Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.
Plautus
Miscellaneous Notes
- There's a patently ludicrous point of view, particularly on Fox News but even elsewhere, lampooning the Sarah Palin email investigation. Somehow a number of otherwise intelligent people are looking at the excesses of certain media outlets in checking out the emails. But the emperor is wearing no clothes: the press request for access to Palin's emails originally was made in 2008, not 2011. John McCain, in one of the worst decisions of the history of Presidential elections, frittered away his principal experience argument against Obama by picking a second-year governor with no federal experience. She was under investigation for Troopergate, which she or her husband pressured a state agency head to dismiss her former brother-in-law. If you recall, she was "cleared" in the sense she terminated an agency head whom largely served at her discretion. The fact of the matter is that she referenced the trooper in an email, which was by any objective analysis a violation of professional ethics. Her husband contacted the agency and pushed it; that was a violation of ethics--he was specifically warned that what he was doing was crossing the line. (Her principal response was she didn't know what her husband was doing and he was acting in his own right as an Alaskan private citizen, which also doesn't pass the smell test. Ask any CPA, for example, of whether a spouse holding a direct interest in an audited firm is relevant. The fact that both Palin spouses made references to a former relative, where there was pressure to persuade the agency head on a matter in which they were principally vested. This is a clear, incontrovertible violation of the rule of law. The fact that Palin ran as a so-called reformer makes it more egregious.) The fact that we were talking about a largely unknown political figure being potentially a heartbeat from the Presidency is reason enough to raise the issue; the issue of Troopergate alone would be material enough reason to expand the scope of the audit. Do I think that there is a second Troopergate type incident waiting to be uncovered? Probably not. Are some of the tactics by progressive news media over the top? Probably. Going through thousands of emails is like trying to find a needle in a haystack and you're not even sure a needle is there. And chances are the average reader probably wouldn't even know the context. I'm sure, for instance, in Troopergate Palin did not go out of her way to explain the person she's referring to in the email is a former relative.
- The New York Times is reporting that Obama overruled two top administration lawyers whom suggested that he does not have an exception from the War Powers Act; in his view, the Libyan matter does not amount to hostilities as defined in that act. There's no doubt in my mind that what the President is doing is unconstitutional and an impeachable offense.
- In my discussion of the Weiner resignation yesterday, I meant to address what I regarded as an uncivil heckling of the former Congressman's resignation speech. Whatever issues I have with Anthony Weiner, I think people can provide him the chance to give a final speech without interruption.
- The New York Times is also reporting a Medicare scandal involving the piecemeal reimbursement model. In essence, in non-Medicare concept, the percentage of double scans (which, besides cost, also affect health by doubling radiation exposure) is about 1% but up to 80% in Medicare cases. The basic analogous concept for a fix is what we refer to as flat-bid (all-inclusive) contracts versus cost-plus type arrangements. I have previously discussed notions like a retainer concept where doctors and patience have more of a vested interest to minimize costs.
No 'Political Humor' Segment. I was not inspired by yesterday's offering, mostly lame Father's Day jokes.
Free Trade vs. the Protectionist Obama Administration
I recently referred to the Obama Administration trying to use free trade pacts with Panama, Colombia and South Korea as a quid pro quo in winning unemployment compensation extensions. Keep in mind in viewing the following that misguided protectionist legislation is little more than a crony capitalist subsidy imposed on consumers. Restrictions against more efficient producers among the 4 countries is fundamentally anti-consumer and a cruel tax against lower-income people whom pay the costs through unnecessary higher inflation (because of the moderating effect of improved competition).
Fukushima Nuclear Incident Update. This segment is a thrice-weekly, more readable summary of some key blogs covering the the recovery of Fukushima Daiichi shutdown but damaged nuclear reactors 1-3 and relevant spent fuel pools, whose critical cooling systems failed as the result of power failure following a record earthquake/tsunami.
The Hiroshima Syndrome blog notes:
- Friday update: Remember early in the crisis there was speculation from the NRC chief about spent fuel pool 4 being dry? (That was important because water tends to mitigate fuel rod damage and radiation exposure, all things being equal.) The NRC has backed off; this allegation, among other things, influenced recommendations such as the size of the evacuation areas. Air filtration for reactor 2 has improved although humidity remains. It looks like the spent fuel pool external cooling system for reactor 3 (like reactor 2) is a next step although for reactor 4 is more of a challenge because of debris in the pool. There's a complication for the decontamination of trench/building waters. There's an overreaction for hot spot containment. There's also discussion of venting buildings to contain the risk of future hydrogen explosions.
Chicago/Peter Cetera, "Even a Fool Can See"
