Analytics

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Post #3029 M

Quote of the Day

I have always been dissatisfied with my gifts.
Sigmund Freud  

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day



Bitcoin: An Alternative to Government's Money Monopoly




Neil Diamond With a Brilliant Christmas Original Song Including Departed Loved Ones




John A. Allison, A Finalist For Treasury Secretary Under Trump



The Cuban Healthcare "Miracle"


Spontaneous Order



Political Cartoon

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

Cher, "Dark Lady". Cher's third #1; it would be nearly 25 years until her final #1.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Post #3028 M

Quote of the Day

One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.
Henry Miller  

Tweet of the Day

My Favorite Briton On Brexit and Free Trade



Cato Institute On the Monster Fidel Castro



The Injustice of Mandatory Minimums



Choose Life and Family



Entertainment Potpourri

I don't really comment that often about sports entertainment like professional wrestling with its scripted finishes, although the incoming POTUS is a member of WWE's Hall of Fame (celebrity wing). The story lines can be entertaining but depend on a certain suspension of disbelief like average sized joes holding championships over huge men twice their size. (Certainly you can play the David vs. Goliath stories, but there's a reason many competitive sports have weight classes.) There is no doubt of CEO McMahon's success in building out the product, but I never understood why, after he bought out failing WCW, he then squandered his acquired talent, booking them as little more than jobbers to his preexisting talent, and ditched their prime pay per views (e.g., Starrcade). It came across to me as a truly wasted opportunity frittered away as passive-aggressive revenge on his former rivals.

There are other quixotic decisions. For example, after Brock Lesner left WWE for other sports, including a stint as UFC champion, and returned (to a highly-paid part-time role), only to immediately lose to multi-time champions John Cena and HHH. I have no idea why McMahon would sign Lesner after his high-profile UFC success, just to have him job stepping in the door.

And then there's the mystery of how Goldberg, who left along with Lesner after a forgettable win at Wrestlemania over a decade, was booked into squashing Lesner, who had been booked, since his slow start, into an unbeatable monster (who might well have had revenge on his mind after their last meeting). Of course, it never made sense to me why Goldberg would make a high-profile return after being away for more than a decade, just to job to Lesner. It was a tough match to book, no doubt, but it was booked in a way that basically undid all of the work they had put into making Lesner an unbeatable monster. (They are now spinning this as overconfidence and the effects of an early match injury, Lesner now with something to prove. There's really no motive for Goldberg to agree to a rematch because he's 2-0 against Lesner. My guess is the storyline has Goldberg going for the title; Lesner takes Goldberg out of the picture, thus giving Goldberg the motive for a rematch.)

Why am I into this soap opera? I am also a creative writer (although unpublished), and I like to analyze the storylines, how I might book differently, etc.

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Glenn McCoy via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Cher, "Half-Breed". Her second solo #1.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Post #3027 M

Quote of the Day

Faultfinding without suggestions for improvement is a waste of time. 
Ralph C. Smedley

Tweet of the Day

Canada Shows Us How To Cut Federal Spending



The Charter School Revolution



Merry Christmas



Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Bob Gorrell via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Cher, "Living in a House Divided"

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Post #3026 M

Quote of the Day

The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men.
George Eliot  

Earlier One-Off Post: Some Comments on Raimondo's "How We Will Win"

These posts are like my children, but I do play favorites, and this is one of mine. It is I think the first time I have formally reviewed another libertarian's post  (I've done one-offs on Bill O'Reilly and some Time columnists). Raimondo seems to be somewhat of a left-libertarian, and I'm more of a right-libertarian. Raimondo differs from many on that side of the fence in that he focuses more on the alleged hidden agenda of elitists/globalists than on explicit corporate-bashing. He makes much of what Adams and others have described as Trump's "clown genius";  I have made no secret that I see Trump more as an unprincipled political opportunist whose agenda is more neo-Whig and Hooverite. But given the fact is that Donald is one whose path to wealth had much to do with exploiting political connections, I am very skeptical of reading anything into Trump's candidacy beyond a self-serving grab of power. It is highly unlikely the purported elite would have allowed one of their own to upset the apple cart; beware wolves in populist clothing. It was merely a rhetorical trick to manipulate the votes of lower-income workers with vacuous promises he can't hope to realize, because the 1% can't win elections on their own. Beware the Trojan horse.

Trump's political success had much to do with the dynamics of a change election year and a weak, unpopular opponent--who still managed to pull more votes than Trump, despite underperforming Obama among the minority coalition. I know some Trump voters; not one of them mentioned being influenced by Trump's unconventional soundbites on foreign policy; most of them saw the Supreme Court at stake, were greatly opposed to Clinton, and/or bought into his self-promotion as a successful businessman. Raimondo is engaging in wishful thinking, trying to co-opt the message of Trump with his own preference.

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day


Progressives vs. Small Business




Facebook Corner

(Pro-Life Libertations.) Shut up, Jill.

Image may contain: 1 person , people smiling , text
Crackpot fascist. She is mourning the passing of a monster.

The Reality of the Castro Regime



The Incompetence of Leftist Protesters



Military Father and Son Reunion



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

Cher, "The Way of Love"

Some Comments on Raimondo's "How We Will Win"

I will leave it to the interested reader to read Raimondo's post. The thesis seems to be that Trump's victory is versus a globalist conspiracy, enabled from a US standpoint by the logrolling collusion of the welfare/warfare state by the Dems and Republicans respectively. In this view. our international alliances are a quid pro quo in which immigration and trade policies are mechanisms that dovetail with US expanding global influence. Trump sensed that  this globalist scheme benefited the military-industrial complex and the financial/managerial class (with rigged monetary policy) at the expense of the lower/middle class (especially the more blue-collar, less educated workers): the hollowing out of the American industrial base: a reversal of fortune where our allies are enriched by no-cost military defense and local economies booming with the ever-growing number of US military bases overseas. Raimondo argues that the "genius" of Trump's conciliatory approach to Russia is that it takes out one of the long-term adversaries and checks on American expansion. Now, granted, Raimondo has left himself a little wiggle room by admitting Trump is inconsistent and an imperfect non-interventionist: he might even get us into another war or two. But Trump has exposed the nefarious globalist conspirators for what they are, but the globalists are done: you can't put the genie back into the bottle.

Now, first of all, I consider myself a neo-Old Right guy who has argued for non-interventionist policy, including reassessing our overextended, costly military footprint overseas and our alliances. And I know for an absolute fact that Trump is not one of us. This is a guy who think that Obama has hollowed out our military and vows to increase the budget, who vows to crush ISIS in the Middle East, restore torture as an interrogation method and target the families of terrorists. It is true that Trump has been arguing against allied "freeloaders" and has questioned NATO (but has floated recasting it against the terrorist bogeyman). One must not ignore his nationalist tendencies, and nationalism seems to correlate with the use of military power.

Indeed, Ron Paul, who Raimondo seems to admire, has made it clear what he thinks of Trump's authoritarianism:

Former Rep. Ron Paul tells CNN why a libertarian cannot endorse Trump's authoritarian approach.
"My biggest beef is, from a libertarian viewpoint, there is absolutely no difference, meaningful difference, between Hillary and Trump. They both support the military industrial complex, the Federal Reserve, deficits, entitlements, invasion of our privacy. And it's super nationalistic populism versus socialism. That is so removed from what we need to be doing. We need to remove ourselves from tyranny," Paul said Monday on CNN.
Second, Trump is neither principled nor knowledgeable on matters of policy. His criticisms of neocon policy seemed to be more contrarian, opportunistic and tactical ("a good defense is a good offense") than substantive. Whereas he made much of his exaggerated opposition to the Iraq War (with a disturbing admiration for authoritarians like Hussein and Putin, I thought much of it had to do with wanting to put opponent Jeb Bush on the spot. And he seemed to be more upset that the US didn't steal Iraqi assets to pay the costs of the invasion/occupation.

Third, Raimondo seems to buy into a typical Ron Paul/Mises Institute critique of trade pacts. There are several problems with this, not restricted to the following:
  • The percentage of manufacturing jobs has been declining since at least the 60's and has been part of a more global pattern, not US-specific
  • US manufacturing is bigger than ever, simply shifting to more value-added production. And the decline of jobs has less to do with cheaper labor elsewhere than with improving production technology. It frees up labor resources to be deployed elsewhere in the economy.
  • Whereas any trade pact is mercantilisic in nature, it improves over the more protectionist and corrupt status quo which hurts consumers and a nation's competitiveness. NAFTA has rapidly expanded our exports to two of our top trading partners, Canada and Mexico. And let us not forget that about 95% of the global population live in other countries; other global competitors will gladly press the advantage of lower trade pact barriers.
  • The real issues are not nefarious foreign competitors, but noncompetitive business tax rates and a nearly $2T regulatory burden. Also, keep in mind that even if China assembles a final product, many of the resources (materials and components) are often externally sourced (e.g., an iPhone and including American goods and services). Also, the US has a number of natural advantages, including logistics, abundant natural resources, and a diversified, educated workforce.
  • Trump's economic illiteracy includes a conceptual misunderstanding of trade deficits, which can only be funded through capital surpluses. This net investment in the American economy benefits companies and workers.
There are other criticisms to make, but as a final point to this piece: Raimondo buys into a leftist critique that the welfare state (including entitlements) could easily be financed if the military-industrial complex would just wither away. Nonsense! The percentage of the military (which will never go to zero as a necessary function of the State) is less than 25% of the federal budget, while entitlements account for at least 70% and climbing in a rapidly aging economy. We don't really have real assets to hedge against entitlement costs, just bookkeeping entries of captive purchases to fund past Congressional operational deficits. This is not to say that we shouldn't streamline the Department of Defense and its missions/obligations; there is no doubt we cannot sustain being the world's policeman or afford a huge, climbing public debt, but government itself needs to be downsized across the board. The government is taking resources from the economy and overregulating it to the point that economic growth has been impaired.

Trump's strategy of trade wars and crippled immigration will impoverish the US economy and does nothing to address the resources needed to drive the future economy with an aging population.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Post #3024 M

Quote of the Day

I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is 
determined not by our circumstance 
but by our disposition.
Martha Washington  

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day


The Legacy of Fidel Castro's Communist Ideology



State Government Regulates Claims of One's Own Heritage and Business



How Would We Parent Without the State?



Facebook Corner

(LFC).

WRONG! Legalize the natural right of migration.

(Pro-Life Libertarians). See the Political Cartoon below.
 It's not just the precedent of kill lists and countless civilian casualties under Obama's expansionary droning operations in nations with which we are in undeclared war but the fact Obama was willing to target Americans overseas without due process. Trump's rhetoric throughout the campaign showed that he wasn't sensitive to individual rights, favoring eminent domain abuse, championing the restoration of torture, and insisting Apple must build a backdoor to its devices for the convenience of the State: Obama has led the way.
I think the unfortunate point is made. I've not investigated enough to know about the difficulties Obama may have faced in trying to close that facility; I generally think he was obstructed unnecessarily at most turns by an idiotic congress.
You're buying into bullshit excuses. This is a President who has been willing to overreach authority so many times that the federal courts have constantly slapped him down and he has lost the most unanimous SCOTUS decisions against him. The reality was that he was unwilling to spend political capital to get it done. As others point out the Democrats controlled one or both houses of Congress for 6 years.

Political Cartoon

Courtesy of the original artist via Pro-Life Libertarians on FB
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Cher, "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves". Her first of 4 #1 hits.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Post #3023 M

Quote of the Day

The man whose authority is recent is always stern.
Aeschylus  

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day


Sowell On Black Lives and Public Policy



Libertarians Discuss Trumpian Foreign Policy

How the anti-establishment libertarians like Raimondo square the circle of the poser non-interventionist Trump who is willing to bomb the shit out of ISIS, steal Arab oil, criticized the Iran deal and restore the use of torture against alleged terrorists and target their families, I don't know, but I'll have more to say in a future post.



Trump and Domestic Energy Policy



Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Breen via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Cher, "You Better Sit Down Kids"

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Post #3022 M: Happy Thanksgiving!

Courtesy of Printablee







Quote of the Day

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.
Plutarch 

Tweet of the Day
Trump's War on Trade and Migration Is Bad For the US Economy



The Government's War On Individual Liberty



Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Gary Varvel via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Cher, "Bang! Bang! (My Baby Shot Me Down)"


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Post #3021 M

Quote of the Day

The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, 
but that it is too low and we reach it. 
Michelangelo 

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day


Unicorn Economically Vacuous "Solutions"



The Dysfunctional Morally Hazardous Public Welfare System



Political Cartoon

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

Cher, "All I Really Want To Do". A classic Bob Dylan cover.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Post #3020 M

Quote of the Day

To dream magnificently is not a gift given to all men, 
and even for those who possess it, it runs a strong risk of being progressively diminished 
by the ever-growing dissipation of modern life and by the restlessness engendered by material progress. 
The ability to dream is a divine and mysterious ability; 
because it is through dreams that man communicates with the shadowy world which surrounds him. 
But this power needs solitude to develop freely; 
the more one concentrates, the more one is likely to dream fully, deeply. 
Charles Baudelaire  

Tweet of the Day
Conscious Capitalism



How To Repeal ObamaCare



The 'Hamilton' Post-Performance Rant at VP-Elect Pence Kerfuffle



Will Trump Make Transportation Great Again?



Theme Songs From My All-Time Favorite TV Series



I loathe lawyers, but Kingsfield was one of my ideals as a professor. The brilliant professor's use of the Socratic method, his rigor and the statement of his teaching philosophy are inspirational (I would have been flattered if my students compared me to Kingsfield instead of comparing my exams to lobotomies or rating them by how many beers it took to forget them.). It was not my role to spoon-feed college students or turn them into clones; I really wanted them to lead them into being self-motivated, independent, adaptive thinkers. I never thought what I taught, like COBOL, given rapidly changing technology, would be relevant over their work careers.



Political Cartoon
Courtesy of Ken Catalino via Townhall
Musical Interview: My Favorite Vocalists

Cher (with Sonny), "When You Say Love". We'll focus more on Cher's solo hits for the rest of the retrospective.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Post #3019 M

Quote of the Day

So great has been the endurance, so incredible the achievement, 
that, as long as the sun keeps a set course in heaven, 
it would be foolish to despair of the human race. 
Ernest L. Woodward  

The Private Sector: American Charity (Before Government Regulates It Out of Existence)



Oh, Happy Day!



On the Futile Abolition of Cigarettes and Vaping



Walter Williams On Secession



Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Chip Bok via Ron Paul on FB
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Cher (with Sonny), "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done"

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Post #3018 M

Quote of the Day

So great has been the endurance, so incredible the achievement, 
that, as long as the sun keeps a set course in heaven, 
it would be foolish to despair of the human race.
Ernest L. Woodward  

Are the Poor Getting Poorer?



The 77-Centers



Political Humor

We'll see how long it lasts with a Bernie buck worth 0.5 cents and no money from the Trump Administration...




Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Gary Varvel via Townhall
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Cher (with Sonny), "All I Ever Need Is You"

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Post #3017 M

Quote of the Day

One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it.
Knute Rockne  

Tweet of the Day
Election 2016 Analysis



The Sharing Economy and Anti-Competitive, Special Interest Government



A Candidate For Education?

Let me be clear that I think the Department of Education should be abolished, that education should be privatized. But people like Michelle Rhee and Eva Moskowitz, who are not conservative Republicans, have challenged the public union dominated education monopoly and would be excellent choices.



Political Cartoon

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

Cher (with Sonny), "Little Man"

Friday, November 18, 2016

Post #3016 M

Quote of the Day

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. 
Aristotle  

On Politics and Civil Discourse



Trump's Economic Illiterate Wall Against Immigration



Obama Beyond Black and White



Political Cartoon
Courtesy of Chip Bok via Reason

Courtesy of Steve Breen  via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists


Sonny (with Cher), "Laugh At Me"

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Post #3015 M

Quote of the Day

The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.
Fred Astaire  

Tweet of the Day
Image of the Day


The Broken Window Fallacy



Military Family Reunion



Real Progress Is For Consumers



Teaching Kids To Save




Choose Life: The Miracle of Newborn Girls



Political Cartoon

Courtesy of Steve Kelley via Townhall

Musical Interlude: My Favorite Vocalists

Cher (with Sonny), "What Now My Love"

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Post #3014 M

Quote of the Day

A champion is someone who gets up when he can't. 
Jack Dempsey  

Tweet of the Day
— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) November 16, 2016
Image of the Day


DEAD WRONG: Abused Statistics on Income Distribution



Compulsory Charity? Morally Dubious...



Political Humor



Consumer Protection By the Elitists?



Facebook Corner
(Mises Institute). Brittany Hunter: If Trump really wants to strike a blow against the Washington establishment, he'll pardon Edward Snowden.
I don't think so. Recall Trump thought Snowden should be executed.

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

Cher (With Sonny), "But You're Mine"