on a national media scale, and virtually nowhere to be found on a certain local source in our blahgosphere.

Looks like the efforts of people like Ed Cone are paying off

Apparently, 4th qtr 07 GDP growth was down to .6%.

Noteworthy:


"Personal consumption, a proxy for spending by individuals on every-day needs, added nearly 1.4 percentage points to growth. But that was a relatively weak reading for the fourth quarter, which includes the holiday shopping period. Only 2005, when the economy took a hit from Hurricane Katrina, has fourth quarter personal consumption grown at a slower rate in the last five years."

That is a DIRECT RESULT of the constant pounding of the meme about "the bad economy and the coming recession" that's been planted incessantly in the public mind.

Absent that, normal personal consumption and our strong net export numbers would have kept the numbers on a positive note.

Watch carefully for the response of those in the media and in the blahgosphere. They'll be full of the "I told you so" nonsense we've come to expect on this subject.

The response will be nothing more than a confirmation of their negative effort, their academic/intellectual dishonesty, and their over-bearing narcissistic arrogance.

Edwards is gone?

WaPo thinks so.

Actually, he's been out for quite some time. He needed to win in Iowa, and he faded badly from a clear front-runner's position there last year to a dismal third place finish.

Everything else has been just a going-through the motions routine since then.

Let's see how he plays his cards now.

I'm sure an AG position in an Obama administration sounds good to him.

Unfortunately for the nation, that would be an utter disaster.

So you think that "universal health care" is some kind of "constitutional right"?

Looks like those "rights" may only apply to certain people in Britain, if some folks get their way.

Noteworthy:

"Proponents of forcing government health care on Americans want voters to believe that none of this can happen here under their plan. But they can't guarantee it.

All that can be known for sure is that the U.S. will follow the same path as Britain. Bureaucrats will ration care, and those who provide it will become civil servants whose performance will more closely resemble that of DMV employees than caring professionals."

"They are so sure of their wisdom that they won't let the ugly facts about Britain's arrangement — and Canada's failures — deter them from their goal. It's like the famous excuse about communism: It has never worked because the right people have never been in charge."

No, there's no Doom and Gloom mindset among the Media and in the Blahgosphere, is there?

CBS was in fine form yesterday, as was the Peanut Gallery over at Cone's.

Here's the tab on the CBS nonsense:

"CBS has a reputation for be the worst in economy coverage. In October 2006, a Business & Media Institute study, 'Bad News Bears,' showed 80 percent of the full-length stories on the CBS Evening News delivered a negative view of the economy – easily the worst of the three broadcast news programs.'"

Over at Cone's, expect the usual hand wringing lamentations from the Usual Suspects, this time over the drop in home sales.

Public Education Quote of the Day

I do not normally blog about public education in our fair county, but this one was impossible to ignore.


Terry Grier:

"I really believe that the time has come in North Carolina for school boards to have the authority to raise taxes and to establish revenues for schools"

Bye bye, Terry.......don't come back now.

You hear?

(hat tip: N&R, via Piedmont Publius)

The greatest story never told

Until now, when Larry Kudlow tells it.

"Again: If things are so bad, why are they so good?"

"But listening to the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday, you'd think it was 1929 all over again."

"The true message of the strong economy is that we're virtually guaranteed of a Goldilocks soft landing or better -- and certainly not a recession."

Oh, wait.....I forgot.

I can't use Larry Kudlow, because Ed Cone needs to use him as his scapegoat, an easy target, whenever Ed's too intellectually lazy, or when he wants to show us all how witty he can be.

Market manipulation

Ben Stein asks Can their wish be the market's command?"

Key point:

"These traders, not economists or securities analysts, can turn the world upside down, make governments tremble, give central bankers colitis and ruin the lives of ordinary men and women saving for their children’s college education or their own retirement. In America today, it is the traders, not the politicians or the generals or the corporate bosses, who have the power.

This is what has become of the America of Thomas Jefferson. Lucky for the traders. Sad for the rest of us.

And one thing’s for sure: With the traders running things, it won’t be a good time for amateurs until the traders cry 'Switch!' and the market starts to rise."

Exactly.

Meanwhile, the circle jerks continue to have fun over at Cone's, all to no avail.

Here's more about the current economic hypochondria

.....that's all the rage in at the Lame Streamers, and on many know-it-all blogs of all stripes, Brian Wesbury puts it into its proper perspective.

Noteworthy:


"It is hard to imagine any time in history when such rampant pessimism about the economy has existed with so little evidence of serious trouble."


"Models based on recent monetary and tax policy suggest real GDP will grow at a 3% to 3.5% rate in 2008, while the probability of recession this year is 10%. This was true before recent rate cuts and stimulus packages. Now that the Fed has cut interest rates by 175 basis points, the odds of a huge surge in growth later in 2008 have grown. The biggest threat to the economy is still inflation, not recession."


"Beneath every dollar of counterparty risk, and every swap, derivative, or leveraged loan, is a real economic asset. The only way credit troubles could spread to take down the entire system is if the economy completely fell apart. And that only happens when government policy goes wildly off track."


"Yesterday everyone was worried about excessive consumer spending, a lack of saving, exploding debt levels, and federal budget deficits. Today, our government is doing just about everything in its power to help consumers borrow more at low rates, while it is running up the budget deficit to get people to spend more. This is the tyranny of the urgent in an election year and it's the development that investors should really worry about. It reads just like the 1970s."

"Because all debt rests on a foundation of real economic activity, and the real economy is still resilient, the current red alert about a crashing house of cards looks like another false alarm. Warren Buffett, Wilbur Ross and Bank of America are buying, and there is still $1.1 trillion in corporate cash on the books. The bench of potential buyers on the sidelines is deep and strong. Dow 15,000 looks much more likely than Dow 10,000. Keep the faith and stay invested. It's a wonderful buying opportunity."

Not that common sense like this will stop the Knee Jerks from being..........quite frankly, Knee Jerks.

And, as well we know, there are agenda issues to demagogue, and it IS a presidential election year where Dems hope to retake the White House, and.......the list goes on and on.

Somehow, this must all be a Karl Rove/Vast Right Wing Conspiracy set up, right?

The art of using "walking around" money, as practiced by Dems in SC (and, no doubt, in MANY other places) is discussed.

Operative quote:

"I don't want to buy the black vote, I just want to rent it for a day."

Regarding the "scientific consensus" and "the debate has ended"

.......and various other shop-worn and tedious "global warming" memes:


George Will:

"Interesting, is it not, that no one considers it necessary to insist that ‘the debate has ended’ about whether the Earth is round.

People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues."

Yes, indeed.

VERY interesting.....

Regarding our current economic hypochondria

.....that's been effecting us for months.

It's obviously been blown WAY out of proportion.

Excerpts:

"The incessant, mind-numbing focus these days on the minute-by-minute ups and downs of the stock market - with numerous television, radio, and internet programs devoted to little else - is directly akin to the hypochondriac who constantly 'monitors' his head and chest and stomach for signs of impending sickness. It accomplishes little more than creating needless anxiety - anxiety which interferes with the more important business of getting on with life........

.....In a column he wrote in October 2006, George Will similarly warned against 'economic hypochondria.' He argued that this condition was 'a derangement associated with affluence' and 'a byproduct of the welfare state.' Together these have produced in Americans 'a low pain threshold . . . and a sense of being entitled to economic dynamism without the frictions and ‘creative destruction' that must accompany dynamism.'

Will also placed blame on the news media for its Dracula-like aversion to reporting sunny economic news. (This, of course, is a function of which party controls the White House. When a Democrat is president, the economic news suddenly appears quite rosy.) I agree with Will's analysis, but think that the real driving force behind the country's economic hypochondria are the tens of millions of Americans who now own stocks, and who consequently - and mistakenly - believe that the stock market is the be-all and end-all of economic life."

Well golly!

Do WE know anyone on the internet (nationally and ESPECIALLY locally) who suffers from "incessant, mind numbing focus" on the economy, which leads to the undermining of consumer confidence, and the denial of sub rosa machinations in the market?

Hmmmm, let me think......

Happy 10th anniversary, gang!

Has it only been 10 years since Hillary said this?

"This is the great story here for anybody willing to find and write about it and explain it is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president."

Other noteworthy excerpt:

"What is the VRWC? It is the heart, soul and minds of millions of muzzled Americans speaking freely after the muzzle has been removed. It is the communion of these millions across lines of religion, race, gender and age who are bound by a common notion of what the American dream really means. The VRWC, unlike the monolith of Leftism, does not march in lockstep but rather as free souls brought together by the values of truth and decency."

About that "widening gap between rich and poor"

Professor Sowell tells us why that favorite agenda talking point of the Dems/Lefties/"Progressives" is nothing more than classic class warfare misrepresentation

Summation:

"Among the intelligentsia, it is fashionable to sneer at income mobility as a "Horatio Alger myth" -- and, as someone once said, you cannot refute a sneer. But, among people who have not yet abandoned facts for rhetoric, it is worth stopping to consider whether they are being played for fools by politicians and much of the media."

Blam!

He nails it.....as usual.

"Green" cars: Not exactly a smash on the auto show circuit

Lookers at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the largest of its kind domestically, weren't exactly overwhelmed at the environmental and fuel efficient wonders that were on display.

Noteworthy:

"The product disconnect is yet another indicator of how out-of-touch America’s elites are with the common folk. Further, it’s more evidence that green priorities are well down the list for buyers when it comes to choosing a vehicle.

And that is why Washington has had to force feed a 35 mpg mandate on auto manufacturers. The media keeps telling us the mandate was in response to 'public pressure.' The public’s auto awards bespeak a different reality."

On the other hand, how many people in Washington and in the ranks of the Lame Streamer Media actually pay attention to what the public has to say and want when it comes to these type of things?

Was the dog's name "Hillary" or "algore"?

A guy is driving around the back woods of Tennessee and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: "Talking Dog For Sale."

He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the back
yard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador Retriever sitting there.

"You talk?" he asks.

"Yep," the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog speak, he says, "So, what's your story?"

The Lab looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told them.

In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running.

But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in.

I uncovered some incredible stuff and was awarded a bunch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

"Ten dollars," the guy says.

"Ten dollars?! This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"

"Because he's a liar. He never did any of that stuff."


(hat tip: Rick Ohayon)

In this presidential year, it's especially important to remember things like this

Always remember-- candidates of a certain party are keen on wanting you to forget about the "before" sound bytes like this.

It takes away from the partisan pandering/agenda message they will be pounding into you over and over again.

(hat tip: Wendell Sawyer)

Bonus points for anyone who can name the song and group whose music accompanies the video.

Watch for our state and local governments' new revenue raising policies in this area

With our economy being talked and manipulated into a recession, tax revenues are going to be falling, and it's going to hit us in areas where the state, counties, and cities will have to scramble to maintain their "business (spending) as usual" status quo.

Here's one place they will be sure to look, based on successful revenue raising programs in the past along these lines.

Excerpts:

"Maryland officials clamor for expanded use of ticket cameras for speed enforcement. Wisconsin legislators introduce a bill to legalize red light ticket cameras. New Jersey Governor signs legislation allowing local governments to use cameras to catch “red light runners.” Florida Legislators hold “dog and pony show” where ticket camera companies extol the virtues of camera-based traffic law enforcement.

Is there a message here?

Yes there is, but it isn’t about highway safety.

The real message is that state and local units of government are becoming strapped for cash. Property values are going down and that means property tax revenue will go down unless less mill rates go up; a political misfire at best. Sales taxes are stagnating. And those states with income taxes are bracing for some real bad news.

Their solution; let’s get creative about bilking motorists....."

"Governments need/want more money and they don’t have the integrity, the courage, or frankly, the justification to raise it through honest legitimate taxation."

McCain wins SC by 3% over Huckabee

Fred Thompson is now permanently in the also-ran category. Romney has topped out.

Forget Florida, unless either McCain or Rudy score a blowout victory.

Even if such a thing happens, it's down to Super Tuesday, and the focus will be McCain versus Giuliani, with Huckabee the long shot.

Get and read the book

Read the blog.

Both will provide newcomers with a much need primer on the realities Goldberg substantiates.

Brain surgery and single payer health care

Here's the future of YOUR health care, folks assuming we aren't smart enough to stop this stuff cold.

IPCC Expert Reviewers Panel member calls for scrutiny of the IPCC and its methods

Isn't it funny how you haven't read about this anywhere?

Excerpts:

"My main complaint with the IPCC is in the methods used to 'evaluate' computer models. Proper 'validation' of models should involve proved evidence that they are capable of future prediction within the range required, and to a satisfactory level of accuracy. Without this procedure, no self-respecting computer engineer would dare to make use of a model for prediction. No computer climate model has ever been tested in this way, so none should be used for prediction. They sort of accept this by never permitting the use of the term 'prediction', only 'projection'. But they then go ahead predicting anyway.

There is a basic logical principle that a correlation, however convincing, is not proof of causation. Most scientists pay at least lip service to this principle, but its widespread lack of acceptance by the general public have led to IPCC to explore it as one of their methods of 'evaluating' models.' The models are so full of inaccurately known parameters and equations that it is comparatively easy to 'fudge' an approximate fit to the few climate sequences that might respond. This sort of evidence is the main feature of most of the current promotional lectures.

The most elaborate of all their evaluation' techniques is far more dubious. Since they have failed to show that any models are actually capable of prediction, they have decided to 'evaluate' them by asking the opinions of those who originate them, people with a financial interest in their success. This has become so complex that many have failed to notice that it has no scientific basis, but is just an assembly of the 'gut feelings' of self-styled 'experts'. It has been developed to a complex web of 'likelihoods', all of which are assigned fake 'probability' levels.

By drawing attention to these obvious facts I have now found myself persona non grata with most of my local professional associations, Surely, I am questioning the integrity of these award-winning scientific leaders of the local science establishment. When you get down to it, that is what is involved.

I somehow understood that the threshold had been passed when I viewed 'The Great Global Warming Swindle'. Yes, we have to face it. The whole process is a swindle, The IPCC from the beginning was given the licence to use whatever methods would be necessary to provide evidence' that carbon dioxide increases are harming the climate, even if this involves manipulation of dubious data and using peoples' opinions instead of science to 'prove' their case."



Imagine that!

Sage advice for those who invest

"The investor who permits himself to be stampeded or unduly worried by unjustified market declines in his holdings is perversely transforming his basic advantage into a basic disadvantage. That man would be better off if his stocks had no market quotation at all, for he would then be spared the mental anguish caused him by other persons' mistakes of judgment."

-- Ben Graham

When it comes to money, people are funny

This study in demonstrates the irrationality of people when money is concerned.

Excerpt:

"Millions of years ago, the psychology of relative social ranking, supply and demand and economic loss aversion evolved in the earliest primate traders."

And there are STILL some folks on the blogs locally who think that you can't talk the economy into a recession.

Dem doubletalk on Voter ID issue

Remember the howling and moaning we constantly hear from Dems/Lefties/"Progressives" over how terrible and repressive voter ID requirements are? Remember the disingenuous arguments they brought up at the Supreme court on this issue?

Guess what? They don't practice what they preach in their own internal affairs.

Noteworthy:

"Plaintiffs argue that the caucus sites on the Strip unfairly discriminate against other workers on-duty that day. Lynn Warne, president of the teachers union, insists 'our only interest is fairness.' But instead of seeking additional at-large locations, they want to close down the casino sites."

"For a party that compares photo ID requirements to Jim Crow poll taxes, even when state governments distribute the IDs for free, the irony is rich."

Is anyone really surprised to read this?

Sage advice for certain people in our local blogosphere

“A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason. Let us be like the man of the frontier and always reveal with utmost honesty our real reasons for all that we do.”


—J.P. Morgan


Those "certain people" know who they are.

The no-sense nonsense, hype and fear mongering over the economy

.....continues apace throughout the media and the internet, but nowhere else locally is it more egregiously done, in a completely knuckle-headed way, than at (where else?) Cone's.

There can be only two reasons for the responses from Cone and his dutiful respondents: They are incredibly stupid - naive, or they are purposefully misrepresenting the situation for some (political/social/economic?) reason that is not so easy to discern.

Here are some facts they ignore, or gloss over:

1. Economic growth will continue throughout 2008, albeit at a somewhat reduced pace. The negative nabobs constantly misrepresent hat people like Bernanke and Paulson have to say about this subject.

2. Foreign trade will continue to support growth this year, with a further reduction in trade deficits. It may indeed be enough to offset the slowdown in new home start-ups. Although the weakened dollar helps here, there are no signs that the greenback value will continue to erode.

3. Excluding major monetary policy changes, the current flux the markets have been going through cannot be explained by anything but forces that artificially interfere with the process. It's really pretty simple, despite the mystery some ill-informed people would have you believe.

If you analyze the so-called "catastrophic losses" of those invested in credit/housing markets, you'll see that "catastrophic" is about as misleading a term as you can use to describe such losses.

As Marin Sosnoff has said:

"Money managers normally panic over bad news on the margin. They know that incremental news that comes as a surprise moves stocks sharply up or down. Anyone who believes in the existence of an efficient stock market needs professional help. There's always too much misconstruing of news that only gets sharply refocused later on."


4. New home builders' inventories of unsold units are dropping, and many analysts say that most of the decline in this area is behind us.

5. The Fed (and other market makers) appears to have a handle on the so-called "credit squeeze". Businesses and consumers (at least the intelligent of these groups) should be able to handle things well enough, and there looks to be some help in the form of new tax cuts on the way.

Some analysts see rate cuts to continue. And, for those who are paying attention, there's money to be had out there.

Ethan Harris, at Lehman (which, by the way, says in a convincing manner that there will be no recession) says "While consumers are likely to grow more cautious in 2008, solid income growth should prevent a sharp contraction in spending." In addition, spending on capital goods shows signs of increasing.

To conclude, I will repeat what Bill Poole, FRB St Louis President, said Wednesday:

"The current financial turmoil will take awhile to play itself out. The fundamentals of our economy remain strong, however, and 2008 looks to be a year of rising growth. Economic forecasters expect slow expansion in the first half of the year and a quickening pace in the second half. Meanwhile, if borrowers, lenders and investors can refocus on financial basics and re-emphasize critical lessons about credit and risk, the financial future can be brighter than the second half of 2007. For that brighter future, we need to infuse our education at all levels with the lessons of 2007—old lessons to be sure but easy to understand at a very practical level from 2007 experience. With continuing effort we can expect that financial upsets such as the current one will be infrequent and milder when they do occur."

I posted Poole's remarks at Cone, but no one seemed to want to discuss it, seeing as how it was contrary to the meme they want to promote.

There's more to come. MUCH more.

Let's leave it at this:


Are there problems in the economy?

Yes, of course, but not to the extent the Cassandra crowd continues to wail about.



Do the signs indicate disaster on the horizon?

No.



Is the constant drum beating over "recession" useful?

Only to those who have some external motive to do so.

It's irrational, and can only lead to an artificial undermining of consumer confidence. That's what we're saying about "talking the economy into a recession". It CAN be done.



If you are one of Cone's "Wally Worry" brigade, be prepared.

I will challenge your nonsense EVERY time I see it.

A poem for investors in a panic

Ode to Undervaluation

The bears have been growling louder each day,
For over a month now they've had their say.
"A crash is coming!" they loudly proclaim,
Yet their arguments are shallow and lame.

Stocks are undervalued, so says IBES,
Not in 15 years have they sold for less.
The smart money's buying hand over fist,
And soon by the bull those stocks will be kissed.

As prices climb, those headline fears will fade,
Buying the lows is where fortunes are made.
Running from value is a bear's mistake.
The values are real but the fear is fake.

-- As posted here

Regarding certain people's notions regarding "good consensus" and "bad consensus"

Isn't it funny how some folks embrace untested models unquestionably, while they reject time-tested models out of hand?

Key points:

"Although there is no record of accurate prediction for the totally unproven and skepticism-worthy models of the warmist climatologists, liberals are convinced that there is a "scientific consensus" over an impending Anthropogenic Global Warming Crisis that requires undertaking immediate extreme measures including increased carbon taxes as well as new "private sector" solutions such as carbon-trading and selling of carbon-credits."


"Furthermore, President Bush's proposals to increase investment returns on the Social Security trust fund are met with universal derision by liberals as unholy 'privatization' unworthy of this New Deal institution, although one glance at the incredible returns being achieved with professional management of university endowments shows the enormous potential of this approach to solving the actuarial 'crisis'."
"

So why is Hillary getting her ass kicked all over the place by Obama?

Simple......the theory often floated previously that a key demographic component of voters said to be solidly locked up by Hillary, one which would supposedly propel her into the White House with little effort, turns out to be bogus.

Noteworthy:

"Politically, the idea of a first woman president does not transfix them—or at least not enough for them to prefer Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. At least in the Iowa caucuses."

And probably not in the other states, and in other areas of importance that will be necessary for any Dem to receive the nomination.

Joe Gibbs resigns as coach of the Washington Redskins

Sometimes legends should remain just that.

WaPo has details.

Looks like Tom Boswell is pretty embarrassed right about now.

Meanwhile, Edwards' gang is salivating over this theory

......which claims Hillary is near to being broke.

Noteworthy:

.....(that) the Hillary campaign's massive spending over the past couple months, combined with the fundraising slowdown that will inevitably attend Obama's victory over her in Iowa and possibly in New Hampshire, will ultimately leave the Hillary camp without the resources it needs to keep up its spending levels through the later primaries, as it needs to do.


I have news for the John-Boy Brigade: Even if it's true, it still won't resuscitate the corpse-like countenance their campaign displays.

Remember a while back when I said the Dem nomination is Hillary's to lose

...and Obama's to win?

Well, she's holding up her part of the prophecy pretty well, according to Peter Wehner.

To sum up:

"On the eve of the New Hampshire vote and all it will mean, it’s worth recalling the words of the late, great Michael Kelly:

The lie at the heart of the vast and varied lie that is Bill Clinton’s defense is that lying is a victimless crime – and something that properly exists as a moral concern only between the liar and his maker and a few people immediately affected. But this is not so. Lying corrupts, and an absolute liar corrupts absolutely, and the corruption spread by the lies of the absolutely mendacious Clinton is becoming frightening to behold.

After she loses, Hillary Clinton will remain in the Senate, of course, and Bill Clinton will continue to make millions through his public speeches. They will not completely disappear from the national scene. But their days as a Democratic dynasty, and their center-stage role in American politics, are about to end."

Regarding Hillary's "Qualifications" to be president

Somehow, she never quite tells us any specifics that actually matter.

Dean Barnett examines the emptiness of these claims.

Noteworthy:


"So one must wonder, What exactly is the rationale that supports Hillary Clinton's candidacy? Her claims to 'experience' crumble at anything more than a cursory inquiry. The myth that she served as co-president is transparently bogus. Her time in the Senate has been either undistinguished or ignominious, depending on your viewpoint. And yet some Democrats consider her the safe, predictable choice. Why?"


Lost in all of the hoopla over Iowa and the coming NH competition is the fact that NONE of the front running Dems have the experience level to lead the nation in any sense of the meaning of that word.

Most of the front runners on the Republican side do.

The Dems' Favorite "Get Out The Vote" program to face SCOTUS challenge this week

And there's a good possibility the Supremes will rule in favor of laws that will just ruin this particular segment for the Dems.

Key point:

"Last week, University of Missouri economics and public affairs professor Jeffrey Milyo announced his study results, saying it 'found no consistent or statistically significant evidence that the photo ID law depressed turnout in counties with greater percentages of minority, poor or elderly voters.'"

It is not an unexpected burden for people to positively identify themselves on many everyday activities in their lives.

Registering to vote and showing up to the polls to do so does not magically change a common sense everyday obligation and indeed, it safeguards a right guaranteed under law.

It's time to blow away the smokescreens that Dems/Lefties/"Progressives" put up in opposition to this most basic and necessary security for our rights.

Just for fun, let's check out Obama's record on the issues

Since St. Barak has re-emerged as the Dems'/Lefties'/"Progressives'" and the media's darling yet again because of his Iowa victory, it's appropriate to see what he's said about certain issues in the past.

Noteworthy:

"But Obama has never faced a serious Republican electoral challenge. And as the reality that he could be the Democratic nominee sinks in, party analysts are assessing the risks of a career that — unlike that of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his chief rival for the nomination — has not been spent carefully anticipating and avoiding GOP attacks.

So electability questions that once were directed at Clinton may now be asked about Obama.

Put more bluntly, Republicans think his high-minded approach to issues could make him a sitting duck as he tries to attract the vast middle that determines American elections."

We shall see, won't we?

Hmmm....This must explain why the N&R is like it is

The Grande Dummy......ummmm, Dame of the Washington press corpse herself, Helen Thomas, explains it all:

"'What I really worry about is that I think the bloggers and everyone, everyone with a laptop thinks they’re journalists,' Thomas said. 'And, they certainly don’t have our standards. They don’t have our ethics, and so forth. There’s a deterioration,” she continued. 'Reporters laid down on the job in the run up to this [the Iraq] war.'

'I think they did a lousy job and we’re making for it now because the questions that should have been asked were not asked and because of 9/11 and the fear of being called unpatriotic, un-American and so forth. We let the country down,' Thomas added."

Michelle Malkin adds:

"So, not only is their incompetence our fault. Their cowardice is our fault, too!"


Yep.....it's OUR fault that the N&R is like it is.

I knew it all along!

Aren't we tired of political re-runs yet?

From The Troublemaker: The Mitch Clock

Good creation, Ben.....

"Which five City Council members will have to guts to stop Mitch's clock?"

The better question is "Which five won't?"

Another one to ask is "How long will it take to delay the investigation of the GPD sexual assault case so that certain parties can do what they need to do to minimize the damage?"

Seeing past the smoke and mirrors illusion of "Mandatory Health Insurance"

Don't believe the demagoguery that the Dems/Lefties/"Progressives", including all the major candidates for the Democrat presidential nomination, would like you to believe.

Noteworthy:

"According to the Census Bureau, of the 47 million uninsured, nearly 10 million have household incomes of at least $75,000. They probably can afford coverage but have chosen not to buy it. Another 14 million of the uninsured are already eligible for government programs such as Medicaid (for low income adults) and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (for children) and simply need to sign up.

That leaves about 23.7 million people -- some citizens, others newcomers -- who cannot afford coverage. It's up to the nation to decide what to do about that. One thing is clear: Mandating that everyone, including young adults, buy insurance, and then hiding a hefty, cost sharing tax inside their premium, is an unfair solution."

A 5,000-pound vehicle that gets 60 miles to the gallon and does zero to 60 in five seconds?

Too good to be true? Read and decide.

(hat tip: Instapundit)

Are his ideas practical?

Hillary as President? Consider this

"My central problem [with Hillary Clinton’s candidacy] is that the next American president will very likely face another big bad thing, a terrible day, or days, and in that time it will be crucial—crucial—that our nation be led by a man or woman who can be, at least for the moment and at least in general, trusted.

Mrs. Clinton is the most dramatically polarizing, the most instinctively distrusted, political figure of my lifetime. Yes, I include Nixon.

Would she be able to speak the nation through the trauma? I do not think so. And if I am right, that simple fact would do as much damage to America as the terrible thing itself."

—Peggy Noonan

(from the Patriot Post U.S.)

How it will feel if Hillary gets elected

So Hillary says she wants to "Quarterback" the nation as our next president?

Consider this scenario:



"In a news conference Deanna Favre announced she will be the starting QB for the Packers this coming Sunday. Deanna asserts that she is qualified to be starting QB because she has spent the past 16 years married to Brett while he played QB for the Packers.

During this period of time she became familiar with the definition of a corner blitz, and is now completely comfortable with other terminology of the Packers offense. A survey of Packers fans shows that 50% of those polled supported the move."

Does this sounds idiotic and unbelievable to you? Well, Hillary Clinton makes the same claims as to why she is qualified to be President and 50% of Democrats polled agreed. She has never run a City, County, or State.

When told Hillary Clinton has experience because she has eight years in the White House, Dick Morris stated "so has the pastry chef".

(hat tip: Joe Boden and Mr. P.)

C'mon, Fred! We're getting tired of Huckabee and Romney

It's time for Fred Thompson to step up and give conservatives a better alternative then what is currently offered.

The clincher:

"Sen. Fred Thompson has stood far and away ahead of the other candidates in this primary season in terms of putting forth his ideas rooted in conservatism and showing the courage and willingness to defend them. He knows who he is and what he believes. Just as importantly, he knows who the opposition is and what it believes, and is willing to challenge Democrats on the strength of their ideas.

Sen. Thompson realizes that conservative values are mainstream American values, and he believes he can increase the appeal of the Republican Party with a platform based on those principles. He cares little for the opinions of the coastal elite or the inside-the-beltway crowd, focusing instead on achieving results through tested conservative initiatives."

So you don't think it's possible to "talk our way into a recession"?

Read this perspective.

(hat tip: Instapundit)

We have been hearing the recession drumbeat for years, ever since certain people refused to acknowledge the Clinton recession in progress when George Bush took office. To compound the issue, when Bush lead us out of the effects of the Clinton recession and the downturn caused by 9-11, all we heard were things like "worst economy since Herbert Hoover", "jobless recovery", tax cuts for the rich", and other assorted bits and pieces of demagougery.

Now we have a presidential election coming up, and the credit squeeze which started last summer is all the excuse certain folks need in an attempt to pin bad economic times on the Republican party in a not well disguised effort to regain the presidency.

We will not let them get away with it