Taylor Group Fun

Hockey: The Irish win the Hall of Fame trophy

2012-01-12T16:01:00.002-05:00

A few more pics.

Looks like the Irish have a very good hockey team. The took a 4-1 lead into the final few minutes of the game and even scored a short-handed goal. The Gophers made it interesting with a pair of goals in the last couple minutes but the Irish held on for a 4-3 win.

Irish at Minnesota hockey: Hall of Fame Game

2012-01-12T15:56:00.002-05:00

In case anyone checks this blog, the Irish played Minnesota last week at the annual hall of fame game. Here are a few crappy cell phone shots from that game. Needless to say I had somewhat divided loyalty but I did wear my ND hat and was glad to see the Irish come away with a win.

Headdesk

2010-10-14T08:10:00.000-04:00

"He realized too late that “there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects” when it comes to public works." - "The Education of President Obama", the New York Times Sunday Magazine.

Tactical error to admit that. Ugh.

Only in Minnesota

2010-10-13T13:22:00.002-04:00

recent conversations I've had include:

at a gas station after a duck hunt the attendant says, "are you a hunter?" (I have dogs, a cased shotgun, decoys and ducks in the truck).
my reply "just damn you must be psychic"
answer, "no sir, you have dog snot on your windows and feathers in your hair."

at the same station a girl hears me talk and asks me where I'm from (keep in mind this is Boondoggle, MN). I tell her Georgia. Her answer:
"Oh Yah, say something Southern."
"Sumbitch."
(giggling) "oh, how cute!"

SEP

Beyond Palin: Assessing the Rest of the GOP Presidential Field

2010-07-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

Time magazine looks into republican nominees for 2012 Beyond Palin: Assessing the Rest of the GOP Presidential Field . I'm fairly certain that Palin will not be on the ticket in 2012; her 15 minutes of fame were up 3 hours ago and now I wish she had been beheaded instead of that innocent turkey. Also, I think anyone with close religious ties doesn't have a shot in hell to make the ticket as the republican nominee, thereby eliminating my guy Mitt and Huckabee as well as various others. While I would wholeheartedly support a ticket that places Conde as the republican nominee (not mentioned in the article), I still believe that neither the Republican party nor the United States as a whole are ready for a woman president. Any woman that runs in the next 20 years is going to join the ranks with Hillary as another sacrificial lamb. Rice knows this and so does any politically minded woman who is a "serious human being." Jeb Bush is out...his brother took care of that one. Some of the other potential republican candidates may have a shot, but I don't think this article is all that serious. I think Time is throwing out names to test the waters. While most of you are vying for four more years of Obama, it doesn't hurt to think in the abstract. So, does anyone out there have any names they want to throw in the pot??? Perhaps, (even though I don't think Obama is going to run in 2012) you would like to see Obama (or whomever else is the democratic presidential candidate) debate? In other words, who are your ideal candidates for 2012?

Education Watch: even more crow-eating on the part of Jim

2010-07-05T23:32:00.002-04:00

Well, one out of three ain't bad:

The largest union’s meeting opened here on Saturday to a drumbeat of heated rhetoric, with several speakers calling for Mr. Duncan’s resignation, hooting delegates voting for a resolution criticizing federal programs for “undermining public education,” and the union’s president summing up 18 months of Obama education policies by saying, “This is not the change I hoped for.”
“Today our members face the most anti-educator, anti-union, anti-student environment I have ever experienced,” Dennis Van Roekel, president of the union, the National Education Association, told thousands of members gathered at the convention center here.

The Most Armed States

2010-07-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Daily Beast posted this survey, which details The Most Armed States. The survey is based on NICS background checks per 100,000 residents, which does not represent the total number of firearms sold within the state, as they make clear in the article. The fact that Texas does make the top 20 and Connecticut does, makes me wonder if the data has been accurately analyzed. Like so many statistical analyses this clearly appears to be an exercise in finding a way to represent data that is associated with much ambiguity.

Current Group Photo

2010-06-10T13:45:00.003-04:00

I've uploaded the current group photo...for any and all who want it. Back row (left to right): Erin Daly, Vince Lombardo, Chris Nicholson, Rich Taylor, Joe Arico, Eric Stefan, Jeanette Young, Dan Honigfort, Claire Sokas; Front row (left to right): Matt Wilson, Lionel Nicolas, Grace Park.

Education Watch: what might turn me into an Obama voter

2010-06-07T22:55:00.003-04:00

This article about President Obama and Arne Duncan's efforts to reform schools and labor relations has me thinking good thoughts:

More significant, Duncan has said that some of the billions in more traditional annual federal aid that has flowed to states according to population formulas should now be based on Racelike competitions aimed at various pieces of the reform agenda. “This is the chance of a lifetime,” Duncan says. “We have to move the country in a fundamental, dramatic way.”

In a Congress controlled by Democrats, that could be a struggle. When Duncan’s testimony broached the broader idea at a March Congressional hearing, the House Appropriations Committee chairman, David Obey, a Democratic representative from Wisconsin — which finished 26th out of 41 entrants in the first round of the Race — reminded Duncan of the states’ dire need for basic funds and signaled his skepticism about the Race reforms, declaring, “When the sailboat is sinking, my top priority would not be to put a new coat of varnish on the deck.” (Obey recently announced he will retire next year, perhaps making Duncan’s reform path easier.)

“Every Democrat knows the president really cares about this,” Schnur says. Which suggests that the Nixon-to-China dynamic that prevailed in states like Tennessee may work in Washington. Obama could most likely get some, probably many, Democratic votes, while winning support from Republicans on an issue they have championed so strongly in the past that taking a flat-out anti-Obama approach would be especially awkward.

“That President Obama did this is a total game changer,” says Pastorek, the Louisiana schools superintendent, who is a Republican working for a Republican governor, Bobby Jindal. “If he really sticks to this, education will never be the same.”

I was wrong -- on this, the President seems to be pursuing this as hard as he can. If there is one thing that he can change in this country for the better, and if there is one thing that will push me into being an Obama voter, it will be if he succeeds in forcing long-term public school reform in this country.

Obamarella

2010-06-06T15:27:00.000-04:00

Bad politics makes worse policy

2010-06-06T01:15:00.004-04:00

I've really refrained from any comment on the oil spill situation because I don't really know what to say about it. That said, I listened to this conversation between an NPR host and USEPA administrator Lisa Jackson with some amount of irritation:

"NORRIS: The United States is a nation that gets things done. It's a can-do nation. That can-do attitude is an important part of the national psyche. But this so far is a problem that the government can't fix, at least not anytime soon. Help us understand why this should not shake the faith of people in their government?

Ms. JACKSON: The most important thing here is to realize the president's personal commitment. He said again today that, you know, we are here and we're not going anywhere. That we realize that even if and when the flow of oil is finally stopped, this recovery, this response and recovery is going to be a long-term thing and requires a long-term commitment. He said that over and over.

I do think that, you know, just in terms of the psyche of this region being from here, part of the anger that is so palpable - and I have it myself - is that that frustration of watching something this catastrophic that we cannot - none of us can do anything about."

Let's ignore that Jackson doesn't even begin to answer an interesting (if off topic) question. Rather, I'm really frustrated with Jackson's near-rote repeating of the day's talking points: Barack Obama really, REALLY cares and isn't going to leave you or forsake you.

I don't give a crap if the president can emote. I really don't. I feel rather sorry that Reagan, Clinton and Bush 43 pushed this idea that you have to think that the President gets you and your concerns and really, REALLY cares. I want President Obama to solve problems; right now, the problems/answers are all at the technical level and the funding/politics is a couple months away.In recent language, in other words, the President isn't Aquaman and can't do much for the situation other than keep repeating that BP is going to get the bill.

What can he do? Quit ignoring Asia. This is the second time he's cancelled a trip to Asia to deal with pressure that "he doesn't care enough" or whatever baloney the political media is pushing for the day. It's time for them (and the President) to realize that the long-term problems of the country should take precedence over the P.R. crisis of the moment.

A quiet thank you.

2010-06-02T22:07:00.002-04:00

Had pressure? Sure you have.

Think about the pressure there must be on the field-level guys at BP, Schlumberger, Transocean (and yes) Halliburton. The guys actually trying to stop this thing? The guys you laughed at when they tried to execute the 'junk shot' and the 'top kill'? The folks working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to drill that relief well?

Yeah, those guys, those folks deserve our absolute thanks. BP senior-level executives? They're the same suits you get at every big company. But the guys (and gals) on the oil rigs, boats and derricks? Those people are heroes, in my book.

So thanks, folks.

(Had pressure? No, that's pressure.)

Most Popular Living Politician.

2010-05-29T14:45:00.003-04:00

That's right! Hillary Clinton is our nations most popular politician. Personally I feel she is doing a great job as Secretary of State, and plays Obama's "bad cop" quite well. As Tina Fey once said, "Of course she is a bitch. But bitches get shit done!" Also, giving her a prime job in his cabinet, President Obama has set up Hillary as the top presidential candidate in 2016.

We're Better Than That, Too!!

2010-05-26T08:55:00.000-04:00

We're Better Than That, Too!!!! w/ Dale Peterson - watch more funny videos

Huh.

2010-05-25T21:01:00.003-04:00

I really don't know what to think about this. Perhaps things are really, really bad for Alabama farms. But boy, Dale Peterson means business!

P.S. I don't know when (probably in August), but I'm going to be putting money down in the Iowa Electronic Markets for the Democrats to retain control in both houses. That's selling at 56 cents right now (for a dollar contract in November, if true.) Hopefully, the price doesn't keep going up.

Cut the debt!

2010-05-21T13:41:00.002-04:00

Try this little budget game out. It's fun.

(P.S. I got the debt to 60% of GDP by 2020. Most of my cuts were budgetary in nature. Not many tax increases, but there were some. Of course, I was pretty brutal on Medicare and Social Security.)

Arrrrgh.

2010-05-14T07:46:00.005-04:00

Reading this article is very frustrating, since it says some things that I have believed for a long time:

"I kept hearing that we had lots of projects that were shovel-ready," says one administration official. "But they weren't. We have think tanks that make a compelling case for Keynesian stimulus. What we need, it turns out, is a think tank that tells us how to actually do a stimulus -- how we can get the dollars out there now" to reduce unemployment. [snip]

The disparity in the speed at which different projects get going is evident in the state's own tally of jobs funded through the stimulus dollars. By the end of 2009, stimulus money had funded 50,138 jobs in education but just 1,656 in transportation. Totaling all infrastructure spending in the stimulus, $10.6 billion was slated to come to California, $5.6 billion had been awarded, and just $1.2 billion spent by the end of last year.

What happened? Big government -- spending, that is -- ran into good government -- regulation, competitive bidding, environmental safeguards, the works. [snip]

"Environmental-impact reviews, historic-preservation safeguards, unionization of government workers -- these are good things, but they've changed the way government can operate. Plus which, the federal government said, 'We'll give you a ton of money, and we want you to spend it faster -- and better.' There are no exemptions from regulations that came with the stimulus funds. They didn't waive the requirement for competitive bidding; they stressed competitive bidding."

She continues, "You can't just build a new bridge. You've got to do environmental-impact reports, you have to open up the decision to community input, you face potential lawsuits. I'm not saying concern for environmental impacts should go away, but it makes it harder to deal with an economic crisis."

Jim here again. Recrimination first: the Obama administration's original sin will be the stimulus package, which was neither fish nor fowl. If they wanted to do Keynesian stimulus, it should have been MUCH bigger (1.2T instead of 800B.) It was also sold with the phrases "shovel ready" and "timely, targeted and temporary." I think they painted themselves into a corner with those words.

Most frustrating: I don't think Obama can get another stimulus package through. That was the only bullet, and they wasted it.

Perhaps Obama can do some good for the country and untangle the Gordian knot of red tape and regulations around construction. I doubt it, though.

Buzz Aldrin On 30 Rock

2010-05-07T12:43:00.002-04:00

Incredible!

Roethlisberger

2010-05-05T00:28:00.002-04:00

I don't really know what to say about the situation, other than his attorney's letter to Roger Goodell is in parts touching, disgusting and risible.

Question: is 4 to 6 games consistent with past Goodell punishments for similar offenses? I am thinking 8 games (punishing by killing the 2010-11 season for him), but I think that's because I don't like ol' #7.

Scandal at ND

2010-04-27T15:06:00.001-04:00

Looks like Mike Brey will be leaving Notre Dame soon..

The 50 Most Stressful Colleges - The Daily Beast

2010-04-05T10:12:00.001-04:00

As admissions letters hit mailboxes—and amid growing concern about mental health on campus, The Daily Beast looks at which schools are the biggest pressure cookers.

Posted using ShareThis

Timely and appropriate

2010-04-03T22:41:00.003-04:00

I present to you the Gus Johnson Soundboard. OH, WHAT A SHOT!!!!

Be a Pro!

2010-03-30T10:58:00.001-04:00

Just a reminder...

It is, and it isn't.

2010-03-24T07:21:00.002-04:00

This story is just a distraction, but a fun one. Here's my favorite joke about it so far, taken from an unnamed liberal blog:

"The real anger should be at Biden for spoiling the rollout of the new phrase. You thought the New Deal was major? This is the Big F----g Deal!"

Brilliant

2010-03-16T20:16:00.001-04:00

Mississippi High School Cancels Prom

2010-03-11T13:13:00.004-05:00

I never went to my senior prom, but members of this Mississippi senior class don't have the option to attend or to abstain. Undeniably, not allowing a lesbian couple to attend a prom is a violation of the couple's civil rights; nonetheless, couldn't the lesbian couple find some way around the school's policy without ruining prom for her whole class? For example, couldn't they both have gone stag(ette) or have friends take each of them as heterosexual dates. High school dances typically aren't about your "date" and more about the people you meet there or with whom you arrive....at least that's the way my high school dances were. Teens find ways around things all the time by bending the rules in their favor...why not here? Prom connotes the culmination of one's school days: where the awkward moments of adolescence feel like distant memories of the past, as you embark on a mono-mythical journey into adulthood, into your future. Why end your high school career by making a scene with the officials in what you know to be a strictly religious, conservative town? It sort of seems like McMillen was baiting the school board officials and it backfired on her big time.

Obama Education Watch: I was wrong (maybe)

2010-03-02T21:29:00.002-05:00

Wow -- this is big. I am really impressed by President Obama and SecEd Duncan. It will be interesting to see what happens to the teachers' unions: do they swallow this (where else will they go?) or do they break openly with the President.

Speaking at an event intended to highlight his strategy for turning around struggling schools by offering an increase in federal funding for local districts that shake up their lowest-achieving campuses, Obama called the controversial firings justified.

"If a school continues to fail its students year after year after year, if it doesn't show signs of improvement, then there's got to be a sense of accountability," he said. "And that's what happened in Rhode Island last week at a chronically troubled school, when just 7 percent of 11th-graders passed state math tests -- 7 percent."

The board that oversees Central Falls High School took the startling step last week of firing 93 teachers and other staff members after the teachers union refused to agree to a plan for them to work a longer school day and provide after-school tutoring without much extra pay.

[snip]

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said repeatedly that he wants to work with unions rather than impose reforms on them, and the National Education Association, with 3.2 million members, and the AFT, with 1.4 million members, have generally sought to play down policy differences with the administration.

I think it's clear that the Obama Administration is really real about education reform. Good.

Sarah Palin Insurance

2010-02-07T15:29:00.002-05:00

So Sarah Palin gave a speech last night -- apparently it was quite campaign-oriented. I'm thinking of offering liberals Palin insurance that would pay out in the unlikely event that she would actually win the Presidency.

It should be like ten bucks a year, and pay out like, I dunno, 100 or 200 dollars. Palin's enough of a bogey-woman that I think I could make a pretty penny on this (or lose my shirt.)

Ridiculous Item of the Day: $3.72 Trillion (Obama's 2010 Budget)

2010-02-01T08:29:00.002-05:00

This critism is not directed solely at Obama as I would expect any sitting Republican President in the current situation to sadly also submit an overly inflated budget (Bush did a good job of this). Now all of this is just a proposal as Congress (Heaven help us!) has control of the purse strings. I guess right now would be a good time to invest in companies that make printing equipment, since Ben may have to build some new mints to keep up.

My point is unless our friends in Washington finally get their heads out of the sand and propose real cuts and not freezing decretionary spending while in the same breath proposing a new $100 billion plan for job growth, we are in for some real pain in the coming years (think early 1980s: high unemployment coupled with double digit interest rates). I guess thanks to the healthcare bill (which will pass at some point) more of the unemployed will have health issurance.

It could be a very interesting mid-term election!

Where is health care reform going?

2010-01-23T01:04:00.005-05:00

Folks are probably tired of my "taking one for the team" approach for health care, but I keep finding evidence for it. (...maybe because I keep looking for it!)

From the transcript of Charlie Rose interviewing Washington Post health care wonk blogger Ezra Klein on December 15:

EK: This bill is both quite an achievement, but a recognition of our
limits. And at some point we are not going to be able to content ourselves
with having picked the low-hanging fruit. We are going to have to sit down
and make hard decisions and hard choices on cost, and there won’t be the
spur and the shining goal of covering the uninsured. There will be a lot
less. And we’re still going to have to do it.

So this bill, it’s a good first step, it will make the next one
easier. But the next one is going to be the harder one and I don’t think
anybody looking at this process should be very confident that we will be
able to take it.

CHARLIE ROSE: What’s the next one?

EZRA KLEIN: In a very hard way, cost control. Not just starting the
procedures and the pilot programs, but telling doctors and hospitals and
device manufacturers and Pharma "You are going to make less money next year
than you made this year," or "You are going to make a lot less money in ten
years than you expect to be making now." That’s going to be very hard.

With the change in the numbers in the Senate, the reform train slows down a little. But only a little -- Democrats will continue to push for health care reform and I expect a bill to pass by the end of the month. They'll be back for more.

Just remember that their long-term plan is "You are going to make a lot less money in ten years than you expect to be making now."

Will this be healthcare reform?

2010-01-20T11:15:00.004-05:00

Go Obama Go!

2010-01-19T22:48:00.003-05:00

So some Senate Democrats are going to panic about the Coakley loss (which I did not predict correctly at all). Evan Bayh may have already.

Here's what I think President Obama should do: go all out. The whole centrist, calm, cool, collected thing isn't working. He should mash all the buttons down, turn the volume to 11 and just give a general "screw you" to the Republican party. Bring it all out: kill the bankers on Wall Street, go for single payer health care, stop all foreclosures for 180 days, all the big hits.

I think it would be politically braver than any of his baby steps and it would convince the strangely apathetic left that there's something worth fighting for. And I, for one, would enjoy the show.

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'

2010-01-15T23:08:00.002-05:00

If you have a moment or ten, read this article about Marvin Harrison and the crime he is alleged to have committed. Assuming that the facts in the article are true, it's quite likely that he shot at the fellow. The article insinuates strongly that Harrison's associates were involved in ultimately killing the target in the first case.

Should he be in prison? Playing devil's advocate here, it sounds to me like Harrison and his friends may have done Philly a service. That being said, lying to law enforcement is something that society cannot tolerate and I hope that justice before the law is served.

AIDS is funny!!

2010-01-15T12:59:00.000-05:00

We are ND!

Thanks, Mr. President

2010-01-11T21:41:00.002-05:00

I'm not quite sure how much blame to assign for the Underwear Bomber incident to the President and his staff. Nevertheless, his "The Buck Stops with Me" statement was a point in his favor. I don't think President Bush ever made such a statement, although my memory could be failing me.

That being said, the mostly ridiculous increase in security is 100% in his purview. I was really hoping that he would scale back the more ridiculous stuff, like the taking-off-of-the-shoes, etc. A citizen can hope.

And then, there were 4

2010-01-10T20:54:00.001-05:00

Arizona at New Orleans
Dallas at Minnesota

Baltimore at Indianapolis
NY Jets at San Diego

Predictions?

Choose your metaphor...

2010-01-04T14:49:00.002-05:00

What does this machine bring to mind?

Happy Holidays to all...

2009-12-18T09:41:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday week and a great start to the new year.

Couple of things

2009-12-17T22:16:00.006-05:00

"Finally, I'm right about something": A quote from a chat with Washington Post health-care blogger/wonk Ezra Klein:

Brooklyn: Looking back, how much of the backlash right now is attributable to having framed private insurance as the biggest bogeyman? Was there an option? Should Pharma have been brought out in front as well?

Ezra Klein: It's hard to say, but inside the process, people worked hard to keep Pharma on board because they have so much more money than any other interest group. The thinking was that insurers don't really have enough to launch a lethal attack. Pharma does, and did. So I'm skeptical that picking a direct fight with them would have been appealing.

Yet another data point in my "Who's going to take one for the team?" series.

Office of Depressing: I'm not sure there's anything to be said about Tiger that isn't stupid, obvious or both, except, dude, we'll always have the 16th hole at Augusta.

Week 12, a.k.a. Jim's terrible predictive powers

2009-11-30T21:31:00.003-05:00

On September 10, I posted boring NFL predictions, as follows:

"1. The Colts? 9-7 and do not win the AFC South.
2. The Patriots do not go to the Superbowl.
3. The Vikings? Do not make the playoffs."

Well, that didn't work out so well. Basically, all three are incorrect. Well, that's why I don't put money on these sorts of things.

That being said, I have a really hard time imagining that the Colts will go to the Superbowl, much less win it all.

A New Generation of Patriots...stronger, whiter, more fiscally responsible.

2009-11-20T14:19:00.001-05:00

It's Not Charlie's Fault!

2009-11-18T10:05:00.002-05:00

According to a letter to the editor in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Personally, I would blame his inability to "game coach", inspire young men or his prominent F.U.P.A.

Pittsburgh Week

2009-11-13T12:42:00.002-05:00

Got to love how sober, attractive, and educated the Steelers fanbase is.

I like this.

2009-11-06T07:15:00.002-05:00

President Obama's recent education speech had a story about his daughter's science test grade. I'm not sure that it was a great idea in that, as a father, I'd be uncomfortable telling stories about my family to the general public.

Those minor concerns aside, this is exactly right:

“So she came home yesterday, she got a 95,’’ Mr. Obama said. “But here’s the point: She said, ‘You know , I just like having knowledge.’’

The moral of the story, in the president’s view: “Don’t just expect teachers to set a high bar. You’ve got to set a high bar.”

The President continues, in my opinion, his strong push on changing American culture on excellence in student performance. I like it.

Housing Tax Credit?

2009-11-04T07:29:00.000-05:00

So here's what I want to know: who thinks this $8,000 tax credit is a good idea? At best, it's a sop to new homebuyers. Ack, it's just a terrible idea.

Net Neutrality

2009-10-31T12:42:00.003-04:00

This is what will happen if John McCain (i.e. Cpt. Telecom) gets his way. Why would anyone trust a man who openly admits he knows nothing about the internet to make policy for it?

This year's "Trilogy of Terror"

2009-10-24T14:35:00.002-04:00

Part 1. Set the stage...

Part 2. Increase the tension...

Part 3. Combine what 'really scares' with a bit of the truth...

Silverdome Auction

2009-10-21T14:52:00.001-04:00

No one is willing to buy the Pontiac Silverdome, so now it is being put up for auction. Would anyone actually have a use for this massive structure? Who could buy this and make it functional?

Tracy Morgan

2009-10-19T15:45:00.001-04:00

Forget Going Rogue. This is going to be one of the most entertaining memoirs ever!

Who's taking one for the team?

2009-10-17T13:53:00.002-04:00

As I've said all along, it's the insurance industry.

"In unusually harsh terms, Mr. Obama cast insurance companies as obstacles to change interested only in preserving their own “profits and bonuses” and willing to “bend the truth or break it” to stop his drive to remake the nation’s health care system. The president used his weekly radio and Internet address to push back against industry assertions that legislation will drive up premiums.
“It’s smoke and mirrors,” Mr. Obama said. “It’s bogus. And it’s all too familiar. Every time we get close to passing reform, the insurance companies produce these phony studies as a prescription and say, ‘Take one of these, and call us in a decade.’ Well, not this time.”
Rather than trying to curb costs and help patients, he said, the industry is busy “figuring out how to avoid covering people.”
“And they’re earning these profits and bonuses while enjoying a privileged exemption from our antitrust laws,” he said, “a matter that Congress is rightfully reviewing.”
The president’s attack underscores the sharp break between the White House and the insurance industry as the health care debate moves closer to a climax. When Mr. Obama took office, he and his advisers had hoped to keep insurers at the table to forge a consensus. But as the months passed, the strains grew — until this past week, when an industry-financed study attacking the Democratic plan signaled an open rupture."

Why they didn't cut a deal faster, earlier (or didn't stick to the backroom bargain they may have gotten) is beyond me. When you're politically unpopular, it doesn't take much to become the whipping boy (especially when everyone knows that you're the most likely candidate.)

Dittoheads Unite

2009-10-15T17:36:00.002-04:00

So it was all of those liberal millionaires in the ranks of the NFL owners that kept Rush from being an owner. Atleast according to Red State. In no way am I fan of Rush's divisive rhetoric, but I have no problems with him being an owner. However, the NFL knows how to run a business, and Rush being involved would have been bad for business.

A football fan's guilt

2009-10-13T22:25:00.002-04:00

This article about concussions in football is disturbing to me. I really like football, and I am especially fond of watching linemen. But it may be that long-term (or even short-term) careers in professional football can be damaging to players' brains.

How guilty should a football fan be? Assuming the science is correct, one thing is for certain: in about 20 years, players that we are fond of now will be falling victim to these chronic brain injuries.

Simple question

2009-10-11T23:46:00.002-04:00

The President's Nobel Peace Prize -- deserved?

Conservative Bible Project

2009-10-06T12:28:00.002-04:00

The crazy bastards at Conservapedia would like to remove the well known liberal bias from the Bible by removing liberal passages. So I guess they will have to remove Jesus completely?

And now, for some actual Communists...

2009-10-01T22:32:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to the People's Republic of China (and to its Taylor group citizens!)

Dear Fellow Conservative,

2009-10-01T00:27:00.002-04:00

This video just came to my attention. I'm so outraged and stunned by its content that I had to share it with you.

Watch the video now and see the indoctrination of our nation's greatest treasure -- our children.

In the video, impressionable youngsters at a public school in New Jersey, most of whom are no more than six or seven years old, have been instructed to sing the praises of "Barack Hussein Obama." One song is even set to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

This is the type of propaganda you would see in Stalin's Russia or Kim Jong Il's North Korea. I never thought the day would come when I'd see it here in America.

This is the type of fanaticism Republicans are up against as we fight to stop the Obama Democrats' radical leftist transformation of America. The only way our Party can defeat their liberal ambitions is by electing more Republicans in the upcoming 2009 state elections and the critical 2010 mid-term elections.

Do your part today by making a secure online contribution of $10, $25, $50, $100 or whatever you can right now to the RNC. Your gift will provide the resources we need to reveal the Obama Democrats' true leftist intentions for our country and carry our Republican candidates to victory this fall and beyond. Please help us win this fight for the future of America.

Sincerely,

Michael Steele
Chairman, Republican National Committee

P.S. The indoctrinating of the most impressionable members of our society is unbelievable unless you see it with your own eyes. Please watch the video of young school children literally singing the praises of Barack Obama that their teachers have taught them. Share it with your friends, family, neighbors or anyone you think may be concerned by this. Then make a donation of $10, $25, $50 or $100 to support the RNC's efforts to fight this leftist propaganda and elect more Republicans this year and next. Thank you.

I couldn't agree more...

2009-09-29T09:40:00.002-04:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

America: Target America

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

It appears that the writers of "The Daily Show" read our blog regularly.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

2009-09-27T20:58:00.002-04:00

An impressive pass from a USC grad to defeat Big Ben and the black-and-gold menace. I'll bet Vince is happy.

I love public schools.

2009-09-25T08:02:00.002-04:00

Doubtless, you all have heard of the kidz singing the praises of President Obama. While it is obviously a tiny tempest in a very small teacup, the following lyrics are a little annoying:

"He said red, yellow, black or white / All are equal in his sight
Mmm, mmm, mm! / Barack Hussein Obama"

The lyricist is no Jay-Z. I think what rankles most is that it is a stolen line from a rather trite children's Sunday School song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children." I much preferred the spontaneous "Obama's Going To Change the World" hit* of 2008 -- now those were good lyrics.

*BTW, where's my frickin' happiness?

Fred's Transmission

2009-09-24T12:51:00.003-04:00

As I was watching Notre Dame nearly blow a game to an inferior opponent(again..), a commercial for Fred's Transmission aired. I had to actually go to the website to make sure I wasn't hearing things.

Immaculate Deflection

2009-09-18T09:28:00.001-04:00

In some weird way, this helps with the pain.

Good news for chemists?

2009-09-17T07:22:00.002-04:00

The just-released Baucus plan is reviewed at the New York Times' blog on the health care debate. Here's the headline: "Baucus Plan Pleases Drug Makers, but Not Other Groups."

From the post:

"Analysts for Barclays Capital wrote in a report Friday for Wall Street investors that “insurers continue to be singled out as the villains of the debate."
The drug makers also got what they wanted from Mr. Baucus in guarantees against direct price negotiation by the government over the cost of drugs in Medicare. The Baucus bill is silent on a House proposal to wring rebates from the pharmaceuticals industry for the higher cost of drugs sold to people who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare since 2006.

Finally, the longstanding Democratic proposals to allow the reimportation of cheaper drugs from Canada is nowhere to be found in the Baucus bill.

So, under the Baucus proposal, here is what the industry has agreed to:

*Accept a total of $23 billion in new fees over 10 years

*Provide drugs at half price in a Medicare coverage gap known as the doughnut hole

*Increase Medicaid rebates to 23.1 percent for patented drugs (up from 15.1 percent now) and 13 percent for generic drugs (up from 11 percent).

*Support a new regulatory pathway for approving generic equivalents of biological drugs — the often expensive products from the biotechnology industry, including many cancer drugs, that so far have been generally exempted from generic competition.
And now, while insurers, device makers and labs step up their lobbying against the Baucus proposal, the drug industry is expected soon to roll out a new TV ad campaign to support it.

So PhRMA has gotten a lot of big things from this: no renegotiation of Medicare Part D, no reimportation. In exchange, they're shilling for the plan and they're also "supporting" the biosimilars campaign that Waxman is pushing. I think the biosimilars campaign is the biggest long-term concern for the industry; biologics are considered more profitable, longer. (P.S. I will laugh my head off if biogenerics/biosimilars turn out to have significant unintended medical consequences.)

Let's not be coy here: the industry that many of us directly or indirectly work for is politically powerful and was able to cut a deal. It remains to be seen whether pharma management can take the revenue given and deliver innovative and profitable drugs -- that's where we come in.

I think what's likely to come out of the House/Senate conference is more likely to be close to the Baucus deal than not. But that's just speculation -- don't exhale just yet.

A little motivation.

2009-09-15T21:35:00.006-04:00

I was sitting at the table, eating dinner with my daughter and I glanced at the sports section, which was bemoaning the loss of the Bears' inspirational middle linebacker, Brian Urlacher:

And I looked a little closer at his wristband, to see what they write on there. Little did I know, he had a little extra motivation for himself:

It's not quite Billy Ripken, but it'll do.

Cui bono?

2009-09-14T22:29:00.005-04:00

I don't know if anyone else heard this NPR story, but I found it rather wrong-headed.

What is the public option? So far as I can tell, it's a government-run insurance program that will, through competition with private plans, provide a minimum level of insurance to all comers.

Frankly put, do doctors care where their money comes from? If they are rational actors, the answer is no. As long as someone else is paying the bill (and not looking at it), why should they? So why should we care about the opinions of physicians on whether or not health insurance companies need competition?

My fundamental theory about the 2009 version of health care reform is "who's taking one for the team?" Here's my list, in order of likelihood: insurers, pharmaceutical companies and actual health care providers. Anyone disagree?

Crazy, boring NFL predictions

2009-09-10T21:40:00.003-04:00

1. The Colts? 9-7 and do not win the AFC South.
2. The Patriots do not go to the Superbowl.
3. The Vikings? Do not make the playoffs.

Clearly, I'm nuts.

Communism!

2009-09-08T21:44:00.005-04:00

Claims of communism go way back....

Obama Education Watch: making the right people unhappy

2009-09-08T16:41:00.002-04:00

Obama and Arne Duncan continue to push the idea of merit pay, much to the consternation of progressive policy magazines.

"One of the major developments in education policy this year has been the Obama administration's continued, focused attention on the issue of merit pay, despite a lack of strong evidence linking such programs to increased student achievement."

Awesome.

Yes, Mr President...

2009-09-07T13:10:00.003-04:00

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Jane's Law wins again

2009-09-04T13:44:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite libertarian writers is Megan McArdle, who coined Jane's Law in 2003:

"Jane's Law: The devotees of the party in power are smug and arrogant. The devotees of the party out of power are insane."

This came to mind for two recent reasons:

- This NYT article notes many of the serious conservative policy types whose objections to the Democrat congressional plans have been drowned out by the Beck/Palinites. Sigh.

- The recent GOP hubbub over Obama's speech to children is more than a little bit overheated. I imagine that by making their objections known now, they may have forced the President's speech to be even more carefully devoid of political content.

As a conservative, I am happily pessimistic about the chances of the Republican party in the near-future (next 7 years or so.) As Clemenza would have said, "These things gotta happen every five years or so, ten years. Helps to get rid of the bad blood."

How Conservatives Are Created...

2009-09-03T09:44:00.002-04:00

No, I am not talking about the unborn child in this picture. I am talking about anyone who sees this picture. It's hard to support universal healthcare with this image in mind. Doesn't she know that the overhead powerlines are a much greater concern than jackhammers?

Ted Kennedy's desire for national health care

2009-08-30T20:44:00.003-04:00

From Sen. Ted Kennedy's keynote 1980 convention speech:

"Finally, we cannot have a fair prosperity in isolation from a fair society. So I will continue to stand for a national health insurance. We must -- We must not surrender -- We must not surrender to the relentless medical inflation that can bankrupt almost anyone and that may soon break the budgets of government at every level. Let us insist on real controls over what doctors and hospitals can charge, and let us resolve that the state of a family's health shall never depend on the size of a family's wealth.

The President, the Vice President, the members of Congress have a medical plan that meets their needs in full, and whenever senators and representatives catch a little cold, the Capitol physician will see them immediately, treat them promptly, fill a prescription on the spot. We do not get a bill even if we ask for it, and when do you think was the last time a member of Congress asked for a bill from the Federal Government? And I say again, as I have before, if health insurance is good enough for the President, the Vice President, the Congress of the United States, then it's good enough for you and every family in America."

Interesting how similar issues affect us now. Interesting also that here, Kennedy comes right out and says what today's Democrats are unwilling to.

2009-08-29T12:07:00.004-04:00

When everyone gets a chance they should watch this outstanding Bill Moyers Journal on healthcare. A very good journal which gives many reasons why our health care is the best in certain areas, and substandard in others. It is based off the book Money-Driven medicine and details the growth of the medical industry and how this leads to higher costs.

It's about me not you...

2009-08-26T21:02:00.002-04:00

Randall Terry hijacked the last eight weeks of Notre Dame's academic year last semester and now is aiming at town halls and the healthcare discussion.

Not every problem has a great solution.

2009-08-24T19:07:00.002-04:00

Looking at the posts/comments on this blog is fantastic, I always get a real visceral response.

So, I'm going to throw this out there......

Is it possible that there is no way to fix the escalating cost of health care?

I believe you get what you pay for, plain and simple. Health care is expensive. That's probably not going to change. You may squeak out some 10% efficiency here and there.You may eek out some cost savings from reducing administrative costs, but in general health care is expensive. There is a whole lot of investment and research tied into everything. Who would guess that the people who invested in and did the research would like to earn money for there effort?

So the question is pretty simple. Do we want health care to be more affordable? And if so what is the cost of more affordable health care?

I hate to say it, but most likely if you have cheaper insurance your end of life care will be given at a cheaper cost. If you pay less for something you will probably get less...

Let's scrap health care reform. Let's just get insurance companies to provide the service they claim. We need to reform insurance companies, not health care. The US has the best health care in the world, and by the way it's expensive.

He was TOLD this so it's not his fault if it's wrong...

2009-08-18T09:28:00.009-04:00

GRASSLEY: In countries that have government-run health care, just to give you an example, I’ve been told that the brain tumor that Sen. Kennedy has — because he’s 77 years old — would not be treated the way it’s treated in the United States. In other words, he would not get the care he gets here because of his age. In other words, they’d say ‘well he doesn’t have long to live even if he lived another four to five years.’ They’d say ‘well, we gotta spend money on people who can contribute more to economy.’ It’s a little like people saying when somebody gets to be 85 their life is worth less than when they were 35 and you pull the tubes on them.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that's the most ludicrous thing that I've heard," Ara Darzi, a surgeon and former minister of health of GREAT BRITAIN.

To be fair, the second half of audio Grassley says a lot of good things and I am sure Grassley will post a correction in his biannual newsletter.

Because this blog's too quiet

2009-08-13T23:12:00.003-04:00

The many health care reform plans in Congress are catching a lot of flak. Unsurprisingly, the media has focused on some of the more rabid and ridiculous claims from the conservative entertainment industrial complex.

I think the President and his supporters are being a little bit naive about the "death panels" claim, when the President himself was talking about the difficulties in having Medicare pay for end-of-life care:

THE PRESIDENT: Now, I actually think that the tougher issue around medical care — it’s a related one — is what you do around things like end-of-life care —

NYT: Yes, where it’s $20,000 for an extra week of life.

THE PRESIDENT: Exactly. And I just recently went through this. I mean, I’ve told this story, maybe not publicly, but when my grandmother got very ill during the campaign, she got cancer; it was determined to be terminal. And about two or three weeks after her diagnosis she fell, broke her hip. It was determined that she might have had a mild stroke, which is what had precipitated the fall.

So now she’s in the hospital, and the doctor says, Look, you’ve got about — maybe you have three months, maybe you have six months, maybe you have nine months to live. Because of the weakness of your heart, if you have an operation on your hip there are certain risks that — you know, your heart can’t take it. On the other hand, if you just sit there with your hip like this, you’re just going to waste away and your quality of life will be terrible.

And she elected to get the hip replacement and was fine for about two weeks after the hip replacement, and then suddenly just — you know, things fell apart.

I don’t know how much that hip replacement cost. I would have paid out of pocket for that hip replacement just because she’s my grandmother. Whether, sort of in the aggregate, society making those decisions to give my grandmother, or everybody else’s aging grandparents or parents, a hip replacement when they’re terminally ill is a sustainable model, is a very difficult question. If somebody told me that my grandmother couldn’t have a hip replacement and she had to lie there in misery in the waning days of her life — that would be pretty upsetting.

NYT: And it’s going to be hard for people who don’t have the option of paying for it.

THE PRESIDENT: So that’s where I think you just get into some very difficult moral issues. But that’s also a huge driver of cost, right?

I mean, the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health care bill out here.

NYT: So how do you — how do we deal with it?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that there is going to have to be a conversation that is guided by doctors, scientists, ethicists. And then there is going to have to be a very difficult democratic conversation that takes place. It is very difficult to imagine the country making those decisions just through the normal political channels. And that’s part of why you have to have some independent group that can give you guidance. It’s not determinative, but I think has to be able to give you some guidance. And that’s part of what I suspect you’ll see emerging out of the various health care conversations that are taking place on the Hill right now.

This is a pretty easy set of thoughts to twist out of shape, no? Obviously, "death panels" is unfair -- but why put it out there in the first place?

My sympathies are with the President, who's got a very tough nut to crack. Thankfully (for my long-term job prospects), it's pretty clear that it's the insurance industry that's going to take one for the team first. Doubtless, pharma will be next (although they appear to have negotiated with the crocodile) and then it'll be hospital employee salaries...

"First, we kill all the chemists"

2009-08-08T12:49:00.004-04:00

Sarah Palin, channeling Michelle Bachmann, revs up the fear machine by describing how unwanted children and seniors will be put before a Big Brother Death Panel to determine societal worth. I don't know where she gets this from because it is my understanding that the "Death Panel" will be used to lower unemployment by getting rid of the jobless.

Merit pay watch: optimistic

2009-07-24T07:33:00.002-04:00

This recent NPR story is good news -- Secretary of Education Arne Duncan went to face the NEA and tell them that "but to remove student performance from [teachers' job] evaluation is illogical." Click on the link to listen to angry teachers tell him that their job performance just can't be quantified.

Obviously, merit pay is something that is a very small blip on the Obama Administration radar. But if they can make this happen, it will make them that much more popular with independent voters and his credibility will be that much greater.

Sanford vs. Foley

2009-07-19T16:08:00.001-04:00

I have to say that Bill Maher makes a good point.

Enjoy prison!

2009-07-16T23:40:00.003-04:00

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A former engineer for Rockwell International and Boeing was convicted Thursday of economic espionage and acting as an agent of China, authorities said.

Dongfan "Greg" Chung, 73, was accused of stealing restricted technology and Boeing trade secrets, including information related to the space shuttle program and the Delta IV rocket.

Thanks, f%$%$#r. You and your #$#$# friends that are doing this -- you're making that much harder for honest Chinese nationals and Chinese-American folks to get hired at defense contractors and serious IP generators (pharma, high-tech) (i.e. good-paying jobs) in the US. Hope you enjoy your time rotting in the federal pen.

A backpedal too far?

2009-07-14T23:02:00.003-04:00

I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge regardless of their background or life experiences. - Her Honor, Judge (and soon-to-be-Justice) Sonia Sotomayor, 7/14/09

I think she went too far. Every person? Regardless of their background? I don't believe this statement is true -- do you?

A Rambling Basketball Diagram

2009-07-06T17:27:00.001-04:00

Base System

2009-06-29T19:03:00.001-04:00

I had a discussion this weekend about what activities were expected at "second base". I think this helpful chart certainly clears it up.

Friends of the A** End of Nowhere

2009-06-19T13:32:00.004-04:00

President Obama has expressed admirable plans for green energy. Typically, they involve the generation of energy in remote areas (by solar or wind) and transmission into urban areas.

Unfortunately, it is in the production and transmission that these plans run into a phenomenon I like to call the "Friends of the A** End of Nowhere". Want to put a solar farm in the desert? FAN sez the desert environment is incredibly fragile and you'll harm it irreparably. Want to transmit that power to the city? FAN sez the route is right through a conservation area and wants you to go another less direct, more inefficient way. Want to research and generate wave energy on the coast of Oregon? No dice -- property owners, fishermen and environmentalists will call you rapacious foreign capitalists who want to industrialize the ocean.

Infrastructure progress in the United States proceeds at a glacial pace for a number of reasons, one of which is the ability of environmental and citizens' groups to use the courts ~~to gum up the works~~ for justice and due process. It is my sincere hope that President Obama will have a Nixon-to-China moment and be able to effect change positively for power generation during his terms in office.

Nope, not even close.

2009-06-16T21:53:00.002-04:00

What was the wrongest part of the President's speech to the AMA? This whopper:

"To most Americans, you are the health care system. Americans - me included - just do what you recommend."

Um, no. No, Mr. President, we don't. Not even close. We don't do the things doctors recommend, we cherry-pick the treatments and we don't comply with prescription instructions.

Right-Wing Extremism

2009-06-11T12:44:00.002-04:00

The Department of Homeland Security says right-wing extremism is on the rise throughout the country.

Remember all of the venom being spewed by right-wing pundits about this Homeland Security report? In the past two weeks we have had a doctor who performs abortions gunned down outside of his church (I find it very interesting that someone who claims to be pro-life murdered someone), and a lunatic open fire in the National Holocaust Museum. In no way can these stories be spun any other way. The DHS report was absolutely right. Because there is a liberal black dude in the oval office every idiot who is hateful will now turn ultra-hateful. I cannot understand why there was such fervor over the report when it is pretty obvious that violence from these types of groups was going to occur.

EPIC!

2009-06-09T19:40:00.001-04:00

Literally Total Eclipse of the Heart

2009-06-04T21:37:00.004-04:00

I'm in a silly mood. My friend sent this to me and I felt like sharing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA

Cleveland Tourism Video

2009-05-29T15:21:00.001-04:00

Props to the anonymous North Korean artist

2009-05-26T22:18:00.004-04:00

I'm quite a fan of Communist propaganda, especially when it comes in poster form. It's usually bright and cheery and Uncle Sam typically plays a starring role as the villain.

This poster is especially lovely, since it appears that the head-only GI is being attacked by the North Korean version of the Care Bear Stare. Note that the baby nurse is emanating powerful rays from her medical satchel, while the child soldier is administering the (Democratic) People's Elbow. Not quite sure why the toddler sailor nor the baby airman are not attacking on their respective vehicles -- didn't get any heavy fuel oil in recently?

From Tom Ricks, who may interest you.

A bracing reminder of how to deal with life.

2009-05-25T22:47:00.000-04:00

Just in case you need a little pep talk after your 3-day weekend.

Alabama Leprechaun

2009-05-22T15:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday Taylorites!

Wolf T-Shirt

2009-05-20T12:50:00.001-04:00

I love the internets! Check out the reviews for this fine product. I think I saw Jack wearing this at some point during his career at ND.

Don't let this happen to you...

2009-05-16T09:01:00.002-04:00

This article is by a reporter for the New York Times -- it's long, but worth it. In summary, he's an economics reporter and he makes 120K/yr, but he made a couple of bad financial decisions and now he's up to his eyeballs in debt and he may lose his house. Remarkable.

2009-05-15T23:25:00.002-04:00

This is in response to the superfluous cheese tray that was at our happy hour today. You can learn all about the Xzibit internet meme here.

Interesting interview

2009-05-03T15:15:00.003-04:00

Those of you politically inclined may have already enjoyed this interview that Obama did with an economics correspondent of the New York Times, David Leonhardt.

Obama on credentialing: "So part of the function of a high-school degree or a community-college degree is credentialing, right? It allows employers in a quick way to sort through who’s got the skills and who doesn’t. But part of the problem that we’ve got right now is that what it means to have graduated from high school, what it means to have graduated from a two-year college or a four-year college is not always as clear as it was several years ago.

And that means that we’ve got to — in our education-reform agenda — we’ve got to focus not just on increasing graduation rates, but we’ve also got to make what’s learned in the high-school and college experience more robust and more effective."

Obama on competitiveness: "That’s why I don’t just want to see more college graduates; I also want to specifically see more math and science graduates, I specifically want to see more folks in engineering. I think part of the postbubble economy that I’m describing is one in which we are restoring a balance between making things and providing services, whether it’s marketing or catering to people or servicing folks in some way. Those are all good jobs, and we’re not going to return to an economy in which manufacturing is as large a percentage as it was back in the 1940s just because of automation and technological advance.

But the broader point is that if you look at who our long-term competition will be in the global economy — China, India, the E.U., Brazil, Korea — the countries that are producing the best-educated work force, whose education system emphasizes the sciences and mathematics, who can translate those technology backgrounds or those science backgrounds into technological applications, they are going to have a significant advantage in the economy. And I think that we’ve got to have enough of that in order to maintain our economic strength."

Obama also made an odd point about "nursing paying better" in context of traditionally male or female fields. Frankly (as the husband of a nurse), I find it difficult to imagine that nurses could get paid more than they are already.

Nevertheless, I found it to be a worthwhile interview and a good insight into the president's thinking.

Underreported Story...

2009-04-29T09:02:00.005-04:00

President Obama's speech at the National Academy of Sciences got lots of press for a teleprompter but his comments about investment in science was missed completely.

I believe it is not in our character, the American character, to follow. It's our character to lead. And it is time for us to lead once again. So I'm here today to set this goal: We will devote more than 3 percent of our GDP to research and development. We will not just meet, but we will exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race, through policies that invest in basic and applied research, create new incentives for private innovation, promote breakthroughs in energy and medicine, and improve education in math and science.

This represents the largest commitment to scientific research and innovation in American history.

NOS 2009?

2009-04-22T09:39:00.001-04:00

Sadly, I'm not going to the 2009 NOS (no time off) -- but who is?

Why didn't I think of this?

2009-04-16T16:08:00.005-04:00

A liberal extremist at a "grass roots" tea party.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T14:35:00.002-04:00

I was recently hijacked by the "Glenn Beck Wing" of the Republican Party this weekend, and they assured me that Obama's budget wouldn't allow you to donate to certain charities. Knowing that most of this Wing relies on random, non-factual e-mails, I tried to find the correct information myself. The only thing I could come with is the plan to cap tax write offs for folks making over 200G's a year. This cap would decrease the deductible amount of a charitable donation from 33% to 28%. Nowhere could I find anything about restricting which charitable organization you could donate to. If any other Taylorites can help me find info on this it would be greatly appreciative. Nothing would make me happier than having cited facts to prove that their claim was bogus.