Today's Quote:

"From time to time, we have been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden."

President Ronald Reagan, First Inaugural Address (1981)

Recent Articles:

Airman, another glass of sherry…: Flying Congress Air

July 2, 2009 Congress 1 Comment
Airman, another glass of sherry…: Flying Congress Air

I have flown on some of the swankiest jets the US Air Force flies. Gulfstreams, Boeing jets, I’ve even been on Air Force One once. It is truly amazing the air fleet the US Air force has for official travel. So I’m not surprised that Congress has been using this fleet of fully decked out aircraft, most of which leave and depart from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

When I was a political appointee, I routinely flew with members of Congress to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I made routine trips to GTMO out of Andrews;  Gulfstream V type aircraft (military designator is a C-37), nice little “United States of America” on the side, with the traditional blue and white striping, and flights were complete with nice gourmet meals, movies, newspapers, air to air and air to ground communications, and personal stewards. All the trappings one would expect to see on “The Apprentice” can be found on US military VIP aircraft. One would hardly be surprised to see “Gordon Gecko” emerge from the tail of the aircraft.  In short, they’re quite nice.

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Do Deficits Matter?

July 1, 2009 Economics No Comments
Do Deficits Matter?

The President’s FY2010 budget would increase the national debt (the total amount owed to all creditors) by 1.75 trillion (1,750,000,000,000) dollars. The amount is truly staggering. While not the largest deficit as a percentage of GDP, in terms of sheer dollars, it is the largest. Current budget estimates put the deficit to grow by as much as 10-12 trillion (the equivalent of one year of the US GDP at current economic output), over the term of the Obama administration.

Many people are genuinely concerned by the sheer size of the deficits and how much the national debt will grow. I’ve been asked: Does it matter? Why does it matter? What about the Chinese owning our debt? Do future generations really pay off the debts? Does it limit economic growth? Reduce wages? Increase interest rates?

Tonight’s blog post is intended to answer some of these questions and provide readers greater insights into the macroeconomic conditions of the United States. Tonight’s blog post is also meant as a reply to a ongoing conversation I’ve had with Michael Johns about deficits and his assertion to me that deficits in the end really don’t matter (something I hesitantly agree with, but do so with significant caveats as I struggle to define where the boundaries are for when they do matter.)

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Franken makes Filibuster Proof? I think not…

July 1, 2009 On Trade 1 Comment
Franken makes Filibuster Proof? I think not…

So, last night I am watching Keith Olbermann and Rachael Maddow’s shows, and they are salivating over the Minnesota Supreme Court decision in the Coleman v. Franken case. Of course they’re fixated on the idea that now with 60 democrat partisan seats, that translates into the ability to move for cloture against any threat (or use) of a filibuster tactic. In other words, they are orgasmically excited about the idea of doing whatever they want in the Senate without anyone to stop them. I am sure if Chris Matthew’s show had been on, he would have also felt chills up his leg.

I find it ironic that Olbermann and Maddow allegedly represent the idea that Republicans squashed democracy over the last eight years of the Bush Administration, yet are almost incoherently giddy at the prospect of being able to squash all debate on a bill in the legislature at a whim.

How easy is it for the Senate majority leader to just ramrod through legislation? Not very. Let’s use the first likely test, cap and trade.

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Take two Tylenol and call me… well, maybe not.

June 30, 2009 Tyranny 1 Comment
Take two Tylenol and call me… well, maybe not.

The makers of Tylenol, Excedrin, and other medications containing acetaminophen are trying to dissuade regulators from placing new restrictions on their popular painkillers, including possibly removing some of them from store shelves.

The Food and Drug Administration has assembled more than 35 experts to discuss ways to prevent overdose with acetaminophen – the pain-relieving, fever-reducing ingredient in Tylenol and dozens of other prescription and over-the-counter medications.

According to the FDA, acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. and sends 56,000 people to the emergency room annually.

The agency today asked its experts to consider a range of options: adding a “black box” warning label to the products, lowering the drug dosage in some products, or pulling certain types of medications off the market.

… Continue Reading

Excuse me, but I’d rather curse the darkness…

June 29, 2009 Tyranny 2 Comments
Excuse me, but I’d rather curse the darkness…

While last Friday’s Waterloo was being unable to hold the line on HR2454 (Cap-and-trade), today’s foray into the ever expanding world of “climate change” mitigation is light bulbs.

Yes, the Government literally wants to answer the question, “How many bureaucrats does it take to screw in a lightbulb?”

Answer? One – the President. And it better be one of those little curly-q light bulbs too.. incandescent/tungsten bulbs are so 1990’s now.

President Obama announced Monday that he is setting new standards for fluorescent and incandescent lighting as part of a series of steps to promote energy efficiency across the country. “I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and businesses,” the President said, standing alongside Energy Secretary Steven Chu at the White House a few hours ago.

I’m sure that soon the Energy Department will announce a credit or a coupon as part of the stimulus package where if you’re unable to screw in your own lightbulbs… someone from ACORN will come to your house and screw them in for you, free of charge.

This would be funny if it wasn’t absolutely ridiculous.

First of all, have you ever used those bulbs? I’ll be frank – they suck. They more than suck. They really suck. They do not generate the same amount of light at the same intensity. One day the wife convinced me to go and buy a bunch of them from Ikea. So we bought like 30 of them. We changed every bulb in our house. Why? Well, allegedly they save energy. A fair amount of energy as a matter of fact. So I thought, “well hey, if we can get the same amount of light and pay less – why not do that?”

Well guess what, they save energy by reducing the amount of LIGHT output as well. It’s not efficient to say “hey, my car gets better gas mileage when I drive it less.” Efficiency is being able to do the same task for less energy.

The bulbs have gotten a bit better since my foray into curly-q bulbs in 2005, but in my view they still suck. I’d use them if they didn’t suck, because, as the guy who pays the electric bill, I’m well aware that little consumption changes can lead to big changes in the electric bill. President Obama doesn’t need a government program to convince me to reduce my expenses, I do that on my own thanks. If the light bulbs were worth it, I’d buy them.

The President has stated that he believes that between 2012 and 2042, the new standards on light bulb efficiency would save consumers up to $4 billion a year, reducing emissions of greenhouses gases “equal to the amount produced by 166 million cars each year.’’ Of course, there is nothing but specious science and alleged “data” to back that up. The president said he is also speeding the release of $346 million under his economic recovery act to expand the use of energy-efficient technologies in residential and commercial buildings. So I guess once again, the little guy gets screwed in favor of “big business,” ACORN is going to to change their light bulbs for office parks first.

People do not need government programs to save money. What they need is options. The market can provide these options if there is sufficient incentive to do so. If high efficiency lightbulbs really do work, then people will buy them. Why pay more for light when you don’t have to. Most people figure that out.

Instead, what will happen is we’ll have the light bulb equivalent of the toilet debacle. Congress decided in order to save water, we should redesign our toilets to flush less water. Ok – ever use one of those? They suck too (or rather don’t suck enough). Because the pressure to get the “matter” through the pipe is half of what it used to be, most of the times you wind up flushing twice. Now, I must admit that Kohler has come up with a really good non-pressurized toilet that flushes quite well. Guess what -that puppy costs about TWICE as much as a normal toilet did. So, where exactly is the savings? In the end, nothing in my house flushes as well as the old fashioned one that is 3.5 gallons. Doesn’t matter what goes in the bowl – it’s gone – one flush.

As a matter of fact, my understanding is that old toilets are salvaged with the higher flush volumes because there is a secondary market for them. By and large, people hate the “high efficiency” toilets. I’m sure you don’t think about that much – but the next time you’re “on the throne” understand, Uncle Sam cares about your waste. He cares so much, he even designed the toilet. I mean, how ridiculous is that?

I wonder if I’ll be able to salvage real light bulbs… since the new ones suck. Otherwise, I’ll be condemned to sitting in eye-harming twilight on my non-flushing toilet.

So when the President is joking how he has enough to do… claiming he doesn’t want more of your liberty… ask why he’s in your bathroom regulating your toilets and your lightbulbs. Hope and Change…. Barack Obama.

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Featured Content:

Airman, another glass of sherry…: Flying Congress Air

July 2, 2009

Airman, another glass of sherry…: Flying Congress Air

I have flown on some of the swankiest jets the US Air Force flies. Gulfstreams, Boeing jets, I’ve even been on Air Force One once. It is truly amazing the air fleet the US Air force has for official travel. So I’m not surprised that Congress has been using this fleet of fully decked out aircraft, most of which leave and depart from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

Do Deficits Matter?

July 1, 2009

Do Deficits Matter?

Many people are genuinely concerned by the sheer size of the deficits and how much the national debt will grow. I’ve been asked: Does it matter? Why does it matter? What about the Chinese owning our debt? Do future generations really pay off the debts? Does it limit economic growth? Reduce wages? Increase interest rates?

Franken makes Filibuster Proof? I think not…

July 1, 2009

Franken makes Filibuster Proof? I think not…

How easy is it for the Senate majority leader to just ramrod through legislation? Not very.

Take two Tylenol and call me… well, maybe not.

June 30, 2009

Take two Tylenol and call me… well, maybe not.

The makers of Tylenol, Excedrin, and other medications containing acetaminophen are trying to dissuade regulators from placing new restrictions on their popular painkillers, including possibly removing some of them from store shelves.

Excuse me, but I’d rather curse the darkness…

June 29, 2009

Excuse me, but I’d rather curse the darkness…

President Obama announced Monday that he is setting new standards for fluorescent and incandescent lighting as part of a series of steps to promote energy efficiency across the country. “I know light bulbs may not seem sexy, but this simple action holds enormous promise because 7 percent of all the energy consumed in America is used to light our homes and businesses,” the President said, standing alongside Energy Secretary Steven Chu at the White House a few hours ago.

Pre-emptive Pacificism: Obama’s Grand strategy to Surrender

June 29, 2009

If the sin of the Bush Doctrine was threatening conflict before it was appropriate, the sin of the Obama Doctrine is ensuring US surrender before the first shot is even fired.

The Vichy-Republicans propel the Democrats to Victory on HR 2454

June 26, 2009

It’s own drafters didn’t have a clue what was in it. Heck, they didn’t even have a full official copy of the BILL on the floor during the debates. That didn’t stop these Republican from breaking with what is the core of our party’s platform to enact what will be the second largest tax increase in American history (the largest tax increase is reserved for whatever President Obama manages to get through on “Deathcare”).

Parsing Obamaspeak on Health Care

June 25, 2009

In this piece, I take the President’s press conference of June 23, 2009, and break down the “Obamaspeak” into something a bit more manageable on the health care issue.

Health care in Canada: Here’s a video ABCNews won’t show you…

June 25, 2009

A independent short film at YouTube about the Canadian single-payer system and an individual suffering from brain cancer.

The Law of Unintended Consequences Case Study #2: Gov. Sanford

June 24, 2009

Part of the reason why revelations like Gov. Sanford’s hurt the Republican party so much is we hold ourselves to a high moral standard. One element of that standard is, you don’t cheat on your wife. Thus, if a Republican goes out and has an affair, it is much more of a problem than if a Democrat does. No one expects Democrats to have any adherence to a standard because the party enforces no such standard. Democrats don’t run on “family values,” nor do they run on the “rule of law” as their platform guidance. Hence, Democrats who have problems tend not to get thrown overboard. I’m not saying they’re bad people, I’m saying that partisan doctrine doesn’t impose on its members a set of consistent ethical standards.

Recent Comments:

  • Editor: I've gotten a few emails and whatnot today about this piece - so I want to clarify. It is still VERY important that you make clear your disgust for...
  • Anne-Marie: Great observations! Those who claim to speak for all women are the biggest hypocrites. You only mentioned a few things from recent US events. Not onl...
  • JulieLaughridge: The site looks great now, Bryan.. Very well put together! Looking forward to the drawing for the book because I'd LOVE to win it!...
  • ceolas: As you say, Cap and Trade is an expensive roundabout way of achieving… not very much. Whatever about one’s attitude to greenhouse gas emissions, t...
  • ceolas: Well..even if those fluorescent lights were all great it'd still bee wrong to ban the ordinary bulbs... All that "great saving" stuff: Yes, ban c...