Comedian Brian Haner mocks political correctness and especially the boycott-happy, disproportionate progressive response to the Arizona Immigration Law. I oppose the law because of Constitutional issues and the principle that states should not subsidize federal responsibilities, but I loathe political correctness and I have written many critical posts on the Obama Administration's transparent attempts to exploit the issue for political purposes and ICE Director John Morton's performance (as recently attested to by a government union). I welcome this opportunity to tweak uncivil progressives:
Patricia Neal: RIP
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| Photo Courtesy of NNDB |
I'm not a film buff, but I recognize greatness in an actress. Patricia Neal, to me, was the heart and soul of probably the greatest television movie and series pilot of all time (and one of my favorites): "The Homecoming". As the oldest in a large family, I naturally identified with John-Boy. There was a certain starkness and believability about the pilot; Ms. Neal played a strong woman and mother, Olivia Walton. You knew exactly where she stood on those old ladies brewing "the recipe". I'm sure Michael Learned, who played the role in the ensuing series, found an Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress a tough act to follow, but to me, Patricia Neal will always be Momma Walton.
"Made in America" Democratic Theme This Fall?
I can still remember (as well as other people) when WalMart projected itself as small town America and proudly promoted a "made in America" image. And then something happened, and WalMart was importing up to $25B or more from China. I think my Dad has influenced my auto purchases, to the extent I've always bought American cars (and I'm sure many mechanics are happy with my choices... For example, the current car I own, almost 10 years old, has seen all four power windows fail.)
I've always been troubled by the slogan "Buy American"; sometimes there's a strong whiff of xenophobia around it. I never think it's a good idea for consumers not to demand the best. American manufacturers have to produce a globally-competitive product.
Rahm Emanuel has made it clear that Obama will make a big push this fall for "made in America". Libertarian Daniel Griswold does a good job of debunking the Democratic myths regarding manufacturing; we basically have been transitioning out of commodity manufacturing and more into value-added manufacturing. The fact that there are fewer jobs in manufacturing isn't a bad thing; it simply means that we have a more efficient, effective work force. (We have heard Chicken Little arguments before; when the nation's economy was primarily agrarian, heaven forbid--just what are we going to do with all these unemployed farmers?) Griswold points out that 80% of jobs are in the service sector--and far from being a disaster, most manufacturing jobs lost to commodity labor producers have been replaced by service jobs paying more than the manufacturing jobs. Jagdish Bhagwati essentially points out that the Democrats are once again playing winners and losers (noting how interstate bidding for new manufacturing facilities raises the tax burden for other players, at the expense of the service sector). I keep coming back to the skit of the lost quarter: if 4 out of 5 Americans are employed in the service sector, why are the Democrats disproportionately focusing on the manufacturing sector (well, beyond the interests of their union allies)?
Political Cartoon
IBD cartoonist Michael Ramirez notes Obama's disingenuous attempts to call the Bush Administration spendthrift when the Democrats have baked-in trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see (and that's if you accept what I believe are unrealistic optimistic funding and cost projections of the new health care bill). While Obama bashes Bush regularly, pay attention to his actions: a second term for Bush's Fed Reserve chief Ben Bernanke, Bush's Defense Secretary Bob Gates in his cabinet, and the replacement of General McChrystal by Bush's General Petraeus in the Afghanistan campaign. Is it any wonder Obama is attempting to take credit for Bush's hard-won struggle to implement the surge campaign in Iraq, which Obama fought every step of the way?
Quote of the Day
The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we can never give enough of is love.
Henry Miller
Musical Interlude: The American Songbook Series
Benny Goodman (featuring Peggy Lee)*, "I Threw A Kiss In the Ocean"
(* My audio collection features Kate Smith on vocals. I was unable to locate a relevant embeddable video or audio clip. I hope that the reader finds Peggy Lee's interpretation a worthy substitute.)
