TECHNOLOGY: Let the inet be free of Gooferment diktat

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/109453-wsjs-mossberg-wants-a-broadband-plan-with-teeth

WSJ’s Mossberg wants a broadband plan with teeth
By Gautham Nagesh – 07/18/10 06:13 PM ET

*** begin quote ***

“We need a strong broadband policy on the part of the government not to run or take over broadband, but to set the private sector and the society on a course where we can make sure that we always have the kind of speed, availability and affordability of broadband that will allow the innovation around it that will keep us competitive or hopefully ahead of other countries and I do worry about that,” he said.

*** end quote ***

No!

We need the Gooferment to step aside and let the inet grow and run free.

We don’t need it “managed”.

We do need an impartial referee stand off to the side call “fair” or “foul”. Prevent fraud. don’t let ISPs cheat their Customers (i.e., we know that there is NO justification for usage charges on the inet).

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POLITICAL: Gooferment waste (but then I repeat myself)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/underemployed-overpaid-states-shell-unemployment/story?id=11118137

Labor Dept. Estimates $7.1 Billion in Overpayments to Unemployed
Overpayment Figure Increases From $4.2 Billion the Previous Year
By ALICE GOMSTYN ABC NEWS Business Unit July 9, 2010

*** begin quote ***

While many Americans are feeling the pain of expired unemployment benefits, some have gotten a good chunk more than they were legally eligible for.

*** end quote ***

Gooferment screwup number what?

You can’t make this stuff up.

They can’t even give out money without screwing it up.

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POLITICAL: An unholy attempt to fix the Constitution in a back room! Cui bono?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/07/mass_may_join_e.html

Mass. may join effort to bypass Electoral College
By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

*** begin quote ***

Supporters are waging a state-by-state campaign to try to get such bills enacted. Once states possessing a majority of the electoral votes (or 270 of 538) have enacted the laws, the candidate winning the most votes nationally would be assured a majority of the Electoral College votes, no matter how the other states vote and how their electoral votes are distributed.

*** end quote ***

The political elite are seeking to rewrite the Constitution via backroom deals and open conspiracy to disenfranchise the “small states”.

When will we learn NOT to mess with the wisdom of the Dead Old White Guys. They were possible the smartest men ever assembled in one lucky place at the right time in history. We can go thru the Amendments passed, and one unpassed, as a litany to pure collective stupidity.

The Political Effete and the Party Powerbrokers would love nothing better than to have to win the popular vote in California, Chicago, New York, and host of other corrupt places to be assured of a national win. Ballot box stuffing and recounts on a National basis would become the norm. Argh!

The Electoral College was put in to protect the small states. The Constitution would have never been adopted without that design. I don’t know if they intended it, but it does firewall ballot box stuffing. Go ahead and stuff all you want in Massachusetts, you’ll only get 12 Electoral votes. Now if this change was adopted, that stuffing could determine the national election. Ever read any stories where there were more votes than registered voters (Say “hi” to Al Franken) or a large “graveyard vote” (Sam Rayburn and LBJ) or “voting machine breakdowns” in the non-machine party’s precincts? How about “keep counting until you get the answer you want then stop”?No, that could never happen in America!

And who is to tabulate and certify that grand total that all the conspiratorial states will use to determine their votes?

Argh! How stupid can we be!

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UPDATE 01 August 2010

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/08/01/massachusetts_for_palin

Massachusetts for Palin?
By Jeff Jacoby
Globe Columnist / August 1, 2010

*** begin quote ***

IT IS Election Night, 2012. The polls have closed. State by state, the votes are being counted, and gradually it becomes clear, to the bottomless horror of some voters and the unbridled delight of others, that Sarah Palin, the Republican presidential nominee, has bested President Barack Obama in the popular vote nationwide.

In Massachusetts, where Obama crushed Palin in a 79 percent landslide — the most lopsidedly anti-Palin vote of any state — “bottomless horror’’ doesn’t begin to describe the political reaction. For in 2010, Massachusetts joined the National Popular Vote compact, making a commitment to cast all of its electoral votes for the presidential candidate receiving the most votes nationally, regardless of the results in Massachusetts. The compact took effect in December 2011, when California became the 15th state to join, thereby uniting enough states to control a majority of the Electoral College. Now Massachusetts, the bluest of the blue states, must award its presidential electors to a candidate Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly opposed.

*** end quote ***

ROFL!

Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the Republicans, to prevent a repeat of FDR’s four terms, term limited Ike. And, has dramatically altered the political landscape by making the President a “lame duck” in his second term.

That’s the best example of political stupidity.

The above Palin scenario would be absolutely hysterical.

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SERVICE: Citations and bibliography

Monday, July 19, 2010

http://www.freedownloadaday.com/2010/07/17/format-citations-and-build-a-bibliography-with-easybib/

Format citations and build a bibliography with EasyBib
July 17th, 2010

*** begin quote ***

It’s one thing to thoroughly research and write your paper, thesis, dissertation, or even letter to the City Council; it’s another thing to get all the citations right. After all, unless you’re only compiling your own data, you are no doubt depending on the work of others. And we all know that we need to give credit where credit is due, meaning you need to cite those sources. But how do you correctly and accurately give your sources? And what format should you use?

*** end quote ***

http://www.easybib.com

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So of course I had to try it. :-)

Reinke, Ferdinand J. “RANT: Bailouts Are Welfare and Theft Is Just Theft « Reinke Faces Life.” Reinke Faces Life. WordPress, 19 July 2010. Web. 19 July 2010. <https://reinkefaceslife.com/2010/07/19/rant-bailouts-are-welfare-and-theft-is-just-theft/&gt;.

Seems to work nicely.

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GOLDBUG: a store of value

Monday, July 19, 2010

http://economist.com/node/16536800

Gold
Store of value
Low returns on other investments and fears about the world economy have caused the price of gold to soar. Don’t count on its continued rise
Jul 8th 2010 | Delhi and london

*** begin quote ***

The appetite for gold arises partly from the paltry, uncertain returns from more conventional investments. Gold’s main drawback is that it pays neither a dividend, like a share, nor a coupon, like a bond, nor a rent, like property. But monetary policy has been keeping official interest rates, and thus the opportunity cost of holding gold, low and seems set to do so for a while. The yields on the government bonds investors regard as safest, notably America’s and Germany’s, are also thin. Equity markets are weighed down by worries about economic growth. Investing in property, which lay at the root of the financial crisis, requires a boldness that many still lack.

At the same time, the looseness of monetary policy has made many investors fear the eventual resurgence of inflation. The wretched state of many governments’ finances makes some worry about states’ ability to repay their debts—or about the temptation to inflate them away. Banks’ exposure to sovereign debt and to a still-fragile world economy adds another layer of concerns. And when all governments would like their currencies to be weaker rather than stronger, whose paper money do you trust? Hussein Allidina, head of commodities research at Morgan Stanley, reckons: “Gold looks better every day with growing sovereign risks.”

*** end quote ***

Over the past few years, the market’s net return has been zero or maybe negative depending upon the interval, so gold and siler look good.

Cheap insurance.

If inflation spikes, it’ll really pay off.

Depending upon what loon you listen to predicting the price of gold, it could be essential.

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RANT: Bailouts are welfare and theft is just theft

Monday, July 19, 2010

http://irisheagle.blogspot.com/2010/07/mortgage-bail-out-recipients-should-be.html

Saturday, July 10, 2010
Mortgage bail-out recipients should be publicly named

*** begin quote ***

I also have sympathy for those who find themselves out of work and can’t afford their mortgage, but again I would like any help that we taxpayers are to provide …

*** end quote ***

Welfare is welfare. Theft is theft. And, there’s a “moral hazard” in this.

When the Gooferment takes over, “We, The Taxpayers” don’t get to decide who gets our charity and who doesn’t. Who’s worthwhile and who’s a bum! And, from thence all sorts of bad things come.

It’s welfare. Just more welfare. That enables bad behavior. Bad behavior on the part of the recipient, every one who knows about it, the politicians, and the bureaucrats. The recipient is not “encouraged” to make better decisions. Every one, who knows about it, takes on more risks “knowing” that “We, The Taxpayer” will chip in to our hard luck story. The politicians get to claim that they “care” — easy to care sending OPM Other People’s Money — while having favors, contracts, and jobs to dispense. And, last but not least, the bureaucrats can have high paying jobs with pensions while doing “good for the downtrodden”. Argh!

It’s welfare. It’s theft. And, it encourages future bad behaviors that we can only imagine.

To misquote the iconic Nike commercial, and to quote the stupid anti–drug one, “Just Say No”.

No Taxpayer-funded bailouts of any kind. Ever. No matter how sad the tale.

If the politicians want to pass the collection basket after putting in a few quid of their own, I’m happy to contribute. Just don’t rob me and expect me to be happy that the thief is doing good with my few scarce pennies.

Argh!

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RANT: NAACP targets the wrong villains; those politicians are not your friends

Monday, July 19, 2010

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=179633

Look who’s talking
Posted: July 16, 2010
Pat Buchanan

*** begin quote ***

As longshoreman-philosopher Eric Hoffer observed, every great movement begins as a cause, eventually becomes a business, then degenerates into a racket. Time for the Ford Foundation to pull the plug on its subsidiary (referring to the NAACP), whose time has come and gone a long time ago.

*** end quote ***

There’s no doubt that there are people who are racists. Black and white. I can only imagine how screwed those people who were taken advantage of feel. But, calling names and getting all riled up, does ZERO to solve the problems of the day.

If I was in the NAACP, then I’d be after the scalps of the politicians and bureaucrats who put them in a virtual slavery and pander to keep them there. The psuedo “war” on (some) drugs have destroyed the Black Communities. The welfare system has simultaneously destroyed the Black Family, the Black Churches, and the initiative of anyone captured in their system. And, the worst “killer” of minorities is the education system. Walter Williams captured it perfectly: “If the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan wanted to sabotage black academic excellence, he could not find a more effective means to do so than the government school system in most cities.”

Let’s begin to solve the problems: repeal the drug laws, free all non-violent drug offenders, let’s work to end the welfare system, and let’s free the schools. Then we can go after ALL the diktats that restrict inner city entrepreneurs (e.g., hair braiding licenses; dollar van restrictions; taxi medallions; food laws used to protect incumbents; minimum wage laws; zoning regs; rent control).

Let’s get everyone a slice of the American Dream! Expanding the pie can ensure that everyone meets the promise of the DofI — all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are the right to life, liberty, and property.

Restore America to its ideal.

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FUN: Shoulda, coulda, and woulda!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Shel Silverstein poem,Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda:

   All the woulda-coulda-shouldas
   Layin’ in the sun,
   Talkin’ ‘bout the things
   They woulda-coulda-shouldas done …
   But those woulda-coulda-shouldas
   All ran away and hid
   From one little did.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: The First Amendment is being redefined by the Obama administration

Sunday, July 18, 2010

http://catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=37390&page=1

Obama Moves away from ‘Freedom of Religion’ toward ‘Freedom of Worship’?
    * By Randy Sly
   * 7/18/2010
   * Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Words matter – listen carefully to our current administration

*** begin quote ***

In her article for “First Things” magazine, Ashley Samelson, International Programs Director for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, stated, “To anyone who closely follows prominent discussion of religious freedom in the diplomatic and political arena, this linguistic shift is troubling: “The reason is simple. Any person of faith knows that religious exercise is about a lot more than freedom of worship. It’s about the right to dress according to one’s religious dictates, to preach openly, to evangelize, to engage in the public square. Everyone knows that religious Jews keep kosher, religious Quakers don’t go to war, and religious Muslim women wear headscarves-yet “freedom of worship” would protect none of these acts of faith.”

*** end quote ***

One can see the silent assault on “religion” by the growing secular gooferment. They will tolerate no rival for the people’s affection. Like the scifi Highlander “There can be only one!”, it will kill off all it’s rivals.

Then, to whom will us serfs turn to for succor?

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INTERESTING: American “inginuity” … need more of it and less politicians and bureaucrats

Sunday, July 18, 2010

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100716/bs_yblog_upshot/did-a-mystery-plumber-design-the-new-bp-containment-cap

Fri Jul 16, 2:22 pm ET
Berkeley prof: ‘Mystery plumber’ may have designed the new BP containment cap
By Brett Michael Dykes

*** begin quote ***

When BP’s newest spill-containment strategy in the Gulf yielded such encouraging initial results, many asked why the oil giant didn’t hit on this solution earlier in the crisis. The short answer is that the model of the well cap now in place didn’t exist in the earlier stages of the spill saga. But what’s more noteworthy than the timing issue is the likelihood that the device owes its origin to the same authority that any homeowner turns to in order to get a leak plugged: a professional plumber.

*** end quote ***

For some reason, this story resonated with me. In a free market economy, this disaster would never have happened. And, this plumber would have stopped the leak much sooner. I can just see all the panels of egg heads that prevented him from getting his idea heard.

Argh!

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I’m a fat old white guy injineer. So I spell “ingenuity”, like I spell “ingineer”! At least someone reads my blog.

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