Quote of the Day
Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! It is a dangerous servant and a terrible master.
George Washington
Fox News, Beck's Departure, etc.
I have to admit I have tastes which may differ from the regular Fox News viewer: (1) I dislike trite political spin and talking points and predictable discourse (been there, done that=I'm bored); (2) I don't like judgmental, personal, finger-pointing politics; (3) I prefer a more optimistic politics based on a "back to the basics" celebration of individual liberty and streamlined governance limited to its core competencies.
I'm sure that a progressive reading this blog might point out that I have a tongue-in-cheek Jackass of the Year award and I have been sharply critical of the President and other progressives. If you think I'm going to be defensive here, I stand behind the criticisms. But, for instance, if you've read my discussions of the Schwarzenegger and Weiner scandals, I haven't devoted a lot of space on the latest revelations or writing rants (in fact, I initially embedded a photo of bare-chested Weiner in a recent post but later removed the picture as unnecessary); I do joke about them in my humor feature (the jokes almost write themselves). I'm more concerned about the scandals sucking the oxygen out of the room: over the last day or so, I must have seen a story of a poll from Weiner's district with a majority thinking he shouldn't resign at least a handful of times. There have been a number of reports identifying more House Democrats wanting to throw Weiner under the bus. But I'm more interested in things like approving long-delayed free trade pacts, streamlining regulatory agencies and sunsetting regulations, and cutting budgets across the board year-over-year, not just in nominal but real terms. Instead, we are hearing about how Andrew Breitbart is complaining about how a radio shock jock managed to copy a nude photograph Breitbart had been given of the Congressman without his knowledge or consent. When Fox News covers these types of stories, it's the political equivalent of rubbernecking, and I'm the disgusted motorist behind them, shouting at them to keep their eyes on the road and to move on.
I just do not like the vast majority of female hosts and contributors (both conservative and liberal) on Fox News. No doubt the feminist ideologues already consider me misogynous, but let me point out there are a few I do like and respect: Megyn Kelly, Lis Wiehl, Judge Jeanine Pirro, and Greta Van Susteren. But notice: they are all lawyers. There are decent female conservative columnists out there: e.g., Debra Saunders, Kathleen Parker, Peggy Noonan, and Kimberly Strassel. Fox News does feature some bright women (e.g., Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, and Ann Coulter) but they seem more interested in political posturing, exposes of progressive hypocrisy, etc.
On the male side: Bill Hemmer, Bret Baier, Brit Hume, Chris Wallace, Karl Rove, Neil Cavuto, John Stossel, Judge Andrew Napolitano, Juan Williams, John Bolton, Charles Krauthammer, etc.
I have mixed feelings about Glenn Beck; I think his TV talk show differs from almost every other show in style and content. There's the 9-12 project and various charity and march initiatives; his show has focused on historical perspectives, in particular the Founding Fathers and the rise of progressivism. He claims to have libertarian leanings (like me), but he is far more activist than I am in terms of military and foreign policy. He seems to be obsessed with self-validation, not unlike the perennially bearish investor guru whom eventually runs into a recession to validate his warnings. Repeated references to a President (Woodrow Wilson) as someone he hates (but never lived under), screaming for several consecutive minutes, and often discussing matters in apocalyptic terms made the program almost unwatchable for me during the last few months. He also tells us a little too much information about his family and himself.
I thought there was a way for Fox News to use Beck on a periodic basis or alternate format, so I'll have mixed feelings over the end of his tenure in 3 weeks on Fox. Beck is transitioning to an online subscription business model, so he won't be going away. I've given suggestions on his show's replacement in an earlier post back in April.
Trump: You CANNOT Be Serious!
Trump was a guest on last night's Greta Van Susteren On the Record. Sometimes I wonder if the Donald's rhetoric is a work--he can't possibly be serious because his expressed views are so off the wall. When Greta starts talking to the Donald about fixing the economy and promoting job growth (and I'm sitting back in my chair and thinking "PLEASE don't say China... PLEASE don't say China"), of course the Donald starts ripping into China, allegedly manipulating its currency. OH, PLEASE! (He also threw in outsourcing to India.) It's hard to know where to begin; MJ Perry's Carpe Diem blog is a good start; he points out, for example, the job openings in manufacturing are the highest since 2008. He also notes that a Chinese national companies is investing in a huge technology zone near Boise, Idaho. Perry cites a study looking at Apple, pointing out even though twice as many foreign workers are hired, American workers overall are paid over twice as much overall, including most professional/R&D jobs (engineering, etc.) He looks at Golden Sticks, which moved its manufacture of ice cream sticks from China to Canada. In fact, goods (versus services)/GDP is less than 18%. A Krugman study shows that international trade only accounts for a small part of why the GDP is less dependent on manufacturing expenditures and jobs: a much larger percentage has to do with increasing productivity in manufacturing.
Now, if more than two-thirds of the economy is based on services--a long-time trend, not a recent phenomenon, how does Trump in all honesty want to suggest that the way you address the employment problem in the US is to focus on the 18% of GDP? Much of the manufacturing that was lost involved was low-skill commodity labor where we were no longer competitive; on the other hand, we have done quite well with high value-added goods.
And then Trump renews his fight with Paul Ryan's Medicare reform, calling it a political blunder; apparently he thinks the exploding social security and Medicare costs already underway as the Baby Boomers start to retire, with literally over $50T of unfunded liabilities (when total federal revenues are just over $2T a year), are not a serious problem....
What am I not hearing? I haven't heard Donald Trump say a thing about regulations on business, globally uncompetitive business tax rate brackets, government meddling in internal business decisions, an out-of-control budget deficit, the Fed flooding the economy with cheap dollars, etc.
Harmon Killebrew Moment:
Home Run Derby vs. Willie Mays, 1960
Episode 4 Harmon Killebrew ($2,000) def. Mickey Mantle ($1,000/$7,500) 9-8
Episode 5 Harmon Killebrew ($2,000/$4,000) def. Rocky Colavito ($1,500) 6-5 (10 innings)
Episode 6 Ken Boyer ($2,000) def. Harmon Killebrew ($1,000/$5,000) 3-2
Episode 20 Willie Mays ($2,000/$5,000) def. Harmon Killebrew ($1,000/$6,000) 7-6
Adult Literacy: Thumbs UP!
It's never too late to learn...to finish high school...to get that college degree...to get training in a new discipline...to learn new technology...
Political Humor
"Fifty-one percent of New York voters think Weiner should keep his seat. The other 49 percent think he should disinfect it." - Conan O'Brien
[... The other 49 percent thinks he needs to work on it: squats, lunges, ... (definition 4a)]
Late Show Top 10/David Letterman
Top 10 Signs It's Too Hot
8 It's so hot, Arnold Schwarzenegger's having an affair with a maid in Winnipeg
[1 It's so hot (in here), Anthony Weiner took off all his clothes]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Chicago/Peter Cetera (duet with Cher), "After All"
