Twenty-five Years a Wahoo

Tomorrow afternoon, I will head to the center of the known universe in Charlottesville, VA, to join several hundred classmates from the University of Virginia, Class of 1987 for our 25th Reunion.  It is a weekend I have been looking forward to for five years, as the 20th Reunion was an occasion of great fun, wonderful memories, and incredible friendships. We--and the Class of 1962--are the big deals this weekend, an event that gathers classes spaced five years apart and uses economies of scale to put on some wicked awesome parties, interesting seminars, and great eating occasions. 

I am not ambivalent about my time at UVA, and I am not neutral about the impact that place had on my life.  Next to the home I grew up in--nothing--not even the Navy--comes close to having had the impact on producing the man I am than the four years I spent there. 

During a lunchtime thought experiment once, back when I was in the Navy, a fried asked me whether if  "...God himself came down right now and said "I will make you the Chief of Naval Operations--all it will cost you is your memory of UVA"--would you take the deal".  The answer came swiftly and unequivocally.  Absolutely not.  And if God came down today and said, "I will make you President, if only you agree to have your memory of UVA slicked", I would not take that deal.

I'll bring my computer with me and try to capture some of the meaning of the event.  Pictures are sure to follow. 

Common Sense on Medicare

The question of class warfare has come up on this blog now and then over the years, but some of us have also been writing and thinking about "age-warfare".  That is, with the "pig" of the Baby-Boomers moving through the "python" of retirement and old age, a gigantic transfer of wealth will occur from the young and productive to the old and sick.  This editorial lays out the numbers in a fairly straightforward and unemotional way.  Americans have come to believe that they have "paid for" their Medicare benefits and by God, they're going to get them.  The truth is however, something else.  The difference between what the average worker pays into the system and what they derive from it is immense, and it is ultimately paid for by the income taxes of those still working.  We MUST begin to think rationally about how the medical care of seniors--a group whose aggregate net worth has increased at a rate faster than any other age cohort--is financed.  Because a person has avoided the grave does not ipso facto mean that the rest of us should pay for their medical insurance.  Medicare MUST be means tested--aggressively--so that young, productive workers are not taxed in order to fund "the good life" for those with sufficient resources.

Thune, Worthy of Consideration

Senator John Thune (right) and his brother.

I know the conventional wisdom around this place is Rubio's the best VP selection, but I'm thinking this dude may be a solid choice.  Romney could use a senator, an evangelical, someone who can relate to blue-collar voters and a Midwesterner.  And he could use a regular Joe, too, someone who is authentic in pictures like the one above.

National Review has a piece talking him up here.

A Distinction With A Difference

Today is Memorial Day.  It is set aside as a day to honor those who fell in our nation's wars.  It is right that we do so.  It is not however, a day to honor the service of all veterans (though such a sentiment expressed every day is ok with me).  That day occurs in November--Veteran's Day. 

Troubadour of the 99%, Rollin' Like the 1%

Over-rated lefty windbag Bruce Springsteen, of late the champion of the 99%/OWS crowd, takes in the equestrian scene at Royal Windsor.  Daughter Jessica and her horse"Vornado Van Den Hoendrik" competed there, in the presence of the Queen no less.

No word on the carbon footprint associated with transporting "Vornado" from the swamps of Jersey to "this England".

Indeed.

H/T Glenn Reynolds

The Badger State and The Presidential Election

I blogged once about this already, but I really think it is an interesting subject, so I'll repeat myself.  It looks to me like the Law of Unintended Consequences is alive and well in Wisconsin, as the forces involved in the recall of Governor Scott Walker--which I will group here (perhaps unfairly) as "occupiers" and "public union sympathizers", are potentially bringing on a disastrous turn of events in November.  Not only does it increasingly look like Walker will win, the effort to ensure it has energized and organized the Republican Party to an extent not seen there for a few years.  I'd say Wisconsin still leans D, but it surely is in play this November.

Big Fat Friday Free For All

Hey folks--what has you down?  Anything you want to complain about?  Well, I've got something.  We're still a long way from $10K in May!--how about clicking this link and chipping in to the candidacy of the man who will send the Obama family packing? 

Racializing the Election

Hammer's done a good job of keeping us primed for the coming (now) racialization of the election.  The Washington Post contributes a bit of "journalism" to the issue this morning, with yet another in-depth analysis of race and voting pattens, this time, the propensity of white people without college degrees to vote against the Democratic candidate.  And while this particular report does a reasonable job of being fair (reminds us that previous white Democratic candidates did as poorly with this group as the President is), it somehow manages to conveniently overlook the fact that black people without college degrees vote against the Republican candidate--consistently--in numbers that far outweigh white patterns.  But, that isn't important to the narrative.

Another Donor!

That's right folks, our 29th donor stepped up to the plate today--from the great City of Virginia Beach!  Click this link and help put Barack Obama on the plane back to Chicago! 

Victor Davis Hanson on the Power of Cool

VDH offers a searing view of our Hep-cat in Chief and those who support him. 

One Max Donor Away from $10K in May!

That's right folks, because of the generous donations of "an old sea dog" and the best catcher Cherry Hill Little League ever saw, we are now within striking distance of the $10K mark.  Just one $2500 "max" donation to the general election will do the trick, but 100 $25 donations will do just as well!   Thanks to our most recent donors!

To make a donation of your own to Romney for President, click this link and don't forget to check the box that says you know your referrer!

Paradox of Thrift

There's been a lot of talk lately about the "Paradox of Thrift". This is one of those postulations that is observable fact, obvious to anyone with half a brain, but scares hell out of voters. Basically what the "paradox" says is when you find yourself in incredibly suffocating debt due to profligate spending (Dem handbook says to gloss over this part) and actually stop the bloodletting, then as a result economic activity will slow down and there will be less consumption, less saving and less growth (Dem handbook says hits this part hard). Well no kidding? Thank God for liberals and John Maynard Keynes! We dolts out in the sticks would never have figured this one out.

How stupid would you have to be to not see how obvious this so called paradox is? If you as an individual, family, company or country spend money you don't have then hard times are coming sooner or later. It is impossible to spend your way out of debt. You cannot purchase economic prosperity like a loaf of bread. Stimulus packages are just transfers of wealth with no beneficial impact on an economy whatsoever, it just takes money from the productive and gives more often than not to the non-productive. So the Democrats try to use this Keynesian nonsense to justify their spendthrift ways and beat Romney over the head as well. In the situation we find ourselves in today, to get back to a healthy productive economy, depravation and pain are unavoidable. Sorry, but there it is. And anybody who says differently needs a slap.

$10K in May--The Case for Donation

Folks, we've got a little over a week left in the month of May, and the $10,000 mark looms large.  I've spent quite a bit of time on this blog trying to build a case for you to vote for Mitt Romney, but to some extent, I was preaching to the choir.  Whether you were for him in the primaries or not, most regular readers of this blog have arrived at the point of supporting the presumptive Republican nominee, if for no other reason than to correct the mistake America made in 2008 and replace Barack Obama.

What I haven't done much of is to make the case for why you should give money to that effort.  I'll take a stab at that today.

I write today in order to reach the average American--if there is such a thing.  While I would be thrilled if this solicitation resulted in $50K donations to the RNC, that's not what I'm trying to do, and those are not the people I'm trying to reach.  I'm trying to reach Americans who at a very elemental level, perceive that something has gone wrong with our country, that we have become a society of those who take more than they give, that we are rapidly becoming just another nation on the international scene, and that the longer Barack Obama remains President, the more we begin to look like a failing European nation.

The people I am writing to today understand that we are on a path to providing our children a world in which living a better life than we have, is--for the first time in American history--in jeopardy.  I am trying to reach those people who teach their children the virtues of self-reliance, determination, and reasonable ambition; who tell their children that they CAN succeed, not that their success is a right, or an entitlement.  I am writing to people who see gasoline prices straining their budgets while vast reserves of energy go untapped in this country.  I am writing to people who believe that what they earn is theirs, not what the state allows them to keep.  I am writing to people who believe that the answer to runaway healthcare costs is not socialism, but more freedom--freedom to buy insurance on a truly open market, where providers compete for business.  I am writing to people who want to live in a society in which the needy are provided for, but who don't believe that one's age is the primary determinant in the loot one receives from the government.

I am writing to ask a small donation of people who don't believe that it is their responsibility to pay for the birth control of others, and who believe that being told to do so by the government is overreach.  I am writing to those who value economic mobility, who dream of a better financial condition and are working to bring it about in their own lives.  I am writing to those who do not look to the federal government to pay their mortgage, educate their children, keep them well, or subsidize their vehicles.

I am writing to all of these kinds of people---because their opposites--those who believe in an enhanced welfare state, those who believe in hand-outs to green energy cronies of the President, those who feel it in their hearts that healthcare should be provided by the government--these people are funding the re-election effort of the President.  Yes, George Clooney and his pals put $15M in the President's account last week--but a huge number of contributions are coming into the best financed campaign in history from ordinary citizens with a skewed view of the role of government in their lives, and ours. 

We need to meet these people head on.  We need to create an army of individuals who say to the prospect of continuing decline..."Not in my lifetime".  One by one, readers of this blog, their families, their friends, their co-workers--people who see in the path we are taking not the continuation of the American dream but its truncation---need to come together and use the power of the free market to help bring about their desires.  Yes--the best argument to contribute to Mitt Romney for President is the free market argument.  Indicate your preference with your money, the more money Romney raises, the more he can contest the other side--who is likely to raise $1B this cycle. 

Click this link and use the free market to bring about the end of the Obama Presidency.  We have the chance to do what this country did in 1980--and that is, put an end to the decline.  It is up to us.

Renovation Update--Goodbye Mud!

I once wrote a blogpost here that got me quite a bit of ribbing--mostly from Mudge if I remember correctly, in which I bitched mightily about the condition of our stone driveway, which long ago had lost most of its stones and had turned into either a dusty mess or a muddy mess, depending on which season we are in.  Made no sense to tackle the job while the renovation was underway, but we're done with the house now--and we've turned our attention to the yard.  Below is a photo of the new "pea-gravel" driveway, regraded and really looking good.  There are a few more photos here if you'd like to look.  We're almost there.....

Ready For Your Lesson?

Too young to remember Bull Connor? Not that clear on "The Letter From Birmingham Jail"? Thought fire hoses were just for fighting fires? Not to worry, your DNC approved lesson will begin shortly.

You see, our first "affirmative action" President wants you to know all about the Civil Rights Movement™. Affirmative action President? Why Hammer, you genocidal racist redneck cracker! Our President won the office fair and square, there was no favoritism, he was elected by a majority of the people in a free and open election. Au contraire mon frere (ou sœur). Our President was not vetted, in fact every effort was made by the main stream media and other interested parties to hide Mr. Obama's background, views and associations. When Bill Clinton made a completely appropriated and legitimate suggestion that we should all take a closer look at the Boy Wonder, the race card came out faster than a bottle of Absolut at a Lindsay Lohan "get out of jail" party. So I can only conclude that while our first black President may have won the election, he was given special treatment not afforded to his non-minority competition, and that dear friends is the very definition of "affirmative action".

Now, that's how he got here, how is he going to stay? Several ways, but certainly an important facet of Team Obama's overall stratagem is "racial justice". The narrative that America is still basically a racist society must be made clear. Voters, especially young minority voters must be taught about the struggle and its heroes (including the more violent, morally ambiguous figures like H. Rap Brown, Eldridge Cleaver and Stokely Carmichael). Minorities must be made to feel helpless and outraged...and consequently motivated. The choice has to be seen as a crossroads between regression and Bull Connor's America, or progression and Barack Obama's vision for the future.

So get ready. Until election day we will be given steady reminders (sometimes subtle, sometimes overt) of past civil rights struggles complete with antagonists (white America) and protagonists (black America). Outrage and guilt will be the order of the day. Who cares if the result is division and violence? So what if a few buildings get burned down and a few people die? The left has too much invested in this President to see him go down as a failed one-termer. The race card must be played early and often because what's good for Obama and the Democrats, is good for America.  

Friday Again? Must Be Time To Contribute to Romney for President!

Still looking to get over the $10K hurdle in the month of May--if everyone who visited the site gave $12.71 yesterday, by Jove we'd be at $10K this morning.  And while I'd certainly advocate your contributing more than that, every little bit helps. 

Click this link to contribute and don't forget to indicate that you know your referrer!

Big Fat Friday Free For All

Got anything to get off your chest, bub?  Got a problem with an old Pastor in your past?  Is everyone mad at you because you want to evade US taxes?  Share your pain, friends; today's the day!

Just Plain Funny

Another Generous Donation to Romney for President

That's right folks--another donation today, this time from a stunningly beautiful and incredibly smart fellow Wahoo.  Looks like the ladies are pulling strong oars, boys.  Time to break out those checkbooks!

Maryland Soaks the Not-So-Rich

Democratic darling, Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, and Chief of Executive of the People's State of Maryland Martin O'Malley--along with his reliable cronies in the Maryland legislature--have out-Obama-ed Obama by passing legislation raising the state income tax (fourth highest in the country) on single taxpayers above the $100K level and families above the $150K level.  The increase is--wait---here it comes---"for the children" in order to protect "investments" in the State's education system.

The suggestion that there was nowhere else to go to get the money is simple lunacy--raising taxes was the easy, reliable, and genetically-mapped action of a single-party State.  The concept of cutting government and reducing or eliminating programs simply does not occur to this crowd.

No word yet on whether Maryland will change its state song from "Maryland, My Maryland" to "California Here I Come."

Could Wisconsin Public Sector Unions Hand the Election to Romney?

How sweet is this?  Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are in a virtual tie in swing state Wisconsin, a state Obama won in 2008 56% to 42%.  What's going on here?  Well, the Walker Recall!  That's right--the heavily union-backed effort to recall the evil Scott Walker has energized Wisconsin Republicans, to the point where the state is in play.  Most observers feel this election is going down to the wire--and Wisconsin teachers could provide the margin of victory--FOR ROMNEY.  Delicious. 

Hey! What About $10K in May?

Friends, are you watching the campaign?  Mitt and his team are doing things right and Obama is on the run!  We need to keep shoveling coal in the machine--and that coal is MONEY!  Please consider clicking this link and making your donation. Don't forget to click the box signifying you know your referrer.   Let's get the site over $10K in May!

Debate on Strategy in Asia

I know this will drive Hammer nuts, but here's an hour's worth of video of a debate/discussion I had today in Washington. 

$100 Closer to $10K in May!

We had a $100 donation yesterday from a wonderful woman with a great conservative mind!  The bandwagon is rolling folks--click this link and make your donation today!  Don't forget to check the box that indicates you know your referrer. 

Time For the Toss-up Round

Wonderful family photo, see if you can pick out the future Navy officer. 

Happy Mother's Day!!!

To all the Mum's who read this blog, enjoy your day!

Our Matriarch, with her favorite son, closest.

The Walker Phenomenon the NYT Skips

Walter Russell Mead has a nice post on Scott Walker's coalition in Wisconsin--you  remember Wisconsin, don't you?  Where the public sector unions, Democrats and Liberals (but I repeat myself) have gathered to "recall" the man who is putting the state back on its feet?  It occurs to me that Wisconsin may once again be showing itself as the shape of things to come--similar to the role it played early in the last century.  There, it was a "progressive" movement that sought to reshape the political landscape.  This time, conservatives hold the whip hand.

$10K in May!

Let's go folks!  Click this link and let the money fly--we gotta send the Obama's back to the Ayres and Dorn cocktail party circuit in Chicago.  Let's raise $10,000 before June 1...  Who is with me?

Times are Tough in the UK

Prince Charles apparently in need of employment.  He's becoming more like his father, which is a very good thing.

Big Fat Friday Free For All

What has you down, friends?  Your five year old wants to stop breast-feeding and that makes you feel abandoned?  Got a Vice President who can't keep his mouth shut?  Are your (multiple) autobiographies providing ammunition for an opponent you're trying to smear?  Unburden yourselves!

It's Not You, It's Me!

Poor Richard Lugar! A lion of the Senate. He was first elected when most of you were trying to shape your peach fuzz into Neil Young mutton-chops (nevermind, that was me) or more likely terrorizing the neighborhood on a Big Wheel. Point being the guy has been around a long time, and he lost in the Indiana primary; not the general election mind you, THE PRIMARY!

If this isn't a wake up call to the establishment Republicans I don't know what is. Ok ok, I can hear it now: If we vote out the moderates we'll get killed in November, we need the swing voters and "right-wing" Tea Party types can't win! Horse Hockey! When Republicans make the conservative/libertarian case, clearly and concisely, they almost always win, and in these troubled times voters are in no mood for compromise. The Tea Party defeated Richard Lugar, and the moderates, compromisers and appeasers in the Republican Party have been put on notice.  

Obama's "Courageous" Evolution on Gay Marriage

President Obama's personal journey on the subject of gay marriage advocacy reached a new point yesterday, which incidentally, is where he was on the subject in 1996 when he was running for a seat in the Illinois State Senate.  Heading today to the West Coast and the arms of George Clooney, the President is being hailed as a conquering hero by the echo chamber that is the Hollywood/Mainstream Media Nexus.  His "evolution" (a term the media usually frames as "flip-flop" when applied to Republicans, or when someone comes to a conclusion antithetical to their views) is not a sign of political courage, so much as it is a sign of growing desperation in the White House.

Let's face it.  No one, and I mean no one, is surprised that Barack Obama said what he did yesterday.  Most of us believed that his affirmation of straight marriage for so long was a coldly political calculation, and that he personally believed as much of his political base believes.  Now, the cat is out of the bag.

But why NOW?  Everyone's blaming it on Joe Biden, but Biden only let slip a policy change that had already been made, maybe a bit earlier than it was going to be announced.  The reason we see this now is a growing sense of desperation in the White House, which Democratic guru James Carville laid out for all of us the other day.  The President could lose this election, and they are running scared.   The bottom line here is the bottom line--and that is, Wall Street money--which was on Obama's side in 2008, isn't there after four years of pummeling from Pennsylvania Avenue.  The next best place for the President to raise money is from Hollywood, which has expressed some discomfort with the President's previously held position on the issue.  A change of mind can and will lead to more money from a newly enthused pro-gay marriage community.  That is why the President evolved--once again, a cold political calculation.

To review--my position on gay marriage is the same as my position on straight marriage.  Government should be out of it altogether.  Marriage should be a social/religious convention, and government should have no role in it.  Including collecting a disproportionate amount of tax money from the non-married.

Brokered Convention!

Inmate 11593-051 takes 41% of the vote to O's 59% in the West Virginia primary. 

If You Are In DC May 16th....

stop by the Center for National Policy for a little strategery.

You Snooze, You Lose!

Europe has taken a turn left (if that's possible). In France, Le Parti Socialiste won big with the election of Francois Hallande to replace the (so-called) conservative Président Nicolas Sarkozy. Hallande is a typical European/French socialist; i.e. anti-capitalist statist, anti-American etc. as well as being a very peculiar individual. He's never been married but likes to chase the skirts (huge surprise there), rides around Paris on a scooter (pussy!), and his mistress of 25 years (and mother to his four children) was also a candidate for President (they split when he was caught with a little side "morceau de cul" ). But by comparison he's actually quite normal compared to his main party rival Dominique Strauss-Kahn. In his youth he was educated at the best training academies for bureaucrats France has to offer and worked tirelessly for La Grande République's last "official" socialist President Francois Mitterand. I expect he'll run France into the ground almost immediately.


So what happened? The first thing one must know about European politics is that conservatives are not conservative and socialists mean what they say. Sarkozy was elected as a reformer, and he made an attempt but chose to go slow in an effort to mitigate the pain. Not a smart move. Reform, any kind of reform but especially of the magnitude required in France with all their unions and leftists and malcontents, needs to be done quickly and brutally. Pain is inevitable. In order to survive politically, and for the good of France, Sarkozy should have taken a meat cleaver to the problem. But instead he chose the "safe" way, the path with the least pain, the path of slow malignant death: Death for his political career and perhaps death for France and Europe. 


There's a lesson to be learned here, and I hope Gov. Romney is watching. Go the way of Ronald Reagan and do what needs to be done in spite of the political threats and blackmail from the left, or be slow and methodical while accomplishing nothing and pissing everybody off, including your base. Sarkozy was either a coward or a fool, either way France was the big loser. 

The Beginning of the End of the Renovation

The house is complete.  All that's left is landscaping.  Below is what we've done around the pool.  Can't wait for summer!  Sod is a wonderful thing--makes me want to tear up the rest of the lawn and lay it down...

Next up is to repair the damage in the backyard--then--onto the front!

The Thrill is Gone

The President "kicked off" his campaign yesterday before a sparse crowd at Ohio State.  

When Julia Loses MSNBC, Julia's in Trouble...

Classic!

Q: What's the rule for Democrats running for national office? A: Hide who you are. Run to the center, run as a conservative if you have to and you can get away with it, but for Heaven's sake never ever own up to your big-government leftist positions. It's the kiss of death.

But every now and again leftists lose focus and show their true colors. "The Life of Julia" is a prime example. It's a little slide show comparing and contrasting the President's cradle-to-grave activist approach to government and the Republican Romney's heartless "you're on your own" model (i.e. the American way). The problem is, like a woman trying to look hot on a first date with a low cut dress, it's a little too revealing and suggests the wrong message. Even that collection of leftist hacks on MSNBC were embarrassed for the President because the underlying message of dependency, intrusion and "you're not good enough to make it without us" may be a fine a policy goal, but should never be enunciated so clearly.

I think I understand where Team Obama is trying to go with this. Their tactics of divide, manipulate and blame are not working that well. They desperately want to present a positive vision for the future (you know, a little hope and change) that worked so well last time, but when you have a clear record of failure it's hard to offer up just more of the same. Dependency doesn't work in real life, as the President's policies have demonstrated, and it won't work as a campaign theme.

Big Fat Friday Free For All!

What's got you down, Bub?  Got a Chinese dissident hanging out in your embassy?  Are you going to have to sit out the NFL season?  Are stockholders questioning your academic cred?  Share people, share!

Have You Made Your Friday Donation to Romney for President?

Let's face it folks, Mitt's been on a bit of a roll since putting the Republican nomination away, and he's beginning to really get under the skin of Democrats, including our President.  Let's keep the momentum rolling by contributing whatever you can.  We've received donations through he CW site of $10-$2500; you don't have to be a high roller to play a part!  Click this link to contribute, and don't forget to check the box indicating that you know your referrer. 

Things the Press Finds Newsworthy: A Contrast

The cost of Michelle Obama's $467,000 vacation to Spain?  Not interesting. 
Michelle Obama's $540 sneakers for a soup kitchen photo op?  Yawn.
$424,142 in expenses racked up in a trip to South Africa and Botswana for Mrs. O, her daughters, and an entourage to include a hairdresser and makeup artist?  Ho-hum.

The cost of Ann Romney's designer shirt?  Suddenly we have some fascinating stuff.  At least worthy of a lead story on Politico.   

For $990, I would venture to say Mrs. R. got ripped off.  However, with the exception of the sneakers, Mrs. O's extravagances were covered by us.  The fish shirt was purchased with Romney money.

Elizabeth Warren, Everywoman

In a dogged attempt to wrest the Scott Brown seat in the Senate from the Republicans, Hahhvahd Professor Elizabeth Warren has painted herself as Everywoman, to include those living on Reservations.  A nifty takedown of the Professor can be found here.