Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength

It is Warren Buffet redux. Yes, 40 millionaires have banded together as the Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength and requested that their taxes be raised. When the Sage of Omaha proposed the same thing, I said he should just send the government a check. If these 40 want to pay more taxes, fine. Send in the money. The government will happily accept it and spend it. But demanding to have your taxes raised is also demanding that everyone else has their taxes raised.

 

These millionaires seem to believe what Joe Biden said: Paying taxes is patriotic. Hmm. This is a country founded on a tax revolt. Not paying taxes might be more patriotic. However, if they want to pay more, SEND IT IN and leave the rest of us out of your 'patriotism.'

Unreasonable Search?

The full body scan is coming to an airport near you. Yes, in reaction to the failed Christmas Bomber aka the Underwear Bomber, there are now scanners that will perform a virtual strip search. Have we not yet reached the point of unreasonable searches as defined by the 4th Amendment? Those who do not wish to suffer the indignity of the procedure or the 'harmless' dose of radiation may opt out and be sexually assaulted. Oh, it's just an 'aggressive' pat down, frisking like a cop might. However, if someone not wearing a TSA uniform were to perform such a pat down, it would be a clear case of sexual harassment. What is truly sad is that this is inevitably futile. The next bomber will have the anal cavity bomb (already used in Saudi Arabia). I can hardly wait for the TSA reaction to that.

This is yet another massive waste of resources for no benefit. We have a description of the perp and yet we search everyone. Imagine if a string of convenience stores were robbed and every cashier said it was a 'Middle-eastern man in his 20s or 30s.' The police then frisk every person they encounter - women, children, old men, etc. That would be crazy. And yet, that is what we are doing. We KNOW who is trying to blow up the plane but, to make sure no one feels singled out, we search every last person. We could cut 90% of the TSA if we just profiled. Heck, with the 90% cut of the TSA, we'd probably save more than enough to pay the lawsuits that would be filed.

October not so special

I have gotten the follow email a couple of times so far:

This October has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, all in one month. It happens once in 823 years.

Close, but not quite. The last time that October had 5 Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays was 2004. That's a little shy of the stated 823 years. Before that was 1999. Then there was 1993. And 1982. And so on. Every time that October 1st falls on a Friday - on average about once every 7 years - it will meet the stated pattern. I am a little surprised that this is going around since the pattern should be obvious. Whenever any month with 31 days starts on a Friday, this pattern will occur. It's really pretty common. January of this year had the 5 weekend pattern and July of next year will have it.

Koran Burning

Ah, the double standard. Does not the Florida pastor have the legal right to burn the Koran? Should the president really be weighing in on the 'wisdom' of burning Korans? Now, obviously, it is insensitive to burn the Koran, in much the same way it is insensitive to burn the US flag. Or perhaps build a mosque where thousands died at the hands of Muslim men screaming 'Allah Akbar!' Some have pointed out that there is a clear difference between these. The President, Defense Secretary Gates, and General Petraeus have spoken out to protect soldiers from the inevitable violence that will occur in the wake of such a bonfire. Sounds like we are submitting to blackmail. Muslims riot when there are Danish cartoons of Mohammad, so let's not draw Mohammad. A Muslim killed a filmmaker who made a film critical of Islam, so let's not make films critical of Islam. Holland politician Geert Wilders is under threat of death for speaking out against Islam, so let's not speak out against Islam. See, we're to blame for all this violence committed by Muslims because we failed to 'respect' their religion. Blackmail. Imagine what would happen if, instead of putting a crucifix in a bucket of urine, it was a Koran. Wow, recall the violent reaction of the Christians to that one? Yeah, neither do I.

Though I oppose book burning, I think the pastor may be onto something. What if we turn the tables in this blackmail scheme. Either Muslims start behaving themselves or we'll start burning some Korans. Learn some tolerance. Don't be so thin-skinned. It is within their power to prevent Koran burnings. See, it's not the Pastor who is responsible for burned Korans but Muslims who fail to show 'respect' for American sensibilities.

How's that Stimulus Working?

Back when the stimulus was being discussed, I said it was folly. It wouldn't work. It was like taking water out of one end of the pool, poring it back into the other end, and concluding that there was now more water. It has been a year and a half and the economy is sputtering. There is talk of a double-dip recessions. Gosh, all those smart people in Washington somehow didn't see this coming but yours truly wrote a blog on February 5, 2009 called 'Stimulus Stupidity.' How does that happen? Is it possible that my mere minor in economics can trump the multiple PhDs in Obama's economic team?

Much of economics is common sense. You don't encourage job creation by making it more expensive to create jobs. You don't encourage working by increasing the tax rate. Nor do you encourage work by constantly extending unemployment benefits. In order to spend money, the government must first acquire it through taxation; therefore, it is incapable of 'stimulating' an economy through spending. However, it could stimulate an economy by taking less money (i.e. cut taxes). The Obama Administration is doing the opposite of these common sense measures and is surprised the economy isn't growing.

Consent of the Governed

The majority of Americans did not want the Federal Government to pass the $700 Billion bailout in 2008. It passed. The majority didn't want GM and Chrysler bailed out. They were. The majority did not want Universal Health Care. It passed. In California, Prop 22 defined Marriage as one man and one woman. The State Supreme Court overturned it. So California amended the state constitution with Prop 8 to define marriage as one man and one woman. A federal judge has overturned it, concluding that it is unconstitutional. A majority are in favor of Arizona's law to enforce FEDERAL immigration law. A federal judge emasculated it. I have no doubt that the men who wrote and passed the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (in 1868) would be astonished to learn that they had provided for birthright citizenship and marriage between people of the same sex. At this pace, Americans will cease to be citizens and become merely subjects. Perhaps that has already come to pass.

Government at all levels and in all branches has become too big and is verging on tyrannical. Judges routinely flout the will of the people because there is no recourse. Eventually, Justice Kennedy will be the swing vote in the Supreme Court, and what he decides will be the law of the land. That is terrifying! There is a reason that the Judiciary is the 3rd Article of the Constitution, not the 1st. It was viewed as the least important but now it has the final say, making it arguably the most important. The Founders would be horrified with this state of affairs.

Cultural Decay

Today I heard a rap song by Ludacris called Sex Room. Now, I don't normally listen to rap but I have been working at the high school and exposed to the musical tastes of teens. Of course, I must wonder if I have simply become an old man who thinks kids are degenerates and their choice of music reflects that. Something to ponder. Perhaps the lyrics in the 80s were racier than I remember, especially since I wasn't one to listen to much music even in my teens.

Yes, I am aware that sex has long been a staple of music. 'Afternoon Delight' and 'Strangers in the Night' are both about sex. There is talk of love, embraces, rubbing, and fireworks. The subject is clear but the wording is suggestive or oblique. Such is not the case with 'Sex Room.' Here are some selected lyrics:

"Leave nothing but your t-shirt and panties on."
"It's about to get real X-rated."
"Mirrors in the headboard, even got a cam-cord."
"Nipples hard as rocks."
"I'mma give you this dick to ride."
"Legs in the air, with your toes pointed."

There is the frequent refrain of 'in my sex room,' in case you are unsure what he is suggesting. Subtle it is not. There were many other 'songs' along the same line though this one was the most egregious. I have read/heard in the news for years about the sexual lyrics of rap but this was my first real exposure, made all the more powerful since a pair of teen-aged girls were listening without reaction. Where is Tipper Gore to rail against this? When these teens are my age, what sort of lyrics will be required to evoke a similar reaction to mine?