Let the Big 3 fail

$78 an hour compensation compared to $48 for American Toyota employees, "job banks" -- I think they were referred to on "The Sopranos" as "no show jobs".

Enough is enough as far as rewarding failure goes.

Krauthammer makes an even more compelling case for letting the Big 3 fail:

Democrats are suggesting, however, an even more ambitious reason to nationalize. Once the government owns Detroit, it can remake it. The euphemism here is "retool" Detroit to make cars for the coming green economy.

Liberals have always wanted the auto companies to produce the kind of cars they insist everyone should drive: small, light, green and cute. Now they will have the power to do it.

In World War II, government had the auto companies turning out tanks. Now they would be made to turn out hybrids. The difference is that, in the middle of a world war, tanks have a buyer. Will hybrids?

One of the reasons Detroit is in such difficulty is that consumers have been resisting the smaller, less-powerful, less-safe cars forced on the industry by fuel-efficiency mandates. Now Detroit would be forced to make even more of them.

If you think we have economic troubles today, consider the effects of nationalizing an industry of this size, but now run by bureaucrats issuing production quotas to fit five-year plans to meet politically mandated fuel-efficiency standards — to lift us to the sunny uplands of the coming green utopia.

As badly as management and the unions have bungled the American auto industry, imagine the damage a bunch of legislators, most of whom have never had a real job, could wreak.

Go bankrupt, reorganize and start over.

Most of all: Laissez-nous faire!

Not sure how we missed this ...

... but it's a byoot!

From the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" file:

Eyebrows raised over city school policy that sets 50% as minimum score

Pittsburgh Public Schools officials say they want to give struggling children a chance, but the district is raising eyebrows with a policy that sets 50 percent as the minimum score a student can receive for assignments, tests and other work.

The district and teachers union last week issued a joint memo to ensure staff members' compliance with the policy, which was already on the books but enforced only at some schools. Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President John Tarka said the policy is several years old.

While some districts use "F" as a failing grade, the city uses an "E."

"The 'E' is to be recorded no lower than a 50 percent, regardless of the actual percent earned. For example, if the student earns a 20 percent on a class assignment, the grade is recorded as a 50 percent," said the memo from Jerri Lippert, the district's executive director of curriculum, instruction and professional development, and Mary VanHorn, a PFT vice president.

In each subject, a student's percentage scores on tests and other work are averaged into a grade for each of the four marking periods. Percentages for marking periods later are averaged into semester and year-end grades.

A student receives an "A" for scores ranging from 100 percent to 90 percent, a "B" for scores ranging from 89 percent to 80 percent, a "C" for scores ranging from 79 percent to 70 percent, a "D" for scores ranging from 69 percent to 60 percent and an "E" for scores ranging from 59 percent to the cutoff, 50 percent.

The district and union insist the policy still holds students accountable for performance.

"A failing grade is a failing grade," district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said.

At the same time, they said, the 50 percent minimum gives children a chance to catch up and a reason to keep trying. If a student gets a 20 percent in a class for the first marking period, Ms. Pugh said, he or she would need a 100 percent during the second marking period just to squeak through the semester.

"We want to create situations where students can recover and not give up," she said, adding a sense of helplessness can lead to behavior and attendance problems.

"It's not grade inflation. We're not saying, 'Give people passing grades,' " Ms. Pugh said.

...

Judy Leonardi, a Stanton Heights resident and retired district home economics teacher, said she objected to the notion that a student could "walk in the door, breathe the air and get 50 percent for that."

"I don't think it sets kids up properly for college, for competition in life," she said.

To Ms. Leonardi, a 20 percent score means a student isn't trying or needs more help with the material. Automatically putting 50 percent in the grade book, she said, doesn't help the student in either case.

"To me, it's morally wrong," she said.

...

-more-

Well, we're bailing out everyone else.

Might as well handout grade points to lazy kids.

We should just be thankful they aren't redistributing grade points from the responsible, diligent kids to the slackers ... Yet.

Been away a few days ...

... big caucus this week at The Ponderosa to determine how to spend our tax cut -- we are, after all, among the valued 95% (the other 5% are second class citizens) due a tax cut ... though for many, who pay no income tax, that will amount to a welfare payment.

Anyhow, the consensus was to pool our windfalls and forward the sum total to the Flyers to put towards a UFA goalie next July.

Other time was spent developing a contingency plan for January 20, when the water in the crappers of The Ponderosa are said to be set to recede.

So, here's a quick digest of stuff that caught our funny bones this week:

Another Brick In 'The Wall'?

Not many people can claim to have been at the center of arguably the greatest financial disaster and greatest national security disaster in American history. But Gorelick, said to be on the short list for attorney general by the New York Times, can. Surely that qualifies her for further government service.

...

Janet Reno was incompetent but there's no evidence she was corrupt.

While the former is certainly true as regards Gorelick, the latter cannot be stated with any certainty.


Obama apologizes to Nancy Reagan for seance remark

Classy as ever, Barry!

Once again, people who are not funny should steer clear of humor.

Further, as silly as astrology is, is it any sillier -- much less dangerous -- than the blatherings of Saul Alinsky or 20 years of exposure to the anti-American rantings of the Rev. Wright -- both of which informed the worldview of our Oracle in Chief -- or sitting in the same room with unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers and not being man enough to slug him?

Scratch that last bit.

We've seen Obama's arms.



Send Your Children to D.C. Public Schools, Mr. President-Elect

Transcedent? Post-racial? A healer?

Nah, just another limo liberal beholden, as even he has admitted -- search for "I owe those unions" -- to the teachers' unions.

But where will his little sweeties go?

When Michelle Obama visited Washington this week, she toured only two prospective schools for her daughters: Sidwell Friends, where lower-school tuition is $28,442; and Georgetown Day, where tuition is $27,445 for grades 1-5.

Hey, we can't blame the guy, though Sidwell -- if memory serves that is where dear Chelsea, daughter of two other friends of public education -- attended, is just a touch nutty.

We seem to recall a class trip to Cuba for precious Chelsea.

Mine went to Quebec City!

So, the Obama's would not be the first anti-choice (like that?) parents to deprive middle to lower class parents the opportunity to choose their kids' schools.

Better they be victimized -- er, indoctrinated -- by disciples of Bill Ayers than taught the literary canon, math, science and the true history of the Republic they are so fortunate to live in.

Obama's record on education reform -- essentially his time at the Chicago Annenberg Challenge where he and a guy in his neighborhood palled around -- er, collaborated -- -- is dismal.

No reason to expect any better now.

No teachers' union hack left behind!


Homosexualist Anarchists Storm Michigan Church

The lesson here: If you're going to blaspheme, choose a true religion of peace to victimize.

Advice to Bash Back!: Don't try this in your local mosque.

You might leave minus your favorite organs.



Obama Planning U.S. Trials for Guantanamo Detainees

Ah, the fruits of Boumedienne!

Justice Kennedy's savage chickens coming home to roost!

It has always galled us that Kennedy occupies the seat that rightfully belongs to Robert Bork, one of the greatest juridical talents this Republic has ever produced.

And who helped keep him off the Supreme Court?

Your vice president-elect, a man with half the intellect and a quarter of the integrity.

Bork has more real hair on his chin than Biden has on his head.

And more smarts than the both of them.

Welcome to 9/10/01!



Red, white and true blue: City hoists Old Glory

In the Summer of 2003, we visited Seattle.

This was at the start of the incursion into Iraq.

We looked down from our swank room at the Westin and there were no American flags as far as the eye could see.

It's comforting to know that the election of a guy who tried to lose that war has spurred such patriotism in the hearts of Seattleites.

And the re-election of Baghdad Jim McDermott stirs in us a warming of the cockles not felt since we read McCullough's John Adams bio!

Funny how they needed to add these little tips at the end:

"RESPECTFULLY DISPLAYING THE FLAG"

Welcome to what all of us have known since we were five!



Hoss and little Joe want to head to the saloon in Virginia City for a bottle or two of whiskey.

Looks like I'm the designated wagon driver!

...

This is precious!

Obama campaign: Unpaid wages resolved

Lines were long and tempers flared Wednesday not to vote but to get paid for canvassing for Barack Obama. Several hundred people are still waiting to get their pay for last-minute campaigning. Police were called to the Obama campaign office on North Meridian Street downtown to control the crowd.

The line was long and the crowd was angry at times.

...


-more-

These quotes are priceless:

"I want my money today! It's my money. I want it right now!" yelled one former campaign worker.

My, how selfish!

"It should have been $480. It's $230," said Imani Sankofa.

"They gave us $10 an hour. So we added it. I added up all the hours so it was supposed to be at least $120. All I get is $90," said Charles Martin.

"I worked nine hours a day for 4 days and got paid half of what I should have earned," said Randall Waldon.

Could it be more obvious that it's been some time since these people received a paycheck?!

Imani, Charles, Randall, have you NEVER heard of WITHHOLDING?!

Consider it an act of patriotism!

Pennsylvanians return aid and comforter to the House

Murtha Wins Re-Election in Pennsylvania

In spite of calling his constituents "rednecks" and saying that his district was in a racist part of the state, seventeen-term Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha was re-elected with over 58 percent of the vote to beat out retired Republican Army lieutenant colonel William Russell.

"I first want to say how proud I am to represent this hard-working patriotic area, how much I appreciate the support I got. We turned this thing around in ten days, and the folks worked so hard. I appreciate President Clinton coming in, I appreciate Hillary Clinton's Robo-calls, and of course Joyce's long-term work with the Girl Scouts and so forth. All of it paid off," Murtha said on Tuesday night.

Trouble began for Murtha when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that he said: "There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area." While he apologized, he also told Pittsburgh's WTAE-TV that "this whole area, years ago, was really redneck."

Murtha was criticized for his remarks and former President Bill Clinton was dispatched to lend his support for the beleaguered congressman in the final days of the race.

...

-more-


Murtha's redneck comments were, of course, appalling, but pale in comparison to his slander and presumption of guilt of the Marines accused of war crimes at Hadditha.

Thus far, all but one have been acquitted or have had charges dropped while one still awaits a military trial.

Murtha has refused to apologize for his pre-judgement of these young men who went face to face with evil during the incident in question nor has he expressed regret for giving our enemies another bogus rallying cry to incite them to further violence against our troops.

But Tuesday night, the voters of Murtha's -- aka, the "King Of Pork" -- district vindicated one of Buzzcut's many irrefutable laws of politics: the promise of free stuff always trumps patriotism and even personal insults.

Required reading for our time in the wilderness

Awright, we held our noses and tried to drag McCain over the finish line but our passion to unmask the real Obama far outpaced that of the candidate and his campaign and now we're stuck with being sanctimoniously lectured to by the Oracle of Invesco for four years.

So, now is as good a time as any to get back to first principles.

Refresh your knowledge of Locke, Smith, Montesquieu, et al, but above all, re-read Hayek's The Road to Serfdom, "[A] classic warning against the dangers to freedom inherent in social planning", as our well-worn copy is subtitled.

Just as every true baseball fan should read Ball Four the day pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, so should every good conservative/classical liberal/libertarian, upon the election of a wild-eyed statist, avail himself of the wisdom of Hayek's alarum, written at a time, much like today, when the permanence of "central planning" seemed inevitable

Events proved Hayek's warnings prescient, but here we are again ...

La plus ca change ...

This sums it up pretty well ...

" ... I never thought this day would ever happen. I won’t have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won't have to worry about paying my mortgage. You know. If I help [Obama], he’s gonna help me.”

Wonder if he'll pay for our NHL Center Ice Package.

Unreal ...

The Oprahfication of America continues apace ...

What's left of al Qaeda has got to be positively giddy ...

We interrupt this 232 year old republic ...

... for a few years of handouts to the highest whiners and empathy for and equivocation to the savages who wish to wipe us off the face of the Earth.

The infantilization of America reached critical mass tonight and a guy whose past (for those who bothered to examine it) gives no hint that he ever loved this country as founded or as it has evolved, who clearly does not believe in American exceptionalism and harbors the fatuous worldview of a nine year old will soon be responsible for defending this nation from the predations of the Islamofacists.

But America elected a mommy tonight, not a commander in chief.

Your were looking for a pacifier, not a patriot.

Obama will spoon feed you your pablum, wipe your chin and powder your little tushy for you all while gutting missile defense and slashing the military budget.

We are put in mind of one of our favorite Alexis de Tocqueville passages from Democracy in America from a chapter entitled "What Sort of Despotism Democratic Nations Have to Fear ":

(All emphasis ours)

Above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratifications and to watch over their fate. That power is absolute, minute, regular, provident, and mild. It would be like the authority of a parent if, like that authority, its object was to prepare men for manhood; but it seeks, on the contrary, to keep them in perpetual childhood: it is well content that the people should rejoice, provided they think of nothing but rejoicing. For their happiness such a government willingly labors, but it chooses to be the sole agent and the only arbiter of that happiness; it provides for their security, foresees and supplies their necessities, facilitates their pleasures, manages their principal concerns, directs their industry, regulates the descent of property, and subdivides their inheritances: what remains, but to spare them all the care of thinking and all the trouble of living?

Fire up your bongs, Moonbats, your immense and tutelary power has finally arrived!

We must get off to bed now as we will be the ones bankrolling your care and feeding and a redoubling of our efforts seems in order and that is sure to require an early rise.

We will lay our heads on our pillows tonight unrepentant and proud that we voted for the American.

The battle begins anew January 20th.

Our letter to the local "news"paper ...

... in response to the below silliness ...

Time to erase Reaganomics

How did our financial crisis occur?

A conservative revolution started with President Reagan in 1980. According to his theory, "free" markets would bring greater prosperity. Prized were the concepts of less government, deregulation, balanced budgets, privatization of services and fiscal responsibility. Adherents to this philosophy were convinced that it would maximize economic growth. Recent events represent the final verdict on this philosophy. But the clues on where we were heading were clear for years.

...

Clearly, it's time for a change in economic philosophy.

-more-

At the top of his October 31 essay "Time to erase Reaganomics", Laurence Britt asks "[H]ow did our financial crisis occur?" then proceeds to blame "Reaganomics", which serious economists know as "classical economics", a tenet of the "classical liberalism" the Republic was founded upon.

Now, as a member in good standing of this school of thought -- I get all the secret memos! -- nowhere do I recall Smith, Hayek or Mises stressing the extension of no money down, no income check, adjustable rate mortgages to deadbeats nor the government promotion -- sometimes to the point of near extortion, even -- of same.

But, let's pretend Britt is right and revert to the marginal tax rates (married filing jointly) that preceded "Reaganomics".

It goes without saying that the "selfish" wealthy would see their marginal rate soar from its current 35% to a whopping 70%.

Huzzah!

Fie on the "unpatriotic" wealthy!

But lets move down the chain a ways to the "middle class", or "working families" (wealthy families don't work, you see) as they are called.

All numbers are rounded and are in 2008 dollars and all marginal tax rates are for joint returns and reflect adjusted gross income.

In 1980, if you had $0 to $9026 AGI you paid no income tax.

$14603 in 1980 put you in the 14% bracket. Today: 0%.

You do not pay a dollar of income tax today prior to dollar $16050.

Let's mosey our way up to the middle class. $42482 dollars put you in the 24% bracket in 1980. Today: 15%.

$53633, which is right around the median household income, 28%. Today: 15%.

Anybody at this level feel like doubling your tax burden? Or returning to your pre-"Reaganomics" marginal tax rate?

Fear not, though. Your additional "contributions" will be safe in the grubby hands of ACORN and other community organizers, and bureaucrats much smarter than you and me and Joe the Guy with a Real Job.

Now, it should be noted that even the redistribution-happy Obama is proposing only to raise the top marginal rate to 39.6%, hardly a call to return to the salad days of 1980.

Britt closes "[C]learly, it's time for a change in economic philosophy." Britt's proposal to repeal "Reaganomics" makes Obama's plan of the moment (it's easy to lose lose track) look reasonable by comparison!

References: Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.plTax Foundation,U.S. Federal Individual Income Tax Rates History, 1913-2008, http://taxfoundation.org/publications/printer/151.html

Note: We're not holding our breath.