Loony editorial today by Sebastian Mallaby, in which he advocates for another stimulus AND refers to the 2001 tax cut as "crazy".
Referring to our fiscal situation as "swimming in red ink", Mallaby conveniently forgets that this nation OFTEN fights wars from a deficit posture. Oh yeah, that's right, we're AT WAR. The tax cuts were and are an important way for Americans to keep more of their own money...once we were attacked and had to respond, of course we went into a deficit situation. The answer isn't to tax our way out, it is to GROW our way out (even as fewer resources come to be spent on the war).
I'm sure many of you will say that Iraq didn't attack us; and by that strict measure of whether or not to fight war, I suppose you're right. But our government was repeatedly criticized for "failing to connect the dots" in the run up to 9-11, and the possibility that a man with the desire to use WMD (Bin Laden) would join up with a man with the means to provide WMD (Saddam) is enough for me. Oh you say, but Saddam didn't have WMD. Well, we know that now. But EVERY single reputable intelligence service on the face of the earth believed that he did, and he said and did everything he could to make us think he did. Ancient Chinese saying goes, "Wave toy gun in the face of police man, get shot in the face."
It is time for us to do very little. This is actually one of the great things about being a conservative--doing nothing is often a great thing to do! The government has taken action to shore up financial markets and bring confidence to the system. The dollar is rising. The stock market has stabilized. Housing will solve itself when the correct balance among supply, demand and credit is reached. Will there be pain in the interim? Yes. But at least we don't do stupid and damaging things (like another stimulus, or letting the Bush tax cuts expire) while we wait to see what the impact of what we've ALREADY done is.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Utah Arch Falls; Is Global Warming to Blame?
Noted this story and was fascinated that the fallen arch was not somehow associated with global warming. Apparently two new and even more insidious culprits are to blame; gravity and erosion.
The Press and John Edwards
Howard Kurtz does his usual fine, balanced job as the WaPost media critic today, taking the press to task for how they (did not) cover the John Edwards story.
Where I do take issue with him is his glossing over of the comparison made by Republicans over what the press response would have been if the philanderer were Mitt Romney. By pointing to Governor Patterson and Bill Clinton, Kurtz attempts to show balance in reporting sex scandals about Dems. But let's face facts; Patterson came to office in the wake of an already burning sex scandal surrounding the office's previous occupant, and Bill Clinton was the President of the US. Kurtz's blithe dismissal of media bias to favor Edwards just doesn't add up. Romney would have been pilloried, just like David Vitter was.
Where I do take issue with him is his glossing over of the comparison made by Republicans over what the press response would have been if the philanderer were Mitt Romney. By pointing to Governor Patterson and Bill Clinton, Kurtz attempts to show balance in reporting sex scandals about Dems. But let's face facts; Patterson came to office in the wake of an already burning sex scandal surrounding the office's previous occupant, and Bill Clinton was the President of the US. Kurtz's blithe dismissal of media bias to favor Edwards just doesn't add up. Romney would have been pilloried, just like David Vitter was.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Update to Honor Story
Below, I recount in the story of the UVA Honor system, a vignette from my time there. My English TA, Luis Gamez, brought me up on BS academic fraud charges.
Well, looky, looky what I found right here on Al Gore's internet. Seems old Luis wasn't quite as "honorable" a fellow as he made himself out to be. Karma, people. Karma.
Well, looky, looky what I found right here on Al Gore's internet. Seems old Luis wasn't quite as "honorable" a fellow as he made himself out to be. Karma, people. Karma.
The Russians are Thugs
This little Russian adventure into Georgia shows once again the depravity of the "democracy" in Russia (not that Georgia's is that much farther along). I honestly don't know what the issues are here, though it looks like ethnic politics are clearly at play, the kind that gave the Germans the right to salivate over the Sudetenland. Can anyone say "lebensraum"?
Energy: Good News and Bad News
Lots for Republicans to like in this story. Apparently, the "All of the Above" energy strategy of House Republicans is much closer to the wishes of the electorate than plans that pick and choose. I am concerned though about the low support for nuclear power.
I think the nuclear industry needs to spend some money on a spokesman and an ad campaign. Hire someone the American people trust. Pay him/her a lot of money. Produce commercials that speak head on to the fear Americans have about the safety of nuclear energy. Talk about the number of people killed in the generation of nuclear energy vs. the number of people killed in refineries, coal mines, and offshore oil platforms. Talk about the lack of carbon emissions. Tell a good story and raise support.
I think the nuclear industry needs to spend some money on a spokesman and an ad campaign. Hire someone the American people trust. Pay him/her a lot of money. Produce commercials that speak head on to the fear Americans have about the safety of nuclear energy. Talk about the number of people killed in the generation of nuclear energy vs. the number of people killed in refineries, coal mines, and offshore oil platforms. Talk about the lack of carbon emissions. Tell a good story and raise support.
Am I Reading The Onion?
I have got to believe The Onion is jealous for not covering this story first.
An Education in Honor
A couple of young people have received a tough lesson in honor, courtesy of my beloved University of Virginia Honor Code ("On my honor (as a gentleman), I have neither given nor received aid on this (test, examination, paper, project)").
Apparently, UVA runs a little "Semester at Sea", giving students the opportunity to earn a few credits while generally enjoying a Mediterranean cruise. All are apparently informed of the UVA Honor Code and agree to be subject to it.
The two expel-ees in question were accused of cadging from Wikipedia (a source so dubious in the first place as to defy citation in a serious paper, I would argue) on a project; they were tried by an Honor Court (which does indeed have a set of rules and procedures) and convicted...and then sent home. One of the student's statements had me chuckling: "Routman said most students were not familiar with the University of Virginia's honor code. "We're all coming from completely different backgrounds," Routman said, "with completely different attitudes at our schools. To expect us to just pick up the honor code like that is ridiculous."
What does this say about the schools from which they were coming?
Most criticize UVA's system because it has only one sanction...expulsion. There have been movements through the years to create other sanctions, but I steadfastly remain wedded to the single sanction. In four years there, I can honestly say that I never once saw cheating occur. I'm not saying that it didn't, I'm saying that I didn't see it. The atmosphere there was one of trust, and I treasured it.
That said, I got caught up in the honor system while there. Here's the story. All First-year's at UVA (not freshmen, thank you) are required to take an English Writing course. I was breezing through with a strong "A" average, when toward the end of the semester, we were given a project that was designed to take us to the Universities libraries for some serious card catalog diving. The work was not "pledged"....that is, we were not required to write out and sign the pledge, as we were for every assignment in which professor wanted to ensure there was no group effort.
I and four other guys, all of them football players, met at Alderman Library one afternoon and I made the assignments. We each headed off for an hour or so, then returned, exchanged our information, and then turned in our work.
When I went by the teacher's (a TA, not a professor) office to pick up my grade, he was not there, but he had posted a large envelope containing individual envelopes with each student's name on it. When I casually opened mine, fully expecting the "A" that would counterbalance the C- in physics and the C in Ancient Chinese History, I was met with a letter saying something like the following:
"I have determined that you and four other students committed academic fraud in the assignment of 20 April 1984, in that all five of your inputs were exact duplicates of each other. Based on the rules of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, I am lowering your grade from an "A" to a "C-", the lowest passing grade for this course. Should you wish to appeal this decision, you must petition the Faculty of Arts and Sciences."
I was crushed. I really needed that "A", and I hadn't done anything wrong. I played by the rules. The assignment was not "pledged" work (unlike every single writing assignment that he had given us that semester), and we did not seek in any way to hide that we had done group work (group work being, by the way, the basis of virtually every MBA program in the country these days....).
I was very interested by the fact that he had resorted to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, rather than the Honor Code. As a graduate student, he was fully within his rights to take this to the Honor Committee, which could have resulted in my expulsion. When I did catch up with him finally, I confronted him with this. His answer is one of the reasons I love the Honor Code to this day. "I did" he said. "But they wouldn't even take up the case because it was un-pledged work." I was dumbfounded. I asked him why he didn't just drop the matter there and then, as it was clear I had done nothing wrong. He said that I had violated the "spirit" of the assignment, and rules of the College of Arts and Sciences gave him the latitude to do what he did. I thought then and there, "if I ever see you outside of this office by yourself, I will beat you to a living pulp." And then I walked out. Luis Gamez, you clog-wearing little pufter, you are lucky I am a man of restraint.
The Honor Code works. Because of the gravity of the sanction, much...and I mean much...deference is given to the student's situation. It is entirely student run, and students don't like kicking each other out. It is something to be protected, and it is something I wish more colleges and institutions replicated.
Apparently, UVA runs a little "Semester at Sea", giving students the opportunity to earn a few credits while generally enjoying a Mediterranean cruise. All are apparently informed of the UVA Honor Code and agree to be subject to it.
The two expel-ees in question were accused of cadging from Wikipedia (a source so dubious in the first place as to defy citation in a serious paper, I would argue) on a project; they were tried by an Honor Court (which does indeed have a set of rules and procedures) and convicted...and then sent home. One of the student's statements had me chuckling: "Routman said most students were not familiar with the University of Virginia's honor code. "We're all coming from completely different backgrounds," Routman said, "with completely different attitudes at our schools. To expect us to just pick up the honor code like that is ridiculous."
What does this say about the schools from which they were coming?
Most criticize UVA's system because it has only one sanction...expulsion. There have been movements through the years to create other sanctions, but I steadfastly remain wedded to the single sanction. In four years there, I can honestly say that I never once saw cheating occur. I'm not saying that it didn't, I'm saying that I didn't see it. The atmosphere there was one of trust, and I treasured it.
That said, I got caught up in the honor system while there. Here's the story. All First-year's at UVA (not freshmen, thank you) are required to take an English Writing course. I was breezing through with a strong "A" average, when toward the end of the semester, we were given a project that was designed to take us to the Universities libraries for some serious card catalog diving. The work was not "pledged"....that is, we were not required to write out and sign the pledge, as we were for every assignment in which professor wanted to ensure there was no group effort.
I and four other guys, all of them football players, met at Alderman Library one afternoon and I made the assignments. We each headed off for an hour or so, then returned, exchanged our information, and then turned in our work.
When I went by the teacher's (a TA, not a professor) office to pick up my grade, he was not there, but he had posted a large envelope containing individual envelopes with each student's name on it. When I casually opened mine, fully expecting the "A" that would counterbalance the C- in physics and the C in Ancient Chinese History, I was met with a letter saying something like the following:
"I have determined that you and four other students committed academic fraud in the assignment of 20 April 1984, in that all five of your inputs were exact duplicates of each other. Based on the rules of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, I am lowering your grade from an "A" to a "C-", the lowest passing grade for this course. Should you wish to appeal this decision, you must petition the Faculty of Arts and Sciences."
I was crushed. I really needed that "A", and I hadn't done anything wrong. I played by the rules. The assignment was not "pledged" work (unlike every single writing assignment that he had given us that semester), and we did not seek in any way to hide that we had done group work (group work being, by the way, the basis of virtually every MBA program in the country these days....).
I was very interested by the fact that he had resorted to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, rather than the Honor Code. As a graduate student, he was fully within his rights to take this to the Honor Committee, which could have resulted in my expulsion. When I did catch up with him finally, I confronted him with this. His answer is one of the reasons I love the Honor Code to this day. "I did" he said. "But they wouldn't even take up the case because it was un-pledged work." I was dumbfounded. I asked him why he didn't just drop the matter there and then, as it was clear I had done nothing wrong. He said that I had violated the "spirit" of the assignment, and rules of the College of Arts and Sciences gave him the latitude to do what he did. I thought then and there, "if I ever see you outside of this office by yourself, I will beat you to a living pulp." And then I walked out. Luis Gamez, you clog-wearing little pufter, you are lucky I am a man of restraint.
The Honor Code works. Because of the gravity of the sanction, much...and I mean much...deference is given to the student's situation. It is entirely student run, and students don't like kicking each other out. It is something to be protected, and it is something I wish more colleges and institutions replicated.
Reform in the Credit Card Industry
This story had me moving in one direction when I first read it and in another when I was finished. See if you feel the same.
Any time I see "regulation" billed as "reform", my libertarian alarms go off. What is our government meddling in now, I ask myself? Additionally, any time I see legislation associated with Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), I run for the hills, as I have very little time for this over-the-top-with-emotion Yenta whose claim to fame is to have had a husband tragically killed by that wingnut on the Long Island railroad a few years ago.
That said, two things about the credit card industry REALLY bother me, and Congressional action to regulate them seems appropriate. The first is raising interest rates on EXISTING balances. Of all the BS things these guys do, this takes the cake. How would all of you homeowners (the most privileged class of investors in this country) like it if your mortgage rate went up? Yes, yes, I know there are variable rate mortgages, but I'm talking about fixed rate.
The second things that gets me is raising interest rates because of other debts one may have (irrespective of one's payment profile to the credit card company).
I realize that both of these practices by the credit card companies are ways to mitigate financial risk, and I realize that it would be better if market forces prevailed and consumers simply walked away from cards that committed these pernicious practices. Maybe a little pressure from Uncle Sam could help these market forces gather.
Any time I see "regulation" billed as "reform", my libertarian alarms go off. What is our government meddling in now, I ask myself? Additionally, any time I see legislation associated with Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), I run for the hills, as I have very little time for this over-the-top-with-emotion Yenta whose claim to fame is to have had a husband tragically killed by that wingnut on the Long Island railroad a few years ago.
That said, two things about the credit card industry REALLY bother me, and Congressional action to regulate them seems appropriate. The first is raising interest rates on EXISTING balances. Of all the BS things these guys do, this takes the cake. How would all of you homeowners (the most privileged class of investors in this country) like it if your mortgage rate went up? Yes, yes, I know there are variable rate mortgages, but I'm talking about fixed rate.
The second things that gets me is raising interest rates because of other debts one may have (irrespective of one's payment profile to the credit card company).
I realize that both of these practices by the credit card companies are ways to mitigate financial risk, and I realize that it would be better if market forces prevailed and consumers simply walked away from cards that committed these pernicious practices. Maybe a little pressure from Uncle Sam could help these market forces gather.
Railroad Health
Interesting story here on the financial health of America's freight railways. Moving goods by train is an incredibly efficient proposition, and with rising fuel prices (and significantly better management) our railroads have found financial health. I am glad of it.
Would that our passenger railways were so healthy. I am a huge fan of the federal government doing as little as possible in our daily lives, as a rule. That said, interstate commerce is one of those enumerated powers (Article I, section 8, US Constitution) specifically reserved for the Congress, and the Congress should be ashamed of itself for this nation's passenger rail system. AMTRAK runs trains up and down the East Coast that cannot go anywhere near their max speed because of ancient infrastructure and aging right-of-ways, and the lack of rail-heads at our major airports is a huge contributor to highway gridlock. There are any number of things I want the government to stop doing, to stop spending money on. Roads, highways, airports and rail infrastructure are not among them.
Would that our passenger railways were so healthy. I am a huge fan of the federal government doing as little as possible in our daily lives, as a rule. That said, interstate commerce is one of those enumerated powers (Article I, section 8, US Constitution) specifically reserved for the Congress, and the Congress should be ashamed of itself for this nation's passenger rail system. AMTRAK runs trains up and down the East Coast that cannot go anywhere near their max speed because of ancient infrastructure and aging right-of-ways, and the lack of rail-heads at our major airports is a huge contributor to highway gridlock. There are any number of things I want the government to stop doing, to stop spending money on. Roads, highways, airports and rail infrastructure are not among them.
WaPost Disses the Military
This morning's editorial casting faint praise on the verdicts in the Hamdan case reveals a snarky condescension toward the military. Examples of this attitude:
"The commission's decision was remarkable not because it was the first of its era but because it appeared to be measured, thoughtful and fair -- or as fair as a hopelessly flawed system could hope to produce." Hmmm.....they had a measured, thoughtful and fair proceeding? How can that be? It was administered by a bunch of knuckle-dragging right wingers (a.k.a military officers).
"The matter emerged as both vindication and defeat for the administration: vindication, in the sense that the commission in this case proved not to be the kangaroo court many critics once feared and predicted; defeat, in that even military jurors and a military judge in no way bought the administration's assertion that Mr. Hamdan was a hardened al-Qaeda operative deserving of life imprisonment." Even military jurors? Are we to expect that highly trained and remarkably well-educated military officers (among the six, I can guarantee at least as many masters degrees), who actually KNOW what the constitution says (as most usually take the time to discover what it is they swear allegiance to) would somehow be unable to reach just decisions?
The Post wanted to take shots at the way the Administration put these tribunals together...fair enough. There was no reason to take shots at the folks who carried them out.
"The commission's decision was remarkable not because it was the first of its era but because it appeared to be measured, thoughtful and fair -- or as fair as a hopelessly flawed system could hope to produce." Hmmm.....they had a measured, thoughtful and fair proceeding? How can that be? It was administered by a bunch of knuckle-dragging right wingers (a.k.a military officers).
"The matter emerged as both vindication and defeat for the administration: vindication, in the sense that the commission in this case proved not to be the kangaroo court many critics once feared and predicted; defeat, in that even military jurors and a military judge in no way bought the administration's assertion that Mr. Hamdan was a hardened al-Qaeda operative deserving of life imprisonment." Even military jurors? Are we to expect that highly trained and remarkably well-educated military officers (among the six, I can guarantee at least as many masters degrees), who actually KNOW what the constitution says (as most usually take the time to discover what it is they swear allegiance to) would somehow be unable to reach just decisions?
The Post wanted to take shots at the way the Administration put these tribunals together...fair enough. There was no reason to take shots at the folks who carried them out.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
John Edwards, Breck Girl No More!
How bout that Playa! John Edwards has admitted his affair. I guess his "two Americas" riff was meant to include everyone having two love lives!
MoveOn.Org, Obama Ads
Never fear, CW readers, I haven't become a Quisling. The ad system is shaking out a bit; hope it is fixed now.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Light Weekend on the CW...
The Kitten and I are headed over to the other side of the Chesapeake (the Virginia side) to spend the weekend with some friends. I'll have the computer with me, but each time I take it out of the case, I will surely pay some heavy domestic penalty....so the site may be a bit light for a few days...back with a vengeance on Sunday night at the latest!
Gone Commercial!
That's right, raging capitalist that I am, the blog now has ADVERTISING! Don't forget to click on the ads that have your interest, and patronize our good sponsors!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Some Straight Talk About Sweden
Johan Norberg, author of In Defense of Global Capitalism, sets the record straight on some of the myths about what many on the left see as a utopia afoot in Sweden. Really good stuff, and definitely nice to see an intellectual European NOT with one foot in Marx's grave....
Ahem....Mr. Maliki....It is Time to Start Paying Your Way....
Well, it appears our friends in Iraq have been fattening up on oil revenue while we paid the freight. I don't have a problem with them accumulating some cash, especially given some of the china we've broken there in the past two decades.
That said, it is time to get hot. The Iraqis must step forward and rebuild their country with their own money. We have borne quite a load to give them a new start, and our patience is wearing thin. Open the wallet, Maliki, and start to pay some bills.
That said, it is time to get hot. The Iraqis must step forward and rebuild their country with their own money. We have borne quite a load to give them a new start, and our patience is wearing thin. Open the wallet, Maliki, and start to pay some bills.
Guantanamo Trial Ends, Mixed Results
Mr. Hamdan was found guilty of supporting terrorism, but not guilty of conspiracy to commit terrorism. The conspiracy charge was always going to be tough to prove, but the supporting terrorism charge did not appear to lack evidence.
I have no expertise in military justice, save in the kind I once got to dispense as the Captain of a ship (Captain's Mast we called it, and it was sometimes a HOOT!). I have often heard the saying about military justice that if you are guilty of a crime, it's better to be tried as a civilian; but if you are innocent, it is better to be tried in military courts. Don't know why, but this is what I've heard.
The Hamdan case is going to be a huge issue for civil libertarians and folks who have not yet awakened to the fact that the war on terror is NOT best fought as a law enforcement issue. This tribunal will in all likelihood be continuously scrutinized, and I would not be surprised to find its proceedings at some point before the Supreme Court.
But from what I can tell, this was a professionally administered dose of military justice. Hamdan's been in prison for years already, and I'd be surprised of the sentencing didn't take that into consideration. I subsequent tribunals are conducted in a similarly grave and professional manner, and I salute all who are involved in bringing justice to the Guantanamo detainees.
I have no expertise in military justice, save in the kind I once got to dispense as the Captain of a ship (Captain's Mast we called it, and it was sometimes a HOOT!). I have often heard the saying about military justice that if you are guilty of a crime, it's better to be tried as a civilian; but if you are innocent, it is better to be tried in military courts. Don't know why, but this is what I've heard.
The Hamdan case is going to be a huge issue for civil libertarians and folks who have not yet awakened to the fact that the war on terror is NOT best fought as a law enforcement issue. This tribunal will in all likelihood be continuously scrutinized, and I would not be surprised to find its proceedings at some point before the Supreme Court.
But from what I can tell, this was a professionally administered dose of military justice. Hamdan's been in prison for years already, and I'd be surprised of the sentencing didn't take that into consideration. I subsequent tribunals are conducted in a similarly grave and professional manner, and I salute all who are involved in bringing justice to the Guantanamo detainees.
The Most Beautiful Automobile in the World
Too bad the photos were taken in an RV park.....enjoy the Bentley Continental GT Speed.
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