"Romney is the most perfect iteration I've seen of the television-era candidate. At one point, I squinted a bit and saw him in the middle distance: blue suit, white shirt, red tie, high forehead, slick black hair, tan, tall and ramrod straight — he could have been an exhibit in some future Museum of Natural History: Politicianus americanus."
Joe Klein
The Eco-socialists in Europe are catching up with the United States. That may sound odd, but it is true. While the U.S. may not have a thriving green/socialist party, it does have green/socialist policies.
Chief among them are farm subsidies for bio-fuels. These subsidies accomplish two goals. First, it (in their minds) is a boon for the environment. They think that the extraction and use of carbon based fuels is "raping" the earth, yada yada. Secondly, they want to control the free market to create a better outcome. They mistakenly think that bureaucrats can create a society that is based on some fuzzy ideals of social justice.
According to the NYT, farmers in Europe are only now growing bio-fuel crops. They are replacing wheat and barley with rapeseed. Anyone with the slightest ability to think logically would immediately know that items made with wheat and barley would become more expensive. The main two products being pasta and (most unfortunately) beer.
The Eco-socialists are hurting the poorest people in the world the hardest. No bourgeoisie will suffer. Although I couldn't possibly understand the Eco-socialists, I will venture a guess. While the poor might suffer in the short run, the long run goal is to also control the means of producing food. Maybe they think that subsidies will lead to greater control (which they are probably correct about). Either way we will all lose.
I disagree with anyone who says that going home for a long weekend is a "vacation". The definition of a vacation from thefreedictionary.com is "a period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation, especially one with pay granted to an employee".
Driving 8 hours just to bounce around visiting people does not fit the rest or relaxation categories. The finial category, pleasure, is often ruled out also. There is never enough time to visit everyone or spend enough time with each person, which invariably leads to riffs. Although the riff may be silly and short lived, it would be non existent on a beach in Cancun.
To rectify the problem I will propose abolishing usage of the term "vacation" as a legitimate descriptor of time off from work used to visit family and friends. Hence forth the term vacation shall only be used when describing a time away from work that is devoid of entangling alliances or mandates which lead to strict limits on time and place.
The Wall Street Journal has effectively rebutted Robert Rector's claim that the life time cost of each immigrant legalized will strain the economy. The truth is that they provide an influx of young workers that will be necessary to sustain programs such as social security. For this reason, babyboomers should be encouraging copious amounts of immigration. The reality is that their future retirement in the sun will be financed by immigrants who are coming here now.
We don't want to reform social security; we don't want to scale back entitlements; and we don't want young workers to come here to replace an aging workforce.
What do we want then?
Why are Democrats like Senator Schumer insisting that Americans be put on the road to serfdom? Yesterday, comrade Schumer held a hearing to investigate if “Market concentration in the U.S. Petroleum Industry [is] harming consumers”. Instead of simply complaining, I will suggest topics for future Senate investigations.
“Does any legislator understand that it’s idiotic to accuse oil companies of inflating prices by under producing when you take away their incentive by dictating how fuels are produced?”
“An Investigation into how much worse off Americans are when government regulates?”
“Is economic freedom an outdated idea?”
“Why do we laugh at the founders principles?”
“Abandonment of Economics 101?”
“Demagoguery: the death of democracy?”
House Version
Here is a roundup of the bill that was passed in the house by Schumer’s comrades that was posted on Reason's blog, Hit & Run. It is so wonderful that congress is passing laws that create vague language that allow bureaucrats to control target companies and entire industries through fiat. Soon we will be able to break the hold of the bourgeoisie!
"Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act - Makes it unlawful for any person to sell crude oil, gasoline, natural gas, or petroleum distillates at a price that: (1) is unconscionably excessive; or (2) indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage unusual market conditions or the circumstances of an emergency to increase prices unreasonably.
Declares unlawful: (1) intentional reporting of false price information concerning wholesale prices of such products; and (2) market manipulation regarding the purchase or sale at wholesale of such products.
Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and State Attorneys General to enforce this Act.
Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of this Act.
Requires fines and penalties collected under this Act to be deposited in a separate fund in the treasury to be known as the Consumer Relief Trust Fund to provide assistance under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services."
I usually agree with Thomas Sowell (roughly 98.79% rate of agreement), but find one part from his argument on immigration disagreeable.
He claims that immigration now is different from previous waves. Sowell is correct to assert that the world is smaller (immigrants can communicate with and travel to their home countries) but seems to insinuate that Hispanic immigrants have settled differently.
“People who crossed an ocean to get here, many generations ago, usually came here to become Americans. There were organized efforts within their communities, as well as in the larger society around them, to help them assimilate.”
Both of his statements are unsubstantiated and (in my opinion) incorrect. First, how does he know that people “usually” came here to be Americans? Although there are boat loads (no pun intended) of anecdotal stories of the downtrodden traveling to the city on the hill, there are also piles of stories of criminals and vagrants migrating for less than altruistic purposes. A cursory review of opinion in the early 20th century will show that they felt similar about the immigrants of their day. Imagine the consternation that sons of British immigrants (who came to
Secondly, I would like to know what communities did in the past to help assimilate their members. The major distinction here (missed by Sowell) is between assimilation and integration. Communities in the past would help their members integrate into society, but not assimilate. An integrated individual can function within the state with little or no language skills or cultural understanding. A short trip into any major city in this country will reveal a
I felt compelled to write this because it exemplifies what I often see. People reminisce about a past they either do not know or have only a vague memory of, while also subtly implying that modern immigrants are inherently different. While I doubt this is Sowell’s purpose, it is still a problem.
The most expensive hot dog in history?
"With his campaign gathering steam, Romney is in the midst of another intense burst of fundraising. On Monday, he started in Hartford, Conn., and traveled to Boston and then Houston. At Fenway Park, approximately 200 donors paid $2,300 apiece for a lunch of hot dogs with sauerkraut, chicken and potato salad."
here
