We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Many on the left have lost any insight into their own bias; nothing Obama says is over the top, and nothing he has done lacks significance or inspiration. Likewise, nothing Romney says or has done amounts to much. By forcing a halo upon Obama, suggesting dark hearts among any who don't see it and follow, and ignoring the virtues of a decent man like Romney, does not serve the president well. It stirs resentment among voters who chafe at being told to love him or else.
Krauthammer on the White House kill list. "The hypocrisy is staggering.":
Naomi Decter: Of course life begins at conception.
Of course.
QUOTE:
Naomi Decter: it seems reasonable to believe {a fetus} hurts, doesn’t it?
Pain requires a functioning nervous system. Most scientists believe a fetus can't feel pain until well into gestation, probably closer to 29 weeks than 20 weeks, though there is still significant uncertainty. With the advent of fetal surgery, this is an important issue.
Lee et al., Fetal Pain: A Systematic Multidisciplinary Review of the Evidence, Journal of the American Medical Association 2005.
QUOTE:
Naomi Decter: The problem is, if we really told ourselves the truth about this, everyone would be against abortion. Wouldn’t they?
Most people are 'against abortion', but not everyone supports criminalizing abortion.
Walter Russell Mead: The world is in a mess because life is complicated, because both our economies and our societies are going through historically unprecedented transformations and because the interlocking political constraints and priorities of the world’s major players make solutions hard to reach — even in those rare cases where they are easy to see.
Yes, the tragedy of the commons. The downsides affect everyone, the solutions are easy to see and not that difficult to implement; but individually, there is a short term advantage to delay action as long as possible, or to let others take the lead.
The tragedy of undervaluing vocational schools and apprenticeships is now becoming evident as yet another generation of teens find themselves unemployed with no hope for a job of any type.
The second stupid government move is the minimum wage, requiring employers to hire youth (or new entries to the job market) at far too high a price for their value. And yes, I'd hire a 12-year-old to enter computer data over a college grad with "an attitude" and a demand for wages far exceeding what he brings to the table.
Make-do summer programs for teens paid for by the taxpayer are ridiculous when people would easily hire them if they had a smidgen of knowledge from a vocational class (and would show up on time).
you missed the big news in your link on catholics fortnight of freedom
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/our-first-most-cherished-liberty.cfm
Does the Presdent really want to go to war with Catholics?
I'd love to believe that Catholics would follow their clergy here, but I don't. The vast majority of people who call themselves "Catholic" have only the most peripheral relationship to their church. They like the idea of being Catholic, maybe they show up for a brief Sunday service (30 minutes), and that's it. Their votes, and almost everything else about them, are determined by other factors.
There are some devout Catholics, but it's a small part of the one-quarter of Americans who call themselves Catholic. That's why I am highly suspicious to any reference to the Catholic vote.
Somehow, the Catholic church need to deepen its relationship with its members.
Facebook evaluation questioned? Where have all these "smart investors" and financial pundits been living? Under a rock? At a P/E of 100 at the public offering of the FB IPO, it was insane for anyone (except maybe for the crooks) to buy into Facebook. FB's stock price has a long, long way to fall. By year's end, it will be much less than half its opening value. The greedy and the foolish will soon be parted from their money, a fate that will be well deserved. Just remember, at the depths of the 2008-2009 financial calamity, the price of Citibank shares fell by nearly a factor of 40 from its high of almost $60 a share in January 2007 to just $1.50 in February 2009, even today struggling to recover to an embarrassing $2.60 a share (prices have since been revised to reflect a 10:1 reverse split that was intended to prevent C's delisting from the NYSE). The same reversal of fortune of other high-flying investments can---and will---happen again. It's the genius of the free market at work.
I watched Artur Davis on Neil Cavuto's TV show today, and for once Cavuto let his guest talk without constantly interrupting him. All in all, Davis seemed like a pretty thoughtful and articulate guy with reasonable ideas. And he didn't even rely on a TelePrompTer for a crutch as he spoke, unlike a certain other person who shall not be named because he is off bragging now that he's the Smartest Guy in the Synagogue. Law professor and Judaic scholar too. Who knew?
But Agent Cooper, he's also Smarter Guy than all his advisors in economics, finance, public policy, foreign relations, food and wine, art and music, gardening...oh! How lucky we are to have such a leader! ;^{
Tracked: May 30, 10:44