WHEN PRICES RISE FASTER THAN ECONOMIC GROWTH, THE OUTCOME IS DAMAGING FOR ANY POPULATION, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR A YOUNG ONE LIKE EGYPT'S. Unfortunately, there are worrying signs that stagflation is spreading around the world.
Suffocating your citizenry with stagflation is a problem, particularly when that citizenry is young, hungry, and unemployed. By definition this is the Egypt we're seeing today. While this may be a very old country (established in 3100 BC), this 21st century social revolution is being driven by the very young. ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF EGYPTIANS ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 30, and of the 79 million people who live in Egypt, approximately 40% OF THEM LIVE ON LESS THAN $2 A DAY.
The Egyptian government has been telling its people that inflation is currently running around +12%. The people of Egypt obviously don't believe that -- and they shouldn't. However, THEY DO BELIEVE THAT THE COUNTRY IS RUNNING DOUBLE-DIGIT UNEMPLOYMENT. They don't have jobs.
Captains of Keynesian economics don't use the word 'stagflation' very much for a reason. The last time these bubble-makers plugged the world with stagflation was in the mid-to-late 1970s. THAT'S WHEN US FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN ARTHUR BURNS WAS ATTEMPTING TO MONETIZE AMERICA'S DEBT AS PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER BET THAT IT WOULD NOT CREATE ANY GLOBALLY INTERCONNECTED RISK. SOUND FAMILIAR?
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2011/02/01/egypt-and-the-growing-problem-of-global-inflation/
President Obama is looking more and more like Jimmy Carter. Where is our new Ronald Reagan?
'Changes in Egypt could usher in tyranny, not freedom'
With the world naturally swept up by the yearnings for liberty in Egypt, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu raised a voice of caution Wednesday, telling the Knesset that while EVERYONE WOULD LIKE TO SEE TRUE DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM IN EGYPT, THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE THIS WOULD BE THE RESULT OF THE CURRENT TURMOIL....http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=206456
“In Washington, London and Paris – all over the democratic world – leaders, analysts and researchers all spoke about the opportunities inherent in the changes taking place in Egypt,” Netanyahu said.
“They talked about the dawn of a new day, and these hopes are understood,” he went on.
“All of those for whom human freedom is precious, including the Israeli public, are inspired by the calls for democratic reforms and the possibility that they will actually be implemented everywhere.”
And, he said, an EGYPT ENSHRINED WITH DEMOCRATIC VALUES “WILL NOT CONSTITUTE ANY THREAT TO PEACE, BUT THE OPPOSITE.”
However, Netanyahu warned, THIS WAS NOT THE ONLY POSSIBLE OUTCOME OR SCENARIO.
“Because far from Washington, Paris and London, but not that far from Jerusalem, THERE IS ANOTHER HOPE, IN ANOTHER CAPITAL,” he said.
Netanyahu said in that capital, TEHERAN, THERE WERE ALSO LEADERS WHO RECOGNIZED THE OPPORTUNITIES INHERENT IN THE CHANGES IN EGYPT, AND WHO ALSO EXPRESSED THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE EGYPTIAN MASSES WHO TOOK TO THE STREETS.
“They are also talking about the dawn of a new day, but for these people in that capital, we are not talking about a day in which the dawn will break, but a day in which darkness will fall,” he said.
JFK used to have the Chinese character for crisis in his office. This character is made up of two words: Dangerous and opportunity. I think that describes what’s going on in Egypt.
What sparked the unrest in Egypt?
WHAT SPARKED THE CURRENT SITUATION IN EGYPT? The upheaval in Tunisia. What sparked the upheaval in Tunisia? Many Tunisians refer to the death of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old fruit and vegetable vendor who had had his vending cart seized by police. Shortly thereafter, Bouazizi poured gasoline over his body, and lit himself on fire in front of a government office.
Yet even as Bouazizi's death is being dismissed as only tangentially related to the Tunisian revolution by many on the left, the symbolism of it cannot be so easily dismissed. IT WAS EMBLEMATIC OF A HOPELESSNESS SHARED BY THOSE IN TUNISIA, EGYPT, YEMEN AND JORDON, all which centers around two main factors: HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE ESCALATING PRICE OF FOOD. And while high unemployment can lead to a certain level of unrest, history suggests that THERE IS NOTHING MORE DANGEROUS THAN A NATION FULL OF PEOPLE WITH EMPTY STOMACHS.
Thus, while many in the media are comparing the unrest in Egypt to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which was driven largely by religious unrest, IT MIGHT BE MORE ACCURATE TO COMPARE IT TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION OF 1789, which was driven largely by escalating food prices.
So what has caused food prices to escalate? Let's begin with PROGRESSIVE SHIBBOLETH NUMBER ONE, MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING. It is no secret that progressives believe America's dependence on fossil fuels has led the planet to the brink of oblivion. AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT MUCH OF THE DATA THEY USED TO "PROVE" SUCH A SCENARIO HAS BEEN DEBUNKED, global warming, (aka climate change, aka climate disruption), is still being hawked with gusto to an increasingly skeptical public. Fortunately, most the AGW agenda is D.O.A. in Congress already. A Republican-led House which is currently writing a bill to ban the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, will make it even less likely that anything resembling job-killing climate legislation becomes law.
Unfortunately, it's already too late with respect to one of the most pernicious applications of the green movement, which is the use of crops like corn and soybeans to make ethanol….
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0211/ahlert.php3
I read one letter to the editor talking about this solution by the left. The writer was a camper and recommended that when you go camping use the food you bring for as fuel for your fire. His conclusion is that this will leave you both cold and hungry.
The Tea Party Brotherhood
After the shooting in Tucson, we had a lot of left wing people BLAME A CLIMATE OF HATE FOR THIS SHOOTING AND BLAMED THE CLIMATE OF HATE ON THE RIGHT. So now we have the unrest in Egypt and we have such paragons of virtue and moderation AS CHRIS MATTHEWS EQUATING THE TEA PARTY WITH THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD. You can see him do it here.http://www.nationalreview.com/
I used to like Chris Matthews, but he has become completely unhinged saying the most outrageous things.
Republicans investigate Obamacare advertising campaign, stimulus funding
Top GOP health-care official Rep. Fred Upton is taking a close look at the Obama administration’s advertising blitz for Obamacare, giving the president two weeks to provide all documents related to the P.R. push that included spots by aging TV star Andy Griffith.
“PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH CARE, WE’VE SEEN THE CREATION OF VERITABLE GOVERNMENT SLUSH FUNDS WITH NO ACCOUNTABILITY OR TRANSPARENCY,” said Upton in a written statement.
AT ISSUE IS $1 BILLION PROVIDED TO THE DEPARTMENT ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (HHS) FOR OBAMACARE IMPLEMENTATION.
Some of the money was spent on advertisements to “educate” the public GOP critics have called “propaganda,” especially because HHS SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS SAID LAST AUGUST THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAD A “LOT OF REEDUCATION TO DO.”
“Please provide … all documents, including e-mail communications between HHS officials or any outside individual or group relating to advertisements, education or any other efforts to communicate any effects of” the health-care law, a Jan. 31 letter from Upton and two other key Republicans says, providing a deadline of Feb. 14.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/02/upton-investigates-obamacare-advertising-campaign-stimulus-funding/#ixzz1CtLXhnxz
Sebelius’s use of the word reeducate is a poor choice of words. It will be enlightening to see how much the administration used for this effort.
Obamacare: Politically it will be with us for the next two years
To hear Senate Republicans tell it, the defeat of their attempt to repeal the Democrats' health care overhaul was REALLY A VICTORY OF SORTS ON THE LONG THE MARCH TO THE 2012 CONGRESSIONAL AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
The repeal effort sank Wednesday along party lines, 51-47 as expected. But in the process, REPUBLICANS FORCED DEMOCRATS ON THE RECORD IN FAVOR OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S SIGNATURE OVERHAUL and launched what they described as a two-year effort to discredit it in the lead-up to a bid for a second term.
"These are the first steps in a long road that will culminate in 2012, whereby we will expose the flaws and the weaknesses in this legislation," said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the party's campaign chief.
"We think this is just the beginning," said Republican leader Mitch McConnell. "This issue is still ahead of us."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110203/ap_on_re_us/us_health_care_senatehttp://blogs.investors.com/capitalhill/index.php/home/35-politicsinvesting/2397-11-pro-obamacare-senators-face-red-state-voters-in-2012
The democrats have 23 seats up for reelection in the Senate in 2012. All of them voted to keep Obamacare. Expect to hear a lot more about this if your state has a Senate seat up for grabs. Here’s another article talking about the 11 Democrat controlled Senate seats that are in Red States
Democrats: Mandate is a GOP principle
In a different context, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY MIGHT CHEER ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL TENETS OF THE HEALTH CARE LAW, A REQUIREMENT THAT ALL AMERICANS BUY HEALTH INSURANCE.
IT’S JUST THE SORT OF THING THAT WOULD FIT SQUARELY WITHIN THE GOP’S BEDROCK PRINCIPLE OF INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY — ensuring that no one puts a strain on the system by showing up for costly emergency room visits, then expecting everyone else to pick up the tab.
Instead, Republicans have made the individual mandate the focus of their attacks on President Barack Obama’s health care law, saying it’s a dangerous overreach of government authority that sets the nation on the slippery slope of — in the words of Judge Roger Vinson — giving Obama the right to make us all eat broccoli.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/48648.html#ixzz1Cu1esxuy
This is one of those foolish reaches by the left. What part of INDIVIDUAL responsibility do they not understand? If it is a government mandate, there is no individual responsibility.
Obama Invites Crisis If He Ignores Ruling
The decision by federal judge Roger Vinson striking down President Obama's signature health care law EFFECTIVELY ENDS OBAMACARE UNLESS SOME HIGHER COURT OVERTURNS IT.
In spite of this overwhelming rebuke of the law, some Birkenstock-wearing legal analysts are trying to argue that Vinson's ruling could be ignored by the administration.
That's why this week's action by Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is so significant. VAN HOLLEN HAS TAKEN THE PROPER STEP OF FOLLOWING THE LAW, WHICH NOW SAYS THAT OBAMACARE IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN ITS ENTIRETY, RELIEVING WISCONSIN OF ANY OBLIGATION TO FOLLOW IT.
It is the responsibility of every state attorney general in the nation to follow Van Hollen's lead, and HALT ANY ACTIONS TO IMPLEMENT THIS UNCONSTITUTIONAL LAW. TO DO OTHERWISE WILL OPEN STATES UP TO LEGAL LIABILITY….
Failure of the Obama administration to stop all activity related to the law that the federal court held to be unconstitutional WOULD CREATE A POTENTIAL CONSTITUTIONAL SHOWDOWN BETWEEN THE TWO BRANCHES RARELY SEEN IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY. When coupled with the state's refusal to submit to federal regulations implementing a law that has been stripped from the books, our nation is looking at a potentially historic fight not only between branches of government but between the states and the federal government.
Back in the 1970s, IT WAS OPENLY ASKED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF PRESIDENT NIXON SIMPLY REFUSED TO HAND OVER THE TAPED CONVERSATIONS FROM THE OVAL OFFICE IN SPITE OF THE DEMANDS OF THE FEDERAL COURTS. Of course, that speculation proved unnecessary as Nixon did turn over the tapes, and resigned from office.
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/561796/201102021812/Obama-Invites-Crisis-If-He-Ignores-Ruling.htm
An interesting look at what the decision that Obamacare is Unconstitutional might mean.
George Will: ‘The Patience of Politics’
...“They remember what happened with George W. Bush and the ‘ownership society,’” Will recalls. “Bush, who had just finished a campaign in which he managed not to talk about that, said, ‘OH, BY THE WAY, I WANT TO CHANGE THE ENTITLEMENT SYSTEM.’ The people said, ‘WE DON’T THINK SO.’ IT MAY BE A SIGN OF SERIOUSNESS THAT THEY ARE NOT RUSHING. If I could wave a wand and enact the ‘roadmap,’ I’d do it tomorrow. But we don’t wave wands. THE GROUND HAS TO BE PREPARED.”http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/258493/patience-politics-robert-costa
Indeed, “one of the things we’ve learned in the last year is that ‘comprehensive’ is hard to do,” Will says as he clasps his hands upon his knee. “COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM, COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH-CARE REFORM, COMPREHENSIVE ENTITLEMENT REFORM — IT’S ALL TOO MUCH. THE SYSTEM BUCKLES AND CREAKS AND PROBLEMS START.”
“POLITICS TAKES TIME,” Will concludes, as he gazes toward the Chesapeake ripples. “OBAMA DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT. He just came in and said ‘I’ll do this, that, and the other thing,’ and he ran smack into the DNA of the country’s politics.” For House Republicans, he says, patience will be a virtue.
This is an excellent article. I especially like the term “THE GROUND HAS TO BE PREPARED.” If you read about Hannibal, you will see his greatness as a general was in preparing the ground for battle. Most great generals do a lot of work to get the battle ground prepared before they strike.
I’ve reproduced the end of the article because it has some very important lessons, but read the entire article. You’ll be smarter when you finish.
Crony Capitalism and the Democrats
One of the costs of Obama's government-business partnership is the increased opportunity for corruption and cronyism. Mickey Kaus blogs about it, hitting on a point I often make but nobody seems to hear: REPUBLICANS COULD GAIN SOME POPULIST POINTS AND PUT DEMS IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION BY HIGHLIGHTING CORPORATISM.
Here's Kaus:
Shouldn't Republicans hold hearings on the general threat of Putin-like corporatism—i.e., an INSIDIOUS ALLIANCE BETWEEN BIG GOVERNMENT AND FAVORED CORPORATE AND LABOR INTERESTS?
a) They could call GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt to testify and embarrass him about the myriad ways in which his slightly creepy role as CEO and presidential adviser might allow him to benefit his company and squash competitors;
b) THEY COULD GRILL THE VARIOUS REGULATORS WHO MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO FAVOR THE AUTO MANUFACTURERS THAT THE GOVERNMENT BAILED OUT (and which, in GM's case, it still owns about a third of). Maybe some GM competitors would even be brave enough to testify. (Exhibit No. 23: Will GM and Chrysler claim all the remaining billions of "green" retooling loan money from Obama's Department of Energy? Entrepreneurial startups need not apply?)
c) They could question whether these BUREAUCRATS AND OTHERS ARE ALSO DOING FAVORS FOR OTHER OBAMA CONSTITUENCIES, LIKE LABOR UNIONS, or Google;
d) They'd appear transpartisan--THIS IS AN ISSUE WHERE LEFT AND RIGHT POPULISTS UNITE. Do they love corporate-government alliances at Daily Kos? It's also one of the legitimate worries at the heart of TeaPartyism.
e) Hearings might help: There is no obvious answer to some parts of the corporatism dilemma, such as the too-big-to-fail part. If lots of firms are now too big to fail—or else their markets are unstable—and if during a downturn the government winds up investing political and economic capital in specific companies, what are you going to do? Bail the companies out and then let them collapse again?
http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/crony-capitalism-investigations#ixzz1CtwbOOCo
The Obama Administration and the Left wing of the Democratic Party are definitely statists. The thing that is frightening is that this is exactly what fascism was, a left of center statists philosophy where capitalism was permitted as long as the corporations did as they were told.
Stopping shootings like Tucson
As the blame for Tucson changed from Sarah Palin and the climate of hate, it seems to have settled on the clips used by Loughner in his rampage. There is a call for smaller clips to save lives. But in a study over 10 years ago we found the one thing you can do to reduce the number of deaths in these types of killings. Allow conceal carry laws.
The results of this paper support the hypothesis that concealed handgun or shall issue laws reduce the number of multiple victim public shootings. ATTACKERS ARE DETERRED AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE INJURED OR KILLED PER ATTACK IS ALSO REDUCED, THUS FOR THE FIRST TIME PROVIDING EVIDENCE THAT THE HARM FROM CRIMES THAT STILL OCCUR CAN BE MITIGATED. The much greater level of deterrence for multiple victim public shootings than for other crimes like murder is consistent with the notion that A HIGHER PROBABILITY OF CITIZENS BEING ABLE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES SHOULD PRODUCE A GREATER LEVEL OF DETERRENCE. The results are robust with respect to different specifications of the dependent variable, different specifications of the handgun law variable, and the inclusion of additional law variables (e.g., mandatory waiting periods, and enhanced penalties for using a gun in the commission of a crime).
Not only does the passage of a shall issue law have a significant impact on multiple shootings but IT IS THE ONLY LAW RELATED VARIABLE THAT APPEARS TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. Other law enforcement efforts from the arrest rate for murder to the death penalty to waiting periods and background checks are not systematically related to multiple shootings. A particularly surprising result is how the death penalty is so important in deterring murders generally, but has no significant impact on multiple victim public shootings. Finally, the data provides little evidence of either a substitution from shootings to bombings or of "copycat" effects
http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/2nd_Amend/multiple_victim_shootings_study.htm
Breaking: Planned Parenthood in Richmond Provides Sex-Trafficking Advice
Once again, a Live Action investigators walk into a clinic. The pimp announces he is running a prostitution ring involving 14 and 15-year-old girls, some of whom aren’t from the U.S. THE CLINIC WORKER ADVISES HOW ADEPT THE CLINIC IS AT WORKING A “JUDICIAL BYPASS PROCESS” FOR MINOR ABORTIONS, ANNOUNCING “WE’RE PRETTY GOOD AT HANDLING, IF SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, DOESN’T WANT SOMEONE ELSE TO KNOW.” She stresses “for someone who’s a minor that’s really good option. WE DO THEM PROBABLY ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH HERE.”
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/258796/breaking-planned-parenthood-richmond-provides-sex-trafficking-advice-kathryn-jean-lope
It seems we are starting to understand that sex with students and teachers happens a lot more than we ever thought it did and now that Planned Parenthood is in the business of given abortions and it doesn’t make any difference what the circumstances are, even if they are criminal.
Blocking the EPA on global warming
Republican Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, RELEASED HIS LONG-AWAITED DRAFT OF LEGISLATION TO BLOCK THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY’S (EPA) REGULATIONS ON CARBON Wednesday evening. Upton was joined by Republican Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, chair of the Energy and Power subcommittee, and Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, in releasing the proposal.
The bill, titled THE ENERGY TAX PREVENTION ACT OF 2011, would permanently stop the EPA from implementing regulations to prevent climate change. IT WOULD ALSO CLARIFY THE CLEAN AIR ACT TO SAY IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE AT ALL, which would be a major blow to the EPA.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/02/upton-whitfield-inhofe-release-plan-to-block-epa/#ixzz1CuWiK6Qh
Somehow when I read about the Obama administration, I’m reminded of the Declaration of Independence which in making its case against King George states: “He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”
Supply Prevents Kids from Getting Autism
Environmental Protection Agency Administration LISA JACKSON TOLD A SENATE PANEL THAT PREVENTING CHILDREN FROM BEING EXPOSED TO CONTAMINATED WATER COULD SPARE THEM FROM AUTISM.
Jackson made the remark on Wednesday at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in response to questioning by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who asked if a recent executive order by President Barack Obama about regulations and the regulatory process means that the EPA can put any rules in place if “the benefits outweigh the costs.”
“I think the president’s far-reaching executive order makes clear that there are some things that are hard to price,” Jackson said at the hearing on U.S. drinking water and new regulations the EPA may put in place on contaminants.
“OUR SCIENCE MAY BE GOOD, BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU PRICE THE ABILITY TO TRY TO FORESTALL A CHILD WHO MAY NOT GET AUTISM IF THEY’RE NOT EXPOSED TO CONTAMINATED WATER,” JACKSON SAID.
“And I think language in that order is about those things where we can be protective for a reasonable amount of money,” Jackson said, “to make sure our children and future generations are not guinea pigs.”
ACCORDING TO THE U.S. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, AUTISM IS A DISEASE THAT CAUSES ABNORMAL BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY IN THE BRAIN AND THAT “THE EXACT CAUSES OF THESE ABNORMALITIES REMAIN UNKNOWN.”
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/epa-administrator-claims-regulating-drin-0
I think this is an example of liberal science. Liberal science is any conclusion whether it is supported by facts or not that helps a liberal cause.
TSA testing a better way
The Transportation Security Administration on Tuesday began testing a new, more modest body scanning system at three airports. They hope it will assuage critics' concerns that the nearly 500 full-body scanners at 78 airports reveal too much.
"We believe it addresses the privacy issues that have been raised," TSA chief John Pistole said at a news conference at Reagan National Airport in Washington, one of the airports testing the technology.
The system does not involve new machines. Instead, it relies on new software.
The software discards the x-ray-style image that revealed the contours of the traveler's body — the one that left many uncomfortable at the thought of screeners being able to see them with the rough outlines of their undergarments.
Now, there is just a generic image — like the chalk outline of a body at a crime scene.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/02/02/tsa-testing-modest-body-scanners-las-vegas-airport/
It appears that after two years of ignoring the public, this administration has decided to listen.
The Daily iPad app review: a complete failure of imagination
I’ve had a few hours with The Daily, Rupert Murdoch’s iPad-only newspaper. One thought strikes me above all others: if this is the best that journalism’s brightest brains can do, given a huge budget and input from Apple itself then we’re in worse trouble than I thought.
The Daily represents a complete failure of imagination. It’s not a ‘native’ iPad experience at all, it’s a news magazine torn up and stuffed, page-by-page onto the iPad screen. After months of waiting to see Rupert Murdoch’s grand vision for this new medium, it turns out he wants to sell us the old vision but with a couple of videos thrown in.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/100006286/the-daily-ipad-app-review-a-complete-failure-of-imagination/
I’m not sure I agree with this assessment. It seems that as print media falls further from favor, something like this has a place in the future. It reminds me of USA today but on line only or going back to the 1950s and 60s Life or Look Magazines. Plus Murdoch is pricing it competitively.
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