Tolerance and Virtue

“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.”
- G. K. Chesterton

When Judgement is Missing

There are so many things to say about Obama's pick for the new commerce secretary; just a couple of easy ones since I haven't had coffee yet:

• Obama chose one of the ilk that they seem to hate - executives who make millions and billions while driving their companies into the ground, requiring taxpayer-funded bailouts. Didn't the white house complain about these execs getting the golden parachutes even when they don't perform?
• Someone from the banking industry that's in part responsible for the economic mess we all are bearing right now.
• More Chicago politics in and around the White House. It didn't work in the first 2 years, why should it work now?
• All of it resurrects the notion that Obama doesn't have the experience and in particular, the judgment, to be President.

So there, my quick thought of the day.

Source: Obama May Tap Daley for Top Job - FoxNews.com: "Daley, an executive at JPMorgan Chase, has extensive private sector experience, an attractive profile for a White House trying to counter the notion that the president is antibusiness. Obama aides have been discussing naming an executive to a top job as a way to give the business community more of a voice in the administration.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Politics of Buying a Car

Soon, I will be in the market for a car. I've looked over the specs, prices, and decided on a color. But I never thought I'd have to decide which one to buy based on union tactics. In short, the quote below has pushed me over the edge to to buy non-American for the sole reason that they are unionized manufacturers. See, if I do so, I am then putting money into the unions pockets.

Why don't I like unions? First I'll overlook that the unions nearly brought down the American auto industry single-handedly. Putting this crudely, but in the most accurate way I know possible, It's because they're assholes; nothing but self-interested assholes.

I mean, if a shop is unionized, a worker is forced to join them based on the idea that union collective bargaining benefits all workers. Let me tell you, it doesn't. The worker loses all latitude and freedom in being able to negotiate with his superiors because the unions do it. And if a worker tries, usually management will simply hold up the union contract, point to it, and say, "It says here you get no more."

When I was in a union shop, and also in the union, the quality of my work advanced me to a position and salary where I could not advance any further. A call to the union for a promotion and raise got me nowhere. They told me they were, at that time, in negotiations with my employer for the whole of the workforce and couldn't take on the interests of a single individual. Great. Welcome to Communism.

What did I do? I dashed off a letter to the head of my company explaining my problem. And you know, he gave me a raise. He increased my salary not because of the union, but because he knew I was a dedicated employee and was good at my job. He wanted me to be happy so I would continue to produce the high-quality things which made me proud on a personal level. He did the right thing on his own, because I did the right thing on my own.

Union workers are lazy. Maybe not so much lazy at their jobs (although I've known many, many who were), but they're lazy in dealing with their own self-interest. It's bad to allow someone else to negotiate for you if you are a good employee; you'll never get what you're worth that way. But unionized employees don't seem to want to be bothered with doing their own negotiations, instead paying others - the unions - to do it for them.

There is no more expensive option available to a worker than to "hire" someone else to toot your horn for you. You also lose all your freedom in the workplace, opting for not just one boss in the form of the company, but then union also tells you what to do. Jesus, all I want to do is go to work, do my job as best I can, collect my pay. Drink beer.

So back to cars. I'm not going to support the unions. I'm buying a car from a non-union shop. VW looks pretty good to me right now. They treat their workers right, the workers are happy. And together, the workers and the company make one hell of a product.

As it should be.


United Auto Workers Sets a Strategy on Foreign Car Plants - WSJ.com:

"Mr. King said he will tap the union's strike fund of more than $800 million for the push, calling it the best way to protect his current membership. 'We have, in many ways, pretty deep pockets in terms of what we're willing to spend,' said Mr. King, adding that the union already approved spending $60 million on organizing at its convention in June. 'We have really unlimited resources to devote to this. It's unlike anything that's been seen in the UAW in many, many years.'

president?

There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president.
- Kurt Vonnegut

Education: An Absolute Disgrace

Just in time for Christmas is a report that says 25% of high school grads can't answer enough basic questions correctly to get them in the Army. This at a time when almost every politician is clamoring to raise the pay of America's teachers.

That's like giving a tip to the guy who works on my car - when he returns it to me in worse shape than it was, and missing one wheel.

And what does it say not only for their future success as individuals, but for the success of our economy, when public schools can't turn out students with enough knowledge to even pass a military entrance exam? It's ain't rocket science.

Coincidentally, I found a Facebook profile of an acquaintance (name removed) who listed her education. Can you spot anything wrong?

It has been said to never criticize without offering a solution; here we go:

- Make high school more rigorous - for both students and teachers.
- Remove so-called tenure from public K-12 education.
- Introduce an apprentice program for teachers such that they work as teacher's aides for their first year alongside good teachers.

Report: Nearly 1 in 4 Students Fails Military Entrance Exam - FoxNews.com:

"Nearly one-fourth of the students who try to join the U.S. Army fail its entrance exam, painting a grim picture of an education system that produces graduates who can't answer basic math, science and reading questions, according to a new study released Tuesday.

The report by The Education Trust bolsters a growing worry among military and education leaders that the pool of young people qualified for military service will grow too small.

'Too many of our high school students are not graduating ready to begin college or a career — and many are not eligible to serve in our armed forces,' U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the AP. 'I am deeply troubled by the national security burden created by America's underperforming education system.'

ALL THINGS HARRY: Obituary printed in the London Times

ALL THINGS HARRY: Obituary printed in the London Times: "Obituary printed in the London Times - Interesting and sadly rather true.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;

- Why the early bird gets the worm;

- Life isn't always fair;

- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Congressmen and Senators prepared for the job?

No wonder the economy is in the tank. With 141 provisions in the tax code that are temporary and requiring constant congressional maintenance, no business nor corporation can plan beyond a year or two. That's just crazy.

Perhaps as a requirement for admission to congress, each member should be required to take at least one business overview course. Clearly, they focused on social studies in school (and probably had a Marxist teacher), not accounting nor math.


'Temporary' Tax Code Puts U.S. in a Lasting Bind - WSJ.com:

"This means that if the compromise passes largely intact, the U.S. will have no permanent regime governing levies on salaries, capital gains and dividends, the Social Security tax, as well as a slew of targeted breaks for families, students and other groups. This on top of dozens of corporate-tax provisions that already were subject to annual renewal.

The level of uncertainty, unusual for developed nations, complicates planning and discourages hiring and investment, many economists and corporate executives say.

'I haven't seen anything like it, and it's hard historically to find anything like' the current and pending negotiations, says Mortimer Caplin, an Internal Revenue Service commissioner in the Kennedy administration who at 94 is just three years younger than the income tax itself. 'This Congress has left an awful lot up in the air.'

We Want YOU, Say Hacktivists … but Is It Legal?

Not so interesting an argument here. The modern kids - ungrateful little bastards all - have decided to disrupt the flow of commerce around the world. Nice, real nice. And their cause? Free speech concerning Wikileaks and the dissemination of private an confidential information.

The way I see it, free expression is a great thing - but only if the ideas you're expressing are yours. These children have taken into their heads that all information must be freely expressed. That's just ridiculous, and doesn't allow for any sort of editing on the part of author - which is something that all responsible authors do. More importantly though, they're stealing information that doesn't belong to them and passing it along. That's not just theft, it's also espionage.

So here we have a generation that thinks everything should be free and out in the open. This means they have no experience with reality.

What should happen to them? Give them a dose of the reality they shun. Prison is a good place to start.

FoxNews.com - We Want YOU, Say Hacktivists … but Is It Legal?: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

What is Capitalism?

Someone reacently asked me this question; I thought I had a pretty good answer:

Capitalism is how freedom earns its living.

Not bad for a bass player. :-)

Angry Democrats Could Punt on Tax Cuts Deal - FoxNews.com

What angers the Democrats? The estate tax, or rather the repeal of it. Bush suspended it entirely, but Obama has it returning in 2011 at a rate of 55%. The GOP whittled it down to 35% in this latest deal. But the Dems are having a conniption about it not being the higher rate.
Isn't it morally despicable to tax the accumulated wealth - on which taxes were already paid - of a dead person?
The Democrats have no shame.


Angry Democrats Could Punt on Tax Cuts Deal - FoxNews.com:
"Under current law, the estate tax, which was
repealed for 2010, is scheduled to return next year with a top rate of 55 percent. Obama's package would set the top rate at 35 percent, and each spouse could exempt up to $5 million from taxation.

Overall, officials said, the plan could increase federal borrowing by $900 billion.

The lower estate tax emerged as the biggest obstacle among many House Democrats. Pelosi called it 'a bridge too far.'

Unemployment and depression

A 13-month extension on unemployment benefits. That's on top of the 99-weeks of approximately $300-per-week the unemployed get now. Obama argues that it will stimulate the economy because those people will spend the money. That's liberal logic for you.

The truth that has emerged is that the unemployed no longer look for work because they now get 3 years of benefits. That means it's 3 years of people not trying to get work, and probably aren't counted in the 9.8% unemployment numbers that are killing Obama's presidency.

The cost of unemployment is a HUGE drag on the economy because it adds mightily to the federal deficit, and therefore the debt. But the real cost of increased unemployment is the human cost - loss of pride in doing anything productive. And, the complacency and loss of skills in that time frame make people lose their competiveness, and make them complacent. A policy of the government paying you not to work is just bad policy. It leads to nothing good, certainly nothing in the American ethos.

So once again, Democratic leadership constitute what Jimmy Carter called a "national malaise." Only this time, they not just contribute to it, they cause it.

Where's my Prozac.

Obama Announces 'Framework' for Deal With Congress to Extend Bush-Era Tax Cuts - FoxNews.com: "

Mullen: Go Gay or Go Away

I find this outrageous. It was bad enough when the US Military designed a maternity uniform (not kidding), but this is beyond the pale. Not because I am anti-gay, but because once again, the tail wags the dog. It begs the question: who must conform?

The homosexual population of the US is something like 1% , yet here we find the highest ranking member of the military saying that the other 99% can stuff it if they don't like it. That's as PC as it gets, and has no place in what Mullin himself calls a "meritocracy," much less an effective military.

At the same time, Mullin was heard to request additional money for a revision to the standard uniform, to include feathers and a stiletto heel. 



Mullen: Troops Who Balk at Change in Gay Service Policy Can Find Other Work - FoxNews.com:

"Military members who have a problem with a change in policy to allow gays to serve openly may find themselves looking for a new job, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned Thursday.