Analytics

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Miscellany: 1/31/16

Quote of the Day
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. 
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Helen Keller

 Tweet of the Day
Chart of the Day: Give Me Just a Little Bit More Fiscal Constraint

via Cato Institute
Image of the Day

Economic Freedom Continues to Decline in the Age of Obama



Vintage Parenting



Political Humor: Colbert Hosts the Trump-Trump Debate

HT Libertarian Republican



Prohibitions of Victimless Crimes Are Not Good Public Policy

Smoke marijuana at your own health risk--but I'm not going to save you from your bad personal choices.



Charity



Choose Life



Father and Son









Political Cartoon
Courtesy of John Cole via Washington Examiner
Courtesy of Steve Kelley via Townhall
Courtesy of the original artist via IPI
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Juice Newton, "Break It To Me Gently"

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Saturday, January 30, 2016

Miscellany: 1/30/16

Quote of the Day
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Voltaire

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day



 History and Star Wars

The Government Unconstitutionally Seizing Control of Your Electronic Equipment



Political Potpourri

With a couple of days remaining to the Iowa caucuses, the DM Register has Trump by 5 over Cruz and 13 over Rubio. The next 2 are Carson and Paul. There are rumors that as much as one-third of support is soft. Paul promises a surprise showing, there are persistent rumors of momentum behind Rubio. A lot depends on the Trump turnout; his gambit to skip the debate only makes sense if he felt he could win without it. But Trump's support relies on younger and independent voters without a track record. A surrogate measure is turnout. Cruz' committed base will turn out regardless of the weather; a huge turnout probably means a good night for Trump.

Clinton has ended with a streak of 3 straight poll victories of 3-11%. The activists are on Sanders side, so key to Clinton is organization.

Election Betting Odds has Trump and Clinton overwhelming favorites. Nate Silver of 538 also favors them but shows Trump-Cruz much closer.

Political Humor: Huckabee Ad



Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Henry Payne via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Juice Newton, "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me"

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Friday, January 29, 2016

Miscellany: 1/29/16

Quote of the Day
Rest when you're weary. 
Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. 
Then get back to work.
Ralph Marston

 Tweet of the Day
Chart of the Day

Image of the Day


Unconstitutional Restrictions on School Choice

We see a similar situation in Catholic schools where, for instance, benefactors help subsidize the tuition costs of multi-student modest income households. My maternal uncle was the pastor of parishes with schools and made it clear that schools were not a profit-making venture but more of a drain on parish finances. The restriction in Montana is blatantly unconstitutional; we are not even talking taxpayer funds; this is a scholarship fund for which donations are exempt. SCOTUS has generally ruled if it does not enter the government treasury, it does not constitute public disbursement.

I would go even further: if any organization teaches to core educational objectives, I don't care if they have a religion, yoga, or whatever class on the side. If a school lunch serves kosher hot dogs, I don't see it as a backdoor into Judaism; all I want to know is if the hot dog is nutritious.







Facebook Corner

(Libertarian Catholic). The American criminal justice system IS criminal. Senator Rand Paul talks about how to fix it in this short clip from last night. ‪#‎crime‬ ‪#‎reform‬ h/t The Socratic Catholic
There was a recent salient discussion on a Cato Institute podcast, looking at the unconsionable fact that we have just under 5% of the world's population, but nearly a quarter of the imprisoned--and a lot of it has to do with "get tough" policies like long/minimum sentences, three strike rules, etc. Let's also point out on the War on Drugs, the imprisoned really aren't the consumers, but the suppliers.

 However, the point is whenever there is a market, whether we are talking alcohol, drugs, or even migrant labor, de facto prohibitions generally result in black markets, with artificial shortages attracting criminal operations with the lure of high profits--and criminal activity to protect lucrative territories and to feed addictive behaviors.

(John Stossel). See Image of the Day
With all due respect to Stossel, roughly a third of libertarians (including myself) are pro-life; we see the right to life in all stages of development as fundamental and a proper function of the government to protect negative rights.

 I believe Ben Carson recently flipped on minimum wage, noting its disparate effects on younger and/or minority workers.

 I also think Ben Carson and Rand Paul have a more nuanced opposition to trade pacts like TPP, mostly from what they see as expansion of Presidential authority at the expense of Congress (and neither ruled out supporting the finalized treaty). They and others also might argue that TPP, like all trade pacts, really isn't free trade but managed trade. (I myself am for declaring unilateral free trade, but see TPP as a win-win pragmatic first step in opening markets. I also think without FTA, protectionists would kill treaties with poison pill amendments.)

Slaying Economic Illiteracy Against Free Trade



With a Little Help From My Friends

I saw a link to this story while on a sports website. It's a couple of years old but new to me.



Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Chip Bok via Reason
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Juice Newton, "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)"



A Big Rand Paul Moment From Debate 7



Some say this was Rand Paul's finest moment from last night's GOP debate:
Posted by National Review on Friday, January 29, 2016
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Thursday, January 28, 2016

Miscellany: 1/28/16

Quote of the Day
If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd be picking roses for a lifetime.
Swedish Proverb

Tweet of the Day

NOTE: I originally intended to publish my review of tonight's seventh GOP debate tonight. The problem is that I had a bizarre cable interruption of about 10 minutes. So I'm going to have to go through a tape of the debate and watch the missing cable. I've also been working on and off on a Trump post which I also hope to finally publish over the weekend.

Image of the Day

The First Amendment vs Charleston's Monopoly on Tourist Guides



Trump In Bed With Corrupt Politicians



Political Potpourri

NBC released a flurry of new polls today. Trump adds to his IA winning streak but for the  first time I've noticed in a while, Rubio, who had seemed to plateau in recent polls at maybe 11-12% seems to have edged up to 16-18%. Still not close enough to say overcome a 12-point deficit to Trump, but it will be interesting to see how Trump's decision not to debate tonight plays in Iowa next week. They have Trump lapping the field in NH with Cruz, Kasich, and Rubio playing for the silver. [A separate Suffolk poll paralleled the NBC polls with more of a Cruz/Kasich battle for the silver, just over Rubio.) Christie seems to be fading, while it looks like Bush is battling with Carson for top 4 status (across polls). Trump also has a big lead in Pennsylvania and South Carolina with the usual suspects running behind them.

At this point, I think Christie and/or Carson drop off after NH unless somehow they end up placing in IA or NH. I just see no road forward through Super Tuesday. I think Kasich has to place to get momentum elsewhere. I see Bush going through Florida, but I don't see him surviving a loss in his home state. The withdrawal of other candidates should consolidate support for the non-Trump frontrunners.

On the other side, NBC has Clinton slightly up in Iowa and significantly behind in NH.

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Bob Gorrell via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Juice Newton, "Queen of Hearts"



The Making of a Trump Cultist



9-year-old girl cries upon learning she's going to meet Donald J. Trump.
Posted by Mashable on Wednesday, January 27, 2016
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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Miscellany: 1/27/16

Quote of the Day
It is a wise father that knows his own child.
William Shakespeare

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day

vua Carholic Vote
Super Bowl-bound NFC Champ Carolina Panther Michael Oher and his (adoptive) parents
Diversity Through Choice, Not Edict



Rand Cruz On Opportunity



Political Potpourri

Trump continues his winning streak in Iowa, although the race seems to be tightening, and Rubio may be gaining ground behind Cruz. Another NH poll shows him lapping the field, but interesting the second is Bush and the third is Kasich, with Cruz and Rubio in the single digits.

On the other side, Sanders swept two new IA and NH polls, but within single-digit leads. Clinton leads by a stronger 20-point lead in the latest national poll.

Family is a Beautiful Thing





Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Kelley via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Juice Newton, "Angel of the Morning".  Great remake of a great song.



 God is NOT Schizophrenic: "Progressive" Christians Try To Redefine Ethics



MUST SEE!! CHRISTIAN PASTOR COMPLETELY DESTROYS GAY PASTOR WITH THE TRUTH! SAY AMEN IF YOU LOVE THE TRUTH!!
Posted by Sunday Adelaja on Tuesday, January 26, 2016
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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Miscellany: 1/26/16

Quote of the Day
At the establishment of our constitutions, 
the judiciary bodies were supposed to be 
the most helpless and harmless members of the government. 
Experience, however, soon showed in what way they were to become the most dangerous;
that the insufficiency of the means provided for their removal 
gave them a freehold and irresponsibility in office; 
that their decisions, seeming to concern individual suitors only, 
pass silent and unheeded by the public at large; 
that these decisions, nevertheless, become law by precedent, 
sapping, by little and little, the foundations of the constitution, and 
working its change by construction, 
before any one has perceived that that 
invisible and helpless worm has been busily employed in consuming its substance. 
In truth, man is not made to be trusted for life, 
if secured against all liability to account.
Thomas Jefferson

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day

 Regulations Kill Jobs (Except for Bureaucrats)



The Dems' Townhall: The Condensed Version



Ted Cruz On Trump's Values



 Choose Life: Daddies and Babies



Political Potpourri

Two new national polls put Trump at least 15 points over the crowd. A new Iowa poll shows Trump nipping Cruz by 2. A second straight ARG poll for NH shows Kasich all alone in second, 14 points behind Trump.

On the other side, after a series of blowout NH polls in favor of Sanders, ARG has Clinton within 7 of Sanders. I think it's improbable, but if Clinton sweeps the doubleheader from Sanders, it sets the stage for a huge run through Super Tuesday that all but locks up the nomination for Clinton.

For some reason, Obama's approval ratings have drifted upward to the 50% level from 45%

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Ken Catalino via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Gordon Lightfoot, "Anything For Love". And this is a wrap on my Lightfoot retrospective.

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Monday, January 25, 2016

Miscellany: 1/25/16

Quote of the Day
The challenge of leadership is 
to be strong, but not rude; 
be kind, but not weak; 
be bold, but not a bully; 
be thoughtful, but not lazy; 
be humble, but not timid; 
be proud, but not arrogant; 
have humor, but without folly.
Jim Rohn

 Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day


The Worst of Hillary Clinton



Under Pressure (Vocals Only)

Gooseneck (a newer vocal group) in a recent tribute to recently deceased Bowie linked to this spare version of Bowie singing with late Queen singer Freddie Mercury. The group points out today's technology allows for airbrushing of vocal defects, but these vocals were the real deal--the skatting was spontaneous and creative.



Political Potpourri

A flurry of new polls. Trump continues to dominate as we head down the final week countdown into Iowa. Trump leads Cruz by 7 in Iowa according to ARG. The Boston Herald has Trump ahead of Cruz and Kasich by about 20 in NH.  At this point, I'm looking to see if numbers tighten. I'm somewhat skeptical of Trump's numbers in Iowa; Cruz has very high favorable's in IA and has a strong ground organization, and I suspect Rubio is riding some momentum including an important newspaper endorsement and could be picking up some anti-Trup/Cruz coalition support. Just a reminder: polls don't always predict the winner. In 2012, Romney had won 6 of 7 polls before the caucuses, battling with Ron Paul; Rick Santorum had been running 5-9 points behind Romney in most of those polls. In 2004, polls indicated a tight race among 4 Dem candidates (including sometimes leader Howard Dean, Gephardt and Edwards). It may well be Trump's populist supporters do show at the caucuses; I myself have only attended one, in 1980, Houston's Democratic. It's not like casting a 3-second secret ballot; it requires a commitment in time and effort. Still, Trump has such a blowout lead except for Cruz, it would surprise me if anyone other than Trump or Cruz wins. I do think that a Trump loss would devastate his "winning" talking point. I do think the other candidates can't afford to let Trump run the table heading into Super Tuesday March 1: "The participating states include: Alabama, Alaska (GOP), Arkansas, Colorado caucuses, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota caucuses, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia."

On the Dem side, Clinton won two nationwide contests comfortably, but only in the early teens. She split two new Iowa polls with Sanders, but Sanders is leading in 2 new NH polls by over 15%. I do think a Southern strategy plays to Clinton's favor, even if she starts off with 2 losses to Sanders; I would be very concerned that Sanders could pick up momentum if he shuts Clinton out in the first 2 states. You could always explain away a loss near Sanders' home base. I think Clinton needs to pick up momentum going into Super Tuesday. She is probably going to pick up South Carolina and Florida, but if she picks up Iowa, it lessens the significance of Sander's homefield advantage in NH.

Finally, Alex Nowrasteh, who follows Trump, clipped the following exchange. The crackpot Trump cultist is clearly anti-Semitic and could be a contemporary KKK or similar sympathizer in the sense of also identifying America as a Christian nation. I feel that a politician has a moral obligation to disown such rubbish.

Let me comment a little further into Trump's disingenuous birther bullshit on Cruz. You can see all sorts of crazy conspiracy stuff on the Internet--that both of Cruz' parents had Canadian citizenship, that Cruz' mother had renounced her American citizenship, that the state of Delaware had no record of Cruz' mother's birth, a lot of attention to an unofficial preliminary voting list which seems to include Cruz' parents and their Canadian address.

First of all, the Cruz campaign has published his mother's birth certificate. His mother flatly denies that she ever became a naturalized Canadian citizen. Her husband did--in 1973. Cruz was born--in 1970. I noted that I saw on a current website that there is a 3-year residency, which made it all but impossible that Cruz' parents had become naturalized, but the Cruz campaign provided evidence that prevailing Canadian law required 5 years of residency for either parent--past his birth. Now that doesn't disprove Cruz' Canadian citizenship--he still had a birthright claim. But he was indisputably a US citizen at birth, since his mother had been a 10-year US resident, including 5 years after the age of 14, when she gave birth to Ted in her mid-30's under prevailing US law. Trump is intentionally raising this pseudo-issue to put Ted on the defense--and feeding his anti-immigrant base. Now I have issues with some of Cruz' nonsense--including an intent to make the desert glow under bombing runs--but this has annoyed me to the point of seriously considering switching my upcoming vote from Rand Paul to a protest vote for Ted Cruz.

Rand Paul got on my shit list recently for taking the lead on trying to block Syrian refugee entry. Sadly he seems to have lost his dad's touch with Iowan voters; the elder Paul won nearly 20% of the vote; now of course Rand has been battling for publicity against far more candidates than his Dad, but right now it looks as though he'll be lucky to have a quarter of his dad's support.


Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Kelley via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Gordon Lightfoot, "Baby Step Back". We are winding down my Lightfoot retrospective (one more hit to reprise). The next artist selection will be Juice Newton.

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