That man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man,
If with his tongue he cannot win a woman.
William Shakespeare
Ouch! This is for all the lonely/single people:
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Henry Payne via Townhall |
Than a Federal Legislator?
On Parasites in the People's Republic of California
Do Progressives Get a Free Pass on Science Issues?
I do wish the authors would address the snake oil hype of embryonic stem cell research, the use of alarmist tactics in the climate change debate , the suppression of dissent and the Climategate scandal, but I do appreciate the fact that the author acknowledges the legitimacy of biomedical concerns (e.g., embryo farming).
Here is a relevant review excerpt of Science Left Behind: Feel-Good Fallacies and the Rise of the Anti-Scientific Left by Alex B. Berezow, Hank Campbell:
RealClearScience editor Berezow and Science 2.0 founder and editor Campbell take potshots at the modern-day progressive movement, which they claim has been given a free pass to attack science and technology.
The authors believe that “highly influential progressive activists…misinterpret, misrepresent and abuse science to advance their ideological and political agendas.” They address a number of controversial issues—e.g., the merits of organic foods, genetically engineered seeds, animal rights and vaccinations—attacking beliefs that they imply are held by the majority of progressives who vote Democratic.
Unintended Humor: Obama's SOTU Funniest Lines
You have to admire the chutzpah of the $6T dollar man, Barack Obama, whom claims his profligate spending won't add (just) a dime to the deficit. No doubt the Spendthrift-in-Chief knows his pocket change: he must have some of those trillion dollar coins jingling in his pockets. Just wait until the subsidies under the Unaffordable Government Care Act [ObamaScare] blow past cost projections, government as usual.
IBD's editorial staff offers it own take on the lines; I'll simply add complementary discussion:
"It is not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government."
"Smarter government", I submit, is an oxymoron. (What we really need is smarter voters, but that ship has sailed.) This is rich for a guy who has expanded government spending 40 cents on the dollar which is borrowed, not tax revenues, with no short-term cuts to speak of, modest, deferred accounting gimmicks. He has hired new IRS personnel just to deal with new insurance mandates. He has not consolidated operations, no personnel count/compensation reductions, closed down redundant facilities, or sold/leased assets. Instead the government has expanded its scope to include dominant funding of home mortgages, student loans, etc., including all the risks of another bubble; it still owns chunks of private sector companies.
Going to preschool ends up "boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime" and can help infants eventually "form more stable families of their own."Utter nonsense. At best, the studies I've seen show advantages in achievement taper off by middle school. There are a number of other key variables: quality parental relationships, involvement in the education process, discipline, religion and virtues/values ; effective teachers; educational competition; reforming dysfunctional drug laws, etc. But, even more importantly, schooling is more a local/state, not federal issue.
: "As long as countries like China keep going all in on clean energy, so must we."According to the World Coal Association:
Coal provides 30.3% of global primary energy needs and generates 42% of the world's electricity In 2011 coal was the fastest growing form of energy outside renewables. Its share in global primary energy consumption increased to 30.3% - the highest since 1969.China produced nearly 3.5 times the amount of coal than runner-up US, little if any exported. It was also the largest importer, topping Japan. According to World Factbook, China is also among the top 2 oil importers. China doesn't have nearly the same environmental and safety standards. In part, the Chinese central planners are throwing money at energy because of limited external supplies. But it makes no more sense to argue that the all but bankrupt US government needs to throw money at one industry, clean energy, than any other industry. If there are profits to be found, private investors will fund it without crony government subsidies
"We can't cut our way to prosperity."Okay, everybody: in your best Obamaniac voice: "YES, WE CAN...YES, WE CAN..." Notice how grumpy economists have been at the end of the 2-year, 2-point employee FICA tax holiday. When you add income tax and other taxes, all that money is taken away from spending, saving and investing in the private sector. The federal government has been consuming from 22-25% of GDP while tax revenues have rarely exceeded 19%. That is unsustainable; we had higher growth in the 1990's AFTER we stopped spending as much on defense after the end of the Cold War and certain domestic spending. Both Bush and Obama vastly expanded spending and regulations across the board--including Medicare and other health care.
Sign the LFB Privacy Petition
John Brennan, the government's counter-terrorism "expert" and Obama's choice (THUMBS DOWN!) to replace CIA chief David Petraeus, has been involved in the aggressive drone program and kill lists, including American citizens abroad without due process. More alarming, the government wants to go on massive fishing expeditions radically expanding surveillance of communications, activities and movement against the spirit and intent of privacy rights in an Orwellian nightmare come to life. Heaven forbid you innocuously meet someone they are targeting. The technology and infrastructure used with chilling effects in the Gulf region are being adapted without the rationalization of a comparable domestic threat. Indeed, as the petition video says, "if you have nothing to hide, why does it bother you?" In essence, "innocent until proven guilty" is put on its head. With convoluted legal systems, what if, just to give an example, they record your kids selling lemonade and the local authority determines you haven't purchased a permit. Or what if the IRS becomes aware of the fact that you are doing Internet searches on tax havens or tax accountants or lawyers? The point is, busybody legislators and bureaucrats have added tons of regulations which are infringements on liberty: "ignorance of the law is no excuse". In the past, judges served on behalf of citizens before the law could do an authorized search. The courts are bypassed in all this surveillance; There are a lot of judgment calls and access of these data could be abused in the wrong hands (say, political enemies, blackmail, etc.)
Political Humor
Anytime you can spoof Big Nanny and moochers in one take::
The most impressive thing about President Obama's State of the Union speech last night was that he did the whole thing without a single drink of water. - Jay leno
[...without my drinking a single alcoholic beverage.]
The Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address was given by Senator Marco Rubio. It's just one more example of rich white guys getting a Hispanic to do a job they don't want to do. - Conan O'Brien
[Mitt Romney offered to outsource the job to India, but Bobby Jindal wasn't available.]
As you know, the Pope is resigning. He said he feels there's just no room for advancement. It's a dead-end job - Jay Leno
[It was all those nuisance complaints by Alaskan troublemaking residents. Next comes his best-selling autobiography and a fat contract with Fox News. Channel.]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
The Supremes, "You Can't Hurry Love"
