Bookworm has a piece at American Thinker in which she makes the point that it might be more instructive to divide ourselves on a continuum of Statists vs. Individualists rather than Liberals vs. Conservatives.
Obama, of course, would be a statist, of the “soft socialism” type. Continue reading →
Every now and then I decide to ban a commenter here. Sometimes it’s a no-brainer; the comment is so obscene and revolting it doesn’t see the public light of day for more than a few moments before I delete both it and the poster’s right to make more comments here.
Sometimes it’s not obscene, but so obviously of the “nah-nah-nah-nah-nah,” variety, merely insulting and taunting with no other content whatsoever. That’s an easy decision, as well; I’m not interested in that sort of discussion.
Sometimes it takes a bit longer to determine that it’s time to ban someone from commenting here. Continue reading →
For those of you inclined to stay home today and do some reading, here are two articles that provide much food for thought in these very troubling times:
(1) PUMAs on the warpath against Obamaphile voter fraud. They are motivated not just by anger that Hillary lost the primaries, but by righteous rage at the dirty tactics Obama’s people used against them in the caucuses.
(2) ACORN way back in 2003 by Sol Stern, the guy who’s been on Ayers’s case for many years. From little ACORNs do mighty Leftist oak trees grow—ACORN hopes. Continue reading →
…the angry type, so it takes a lot to get her to this point. I agree with her that the bias of the press—and in this case, the courts—has taken us to a point that should deeply concern and even anger all of his who value fairness and freedom of speech. This ought to be beyond party considerations, but unfortunately it is not.
I haven’t yet read Manias, Panics, and Crashes, published in 2000. But I came across a recommendation in the comments section of some blog the other day and found the title and the Amazon description rather intriguing:
“[Manias, Panics, and Crashes] is a scholarly account of the way that mismanagement of money and credit has led to financial explosions over the centuries.””“Richard Lambert, Financial Times
“This book sparkles with the best of Kindleberger’s wit, insight, and passion for financial history. A real delight.””“Robert Z. Aliber, Professor of International Economics and Finance, University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business
“What long has been the best history of financial pathologies is now even better. The reader who absorbs Kindleberger’s lessons will be prepared to foresee and navigate the financial crises that surely lie ahead. Like a true classic, Manias, Panics, and Crashes is both timely and timeless.” ”“Richard Sylla, Kaufman Professor of Financial History, Stern School of Business, New York University
“Foresee and navigate the financial crises that surely lie ahead”—ah, would that I had! Would that I could!
Book blurbs are often a literary form of “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,” and as I said I’ve not read this one so I don’t know how good it actually is. But it occurs to me that some book or other on this topic ought to be required reading in our public school system. It might help to inoculate the public against falling for the mania part of the cycle (ah, a person can dream, can’t she?) Continue reading →
Courtesy reader “rickl,” I have received a heads-up on the following chilling prediction:
Enjoy your three-day weekend! One of the best things about it, besides the unseasonably warm and sunny weather in the Northeast part of the country, is that the stock market will be closed for at least two days and the banks for three. Would that the market were closed Monday as well.
CNBC has gotten to the point where the events it relates resemble a horror movie of the economic variety. Financial markets around the world reel, countries like Iceland are going bankrupt. Nobody seems to know what’s what, what’s next, or why all the moves by various governments have failed to reassure Wall Street, Main Street, and all the other streets on earth.
I’ve been wondering how 1929 would have gone if we’d had round the world twenty-four hour cable news coverage of the fall. Continue reading →
Somehow this election promise of Obama’s has slipped under the radar screen for most Americans: do away with the secret ballot in elections to determine whether a workplace will be unionized, exposing workers to more union intimidation and practically guaranteeing increasing power for unions.
The unions and the Democrats of course disagree with this interpretation of the effect of the law. Please read both linked articles and see which side you think has the better argument.
To me it’s not even close. Continue reading →
I hear it almost constantly now: McCain is pushing on Obama’s Ayers connection. He’s taking off the gloves and striking hard yada yada yada.
And yet when I glance at cable TV and see a talking head on the subject (the latest was GOP’s Tom Ridge), I hear an “attack” so disconnected from the real issue that it makes me wonder what’s really going on here. Continue reading →
Richard Fernandez on those who would be President.
And Victor Davis Hanson takes on the task of summarizing what’s wrong with Obama, from start to finish. Send it to your liberal friends and see if they’re still speaking to you afterwards. If they are, see if they can counter anything in it.
Here’s a great description of the show hearings going on right now in Congress:
Democrats have begun a search for the culprit in the financial collapse in a manner somewhat akin to the OJ Simpson search for Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman’s murderer.
Fannie and Freddie? Never heard of ’em. Continue reading →