These guys couldn’t get it right despite all their plans.

…and many thought they were “Too Big To Fail” as well.

Over at the Belmont Club, Wretchard wonders if the latest initiative out of Washington, DC is doomed to failure and frustration.  As he writes:

But one of the subtle problems facing an economic planner is what to plan for. In setting targets the planner — let us say President Obama — must understand which variable of interest he must affect. He can pull the wrong lever, set the wrong target.

Planning to add 10,000 new engineers every year seems to be a solution looking for a problem.  After all, if the economy were dynamic and growing, the private sector would set the demand for particular skills not the Federal Government.  However, creating conditions for economic expansion would entail lower taxation, less regulation, and decreased governmental involvement in the economy.  I doubt this is going to happen as long as Barack Obama remains President.

The frustrating part of all this is, as Greg Patterson writes, is the government can’t manage a forest, let alone an economy.  This means most efforts to control a system as complex as the US economy are bound to end in frustration if not outright failure.  Of course this will only be realized after many years and contless billions (trillions?) spent on wasteful and ineffective programs.

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I’d respect the guy more if he would take an honest job hawking foodstuffs and cashing in on his good name.

Alas, that’s not in the cards.

Still, former Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) has to figure out a way to pay the bills.  That may be a challenge given his lack of marketable skills and a stagnant job market.  As Michelle Malkin writes:

A lucky beneficiary of the New York Democratic political machinery, Weiner has no law degree. He has no business background. No private-sector proficiencies to pay the bills. And no hands-on experience — other than the R-rated kind, that is.

He does have his pension, which kicks in down the road but in the meantime, he needs a (legitimate) income.  That’s not stopping former Representative Weiner is trying to pick his own successor though.  Guess you could say that he will keep himself busy one way or the other.

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The Kinetic Miliary Action or whatever the Administration calls it is still going on in Libya.

Charles Krauthammer asks an important question in his opinion article in the WaPo the other day.  After all, who takes our country to war?  The money quote:

But the question of war-making power is larger than one president’s blundering. We have a core constitutional problem. In balancing war-making power between Congress and the presidency, the Constitution grants Congress the exclusive right to declare war.

Good question indeed.

Just remember that according to President Obama, the War Powers Resolution of 1973 does not apply to the Libyan Civil War that the United States is fighting in.

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Imagine an automobile manufacturing plant that has not laid-off any employees over the past two decades, builds a high-quality product, and does so for a reasonable price.

Yes they can…in Indiana!  From Business Week:

In its 22-year history—a period that has spanned three recessions, a global financial crisis, massive U.S. auto bankruptcies, and the departure of Isuzu, a founding partner, from the operation—SIA has rolled out more than 3 million vehicles and has never resorted to layoffs. Instead, it’s given workers a wage increase every year of its operation. Staffers also enjoy premium-free health care, abundant overtime ($15,000 each, on average, in 2010), paid volunteer time, financial counseling, and the ability to earn a Purdue University degree on-site—all in a state that has lost 46,000 auto jobs and suffered multiple plant foreclosures in the past decade.

Anybody who says that Americans don’t make anything is wrong, companies like Subaru clearly demonstrate that manufacturing competency is alive and well in our Industrial Heartland.  The key is having a company like Fuji Heavy Industries (parent company of Subaru) that makes a commitment to its workers, shareholders, and customers to do better.  Couple this with a business-friendly environment in Indiana and hard-working employees and you have a recipe for success.

All this without a union…

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It seems like an unnecessary step to me, then again I am not a Nobel Peace Prize winner either.

I’m talking about President Obama’s plan to release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  Its such a bad idea, even Gannet-owned USA Today says not to do it.  There is no compelling national interest to do so today, just as there has never been one since it was started.

(Side note:  That didn’t stop Presidents Clinton and Bush from doing so once each during their terms in office.  This just goes to show that bad ideas are bipartisan too.)

This all seems geared towards domestic political considerations more than anything else (not a surprise there).  Its another token action that does not address the root causes of current high energy prices.  Expanding domestic energy production through increased drilling and providing a business-friendly environment for energy companies could go a long way towards increasing energy supplies and decreasing the costs to consumers.

Oh, an smarter monetary and fiscal policies in Washington, DC would help too…

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Media bias is sometimes overt, like the New York Times ignoring the ATF’s role in Project Gunwalker, and sometime covert, like ignoring a story altogether. 

Consider this: We have a major scandal reaching into the highest reaches of the Oval Office is unfolding before our eyes. Even Jon Stewart can’t cover for the administration anymore. 

So we have a growing scandal that involves the murder of government agents, the destabilization of a neighbouring country and the illegal smuggling of guns into Mexico, and all of this is centered on the ATF office in Phoenix. 

So what story does our state’s largest newspaper run with? Why, auto emissions regulations, of course.

And a GOP rep’s ongoing legal battles. And a GOP political aide’s DUI. And adding more restrictions on gun purchases in the state. And, finally, layoffs at the newspaper itself. 

Which is worse, a sin of commission, or a sin of omission? Either way, the staff of the Republic are now paying the price for their paper’s bias. This is the type of story that wins Pultizers, and by choosing to ignore it in the hopes it will go away and stop disrupting the narrative, the Republic has doomed itself to the ash heap of journalism history. 

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I’m a freak. 

That’d be the response you’d get from the vast majority of my Canadian Facebook friends if you asked them about me. Most of them just can’t understand my love for the shooting sports or why I carry a sidearm with me almost everywhere I go or why I’m not gung-ho for a national healthcare plan. It’s almost as if I’m an American now, or something. 

Well, I am. Maybe not an American citizen yet, but I am one in heart and mind. I love this country, and it’s here where I want to stay. America lets you do the little things you need to do to stay sane in order to prevent people from rioting in the street over a lost hockey game. 

Only the politically impotent join riots, which makes this week’s riots in Vancouver so troubling for Canadians. If “normal” Vancouverites can act like this, what hope is there for the rest of Canada? 

There’s plenty of hope, but it has to start with how Canada looks at itself. There are no effective limits on government in Canada: Their legal system is based on the “living tree“, meaning the fundamental values of Canadian society are whatever they are at this moment. There are no everlasting laws, just speedbumps on the way to whatever Canadians want at that moment. It’s the Marquis de Sade’s “what is, is right” dressed up in a black robe and wig. 

Once Canadians have the bedrock of an unchanging Constitution on which to anchor their society, then they can begin to put in the safety valves of real free speech laws and allow property owners to effectively defend what is theirs. 

Ever wonder why you never hear of anyone in Dallas rioting over a sports loss? 

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“But then, I keep forgetting the calculate into this view the forgetful, venal stupidity of the public official. That’s where I was wrong.”

– Jeff Jarvis

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I really haven’t been following the saga of Anthony Weiner (D-NY) much but he has certainly demonstrated that he is not a person of integrity or honor.  However, as of this morning he will continue to represent his district in Congress.  He may well ride this storm out and continue to hold office even as more scandalous behavior comes to light.

…and he will probably be re-elected.

This brings up a larger question, who represents you?  Its a serious question because we see many sleazy politicians get elected and re-elected on a regular basis.  In the end, this is the voter’s fault since they are the ones who send them to office.  But what explains this behavior?

Part of this may be that many (most?) voters lack the courage and conviction to hold their representatives to a high standard.  Partisans see a party label and that, not the actions of the politician, determines what is said and done next.  Many voters simply don’t pay attention and vote without much thought to the person they are selecting to represent them.

Its my opinion that one must have the courage to call our elected officials out when they have done wrong, regardless of their party affiliation.  Readers of this blog have read my posts blasting the actions of Scott Bundgaard.  Plus, ask me what I think of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger or former Senator John Ensign and  you won’t hear many kind words.  If We The People don’t hold our elected officials accountable, regardless of their party affiliation, then we deserve to have dirt sandwitches like Andrew Weiner represent us.

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Looks like former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is not afraid to hit Present Obama on his latest travel excursion.  The tweet says it all:

@BarackObama sorry to interrupt the European pub crawl, but what was your Medicare plan?

OUCH!

I wouldn’t mind seeing Tim Pawlenty take over for Barack Obama.  After all, he took office in the wake of Jesse Ventura’s Reign of Error in Minnesota so why not do the same in DC?

HT to AoS for posting the tweet.

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