Gregg Backs Out of Post He Never Should Have Accepted

Senator Judd Gregg decides Commerce Secretary won't work for him:

Sen. Judd Gregg abruptly withdrew his nomination as commerce secretary Thursday, telling Politico that he “couldn’t be Judd Gregg” and serve in Barack Obama’s Cabinet.

The White House — where some aides were caught off guard by the withdrawal — initially responded harshly to Gregg’s announcement, portraying the New Hampshire Republican as someone who sought the job and then had a “change of heart.”

Applaud him for eventually make a smart decision, but he never should have been lured to begin with. This wasn't an example of "a team of rivals"; it was an example of a naked political ploy to try to get the Democrats over the 60 senator hump by luring a senator they thought they could control into the cabinet.

The $789 Stimulus Bill?!?!

I loved this typo today at MarketWatch:

















A $789 stimulus. That's a bill I can get on board with.

President Obama has "Political Capital"

Heh. I love stuff like President Obama justifying his positions by saying "I won" and stories like this:

Nearly seven in ten Americans approve of the way President Barack Obama is doing his job, giving him enormous political capital as he pushes Congress to give him unprecedented tools to fight economic crisis, according to a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll.

Spend that political capital, Mr. President (and by all indications, you are spending it like a congressional stimulus). Be President Bush, President Obama. Spend that arrogant political capital. See where it gets you the next four years after your hubris hits the brick wall of reality.

Private Sector Best Practice v. Government Best Practice

Thomas Sowell very succinctly sums up why many people prefer the private sector and cringe at the thought of government incringing upon their private lives.

Human beings are going to make mistakes, whether in the market or in the government. The difference is that survival in the market requires recognizing mistakes and changing course before you go bankrupt. But survival in politics requires denying mistakes and sticking with the policies you advocated while blaming others for the bad results.

Wise words to keep in the back of your head as you watch Washington try to control the economy.

A Stimulus Based Prediction

I've been mulling over the economy and the current desperate attempts in Washington to save it, and I'm growing confident enough in one thing to make a prediction. If and when this massive stimulus gets passed, it will lead to a level of graft and corruption in Washington that will make every other era of governance in the District of Columbia look like golden eras of ethical governance. In other words, in about three to five years, Washington will begin to look a lot more like Chicago.

Your Morning Bad News. And Chuckle.

Here ya go:

The current global recession is "the most serious for over 100 years", cabinet minister Ed Balls has said.

Mr Balls, a former economic adviser to Gordon Brown, said it was "more extreme and more serious than that of the 1930s", the Yorkshire Post reported.

The bad news is some British dude thinks the financial sky is falling.  The good news is nobody refers to you as "Mr. Balls."

Cutting Through The Crap On the Economy

I read this earlier today and I knew I had to post it in full. I hope National Review can forgive me, but Victor Davis Hanson gets to the nut of the current economic situation:

There is a great disconnect about the stimulus bill. Understandably Obama, in pushing for it, made the argument that the last eight years got us into this mess. So why, he asks, are his critics calling for more of the same? But are they really?

The weird thing is that economy got over-stimulated with massive deficits, cheap Chinese capital, low interest rates, inflated houses, and climbing food and fuel costs. The stimulus medicine is sort of like telling an exhausted sprinter that collapses after being unable to keep up the unrealistically fast pace that his cure is to get up immediately and try excessive sprinting again.

In short, things are upside down: The conservatives are mad that Bush over-spent, and suddenly when out of power want to restore fiscal sanity, while Obama says that the Bush borrowing brought on this mess and must be addressed by more borrowing. What is what? Conservatives suddenly are once again fiscal purists when out of power? Liberals blame Bush for reckless Keynesian spending and want to cure it by more of the same?

Few tell the truth: The conservatives should say 'Mea culpa—our deficit spending and borrowing helped to get us into this mess, so we've seen the error of our ways, and want you liberals not to repeat our mistakes.' And the liberals should say, 'Bush on the budget was one of us in borrowing and spending and priming, so we can't really trash the last eight years since we're now advocating more of the same.'

We have a significant debt issue that is at the heart of this downturn. Governments-domestic and foreign-are deeply in debt. Financial institutions are over leveraged. Companies have over extended themselves. American consumers are collectively up to their eyeballs in debt. That indebtedness needs to be addressed before any kind of strong, long term recovery can take place. Yet the brilliant economic minds in Washington are trying to get us out of this mess by stimulating more debt.

Look, we did need to do something to prevent credit markets from freezing. Credit is a vital part of the global economy, and had the credit markets seized up for a prolonged period of time, it would have been disastrous. The goal now seems to be to debt ourselves out of this mess, and that is exactly the wrong impulse to be indulging. A long, slow recovery is probably in order as economic entities at all levels get their debt loads back to manageable levels. Instead, I see us hitting a recovery late in '09, early in '10 that fires up inflation while growth significantly lags. That is going to lead us right back into the economic pits.

A Brief Thought on the "Stimulus" Bill

There is so much pork in the "stimulus" bill, it is the legislative version of that bacon-wrapped pork sausage recipe that was making the rounds last month.

Obama's Honeymoon With Media Nearly Over

Will wonders never cease? The Messiah has turned the media in record time. The AP...yes, the Associated Press...calls him out over pork in the porkulus bill:

At least Route 31 is a road to somewhere. President Barack Obama had it both ways Monday when he promoted his stimulus plan in Indiana and later at a prime-time news conference. He bragged in Indiana about getting Congress to produce a package with no pork, yet boasted it will do good things for a Hoosier highway and a downtown overpass, just the kind of local projects lawmakers lard into big spending bills.

President Obama has no idea what he is in for. He promised hope, and every example of of politics-as-usual is going to be seen as a betrayal of that promise by his biggest supporters (and potentially biggest thorns in his side), the media.

On Congress and Bailouts

This Congress is like a fat cat at a Friskies factory. They are binging in a way that can only be detrimental to the economy, not helpful. Eventually, there will be an involuntary purge, possibly in the form of stagflation that makes the 1970's look like a walk in the park.

Word to the Wise

Now that it is official that Alex Rodriguez was as steroid-tainted as the rest of them, I have a word of wisdom to everyone who thinks there may be a clean, white knight of this era of baseball: Ken Griffey Jr. probably isn't clean, either. He exhibited bulking up similar to some others, and he also experienced muscle injuries that are common to users.

The sooner we all face it, the better. There are no "greats" from this era of baseball. All who might be considered all-time greats are tainted because their egos were just too strong. Hall of Fame voters will need to come to grips with this. They will either need to outcast an entire generation of ball players, or come to terms with the fact that a lot of special players would have been special in any era but tried to inflate their standing by illegal means, but by means that were not outlawed by the rules of Major League Baseball.

The Day the Music Died

Best Fried Cheese Curds in Wisconsin?

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is soliciting people's opinion on the best fried cheese curds in Wisconsin. So many places are serving crummy fried cheddar nuggets these days that I think their comment thread is a great resource for cheese curd aficionados. For my money, the best two places to get fried cheese curds in the state are the Old Fashioned in Madison and the Northern Wisconsin State Fair in Chippewa Falls.

Pittsburgh Wins Sixth Super Bowl

...But that fumble really should have been booth reviewed. The Steelers would have likely won no matter what, but I think a case can be made for that being a forward pass. If I were a Cardinal fan, I'd be incensed that they didn't even look at it.

Well, If Voters Are Dumb Enough To Buy It

Nancy Pelosi:

“I didn’t come here to be partisan. I didn’t come here to be bipartisan. I came here, as did my colleagues, to be nonpartisan, to work for the American people, to do what is in their interest."

Nonpartisan? Did she say that with a straight face or a smirk and a wink? Her party is anything but nonpartisan, and the stimulus bill (which she was discussing) is her party's gluttonous gorging on years of pent up spending wishes.

At at time when the media can't get enough of stories about wasteful spending in the corporate world, they give Pelosi and company a free pass on wasteful spending because by their logic, any government spending is good, sound, economic stimulus. And they also largely ignore bald faced lies like this one from Nancy Pelosi.

The Fathers of Global Warming

Via Drudge, KUSI brings us a fascinating history of the global warming movement, and by this account, it all starts with one scientist looking for a way to keep the funding flowing, and it leads to what our friends on the left might call "Big Science."

As a global warming skeptic, I find this historical arc a little too good to be true from my vantage point, the dots connecting in an almost too convenient manner. Still, it looks like a good jumping off point for further reading on the movement.

A Distrubing Search Query

This evening Jiblog had a disturbing search result. That search result was for the query "teen agers disappear in fort atkinson". I'll admit that I find this search worrisome and that I've saved a screen shot of the limited information that Sitemeter provides, just in case.

In Defense of Citigroup

Private jets are a touchy subject these days and Citigroup is the most recent company in the hot seat:

Citigroup could be in some hot water over reports that the bank, which has received tens of billions of dollars in government bailout money, is buying a brand new $50 million corporate jet for its executives.

The move could infuriate Congressional representatives who eviscerated auto executives in November for flying down to Washington in their corporate jets to ask for billions of dollars in aid under the government’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Awful, right? Well, think before you bitch:

A Citigroup spokesperson told DealBook that he could not confirm the reports that the bank was set to take control of a new jet, citing “security” concerns. “Executives are encouraged to fly commercial whenever possible to reduce expenses,” Citi said in a statement.

Look at that key phrase that I've bolded and engage your brain for a minute. You don't just order jets like you order books on Amazon.com. This order was likely placed long before the financial world went to hell in a hand basket last fall, and Citigroup would have probably taken a charge that would have been a significant percentage of the plane had they not taken the order. At least now it is an asset on the corporate ledger that can be sold down the line, if necessary.

Large corporate expenditures are not like buying a DVD player at Walmart-you don't have a 30 return policy. Additionally, you can't have your cake and eat it, too; you can't complain about the lack of economic activity and also bitch at a company for spending money. In the current economic environment, you've got to tolerate one or the other, and each has its unpalatable consequences.

The Revised Jiblog Economic Outlook

I'll admit it. In the third and fourth quarters of last year, I was hoping for a 1982-esque economic downturn. If it had leveled off, I was confident we'd start to rebound in the second half. After watching the economic news of the past few weeks, I've become certain that we've got a couple of rounds of downward cycling to go yet. The quantities of layoffs is such that I can't fathom any substantive rebound until the second half of 2010 at the earliest. Hold on to you seats, my friends, and if you haven't already, starting showing your superiors at work how important you are and how much more important you can be in a downsized company.

Random Thought From A Month Ago

I had this thought in an airport at the beginning of the month, and then I forgot about it until now: If you are outraged by Bernard Madoff, you should be ready to take up arms over the government Ponzi Scheme called Social Security. Unfortunately, too many of us are more like rats fighting to get the last of the cheese before it is gone.

As for me, well, I've been resigned for years to the fact that I won't see penny one of what I'm paying in. I consider it just one of many debts I'll be paying off on behalf of the last two generations. And I'm willing to do it as long as my child's generation can start to carry this country upward again.

'Green' Will Not Be a Detroit Panacea

Well, Big Three. Ya got your bailout. Enjoy your deal with the devil.

President Barack Obama wants automakers to make greener cars at a time when General Motors and Chrysler are hanging by the thread of a massive government loan and auto sales have plummeted to their lowest levels in more than two decades.

Obama's plans could bring smaller cars, more hybrids and advanced fuel-saving technologies to showrooms, but car shoppers will probably pay more upfront because the new rules are expected to cost the hamstrung industry billions of dollars. (emphasis mine)

That will work out well for Detroit. Why is the American auto industry, nay, the global auto industry suffering today? A big part of it is because people either can't afford to buy new cars or uncertainty about their jobs is leaving them too afraid to make the financial commitment. So what is Washington going to do? Force Detroit to make cars that are more expensive than the market can bear because they believe we all want to pay more in this time of economic paralysis for a car because it'll save Gaia. Bub-bye Detroit. We'll miss ya. All hail Toyota!

The Gore Global Warming Tour To Be Snowed Out

Ahh, this is my favorite part of the last few winters. Al Gore prepares to blow his hot air while the winds of winter threaten:

Al Gore is scheduled before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday morning to once again testify on the 'urgent need' to combat global warming.

But Mother Nature seems ready to freeze the proceedings.

A 'Winter Storm Watch' has been posted for the nation's capitol and there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations.

It seems like this happens to Al a couple of times a year. Of course, the up tick in extreme winter weather isn't just nature being nature, but just another sign of global warming. I love how they cover their bases like that. It is like saying that there is global drying, but monsoons are a direct symptom of it.

History Re-Folded

Huh. This wasn't what I was expecting when I asked for history to be re-folded, but it works, I guess.

Yay! Wrinkle-free history!

History Unfolded Before Our Eyes Yesterday

Now somebody please fold it back up.  History is getting wrinkled.

On FDR, the New Deal, and the Great Depression

I know that a lot of people out there are encouraging the incoming Obama administration to take heed of the example of FDR and the New Deal, some even encouraging a "new" New Deal. I caution against that approach to the economy, and I do so by eschewing the traditional economic debates on the issue.

Instead, I ask you to think of it this way. If Obama were to follow FDR's historical path and time line, then we will begin to claw our way out of this economic mess sometime in or after 2016, and then at least in part to a global conflagration that completely reorganizes the economy from a production footing to a 'destruction' footing. Does a seven plus year plan really sound all that appealing?

And that assumes that, after 70 plus years of deficit spending, we can even afford to respond to a global conflagration in the same manner we did then. Perhaps there is a better way than a "new" New Deal.

And So Begins the Great American Tradition...

...of the People falling out of love with their chosen President. Congratulations, President Obama, and enjoy today. If you are successful, by about year six of your presidency the nation will be sick of you. If not, well, they'll come to loathe you much sooner.

That's not the partisan in me speaking, it's just the way of the modern presidency in today's age of short attention spans.

Video of Flight 1549 Landing in the Hudson

This is something else.

U.S. Airways 1549 Lands on Water

Unbelievable.

Shock, relief, gratitude. Most of all, the soaked and freezing passengers of Flight 1549 just seemed amazed to be alive.

All of them.

"You've got to give it to the pilot," said Jeff Kolodjay of Norwalk, Conn., who was aboard the US Airways jet that ditched in the frigid Hudson River after an apparent collision with a flock of birds. "He made a hell of a landing."

"He was phenomenal," echoed Joe Hart, of Long Island, a salesman with investment firm ING.

"He landed it — I tell you what — the impact wasn't a whole lot more than a rear-end (collision). It threw you into the seat ahead of you. Both engines cut out, and he actually floated it into the river," he added.

I've flown a lot in my life, and I've always discounted any talk about flotation devices. I thought that I knew enough about the physics of an airplane hitting water at high speeds to know that it wasn't going to work. Maybe from now on I'll pay attention to my flotation devices, just in case I have an incredible pilot like this one.

Thoughts on Kickers

I really don't know why the subject of kickers and punters has been on my mind lately, but it has. Here are the two thoughts that cursing me:

Whatever happened to barefoot kickers and punters? If you were an NFL fan in the '80s, then you can remember a time when numerous kickers and punters used to kick barefooted. As someone who grew up in a northern climate and who has damn near shattered his foot a few times kicking a football in the cold, I always found it idiotic. As such, I never paid much attention as the practice disappeared from the game until one day I noticed that nobody did it anymore. So what did happen?

Well, there are two theories. This one, put forth by Chuck Klosterman at ESPN, proclaims barefoot kicking to be a fad in a sport prone to fads. Possible, but it didn't seem like a very strong theory. The second theory seems much more plausible. Apparently, barefoot kicking is banned at the high school level in 48 states. Because of that, most kickers are learning to kick with shoes on. Changing to a barefoot style in college after growing comfortable kicking with feet clad in cleats could affect performance and therefore be seen as a risk not worth taking. So let's put the reason for the extinction of the barefoot kicker at 10% theory #1 and 90% theory #2.

Why is there no outrage over the lack of black kickers? When it comes to the NFL, race and the QB position have been a sensitive topic for years. But there is one position on a football team that has been decidedly non-black, and that is the kicker position. Where is the outrage, people?

The Origin of Football's Penalty Flag

Ever wonder who thought of the penalty flag? Me either, but Youngstown State University has the story for you.

Before the introduction of the penalty flag, the officials used horns and whistles to signal a penalty. This made it difficult for fans and the media to know that there was an infraction on the field because they could not hear the signal.

Beede said, "I always disliked the fish horn signal, figured it was a nuisance, irritating to the ears."

Jack McPhee, who was an official during the first game the penalty flag was used said, "Through the use of the signal flag, everyone in the stadium knows that something is wrong. It’s been a big help."

Beede came up with idea of the flag and had his wife sew it together. His wife, Irma Beede, later became known as the ‘Betsy Ross of Football’ because she sewed the first flags together. He asked her to make a flag that had a bright color (red) with white stripes. The flags were put together using pieces of the Beede’s daughter’s old Halloween costume for the red part of the flag and an old sheet for the white part. She used some lead sinkers from Beede’s fishing tackle box to weigh it down. It was 16 inches square with the weight all at one end of the flag. The flag has been modified over the years and today it is yellow cloth that has sand in it to weigh it down.

Beede came to an agreement with Oklahoma City Coach Os Doenges to use the flags as an experiment. Beede proceeded to ask the game officials to use the flag.

"Do me a favor boys, instead of using the horns, try dropping these flags on violations. The fans never hear the horns. Besides its just an experiment."

When you go to a Super Bowl party or a bar for the NFC/AFC Championship games, drop that one on your buddies to show them your Cliff Claven-esque knowledge of the game.

UFO over Jersey, or Me?

I find this story funny.

Was it a UFO or is there an explanation for it?

Strange, red, blinking lights could be seen across Morris County on Monday night, and officials thought they had figured out what caused them.

Now, they're not so sure.

Between 8:30 and 9 p.m., the Hurley family in Whippany captured images of a bizarre object in the sky and contacted WCBSTV.com.

Why do I find it funny? Because I was in approximately that airspace at just about that time. I saw nothing but other planes heading to New York/New Jersey airports.

The UFOs must have been on the other side of the plane.

Thanks, National Democrats!

I was getting worried that conservatism, because of its necessary ties to the Republican party, was going to walk with the party through the desert for sometime. After all, a lot of good will and "political capital" has been squandered over the years, and not just by President Bush. But just as the Democrats float to the top, they show that it probably isn't because they are the cream. First, they will probably rescind the portion of the Contract with America that opens up the participation of the minority party in the House, even though their power play through parliamentary rules is part of what led to the Republican Revolution in 1994. Now they refuse to seat a seemingly clean, albeit self-adoring, black Senate appointee from Illinois who is political poison because he was appointed by a dirty Democrat Governor. President Obama will need to walk on water and turn carbon dioxide into beer in order to save his party from itself in 2010 and 2012.

Psst! Yeah You. Shh! Did Ya Know Bush Reads?

I meant to comment on this last week, but I was doing a lot of running. It is a story that got under my skin something awful, and I'll explain why after the snippet.

It is perhaps something they should have told us sooner: George W. Bush is a voracious reader. “In the 35 years I’ve known George W. Bush, he’s always had a book nearby,” writes Karl Rove in last weekend’s Wall Street Journal.

It was a story much commented on by various writing airheads who expressed surprise, and some of whom saw the titles Bush chose as somehow intellectually insulating. Well, I've got a surprise for them. I've known for probably six years that President Bush was a voracious reader. It really wasn't a surprise, unless of course you are the type that thought the President was a chimp and a dullard. Of course, if you are in that camp, it also marks you as intellectually incurious and insulated, because Bush's love for reading has been much written about in non-liberal, non-BDS circles for years.

Define "Burn"

This is an unpleasant story:

An Australian woman has appeared in court in Adelaide charged with murdering her husband by setting fire to his penis.

Rajini Narayan, 44, is alleged to have doused her husband, Satish, with a flammable liquid while he was sleeping.

When she set him alight, Mr Narayan jumped out of bed and knocked over the substance, causing the fire to spread.

Mrs Narayan told the court she had not intended to kill her husband but to punish him for his alleged infidelity.

Mrs. Narayn, it was probably already burning, just not in a way that was manifestly apparent to you.

Oh, the Humanity! or The Seven Modern Media Plagues

First, there was financial calamity. Next, there was threat of SUPERVOLCANO! Now, ebola and bird flu are back:

The authorities in Angola say they have closed part of the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

Angolan officials said all movement of people from northern Luande Norte province to DR Congo would be stopped.

The outbreak in DR Congo was the first in Africa in several months and the fourth in DR Congo since 1976.

It is believed to have infected at least 40 people of which more than ten have died.

And:

Just when you thought you could scratch bird flu off your list of things to worry about in 2009, the deadly H5N1 virus has resurfaced in poultry in Hong Kong for the first time in six years, reinforcing warnings that the threat of a human pandemic isn't over.

India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and mainland China also experienced new outbreaks in December. During the same period, four new human cases -- in Egypt, Cambodia and Indonesia -- were reported to the World Health Organization. A 16-year-old girl in Egypt and a 2-year-old girl in Indonesia have died.

When I first conceived this post, my plan was to poke fun at the media's alarmist nature, as I am wont to do. But then I began to think about the seven plagues, and I began to wonder what the modern media's seven plagues were. This is what I came up with:

1. Bird flu/Ebola
2. Economic calamity (famine)
3. Supervolcano/'Big One' earthquakes/Monster tsunamis
4. Asteroid impact
5. Global warming
6. Species Extinction
7. Fresh water scarcity

What say you? Am I missing any?

No Win Situation

Today I had the chance to talk with, or rather listen to, Joe Everyman. It was a most entertaining conversation, but a few things struck me:

1. Joe Everyman was solidly convinced that things have not been this bad since the Great Depression. Joe also took a holiday vacation in the Caribbean on a lark.
2. Joe doesn't think the government is doing enough to protect us from terrorism. Joe is also pissed that we are spending vast sums on the war in Iraq during tough economic times.
3. Joe blamed the U.S. automakers problems on their truck & SUV reliance. Joe drives an American made SUV. A big one.

I liked Joe. I'd enjoy having more conversations with him because there were kernels of wisdom in some of the topics he discussed. But I found these three contradictions very interesting, because they are contradictions that I think are in the belief system of a lot of people, and I find it fascinating. I don't hold him and others in low regard because of this, but I do wonder how these contradictions get rationalized.

And He Shall Call It 'Jiblet'

I'm not really sure what 2009 will bring for this blog, for conservatism, for the nation, or even for the Brewers, Packers, Badgers, and Bucks. But I do know one thing, and that is that, come mid-year, I'm going to have a tiny ally that will keep me up late at night to make many incomprehensible posts. Just something for you all to look forward to...Jibabble with the Jib and the Jiblet.

If you made sense of that post without access to my Facebook or Flickr pages, congratulations. You'll enjoy the Jibabble with the Jiblet.

First Post of the New Year!

Such are the benefits of not having a co-blogger(s).

73,000 Store Closings Possible in First Half

This is disturbing, but at the same time, it is partly an overdue correction:

U.S. retailers face a wave of store closings, bankruptcies and takeovers starting next month as holiday sales are shaping up to be the worst in 40 years.

Retailers may close 73,000 stores in the first half of 2009, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

I was in the retail world from the late 1990's to 2001. I try to be a student of whatever business I am in, and it was no different in retail. The one thing that I always had trouble wrapping my brain around was how so many retailers felt it wise to rapidly expand all at the same time. I mean, I understood that expansion was critical to market share and new revenue while same store sales suffered, but they were moving into smaller and smaller markets that could be challenged to support their stores (while eroding business at existing stores in larger markets), and there was sooo much competitive overlap in so many areas. I've felt for a long time that we were due for a large wave of store closings as competition and poor decisions came home to roost for many retailers. I just didn't think it would be such a tsunami.

Doing It Wrong

I don't mean to make light of this with that headline, but I don't think this kid was serious, and I'll elaborate after the snippet:

One of the central figures in the 2007 Jena Six civil rights case never gave up pursuing his football career, even after his well-publicized run-ins with the law.

Mychal Bell, an 18-year-old high school running back, clung to the hope that he could earn a college football scholarship. Then came another legal scrape this Christmas Eve.

After news broke of his arrest on a shoplifting charge, Bell shot himself in the chest Monday with a .22-caliber handgun. He remained hospitalized Tuesday but police said his chest wound was not life-threatening.

"When it was broadcast that he was charged with shoplifting he just felt that the whole year had been wasted and that he had worked all of that time for nothing," said Louis Scott, who represented Bell in the case where Bell and five other black teenagers were charged in the 2006 beating of a white classmate.

Bell's grandmother, Rosie Simmons, and mother, Melissa Bell, told police that "Mychal had made comments over the past two days that, because of the current media attention he had because of the shoplifting arrest, he didn't feel like he could live anymore," Monroe Police Lt. Jeff Harris said, reading from a police report.

A lot of people threaten to commit suicide. A lot of people try and fail. Some try and succeed, but they are outnumbered by the two former. Usually, when you look at threatened and failed attempts, the thought that pops into your mind is, "they really thought that would work?" That's the vibe I get from this story.

That doesn't mean he doesn't have problems that need to be addressed. He clearly does. But deep down, I'll bet that he didn't really want to die. Those that really want to die are remarkably successful at it, and they tend not to give others the chance to save them. I hope his family gets him the help he needs, because despite his words, deep down I think this kid does want to live.

Yellowstone Gets very Quakey

Yellowstone has had 250 small earthquakes in a very short period of time.

Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come. Swarms of small earthquakes happen frequently in Yellowstone, but it's very unusual for so many earthquakes to happen over several days, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

"They're certainly not normal," Smith said. "We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years."

Cue supervolcano stories in three...two...one. The media is having a field day pumping out stories of economic calamity and personal suffering, but there is one thing they can never resist: A good ol' annihilation of man by nature story.

Christmas Regrets

A lot of people regret things during the Christmas season. For those of you that do have some holiday regrets, I'd like to cheer you up by letting you know that even our biggest Christmas icons have regrets about Christmas 2008.

Five Things Santa Regrets about Christmas 2008
5. He let the reindeer eat Taco Bell the night before the trip.
4. Violating the air space over Dick Cheney's residence the same night he gave him a new shotgun.
3. Stopping to use the bathroom at the Minneapolis airport.
2. Letting Mrs. Claus talk him into wearing the thong she gave him for their anniversary.
1. Not getting a piece of the bail out action.

Five Things Rudolph regrets about Christmas 2008
5. Hitting on Vixen at the company Christmas party.
4. Hitting on Prancer at the company Christmas party.
3. Leading the sleigh into the wind farm that cost Comet his tail.
2. Posing for the holiday spread in Playdoe.
1. That shotgun Santa gave Cheney.

Ten Ways to Welcome 2009

Since economic pessimism is overwhelming, I've decided to offer up ten ways to welcome in the new year amongst this depressing climate. Enjoy.

10. Count down your 401K.

9. As the clock strikes midnight, kiss the spouse you can't afford to divorce.

8. Instead of popping the bubbly, pop an economic bubble.

7. Go to Times Square. Avoid giving money to homeless hedge fund managers.

6. Take your beloved out to a nice, cozy dinner. New Year's Eve is a night to throw caution to the wind, so supersize it.

5. New Year's Eve is a very romantic night to get engaged. As a rule, the ring should cost two months' wages, so take your fifty cents to the quarter machine in the Kmart lobby...

4. Avoid the amateurs and stay in. Most shelters will tune in Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on the community television if you ask nicely.

3. Ring in the new year with a romantic fire. The steel 55 gallon drum will also radiate heat to keep you warm.

2. Dance the night away. It is said that stripping is recession-proof, and you'll need the money.

1. Fire a gun in the air at midnight. At least in prison, you'll get three squares a day.

Borders Books is Toast

My wife and I are huge fans of Borders Books. It is well known in our "circle" that our favorite date ends with a trip to Borders wherein we pick out books, drink coffee, and largely ignore each other in the Cafe for an hour or two. A favorite Christmas gift of ours is a Borders gift card, but this year, we asked that family and friends not buy them for us out of nervousness inspired by the company's dire financial straights. Still, we held out hope for it. Until today.

At approximately 2 am, I received an email via my Borders Rewards membership. The subject line announced 40% off on everything because of Borders' closing. Stunning news immediately following Christmas, right? Well, there was no news of a Chapter 11 filing by the company. About ten hours later, a correction email was sent out. The deal wasn't for the closing of all Borders' stores, just one in Sacramento.

If you are a company going through very difficult times, that kind of error is inexcusable. We will still patronize Borders because we prefer its atmosphere to that of its competitor. Just the same, I think I may have to prepare the lovely Mrs. Jib for a new locale for our favorite dates because I'm not sure the company is up for the challenge that it faces.

Tom Cruise is now Cinematic Poison

I am currently curled up and watching a History Channel documentary on the the Valkyrie plot to assassinate Hitler. The movie Valkyrie, which opened this holiday weekend, should be right up my alley. But I have no desire to see it, specifically because of Tom Cruise. It looks like it could have been a good movie, but I have lost all tolerance for Tom Cruise the actor. I don't like how he acts, how he portrays characters. As such, I'm unwilling to sink my money into this movie, and will be unlikely to sink it into future Cruise films.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I did not get around to wishing everyone a Merry Christmas before the 25th, so I'd like to take a moment now to say that I hope that you all had a very joyous Christmas, and that you all have a safe and prosperous new year.

Stalin 3rd Most Popular in Russia

Unbelievable.

Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was voted Russia's third most popular historical figure in a nationwide poll that ended on Sunday, despite the famine and purges that marked his rule.

The "Name of Russia" contest run by Rossiya state television channel over more than six months closed on Sunday night with a final vote via the Internet and mobile phones. It drew more than 50 million votes in a nation of 143 million.

I'm going to make an a poor analogy in order to offer up some scale here. Let's say we held this poll here in the United States and Jeffrey Dahmer was voted the third most popular historical figure. Appalling, right? Now, consider this-by some estimates, Stalin was responsible for 588,235 TIMES more deaths than Dahmer. Now that's beyond appalling.

A Word of Wisdom to the Pro-Pot Legalization Crowd

I know that the 'legalize marijuana' crowd is passionate about their position. I know this because I've been told so by a number of them in between fists full of Cheetos. I urge them to reconsider that position, however. Why? Well, because if they love their bud so much, they should appreciate how cheap their illegal smoke is. Do you really think the government will legalize it without excising their pound of flesh via taxes? After legalization, if you want affordable pot, you'll still need to buy it illegally as the government will levy high taxes on the legal variety. Yeah, you may be able to buy pot legally, but you won't be able to afford your munchies or the cable TV that you'll want to mindlessly stare at for hours.

Get Your BAC While Jammin'

Do you love music? Do you have trouble hitting road signs and peeing on the shoulder of I-94? Maybe you need the iPod Breathalyzer:

Just when you thought the iPod accessory market had seen it all, a company called David Steele Enterprises announced the iBreath- a fully functioning FM Transmitter add-on that doubles as a digital alcohol breathalyzer. That’s right, folks- this little gizmo not only transmits your music wirelessly to your car stereo, it also tells you whether or not you’re “cool to drive.”

The word on the street is that if you blow over .08, your iPod plays I Had a Bad Day until the battery dies to punish you. If sober, it plays Why Don't We Get Drunk (and Screw).

A Twitter Confession

I once visited Twitter. I gave it an honest shot, but I hated it. To this day, I'm still not sure if my loathing resulted from the format or my crotchety, anti-technology age of 32. While this post could very well have been Twittish, I still resent the limits on my loquaciousness.

Yglesias Censure Illuminates Limits of Blogger Muscle

Matthew Yglesias wrote something that his overlords disapproved of, and they made note of it in a post at his blog:

This is Jennifer Palmieri, acting CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Most readers know that the views expressed on Matt’s blog are his own and don’t always reflect the views of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Such is the case with regard to Matt’s comments about Third Way. Our institution has partnered with Third Way on a number of important projects - including a homeland security transition project - and have a great deal of respect for their critical thinking and excellent work product. They are key leaders in the progressive movement and we look forward to working with them in the future.

This is the conundrum a lot of bloggers face. If they stay unaffiliated in an effort to exert their own editorial position, their influence will often times hit a plateau. Criticism of their allies, however justly deserved, earns them outsider status. If they join up with the establishment, their voices can reach new heights. Unfortunately, their ability to criticize 'allies' becomes muted, and thus their true influence is bottled up. It is the rare blogger that can walk the line and still be effective.

Packers Lose to Bears in OT

I am irrationally angry right now. Irrational because the pattern of this entire season dictated that the Packers would lose this game. Still, I think now would be a good time for me to back away from the blog before I write something I'll regret. (If you want to visualize me right now, think Linus with those squiggly lines over his head).

Observations

I have two observations from life today.

1. The worst winter driver I've encountered in a long time almost rear ended me on the way to work today. I'd been watching him flirting with my bumper for miles and I was very nervous as road conditions were horrible and speeds were varying. Then it happened. The line of traffic slowed to about 15 MPH, and I saw him hauling up on me at about 45. He didn't slow. I'm not even sure he saw me until the last second, when jerked right onto the unplowed shoulder and went around me. He ended up forcing himself back onto the road right in front of me. So what did the sticker on his bumper say? "Society for an Idiot Free America." Here here! I say we start with him.

2. My Christmas spirit has been non-existent until very, very recently. Suffice it to say, I have much Christmas shopping to do and very little time to do it in. So after work, I hit the stores. I made a dent, but by the time I threw in the towel, I wanted to start a fight. The economy may be in the dumps, and people may be spending less, but on a Wednesday night a week before Christmas, there was an obscene number of Christmas shopping zombies in the stores.

State of the Packers

It is probably time we faced some hard truths here in Packerland:

1. The defensive line just is not good. It does not do a good job of stopping the run, it does not do a good job of getting pressure on the QB. It is weakened by injuries, yes, but this unit was supposed to have excellent depth. It does not.

2. The secondary is an exemplary unit...when the defense can get pressure, and when they are in press coverage. When there is no pressure, they can get picked apart as much as any other unit in the league. And when they are in zone, they are average at best.

3. The linebackers seemed at one point to be a particular strength. Unfortunately, that was probably an overestimate. Hawk is a solid player, but not one deserving of his high draft position. Chillar has his strengths in pass coverage...when he can get on the field. Poppinga obviously has photos of Ted Thompson in a compromising position with a 1980's era Packers "cheerleader."

4. The offensive line is a mess. It consists of veterans reaching their downward years and projects. They cannot put together a complete game. The fact that Ryan Grant has had a 1000 yard season is more of an indicator of the meaningless nature of that milestone than the play of the line.

5. The Ryan Grant contract was a big mistake. He should thank Brett Favre for the leverage.

6. Aaron Rodgers is not ready to carry a team on his back. It was unrealistic to think that he would in his first season, and it seems that only Favre Fvans have foisted that expectation upon him. He has had a very good first season, just not good enough to put this team over the top. But here's the good news-if the Packers solve their line problems, he very well may become that QB.

7. This coaching staff is not as good as we thought they were at this point last season.

8. This team was never as good as their 13-3 record last year. I knew it then. They are not as bad as their current 5-9 record, though. They have the talent to be somewhere in between. Unfortunately, somewhere in between isn't going to be good enough for a Super Bowl unless the talent in key areas is upgraded.

Iraqi Reporter Throws Shoes at President Bush

Thankfully, that's all it was.

On an Iraq trip shrouded in secrecy and marred by dissent, President George W. Bush on Sunday hailed progress in the war that defines his presidency and got a size-10 reminder of his unpopularity when a man hurled two shoes at him during a news conference.

"This is a farewell kiss, you dog!" shouted the protester in Arabic, later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

Bush ducked both shoes as they whizzed past his head and landed with a thud against the wall behind him.

If you get the chance, watch the video. President Bush is still pretty spry. He might have a future in dodgeball.

A Dark Day for UW Whitewater Students

In Walworth County, Wisconsin, in the city of Whitewater, 18 individuals have been arrested for dealing drugs:

A 10-month undercover investigation by multiple area law enforcement agencies resulted in at least 18 arrests in the City of Whitewater last week.

"It was a good day for law enforcement," Whitewater Police Chief James Coan said last Wednesday.

"Eighteen people were rounded up and arrested on drug-related charges here in Whitewater," Coan confirmed. "Two other subjects are being sought on arrest warrants. This is the culmination of a 10-month undercover investigation conducted by our department, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Police Department and the Walworth County Drug Enforcement Unit.

Whitewater students will now have to struggle to find a pot dealer amongst the dozens and dozens who still remain. (In all seriousness, good for the city, but pot was the most significant violation here, and others will fill that void.)

The Big 3 Bailout

I was talking with someone today whom I consider to be in that political middle ground that is so important to both parties. We got onto the topic of the bail out which failed in the Senate last night. This person was of the opinion that the UAW does bear a significant amount of blame, putting their own interests before anyone else's, including all of the suppliers (and their employees) who could be conceivably hurt by a Detroit bankruptcy(ies). I hope that this person represents the mainstream of thought on this issue. I happen to agree with him. This is not the time for making sure you get the most for everyone. This is a time for saving as many jobs as possible, even if that means not getting everything you want and making tough choices. I made a similar personal choice recently. It is a shame that the UAW still doesn't fully get it. Unfortunately, from what I'm gathering in my neck of the woods, some of their members do get it, but all too many don't.

A Thought on the Brewers and Yankees

I doubt all four will end up in pinstripes, but if the New York Yankees open the 2008 season with CC Sabathia (already signed), Ben Sheets, Mike Cameron, and Bill Hall, I hope they enjoy wearing Sabathia out to make the playoffs, only to get their asses kicked in the first round.

Of course, this doesn't bode particularly well for the Crew's playoff chances in '09, but maybe the Yanks will be willing to give them something for Corey Hart after the all star break so they can enjoy his second half performance, too. Hell, maybe the Brewers can get them to take Rickie Weeks, too.

If They Did It

Is it just me, or does Rod Blagojevich look like the love child of Mike Myers and George Stephanopoulos?

The Sacrifices Our Boys Make for the Fair Gender

Ouch.

One of the longest-running spousal debates may now be settled in favor of men and for the sake of little boys.

Leave the toilet seat up, some British doctors now say. The reason: a rising trend for heavy wooden and ornamental toilet seats to fall down onto the penises of unsuspecting (and just potty-trained) toddlers.

Ladies, your little men just aren't at a good height for that most tragic of all male bathroom accidents. Leave the seat up...for the children.

Another Accurate Prediction: Cow Fart Edition

From Sykes:

For farmers, this stinks: Belching and gaseous cows and hogs could start costing them money if a federal proposal to charge fees for air-polluting animals becomes law.

This is what I wrote almost 2 years ago, exactly:

I want the EPA to crack down on bovine emissions. I want to see them force farmers to grow reformulated grass for the cows to graze on. I want a requirement that forces cows to be fitted with cowtalytic converters. I want to see them require breeders to re-engineer cows so they include EGR devices.

It was 2 years ago that the Brits brought up bovine emissions. It was only a matter of time before our own EPA got stupid over the topic. I'm surprised it took them this long.

In re Andrew Sullivan's Obsession with the Palin Pregnancy

Andrew Sullivan is still obsessed with Sarah Palin's pregnancy with Trig. In a recent post, he presents a straight-on photo of Palin as evidence that she was not showing nearly as much as she should have been. This is the photo:















Sullivan is obviously a man who believes all photos are truth. Unfortunately, a good photographer will tell you that a photo shows you what the photographer wants you to see, and often times, a photographer wants you to see their subjects in the best light possible. I have not seen the EXIF data on this photo, but if I had to guess, I'd say the photographer took the picture with a longer lens or focal length, at some distance. The benefit of photographing people at a longer focal length is it tends to flatten features, unlike a wide angle lens which exacerbates features.

Now, I again say that I haven't seen the EXIF data on this photo, but I'm making an educated guess that this is what this photographer did. Their (Palin and the child) features seem to be flattened to me. Also, if you look at Palin in her abdominal and groin area, the fabric of her clothes do not lay in the way that they do in photos of her from the presidential campaign. There appears to be a 'paunch' in her abdominal area that isn't there in any of her images from the second half of this year. Also, the fabric in her lower abdominal/groin area is not laying in the way you would expect from the relatively lean Palin we came to know in the presidential campaign.

Amateur analysis of photographs is at high risk of error. There is a reason that your photos rarely look the way that a pro's do, and it isn't just Photoshop. The fact is that you can manipulate the way light focuses on your film or digital sensor. A pro would likely use a longer focal length in a portrait style shot in order to eliminate unattractive exaggerations of features. I'm guessing this shot wasn't done by a pro as the flash seems to be head on and is unattractive, but an amateur would also be able to accomplish this by standing a little further away with a point and shoot and then trying to accomplish in-camera cropping by zooming in. In either scenario, depth would be flattened, and in a head on shot of a pregnancy, depth is critical.

Update
Upon looking at the photo in greater detail, I think there are two additional aspects that reduce the depth of Palin's figure in this photograph. The first is her coat. Because it is 3/4 closed, it obscures any lines that would give us an indication of figure. Second, she seems to be slouching a bit. When you add in the flattening of a long focal length and the coat obscuring her lines, that slouch puts her face and upper body further forward, enhancing any flattening that may be occurring.

Parallels

In 1995, I was a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. On October 3rd of that year, I was eating lunch at the Burger King in the University Center. The dynamic in the dining room was very odd. The white students had congregated on one side, the black students on the other side. On the televisions hanging from the ceiling was the OJ Simpson verdict.

The room is silent, odd for a dining area, and the volume on the televisions is cranked up. The verdict was announced. Once side of the room erupted in cheers. The other side stayed silent, with heads dropping and little more than whispers being uttered. I ate alone that day, and I turned my attention to my newspaper, quickly wolfing down my sandwich so as to get the hell out of a very uncomfortable environment. I get back to the dorms, and the verdict is all anyone can talk about.

Fast forward to December 5, 2008. I'm sitting at a Red Robin with a couple of co-workers, ordering lunch. One co-worker looks up at the televisions suspended from the ceiling and makes a passing comment that the OJ sentencing is coming in. Conversation quickly turns to other topics. I continue to read the closed captioning on the TV in a very noisy dining area. Nobody is paying attention but me. I try to stay on top of the conversation while reading the sentences of 'no less thans' and 'maximum ofs'. I know OJ has received his sentence, but I can't make sense of what the actual sentence is. Then I read it: 15 years.

I join back into the conversation at my table. I finish my sandwich, use the restroom, sit back down and, in a room that never changed in emotion, said to my lunchmates, "15 years." They looked at me with confused faces. I repeated myself. "OJ got 15 years in prison." Shoulders were shrugged, and conversation quickly moved on to other topics.

What a difference between two scenes. I went back to work, clicked on a couple of news websites, and nobody had the headline up yet, even though the verdict was almost a half hour old by then. Finally, a co-worker said, "OJ got 15." Another said, "Good. It was over due." Not another word was said.

In away, when OJ Simpson was acquitted in 1995, it made him a joke in American culture. Had he been convicted, his celebrity status would have clung to him despite the notoriety. Many would have elevated him to martyr status. But in 2008, the acquitted OJ Simpson was a national laughing stock and an after thought. In a way, a greater justice may have been done. Simpson will spend a number of his remaining years in a prison cell. If this had happened 13 years ago, his star and his legacy still would have been bright to the naked eye. Today, it is barely noticed. Athletes are a vane bunch who desire to have their legacies fondly remembered. Today, OJ Simpson's legacy is only visible when it pulses in its death throes. That punishment, for a man like Simpson, may be greater than any verdict or sentence.

$25 for a Barrel of Oil?

That's what Merrill Lynch is projecting:

U.S. stocks fell for the first time in three days, pushed down by concern General Motors Corp. may file for bankruptcy and a plunge in energy shares following Merrill Lynch & Co.’s prediction that oil will hit $25 a barrel.

That is an appealing story, but remember, it was just months ago the experts were telling you to anticipate $200 a barrel oil. I don't necessarily think that $25 is out of the question because I think we've got at least six months of moderate decline before things hit a bottom across the economy, but I don't put too much weight in it, either. Sooner rather than later, OPEC will cut production (or at least claim they will), a crisis will occur in an oil producing nation, and oil prices will bottom out before the economy does.

How Long Until Conan? And Other Thoughts

Misc. thoughts:

*Is it just me, or has Leno gotten more obnoxiously liberal since the election? I don't harbor any illusions that Conan O'Brien is any less liberal, but at least his comedy transcends it a little better.

*Why is it the first part of a windshield wiper blade to go is the part that cleans the glass right in the middle of your sight?

*I pay property taxes that probably exceed the current value of my property. Still, the city I live in can't be bothered to plow well or toss down some sand and salt when the roads get miserable.

*Did the Christmas light manufacturers really need to shorten the length of LED strands compared to incandescent strands? If I need 150 of lights, does it really matter if I buy 10 strands of 15 footers or 6 strands of 25 footers? I still need 150 feet, right?

*This week, the National Weather Service has predicted 9 to 15 inches of snow for my locality. We've gotten 4. I see this as a good omen for this winter.

*The darkest hour is just before dawn, and if we're lucky, dawn for this economy will come next July. In the mean time, hold on tight for the next six plus months.

*One nice thing about an artificial Christmas tree is I don't have to re-create my father's annual screed about the cost of a natural tree.

*If you are a small business owner, I recommend that you become heavily involved in your local community. In these tough times, people will choose the bargain price unless they consider you a friend, in which case they'll still spend a little more to help you.

*I don't think any intelligent Republican or conservative can actively root for Barack Obama's failure right now because his failure will guarantee worse lives for all of us 4 years from now. That doesn't mean we can't oppose what we see as ill fated policy initiatives in an effort to make them better. It does mean that we don't have the luxury of rooting for his failure for ideological sake like our opponents have with Bush for the last 8 years.

*Libertarians feel they are in a position to gloat right now, and to a certain extent, they are. Their dogmatism for theory will be their shortcoming, however, as pragmatism and realism overwhelms theory. My only hope is that the left doesn't hijack pragmatism to enact a rash of ill-considered policies.

*Did you know that CFL light bulbs are best used in lamps and other light fixtures where their glass swirl is above their base? It seems that the heat produced by the base leads to early failure of the bulb when the base is above the bulb in things like ceiling light fixtures.

*Is it just me, or is the three piece suit making a come back?

Hello, Stagflation

Ugh. We're screwed.

The Federal Reserve and the Treasury announced $800 billion in new lending programs on Tuesday, sending a message that they would print as much money as needed to revive the nation’s crippled banking system.

The gargantuan efforts — one to finance loans for consumers, and a bigger one to push down home mortgage rates — were the latest but probably not the last of the federal government’s initiatives to absorb the shocks that began with losses on subprime mortgages and have spread to every corner of the economy.

The Fed is going to try to inflate us out of this mess, but with economic contraction, they are going to make the late 1970's look like a walk in the park.

To the New York Bretts Fans

The Packers got their butts handed to them last night by the Saints. It was a disappointing performance, and I'll be the first to admit that Aaron Rodgers did not have a great game. Today, however, the New York Bretts fans came out of the woodwork, claiming that if the Packers had kept Favre, not only would the team have a better record today, they somehow would have won last night. I have three things to say about their chances last night with Brett under center.

1. Think back on how many shootouts the Packers won with Brett over the years. Having trouble coming up with more than a few, aren't you? That's because the ultimate gunslinger wasn't actually all that good in shootouts. He was undisciplined and made a ton of errors when games seemed to be spinning out of control. Like you, I was hoping for Favre-like big plays in the second half from Rodgers. Unfortunately, even Favre did not make those plays very often in games like last night. He was more prone to toss 5 interceptions in games like last night.

2. You all are right. The Packers do miss the pass rush that Brett brought last year. And he was a stout run stopper, too.

3. You all are right. The Packers do miss the blanket-like pass coverage Brett brought to the secondary of this team.

And as a bonus, Brett was a hell of a lot better punter than that new guy. Hell, he is the difference between 5-6 and 11-0 after all.

Santa Claus Requests Bailout

North Pole- In a press conference today, jolly gift giver Santa Claus told the press that without a bailout from U.S. Federal government, dire consequences would follow for Christmas.

"Ho ho hum. Times are hard here at the North Pole. I've had to take on considerable debts to acquire the electronic gifts that today's children desire. With the tight credit markets, this Christmas might not happen.

"I also face the prospect of laying off half my elves, quite literally throwing them out in the cold on their tiny little asses.

"I implore the U.S. Government to save Christmas."

Critics are already on record against the Claus bailout. Citing the exorbitant wages and benefits the Elven Toy Workers Union have extracted from the North Pole, they say Claus would be better served filing for bankruptcy.

Critics also point out Claus's failure to modernize his shops. The North Pole still largely produces wooden toys and simple dolls, toys that today's market of children find passe and old fashioned. Claus's booming debt has in part been occurred by purchasing modern toys at retail. Compounding matters is the fact that much of that debt has been compiled on a weary, high interest Citi Card.

Some in Congress are already questioning the cost effectiveness of Claus's use of a private sleigh on Christmas Eve. They want Claus to switch his package delivery to the U.S. Postal Service. But some on the Hill are quickly lining up on Claus's behalf. Stating the rolling effect a Claus bankruptcy would have on the rest of the economy, they have called Claus, "Too big to fail." And after all, this one would be for the children.

Problems With NASA's Urine Recycler

I'd hate to be the guy to discover it wasn't working right.

NASA is having problems with a $250 million system it just delivered to the International Space Station to recycle urine and other wastewater into drinking water for astronauts.

On the plus side, they probably thought they were being treated to Busch Light.

Conservatism Has a Long Way to Go

So here we are, weeks removed from another electoral drubbing, and the soul searching has begun in earnest. Eventually, good ideas will come from this process, and those good ideas will be put into action. But right now, the ideas, the thoughts, the brainstorming just isn't all that good yet. I don't mean to pick on another blog for going through the process, but in reading Commentariat's piece "The real future of conservatism: five ideas," I was able to pick holes in some lines of thought that I think are common but weak right now. So think not of this as a fisking, but rather an attempt to strengthen our thoughts.

#1 Oppose Liberalism
Con-I don't have much complaint with this one given the current circumstances. My only complaint is that opposing is what minority parties do. The surest way to stay in the minority is to be little more than the opposition. The art in politics is have such compelling ideas that the majority opposes and then co-opts you.

#2 Don't give up on social conservatism. But don't emphasize it, either.
Con-I am baffled as to why so many are pointing their fingers at social conservatives right now. But first, I'd like to directly address the author's point. Social conservatives, contrary to what some other conservatives think, aren't stupid. The policy being advocated here is much the same as what a lot of conservatives have already been doing for years. Social conservatives know this, and that's why they were a bubbling cauldron of discontent that made the Huckabee campaign go. As a whole, Republicans have used social wedge issues to their benefit since at least 1980, but most social conservatives feel like their has been scant little in the way of accomplishments. This policy would at best alienate more social conservatives, and at worst would turn some of them back into Carter Democrats (if the Democrats can ever figure out how to accept them).

Now, as to the larger idea that social conservatives somehow shoulder a significant share of the blame here. I'm just not seeing it. 2006 wasn't about social issues. It was about the failure of Republicans to be what they promised to be. And 2008 was one of the least social issue oriented presidential campaigns in my memory. I know that Sarah Palin chafed some conservatives out there, and there is a desire to blame some of the loss on her and her values. But her values had no resonance this campaign. This campaign was about the economy, a desire to move on from the Bush years, and somehow making amends for our history. Still, some want to throw social conservatives overboard, while others want to marginalize them. Both ideas would be mistakes for the long term viability of conservatism and the Republican party.

#3 Dump the drug war
Con-Pointless. It is a worthwhile debate to have, but not right now. This barely registers as an idea for the party and conservatism's future. It just doesn't resonate well with the larger electorate. It is also a wedge issue internally for the party because there is not consensus on this.

#4 Run David Petraus [sic] for President in 2012
Con-Yeah, he has done a hell of a job in Iraq. That's not enough to take this flight of fancy, however. First, we know nothing about his political philosophies, and we probably wouldn't until it was too late. Second, the American public has always had a healthy skepticism against mixing their military and their politics. I'm sure some have visions of Eisenhower dancing in their heads, but I'd like to remind them that Ike was pursued by both parties, and he was hardly a conservative. Bush's brand of conservatism wasn't all that conservative at times, and that has contributed to the splintering of the coalition. You could possibly get even worse in Petraeus. You just don't know.

#5 Found an opinion journal other than National Review and the Weekly Standard
Con-Go ahead. It'll fail unless you can absorb the losses year after year. Start something intelligent on the web, and maybe you'll get a toe hold. But those two publications will still have their place. There is a danger in driving for ideological purity in that it can get pretty exclusive very quickly. Both of those publications have displayed a degree of pragmatism because sometimes, what is good for the Republican party is good for conservatism, even if it doesn't seem like it would be on the surface.


Right now, it feels like we are having a collective brainstorm on the right. The ideas just aren't great yet, though. We have to progress these thoughts and do it quickly. The political world moves quickly. It was just four years ago that the Democrats seemed to be on life support. They righted their ship quickly, but their ideas are no stronger. They will be ripe for defeats if we get this hashed out, and soon.

From Where He Sits

I'd like to take a moment to introduce you to a friend of mine. Elliot Stearns writes the blog From Where I Sit, and while I have only met him once (that I can remember...cause I drinks a bit), I can say he is a hell of a guy, and let me tell you why.

One Tuesday night, I ventured out to Milwaukee, a fifty minute drive for me, to meet with some fellow bloggers at a bar. Most of the night is still bleary, but I clearly remember getting up to leave. I shouldn't have been driving. Elliot came up to me like he was going to give me a big, friendly goodbye, but instead of shaking my hand, he rolled his wheel chair onto my foot. He gave me a choice: He could break my foot or I could give him my keys.

I, of course, gave him my keys. I was a little sloppy, but I wasn't stupid. I was in a fix, though, as I was the only person heading back to Jefferson County. Quick thinker that he is, Elliot told me he had just the solution. I followed him out to his oversized van and there in the back was an extra motorized wheelchair. He offered to let me take it home as long as he got to hold onto my keys. It was a deal I couldn't pass up.

So I got into the chair, we said out goodbyes, and I took off. The chair itself was nice, but the voice synthesizer and the mouth control were a little odd, especially considering Elliot can use his arms. Plus the mouthpiece tasted like stale Twinkies and Pall Mall's. But still, I was appreciative and the chair was pretty fun...until the battery died.

So here I am, about a block from Mayfair Mall, drunk with a dead motorized wheelchair and working legs. I figured my night was going to get very awkward. It was then I heard a honking horn. Who was coming to my rescue again that night but Elliot!

Sharp guy that he is, he figured out what was wrong at the sight of me. Generous soul that he is, he offered to give me a hitch and head to Jefferson County. I thanked him profusely, got back in the chair, and squealed with terrified joy as he pushed me with the van. The ride was a blast. Only twice did he lose me. I feel terrible to this day that I prolonged his evening by an hour the second time when I veered off the interstate and lost consciousness.

But that's the kind soul that Elliot is. He could have just left me there, but he waited. When we got back to my place, I loaded his chair back into the van, shook his hand, and off he went. I am eternally grateful that he was looking out for me that night, but I do have just one question. Elliot, when am I going to get my keys back?

A Great American Myth

Unions in America derive a portion of their power from the fact that blue collar works are the under dog in an under dog loving nation. While it is a fact that the blue collar worker is an underdog, that does not mean that their unions are always the underdog. In fact, it isn't unusual for unions to rival and exceed corporations for power.

I believe I've written about this before, but I also think it is timely to bring it up again. In the spring of 2007, I attended a conference where a former steel executive talked about raw material costs. In that speech, he got onto a side topic about how the steel industry let the unions become too strong, and how he saw the auto industry allowing the exact same thing to happen. He was right, but we too often confuse the worker for the union. We want the worker to have the best that is possible; that is, after all, the American Dream. Unfortunately, we fail to recognize that sometimes unions gain so much power over their respective industry that the workers' excellent compensation actually serves to undermine the entire industry. That is what the auto industry is confronting today.

Nature loves a balance, and so does labor relations. In the 19th century, we saw too often industry's power outstrip that of labor. We recognized that inequity, and unions did an admirable job of bringing things back into balance. Unfortunately, in numerous industries, the balance of power has shifted to the unions, and much like the corporate powers before them, they've abused it. What has resulted is a blue collar work force that is facing a much bleaker future than it would if a balance had been maintained. Power is a stronger motivation than even wealth, though, and as a result some unions have done a disservice to their members. Until the balance is restored, industries like the auto industry are un-fixable.

It hasn't bottomed out

One month ago, I thought he market was approaching a value point. I no longer think so. After talking with a lot of people, I've come to find that October was brutal in numerous segments of the economy. As a result, a significant minority of business people are scared and hoarding their first quarter cash. Thus, I expect a self fulfilling prophecy of a rough first quarter. Some of that money will come back in the second quarter, but only some of it. If enough comes back that quarter, I think things will stabilize by quarter 3. But as panicky as everyone is right now, it won't take much to force this instability into quarter 3 and 4 of next year.

The Big 3, A Bailout, and 'Green' Cars

Something about the stories on the potential auto industry bailout has really been bothering me. Time after time, I see it asserted that Detroit needs the money in order to re-tool their plants to make electric or hybrid cars. Really? If so, that may be the argument that kills the little bit of doubt I have about opposing the bailout.

It isn't as though I oppose those types of cars. If people want them, I say sell 'em. But here's the problem-they don't solve any of the big three's problems. They still won't be able to make high quality, profitable, traditional cars, a product for which there would still be a large volume potential. Instead, they'd be betting their futures on something which is still a niche vehicle that sells at a premium.

Four months ago, that might have made sense. Today, when gas is under $2 and people are cutting back their spending, it makes no sense what so ever. Those vehicles work for Toyota because they have a strong, profitable passenger car program and they can absorb the wild swings in demand that are possible with their high margin hybrids. Detroit doesn't have that luxury. They would need to rely on those vehicles to replace their lost truck and SUV sales, and that just isn't going to happen for a while.

Former Senator Ted Stevens

Despite the strategic consequences, this is a net good:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, narrowly lost his re-election bid Tuesday, marking the downfall of a Washington political power and Alaska icon who couldn't survive a conviction on federal corruption charges. His defeat by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich moves Senate Democrats within two seats of a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority.

People like Ted Stevens did much to put the Republican party in the bind that it now finds itself. This is a big short term set back, but it will be better for the party over the long term.

Jay Walk All-Stars or Real Poltical Point?

There is a YouTube video blazing around the blogosphere that shows Obama voters getting elementary questions incorrect. I'm very disappointed to see so many on the right indulging in this video. That exact same video could very easily be made of McCain voters. In fact, the idea for this isn't even new-Jay Leno has been doing a similar skit for years. In this incarnation, it is little more than a lazy 'gotcha' moment, and I thought the right was better than this.

A Thought on Life

The pro-choice supporters base their entire argument on a woman's right to choose for their own body by blurring the line at which life begins, and they do so quite successfully. So why doesn't the pro-life movement wage a battle on the point at which a body begins to form? If a body begins to form at the splitting of cells after conception, then we clearly have two bodies within one, and the host body clearly would not have the right to choose death for the developing body it hosts. I think that is what bothers me most about the current political debate. Of course you can make decisions for your own body, and your own body alone. You aren't, however, allowed to make negative decisions for someone else's body, and a child's body begins shortly after conception.

A Brief Gas Thought

The price of gas will likely drop below $2 a gallon. But how low of a price can we really afford?

(If you don't get it, stop and think really hard why a plunging gas price might make it more difficult to afford for some-to-many.)

Electricity Thieves

I just saw a commercial on the news about a special report that particular channel will have on energy thieves. I'm sure they'll make their study look like hard work, but I'd like to share the lazy man's way to look for electricity thieves. First, look for that one or two incredible Christmas light displays in your local area. Start there. Most are honest people who pay their bills, but my experience over the years says that those who put on extravagant light displays stand a higher likelihood of tapping into their electricity line before the meter. So enjoy those lights-you just might be paying for them.

Free Money!

I'd like to start this post off by saying (in a very Cher Horowitz manner), "my bad!"

Why am I making this mea culpa? Well, because I supported the original $700 billion bailout. I supported that bailout because the credit markets were frozen by fear, and that stood to seize up the entire economy faster than running your engine without oil. Little did I know that the bailout would become the biggest Matthew Lesko scheme since, well, Matthew Lesko.

Don't get me wrong. I knew that companies outside the financial industry would be lining up with their hands palm-up. But I was naive on three counts. First, I thought that the Fed and the the Treasury would use the funds specifically as outlined in the bill. Second, I didn't think that other companies would stampede the trough as they have-I expected more of a subdued rush. Third, I didn't think that even congress was so stupid as to hand the cash out in wheel barrows to all takers.

Skeptic though I am, even I did not anticipate the way this would become a Lesko book. The latest absurdity is Detroit. If any three companies ever needed bankruptcy, it was these three. They are getting their tails kicked by foreign competition for two reasons: The UAW's power over them has saddled them with uncompetitive labor costs, and the way CAFE regulations are structured, their profitability became tied to vehicles they can no longer sell in great volume. Bankruptcy can solve one of those problems and alleviate the other.

I write this as the son of a man who has been a damn hard working, blue collar worker his entire life. Yet for many years of his adult life, he made a wage that gave him a comfortable living, and he did it without a union. I don't want to begrudge autoworkers a nice life. But then again, neither have Toyota and Honda. The UAW moved beyond that though. They got greedy, all the while saying that they were doing it to protect future autoworkers. As my barber said recently, what about those future autoworkers now?

Until the U.S. auto industry solves the problem of their unions and move into line with Toyota and Honda on the labor front, they are screwed. That $25-$50 billion will be gone in a heartbeat, and we'll either need to ante up more to prop the "Big Three" up, or they'll eventually fold, leaving the remainder of their employees in a lurch-or employed by Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, and others, where their wages will be in line with their peers. And still better than most others, I might add, including numerous white collar workers. The line on the bail out should have been drawn weeks ago, but without a doubt it needs to be drawn now.

Deep Breaths, Everyone

To my friends on the right: The world is not coming to an end. Yes, some unpleasant legislation will become law. Yes, conservatism needs to get the house in order. Barack Obama is not the anti-Christ, nor will he be above scrutiny. Even 'progressive' Democrats will have to respond to constituent pressure...at least they will if they have any sense of professional self-preservation. And conservatism is not dead.

To my friends on the left: Enjoy this heady feeling. Enjoy your ascendancy. Enjoy imagining a generation of 'progressive' ideals. For the next two months, your side is the cat's ass. Just realize that reality has a funny way of slapping you in the face quickly once your candidate takes the oath office. We on the right witnessed this first hand about four years ago. To make matters worse for you, you have no foil, no strong opposition, no fall guy for anything that goes wrong on your watch. Your overwhelming victory means the buck will stop with the Democratic party. That means that you'll have very little maneuverability when things don't work, and the fingers of the American voter will be pointed straight at you. Have fun with that.

Why Republicans Have Lost Big in Two Straight Elections

It would take a book for me to explore all of the reasons Republicans have lost big in two straight elections, but I think it boils down to one key issue. A sizeable portion of Americans had put their faith in conservative ideals over the past 25 years, and as recently as four years ago, we thought that number was growing. But a funny thing happened. Too many so-called conservatives turned out to not be very conservative at all once the voters put them into office. The Republican majorities, most of whom ran on conservative ideals, did not live up to those ideals. That broken faith sent 'Reagan Democrats' back across the aisle, splintered the several strains of conservatism, and left some dispirited conservatives to sit on their hands. In essence, the public woke up and said, "if I'm going to elect someone who is going to act like a Democrat, I may as well go with the real thing." It is going to be very, very difficult to make amends for the broken faith.

This is Weird

It has been a long time since I've gone to bed on election night knowing who the next president would be. I believe the exact year was 1996, and that year I knew who the next president would be for many nights before election day. That might be the best thing to come of this particular election. We needed a decisive election to help tamp down the fear of electoral shenanigans coming from both sides of the aisle.

Having said that, good night all. Democrats, enjoy your night of celebration. Conservatives, the sun will rise tomorrow. I promise.

Hope

Tonight, many of you are swelled with hope. Despite our political differences, I hope that your hope is well founded. I see no need to put political persuasion above good of country, and thus, I do not hope for the abject failure of President Elect Barack Obama. despite my opposition to much of his proposed policies. But hope does at times fade. I hope that many of you enjoy, nay, relish tonight. The next four years will be highlighted by many peaks and valleys, and those valleys will test the strength of the hope you feel tonight.

Defining Obama's Presidency

I'm sure many a reader will slide their eyes across that headline and think, "Defining his Presidency? He just got elected!" Well, hear me out on this. He will have a choice once in office. He can be the conduit for pent up liberal/progessive momentum, or he can be his own man, a leader. If chooses the former, and I fear that he will, his presidency will be a disaster. If he chooses the latter, however, he may just have a chance at a second term and a positive presidency.

Love him or hate him, Bill Clinton was more "his own man" than "conduit," and because of that, history will neither relegate him to the dustbin nor label his presidency a net negative, despite his flaws and errors. Obama has a much tougher road ahead of him than Clinton did during our vacation from history. Thus, he needs to be his own man, a leader, and a significantly better one than Clinton.

This isn't to say that it would be a presidency that conservatives would at all be pleased with. It is just to say that he can find a way to avoid being the next Jimmy Carter, and that way is by leading without giving away too much of his influence to the netroots.

Fox News Projects Barack Obama the next POTUS

Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama. I hold no ill will toward the man, and I hope that my conservative friends and colleagues also separate the man from his policies. Now, as for those policies...the fight against them begins now.

A Brief Look Forward

Things are by no means over on this election night, but it certainly doesn't look very good. The right is about to be cast into a very dark place. This doesn't mean the right has been condemned to 40 years in the wilderness; after all, fighting against the majority has seemed to be the strongest glue to hold the coalition's various parts together over the years. Unfortunately, that's no way to lead a country. The right's house is in disarray, and we cannot just rely on being an out gunned minority party to bring order back. There is a lot of hard work ahead.

And I should add one thing: This hard work needs to be done quickly. 2010 will be an important bounce back opportunity. No majorities will be possible, but the right needs to move closer to equilibrium with the left if it wants to have a chance in 2012.

John Murtha Wins. Really, Western PA?

I'm at a loss on this one. John Murtha wins re-election despite calling his constituents racists and rednecks. That tells me something about his district, although I'm not sure which of the following that is:

1. They heard Murtha call them rednecks and racists and thought, "Hey, he really does understand us."
2. That while their status as rednecks and racists may be up in the air, their status as kind of thick is confirmed.
3. That they are so beholden to the Democratic party that they can have abuse heaped on them by a Democrat because "he's one of us."
4. They don't take Murtha all that seriously, which is disturbing considering he is their representative.

Maybe it is all of the above.

If Obama Wins Tonight...

...and it is looking favorable for him, let's just hope that retirement communities in Florida don't riot over the results. Nobody wants that. Nobody.

In and Out Voter

I was in and out of my voting locale in near record time, and I voted in the ever busy "after work" hour. I saw no signs of hijinks or shenanigans in my little burgh. Of course, I didn't partake in the candy on the ballot table, so I'll never know if it was spiked.

Will Obama be Good for Businesses?

Probably not, especially if you are in the coal or energy business, which in an interview last January with the San Francisco Chronicle he said he'd bankrupt for building new coal plants. And this leads me to a question about this election. There have been a lot of substantive evidence that a Barack Obama presidency would not be good for America, much like there was ample evidence 4 years ago that John Kerry would not be good for America. The difference is, everything stuck to John Kerry, and something like this would have been a bombshell. When it comes to Obama, however, it seems like every piece of evidence hits a brick wall before it even gets to him. I get the feeling that a large part of the American public has invested an unrealistic expectation of what they would be getting with this man as President, evidence to the contrary be damned. And if they elect him on Tuesday, they aren't going to get what they expect.

Sweet Jesus, McCain Appears on SNL

I've often ripped Bob Dole for not letting his sense of humor show through in 1996. Unfortunately, John McCain did so in 2008, and in doing so, he turned McCain-Palin into the K-Mart-Dollar Store of political brands. Tonight, McCain was on the opening segment of Saturday Night Live, and he undercut the credibility of his campaign with the skit that he did. I am so disappointed in his choice right now. "McCain-Fine Gold" was funny, but it did not augment his case to be president whatsoever. What the hell was he thinking?