Tis the business of little minds to shrink,
but he whose heart is firm,
and whose conscience approves his conduct,
will pursue his principles unto death.
Thomas Paine
God Bless Their Little Hearts
A couple of sweet NORAD (the annual Santa-tracking operation at a Colorado Air Force Base on Christmas Eve) stories:
- A boy who called from Missouri asked when Santa would drop off toys in heaven.His mother got on the line and explained to Jennifer Eckels, who took the call, that the boy’s younger sister died this year.“He kept saying ‘in heaven,’” Eckels said. She told him, “I think Santa headed there first thing.”
- So [13-year-old] volunteer Sara Berghoff was caught off-guard Monday when a child called to see if Santa could be especially kind this year to the families affected by the Connecticut school shooting.“I’m from Newtown, Connecticut, where the shooting was,” she remembers the child asking. “Is it possible that Santa can bring extra presents so I can deliver them to the families that lost kids?
According to Carol D. Leonnig of Washington Post
Just before leaving public office in 2001, Gore reported assets of less than $2 million; today, his wealth is estimated at $100 million. Fourteen green-tech firms in which Gore invested received or directly benefited from more than $2.5 billion in loans, grants and tax breaks, part of President Obama’s historic push to seed a U.S. renewable-energy industry with public money.Now, granted, Al Gore is a true believer in environmental alarmism, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize before the 2008 election; I don't mind people putting money where their mouth is or their investment success although Gore certainly was in the right place at the right time to capitalize off Obama's ill-fated industrial policy. I have a broader issue with crony capitalism and the idea of any industry, including green energy, socializing business risk is unconscionable. I particularly loathe Obama's nationalistic spin on the "green race" with China; Communists, not operating in a free market, often make bad, money-losing decisions. like producing steel without customers.
The second chart traces gas prices against counterproductive energy policies against gas prices during the Obama era.
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| Courtesy of Energy and Capital |
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| Courtesy of Energy and Capital |
I had one print subscription, US News and World Report which transformed into digital format some time back. Will we miss yet another progressive periodical going away? I don't think so...
Where Are the Hillary Haters?
I felt that the real "fairy tale" of the 2008 campaign was the perception that Clinton was more moderate than Obama. In fact, ACU evaluates their voting records as all but the same. As for polls showing cross-over support to Clinton, this blog is not swayed. It's far too soon to talk 2016, and it will be a traditional change election year. Hillary lacks the likability and charisma of Bill or Obama and Bill's more pragmatic politics (this "vast right wing conspiracy" nonsense signals a more strident, polarizing leadership style, and I suspect in 2016 we will look for a President who can bridge the gap). Hillary Clinton's appeal has much to do with nostalgia for the good times under Bill Clinton and not being Obama. However, she is vested in the Obama Presidency and a lot depends on what happens in Obama's second term; she'll no doubt have to defend the Benghazi attack aftermath and any perceived short shrift in diplomatic security under her leadership, the vacillating reactions to the Arab uprising and unintended consequences thereof.
Musical Interlude: Christmas Retrospective
Enya, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
