To the world you may be just one person,
but to one person you may be the world.
Brandi Snyder
Chart of the Day
Image of the Day
Eat 'Em Up, Coogs!
My alma mater Houston whipped their undefeated division rivals Navy 52-31 and will host the conference championship next weekend, I believe. This featured two of the best quarterbacks in the country. Houston came into this game, smarting over their close loss last week at UConn, snapping a 10-game winning streak. Their starting quarterback, Greg Ward, Jr., has been hobbled by an ankle injury and missed almost all of last week's loss; on top of that, their running back corp is depleted, and they've converted Brandon Wilson from defensive back. What was incredible was how many third or fourth downs the Cougars continually converted, with Ward repeatedly scrambling out of trouble and picking up clutch first downs or scores. Keenan Reynolds, the Navy QB, managed to tie the career rushing touchdown record and had a number of other clutch plays, but Houston's defense did a credible job breaking down the option; more importantly, Houston did a good job keeping Navy's defense on the field and out of Reynolds' hands.
Avoiding Economic Collapse
Fear the Fear-Mongers
Follow-Up Odds and Ends: Contra Noah Smith
In yesterday's post, I ranted against against Smith's piece, which argues that Mankiw's introductory economics text is essentially too simplistic and lacks the data-rich, more advanced context challenging classic cases against minimum wages or welfare policies. I outlined my reaction and quoted Boudreaux's principled reaction to similar gripes. Henderson in the cited FEE post more directly attacks the piece, noting that Smith's essay doesn't make the case of attributed title, that Smith is attacking a straw man and the empirical studies that Smith cites don't really dislodge economic principles; at worst, Mankiw might need to modify, say, the magnitudes of effects he discusses in explanation (e.g., how much teenage employment is affected by a raise in the minimum wage, but not in the adverse direction of the effect.) Again, any summary risks oversimplification, and the reader is encouraged to read the full post
JOTY Nomination
What the hell is in the water in Pennsylvania? The Dem Attorney General Kathleen Kane has created a soap opera unlike any I've discussed in the history of the blog. Here's a synopsis from the Gray Lady:
Ms. Kane, 49, who took office in 2013, is accused of leaking secret grand jury material to damage her critics, lying about it under oath and telling aides to gather information illegally. She faces charges of perjury, obstructing administration of law, false swearing and official oppression. In September, the State Supreme Court suspended her license to practice law.The suspension of her law license affects her ability to do her job, according to top officials in the state office, although she disputes that. Democrat Gov. Wolf has called for her to step down. There is a legislative process for the Senate to initiative removal of a public official by a super-majority vote by the Senate (the GOP dominates the state senate, just shy of a supermajority; it should be noted that Kane argues that such a move would be unconstitutional) There is some talk of preliminary actions in both chambers of the PA legislature.
But it looks as though if Kane goes down, she's determined to take her political opponents down with her, announcing a politically correct investigation into state emails. (I seriously doubt a politically motivated witch hunt would pass constitutional muster.) Let me note that Kane exploited the Sandusky kerfuffle at Penn State in her rise to power. I don't have direct knowledge that Kane has abused the powers of her office for political reasons, but what has been alleged would undermine the integrity of the position and would damage the Democrat Party in PA. Wolf has not committed to removing Kane (and that itself may be challenged at the PA Supreme Court if it happens), but given the fact he's already asked her to step down, he may have little choice. I'll follow-up the story as it develops.
Bad Elephant of the Year Nomination
This is pathetic, even for a jerk like Trump. This clown has done so many outrageous things, whether we are talking about McCain's status as a POW, publicly released Lindsey Graham's personal cell number, outrageous statements about Mexican immigrants, disparaging statements about Carly Fiorina's personal appearance, etc.: I don't think it's possible for another Republican to beat Trump over the coming month for this year's annual mock award
Hall of Shame: Woman Steals Merchandise From a Child
Facebook Corner
(Drudge Report). Did Trump go too far?
Dump the Trump... I wouldn't trust this asshole as a dogcatcher. He's a poorly raised SOB whose people skills matured in an elementary school playground. America doesn't need another asshole President.
John Denver, "Falling Leaves (the Refugees)"
For the victims of Darfur, but relevant today.
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Mike Lester via Patriot Poat |
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| Courtesy of the original artist via IPI |
Josh Groban, "Believe"
