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Political Quote of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:32:00 +0000

From Charles Krauthammer, discussing Mitch Daniels' GOP response to the State of the Union speech:

It was the best response speech I’ve ever heard after State of the Union, which is a hard thing to do after the pomp and the majesty of the President’s speech. And the content of it is quite remarkable. It was the best articulation of the conservative position on the major issues - on reforms, inequality and all that - that anybody has given in this cycle. I mean, you sort of sigh and you wish he were running.

But the advice I’d give to a Mitt Romney: memorize that speech, give it everywhere you go, you’ll be president, because he took on the issues of inequality in a way that nobody else has. He said the way you want to remedy inequality in taxation is not to raise rates, which will hurt the economy. What you want to do is you want to have the rich contribute by eliminating deductions, which increases inefficiency and equity, and also, entitlement reforms so you means test and the rich will get less, which promotes social equity and debt reduction. That is the way you want to do it. Nobody else had stated it. He did it in 30 seconds. It was quite remarkable.

Unfortunately, I don't think Romney has it in him to recite that speech and pretend well enough that he believes it.

Democrat: 20,000 Jobs Is Not That Many

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:37:00 +0000

I'm sure the jobless pipeline workers and others who would have been connected to the Keystone XL pipeline project are comforted by that:

Chicago Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.) drew fire from Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) on Wednesday when she dismissed the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, suggesting the 20,000 jobs it could create were relatively insignificant in the scheme of the greater economy.

“Twenty thousand jobs is really not that many jobs, and investing in green technologies will produce that and more,” she said on Chicago’s WLS Radio Don Wade and Roma Show on Wednesday morning. “But I’ll tell you what, you know it seems to me that the Republicans would rather have an issue than a pipeline.”

Coats, a vocal proponent of the project, which would transport oil from Alberta, Canada, to America’s Gulf Coast, swiftly responded in a separate interview on the same show later on Wednesday morning, suggesting Schakowsky has spoken insensitively.

“Tell that to the 20,000 people that woke up this morning and didn’t have a job to go to,” said Coats. “ ‘Well, these don’t really matter’ — I mean, this not only is jobs, this is less dependence on Middle East oil.”

“And here we have, you know, the president talking about becoming energy independent, but he turns down the easiest way to do that,” the freshman senator continued.

Gasoline has risen over 25 cents a gallon in So Cal the last few weeks and is now on a steady rise toward $4 (or perhaps $5). Canceling the Keystone pipeline is contributing to the market feeling that supplies will become ever shorter in the U.S. because this nation is no longer serious about dealing with its energy problems, but instead wants to focus on mythical "green" jobs.

26 Years Ago Today - the Last Flight of Challenger

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:23:00 +0000

It's hard to believe, but it was 26 years ago today that the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its flight. It was the first time in the 25 year history of the U.S. space program that we'd lost astronauts in flight. Thinking back to that day, it's remarkable how the information technology has changed since then.

I was in my office in Mission Viejo, having just gotten in about 30 minutes earlier, when our Computer Systems guy came running in saying he'd just heard that the shuttle exploded. The sum total of the information media available to me at that moment was a small transistor radio that I kept in my desk for emergencies. We had no TV's in the office, and the internet was still a futuristic dream (at least for the general public). For the next several hours I listened to the news reports on that scratchy little radio. I can still remember hearing the analyst say that because of Challenger's altitude and speed at the time of the break-up, it might take as long as 45 minutes for all the debris to fall.

When I got home, I put a tape in my VCR (fairly new technology at the time- it had a wired remote) and ended up recording about 6 hours of Challenger-related news reports, including the memorial service with President Reagan, which to this day I've never been able to bring myself to watch. It was a very emotional time for America. I still have that tape and recently transferred it to DVD. I don't know if I'll ever watch it, but it was a very memorable moment in history.

That night President Reagan spoke to the nation:

For those who may be too young to remember Challenger, here's a news report about it from the BBC. It would be 2 1/2 years before a shuttle took off again.

I also found an interesting article called the "7 Myths About the Challenger Shuttle Disaster". The article tackles the following myths:

Few people actually saw the Challenger tragedy unfold live on television.
The shuttle did not explode in the common definition of that word.
The flight, and the astronauts’ lives, did not end at that point, 73 seconds after launch.
The design of the booster, while possessing flaws subject to improvement, was neither especially dangerous if operated properly, nor the result of political interference.
Replacement of the original asbestos-bearing putty in the booster seals was unrelated to the failure.
There were pressures on the flight schedule, but none of any recognizable political origin.
Claims that the disaster was the unavoidable price to be paid for pioneering a new frontier were self-serving rationalizations on the part of those responsible for incompetent engineering management — the disaster should have been avoidable.

It's interesting reading.

Of course, anyone old enough to be paying attention on that day will remember President Reagan, speaking from the Oval Office on the night of tragedy, as he ended his tribute to the astronauts with this:

"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God."

And yesterday was the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire that took the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Ed White and stopped the Apollo program cold for many months while they re-engineered the Apollo capsule.

McCain Sees A Vote Against Romney As A Vote Against Mormons

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

This quote from John McCain, now shilling for the Romney campaign, after the South Carolina vote:

“We haven’t had time to do a real analysis of the Romney race in South Carolina, but once we break that down, there was some element of anti-Mormonism in that vote,” McCain asserted. “I’m not saying all of it, but there were elements there. There was nothing that Mitt Romney could have done.”

There was also an element of anti-RINO vote in South Carolina, and in 2008 when McCain ran. Neither McCain nor Romney can accept the possibility that some people vote against them because they don't like their wishy-washy politics.

Obama Speaks and Loses Support

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:40:00 +0000

As Don Surber put it, the crowd went mild. Some polling numbers (SOTU=State of the Union speech):

The Gallup Approve Disapprove
Pre-SOTU 44% 46%
Post-SOTU 43% 49%

Rasmussen Approve Disapprove
Pre-SOTU 48% 51%
Post-SOTU 46% 52%

There has been a definite pattern. When Obama goes silent during relatively quiet periods in D.C. his numbers start to creep back up, but as soon as he opens his mouth and starts spewing his version of liberalism/socialism again, down they go. The guy who used to cause women to faint in his presence now causes them to flee in panic.

SOTU speeches used to be worth a 3-4 point bump for presidents, though the bump was often temporary, at least they picked up a little support from the voters for their efforts. Once again, this president creates a new pattern, and that's good news for the upcoming campaign. The more people hear from him the less likely they are to like him.

Don't Name Navy Ships After Corrupt Congressmen Who Hated Our Troops

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:26:00 +0000

And yet that's what the Navy is just about to do, and one website called "No Murtha Ship" is attempting to stop it:

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus plans to honor the late Congressman John Murtha by giving his name to the Navy's new LPD (Transport Dock Ship), to be launched in 2013.

In doing so, Sec. Mabus is breaking the Navy's tradition of naming its San Antonio-class amphibious transports after American cities. He is also honoring a man who:

1) was one of the most corrupt members of the U.S. Congress, and

2) called our Marines murderers who killed Iraqi women and children "in cold blood."

We believe that such a man does not deserve to be honored by the U.S. Navy. If you agree, please help us petition Secretary Mabus to reconsider this outrageous decision.

Murtha also gave us the famous "Airport to Nowhere" in his Pennsylvania district that had only a couple of flights a day - to Washington D.C. - as significant cost to taxpayers. He basically had it built just for his use. Murtha was also a famous name from the ABSCAM scandal.

You can check out the website and find ways to make your opinion known.

Scientific Consensus: There's No Reason for Global Warming Alarmism

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:03:00 +0000

Don't you love it when we reach consensus?

Sixteen scientists took to the pages of the Wall Street Journal Friday to argue that there is “no compelling scientific argument” for “drastic actions on global warming.”

According to the group, made up of scientists from around the world, while there has been a concerted campaign to incite concern and action to stop climate change, the science is not coming together in a fashion that would warrant economy-stifling changes.

“The lack of warming for more than a decade—indeed, the smaller-than-predicted warming over the 22 years since the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) began issuing projections—suggests that computer models have greatly exaggerated how much warming additional CO2 can cause,” they wrote. “Faced with this embarrassment, those promoting alarm have shifted their drumbeat from warming to weather extremes, to enable anything unusual that happens in our chaotic climate to be ascribed to CO2.”

In these scientists’ opinion, Carbon Dioxide is not a pollutant, but rather a key necessity for life — spurring the growth of plant life.

That's not just their opinion, it's fact. Carbon Dioxide is essentially plant food and without it everything dies (first the plants, then the animals that eat the plants, and then us).

Elizabeth Warren: Ignore My 8-Digit Net Worth, I'm Not One of the 1%

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:09:00 +0000

Baloney:

The rhetoric of class and inequality is back in force, and Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren -- the standard-bearer for a combative new progressivism -- made the case to MSNBC's Lawrence O’Donnell last night that members of the Senate shouldn't own stock.

“I realize there are some wealthy individuals – I’m not one of them, but some wealthy individuals who have a lot of stock portfolios" she told him.

Hard to see how Warren wouldn't be, by most standards, wealthy, according to the Personal Financial Disclosure form she filed to run for Senate shows that she's worth as much as $14.5 million. She earned more than $429,000 from Harvard last year alone for a total of about $700,000, and lives in a house worth $5 million.

She also has a portfolio of investments in stocks and bonds worth as as much as $8 million, according to the form, which lists value ranges for each investment.

Of course, for a liberal Democrat just saying you're not rich is enough. The fact that the numbers prove the opposite doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is she doesn't think she's rich in her heart.

The Dem Senator Who Actually Wants to Solve Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:07:00 +0000

Oregon's Ron Wyden has his fellow Democrats fuming because he's daring to work with the GOP to solve some big problems:

Republicans believe they have a 6-and-a-half-foot shield to fend off attacks that they want to end Medicare. And his name is Sen. Ron Wyden.

To the thrill of Washington wonks and the irritation of fellow Democrats, the lanky Oregonian has been collaborating with the man Democrats hoped to use as an election year battering ram: Rep. Paul Ryan.

The powerful Budget Committee chief is the House GOP’s chief advocate for transforming Medicare from its current government-run system into one that allows seniors to buy private health insurance. Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich infamously dubbed Ryan’s initial crack at accomplishing that “right-wing social engineering” as Democrats licked their chops in anticipation of excoriating the Republicans who dared to endorse it.

But now, by teaming up with Ryan on a more modest Medicare overhaul, Democrats fear Wyden has given the GOP an out.

Wyden and Ryan are floating an idea to allow seniors to choose between traditional Medicare and private insurance programs. Ryan is considering adding provisions in his 2013 budget that would pave the way for this approach.

This story demonstrates better than anything that Democrats would rather have the issue to demagogue than to solve real problems. That Medicare isn't the only thing Wyden has been working on:

As if that weren’t enough, Wyden also teamed up with another favorite Democratic whipping boy, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), to tear up a carefully scripted anti-piracy bill backed by one of the Democratic party’s most loyal constituencies: Hollywood.

To Wyden’s fans, he’s a genuine policy pro who wants Medicare to survive and the Internet to thrive. They say he’s the rare creature in Washington willing to cut a bipartisan deal in a highly polarized political environment.

But his critics — and they are legion in Democratic ranks — say he’s a political opportunist promoting himself at the expense of the party and its values.

The problem is the Democrat party has no values other than to promote itself and gain power. Wyden is raining on their parade by actually proposing solutions that have a chance of gaining GOP approval. I think Washington could use a few more guys like Wyden.

Not Content to Stop With Our Presidential Candidates, Reuters Starts Attacking Our VP Hopefuls

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:08:00 +0000

From the Daily Caller:

Reuters Ravages Rubio -- In some ways, the Republican primary could be seen as the race to be Marco Rubio's running mate -- at least, most people think he is the leading candidate for the job no matter who wins the GOP nomination. The first term Florida senator is already a superstar with what appears to be a very bright future. So it comes as no surprise that some are trying to tear him down. But in a recent hit piece on him in Reuters, TheDC's Matt Lewis documented at least 7 major errors, many of which were related to the fact that Rubio isn't particularly wealthy --- at least by U.S. Senate standards. Lewis notes how Republican politicians can't win --- they get attacked for being rich, they get attacked for being poor:

"Aside from the inaccuracies, it is interesting to note that Rubio’s debt is seen as a liability. Mitt Romney is frequently criticized by the media for being so wealthy that he’s out of touch with the common man. Meanwhile, Rubio — like most Americans — has faced financial difficulty — and yet that is also somehow a liability? Is there a magic amount of wealth that is just right? "

Yes, whatever amount Obama has. That will be considered by the press as the perfect amount of money and debt a person should have. Anyone else will be deemed deficient.

Another Green Energy Plant Funded With Your Tax Dollars Goes Bust

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:03:00 +0000

I wonder if we could get a better return by just burning the money directly rather than funneling it through these shell companies?

The parent company of an electric car battery maker that received a $118 million grant from the Obama administration filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday.

New York-based Ener1 said it has been affected by competition from China and other countries.

Ener1 subsidiary EnerDel received a $118 million stimulus grant from the Energy Department in 2009, and Vice President Joe Biden visited the company's new battery plant in Indiana last year.

Ener1 is the third company to seek bankruptcy protection after receiving assistance from the Energy Department under the economic stimulus law. California solar panel maker Solyndra Inc. and Beacon Power, a Massachusetts energy-storage firm, declared bankruptcy last year. Solyndra received a $528 million federal loan, while Beacon Power got a $43 million loan guarantee.

The funding from the government for these companies is based on good intentions only, not a sound business plan. Nobody bothers to notice that we can't build this stuff cheaper than China before they hand them your tax dollars. The next president needs to stop ALL of these wasteful green energy programs.

Ah, There's Nothing Like #OccupyChicago in the Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:11:00 +0000

The socialist drones whose evil spawn is the #Occupy movement have big plans for the G8 meeting in Chicago in May. This is from their release:

“On May 1, 50,000 people from all over the world will flock to Chicago, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and #OCCUPYCHICAGO for a month. With a bit of luck, we’ll pull off the biggest multinational occupation of a summit meeting the world has ever seen.

“And this time around we’re not going to put up with the kind of police repression that happened during the Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, 1968 … nor will we abide by any phony restrictions the City of Chicago may want to impose on our first amendment rights. We’ll go there with our heads held high and assemble for a month-long people’s summit … we’ll march and chant and sing and shout and exercise our right to tell our elected representatives what we want … the constitution will be our guide.

“And when the G8 and NATO meet behind closed doors on May 19, we’ll be ready with our demands: a Robin Hood Tax … a ban on high frequency ‘flash’ trading … a binding climate change accord … a three strikes and you’re out law for corporate criminals … an all out initiative for a nuclear-free Middle East … whatever we decide in our general assemblies and in our global internet brainstorm – we the people will set the agenda for the next few years and demand our leaders carry it out.

“And if they don’t listen … if they ignore us and put our demands on the back burner like they’ve done so many times before … then, with Gandhian ferocity, we’ll flashmob the streets, shut down stock exchanges, campuses, corporate headquarters and cities across the globe … we’ll make the price of doing business as usual too much to bear.”

When you look at their demands you see some of the underlying perversions in their beliefs. A "nuclear-free Middle East" is another way to say "disarm Israel", because nobody else in the Middle East has nukes and I'll bet they wouldn't consider Iran to be part of the Middle East once Obama lets them finish their bomb.

And when they talk about bringing 50,000 nuts from all over the world to this protest, 50,000 won't even make a dent in the nut population already in Chicago. I'll bet that doesn't even represent 10% of the Chicago nut collection. At least the wind in Chicago will blow the stench away.

Personally, I hope they shut Chicago down. That city owes all of us a big one for giving us Obama and it would be fun to see how Rahm Emanuel handles a major outbreak of civil unrest. I'll bet he has some Mayor Daley (the First) in him and there will be some head knocking before it's all over. I doubt if he caves into the protesters the way Nanny Bloomberg did in New York City.

Trans Pacific Model Boat Race

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Yesterday afternoon I headed down to Capistrano Beach to watch some of the kids from the Capo-Laguna ROP (Regional Occupational Program) 3D Model Building Class launch boats on what they hope will be a journey to Hawaii. My wife works for the organization and I took some photos for her.

The two teams were the WikiWiki, a more traditional single hull sailboat...

and the NeNe, a trimaran.

When it came time to launch, the surf conditions were not exactly ideal. The long keel on the WikiWiki combined with the steep drop-off at the shore made for some challenges.

You know what they say about the best laid plans - WikiWiki had a tough start dealing with the surf.

WikiWiki was pulled from the water for some repair work to the mast and sail, and the NeNe was launched.

NeNe had a little easier time dealing with the surf and before long was sailing out of view.

WikiWiki was relaunched and finally made it safely past the breakers.

Thanks to a grant from Rainbow Sandals the teams were able to mount GPS transmitters on the boats and their progress can be tracked via their Facebook page. Although the NeNe pretty much disappeared from view while we were there, she apparently got homesick and later beached herself. She was recovered and after some repairs will be relaunched. The WikiWiki came within 200 feet of shore (according to the GPS) but headed back out and continues on course. According to the latest report was 13 miles out to sea. Thanks to the offshore winds expected today she should be able to continue out to sea.

It'll be fun to watch.

California to Automakers: Please Stop Selling Cars Here

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Why should they?

The head of California's air quality board on Thursday called proposed rules that would require automakers to build less-polluting cars and trucks by 2025 a historic move for a cleaner environment.

California Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols said she hopes the rules to require that vehicles emit about 75 percent less smog-producing pollutants will "lead the nation and the world."

We'll lead the nation in decline in auto sales by the time all these rules go into effect. Carmakers won't be able to manufacturer a vehicle at a price anyone will be able to afford.

And we all know that further restrictions on business are just what California's economy needs.

Real GDP Growth in 2011 Barely Half of 2010's Growth

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:46:00 +0000

So much for the "recovery":

Real GDP increased 1.7 percent in 2011 (that is, from the 2010 annual level to the 2011 annual level), compared with an increase of 3.0 percent in 2010.

And there's this:

Food Stamps Up 45%; Federal Handouts Up 32%...

Hope, change.

Political Photo of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:04:00 +0000

Seen on Facebook:

Did Obama Pick a Fight With Gov. Brewer to Pander to Hispanics?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:09:00 +0000

Could be:

Democrats see the chance that President Obama’s heated exchange with Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona on the airport tarmac in Phoenix could help him with the Hispanic voters he came West to court this week.

The run-in, captured in a photograph of the governor wagging a finger at the president as they discussed her book, “Scorpions for Breakfast,” lit up Hispanic radio stations and blogs all over the state. While it is difficult to judge whether the moment will have any lasting impact, Hispanic leaders said that what is being dubbed by some as the “dustup in the desert” could play in the president’s favor given the unfavorable view many Hispanics have of the governor for her advocacy of tough immigration measures.

“For that incident alone,” Robert Meza, a Democratic state senator from Phoenix, said Thursday, “85 percent more Latin people will gravitate toward the president.”

What nonsense. 85% of Latin people don't even know this happened or why.

I don't think this was a set-up. I just think Obama is a petulant, thin-skinned man-child who can't believe that after years of fawning praise from everyone around him suddenly finds himself the target of much criticism and he can't handle it. It's that simple.

Oh, and the Governor will pocket a little extra change because of Obama:

Whether or not yesterday’s confrontation with President Barack Obama was a stunt, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s book sales are benefiting.

According to Amazon.com’s list of movers and shakers, Brewer’s book, Scorpions for Breakfast, enjoyed a sales increase of 2,224,700 percent since she and the president butted heads on a Mesa runway.
Prior to the meeting, Brewer’s book was languishing in the annals of the millions of books sold by Amazon. It was sitting at 311,472 overall on Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday morning, the book had moved to number 14.

Heh.

Israel Getting Closer to Calling Iran's Bluff

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:51:00 +0000

And they're apparently more convinced than ever that bluffing is all Iran's got:

Israeli intelligence estimates, backed by academic studies, have cast doubt on the widespread assumption that a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would set off a catastrophic set of events like a regional conflagration, widespread acts of terrorism and sky-high oil prices.

The estimates, which have been largely adopted by the country’s most senior officials, conclude that the threat of Iranian retaliation is partly bluff. They are playing an important role in Israel’s calculation of whether ultimately to strike Iran, or to try to persuade the United States to do so, even as Tehran faces tough new economic sanctions from the West.

“A war is no picnic,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio in November. But if Israel feels itself forced into action, the retaliation would be bearable, he said. “There will not be 100,000 dead or 10,000 dead or 1,000 dead. The state of Israel will not be destroyed.”

I think they're right, but it takes some guts to make that call and order a raid.

The Final Debate

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:26:00 +0000

At least the last one for the next month, and probably the last one for some of the candidates. I didn't watch it, but based on the reaction I'm seeing from a variety of people I follow on Twitter Rick Santorum did very well, but probably won't help himself that much. Mitt was okay and had one of his better outings. Ron Paul was....Ron Paul. And Newt has apparently peaked and is now in mid-collapse. I hear his numbers on In-Trade are diving with Romney now favored to win Florida at 92%.

Newt we hardly knew ye.

Mitt's gonna be the nominee and we better start figuring out how to beat Obama with him leading the ticket.

Doheny

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:35:00 +0000

At Doheny Beach Park watching some of my wife's ROP kids launch boats in the First Trans Pacific Model Boat Race. The boats can be tracked by GPS.

Bill Cosby: Throwing More Money At Education is Not The Answer

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:08:00 +0000

If I wasn't in favor of eliminating the Federal Education Department altogether I'd want Bill Cosby for Education Secretary. He's absolutely right about the real solutions that will improve education in our public schools:

Shortly before President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union on Tuesday night, comedian Bill Cosby joined with school choice advocates to discuss the “State of American Education.”

According to Cosby, the country can try as many education reforms as it wants but the real key is getting parents involved and concerned about their children’s education. Cosby added that additional funding is not the answer to America’s education woes.

“Cuts, cuts, cuts, that is what we hear, but education is not a thing that big bucks happens to be the answer [to]. The answer is — with education comes teaching children to respect and love questions, looking for the answer, reading,” he said, explaining that these responsibilities fall on the parents, teachers, and school officials.

Cosby demanded answers from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, asking why, with so much money going into the schools, the taxpayers still cannot get the value they put in. Instead of whining about cuts, he said, schools and towns should be looking for solutions outside the box.

“Okay — we know there are cuts, then let’s work with it. Let’s go to churches, find retired teachers who would like to join us in the basement of the church to work with the child,” Cosby said. “There are ways we can work around this and we have to talk and we have to move.”

There's more at the link. For decades we've thrown more and more money at education and gotten worse and worse results. The key is not making sure teachers have solid gold benefits and jobs for life regardless of the quality of their work, but getting parents involved and interested in their kid's progress. Too many parents have abdicated their parental roles to the schools and government. It's time to take it back.

Does a Newt Candidacy Help Or Hurt GOP Chances in the Senate?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:11:00 +0000

Kurt Schlichter thinks Newt's potentially divisive candidacy might actually help secure a GOP majority in the Senate:

With Romney, people expected an inoffensive technocrat who would not scare the children or horses – someone who could get the votes of the moderate voters who get turned off by things like “ideology” or “confrontation” or “beliefs.” Maybe Mitt would not be much of an asset to an aspiring GOP Senate candidate, but he would certainly not drag anyone down. That is the conventional wisdom about Mitt.

But Newt shakes up that paradigm. The new conventional wisdom is that Newt’s caravan of baggage will so turn off voters that not only will they hand the GOP a rejection of Mondalian proportions in November but they will further take out their anger on the GOP’s senate candidates. So, the conventional wisdom goes, Obama will sail to reelection with a rejuvenated Senate majority and perhaps even the House. There goes the Republic.

Except the conventional wisdom, upon closer examination, makes little sense even on its own terms. It assumes that the voters are at least disappointed, if not angry, with Obama – if they weren’t, he would win no matter who we nominate. It also depends completely on the assumption that the intense dislike that the majority of voters feel for Newt personally is the reason for his inevitable failure. These two currents do not flow together – they collide.

Voters rejecting Newt would therefore be doing it not because they wanted Obama – they do not want Obama. They just want Newt less. But that personal animus toward Newt would not necessarily be transferred toward the GOP senate candidates themselves.

Newt is uniquely polarizing, argues the conventional wisdom. If so, then it will be an easy matter for GOP Senate candidates to distinguish themselves from the guy at the top of the ticket. Candidates always scatter like roaches when an unpopular presidential candidate wanders into town. Just look at Obama when he flew into reddish Arizona– he wasn’t met by a herd of donkeys but by Republican Jan Brewer, whose politeness in doing so was met with characteristic ungraciousness.

In fact, distaste for Newt coupled with distaste for Obama could help GOP Senate candidates. Holding their nose to vote to reelect the president does not mean they want to give him the ability to keep going with the politics of division, bailouts and class warfare that have wreaked his approval numbers. Suddenly, voting for the Senate GOP candidates becomes much more attractive, even to moderates, when splitting the ticket means kneecapping the Obama campaign to transform America into the United States of Greece.

Voters aren’t dumb. They know that a GOP senate is the best check on a lame duck Obama, and they may even be willing to split the ticket to vote out Democrat warhorses like Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who might otherwise have no chance of defeat, in order to balance their vote against Newt. In other words, Newt dragging down the top of the ticket might well give a boost to the bottom.

That may be the best case scenario, but not necessarily reflective of reality. How many Republicans and anti-Obama independents may figure Newt's a sure loser and will just stay home, depriving GOP Senate candidates of easy votes? There will be some, that's for sure.

You can read the rest at the link.

I Don't Think Drudge Cares Much for Newt Gingrich

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:10:00 +0000

Just look at the collection of headline on Drudge that were present all at the same time this morning:

NEWT FLASHBACK 1983: REAGAN RESPONSIBLE FOR NATIONAL 'DECAY'...
NEWT 1986: 'The Reagan administration has failed, is failing... NEWT 1988: 'If Bush runs as continuation of Reaganism he will lose'...

INSIDER: GINGRICH REPEATEDLY INSULTED REAGAN
R. EMMETT TYRRELL: William Jefferson Gingrich...

COULTER: RE-ELECT OBAMA: VOTE NEWT!...

DeLay: 'He's not really a conservative'...

FL Poll: Romney Stronger than Gingrich in General Election vs. Obama...
CNN: Gingrich admits his ABC claim was false during debate... Gingrich tells UNIVISION: No perjury during my divorce depositions... Marianne Gingrich lawyer: 'He was never deposed'... FLASHBACK 1998: Gingrich Orchestrated GOP Ads Recalling Clinton-Lewinsky Affair...

I don't think Drudge believes Newt can win, or else he REALLY doesn't like him. Drudge lives in Florida so he'll have a chance to vote in next week's primary, but it looks to me he's already made his decision.

Nancy Pelosi: Uh, Never Mind, I Don't Really Know Anything

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:06:00 +0000

After suggesting she had some hidden insight into Newt Gingrich that would keep him from being elected, San Fran Nan is backing down:

Rep. Nancy Pelosi's office on Wednesday said the minority leader doesn't have any dirt on Newt Gingrich.

Pelosi has suggested in two interviews that she knows something that could prevent Gingrich from becoming president, but her office said the California Democrat doesn't have any secrets about Gingrich, who has shot to the top of national Republican polls after winning the South Carolina primary.

"The 'something' Leader Pelosi knows is that Newt Gingrich will not be President of the United States. She made that clear last night," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement.

"Leader Pelosi previously made a reference to the extensive amount of information that is in the public record, including the comprehensive committee report with which the public may not be fully aware," Hammill said.

Either Pelosi was slapped down because she really does have some information and the Dems didn't want her telegraphing her hand, or this was just another effort to remain relevant in this year's election. My guess is the second one is more likely.

Church Music Cartoon of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Moore) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:07:00 +0000

My guitar player friend Joey posted this on Facebook: