RANT: Air travel sucks

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Note: TSA at PHL is now enforcing a “two carry on bag limit” as you enter their lines. People are being told “Either consolidate or check it”. I’m sure the airlines are happy about this now that they all charge extra for each bag (i.e., 15$ to 100$).

Today, my wife’s nephew, his wife, and their twins had an “interesting” experience. Driving them to the airport, they found that their flight had been cancelled. Hubbie was booked on a later flight and Wifey with kids was delayed until the morrow. (Good luck finding a room on New Year’s Eve!)

Conflicting directions of where to check in. United moved them to US Airways in a different terminal. Then the lines again. Conflicting directions. More problems.

It all worked out. But not without a lot of angst!

Argh!

Confirms my firmly held conviction to never fly again.

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RANT: Self-defense is a mind set

Thursday, December 31, 2009

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091226/D9CR18JO0.html

Passengers help foil attack on Detroit-bound plane
Dec 26, 8:49 AM (ET)
By JIM IRWIN

*** begin quote ***

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) – An attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight began with a pop and a puff of smoke – sending passengers scrambling to subdue a Nigerian man who claimed to be acting on orders from al-Qaida to blow up the airliner, officials and travelers said.

*** end quote ***

One thing is new — passenger docility.

The days when passengers would sit idly like sheep and let terrorists act with impunity.

And, how did the explosive get on board?

Yes, security theater!

See it’s all about fooling the traveling public into complacency. And giving job to people who will vote the “correct” way.

Argh!

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RANT: Good after bad

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Govt gives GMAC $3.8B in new aid, boosts stake

*** begin quote ***

WASHINGTON (AP) – The government gave GMAC Financial Services another $3.8 billion in cash and took a majority stake in the auto lender, aiming to stabilize the company as it struggles with big losses in its home mortgage unit. The fresh infusion is on top of $12.5 billion in taxpayer money…

*** end quote ***

How dumb!

Time to cut the taxpayer’s losses.

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RANT: Lift her light beside the golden door

Thursday, December 31, 2009

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15108634&source=hptextfeature

Going to America
A Ponzi scheme that works
Dec 17th 2009 | ANNANDALE, VIRGINIA AND DALLAS, TEXAS
From The Economist print edition
The greatest strength of America is that people want to live there

*** begin quote ***

When he arrived, Mr Lee was astonished by how rich nearly everyone was. He recalls his first dinner with Americans: the huge bowls and immense portions. He was startled to see lights left on in empty rooms. He is still impressed: “The roads are so wide, the cars so big, the houses so large—everything is abundant,” he says.

Yet this is not why he came, and it is not why he stayed and became a citizen. For Mr Lee, America is a land that offers “the chance to be whatever you want to be”. More prosaically, it is a place where nearly any immigrant can find a niche.

*** end quote ***

We NEED these immigrants. Everyone who wants to come and work.

Kill welfare and then there is no reason not to have them come.

Take the trash bag off the Statue of Liberty and get back to our roots.

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POLITICAL: We need to be “isolationalist”

Thursday, December 31, 2009

http://thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/2651-ben-stein-says-ron-paul-uses-anti-semitic-arguments

Ben Stein Says Ron Paul Uses “Anti-Semitic Arguments”
Written by Thomas R. Eddlem   
Tuesday, 29 December 2009 10:52

*** begin quote ***

Rep. Paul, a Republican from Texas, has argued for removing U.S. soldiers from the Middle East because the American presence there is increasingly seen by many Muslims as a foreign occupation force. Responding to Rep. Paul’s argument that Americans should mind their own business and not become the policeman of the world, Stein argued: “No, we’re not occupiers. That’s the same anti-Semitic argument we’ve heard over and over again. That’s the same anti-Semitic argument we’ve heard over and over again.”

*** end quote ***

Time to get our boys and girls home.

We’re not the global policeman.

The choice is ours, but it can’t be found in EITHER political party!

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MONEY: Intergenerational Theft

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

http://tslrf.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-review-generation-debt-why-now-is.html

Friday, December 25, 2009

Book Review: Generation Debt, Why Now Is A Terrible Time To Be Young

*** begin quote ***

I just finished the book Generation Debt: Why It Is A Terrible Time To Be Young. Honestly I think if you are 18-35 or have a kid in that age range you should read this book. Here are some interesting snippets of the book:

*** and ***

-The cause is not a temporary recession but structural changes in the economy. In income and occupation prestige, young adults are behind where their parents were at their age.

*** end quote ***

At Christmas eve dinner, we had a discussion on this topic.

The kids didn’t understand that we were talking about their economic future.

Unfortunately, they are going to have to live thru this economic disaster.

They will have to be smart with their money. Very smart. Which to date, I have NOT seen evidenced by any young people. Or some old ones either.

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TECHNOLOGY: Potential microRNAs breast cancer blood test

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irish-breast-cancer-breakthrough-could-spell-end-to-mammograms-79914347.html

Irish breast cancer breakthrough could end mammograms
Major cancer discovery from team at Galway University
By ANTOINETTE KELLY, IrishCentral.com
Published Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 1:50 PM
Updated Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 4:24 PM

*** begin quote ***

Irish scientists may have found an alternative to the dreaded mammogram in a bid to reduce the incidence of breast cancer.

Researchers from the National University of Ireland Galway have identified a new blood test that can act as an “early warning” system.

The test, which is being discussed as a potential replacement for mammograms, can alert doctors if the disease is recurring.

*** and ***

The study found a link between breast cancer and substances called microRNAs which are found in the blood of patients with breast cancer.

Professor Michael Kerin, who led the team, said there was good reason for optimism.

“This early work suggests a combination of mir195 and Let7a (two specific types of microRNA) are sensitive markers for the presence of breast cancers in over 90 percent of cases,” he said. “This raises the possibility of their use in screening for breast cancer.”

*** end quote ***

Recent gooferment “pronouncements” about cancer screening was suspect. Suspect that they were looking at the cost as opposed to the benefits. Here may be an opportunity to satisfy both conflicting priorities.

The value of human life can’t be reduced into dollars and sense.

Sorry. Apologies to all the accountants and gooferment bureaucrats, but your wrong. Heartlessly wrong.

When people buy their own health care, they make a very tough “value” judgement.

I’ve seen “old people” and “terminally ill” people make the tough decisions easily. When we insert an insurance company or Medicare welfare into the process, people don’t see the costs as impacting their legacy and their families.

So substituting a potentially cheaper and more accurate chemistry test is a real winner.

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RANT: Emulate Israel’s security strategy and tactics

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/it_the_incompetence_stupid_Smobhu7UYi3kwiQzGPHnMP#ixzz0b6x74uRB  

It’s the incompetence, stupid
Last Updated: 6:50 AM, December 29, 2009
Posted: 12:42 AM, December 29, 2009
Rich Lowry

*** begin quote ***

It’s never going to be easy for a free society to defend itself from furtive enemies, but that doesn’t excuse willful obliviousness. We should move to a more Israel-style security system, devoting more energy to the intelligence and on-the-spot assessments necessary to focus on the greatest potential threats. And we should resist the civil libertarians who create pressure to narrow down the most meaningful watch lists and work to forestall adoption of more effective whole-body imaging scanners.

For its part, the Obama administration should frankly acknowledge that the “war on terror” wasn’t a Bush-Cheney construct to scare and manipulate the American public. Speaking from Hawaii, Obama sounded stalwart yesterday, but it took him 72 hours to address the incident. The administration’s body language says it would prefer to keep counterterrorism on a back-burner while it engages in the more important work of nationalizing health care and fighting global warming.

*** end quote ***

If we aren’t going to emulate the KGB in handling terrorists, then El Al seems to not have any such problems.

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POLITICAL: Small steps in Health Care Insurance

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/2009/12/head-fake-on-health-care.html

Friday, December 25, 2009

Head fake on health care

*** begin quote ***

There are good things in this bill and there is the possibility that it can be used as a foundation on which to build real reform. The problem is the discourse surrounding the bill. If it were being described by the press and the president as what it is — something short of reform — that would be OK. But it’s not. It is being described as once-in-a-generation reform and that creates the danger that this bill has become a once-in-a-generation chance to fix our broken system. If the House cannot fix it, cannot toughen this bill up, progressives need to walk away from it.

*** end quote ***

As you may already guess, I think ALL these gooferment programs are a BIG mistake. Here’s a few points to try and convince you:

(1) If the gooferment runs health care and you get “screwed”, to whom will you appeal?

(2) Assume for a moment that the “estimates” are correct (and that is a HUGE ssumption), where will we borrow the money for it?

(3) Is it “constitutional”? (Equal protection in Nbraska, Fifth in the nationalization of insurance companies, Fourth in the individual “mandate”, and even First in the lack of conscience exemption about abortion)

(4) Is it necessary? (Could we not try some SMALL steps? Lawsuit reform. Tax deductability for individual’s purchasing their own policies like life insurance. Nationally available polices. Allowing credit union and WalMart to get into the “health” biz.

Let’s not throw what is the best to keep the politicians and socialists happy.

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POLITICAL: Criticism of Fox’s O’Reilly

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

http://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/Has-Bill-OReilly-gone-soft-on-Obama-79888222.html

Has Bill O’Reilly gone soft on Obama?
By PATRICK ROBERTS, IrishCentral.com
Published Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 7:53 AM
Updated Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 11:45 AM

*** begin quote ***

Unlike most of his Fox News colleagues, Bill O’Reilly has always seemed to have a soft spot for President Obama. Perhaps it was because Obama has given O’Reilly some exclusive interviews and feedback.

It certainly seems that O’Reilly has been impressed. His gushing column on his night at the White House media party last week reads like a missive from the liberal website Moveon.org — not from the O’Reilly we all know.

Consider this: “Michelle Obama, whom I had never met, was stunning. She was warm and kind to my 10-year-old daughter and gracious to me. My quick assessment of her: Strong, charismatic, and beautiful.”

Wow! Hard to imagine Sean Hannity saying that.

*** end quote ***

No secret! I like Bill O’R. Watch it most nights.

I think his assessment of MO is accurate from what I’ve see and heard about her.

Going to the White House party is like going behind the lines. He’s a commentator, who’s format requires a foil. SO he has to have a supply of “victims”. And, maybe he might have shed some light on the stupidity of the WH was on Fox.

That being said, B O’R is the not the least dogmatic of the FOx commentators I’ve heard. Greta is more apolitical than him. Maybe Cavuto is closer in temperament.

B O’R is often “wrong” imho. He’s NOT a libertarian. As evidence, the sparing with Stossel. He was apoplectic at Stossel’s quiet libertarianism. B O’R has given BO grades that were “inflated” imho.

BO has forgotten Bill Clinton’s “commandment”. “It the economy, stupid.” TARP2, Porkulous, and GM were all stupidly poisonous to the economy.

(Let folks fail. Take your medicine promptly. And don’t be surprised when “impossible situation”, “unsurmountable obstacles”, and “irreconcilable differences” “suddenly” are “solved”. GM Unions and Management would suddenly become “best friends” when going down on the same Titanic! Watch Wall Street suddenly figure out how to be profitable WITHOUT the gooferment’s help. Especially with visions of “golden parachutes” and “big bonuses of taxpayer money” swirling down the the bowl.)

So when B O’R graded BO, his ruler was “elastic” based on his values. I don’t think that makes B O’R “soft” on BO.

Just wrong.

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