A successful man is one
who can lay a firm foundation with
the bricks others have thrown at him.
David Brinkley
One-Off Post Earlier Today
I posted my reaction to Mitt Romney's announcement this morning of his selection of House Budget Committee chair Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) as his running mate.
I have to say that I did not look at a single website on the Internet in writing that analysis. I flipped on my TV this morning to check the Olympics and NBC was carrying a live feed with Paul Ryan speaking and referencing Romney. I figured out what happened and other than checking email news alerts wrote my commentary without going to any website. Out of curiosity I checked out Drudge Report this evening and found Andrea Mitchell quoted as saying, "Not a pick for suburban Moms." Considering the fact that I explicitly referenced suburban Moms near the beginning of my piece, it was a surreal experience: I had a specific reason for mentioning suburban Moms--my April post recommendation for Kay Bailey Hutchison. (This is not the first time over the last 6 months I have found Andrea Mitchell particularly annoying and predictable as part of the progressive groupthink mainstream media. What in the world was Alan Greenspan thinking when he married her? What kind of libertarian gets married by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, anyway? )
Then there's a link on Drudge talking about media complaining about Ryan's lack of private sector experience. Again, this is weird because I addressed this point--but I explicitly point out that Obama and Biden have also been professional politicians since 1999 (or earlier)
But CNN's Candy Crowley saying that the Paul Ryan pick is a GOP ticket "death wish"? Paul Ryan's "austerity" approach to entitlement reform is hardly that; most reform proposals have generous transition periods. What is incredible to me is how the Democrats basically compromise Medicare reform to fund ObamaCare and then have the audacity to fear-monger on Ryan's modest long-term entitlement reform proposal (which is all but dead on arrival in the Senate) to subsequently convert GOP House seats (e.g., in New York). Let's put it this way: Paul Ryan is a bleeding-heart conservative compared to me. I want to privatize the entitlement programs and replace them with means-tested support.
Adam Smith v Barack Obama
Who needs Nostradamus when Adam Smith, at the birth of the republic, foresaw the rise of "The (Incompetent) One", Barack Obama?
What is the species of domestic industry which his capital can employ, and of which the produce is likely to be of the greatest value, every individual, it is evident, can in his local situation judge much better than any statesman or lawgiver can do for him. The statesman, who should attempt to direct private people in what manner they ought to employ their capitals, would not only load himself with a most unnecessary attention, but assume an authority which could safely be trusted, not only to no single person, but to no council or senate whatever, and which would nowhere be so dangerous as in the hands of a man who had folly and presumption enough to fancy himself fit to exercise it. - Adam Smith, "The Wealth of Nations""I said, I believe in American workers, I believe in this American industry, and now the American auto industry has come roaring back. Now I want to do the same thing with manufacturing jobs, not just in the auto industry, but in every industry." - Barack "Empty Suit" Obama, aka "Worst President in the History of the United States", "Pied Piper of Failed Liberalism"
Talk about departure from reality. Obama has literally lost his mind. He actually thinks people buy into believing HIS perverse, toxic model of statist-dominated bankruptcies, putting taxpayer money on the line to serve the interests of his crony unionist supporters. Let's just look at the government's stake:
GM was bailed out with about $50 billion in taxpayer funding. The U.S. government still holds a 26% stake in GM. The automaker is currently trading at around $21 a share. If the government sold its remaining 500 million shares now, it would lose about $16 billion of its investment.Hmmm. It looks like Bain Capital has made a hell of a lot more money than Captive Taxpayer Capital under Obama. Not as easy as it looks, is it, Obama?
Now let's review the car that Barack Obama wants to buy after he's no longer President, i.e., next year: the Chevy Volt:
GM says the 8,817 Volts sold in the first six months of this year exceed last year's total sales of 7,600, despite GM halting production of the Volt for five weeks this year, citing a lack of sales.
[Dr. Tom Borelli notes] "The target for 2012 was supposed to be 45,000 Volts." One in five Volts are sold in California, following a decision there to grant solo Volt drivers access to carpool lanes. "The state of California, which we know is bankrupt, is giving a $1,500 state credit for each car sold, and that's on top of the $7,500 federal tax credit." The average Chevy Volt buyer makes $175,000 a year.This is so perverted--we are paying $175K/year workers $7500 the federal government doesn't have to buy a Volt--and progressives are still giving all sorts of other subsidies and special privileges at the expense of other taxpayers in their perverted, failed managed economy.
The statist has declared war against economic liberty. This forced march to serfdom will not stand.
Follow-Up Odds and Ends
- Miscellany: 7/28/12: Follow-Up: Nathan Duszynski (teenage hot dog vendor, City of Holland, MI). The Mackinac Center has provided more context. Nathan's mother suffers from epilepsy and his stepfather from MS; they are unable to work full-time and receive some $1300/month in disability and other government assistance. Currently Nathan and his mom live in a shelter; his stepfather isn't allowed to stay with them because of the medication he takes. The mother stresses about having a seizure in her husband's absence. (The sporting goods business owner thought Nathan's cart would be good for his business and was also willing to pay Nathan a sales commission for any customers he drummed up for motorized bicycle rentals.)
This story breaks my heart. The young man is not looking for a handout; he's just looking for an opportunity to help keep his family together: this is quintessential americana. The city of Holland needs to rethink its anti-competitive business policies. If for some reason I'm ever in the area, I won't frequent any of its restaurants; I'll just pick up a hot dog along the way.There, But For the Grace of God...
What Has Happened to the Bill of Rights?
Courtyard News has a disturbing case out of Minnesota. This one involves the DEA/local task force mistaken raid of the home of Mr. Franco in place of the intended target of next door neighbor Mr. Ybarra. The task force continued its search even after being informed of their mistake. Another occupant of the home, a Mr. Castillo (also not specified in the search warrant), possessed an illegal firearm, which surfaced during the search. Franco was charged with the possession of the .22 revolver, convicted and incarcerated.
What's particularly disturbing, over and beyond a wrongful raid and then the dubious legal merit of using the fruits of a related search to convict someone not even identified in the search warrant, is this discussion:
The complaint states: "Upon forcibly breaching the plaintiffs' home, defendants terrorized the plaintiffs at gun and rifle point.I am not a lawyer but I do not see the need for unduly harsh treatment of someone (or a pet) not threatening law enforcement. Putting an individual's health or life at unnecessary risk is fundamentally unacceptable. There should be constraints on evidence and charges tied to the search warrants (barring aggression against law enforcement or impeding an authorized investigation) and certain due diligence procedures to ensure against wrongly specified addresses or otherwise defective search warrants.
"Each plaintiff was forced to the floor at gun and rifle point and handcuffed behind their backs.
"Defendants shot and killed the family dog and forced the handcuffed children to sit next to the carcass of their dead pet and bloody pet for more than an hour while defendants continued to search the plaintiffs' home."
One child "was kicked in the side, handcuffed and searched at gunpoint," the family says.
Another child, a girl, "a diabetic, was handcuffed at gunpoint and prevented by officer from obtaining and taking her medication, thus induced a diabetic episode as a result of low-blood sugar levels."
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Frank Valli and the Four Seasons, "The Night"
