Government to Sell GM Shares at a Loss's
The federal government invested in GM in order to save the corporate giant from collapse under it's own debt. GM had been allowed to go bankrupt without actually going to bankruptcy court. In the deal the USA purchased shares of GM stock in order to infuse cash into the debt ridden enterprise.
President Obama's reelection campaign often used the following phrase to indicate how wonderful his administration had been: "GM is Back, Osama bin Laden is Dead".
So now we know that trade, saving GM and killing OBL cost $8.5B. That is how much we lost in the GM venture. We'll soon enough learn if GM can continue on it's own.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Grossly Inadequate Security, Leadership and Management Failure
Review board raps State Department for poor security in Benghazi - Washington Times
"... “grossly inadequate” security but says that poor leadership could not be punished ..."
"The report blames inadequate security at the mission on “systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels” of State Department headquarters, where officials turned down repeated requests from diplomats on the ground for more security, both at the embassy in Tripoli and in Benghazi."
These quotes are from a report on the internal investigation by the State Department on the events surrounding the killing of a US Ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.
So we have gross inadequacies, and negligent leadership and management which contributed directly the events of that night, and there is no one to punish? Is that the kind of government accountability we expect from this administration?
"... “grossly inadequate” security but says that poor leadership could not be punished ..."
"The report blames inadequate security at the mission on “systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels” of State Department headquarters, where officials turned down repeated requests from diplomats on the ground for more security, both at the embassy in Tripoli and in Benghazi."
These quotes are from a report on the internal investigation by the State Department on the events surrounding the killing of a US Ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.
So we have gross inadequacies, and negligent leadership and management which contributed directly the events of that night, and there is no one to punish? Is that the kind of government accountability we expect from this administration?
Monday, December 17, 2012
Facts About Mass Shootings
Facts About Mass Shootings
Lott offers a final damning statistic: “With just one single exception, the attack on congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson in 2011, every public shooting since at least 1950 in the U.S. in which more than three people have been killed has taken place where citizens are not allowed to carry guns.”
I find it mind boggling to think others will claim another law will make people follow the law. Murder is already illegal. Guns in schools are already illegal. Think about that.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
George Will: The real 'cliff' argument
George Will: The real 'cliff' argument
The arguments are many and obvious, so why do the people repeatedly fall for the federal line?
The federal government has a very poor track record picking winners and losers in the market place. Witness the many 'green industry' investments that have fallen flat.
The federal government is a poor service provider. The repeatedly run over budget, call a small budget increase an actual budget cut versus a larger increase, and have great trouble executing policies in an efficient manner.
The federal government does not understand what it takes to make business thrive. They add more and more regulations daily, and each of those regulations adds costs and other impediments to business success.
The elected officials repeatedly lie by omission when talking to the press and to the public. They are proficient at speaking for long periods while never coming close to answering the actual question posed.
These same officials lie by commission when they tell us, for example, that social security does not add to the deficit, or that it is financially stable for years to come.
We need to demand more from our government, and I don't mean more handouts or stimulus. They best thing government can do for our economy is get the heck out of the way.
The arguments are many and obvious, so why do the people repeatedly fall for the federal line?
The federal government has a very poor track record picking winners and losers in the market place. Witness the many 'green industry' investments that have fallen flat.
The federal government is a poor service provider. The repeatedly run over budget, call a small budget increase an actual budget cut versus a larger increase, and have great trouble executing policies in an efficient manner.
The federal government does not understand what it takes to make business thrive. They add more and more regulations daily, and each of those regulations adds costs and other impediments to business success.
The elected officials repeatedly lie by omission when talking to the press and to the public. They are proficient at speaking for long periods while never coming close to answering the actual question posed.
These same officials lie by commission when they tell us, for example, that social security does not add to the deficit, or that it is financially stable for years to come.
We need to demand more from our government, and I don't mean more handouts or stimulus. They best thing government can do for our economy is get the heck out of the way.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
U.S. appeals court strikes down state's concealed-carry ban
U.S. appeals court strikes down state's concealed-carry ban
Chicago Has the Highest Murder Rate in the US
OK, let me try to summarize this issue for you.
Before the state of Illinois instituted a ban on carry conceal, they already had the highest murder rate. In fact, Chicago had the most strict hand gun ownership laws, along with Washington DC, and still had the highest murder rate in the US. So laws restricting ownership and carry conceal did not prevent murders by gun.
In fact, Christian Fenger Academy, a public school in Chicago, had 218 students shot during a single school year, and 27 of those shootings resulted in death. This was after the federal government gave a $500,000 grant to the school to promote non-violence. Imagine that, getting a half-million dollars in grant money to promote non-violence, and still 218 students in a single school get shot within a year.
So now those who oppose guns think you can throw money at a problem to make it disappear. Incidentally, they do the same with schools in general, and still they get lousy scores, low graduation rates, and more drop outs. Logic would dictate a change in strategy.
Knowing this information about shootings in Chicago, House Majority Leader, Barbara Flynn Curry, plans to appeal the court decision on carry-conceal in Illinois. Currie, D-Chicago, said that “justices surely do not mean that we would have to have wide-open” laws in Illinois. She said Illinois must now look at what other states are doing, such as disallowing guns in day-care centers and other locations. “If we need to change the law, let us at least craft a law that is very severely constrained and narrowly tailored so that we don’t invite guns out of control on each of our city’s streets,” Currie said. “I don’t want people out of control wandering the streets with guns that are out of control.”
Apparently, Ms. Curry is not paying attention to what is already happening on the streets.
Chicago Has the Highest Murder Rate in the US
OK, let me try to summarize this issue for you.
Before the state of Illinois instituted a ban on carry conceal, they already had the highest murder rate. In fact, Chicago had the most strict hand gun ownership laws, along with Washington DC, and still had the highest murder rate in the US. So laws restricting ownership and carry conceal did not prevent murders by gun.
In fact, Christian Fenger Academy, a public school in Chicago, had 218 students shot during a single school year, and 27 of those shootings resulted in death. This was after the federal government gave a $500,000 grant to the school to promote non-violence. Imagine that, getting a half-million dollars in grant money to promote non-violence, and still 218 students in a single school get shot within a year.
So now those who oppose guns think you can throw money at a problem to make it disappear. Incidentally, they do the same with schools in general, and still they get lousy scores, low graduation rates, and more drop outs. Logic would dictate a change in strategy.
Knowing this information about shootings in Chicago, House Majority Leader, Barbara Flynn Curry, plans to appeal the court decision on carry-conceal in Illinois. Currie, D-Chicago, said that “justices surely do not mean that we would have to have wide-open” laws in Illinois. She said Illinois must now look at what other states are doing, such as disallowing guns in day-care centers and other locations. “If we need to change the law, let us at least craft a law that is very severely constrained and narrowly tailored so that we don’t invite guns out of control on each of our city’s streets,” Currie said. “I don’t want people out of control wandering the streets with guns that are out of control.”
Apparently, Ms. Curry is not paying attention to what is already happening on the streets.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Nothing sound about EPA science - HUMAN EVENTS
Nothing sound about EPA science - HUMAN EVENTS
The basis of all scientific discovery is through the many iterations of these -- theorize, test, and analyze. Politics and personal bias should never be considered in that process. The minute those things enter the process is the precise minute scientific discovery is stopped. Whether we're talking about global warming or air and water pollution, political biases should never enter into the equation.
The basis of all scientific discovery is through the many iterations of these -- theorize, test, and analyze. Politics and personal bias should never be considered in that process. The minute those things enter the process is the precise minute scientific discovery is stopped. Whether we're talking about global warming or air and water pollution, political biases should never enter into the equation.
Learn from the Past? You've got to be kidding me, right?
Learn from the past: Get spending cuts first
According to the former chair of Obama’s own Council of Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, the tax increase proposed by President Obama will decrease GDP, while extending the Bush tax cuts will do the opposite.
According to the former chair of Obama’s own Council of Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, the tax increase proposed by President Obama will decrease GDP, while extending the Bush tax cuts will do the opposite.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Tax the rich. What will it get us?
How far will taxing the rich move us ahead?
The key quote from this column, in my mind, is this:
The fact of the matter is there are not enough rich people to come anywhere close to satisfying Congress' voracious spending appetite. The true tragedy for our future is that there are millions of uninformed Americans who will buy the political demagoguery and treachery that our problems can be solved by taxing the rich.
If you read this cloumn you will see that taxing the rich does not get nearly enough money in revenue to help us anymore than a few months. Williams states taht this leves future generations in dire straits, and does not solve the immediate or long term deficit/debt issue.
The key quote from this column, in my mind, is this:
The fact of the matter is there are not enough rich people to come anywhere close to satisfying Congress' voracious spending appetite. The true tragedy for our future is that there are millions of uninformed Americans who will buy the political demagoguery and treachery that our problems can be solved by taxing the rich.
If you read this cloumn you will see that taxing the rich does not get nearly enough money in revenue to help us anymore than a few months. Williams states taht this leves future generations in dire straits, and does not solve the immediate or long term deficit/debt issue.
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