Don't hit at all
if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting;
but never hit soft!
Theodore Roosevelt
More Sunday Talk Soup
I only got around to listening to Face the Nation today, and I'm not amused by Schieffer's waxing enthusiasm over Export-Import Bank funding:
Congress actually DID something! The news from the Capitol was that on a bi-partisan vote, the House extended the life of the Export Import Bank, the institution that arranges financing for countries that want to buy U.S. products. A no-brainer in times gone by, but a bi-partisan vote on anything is so unusual these days, the Washington Post put it on the front page.Count to 10, Ronald... Mr. Shieffer, what exactly is NEW or a NO-BRAINER about a bipartisan Congress voting to spend more money, exposing the American taxpayer to even more potential losses from deadbeat foreign customers benefiting a select few Big Exporters, like Boeing? Between them, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have nearly tripled the national debt over the past dozen years. But Bush and Obama couldn't do it alone: only the Congress can authorize the spending. This was all political, and you should know that, Mr. Schieffer. I haven't covered Capitol Hill for decades like some newscasters, and I know that. The GOP lawmakers should be ashamed of themselves for aiding and abetting chronic crony capitalism. Both parties gripe about special interests and money in politics; this is really a subsidy to companies like Boeing, and those tax dollars have to come from other people and businesses. I think the unprincipled GOP Congressman and Senators could see Democrats demagogue the other side as voting against American manufacturers and jobs! (As if the hypocritical Democrats have any moral standing after opposing oil drilling across the board! Instead of Americans funding foreign producers, American energy companies and employees could be paying much needed tax revenues on domestic operations.)
One might expect Bob Schieffer to question Export/Import new loan funding after the government has been guaranteeing depositors, only to see banks fail, guaranteeing GSE mortgage backed securities, only to see them fail, guaranteeing $1T of student loans--over 40% all federal revenue over a year--many of which will end up uncollected once again funded by the American taxpayer (most of whom paid off all their own loans), recently underwriting over 90% of recent mortgage loans--with FHA potentially vulnerable to bankruptcy, guaranteeing pension plans, once again chronically underfunding: is the emperor wearing clothes? Mr. Schieffer, there is NO HONOR in your mercantilist "no-brainer" point of view. Mr. Shieffer, instead of thinking there was some miracle breakthrough on Capitol Hill, you should have smelled a rat and asked WHY there was bipartisanship. You will also find bipartisan support for Mom and apple pie. As for Chevrolet? Well, I'm not all that sure about the Government Motors Chevy Volt....
Second, Bob Schieffer is talking about a "bipartisan" opposition to negative campaign ads--but does he make any reference whatsoever about the unethical anti-Bain Capital ads? OF COURSE NOT! Do you think he has the testicular fortitude to put the slimy Democrat political machine on the spot for equating investments with gambling or for caricaturing private equity, which often loses money on investing in new or failing companies, as some sort of capitalistic strip mining operation? There is no discussion about securing hard-to-obtain funding or providing expertise not found within the enterprise for growing or managing the business.
The only thing he describes is "bipartisan" objections by a conservative SuperPAC thinking of revisiting the Rev. Jeremiah Wright issue. Oh, Mr. Shieffer, tell me WHAT THE DEMOCRATS GIVE UP, in either part of your commentary? They back funding of union-produced Boeing aircraft? That's a real profile of courage for you! The Democrats oppose revisiting Obama's Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy? Against a negative ad against their own renominated candidate for President? Once again, give them a badge for courage.
I have written NUMEROUS posts against the use of red meat politics on Obama, which I consider counterproductive. Regarding Jeremiah Wright, I'll make this one point: I don't hold Barack Obama responsible for what a preacher says in the pulpit; however, Obama lied to the American people about not knowing about Wright's radical sermons. I think the reason he has denied it is because the natural follow-up is why he continued his membership instead of finding another church more consistent with his own political beliefs (like Oprah's reported decision to leave the same church). I suspect that the answer is that the church provided key political support.
Now the Obama campaign is on the defensive over its anti-Bain ads, with Newark, NJ Democratic mayor and Obama supporter Cory Booker distancing himself in yesterday's Meet the Press; I don't routinely embed political ads in my blog, but this one simply quotes 3 prominent Democrats:
Finally, Bain Capital goes on the record over the Obama campaign's dishonest representation of their record:
Throughout Bain Capital’s 28-year history, we have been focused on growing businesses and improving their operations. We acquired Ampad from Mead Corp. in 1992, and grew the overall business during the four years we controlled the company. The Marion plant was a challenging situation in a business that was performing well overall, growing revenues and adding jobs. Our control of Ampad ended in 1996, fully four years before it encountered financial difficulties due to overwhelming pressure from ‘big box”’ retailers, declines in paper demand, and intense foreign price pressures. Despite political attacks that emphasize the few companies that have struggled, the facts are that during Bain Capital’s ownership, revenues grew in 80 percent of the more than 350 companies in which we have invested.Let me point out here that a major league hitter who averages just 1 hit in every 3 official at bats over a long enough career has a lock on entering the Hall of Fame. There is generally a positive relationship between revenues and jobs.
Notre Dame and Other Catholic-Affiliated Institutions
File Suit Over ObamaCare Mandates:
Thumbs UP!
As a Catholic, I have taken exception to the ruling. (Note: the Obama Administration allows an exception for direct church-employed personnel, like priests or nuns, but NOT church-affiliated institutions like Catholic hospitals, schools or universities.) Forcing the Church is pay for something she teaches is immoral is a flagrant violation of the First Amendment. I have made this argument in multiple posts, including Feb. 4:
I think that the Catholic Church should appeal this unconscionable Obama Administration decision to SCOTUS. There is NO WAY this survives a First Amendment challenge, especially after the recent Hosanna-Taylor v EEOC decision; it would not surprise me if we get another 9-0 vote.Entertainment Potpourri
Goodbye to Gregory House. As an unpublished creative writer, I'm intrigued by the character, brilliantly portrayed by Hugh Laurie. The improbable master diagnostician, with generally horrific interpersonal skills, is often wrong in his preliminary diagnoses. I have an active interest in the creative process: Archimedes' Eureka moment, the hundreds, even thousands of failures before Thomas Edison's successful inventions, etc.
It's difficult to put into words just how the creative process works: just to give a minor example, I was reflecting in Saturday's post on Milton Friedman's observation that (just like budget funding) if you give bureaucrats authority, that authority will get used. I mused about Friedman's reference to laws; Newton's laws of motion immediately came to mind, and I playfully substituted political constructs, which I tongue-in-cheek called Newton's laws of politics. No doubt some physicists (particularly progressive ones) will not find them amusing.
(I can't find a relevant "Odd Couple" clip, but there is one episode where Felix decides to remodel the apartment without Oscar's knowledge or consent; I seem to recall a chair that looks like a giant hand and a bizarre wall clock that looks like a jumble of dots. While writing this, I did a Google query and found prican58 remembered the same episode: " I love the epi where Felix redecorates the apartment with all this new, hip furniture. The giant hand ( "I feel like an m and m!"); the strange clock on the wall (Myrna says "Look at the time, gotta run" after Oscar couldn't figure it out.)")
I doubt that most readers are unaware of the basic storyline; House's best friend is an oncologist Wilson; during the previous 7 seasons, House has been constantly feuding with the hospital administrator, Lisa Cutty, in a grown-up version of some grade school boy tormenting the object of his secret crush. Eventually House hooks up with Cutty, but obviously the storyline doesn't work with House and Cutty in wedded bliss (think of what happened when Jeannie finally married Major Nelson, Catherine (Beauty) hooked up with Vincent (the Beast), or when the Nanny married her boss; without the romantic tension, the storyline didn't work).
House has an addiction to pain pills, which results in legal problems. Down the home stretch of the final season, we see House's life disintegrating; Wilson ironically develops aggressive cancer and finally refuses chemotherapy, leaving him at most months to live. While on probation, House basically violates the terms of his parole and it looks, over and beyond a return to jail, as if his brilliant career will be cut short by medical boards. (Incidentally I found an interesting website by doctors or medical experts debunking the medical portions of House episodes.)
The final episode is called "Everybody Dies"; I hoped and prayed that we wouldn't have some sort of a contrived storyline ending like Dallas's "dream season" 8, which Bob Newhart spoofed in his second series' finale, e.g., with House waking up from a nightmare, in bed with wife Lisa Cutty, and two little Cabins vying for doting Daddy's attention, Wilson dropping by, now in robust health after his miraculous healing at Lourdes.
I won't spoil the ending for viewers whom haven't seen the show, except to comment that the ending is a quintessential House one.
Which got me to putting on my creative writing hat again: what if House had managed to survive in the end, think of the possibilities: imagine a different twist on The Fugitive, this one involving a Renegade Doctor with the FBI in pursuit, taking odd jobs in hospitals, leaving diagnoses on patient charts....
American Idol Finale Tomorrow Night. For any AI fans, the finale performance is tomorrow. I did see one report that the kidney problems of Phillip Phillips I discussed in my Friday post involve serious kidney stone issues.
Classical Liberalism: Dr. Ashford's Series #4
This video deals with the Austrian School; over the past several months I've made numerous references to Hayek and (to a lesser extent) Mises. I made assumptions before watching the video that Dr. Ashford might compare and contrast the Chicago School with the Austrian School or focus on characteristic concepts like the business cycle, but I like the contrast. The axiomatic approach of Mises reminds me of my salad days; as a double major in math and philosophy: mathematical logic, Alfred North Whitehead and Bertrand Russell's Principia Mathematica. (I got disillusioned by a related class at UT where the professor was fleshing out her insufficient set of axioms by the seat of the pants, but I was intrigued by Bledsoe's class on automatic theorem proving.) (As an aside, Whitehead is an interesting figure; I have often referenced Sr. Morkosvky in my blog, and she had done her doctoral research on Henri Bergson, best known for Creative Evolution; Whitehead wrote a later influential, quixotic work Process and Reality, readily conceding Bergson's influence.)
I haven't read all the major works by these two figureheads, but I would say that I frequently reference the themes Dr. Ashford attributes to F.A. Hayek.
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
The Rolling Stones, "Emotional Rescue"
