John Edwards Isn't Any Peach Either

I understand that the same report listing John Kerry as the most liberal Senator lists John Edwards as the fourth most liberal. And we call him the "moderate" left in the Democrat primaries.

Jeff's Reasons that John Kerry is a Bum, Part 6

He has the most liberal voting record in the Senate.

Yes, he beats out such lefty luminaries as Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer, and Hillary Clinton.

Way to go, John!

Lech Walesa: Nobel Saved My Life

This is an interesting article on a speech Lech Walesa gave recently at Coe College. In it, he said that winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 probably saved his life. Without it, he believes that the Soviet-puppet government in Poland likely would have had him assassinated.

Now, why do I find this interesting. Well, for two reasons.

First, because I often think that the Nobel Prize is reserved for terrorists thugs like Yasser Arafat or leftist activists who exagerate and invent a situation to further their own agenda, al la Rigoberta Menchu. Lech Walesa winning it reminds me that once in a while, the Nobel Committee doesn't embarrass themselves. (This is not to say that Lech is some sort of dashboard saint for conservative causes. But, he actually lead people to a better future and helped break Soviet rule. Note to Nobel Committee, Vaclav Havel would be a great winner as well.)

Second, I hope this same thing holds true for Shirin Ebadi, the woman from Iran that recently won the Nobel. One of the things that the nascent democracy movement in Iran has lacked is a leader to coalesce around. Up to this point, the movement has been lead by university students. While they have passion, they lack organization, and perhaps the gravitas, to take the movement to a broader audience. Perhaps Shirin Ebadi, would be someone that would offer a rallying point.

The Least Dumb Thing Rekha's Ever Printed

Today, Rekha used the following sentence in the opening paragraph of her column.

You often sense the Republicans would be happier turning government functions over to the private sector or charities to run.

And, for once, she has written a near-factual statement. The only thing that is wrong with the sentence is her comment that she "senses" that Republicans want to turn over large chunks of what the government does to charity and the private sector. Uh, if you only "sense" that, then we on the right have got to do a better job getting the word out.

Since I think that the right has been pretty open and honest about this, I guess coming right out and saying, "There is no reason for the government to get involved in this. The problem is best addressed by the private sector and private charity," isn't quite making it clear to her. Are there any suggestions on how we can make this position open and obvious to Ms. Basu so she doesn't have to read between the lines any more?

Blogger

To answer your question, I'm not certain that we can even get tables in on this version of Blogger. I'd have to check into it.

Blogger

Well I can't figure out how to make the tables below look good once they publish. Jeff is at the State wrestling tourney today so I can't even ask him. Go to the links and you'll see it more clearly.

Drug Manufacturer Profits are Obscene

Well the good doctor Hogberg piqued my interest with this post noting the DM Register's latests laments regarding the obscene profits made by drug manufacturers. So I did 5 minutes of research (something I guess the Register is incapable of). Well loe and behold! Gannett the parent company of the DMR is making obscene profits too. Just look at Gannett compared to Pfizer, Merck, and Bristol Meyers Squibb, below. Also compare how Gannet is doing against the Pharmaceutical industry as a whole. A good argument can be made that Gannett is performing on par with the evil drug manufacturers. When was the last time you saw somebody cured by reading the Register, their pain eased, their quality of life increased, their cancer thrown into remission, their AIDS held at bay for a few more precious years? Hmm? Hmm? The Register also doesn't have to invest massive amounts of money into speculative research. Jackasses.

Gannett
Profit Margins % Company
Gross Margin 50.1
Pre-Tax Margin 27.1
Net Profit Margin 18.0
5Yr Gross Margin (5-Year Avg.) 49.5
5Yr PreTax Margin (5-Year Avg.) 27.0
5Yr Net Profit Margin (5-Year Avg.) 16.6
Financial data in U.S. dollars

Merck
Profit Margins % Company Industry S&P 500
Gross Margin -13.3 70.9 47.0
Pre-Tax Margin 46.9 25.3 7.9
Net Profit Margin 30.4 18.7 4.4
5Yr Gross Margin (5-Year Avg.) 44.5 71.6 47.3
5Yr PreTax Margin (5-Year Avg.) 24.3 23.5 8.6
5Yr Net Profit Margin (5-Year Avg.) 17.4 17.4 5.1
Financial data in U.S. dollars

Pfizer
Profit Margins % Company Industry S&P 500
Gross Margin 89.3 70.9 47.0
Pre-Tax Margin 12.0 25.3 7.9
Net Profit Margin 8.7 18.7 4.4
5Yr Gross Margin (5-Year Avg.) 88.1 71.6 47.3
5Yr PreTax Margin (5-Year Avg.) 28.2 23.5 8.6
5Yr Net Profit Margin (5-Year Avg.) 18.1 17.4 5.1
Financial data in U.S. dollars


Bristol Meyers Squibb
Profit Margins % Company Industry S&P 500
Gross Margin 69.0 70.9 47.0
Pre-Tax Margin 19.9 25.3 7.9
Net Profit Margin 14.3 18.7 4.4
5Yr Gross Margin (5-Year Avg.) 74.7 71.6 47.3
5Yr PreTax Margin (5-Year Avg.) 21.9 23.5 8.6
5Yr Net Profit Margin (5-Year Avg.) 19.6 17.4 5.1
Financial data in U.S. dollars

And the Award for Pithiest Putdown of John Kerry Goes To.......

Tim Blair for the following:

If consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds, John F. Kerry's mind must be freakin' enormous.

Brilliant.

TATBO

Yo Don! TATBO!

Bin Laden Trapped?

Well, apparently one of the London papers, in yesterday's edition, was saying that is the case. The story was that U.S. forces essentially had him pinned in a location, at high altitude, with limited escape options.

Apparently, the London Sunday Express is not available online, but the Power Line has more details.

Now, there's been quite a bit of jawboning going on out there discussing the likelihood that the U.S. might locate Mr. Bin Laden before the end of the year. (Iowa's very own Senator Grassley was one of the ones who weighed in on this issue.) And, for whatever reasons, I went to bed last night with the feeling that we were getting close to catching the dirty rotten SOB. So, notwithstanding my complete and total inability to predict future events, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Hopefully, this article is correct, and we'll have confirmation of OBL, ahem, final disposition yet this spring.

I love this line from Royce.....

Public education has become another liberal fetish, a talisman that they hold up to keep big, bad reactionaries like me at bay. It's kind of like the hero in a 1950's vampire movie holding up a crucifix. It's supposed to work. The evil, old vampire shrinks away with a painful howl.

"Get back you blood sucking fiend! It's for the CHILDREN!!!"

Royce wrote that responding to Rekha's column from yesterday. Royce, I hope you don't mind if I shamelessly use that line when I'm discussing education with people.

Go read the rest of it.

Last Friday....

I met up with Royce Dunbar from Iowa Libertarian and David Hogberg from the Cornfield Commentary to knock back a couple of cold ones. An entertaining discussion of the issues of the day was had. I'll second a comment that Royce posted, both Royce and David are thoughtful and entertaining guys, just the sort with which you'd like to have a beer.

So, Maybe this Porkforest/JungleDome Thing Isn't All that Popular

The lead story for the Register today is a poll* it took showing that Iowans aren't all that excited about the Porkforest.

Suprise. Surprise. Surprise.

You mean that Iowans aren't salivating at the prospect of seeing majestic trees soaring up a hundred feet inside a sealed bubble which is shaped like a bloated caterpiller which has fallen on its side. I am shocked. Shocked and stunned. Shocked, stunned, and staggered. Don't Iowans want this to be a tourist hub? Don't Iowans want to envision big things and contemplate big ideas? Why, its almost like Iowans think there are better ways to spend $180 million.

This poll puts to bed all the 1.1 million to 1.5 million visitors claim. Iowans aren't even excited about the prospect of visiting, let alone the actual fact of doing so.

*I know, I've put down Register polls in the past. And, I'll admit that this one could be wrong as well. Perhaps the Porkforest is more popular than the numbers let on. However, I find this poll interesting because it goes against the Register's editorial stance rather than supporting it. I should go back and look to see if the poll asks its questions with, or without, mentioning the projected cost of the dome. If they didn't mention the $180 million, then I propose that support for this might be lower than indicated.

Re: Removing Judges

Has anybody else noticed that Legislatures were the lead branch of government back when they were consistently controlled by Democrats, but now that Republicans have a majority of legislatures around the country, the branch that is still controlled by Democrats is calling the shots? As for that lawyer CedarPundit quoted, the hell with him. It's time to Throw All The Bastards Out. TATBO!

Re: Free Government Cheese

What really chaps my hide about the GOP going along with this crappola is that it plays right into liberal hands down the road.

Every time Vilsack shows up to announce a new business coming to Iowa because we purchased their short-term loyalty through the Iowa Values fund, it creates the impression that the government "created" those jobs rather than the free market.

Good work legislature for going along with this.

Removing Judges

I'm not certain if CedarPundit agrees with me exactly, but if he does, then WELCOME ABOARD!

Like I said earlier, I have had it up to HERE with the Cult of the Robe B.S. that has completely overcome the judiciary, in particular, and society in general. Judges have no more special insights into the law than other thoughtful people have. They don't command mystical forces. They aren't some kind of Jedi Knights charged with protecting the universe from Darth Vader.

If the state legislatures of this nation don't do something to control their judges, I fear that we will end up something like Iran--toothless legislatures whose every decision is subject to the whim of a "Council of Guardians." What's more, we are already seeing it. The Nevada Court deciding that taxes must be raised to support increased education spending and notifying the legislature to act accordingly. The Iowa Court deciding that the legislature has no basis for setting different tax rates. The New Jersey Court deciding that it can ignore plain state law and insert a new candidate of its liking into an election at the last minute. The Florida Court ignoring the plain meaning of the U.S. Constitution (giving the states legislatures the exclusive power to set the state's Presidential election law) and changing counting standards and certification dates as a means of "electing" the candidate it most preferred. The Massachusetts Court deciding that it can order the legislature to do the Court's bidding on gay marriage, and put a deadline on when it must be done by.

I am a legislative supremist. The heart and soul of representative government is the legislature. It should be the lead branch of government.

Like Cedar, I always vote to remove all of the judges. Not for making a bad decision here or there, but for making what is increasingly looking like a systematic attempt to neuter the legislatures of the nation.

Free Government Cheese to any Corporation

Well here's another story in the Register about our immense corporate welfare fund known as Iowa Values. If you look at the side bar it show Phytodyne received $5 million dollars to create 75 jobs in the next five years. (For what it's worth, an Iowan making $30,000 per year will take 166 years to earn $5 million) . Phytodyne's total capital investment is only $17.5 million. In other words the state has contributed more than 25% of the capital to Phytodyne without getting any ownership (I know, I don't really want a state owned enterprise either), any security (I know, I don't want the state to be their biggest creditor either), or any real committment to create 75 new jobs. Even if we assume Phytodyne goes out and hires all 75 people tomorrow and retains them for all five years the State has subsidized these workers to the tune of $13,000 per year. More likely is that most, if any, are hired late in the five year plan resulting a much greater subsidy.

I don't blame their CEO for taking the money. I'd do the same thing. But his statement in the side bar that such an investment can make or break a company is true. Shouldn't it also be indicative of a problem. If he can't raise the money to make his venture successful privately why should I be forced at gun point to contribute? For the love of all that is good and holy when will our Republicans grow some backbone and create a good business climate rather than subsidize a few select companies as hundreds of others either never consider Iowa or rush to leave as a result of our progressive corporate tax, high inheritance tax, atrocious personal income tax, fetishistic regulatory environment, and onerous sales tax policies. I am sick and tired of voting for people who have no will to do what they were sent to do. State House and Senate, DO YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR JOBS? Grassley, Latham, ARE YOU LISTENING? President Bush, DO YOU GIVE TWO STROKES AND A SHIT THAT THIS SOCIALLY CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN IS MORE DISGUSTED WITH YOUR FISCAL POLICES THAN WITH THE FISCAL POLICIES OF BILL CLINTON'S SECOND TERM? Wow I am pissed off!

Veto the Education Spending Bill NOW!!!!

Well thank you Gov. Vilsack for vetoing the education spending bill just passed by the Iowa Legislature. Somebody has to bring these spendthrift Republicans to heel. I mean really Vilsack is entirely justified. The Republicans propose increasing school spending by 2% in the face of declining enrollment and a looming state budget deficit? Too bad the president doesn't have the guts to veto a few federal spending bills.

What's that?

Wait.

Are you serious?

He's vetoing the bill because it doesn't spend enough? Oh. Well that changes things a bit.

Not Worth My Time

Attention. Attention.

It's been almost three weeks since I set the keyboard to "Righteous Anger and Bile" and set forth to dismantle a Rekha Basu column. And I'm feeling a bit bad about that. But, after the last one, I just haven't been able to all of my hackles in an uproar.

So, in conclusion: Yes, I saw that Rekha Basu had a column today. No, I didn't read it.

That is all.

Jeff's Reasons that John Kerry is a Bum: Part 5

He's either lying to the Teamsters or he's lying to the environmentalists. According to the Teamsters' president, John Kerry has promised the Teamsters that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be opened up for oil exploration and a pipeline will be built into it during a Kerry administration. According to the greens, he's a big supporter who loves Kyoto.

Now, on the one hand, this makes me happy. I've long hoped that the various components of the left would get into a knock-down, drag-out fight. The environmentalists and the labor unions always seemed like they should be adversaries rather than strange bedfellows. One commands legions of headstrong and passionate phone-bankers, door-knockers, and intern-type cuties. The other commands political slush funds with account balances larger than the GDP of some countries. Together, they are the chocolate and peanut butter of the Democrat party. If they get angered with one another, the Democrats are in real trouble. Kerry would almost be forced to take the unions. (Perhaps a promise such as this means he already has made this decision.) Ralph Nader would almost certainly run a third-party campaign on the Workers Socialist, er I mean, Green Party, ticket.

G-Dub would be in a nice spot then. Divide and conquer, ya know.

On the other hand, the fact that Kerry would discuss such a position with the Teamsters*, or even leave the Teamsters with that kind of impression, says something about the man. He's been on the green bandwagon for quite a while. If he stabs them in the back, it means his friends can't trust him. Why should the rest of us? Moreover, he will undoubtedly bash W about the head and face on his ties to "big oil." So, it would be hypocritical in the extreme to be holding discussions like this with the Teamsters, where he promises to drill the bejabbers out of ANWR, while simultaneously bashing Bush's ties to oil.

This guy's a real piece of work.


*I'll admit that it is possible that Hoffa is either lying for his own reasons, or misinterpretted what Kerry (or Kerry's people) said. But, as the Instapundit points out, Hoffa seems to be serious. He repeated a couple of times that Kerry's position was that ANWR would be drilled; he gave Kerry's supporting reasons for the position, such as job creation.

Haiti

I've added a new blog link, Haiti Pundit. Haiti is on the verge of being torn apart by a civil war. The current prime minister, Aristide and his supporters are under pressure from several groups that feel he runs a corrupt government. Supporters of the uprising have taken control of roads entering the nation's major agricultural region, and have cut off some supplies to northern cities.

For those of you who don't remember, the U.S. sent troops to Haiti in 1994 to put Aristide back into power after a military coup had removed him.

The current complaint against Aristide is that he operates the government to benefit himself and his cronies, allowing them to live in luxury while the eight million citizens of the half-island nation (Haiti share the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic) live in abject poverty. Hait has been, and remains, one of the poorest nations in the Americas. While the U.S. action in 1994 was widely supported at the time by Haitians, the popularity of Aristide has dimmed considerably since 2000. Many feel that the elections that year were deeply flawed.

The remainder of the article linked above gives more background on the worsening situation in Haiti. If you want to follow the details more closely, check in with the Haiti Pundit from time to time.

Jeff's Reasons that John Kerry is a Bum: Part 4

He's been in the same illegal Chinese fundraising bed as Johnny Chung.

I'm sure he had absolutely no idea this money was dirty as all sin when he took it. [Begin deadpan voice] Yeah, right. [End deadpan.]

And, falling into my my "Oh, That Liberal Media" award category, I love the opening sentence in the MSNBC article linked above. It is an editorial comment pretending to be news, conveniently letting us know that Kerry "unwittingly" got himself involved with Johnny Chung. Yep, no intent to break the law by taking money from the representative of a foreign country.[Begin deadpan.] Yeah, right. [End deadpan.]

The New Register Poll

So, the online version of the Des Moines Register is touting a new poll they paid for showing John Kerry leading in Iowa by 7 points amongst 800 people age 18 and over who say they will definitely vote.

Sounds pretty bad, huh?

Not so fast. When you get in and start reading the details, it emerges that a full 638 say that they will "definitely vote" in November. WOW! That's amazing. A full 80% of the adult population is "definitely" going to turn out to vote. I'll be stunned if that is the case. Considering that not everyone is registered (hard to believe, but even with motor voter, not everyone is registered), I'll bet that if we take the Register at it's word, that something like 85% to 90% of the registered voters will "definitely" vote.

Ha Ha Ha.

Since Republicans generally are more likely to vote than Democrats, I suspect just weeding out the left-leaning "independents" for whom there is little actual voting likelihood will close this seven point gap to something more like four or five points.

Second, this poll completely fails to identify its methodology for getting a good sample, not just a random sample. Considering that they did nothing to actually discover the true "likely voters" based upon past voting behavior, I have a hard time believing that they did anything to correct for the possibility of an off-kilter sample.

Also, this poll was taken from February 7 to 11, right at the height of the "Bush was AWOL" media frenzy. Now that that slander has been bashed down by the actual facts, I'd look for the numbers to have rebounded. Probably enough to close it another point or two. That gets us down to a something like a two to four point deficit, which is right at the margin of error.

And, while the questions concerning Bush appear to be fairly straightforward, look at this question on Operation Iraqi Freedom:

On a new topic, if the United States and its allies never find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, then do you think the war against Iraq will have been worth the loss of American life and other costs of attacking Iraq, or not?

Your honor, counsel is leading the witness. You can't spell out all the negative connotations in the lead up and then get an honest answer. A better question would be to ask, "Are you generally in favor of the military action taken in Iraq or against?" Or, ask a follow up question, "If WMD are found in Iraq, will the loss of American lives have been worth it?" Heck, ask a series of questions in this vein, "Was the loss of American life worth it to capture Saddam, kill his horrific devil-spawn children, and shut down his torture-chamber/pleasure palaces, save the lives of thousands of Iraqis a month that Saddam would have killed, and allow Iraqis freedom of the press and a hope for a brighter future?" I suspect the poll results would be different.

On the other hand, I'm glad they admitted that we had allies.

Now that John Kerry is the "all-but" nominee, his free publicity ride will end. That alone will drop his favorable a point or two. Once Bush gets the campaign spooled up, that will bump him a point or two.

So, look for Iowa to be exceptionally close this November. If Kerry wins Iowa by seven, I'll be stunned.

Re: A Long Cold Winter

Whoa, Don, that's some post on the increasingly schitzophrenic global warming/cooling/ice age/polar meltdown debate. Very nice. I agree whole-heartedly.

There were a couple of things in there that really got my attention.

First. WHOAA!! There's gonna be teams with cheerleaders!? Outstanding. Now that's clever marketing.

Second. It strikes me as humorous that twenty-five or thirty years ago, we were all worried about global cooling and a new ice age. And the solution: rapid deindustrialization and less pollution. Of course, we didn't do as the fear-mongers, communitarians, and socialists wanted.

So, they changed their tune. The fashionable fear du jour became global warming. And, not incoincidentally, the solution was identical: rapid deindustrialization and less pollution. Once again, society, while spinning off a few sympathetic poll results and consenting to some environmental regulations, steadfastly refused to give up its cars, air conditioners, and hair spray.

Undaunted, new fears have arisen--the generic "climate change." This is manifesting itself as an all purpose complaint. (Tired of being burned when the earth doesn't do what they predict, the enviro-pinkos are falling back to a position where they don't have to predict anything, and they will still be right. Afterall, the climate is bound not to stay exactly the same.) Wetter this year than last year...it's your air conditioner's fault. Drier this year than last year...blame your car. Colder? Warmer? Windier? Calmer? Sunnier? Cloudier? More storms? Fewer storms? By God, it's our fault....or at least its the fault of capitalism, corporations, Republicans, and most importantly, George Bush.

Count me as a skeptic, as well.

A Long Cold Winter

As winter drags on, many of us wonder where this global warming that we have been promised is. Personally, I am an agnostic on the global warming issue, and on the claim that human activity is causing it. The theory that higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will lead to increased retention of the sun’s heat makes sense, but results obtained so far don’t correlate too well with theoretical expectations. Global warming believers are also unable to explain what caused major climate shifts in the Earth’s climate in previous times which makes it hard to differentiate human-caused effects from natural variation. Despite what you hear on TV, the idea that human activity is causing the world to warm up is far from a settled issue. I once saw some TV talk-show type say that it is hard to find a scientist who doubts that global warming is occurring. That’s not true, but it is hard is to find a journalist with doubts.

If global warming is occurring, precisely what we could and should do about it is even more controversial. The environmental whacko crowd wants to take draconian measures against power-generation plants and automobiles – anything to reduce burning of fossil fuels. Well, almost anything. Nuclear power is still verboten, but anything that reduces demand for and consumption of energy is considered essential. Global warming skeptics and free-market advocates such as myself contend that ham-stringing the economy will limit our ability to deal with whatever changes occur. This would bring about exactly the catastrophic impacts on civilization that the Kyoto crowd claims to be afraid of. At any rate, the destructive impact of warming appears to be decades – even a century or more - in the future.

But now John Derbyshire, the self-proclaimed pessimist at NRO’s Corner has provided a link to a Fortune Magazine article that lays out a scary scenario in which some believe global warming could lead to the sudden onset of an ice age. According to this theory, the Gulf Stream, which provides a warmer climate for Europe than its northern latitude could otherwise enjoy, might suddenly slow or even stop because of melting glaciers and increased rainfall due to global warming. The influx of fresh water from these sources would reduce the salinity of the ocean water, which would make it less dense, which would mean the Gulf Stream wouldn’t sink to the ocean bottom west of Norway, which would mean it couldn’t return South to warm up again and restart its northerly journey.

The article fails to explain why, since most of the expected increase in rainfall will come from faster evaporation of the ocean, the overall salinity doesn’t stay about the same. I am assuming the report on which this article is based explains that, and how much difference it would make to the salt content of the oceans if the polar ice caps were to melt. I will even grant that an infinitesimal change can be crucial if a system is at the tipping point. But this theory can only allow for a small percentage of ice cap melt since the evidence that similar sudden climate changes have happened in the past is contained in Arctic ice. If the whole ice cap had melted, no evidence!

The article also fails to explain how wiping out the Gulf Stream chills the entire Northern Hemisphere. Europe, I can understand, but North America and all of Asia? Wind patterns would change, yes, but I thought the average temperatures of the world, which would probably include the Northern Hemisphere, are supposed to be higher. Again, it must be in the report. Evidence that such a climate change could take place is that, according to the Fortune Mag article,

A century of cold, dry, windy weather across the Northern Hemisphere that suddenly came on 8,200 years ago fits the bill…The event is thought to have been triggered by a [Gulf Stream] collapse after a time of rising temperatures not unlike today’s global warming.

What follows in the article is a description of some of the nasty things that will result during this period of unpleasant weather.

The average temperature has fallen by up to five degrees Fahrenheit in some regions of North America and Asia and up to six degrees in parts of Europe. (By comparison, the average temperature over the North Atlantic during the last ice age was ten to 15 degrees lower than it is today.) Massive droughts have begun in key agricultural regions. The average annual rainfall has dropped by nearly 30% in northern Europe, and its climate has become more like Siberia's.

Violent storms are increasingly common as the conveyor becomes wobbly on its way to collapse. A particularly severe storm causes the ocean to break through levees in the Netherlands, making coastal cities such as the Hague unlivable. In California the delta island levees in the Sacramento River area are breached, disrupting the aqueduct system transporting water from north to south.

Megadroughts afflict the U.S., especially in the southern states, along with winds that are 15% stronger on average than they are now, causing widespread dust storms and soil loss.

Part of the reason I’m skeptical of this kind of scenario is that I have read Al Gore’s book, Earth in the Balance. Standard practice is to present a little theory, some anecdotal evidence and a bunch of worst-case scare-stuff. I’m not buying it any more. This may be the one time the concern is justified, but IMHO, the sequence has been done to death. Well, maybe not to death…Expect a disaster movie to come out next summer titled The Day After Tomorrow in which a scientist struggles to save the world from an ice age precipitated by global warming.

Al Gore likes to refer to something he calls positive feedback loops. This is a mechanism that takes a bad situation and through naturally-occurring forces makes it worse. An example, which may or may not be in his book, would be if an event such as clear-cutting a large area of jungle, a.k.a. rain forest, were to upset the delicate balance of ecological forces. The frequent rainfall in a jungle, you see, is retained by the forest cover, slowly sinks into the ground where it is picked up by plants, naturally aspirated back to the atmosphere where it condenses and falls to repeat the cycle. In the clear cut area, however, there would be nothing to slow the rain quickly running off to the distant ocean, leading to less local evaporation, resulting to less rainfall, followed by dying off of many plant species in adjacent jungle areas, causing even less rainfall retention and more jungle dying off.

Logic dictates that I reject this positive feedback loop concept. Given that natural disasters have occurred from time to time over Earth’s past millennia, and life goes on, it seems more likely that nature is governed by negative feedback loops. In my example above, grass and weeds would quickly start to grow in the cleared area, which would provide cover for tree and vine seeds to take root which would grow and mature and soon lead to the restoration of the jungle which was and is climatically suited to the area.

Getting back to the global warming cum ice age hypothesis, I contend natural forces can be depended upon to restore the natural order of things. After all, if the Gulf Stream has stopped and restarted in the past, whatever makes it go should continue to work in the future. If melting glaciers cause an ice age, colder temperatures that restore glaciers should eventually end one. If that was really the cause.

But a century of winters longer and colder than the current one does not appeal to me. Maybe we should look in to how to forestall this possible threat. What should we do?

Speed research on the forces that can trigger abrupt climate change, how it unfolds, and how we'll know it's occurring.

Not surprising that science types would recommend more research.

Sponsor studies on the scenarios that might play out, including ecological, social, economic, and political fallout on key food-producing regions.

This sounds like an excellent opportunity for a lot of academia nuts to travel, confer, and expostulate, all on the taxpayer’s dollar.

Identify "no regrets" strategies to ensure reliable access to food and water and to ensure our national security.

Any chance these strategies might include capitalism, individual rights to property and free markets? I didn’t think so.

And my favorite,

Form teams to prepare responses to possible massive migration, and food and water shortages.

Can I interview the cheerleader candidates?

Summing up:

… the case for acting now to address climate change, long a hard sell in Washington, may be gaining influential support, if only behind the scenes. Policymakers may even be emboldened to take steps such as tightening fuel-economy standards for new passenger vehicles, a measure that would simultaneously lower emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce America's perilous reliance on OPEC oil, cut its trade deficit, and put money in consumers' pockets.

Well of course. We’re using too much energy. The automobile is the cause of it all. If we could just put the common people back on bicycles where they belong…

Whatever the pending disaster – global warming, ice age, nuclear war, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, it could be solved if cars were limited to the “truly deserving”. It’s a solution in search of a problem

If and when the environmental whackos begin to warn that the threat of global warming is so serious and so imminent that we must immediately go on a crash program to replace all coal-fired power plants with nuclear power, then I will take them seriously. But as long as their all-purpose solution involves more government and less freedom, count me among the skeptics.

Royce is Back

Royce Dunbar has some new posts up. Go check them out.

David Hogberg is Cool!

Have I mentioned the David Hogberg is just about the coolest person in cyberspace? If I haven't, well then here goes:

David Hogberg is the coolest person in cyberspace.

He quoted some of my drivel in one of his articles for The American Spectator Online.

That is awesome. And by awesome, I mean totally sweet.

Thank you, Dave.

Don’s reasons that Kerry is a Bum, part 2

So, he raises the so-called issue of G. W. Bush’s alleged absence during his National Guard days. Utilizing the almost magical gift that Democrats have for knowing exactly what issues will strike BigMedia journalists as crucial to the continued survival of these United States, he and his running buddies, Terry McAuliff and Michael Moore, parlayed this non-event into a rare Sunday morning inquisition of the president by Tim Russert. At that point, feeling that he had maximized the negative reaction against Bush he was likely to get, and sensing that a Republican counterattack against his (Kerry’s) post Viet Nam anti-war record was gathering steam, he called off the attack. He is said to have told his minions, er, ah, spokespeople to lay off the National Guard thing. As a result, this morning on Fox and Friends, Congressman Harold Ford, D-TN, one of the most reasonable and rational Democrats in Congress - which is to say, not very – told Steve Doocy the National Guard stuff was moot, forgotten, etc. BUT, if people continued bringing up Kerry’s anti-war activities and possibly including his voting record for the past 20 years, then the Guard issue could be reactivated and require a full investigation.

What a crock.

So how the President spent his weekends thirty years ago is fair game, but the Senator’s votes against weapons systems, intelligence services and POW recovery are not. And sadly, that’s how Peter, Tom and Dan will probably see it too.

Don’s reasons that John Kerry is a Bum, part 1

I might as well get in on this too.

I realize that being a Democrat means that you have to, uh, modify your positions from time to time in order to fit the current prevailing party position. And I know that anyone can change his mind when new facts come to light. And furthermore, the presumptive nominee is not the only one to suddenly recognize the value of international intelligence (spying) in an uncertain and frequently hostile world. But Holy Hannah!, Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire, it must take, uh, coconuts the size of uh, coconuts to go from gutting the CIA to castigating the administration (in the middle of hostile action yet) for intelligence failures.

A Washington Post article the other day had a brief rundown on several of Kerry’s flip-flops. The most pertinent one on this topic explains

“Kerry also proposed cuts in funding for the CIA during the 1990s but now advocates a more robust intelligence operation. A Kerry adviser said his proposed intelligence cuts were part of a broader proposal to reduce the deficit and that his goal was to reduce dependence on technological intelligence gathering and buttress human intelligence resources.”

Yeah, now it’s easy to see we should have had better human resources. Kerry is a big part of the reason that we didn’t.

Jeff's Reasons that John Kerry is a Bum, Part 3

Advocated turning all of the U.S. military over to U.N. control. And he did it while campaigning for a seat in the U.S. Congress.

For a copy of the original article published at the time, go here.

Jeff's Reasons that John Kerry is a Bum, Part 2

This is mostly a follow up to Chad. In addition to the story Chad links, NewsMax has a story up showing John Kerry sitting just a few feet away from 'Hanoi Jane' Fonda at a Viet Nam protest back in 1970.

Moreover, here is another story stating that a North Vietnamese general, Gen. Giap, stated in his memoirs that it was the activities of groups like the one John Kerry lead, that caused the U.S. to give up Saigon and lose the Viet Nam War.

Chad's Reasons that John Kerry is a Bum, Part 1

Nuff Said.

Jeff's Reasons that John Kerry is a Bum, Part 1

This will almost certainly be a continuing series. First off, John Kerry is nearing the point of being the de facto nominee (he may be there already). Second, the guy is a bum.

My evidence?

This.

Not content with simply bad-mouthing the President at home. Kerry's staff traded emails with a propaganda outlet for the militant Islamist regime in Iran. The emails were one long suck-up to the regime, promising that if Kerry wins, he'll go back to appeasing our enemies, asking the Europeans if we are mature enough to participate in their international law party, and apologizing to terrorists for things that took place a half-millenium before the U.S. even existed. Okay, he didn't say that. He said he'd "repair" the damage done to our relations with the world, but I think we are safe in reading between the lines.

This guy can't be given the keys to the country.

Is Vilsack Veep Material?

David Hogberg doesn't think so. And he's got the floor over at NRO to explain why.

Posted in NRO again. That is so cool.

Oh, that Liberal Media, Part 2

Let's say that you run a major media outlet. Let's say that you get a report that a memo written, apparently, by one of the top couple-three guys in al Qaeda. Further, this memo states the following things:

1) al Qaeda is frustrated with how little support they have amongst the general Iraqi population.
2) al Qaeda is surprised at how the U.S. refuses to disengage even after months of attacks.
3) al Qaeda believes that as time passes, the Iraqis are giving more and more help to the Americans
4) al Qaeda believes that if they are to push the Americans out, they will have to attempt to turn Iraqi against Iraqi
5) al Qaeda believes that to do so, they should attack prominent Shi'ites and blame Sunnis, hoping that the majority Shia seek vengeance against the Sunni minority, hoping that this will begin a civil war.

Now, if you ran a major media outlet, how would you write the headline?

Maybe "Al Qaeda Seek Civil War"
Maybe "American Resolve Confounds al Qaeda"
Maybe "Terrorist Seek Civil War"
Maybe "Al Qaeda Surprised by Lack of Support for Them Amongst Iraqis"

No. If you run the CNN web page, you put up this.

But, of course, there is no media bias. As the Instapundit points out, there are only two possibilities: either there is a fundamental lack of basic journalism here, uninterested in even getting the basic facts correct; or, there is a obvious attempt to spin good news as bad news, writing it to fit a preconceived notion.

Update: Apparently, CNN has changed the headline, but the Instapundit saved an image of the screen prior to the removal.

Have We Already Captured a Key Al Qaeda Leader, Zarqawi?

That's what is being speculated in this post from the guys at the Power Line.

If this were true, it'd be great news.

Howard "Joe Isuzu" Dean: I really wanted to join the military....trust me.

Fresh off getting shellacked in Washington and Michigan, Howard Dean has changed his tune on military service. Now he is claiming that he wanted to go, but was "denied the right" to serve during Viet Nam.

[Insert your laugh here.]

No seriously. He said that.

[Insert your second laugh here.]

Stop laughing. Just because the man took X-rays and a note from his doctor about a supposed bad back to the draft board, doesn't mean that he really meant to get out of service. It was just, you know, full disclosure.

The fact that he went skiing for the next several months rather than fighting for "his right" to serve only shows how completely bereft he was about being excluded. He just needed to get away for a while to clear his head after his painful break-up with the Army.

Geez Louise! He must think that we are all complete morons.

Grow Iowa Government & Vision Valuable Iowa Government Projects Funds

Well, since Cedar Pundit, Royce, Hogberg, and ourselves have been unable to stop the inexorable march of these two atrocious abuses of taxpayer dollars I propose that we do what beaten conservatives do best: make the damn things as efficient as possible. Accordingly, why spread out this money to dozens of different projects across the state when one Mega-Project can take advantage of wonderful synergies, until today undiscovered.

Here is what I propose. Jungle Dome, Monkey Sanctuary, Czech Village, Riverwalk, Casino, Arena, NASCAR tri-oval. It would be the greatest thing since the William J. LePettomaine Casino for the Insane Gambler. (Harrumph!) Monkeys live in the jungle (obvious tie in). I'm sure that Czecheslovakians can acclimate themselves. Place it all on a river some where, inside a 2.0 mile superspeedway. Include a baskeball court and ice-rink and bingo-bango all our problems are solved. Best part is the basketball and hockey teams can be the Iowa Czecheslovakian Jungle Monkeys. Kinda rolls off the tongue doesn't it?

I vote for a site in West Des Moines. Perhaps where that totally unecessary hospital was going to go.

Note to Health Facilities Politburo: British Universal Healthcare Stinks

Don't take my word for it, take the word of the lefties over at Reuters.

This short blurb of a story talks about how British surgeons are increasingly using things like paper clips to close surgical wounds.

Very nice.

And our Health Facilities Politburo thinks that Americans are paying too much for too little?

You have got to be kidding me.

Happy Birthday, Gipper!

Today is Ronald Reagan's 93rd birthday. Happy Birthday, Ron.

It's Official. I know I'm on the right side of this issue.

The Des Moines Register is supporting the SCofIA. And, as a general rule, if the Register idiotorial, er, I mean editorial, is in favor of it, I know that I was correct to set my compass one-hundred, eighty degrees opposite.

Re: Re: SCofIA Abuse....

Well, I'm not really advocating that suing the state is the answer. I just think that if I were running a large company in Iowa that's being taxed at 12%, I'd consider suing since a smaller company doing the exact same thing is only being taxed at 6%. When the courts make bad decisions, they should pay.

On a separate issue, I hadn't even thought about the Florida recount. The other examples that had come to my mind was SCofMA telling the Massachusetts Assembly to pass gay marriage or else and the SCofNV telling the Nevada legislature to raise education funding or else.

These courts are simply out of control. I think defunding is one answer, but it seems like more of a reinforcing mechanism to me. If you just defund them, the same judges who just made the decision will be penning op-eds about how their judicial independence is being undermined. Nah, I say we skip that step. Remove as many as you can and start over. It wasn't money that got the California Supreme Court to start actually enforcing the death penalty as written. The thing that turned the corner was the removal of Rose Bird. Being a Supreme Court judge is a comfy job. They want to keep it. Remove a few and the others will figure out that they too can be sent back to some firm to bill 2200 hours a year.

Re: SCofIA Abuse...

Jeff, I'm with you. The various "supreme" courts of this country have pretty much taken over legislative responsibilities. It's time somebody re-asserts control. I thought what Scofla did in the 2000 election (Florida) was unbelievable but they weren't brought up short, even thought the Scotus implied a reprimand. Then we had the New Jersey Supremes deciding that what the law said about candidates having to be certified by a particular date before the election didn't matter, and most outrageously SCOTUS has now invalidated the First Amendment with the incredible Campaign "Reform" decision (although, come to think of it, that one was passed and signed into law by the other two branches of government). However, I'm not sure that suing the state is the best answer because, oh yeah, the COURT will decide who wins. I'm for simply having the legislature stopping all funding for the court.

Update on SCofIA Abuse of Power

Well, I'm not the only one who is upset by yesterday's Iowa Supreme Court decision on taxes. The Speaker of the Iowa House points out that with the broad interpretation given (by the supreme court) to the line-item veto and the court's decision on "rational basis" with regard to taxes, apparently, the legislature is just suppose to be an advisory panel to the other two branches of government. The Roth CPA firm adds that any company that is an LLC should sue because the state treats S Corps differently when the difference between an S Corp and an LLC is minimal.

Me, I've always been something of a legislative supremist, so I think it's time that the legislature start considering the impeachment of our Supreme Court members.

Iowa Code Section 602.2201 provides that justices of SCofIA may be impeached: Impeachment. Judicial officers may be removed from office by impeachment pursuant to chapter 68.

Chapter 68 provides the procedure for impeachment and removal.

68.1 Impeachment defined.
An impeachment is a written accusation against the governor, or a judicial officer, or other state officer, by the house of representatives before the senate, of a misdemeanor or malfeasance in office.

I think that making decisions that undermine the doctrine of separation of powers, and threaten to play havoc with the basic structure of a republic, constitutes malfeasance in office.

68.2 Specification of charges--majority must concur. An impeachment must specify the offenses charged as in an indictment. If more than one misdemeanor or malfeasance is charged, each shall be stated separately and distinctly. A majority of all the members of the house of representatives elected must concur in the impeachment.

68.13 Punishment. When any person impeached is found guilty, judgment shall be rendered for removal from office and disqualification to hold any office of honor, trust, or profit under the state.

And then, after removing a couple of them from the court, they should amend the law on judicial selection to make it political. This non-partisan judicial committee is useless. It is darn near an iron law of organizations that if a group is not specifically conservative, it will tend to become more liberal over time. That is what has happened with the judicial selection committee.

From what I can tell, the ideological spectrum of the SCofIA spans from just left of center to pretty far left of center. Let's change it so that if you want to put a liberal on the court, you at least have to explain why, rather than just say, "Oh, the committee thought he or she was the most qualified."

And don't give me any B.S. about how the court shouldn't be political. The court stuck its nose into politics when it started interfering in policy. They made themselves political, so they shouldn't gripe when the legislative branch fights back.

And, just to get the point across, the legislature should cut the judicial budget by about twenty percent. If the new judges cry foul, just point at the state constitution and the U.S. Constitution and say, "We run this show. The U.S. Constitution promises each American that their state shall be a republic. The heart and soul of a republic is the legislature. Representative government means just that...the elected representatives get to make the big decisions. We'll give back your funding when we think you understand. And if you guys think you'll get a case and make a decision that tells us to raise your funding, we'll remove another judge, and another, and another. You may think we are a bunch of dumb, state-school-educated insurance salesmen and farmers, but by God we will make you understand. We'll keep removing judges until we convince you which branch is alpha male on this dog sled team."

And In Other Outrageous Governmental Abuses of Power....

The Iowa Supreme Court announced yesterday that when it doesn't like the legislature's tax policy, that it can be changed by judicial fiat.

The gist of the ruling is that the SCofIA doesn't think that the legislature can tax riverboat casinos differently than it can tax land-based casinos. It claims that there is an "equal protection" problem, but does not note what protected class they are protecting. Instead, the court attacks the "rational basis" test. Rational basis basically allows that the legislature has the power to do things, in this case setting tax levels, so long as they have a rational basis. It is probably the single most defferential test that a court can use. But here, SCofIA just says, "Hmmmm....this isn't rational. Overruled!" By this standard, the court can say, "Hmmm....rich people make more money, they can afford to pay more in taxes, it isn't rational to only tax them at 10% when poor people are paying 4%, that's an equal protection violation. Overruled! And, raise the rates."

I have an idea.

Hey Lennox. Hey Principle. Hey Maytag. Hey Amana. I want each and every one of you to sue the state for taxing you at a higher rate than you tax smaller companies that do THE SAME OR SIMILAR THINGS TO YOU. If there is no difference between land-based and water-based casinos, I'm not exactly certain how there is a difference between taxing widget company X at 6% and taxing widget Company Z at 9% or 12% just because it has a bigger facility.

(Now, don't get me wrong. I'd love to see the legislature lower our business taxes. That being said, I have had it up to HERE with state supreme courts thinking that they are somehow the arbiters of all that is good. You know where that gets you? A toothless legislature that has no authority other than to do what the Guardians of 'Goodness' Court tells them to do. Once the legislature is defanged, then elections mean nothing. Folks, separation of powers matters a great deal.)

Steady there

YEEEEAAAAARGH!

Steady There, Chad.....

Remember, if you have a stroke or something, the nearest hospital is about a half-hour away.

Hospital Politburo

Well now they've just pissed me off. I guess nothing can be done but I'm shocked that it was a 5-0 vote on a committee containing not one but two ostensible Republicans. This story shows the backgrounds of the people involved on the council.

First, the chair of the council says that Americans spend more on medical care than anybody else but don't get better care. Good God! On what planet is this guy living. I'd rather spend an evening in crappy downtown Des Moines ER than be King, Queen, and Jack of any other country's health system. Mr. Nichol's, please tell me who's system provides better care? Certainly others provide cheaper care. The fact is America's health system is the best there is bar none. Iowa has more MRI machines than all of Canada for Pete's sake.

I have to presume these folks put their best resume foot forward for the story. At least Nichols was on the board of the sprawling multithousand dollar Knoxville hospital complex. Treating literally tens of patients a month. The two Republicans on the committee also have executive experience as executive director of the Northwest Aging Association and VP of Woodward Communications. Of the other two Democrats, one was a business agent (?) for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the second is a former licensed practical nurse. I don't want this to get personal, but a union crony and a nurse with a one year degree hardly seem like a good fit for a council that is deciding on multi-million dollar facilities.

How pathetic must Iowa Methodist's presentation have been for these people to be swayed by Wellmark's bogus arguments? What chance do we ever have of defeating the Jungle Dome?

Hospital Politburo Won't Allow Hospital in West Des Moines

Voting unanimously, 5-0, the Orwellian hospital facility council has rejected a proposal to build a new hospital in West Des Moines.

Casting aside such silly notions as supply and demand, the committee determined that a new facility would lead to higher prices. Instead, the committee belives that maintaining a steady supply in the face of increasing demand from a growing population will contain costs.

Facilities council to West Des Moines: If the people of your city want a hospital, let them eat cake.

Note to self: the people of the hospital facility committee are ignorant of basic economics.

Really Interesting Article on W's Management Style

The Instapundit put me onto this article about how Bush's MBA from Harvard influences his leadership and management style.

Jungle Dome Follies

CedarPundit is all over the Jungle Dome, here and here.

Great stuff about projected attendance. The proponents of these large-scale supposedly tourist-attracting monstrosities tend to wildly miss on their attendence figures. For example, the Denver Aquarium drew half of what was projected, and it's in a metro area with a not much different from all of Iowa, is already a major tourist destination in and of itself with a major hub airport.

Nobody sitting in Albany, Portland, or Nashville, is going to be sitting around saying, "You know, I was thinking of taking the kids down to central Florida to see DisneyWorld, Busch Gardens, and the beach this winter, but I just heard about this indoor jungle in Iowa, so I think we're going there instead." It simply isn't going to happen. The Jungle Dome won't draw squat.

More Comments on Insanity

Royce has some thoughts of his own on Rekha's column. He wasn't any more impressed with it that I was.