The Loyal Opposition

November 25, 2008

Bailouts, Banks, and Bull****

Someone better at high finance than I am has run the numbers and the current bailout-a-looza is the single largest bill the US has paid.

Ever.

It beats the total cost of fighting World War II--including the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe. It beats the lifetime cost of NASA. It absolutely overwhelms the total cost of Iraq, Vietnam and Korea together.

The root cause? Well-meaning but utterly idiotic legislation forcing lenders to assume higher risk to loan to people who couldn't otherwise afford a home. Because, after all, home ownership is a Right. The other factors all piled up on top of that single (Carter-era) premise.

And if the banks can't do it, the government will just have to buy them out and make it happen. Responsibilty? Bah, that's so nineteenth-century!

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 12:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Posted to category: Creeping Socialism

November 19, 2008

Stimulate the Economy!

Today is National Ammo Day, so get on out there and stock up!

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 12:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Posted to category: Second Amendment

November 18, 2008

Let's see how bad the spam is

Comments have been opened to 'everybody,' as apparently mee.nu really really wants you to make a website even if you're only going to register to make comments. Hopefully I won't regret this...

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 08:35 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Posted to category: System

November 17, 2008

A Modern Presidency?

In Gulliver's Travels, one of the places the hero visits is Laputa, a land where all those in power are accompanied by "Flappers."   These functionaries block the ears and mouths of the important and powerful with their flaps, permitting the powerful to fully occupy themselves with their thoughts. When the Flapper thinks their person needs to hear something, they remove the ear block.

This, of course, is a satire on courtiers, bureaucrats, pages, messengers, lackeys, yes-men and sycophants that inevitably surround leaders.   It is every bit as true today as when Swift wrote about it. Our President is incredibly busy and important, and cannot be bothered by such petty things as the actual unfiltered opinions of the people.

This leads me to the current hoo-rah about President-Elect Obama and his electronic leash. Err, I mean Crackberry. As with many of our executives in business and politics, he is extremely fond of his, using it throughout his day to keep on top of his schedule, contacts, and things that Must Be Remembered.   Entire working styles have evolved around rapid access, fast emails and text-messaging, synched calendars, and so on.

Of course, It Must Go. Security risk, you know. Oh, and those pesky legal discovery laws. Would hate to have to explain the "missing 18 emails" some independant counsel wants to dig up. Besides, the REAL risk here is that he might accidentally be exposed to non-filtered, un-agenda-approved EXTERNAL INPUT. Not to go off into conspiracy-land, here, but if I'm a career apparatchik, that's the last thing I want to have happen!

Welcome to the Twenty-First century and the first of many disruptive technologies that will greatly alter How Things Get Done.

Welcome to the Twenty-First century and the first of many disruptive technologies that will greatly alter How Things Get Done. There will be more, and the more "in-touch" the officeholder, the more dependant they will be on them to function "normally." It does all of us a disservice to immediately cripple a decision-maker by removing their tools.

It is time for a quick review of how our laws work and interact in the face of technology not even dreamt of when those laws were first written. A web-cam & microphone in every elected officials office? Insta-mail with 'smart' summarizers to 'poll' the public far better than Gallup can ever hope for? Automatic electric shock administration to the next Congresscritter using the word "bailout" ?

One thing is for sure, the future sure doesn't look like it used to.

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 06:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Posted to category: Looking Ahead

November 11, 2008

Veterans Day 2008

We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.

-- attributed to George Orwell

Thank you, to all those who fight for our country.

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 11:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Posted to category: Quotes

November 08, 2008

It's the History Eraser button!

Back in the days of the Soviet Union, they would frequently edit photos by erasing people that had fallen from favor. A lineup of generals viewing a parade would suddenly have a gap in it. And that gap had always been there, according to them. George Orwell referenced this in 1984 in the main character's job at the Ministry of Truth. Usually, these erasures were clumsy, and many people had the original publications to compare to.

These days, Photoshop makes it easier to erase, but it's still not perfect.

For every skilled pixel-pusher trying to edit history, there are ten more ready to analyze every artifact, jaggy, and color blend. But on a website?

For every skilled pixel-pusher trying to edit history, there are ten more ready to analyze every artifact, jaggy, and color blend. But on a website?

I direct your attention, Gentle Reader, to change.gov, a fast rename of the original Obama campaign site. Now it appears to be an official statement on the process of transition, and the plans of the incoming administration. Let us not quibble over the use of the .gov domain for what is not an "official government agency," nor over the "Office of the President-Elect." Instead, let's visit the "America Serves" section.

Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college education is completely free.

Sounds quite laudable, doesn't it? "encourage community service." Thing is, that's the second draft. Here's the original wording, emphasis is mine.

Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year.

Now, drafting kids out of middle school and putting them to work is a separate topic unto itself, but suffice it to say, is not a good idea. Striking it out and saying "ok, that one isn't a good idea. How about volunteer instead?" would be a good approach.

Instead, President-elect Obama (or, rather, his team) erases it completely from the record. We never said any such thing! This is not a good way to build trust with the people you are supposed to lead.

It's the Same Old Thing we've seen before, not "Change."

It's the Same Old Thing we've seen before, not "Change." What else will get swept down the memory hole over time?

Remember this proclivity to whitewash mistakes, and when your memory disagrees with "official history"...well, you'll have to decide who you trust more, won't you?

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 10:53 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Posted to category: Disgrace

What do you expect? He's the candidate of "change"

Maybe he should be called the candidate of "quick change"

Posted by: thecomputerguy at November 18, 2008 05:47 PM (IzwS+)

2 Hmmm... I tried to post this before but it wouldn't let me because I had no account. I'm feeling off today, so this will probably come out far less eloquent than the last attempt but please don't take it as an argument. It's a serious question... First of all, where does he talk about drafting kids out of middle school to put them to work? Do you refer to the statement about students doing community service? I don't actually think that's a horrible idea -- kids these days? so totally wrapped up in themselves it's frightening. Seriously. They don't get that there are other people out there in the world who may need help. My school requires students to do 40 hours of community service in order to graduate. I don't think instituting a mandatory service in middle school is such a bad idea. It doesn't have to be working at a soup kitchen or entertaining nursing home residents.... As for the fact that he changed his statement. Um. I'm a little confused. Was it some official policy that he mandated into law and then changed? He's refining his platforms. I would think you'd PREFER to have someone willing to revise based on careful thought and advice rather than someone who sticks hard-line to his policies, regardless of how well they may or may not work. There was nothing set in stone at all. I just don't see why this is a problem for you. He's not revising history, to my mind. He's merely revising his ideas. Now again, it's possible I'm missing something. If I am, I'd love to hear. You know I'm a huge Obama supporter but I hope you also know that I'm always open to hearing what people have to say.

Posted by: B at November 19, 2008 05:22 AM (BmSw7)

The differences are between 'encouragement' and 'requirement', and 'local' and 'national.'

Your local school has 40 hours of Community Service as a requirement to graduate. That's a local decision to make it part of the curriculum, and if you don't like it you have the choice of lobbying your School Board or enrolling your children in a different school. Service which will satisfy the requirement is determined by the local school, based on what is relevant to the local community.

A National Program which encourages community service is a slight contradiction of scale and therefore a bad precedent, but still it's just a Media Campaign. It's like "Just Say No" or "Only You Can Prevent Forsest Fires" or "Don't Drink and Drive." Maybe it's a good idea, or maybe it's bunk, but ultimately they're just suggestions, and implementation is left to the Individual's choice to self-regulate their behavior.

A National Program which Requires... is called 'a draft.' Call the Rose by any other name you want, and discuss all manner of irrelevancies about what the program will be used for, it doesn't change the basic fact: draft one of this proposal was no less than an attempt to grab hold of a large, available easily impressed and impressionable pool of labour who are already Required to serve twelve years of Public School Indoctrination, and make it a further Condition of Servitude that they Do The Bidding of The Federal Government's Office Of National Community Service. Services which satisfy the requirement are set, by definition, at the National level, to serve the National agenda, and are therefore going to be just as "locally relevant" as any other National Government Program, which is to say not at all. Or, from another perspective, they'll be just as "locally relevant" as Welfare -- which is exactly what this becomes when FedGov Resources (your tax dollars) are used to pay for the college tuition (Benefits Payout) of a People's Community Service Worker (Serf.) You also get all the complete beaurocracy of the Federal Governement (all authority, no individual accountability) emplaced between you, your community, and the "local community service" your children are required to perform. That beaurocracy is composed of many workers in their new entrenched Government jobs, whose paychecks must be funded by your tax dollars.

That was 'draft one', at any rate. Draft two is a compromise, in that it doens't have the initial 'requirement' at either level, but it still spends Federal Dollars at the college level, which will be enough to get the beaurocratic departments set up and thus the camel's nose is under the tent.

My (admittedly rambling) point here is that a local program for community service is a fantastic idea which gets the job done. A National Campaign to popularize local programs of community service is a fantastic idea which helps motivate more people locally, and gets the job done. As soon as it becomes a Federal Program (which is HAS to be if there will be Federal Benefits and/or Requirements) you lose all your 'local' benefit, and gain only Federal Waste.

Posted by: LWO at November 19, 2008 09:47 AM (h26op)

4 "B", I pretty clearly stated my gripe with the revision was that it was done with the broad PaintShop "neverthere" tool, instead of saying something like "ok, that won't fly, how about..."

It's important to remember the FIRST things that get said...because those will track most closely with actual internalized beliefs. Much like when the teleprompter breaks or isn't there, and we get a gem about "redistribution of wealth."

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at November 19, 2008 10:29 AM (04Ay+)

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November 07, 2008

...sometimes I despair

For whatever skill I have with words, Bill Whittle always manages to say it better.

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 01:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Posted to category: Looking Ahead

Rep. Flake's Way Out of the Wilderness

Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has some ideas on "what do Republicans do now?"

I suggest that we return to first principles. At the top of that list has to be a recommitment to limited government. After eight years of profligate spending and soaring deficits, voters can be forgiven for not knowing that limited government has long been the first article of faith for Republicans.

This appeals to me!

(H/T: The Volokh Conspiracy)

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 09:00 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Posted to category: Looking Ahead

November 06, 2008

I hope I don't need this category...

This category will contain attempts to implement [edit: "by the Government"]¹ pure Marxist ideas, both blatant and subtle. As President-elect Obama² has indicated he views "redistribution of wealth" a priority, I fear I will have many entries here.
more...

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 12:33 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Posted to category: Creeping Socialism

1 is it true that obama has a problem with talk radio? i really miss talk radio now that i live in a country without it. i would love to hear people argue current events on air. *sigh*

is it true that obama would like to grant "fast-track" citizenship to illegal immigrants? this is unfair to those who'd like to become citizens legally. my husband might like to make the move someday, but for us it would involve lawyer fees and the application process. what about a fast-track program for european schoolteachers? my man has a lot to offer and his students try hard. or maybe the fast-track program is only open to people who perform jobs that americans refuse to do?

in addition to obama's scorn for the religious population, my major problem is his robin hood policy that he discussed on oreilly this summer. i don't care that he admits he doesn't know when life begins (conception or birth) but punishing successful people for their success will either diminish our drive to succeed, or cause successful people to investigate more creative ways to cheat on their taxes.

germany is very very pleased with us. the expatriots i read are all proud to be american again, unafraid to announce their citizenship. nov 5 i was asked to toast obama with a shot of ouzo. i shook my head to their utter confusion.

a good friend here wrote in his blog this week that he has removed america from his list of renegade states. germans are delighted with us.

america as we knew it will end, it is inevitable. our leaders will not continue to try to preserve american ideals. with obama, this will happen a lot sooner than i hoped. the rest of the world will love us but no one will envy us. however, i believe this will cause us to be less of a terrorist target. (the danger won't go away, we'll just become equally as targetable as european states.)

To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it. Thomas Jefferson, April 6, 1816

That some should be rich, shows that others may become rich, and, hence, is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Abraham Lincoln

Posted by: beth wassermann at November 27, 2008 08:06 AM (lb36q)

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Neither side has a monopoly on stupidity

So, apparently there are already "Impeach Obama!" Facebook sites up. I'm not going to link them.

Here's a reminder: Impeachment requires evidence of a crime. You certainly can't impeach a man who hasn't even taken office yet. It served no purpose in 2001, and it serves nobody--much less the country--now.

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 12:30 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Posted to category: Disgrace

Why am I doing this?

The purpose of this weblog will be to demonstrate how to dissent with what our Government does, without resorting to feces-flinging antics. For eight years, the public has had to listen to screams of "Chimpy McHitler Halliburton," calls for impeachment (without evidence of any actual, you know, crime having been committed) or even assassination fantasies.

"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism" we were told, but that wasn't dissent. That was rage, an extended temper tantrum a four-year-old would have been in awe of. Adults? Not so much. No stilt-walkers, giant puppet-heads, or chanted slogans here. I deal in Reason, not rhetoric.

My goal is to try to produce 3 or so articles a week right now. If I find myself infected with the 'writing bug' or reader demand (!) I will do my best to blather more.

I certainly anticipate no shortage of things to be in dissent over.

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at 12:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Posted to category: Dissent

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