Posted by Richard on April 30, 2009
Over 900,000 people have watched Anne McKinney's marvelous YouTube video, "Ballad of Timothy Geithner." If you haven't seen it, here's your chance. Enjoy!
"They're writing laws on income tax, but not for me…"
Here's McKinney's latest (only 12,000 views so far), "That's Pelosi!"
I think I'm in love.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: geithner, humor, libertarian, music, pelosi, politics | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Richard on April 29, 2009
There are several reasons to be concerned about swine flu. But here's what worries me most:
"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."
— Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: crisis, government, health care, influenza, politics | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Richard on April 29, 2009
GM = Government Motors.
I thought the Obama administration was going to recreate the bad old days of the Carter administration in the 70s. But now I'm beginning to suspect they have grander ambitions — maybe emulating the British Labour Party governments of the 50s, nationalizing major industries. They've certainly started down that road.
Like his pal, Hugo Chavez, President Obama doesn't mind screwing the existing owners and creditors of the firms he nationalizes. Especially if he can redistribute their wealth in the process.
Of course, without a government takeover, GM faces bankruptcy, so the stockholders would almost certainly get nothing in any case. But bondholders are supposed to be near the front of the line in a bankruptcy and are supposed to be treated equally, aren't they?
Not in the Obama Plan. The numbers differ a bit from one source to another, but broadly speaking, the Obama Plan apparently divides up GM as follows:
Outrageous. So will there be a public outcry from the victims? I suspect not much. Most of the people getting screwed may never realize it. They don't own GM bonds directly, they own mutual funds (probably via their 401k) that hold GM debt. The value of those mutual funds will go down without the investors really being aware of the reason, unless they pore over the annual report.
And don't expect the media to do their usual heart-wrenching human interest stories profiling the poor pensioners, widows, and orphans who are being robbed of their savings. Most members of the media are completely infatuated with Obama, and their sympathies lie with the perpetrators of this crime, not the victims.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: bailout, democrats, economy, obama, socialism | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Richard on April 20, 2009
The WSJ featured a fine piece of satire by Joe Queenan last week:
The Obama administration has come under intense criticism for replacing the term "war on terror" with the emaciated euphemism "overseas contingency operations," and for referring to individual acts of terror as "man-caused disasters."
… Many feel that such vaporous bureaucratese is a self-emasculating action that plunges us into an Orwellian world where words have no emotional connection with the horrors they purport to describe.
Yet, if the intention of the Obama administration is to tone down the confrontational rhetoric being used by our enemies, the effort is already reaping results. This week, in a pronounced shift from its usual theatrical style, the Taliban announced that it will no longer refer to its favorite method of murder as "beheadings," but will henceforth employ the expression "cephalic attrition." "Flayings" — a barbarously exotic style of execution that has been popular in this part of the world since before the time of Alexander — will now be described as "unsolicited epidermal reconfigurations."
Read the whole thing. I especially liked the Sudan's rebranding of genocide as "maximum-intensity racial profiling."
(HT: normblog)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: barbarism, humor | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Richard on April 18, 2009
Nothing says "springtime in Colorado" like prodigious amounts of snow falling from the sky amidst rumbles of thunder.
Until about an hour ago, the big winter storm that was forecast looked like a bust. What was supposed to be 5-10 inches of snow by now fell mostly as rain and wet, sloppy stuff that turned to slush on the ground. But in the past hour, well over an inch has accumulated here at my house, and it's coming down hard. Still getting the occasional thunder, too.
I bet the folks in the foothills (above 6000 ft.) are looking at big piles of white stuff.
One thing's for sure, we're getting plenty of moisture. I'll be surprised if, by the time this storm is over tomorrow, it hasn't at least doubled and maybe tripled our year-to-date precipitation. Not that that's saying much — it's been pretty dry.
UPDATE: 30-60 inches in the foothills and mountain towns to the west (6000-9000 ft.). Denver missed having an epic snowfall by about 3 or 4°.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: colorado, denver, snow, weather | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Richard on April 17, 2009
David Aitken took some terrific photos of the Denver Tea Party. He just has links at his blog, Life's Better Ideas, and I can see why. The photos are 2048 x 1536 pixels. On my 22" monitor (1680 x 1250), using Firefox, I had to zoom out to see the whole image at once. But he got right in the thick of things, they're sharp as a tack, and they really give you a great sense of being in the middle of the crowd. They're well worth a look. Just be patient if you don't have a very high-speed connection.
Michelle Malkin has a large collection of photos from around the country that shows, as she put it, "the full breadth and scope of the protests — not just the size, but the reach, a true sense of which is missing from the MSM coverage." And Instapundit posted several collections of pix, links to video, and commentary — here and here and here and here and here.
As you look at the photos, and especially Aitken's photos, notice that virtually every sign is handmade. The few printed ones look like people printed them on their inkjet — they probably downloaded the files from one of the think tanks or pro-freedom non-profits that jumped onto the tea party bandwagon. Contrary to what Nancy Pelosi and her PR firm, CNN, claimed, this wasn't an "astroturf" event — it was true grass roots, and it grew from the ground up. The national organizations and (relatively few) politicians who jumped aboard were following the people, not leading them.
At the Denver event, the only signs that were obviously professionally printed were the ones a handful of ProgressColorado and union counter-demonstrators had (with slogans like "Shut up and pay your taxes" and "We're cleaning up Bush's mess"). The printing was probably paid for by ACORN, using federal tax dollars. Or George Soros, the king of astroturf politics. Or the cadre of Colorado millionaire leftists who've bought the state for the Democratic Party in the last few years.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: bailout, denver, economy, obama, politics, pork, rally, spending, taxes, tea party | 2 Comments »
Posted by Richard on April 16, 2009
What a great day we had in Denver today. Sunny and in the 70s. A perfect day to gather at the State Capitol and voice opposition to tax increases, massive new spending, wealth redistribution, bailouts, pork, and the headlong rush toward socialism. And, boy, did people gather!
The police estimated 5000, and I think that's pretty conservative. I remember the gun rights rally that the police estimated at 3000, and this one was at least twice as big and probably quite a bit more. Quite a diverse crowd, too. Lots of families with children, and lots of strollers. More young adults than I expected, but lots of retirees, too. Men in suits, and men in biker jackets. Mostly middle-class working people.
I heard virtually nothing of the speakers, and I think most of the people there were in the same boat. The crowd spilled down the steps and grassy slope all the way to Lincoln St., and the sound system was really only adequate for the two to three thousand up on the drive around the Capitol and maybe a little beyond. But no one seemed to mind, and when those who were close cheered and chanted, everyone else joined in.
On Lincoln St. and Colfax, where traffic was heavy, the honking and waving never let up. I noticed that quite a few of the vehicles expressing support were work vehicles (panel vans and trucks with business names on them, etc.).
There were lots of Gadsden flags (I wore my Gadsden t-shirt) and lots of signs with references to Galt and Atlas Shrugged. Some of my favorite signs:
I am not your ATM
Don't spread the wealth, spread my work ethic!
Atlas Shrugged has come to pass
I left a socialist country for this??
Don't spend my money, I haven't made it yet (carried by a 10-year-old)
We are John Galt
Don't tell Obama what comes after a trillion
I was running late and forgot my camera, so all I got was some crummy shots from my ancient cell phone. You can see them here. But the Peoples Press Collective has much better pictures here and here. Heck, just go to the home page and keep scrolling. Drop by Slapstick Politics, too, for lots of coverage — pix, video, and links.
If you attended a tea party somewhere, how did it go?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: bailout, denver, economy, obama, politics, pork, rally, spending, taxes, tea party | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Richard on April 15, 2009
Tomorrow, April 15, is Tax Day, but this year it's something more — Tea Party Day! The Tea Party movement was inspired by CNBC's Rick Santelli, who back in February delivered a terrific rant against bailouts, stimulus packages, pork, and taxing responsible, hard-working people to subsidize bad behavior. Santelli said it was time for another Tea Party, and he inspired thousands.
There have been many tea party events since, but nothing like what's scheduled for April 15. Over 600 Tea Party rallies all across the country are confirmed for tomorrow. I'm going to the one at the State Capitol in Denver (11:00 – 1:30).
Other Colorado rallies are scheduled in Craig, Delta, Durango, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Loveland, Montrose, Pueblo, Steamboat Springs, Walsenburg, and Woodland Park.
I hope you'll go to a rally near you (go here and click your state to find the closest one). Many are scheduled around noon, so take a long lunch and bring your sandwich. And maybe a sign or an American flag.
If you can't make it (or even if you can), sign the Stop Spending Our Future petition. And if you've got a few bucks to spare, join the Go Galt movement — buy some copies of Atlas Shrugged and send them to politicians.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: bailout, economy, obama, politics, pork, rally, spending, taxes, tea party | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Richard on April 11, 2009
From I Can Has Cheezburger?® comes this helpful suggestion for cat owners with computers:
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: cats, computers, humor | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Richard on April 7, 2009
Ari Armstrong's FreeColorado.com has won the highest honor in this year's Samuel Adams Alliance Sammie Awards competition, the "Modern-Day Sam Adams Award." Armstrong's award, according to the Sam Adams Alliance, is significant and noteworthy:
Armstrong wins the $10,000 prize for his relentless—and ubiquitous—defense of free markets and individual liberty in the state of Colorado. He is author of FreeColorado.com and a columnist for the Grand Junction Free Press. In the last year, Ari’s work has been published in the Rocky Mountain News, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post Online, and featured on numerous radio and television news programs.
According to FreeColorado.com, the Sammie Awards will be presented later this month by luminaries of the pro-freedom movement:
Armstrong will receive his "Golden Sammie" April 18 in Chicago. Presenting the awards will be Michelle Malkin, Stephen Moore, John Fund, Jonathan Hoenig, Mary Katharine, and Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher.
In his entry, Armstrong summarized his "food stamp" diets of 2007 and 2009, his fight against political correctness (as with the "bitch slap" controversy of 2008), his work on health policy, and various other projects.
Armstrong said, "I congratulate the other winners and look forward to learning from their example. I thank the Sam Adams Alliance for recognizing the important work for liberty done at the regional level. Finally, I thank my fellow liberty activists in Colorado — especially my wife — for teaching me so much about liberty, individual rights, and free markets, and how to advocate those values through intellectual activism. This award is for you, my brothers and sisters in liberty."
Armstrong founded FreeColorado.com (then co-freedom.com) in late 1998, before the term "blog" had been coined.
My heartiest congratulations to Ari, a most deserving recipient of this award. He is an intelligent, articulate, and passionate advocate of the freedom philosophy, and I'm proud to have worked with him in the Libertarian Party of Colorado in the years that I was active in that organization. Bravo, Ari!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: blogging, colorado, colorado lp, freedom, libertarianism, liberty, sam adams alliance | Leave a Comment »
