Quote of the Day
Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on
after others have let go.
William Feather
Earlier One-Off Post
Earlier I explained my investigation of a great quote often attributed to de Tocqueville. I think the essay is more interesting than it might sound. Along the way I found an indignant post by a progressive political scientist whom really doesn't like the quote's purported characterization of public spending. What do you think are my views of somebody arguing the General Welfare clause is essentially a blank check for Democratic Congressional spending?
Obama's Recess Appointment Abuse Overruled:
Thumbs UP!
Wow, a President who taught constitutional law in Chicago got 4 recess appointments (3 to the NLRB) invalidated because the Senate technically was in session. Obama has been pushing the envelope with executive discretion. I don't care whether Bush used recess appointments. With the Senate clearly in Dem control, this was an unnecessary confrontation. Will the WH appeal to the full court or SCOTUS? I wouldn't. I don't see the facts leading to a reversal, and a more definitive ruling would be counterproductive from his perspective.
Grandstanding Vs. the First Amendment
A lot of this is dated; many if not most of these politicians have or will retire. Of course, for my generation it was George Carlin or Andrew Dice Clay using words you heard all the time in high school gym classes. I found their bits boring and forgettable. I didn't buy their records or show tickets--why should I pay for something I can hear on the streets for free? Just ignore bad language, and don't give them free publicity to hype their sales. The most successful music artists don't rely on bad language to sell records.
By the way, is anyone else annoyed by the ubiquitous "that's so gay" TV commercials? It's obvious I'm out of touch with young people because I had never heard or used the phrase. Talk about not sweating the small stuff; it's bad enough we have to deal with obnoxious, condescending, self-appointed language police in real life; they are now spending money or otherwise obtaining valuable ad time to lecture/nag people, most of whom have never used the phrase? By the way, personally ridiculing people using the phrase as in the ads is unduly provocative and potentially dangerous.
Fracking: Some Basic Talking Points
It seems every other day I'm getting approached (unsolicited) by natural gas vendors. Natural gas prices have dropped to a mere fraction of what they were less than a decade ago-as Mark Perry of Carpe Diem frequently points out, we now have the lowest C02 emissions in a generation.
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
The Cars, "Drive". This is the end of my Cars series. Next up: Steely Dan.
