MONEY: Inflation on the horizon!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

http://www.lewrockwell.com/buchanan/buchanan105.html

Pitchfork Time by Patrick J. Buchanan

*** end quote ***

Where the U.S. government usually consumes 21 percent of gross domestic product, this Obama budget spends 28 percent in 2009 and runs a deficit of $1.75 trillion, or 12.7 percent of GDP. That is four times the largest deficit of George W. Bush and twice as large a share of the economy as any deficit run since World War II.

Add that 28 percent of GDP spent by the U.S. government to the 12 percent spent by states, counties and cities, and government will consume 40 percent of the economy in 2009.

We are not “headed down the road to socialism.” We are there.

Since the budget was released, word has come that the U.S. economy did not shrink by 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter, but 6.2 percent. All the assumptions in Obama’s budget about growth in 2009 and 2010 need to be revised downward, and the deficits revised upward.

Look for the deficit for 2009 to cross $2 trillion.

*** end quote ***

I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t afford the Obama budget!

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POLITICAL: State of Civil Rights

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2009/02/25/a_nation_of_cowards

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

A Nation of Cowards

by Walter E. Williams :: Townhall.com Columnist

*** begin quote ***

The bottom line is that the civil rights struggle is over and it is won. At one time black Americans didn’t share the constitutional guarantees shared by whites; today we do. That does not mean that there are not major problems that confront a large segment of the black community, but they are not civil rights problems nor can they be solved through a “conversation on race.” Black illegitimacy stands at 70 percent; nearly 50 percent of black students drop out of high school; and only 30 percent of black youngsters reside in two-parent families. In 2005, while 13 percent of the population, blacks committed over 52 percent of the nation’s homicides and were 46 percent of the homicide victims. Ninety-four percent of black homicide victims had a black person as their murderer. Such pathology, I think much of it precipitated by family breakdown, is entirely new among blacks. In 1940, black illegitimacy was 19 percent; in 1950, only 18 percent of black households were female-headed compared with today’s 70 percent. Both during slavery and as late as 1920, a teenage girl raising a child without a man present was rare among blacks.

If black people continue to accept the corrupt blame game agenda of liberal whites, black politicians and assorted hustlers, as opposed to accepting personal responsibility, the future for many black Americans will remain bleak.

*** end quote ***

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I like Walter Williams. He calls them as he sees them.

One of his most memorable quotes was: “The primary victims of Philadelphia’s public schools are black students whose chances for upward mobility are being systematically destroyed by callous politicians and teacher’s unions. If the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan set out to destroy black academic excellence in Philadelphia, I doubt whether he could achieve as much damage.”

Yup, I sneer at the Islamic fundamentalists, who in denying women their right “to be all they can be”, “poke out their own eye”. They deny themselves the productivity of half their “human resources”.

But, here at home, we are doing something similar to all the minority children as well as most of the non-minority.

We are criminally stupid allowing the gooferment to be involved in education. Specicially the politicians and the teacher’s union should be the outlaws!

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POLITICAL: Poor Economy and the Gooferment

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

http://irisheagle.blogspot.com/2009/03/its-not-all-media-hype.html

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

It’s not all media hype

*** begin quote ***

Twice this past weekend I found myself talking to two men – separate conversations – who believe that the “economic crisis” is mostly media hype. “They’ve got to sell papers”, is what one of them told me.

I didn’t know what to say. As someone who’s fairly well convinced that we’re heading down and fast I didn’t know where to start. I simply let each of them say what they had in mind and walked on. I was shocked. I have no idea what these men do for a living, but I hope to God they’re right. I’m sure they’re wrong, but I hope they’re right.

Today the news is full of the “mini-budget” or emergency budget or whatever you want to call it coming at the end of the month. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for waiting a month – having been about 4 months late realizing how bad things are – but it’s lost to me. I can’t understand why they don’t just impose the tax hikes right now. What does the state gain from such a delay?

There’s a small part of me wondering if there isn’t something bigger being planned for the economy than 2c extra on the tax rates.

*** and ***

Comment

It’s bad, there’s no denying that – but there is an element of Chicken Littleism to the media reporting, the herd pack mentality running headlong off the cliff together. The media moves its focus in shifts, and now the hot story of the moment is the sky falling; you have to sift to get the nuance and balance that goes beyond the populist trend. So yeah, I’d agree that we aren’t getting a true picture of what is going on. The media is a populist beast.

Carrie

*** end quote ***

MY RESPONSE:

Well, there is a measure of truth to the “hype” argument. If you extract the financial firms from the indexes, the numbers don’t look absolutely terrible. It’s the options and derivatives that are putting downward pressure on the market. Where everyone of the experts really “stepped in it” imho is the failure to use bankruptcy as “medicine”. If they (the gooferment) had said “Sorry, corporations can use the Chapter 11 or one of the other options.”, then there would have been some immediate pain, but it would have been over. Quick and clean. The gooferment could have properly provided the bankruptcy judge with transitional financing assistance to the debtors taking over.

Bet there would have been a lot more serious consideration of the corporation’s options. After all, hard to be an executive if there’s nothing to be an executive up. THe law and implications are well understood.

AND, the market would have formed of “carrior eaters” who would “feast” on the “bones”. A tranche of mortgages would have gotten a quick proctology exam to determine what was good and what was toxic. Various vultures would have bid on the “remains”. The results would have been well-known.

The real estate bubble would have been popped and, while traumatic, it wouldn’t be in “limbo”. That’s why the Street is reacting badly. Uncertainty.

And the gooferment acts like they could NOT find their own A Double Q in a dark closet with a flashlight. This is like the Great Depression in that the gooferment interference in the marketplace is making the problem worse.

My fear is we are going to have a gooferment induced “Lost Decade” for the next 20 years. Like Japan.

Argh!

reinkefj 03.04.09 – 11:37 am

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HARDWARE: $100 Linux wall-wart launches

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS9634061300.html

$100 Linux wall-wart launches

Feb. 24, 2009

*** begin quote ***

Marvell Semiconductor is shipping a hardware/software development kit suitable for always-on home automation devices and service gateways. Resembling a “wall-wart” power adapter, the SheevaPlug draws 5 Watts, comes with Linux, and boasts completely open hardware and software designs, Marvell says.

In typical use, the SheevaPlug draws about as much power as a night-light. Yet, with 512MB each of RAM and Flash, and a 1.2GHz CPU, the unobtrusive device approaches the computing power found in the servers of only a decade ago.

Furthermore, the platform is available in single quantities, and is priced within reach of students, hobbyists, and tinkerers. Its hardware design is completely open — everything from schematics to Gerber files will be available on a website, Marvell said. For those that do wish to build products on the platform, volume pricing could fall to $50, Marvell expects.

On the software side, the company says ARM ports of several popular Linux distributions are already running, and included. More importantly, Marvell has committed to do everything it can to ensure the best Linux support for SheevaPlug going forward. Raja Mukhopadhyay, product marketing manager, commented, “Whatever the community needs to facilitate development, we will provide the critical resources needed to facilitate that.”

Mukhopadhyay calls the SheevaPlug an “ideal platform for in-home service delivery,” and adds that he is looking forward to seeing what kinds of products and services are built on top of the device. He said, “We believe that for the consumer and the service provider in the home, it’s the right time for some disruptive application delivery. We believe that having a completely open hardware platform will be key in letting people productize it however they want.”

*** end quote ***

If it supports “power line networking” or wifi, then you have a server on your wall.

Fantastic!

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RANT: Gun quote send me on my Drug War rant. It’s all connected.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

http://www.lewrockwell.com/gaddy/gaddy49.html

Another Bright Shining Lie
by Michael Gaddy

*** begin quote ***

The state has many weapons in its arsenal to keep Boobus ignorant of their illegal, unconstitutional activities and in compliance with its confiscatory tax and slavery system. In all likelihood, the two most often used of these weapons are fear and prevarication.

Our new US Attorney General/Race Agitator, Eric Holder, last week used a bright shining lie in his advocating the introduction of a new Assault Weapons Ban. (AWB) He stated:

“Putting the ban back in place would not only be a positive move by the United States, it would help cut down on the flow of guns going across the border into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels along the border. I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum.”

What a crock; believing the fantastically wealthy drug cartels actually secure their weapons from America is analogous to taking a hamburger to a steak dinner. The drug cartels use their millions, if not billions, to purchase some of the finest weaponry that can be had, far exceeding the firepower of their state-armed opponents in both Mexico and the US.

*** end quote ***

I agree that Holder is peddling “barbara streisand”!

We could pacify the Mexico, Columbia, and Afgan drug lords with one stroke of a pen.

End the psuedo-Drug War now!

What does a Drug Kingpin do when WalMart becomes your competitor? Drive a cab.

All we have to do is recognize that people make bad choices. We just don’t have to use the guns or government to inflict more pain on everyone.

I’ve read estimates that there is a “residual addiction rate”. Some people you will just be unable to keep from being addicted; no matter what you do.

I’ve seen estimates that ending the drug prohibition will actually reduce the addiction rate to the residual since there will no longer be the allure of “doing something illegal” to the young people.

I’ve read estimates that the cost of “illegal” drugs will drop to the cost of aspirin and that the marketplace’s (i.e., WalMart, RiteAid, Walgreen, CVS) “drugs” will be USP grade. (No more deadly overdoses from too strong street drugs or side effects of it being cut with rat poison.)

And, what does the gooferment have to do to accomplish this. Absolutely nothing but pass a law decriminalizing drugs. Closing the DEA, BATF, and FDA would also be a good idea.

Why won’t they? Money, power, and a scary “issue”.

President Obama could pardon ALL non-violent drug offenders.

And a cow could jump over the moon!

It’s all “barbara streisand”!

The powers that be like it this way so this is the way it will stay.

We have to end this nonsense the same way “We, The People” ended alcohol prohibition. In the jury box.

When you’re in the jury room hearing a drug case, and no one got killed, vote “NOT GUILTY”. Don’t discuss it. Don’t preach. Don’t say anything but “The State didn’t prove their case!”

The Drug War will be over in a heartbeat. The Gun Violence will follow soon after that.

WalMart will be selling drugs. Think they will sell to children? Think they won’t offer help? THink that they will have gun battle with the near by WalGreens?

Over stuff that has the profit margin of aspirin?

It’s all “barbara streisand”! And, we put up with it!!

Argh!

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POLITICAL: AntiWar candidate Obama continues the war

Monday, March 2, 2009

http://antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=14319

February 27, 2009
The Silence of the Liberals
As Obama launches “war on terrorism” II
Justin Raimondo

*** begin quote ***

Has anyone noticed Obama’s vaunted 16-month withdrawal-from-Iraq plan has already stretched into 19 months – and the “residual force” he kept talking about during the campaign, as if it were a mere afterthought, turns out to be 50,000 strong?

Originally, none of those “residuals” were supposed to be combat troops – yet now we are told “some would still be serving in combat as they conducted counterterrorism missions.” You have to go all the way to the very end of this New York Times report before you discover that, according to Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell, “A limited number of those that remain will conduct combat operations against terrorists, assisting Iraqi security forces.”

In short: we aren’t leaving.

*** end quote ***

Yeah, I noticed.

And, I noticed that there is no difference between the Democrans and the Republicrats. We are always at “war” with someone or something. And, if we accidentally weren’t; they’d find some one to have one with. In the absence of anything, we can have a “war on poverty” or a “war on drugs” or a “war on fatty foods” or a “war on global warming” or a war on “global cooling”. It’s almost like a giant conspiracy between gooferments to have something to scare the people with. And, use that fear to control them.

Argh!

p.s., The only true anti-war candidate was Ron Paul. So don’t expect a “change”. You won’t have any “hope”.

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SERVICE: FACEBOOK says “You’re a top inviter”

Monday, March 2, 2009

200903021925.jpg

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SERVICE: One example of why you SHOULD NOT use your ISP’s email address

Monday, March 2, 2009

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21951743

*** begin quote ***

[E-mail] Someone else closed my email accounts

from Comcast HSI forum – dslreports.com community

I opened an account with Comcast for the first time in 2004. I signed up for HSI and Cable TV. I was asked to use a comcast email address for the account. I chose my email address and password and was given the green light. I have successfully used that account for 4 1/2 years. My wife had an email address, I used a second address for my new business and my daughter used an address. In Nov 2007 I had problems with my cable and contacted support. They asked if had lived in Texas and transfereed the account to Colorado. I have never lived in Texas. They found out that my account had somehow been linked to an account in Texas with a gentleman with the same name. After 19 minutes on the phone they told me the problem had been taken care of. Today I was unable to log into any one of my 4 email accounts. I contacted support and they again asked if I had moved to Colorado from Texas. They stated a gentleman in Texas with the same name closed his Comcast account and my first email address was actually owned by him. Since he was the legal owner of the email address, they said there was nothing they could do. I have used that email address for my account with no problems. Was not getting anyone elses emails and things were not mysteriously missing from mine. I have no issues with any type of identity theft and my credit has no unauthorized activity. Today they said a different address was assigned to my billing account that was very similar but not the one I have been using. For the past 4 years when I logged into my account from the Comcast website, I would use my email address and password and it would show my account information. After the gentleman in Texas cancelled his account, I continued to receive HSI access and cable TV. I have received and paid bills for all services. I am in the middle of a civil lawsuit where several of my saved emails were evidence. Also saved in email folders were privleged information from my clients, attorneys and the courts. My questions are; Does anyone know how this could happen? Do I have any hope of retreiving my saved emails? If they said my first email was owned by someone else then why can’t my wife and daughter get into their accounts? Is there any recourse? Any advice? I requested a supervisor who stated they will researching the issue and get back to me in 24 hours.

*** end quote ***

I’m sure that the other ISPs all have their own horor stories. Without getting into what I know about the Comcast email infrastructure, why put yourself in that position in the first place?

My WSP http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=9113251 — for example, I could really care less if you use them, if you do I think I get fifty cents — offers for 48 $/year to provide you with a domain name, 10 Gig of web space, 300 Gig / month of transfer, 600 email addresses with POP, IMAP, and WEB access, and bunch of other stuff.

So why would you EVER put your email and web site at risk?

You can guess why the ISP “gives” you anything for “free”.

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POLITICAL: Calling the Democratic budget and tax policy “socialistic”? Yes!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

http://pbsmonitor.blogspot.com/2009/03/bankrupt-republicans-call-obama.html

ROBERTO ANTONIO HUSSEIN
A critical look and commentary on the news as found on TV, radio and in the newspapers.

Sunday, March 1, 2009BANKRUPT REPUBLICANS CALL OBAMA DEMOCRATS “SOCIALISTS”
*** begin quote ***

Larry Kudlow, that Republican ideologue on CNBC, calls the Democratic budget and tax policy “socialistic.”

*** end quote ***

As a little L libertarian, I’m not pleased with EITHER “party”. At least the “conservatives” are closer the “truth” of freedom and liberty that the “Rockefeller Republicans” or any “Democrat”. I think that “socialism” is fair criticism from FDR onward. Probably even since 1913 and the various wars of colonizations (i.e., Spanish American and WW1). Unfortunately, we’ve lost the “American Revolutionary Dream” after the “Civil” War. Which more properly should be called the War of Northern Aggression or the Second American Revolution. Stealing the wealth of the productive class to “redistribute” it to the unproductive class is the hallmark of socialism’s promise. Like most gooferment efforts, it fails at that too. Funny how the benefits seem to accrue to the politicians, their friends, the bureaucrats, and the elite. Stuck on their way to the rest of us no doubt. National Socialism, Communism, European Socialism, Italian Fascism, or just Mercantilism. Call it what you want but it is NOT freedom and liberty. When we get back to the American Dream, we can take the plastic garbage off the Statue of Liberty and welcome everyone who want to work hard again. End welfare and all the gooferment intrusions and the people will thrive and provide. There ain’t no such thing as free lunch. No matter what politicians promise you; they can’t deliver it!

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TECHNOLOGY: The Digital TV shift screwed up big time!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/02/how-the-governm.html

How We Bungled the Digital Television Transition By Eliot Van Buskirk EmailFebruary 20, 2009 | 2:39:09 PM

*** begin quote ***

This additional factor added to the need for this expensive delay. “Why the hell – excuse me – why in 2005 did they decide February 17th was a good time for this transition?”

*** end quote ***

It’s just another example of “gooferment”!

Never mind the Fifth Amendment violate against “takings”. Which this was pure and simple.

More money down the DC rathole!

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SERVICE: FACEBOOK mistake documented!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

One of my fellow alums posted a status referring to a link.

200903011134.jpg

So I queried, an she sent back:

200903011137.jpg

So, clearly, we have nailed a FACEBOOK error!

The same page shows her one thing and me another.

Love it!

Talk to me about “cloud computing” some more.

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RANT: Drought is an excuse for more gooferment control

Sunday, March 1, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2737316820090228?sp=true

Calif. declares drought emergency, mulls rationing
Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:20pm EST
By Peter Henderson

*** begin quote ***

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 27 (Reuters) – California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday declared a state emergency due to drought and said he would consider mandatory water rationing in the face of nearly $3 billion in economic losses from below-normal rainfall this year.

*** end quote ***

Interesting the RINO’s response … gooferment force.

Not that a democrat’s response would have been different.

Interesting how water if treated as a commodity could be different.

Interesting how gooferment in the “water” business manages to be unable to supply consumer demand. (Doesn’t happen at McDonalds!)

How about metering usage and having new more expensive water. Privatize “water”. Eliminate the gooferment in any role concerning water; no law, regulations, or interest.

Put people in control. And, we’d have water galore. Maybe someone might even invent a way to store water to even out the droughts. Or, even make it!?!

Argh!

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LIBERTY: Two good Ron Paul clips

Sunday, March 1, 2009

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4833281n

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4833361n

A good Ron Paul interview.

Setting up another “lost decade” exactly like the Great Depression or Japanese Lost Decade!

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