The Magic O Update

Thanks to recent action in our pet nation, The Commonwealth of the Magic O, we now have the following:

Category: Democratic Socialists
Civil Rights:Excellent
Economy:Developing
Political Freedoms:Very Good

The Commonwealth of The Magic O is a tiny, socially progressive nation, notable for its burgeoning quacking tree frog population. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 12 million are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The government -- a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass -- is mainly concerned with Religion & Spirituality, although Education and Social Welfare are secondary priorities. The average income tax rate is 39%, but much higher for the wealthy. A small but healthy private sector is led by the Soda Sales industry, followed by Basket Weaving and Tourism.

The government is seen to favor Catholics, voting is compulsory, and tourists from around the world come to visit the country's famous rainforests. Crime is relatively low.

Three more issues now confront our intrepid leader:

1. A recent poll has revealed high levels of dissatisfaction among the populace about tax rates.

A) "Do you know how much of my year's work goes to the government?" demanded angry worker Bianca Longfellow. "Too much! Government spending has gotten way out of control. It needs big cuts in welfare, health, and education. But leave those subsidies to business alone. We need them to create jobs."

B) "It's not the AMOUNT of tax, it's where the burden falls," says student activist George W. Wu. "And at the moment, far too much of the burden is falling on the poor. People on high incomes still have more money than people on low incomes. I don't think I need to say anything more than that."

C) "I don't object to the amount of tax, I object to where it's being spent," says social reformer Anne-Marie Shiomi. "I'd like to see everyone have a choice as to where their dolla bills go every time they fill out a tax return. Everyone would feel a lot better about opening their wallets if they had a say as to where the money went. I think you'd see a lot more public money going to education and a lot less to business."

My choice: B, because we have to spread the wealth.

2. In a bid to provide a new revenue stream for The Magic O's Beef-Based Agriculture industry, it has been suggested that quacking tree frogs could be added to the menu.

A) "The fact is, the quacking tree frog population is out of control," says Beef-Based Agriculture spokesperson Bill Christmas. "We have to do something about them anyway, so why not market them as tasty snacks? We could have quacking tree frog kebabs, quacking tree frog pies, quacking tree frog-on-a-sticks--the possibilities are endless! Let's not pass up this golden opportunity to provide a feast, if you will, for our economy."

B)"I agree that something needs to be done about quacking tree frog over-population," says random passer-by Buy Thiesen, "but eating them? That's kind of gross. Let's just shoot the ones we have to and shovel their bodies into ditches like normal."

C)"I am shocked and appalled!" declared SPCA President Samuel du Pont. "If anyone needs to be culled, it's us humans. The quacking tree frogs were here first, remember? We need to take this as a sign to get our industry--agriculture in particular--to back off. The quacking tree frog is part of what makes The Magic O a great nation!"

My choice: C. Gotta save the planet from that evil industry.

3. Last night the respected tabloid TV show "60 Minutes" ran a report on The Magic O's rising divorce rate. What is happening to the nuclear family?

A) "There's a simple solution," says Pastor Felix, of the Catholic Church. "Divorce should be illegal. 'For better or worse,' anyone remember how that goes? We should return to the good old days, when you got married for life and stuck by your partner no matter how much of a drunken, abusive, adulterating disappointment they turned out to be."

B) John Black, author of the hit book, 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Some Whole Other Place,' has a simpler solution. "If couples would just call each other 'darling' once in a while, there would be far fewer relationship breakdowns. A little affection is all it takes. So the government should make it mandatory: call your spouse 'darling' at least once a day, or face a fine."

C) "There's a simple way to boost the marriage rate," says gay rights activist Colin Shiomi. "Abolish those arcane laws that discriminate against same-sex marriages. It's obscene to treat people differently because of their sexual preference. Besides, everyone knows gay relationships are more stable than straight ones."

My choice: B. Obama has come out against gay marriage, and what better way to strengthen marriage but a little bit of government intervention?

And...I'm back (with a Haversack)!

Greetings, fellow consumers of stolen wisdom. There is a good chance that, at this moment, most of you reading this blog are more informed than I am. I recently had a week long shortage of care. I impersonated your average American sheep and stuck my head deeply in the fine aggregate known as sand.

But no longer! So, to catch up quickly on what has gone on during my short hiatus, here's a Haversack full o' news.

• North Korea successfully detonates a nuclear bomb. Unlike the last test in 2006, this one yielded results. The bomb gave off a force on par with the Hiroshima bomb of 1945. Beloved Leader Kim has also said that they are no longer bound by the Armistice that ended the Korean War, and threatens war if the US or S. Korea act on their threat to search N. Korean ships. Personally, I am amazed. You mean strongly worded UN resolutions didn't stop Kim from gaining nuclear weapons? Inconceivable!
• Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to be the next Justice of the Supreme Court. Of course, she is a middle of the road, impartial judge, who will not allow anything to influence her interpretation of the Constitution. Don't believe me? Check the quotes: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life." No sir, no racism here! How about justice activism? "[the] Court of Appeals is where policy is made". Glad to see she knows her role.
• Biden decides secret VP bunker not so secret after all. Good ol' Joe, during the Gridiron club dinner (That the Pres. decided to snub, only the second time in history), let slip that there is a secret bunker under the Naval observatory, which is now the domicile of the Vice President. He then went on to describe in detail the tour of the place. I didn't see this in the article, but I'm pretty sure he went on to say that he often jogs by the lake in the early morning, alone. Silly Joe!
• The White House makes children cry. A group of children arrived from Conway Elementary School, eager to tour the White House. Starry eyed, they got up extra early. When over 100 kindergartners arrived at the doors, they were told that they could not come in. Why? Because they were 10 minutes late, and the White House had to get ready for a luncheon with the Steelers. Serves those rotten kids right. That'll teach them to be late!
• Finally! Zombie fire ants. Not quite Dawn of the Dead, but still! Researchers have found a parasitic fly that "dive-bomb" the fire ants and lay eggs. "The maggot that hatches inside the ant eats away at the brain, and the ant starts exhibiting what some might say is zombie-like behavior." Basically, they wander around aimlessly until their heads fall off. These flies are now being imported to farmers in Texas and other places to control the fire ant population.
• Newsflash: RNC to label the Democrat party as the "Socialist" Party!
• Newsflash: NOBODY CARES! Hey, RNC, why don't you try poopy head next? That's the ticket! Here I have to agree with RNC Chairman Michale Steele, as much as it pains me to do so. Do I think that the title is accurate? Absolutely! They are cruising us towards European style socialism at Mach speeds. The fact remains that labeling them Socialist in this dramatic manner is not going to achieve anything, and will actually make you appear to be exactly what you are: Spineless cowards with no real substance who are pandering to the masses in a vain attempt to recapture a fire you long since lost when you sold your soul to the Left.

UPDATE: Kris, a friend of mine, pointed out that what O is really cruising towards is not European style socialism, but actually fascism. He is correct, though functionally the two are very similar. Even though socialism abolishes private property, and fascism retains it, the fascists don't allow you control of said property, so it is not really yours in the end. Here's an excellent article that goes through the similarities between socialism and fascism.

The Mediocre Experiment: Decisions

As I outlined yesterday, The Mediocre Experiment is just getting underway. Right now our fledgeling nation has three decisions before it.

Issue #1: It's time for the government to hire a new religious advisor. Your people have narrowed down the candidates to:

A) Catholic Archbishop Randy Shiomi: boasts an excellent track record, having rapidly increased church attendances in his constituencies through the "Reaching God Through Guilt" program. Seen as a solid choice.

B) New Age thinker Bianca Hendrikson: a left-field candidate with some radical ideas. "For me, it's not about the name of your religion. It's about discovering your spirituality in whatever guise that takes. Some people call that a cult: I call it taking spirituality to the people."

C) Finally, there's Calvin Jones. "If I am awarded the appointment, I will immediately resign," the ex-schoolteacher has declared. "Because, frankly, God is a big load of hokey. I'll be doing everyone a favor by just shutting up about it."

I'm going with A. Obama played on his religion a bit during the campaign. Not a whole lot, but enough.

Next up: Prospecting company Nukes4U has uncovered a large uranium deposit in The Magic O's south-west.

A) "This is a terrific find!" claims Nukes4U CEO Buy Li. "It will provide an enormous stimulus to our economy and create thousands of new jobs. It's win-win! All we need from the government is permission to bulldoze the rainforest that's on top of the deposit."

B) "You've got to be kidding," says Green politician Colin Hanover. "This rainforest is thousands of years old! This country needs more environmental protection, not less. And to destroy the environment in order to mine uranium that then goes into nuclear bombs--well, that really sticks in my craw."

C) "There's no need for an either-or decision," says the government's Minister for Mining, Clear-Felling, and the Environment. "We can preserve most of the rainforest and allow mining of a small part. After all, think of all the good that the money from this uranium deposit can bring to The Magic O."

This one is a no-brainer. It's B all the way. Obama, like many other politicians, is completely on the green train. Choo choo!

Finally: In response to a slow news week, certain highbrow newspapers have stirred up the debate over voluntary vs compulsory voting.

A) "Compulsory voting makes about as much as sense as having the death penalty for attempted suicide," says civil rights activist Peggy Li. "You can't force people to be free! You can only give them the choice. Besides, if all those derelicts who can't be bothered to get off their butts once every few years voted, who would they elect? I shudder to think."

B) "It's not contradictory at all," argues political commentator Larry Summers. "The fact is, if not everyone votes, the outcome isn't truly representative. Some groups--like elderly gun nuts--vote more often than others. That's why we always end up with such terrible politicians."

C) "This raises an interesting issue," says George W. McGuffin, your brother. "And that is: why do we need elections, anyway? Seems to me it would be much simpler if you just decided what was right, and did it. Wouldn't that save everyone a lot of time?"

B wins out again. You can't be relied upon to vote. So, the government will make sure you do. Sounds reasonable to me. How else can we be really representative?

Let me know what you think of my choices in the comments. I'll hold off on committing to the legislation for a bit. Remember, this isn't what you or I would choose. We aren't enlightened. This is what our fearless leader Comrade Obama would choose.

The Mediocre Experiment

So I've been pondering what to do with my usual Friday segment, now that our fearless leader has reached rock bottom. I've been taking an impromptu hiatus from the being informed scene, burying my head in the sand like the rest of the population for a couple of days. In that time I've come up with an idea all on my own. How would you like it if we could run an amazingly accurate simulation of what our country would look like if our President could do whatever he wanted? Anything he wanted, done! What if we could use this simulation to accurately predict the future of our country, and how we would get there? This kind of simulation would have all the trimmings: War, graphics, violence, zombies...Maybe some politics...Anyhow, it would be cool. I'd call something like that "The Great Experiment".

Unfortunately, after my extensive 30 seconds of research I realized that something like that would cost money. So, I scrapped that, settled for "The Mediocre Experiment" and created a NationState. NationStates is a little web site where you can create a nation, give it a name, and make decisions. You get up to two issues to decide a day, and based on your decisions, your country evolves. You are given a title for your government (From Capitalist Paradise to Corrupt Dictatorship to New York Times Democracy) and rated on Civil Rights, Economy, and Political Freedoms. You can check out our new nation, the Commonwealth of The Magic O.

At times through the week I'll post what the decision our little microcosm has before it, and what I think Obama would do given the choice. You can suggest differently if you like, and at the end of the week we'll see what's going on in our island of paradise.

When you create your nation you are given a small questionnaire to get you started. I tried to answer as neutrally as I could (simply "undecided" was not an option.) In the interests of fairness, here's the questions I was given and the answers I gave (answers were A) Strongly Agree, B) Agree, C) Disagree, or D) Strongly Disagree):

1: A country should be judged by how it treats its worst-off citizens. B
2: Corporations do more good for society than harm. C
3: Marijuana should be legal. C
4: The world needs to rediscover its spirituality. B
5: A lot of what's wrong with youth today could be fixed by a year's military service. C
6: Capitalism is on the way out. B
7: Without democracy, a country has nothing. B
8: It's more important to deter criminals than try to rehabilitate them. C

Admittedly even having to answer a questionnaire like that taints the experiment, but remember, this one isn't Great, just Mediocre. As it stands, our country is classified as "Democratic Socialists". "The Commonwealth of The Magic O is a fledgling, environmentally stunning nation, notable for its burgeoning quacking tree frog population. Its compassionate, intelligent population of 5 million are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Social Welfare, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 35%, but much higher for the wealthy. A small but healthy private sector is led by the Soda Sales industry, followed by Basket Weaving and Cheese Exports.

Crime is moderate, and the police force struggles against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. The Magic O's national animal is the quacking tree frog, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the dolla bill."

So, there you have it! Long Live the Commonwealth!

Obama Approval Rating: ?

Day 115 of 1461, or 7.8% through his term, Obama's approval rating hovers at 5%. Will this be the week?

#1: O Admin ponders how to force banks to cut pay. I went over this in detail in this blog, but here's the reader's digest version: They want to control how banks can pay their employees, including non-executives. This includes banks who did not take one thin dime of TARP funds. To top it off, they haven't even found a legal way to do it yet and already there are rumblings about expanding this to the mortgage industry, and further. Disgraceful. For take the next step towards a nationalized economy, he drops 6%.

#2: Silly Chrysler. You don't really need those commercials. The folks at the Chrysler arm of Government Motors (Commonly known as GM) attempted someone radical the other day. They actually tried to determine their own budget on marketing! Poppycock, I say! Fortunately, the Obama Auto Task Force came to the rescue.

"Chrysler wanted to spend $134 million in advertising over the nine weeks it's expected to be in bankruptcy -- the U.S. Treasury's auto-industry task force gave it half that.

So if GM, which is wrestling with the possibility of a Chapter 11 filing itself, is wondering how much influence the task force will have over marketing, the answer is: plenty."

That was close. We almost had a private business making decisions for itself. What a disaster that would've been!

Here's the bottom line. How a private business spends its own money is its own business, and the business of no one else, especially the government, so long as it is not breaking any laws. Last I checked, advertising was in fact legal. If Chrysler wanted to spent $1 million on trained chimpanzees in armor with swords, that would be their own business (and it would be really cool). This is why getting public funds involved in private business is a bad idea. When you do that, you give the government authority to do things it should not be doing. Answer: Let Chrysler fail! For demonstrating his complete lack of regard for personal freedoms, Obama loses 4%.

#3: Businesses are exporting jobs? Let's raise taxes! Here's the link to the blog I wrote on this earlier in the week. Here goes the quick & dirty. Fact: America has the third highest tax rate in the industrialized world for businesses (as of 2003), behind Japan and Germany. Fact: Higher taxes give an incentive for a company to leave town. Fact: I love cheese. Put all these together, and you get bad news for high tax areas, especially if you try to close loopholes that let the company defray the cost of these high taxes. For scaring businesses better than the bogeyman, Obama loses 4%.

#4: Sike! No torture photos, and tribunals are a great idea after all! In a "complete 180" from an earlier position, Obama has decided to fight releasing the 44 photos depicting "torture" perpetrated on prisoners, saying that to do so would "inflame anti-American opinion and to put our troops in greater danger". Obama was intent on allowing the photos to be released as late as April 23rd, but the Magic O has determined that it might not be a great idea after all.

In related news, remember how keeping detainees forever without due process was completely wrong, and Bush was blasted for it during the campaign? Remember how these prisoners deserved the rights of citizens? Yeah, not so much.

"The Obama administration is weighing plans to detain some terror suspects on U.S. soil -- indefinitely and without trial -- as part of a plan to retool military commission trials that were conducted for prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."

Let me start by saying I agree with both of these decisions. Prisoners of war are not citizens. If they were American citizens, I would say they deserve due process as such. Since they aren't, they don't. Military tribunals are what they ought to get, because that is how we deal with dangerous enemy combatants. The photos should never have been taken, and now that they are, they ought to be destroyed. If misconduct was done (and I'm not convinced that it was misconduct, but whatever) then it ought to be investigated and dealt with appropriately. Appropriately means quietly, privately, and judiciously. Not splashed on every newspaper with detailed instructions to our enemies about exactly how far we will push them if they are captured.

The only troubling thing is such a complete reversal of opinion with little explanation. I suspect that perhaps the world is not the comfy, cozy place it appeared on the campaign trail. The more Obama learns this the more he realizes that perhaps his predecessor wasn't the great Satan he thought he was, at least not when it came to national security. For flopping, Obama loses 2%. For ending up on the right side, he gains 4%.

Let's add up the totals. It appears that our President is at negative 7% Wait! It's the magical point fairy! She has come to drop off a gift, special for the President. The direct intervention of a magical creature gives the President 7 approval points! (cue the Final Fantasy victory music.)

The approval rating now sits at a nice, round 0%. It's almost like I planned that...

Since we have now hit rock bottom, it would appear that our weekly feature is at a close. If you have any ideas on what you might like to see replace it, or how it could continue, leave them in the comments!

Administration to Take Charge of Bank Payroll

In yet another astoundingly socialist brilliant move, the Obama Administration "has begun serious talks about how it can change compensation practices across the financial-services industry, including at companies that did not receive federal bailout money, according to people familiar with the matter...

...Among ideas being discussed are Fed rules that would curb banks' ability to pay employees in a way that would threaten the "safety and soundness" of the bank -- such as paying loan officers for the volume of business they do, not the quality. The administration is also discussing issuing "best practices" to guide firms in structuring pay."

Holy Marxism Batman! Are they saying that they want to determine how private banks pay their employees? This can't possibly be! This is America! Fortunately, Ben Bernanke clears things up. No need to panic.

"During a recent congressional hearing, Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed was working on rules that will 'ask or tell banks to structure their compensation, not just at the very top level but down much further, in a way that is consistent with safety and soundness -- which means that payments, bonuses and so on should be tied to performance and should not induce excessive risk.'"

They just want to tell the bank how to pay everyone from the CEO to it's tellers. No need to panic, nothing to see here folks.

Now I know what you're thinking. This kind of policy could spread beyond the banks, and spill into a full blown government controlled market! Silly hatemongering conservative. They wouldn't do that. They're the government, we can trust them! Only the banks will be affected. Look at what the FDIC Chairman said.

"Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said regulators need to examine compensation practices in the mortgage industry, suggesting new limits could stretch beyond banks."

Huh. Well, I'm sure they'll stop at the mortgage industry.

The real question, though, is is this socialism? Let's check with Uncle Sam...

Whew! No socialism here after all. That's a relief.

(Thanks to Ace of Spades for the story)

Finally! FDA cracks down on Cheerios

The FDA has finally stepped forward to address the "elephant in the room" problem plaguing our nation's streets. I know you've seen them. Derelicts in the street, roaming alleyways, clogging intersections. Young and old, black or white, these poor refugees all have one thing in common. They are all searching for that next hit, their next high. Their drug of choice? Cheerios. It is about time this scourge was challenged, and the FDA is up to the task.

In a blistering letter sent by the FDA to General Mills, (Known as "Big Daddy G Money" on the street) they blast Big Daddy by first removing the farce that Cheerios are a cereal or something. "Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug". Take that, General Mills!

The promotion in question? G Money draws in junkies by claiming that Cheerios "can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks" and the nefarious dealer references clinical studies while doing it. What a completely true claim dastardly lie!

From The Raw Story: "General Mills defended the claims on Cheerios packaging, saying in a statement that Cheerios' soluble fiber heart health claim has been FDA-approved for 12 years, and that its 'lower your cholesterol four percent in six weeks' message has been featured on the box for more than two years."

The problem, according to the FDA, is not that this claim is untrue. It's that...Well...They...You...Ummm....It's that according to regulation Alpha Omega 2000 XY, all your base are belong to us. (We want more power, and you're looking mighty tasty).

The FDA has warned that if these scoundrels don't mend their ways, "boxes of Cheerios could disappear from supermarket and wholesaler shelves around the United States and the company could face legal action." Completely unrelated but interesting fact: Cheerios account for 1 in 8 (12.5%) of cereals sold in the US according to General Mills. That'll do wonders for grocery stores I'm sure.

(Thanks to Robin for the tip on this story)

How do you attract business? Higher taxes!

That's the plan, at least, that Obama set out on May 4th. Touting the collection of measures as loophole closing, it basically makes it more difficult for US based companies to "hide" money overseas, by producing products in areas that are cheaper to run in and then selling them here. Moneys made overseas by US based businesses are not taxed at the American rate, so the Feds "lose" that tax money and the companies have an incentive to produce things overseas.

The American Thinker has an excellent article that explains it quite well. An excerpt:

"America's 35% corporate tax rate is the second highest in the world. Emerging markets have much lower rates. Ireland's corporate tax rate, for example, is only 12.5%. If an American corporation produces in Ireland, it only pays 12.5% tax on its income, while if it produces in America it pays 35%.

President Obama is correct that current tax policy creates inefficient incentives for outsourcing. Suppose that the US-based Widget Corporation is trying to decide whether to build a factory in the US or in Ireland. Based on the cost of production, distribution, and shipping, producing widgets in the US will earn a profit of $10 per widget. Producing in Ireland will earn a profit of only $8 per widget. The economically efficient thing to do is to produce widgets in the US. Except for the tax consequences! Ireland has lower corporate tax rates. Consequently, the after-tax profits in Ireland are $7 while the after-tax profits in the US are $6.50. "

By enacting this plan of his, he will effectively make the tax rate of, say, Ireland, the same as the US tax rate by taxing the companies the difference. That will mean it will become cheaper to produce in the US again, so the Widget corporation will move all the jobs back here. Hooray! Problem solved! Let's get some ice cream.

Wait, sorry. Got trapped in an alternate reality where that plan might work. As we travel back to Earth, let's review a basic principle: Every company exists to turn a profit, and will act in the manner that allows it turn the greatest amount of profit possible while expending the least amount of resources possible. Think of this kind of like the "Path of Least Resistance" principle (PLR). Any company that does not follow this principle will not remain a company very long.

Keeping that in mind, we understand that the US can only tax the earnings of a company who is based in the US. Tthis plan makes it uncomfortable for a company to be partially exported (produce elsewhere, based here), making sure that is no longer the PLR. However, it does not make being domestic (Produce and based in the US) any better, because all the plan does is raise taxes. What the plan, which American Thinker aptly labels the "The Outsource Corporate Headquarters Act of 2009", is make the cheapest and easiest option (The PLR) to leave America entirely. Then, they get to live it up with Ireland's cheap tax rate and all they have to pay here in the US are fees associated with exporting, which will end up not costing nearly as much as our outrageous tax rate.

If we alternatively sought to make it cheap and cost effective to run businesses in the US by completely removing the corporate tax rate (or at the very least slashing it to less than 10%), it would solve the problem of US companies exporting jobs and it would attract foreign companies to move to America.

We could also achieve the same thing by moving to a flat tax system, or a VAT (Value added tax) system. Either way, it would make it cheaper to run businesses.

But who am I kidding? I'm sure Super CEO Obama knows what he's doing.

Montana to Federal Government: Go *&*$ yourself.

In an amazing act of defiance, the State of Montana has passed the House Bill 246, a.k.a. the "Montana Firearms Freedom Act". The link goes to the full text of the bill, which is actually readable. The basic talking points:

• The 2nd amendment guarantees citizens the right to keep and bear arms.
• The 9th and 10th amendments guarantees any rights not specifically given to the Federal Government are reserved to the States, or the People.
• The "interstate commerce" clause of the Constitution is what the Feds use as their authority to regulate guns, since they can cross state lines.
• HB 246 says that if the gun and ammo is made exclusively in Montana, marked as such (with a "Made in Montana" stamp), and will not cross state lines then it is intra-State commerce (commerce within the State). Therefore, such an item would be outside the Federal government's authority, and Federal laws do not apply.

According to the AP article, similar measures have been passed in Texas and Alaska. Montana plans to find a "squeaky clean" person to send a note to the ATF informing them that they plan to build and sell 20 .22 caliber rifles as prescribed in HB 246, all without Federal permits. Then they basically dare the Feds to stop them. If they try, Montana can sue, which then allows the issue to go to the court system, eventually the Supreme Court.

Bill sponsor Rep. Joel Boniek made very clear that he believed the "the issue here is not about firearms. It's about state rights." He could not be more correct. I'm no lawyer, but I am a thinker. If the item does not leave the state (if it did do that, HB 246 no longer applies and both Montana and the Feds hold it as illegal), then what right has the Federal gov't to interfere? If they do choose to step in, and the Courts uphold it, it will be yet another (perhaps the last) nail in the coffin for the 9th and 10th amendments, and by extension, the entire Constitution.

Handy Haversack of news

My "to be blogged" folder is now taking other folders hostage and is making demands. Since I don't negotiate with terrorists, I decided to clear out the folder a bit. Let's dig into our Haversack, shall we?

• Obama cuts $17 billion off of the budget. The bright side is this is quite a bit better than the $100 million he started with. The downside is this is less than half of one percent of the $3.4 Trillion budget he pushed through. On the balance, it is good to cut spending...Still not enough to impress me. Also, since most of these cuts are likely to be nixed by Congress, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference.
• Sarah Palin to get the coolest M4 EVER! The NRA has custom designed a M-4 just for the Governor. From the all white paint job, to the .50 cal round it uses, to a neat little nameplate, this weapon is really cool.
• Oklahoma tells Federal Gov't to back off. The OK State Congress passed a bill, similar to Texas, that "would tell [the Federal] Congress to 'get back into their proper constitutional role.' The resolution states the federal government should 'cease and desist' mandates that are beyond the scope of its powers." This may just be political posturing, but I still like the tone.
• Pedophiles must be protected...Veterans, not so much. During a House Judiciary Meeting where they were discussing a hate crimes bill, an amendment was proposed to exclude pedophiles from being a protected status. Every Democrat voted it down. During the same session, an amendment was proposed to protect veterans under the bill. As Red State reports, "Not only did the Democrats vote it down, but Cogresswoman Debbie Waasserman Schultz attacked the Republicans for even thinking veterans might need protection under hate crimes legislation." I think hate crimes legislation is silly to begin with (and unconstitutional), and ought to be gotten rid of. But if you have to have it, do it right.
• Ann Coulter delivers the smackdown. Here's the exchange, and it is priceless. To paraphrase: Joy Behr: "You are a supporter of waterboarding, but you don't want to be waterboarded yourself." Ann Coulter: "You are pro-choice, but you don't want to be aborted." Whammy.
• Environmentalist sailors rescued at sea by...wait for it...an Oil Tanker. The irony is delicious. A group of greenies start on a 5k mile emission-free sailing trip to Greenland. After winds capsized them, solar panels were destroyed, and their wind generator kicked the bucket, they had to be saved by the Oveseas Yellowstone. Yes, Big Oil to the rescue again.
• Hey Unions: The Secret Ballot works. A group of nurses in a hospital in Louisville are getting a lesson in the ballot process. Twice, when a petition to vote on unionizing was passed around, a "clear majority" of nurses signed the petition for the union. Yet, when the results from the subsequent secret ballot were tabulated, a majority of nurses voted against a union. The NY Times spins this as showing why the Card Check rule needs to be adopted. Secret ballots obviously don't work! Actually, this shows exactly the opposite. When the vote is public, people can be intimidated, threatened, etc. When the vote is secret, there is no way to harm someone for voting one way or another. That's what secrete means. Therefore, since the secret ballot is more accurate, and it overwhelmingly goes against the union, that implies that the public ballot (or "card check") method is not accurate. There I go, using logic again. Silly me. Facts don't belong in political discussions.

Obama Rating: 5%

Here it is, the weekly report on our Beloved Leader. Can he hold on to his double digit approval rating?

#1:No bailout of newspapers: This might seem a little small. After all, it seems we're bailing out just about everybody these days. Auto makers, banks, lemonade stands...Apparently, though, newspapers don't make the grade. While the White House expressed "concern" and "sadness" over the newspapers going the way of the dino, they refuse to push for any act to stop it. Good on them, I say, for a few reasons.

• To have the government step in, and treat the papers like they've treated the auto industry, would be an egregious violation of the first amendment (government controlled media, anybody?)
• Newspapers are still a business, and deserve to rise and fall on their own merits without interference.
• Most importantly, news isn't going away. It's just the paper version of it. Times change.

One must wonder if the Communist News Network (CNN) or the New Barack Channel (NBC) were to go bankrupt, would his attitude be the same? I can hope so. He goes up 1% for not trying to fight the inevitable.

#2: Air Force One looks SO cool near the Statue of Liberty. I can just imagine how this went down. He's thinking to himself about how Air Force One needs some new pics to show off just how cool it is. Then it hits him. What is the only thing cooler than having the Statue of Liberty in the background? Having the Statue of Liberty and the terrified populace of New York running for their lives! That's the ticket.

In case you couldn't hear the screams and didn't know what was going on Air Force one did a very low fly over of downtown New York. What the people on the ground saw, though, was a 747 being "chased" by fighter jets. I know what your thinking: "Who could have predicted that having a jet fly really low over New York could make people nervous? I mean, it's not like jets have hit buildings there before killing thousands of Americans or something!"

Well, actually, it appears the FAA could, and did, predict just such a reaction. They released a memo prior to the flight. "[The] Federal Aviation Administration's James Johnston said the agency was aware of "the possibility of public concern regarding DOD (Department of Defense) aircraft flying at low altitudes" in an around New York City. But they demanded total secrecy from the NYPD, the Secret Service, the FBI and even the mayor's office and threatened federal sanctions if the secret got out."

According to the US News, "The photo shoot staged by a jet from the Air Force One fleet and an F16 fighter plane flying low near the Statue of Liberty cost taxpayers $328,835, according to a Pentagon estimate, and frightened witnesses into thinking they were watching another 9/11 attack.

The White House Military Office wanted the picture of the President's plane for promotional purposes. The director of that office, Louis Caldera, has taken responsibility for the incident and apologized."

So, Louis Caldera takes the hit for the team. Personally, I don't buy it. It is Air Force One. There are only two of them. They are his personal jets. He doesn't know where they are? No one tells him? Louis just calls up, all by himself, and takes one of the President's personal jets and no one tells Obama? Barack has to know this is happening, because if it is, he can't use it that day. The scheduling alone would be a nightmare. For scaring the bajeezas out of NYC on the taxpayer dime, he drops 3%. Plus another 1% for throwing poor Louis under the bus.

#3: Super CEO Obama "stress tests" the banking system. Who knows more about banking than banking CEOs? Why, Barack Obama of course! Fresh from displaying his wealth of knowledge about the auto-industry by firing GM's CEO, it appears a few more heads might go on the chopping block, this time from banks who didn't pass the so called "stress test" (I'm looking at you, Bank of America and Citigroup). Though the story has been leaked since early this week, the report just came out last night. Banks now have 30 days to announce a plan. What should that plan include? If you read this press release from the Fed & gang:

"...firms will need to review their existing management and Board in order to assure that the leadership of the firm has sufficient expertise and ability to manage the risks presented by the current economic environment".

Allow me to translate: Hope you got that golden parachute ready, boys, because you're going to need it. Once upon a time, the hirings and firings of private enterprise would have been of no concern to the Federal government. It seems that those times are come and gone. Of course, this isn't statism or socialism, no no no! This is just the President directly interfering with the employment and compensation agreements between private citizens and private companies, that's all. He loses 3% for readying the noose.

Tally up the scores, and you'll find a net 6 point loss, bringing el Presidente down to 5%. Can we stay above zero? YES WE CAN!

Dear Attorney General Holder: Go &*$# yourself

The Obama administration is holding a "round table" discussion on their policy of prosecuting jihadists in our court system, rather than treating them as prisoners of war. It would seem to me that Obama's mind is pretty well made up on the subject. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Andrew McCarthy, who helped prosecute the terrorists behind the first WTC bombings, was invited to participate in this discussion. He declined, sending the Attorney General an open letter. You can find the entire text of the letter here. It's a bit long but worth reading. Here's some highlights:

"This letter is respectfully submitted to inform you that I must decline the invitation to participate in the May 4 roundtable meeting the President’s Task Force on Detention Policy is convening with current and former prosecutors involved in international terrorism cases. An invitation was extended to me by trial lawyers from the Counterterrorism Section, who are members of the Task Force, which you are leading.

The invitation email (of April 14) indicates that the meeting is part of an ongoing effort to identify lawful policies on the detention and disposition of alien enemy combatants—or what the Department now calls “individuals captured or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism operations.” I admire the lawyers of the Counterterrorism Division, and I do not question their good faith. Nevertheless, it is quite clear—most recently, from your provocative remarks on Wednesday in Germany—that the Obama administration has already settled on a policy of releasing trained jihadists (including releasing some of them into the United States). Whatever the good intentions of the organizers, the meeting will obviously be used by the administration to claim that its policy was arrived at in consultation with current and former government officials experienced in terrorism cases and national security issues. I deeply disagree with this policy, which I believe is a violation of federal law and a betrayal of the president’s first obligation to protect the American people. Under the circumstances, I think the better course is to register my dissent, rather than be used as a prop." (emphasis added)

Note the ridiculous title now given to those who take up arms against our nation. Enemy combatants no longer. It seems the more words you throw at something, the more harmless it becomes. He also tears away the illusion of cooperation, and calls their game boldly, but respectfully.

"Moreover, in light of public statements by both you and the President, it is dismayingly clear that, under your leadership, the Justice Department takes the position that a lawyer who in good faith offers legal advice to government policy makers—like the government lawyers who offered good faith advice on interrogation policy—may be subject to investigation and prosecution for the content of that advice, in addition to empty but professionally damaging accusations of ethical misconduct. Given that stance, any prudent lawyer would have to hesitate before offering advice to the government."

Wait, hold on. Deciding to prosecute people for making good faith judgements on policy, after we decide we don't like their policy, might make other people in similar positions less likely to cooperate? Poppycock!

"[I am] powerless to stop the President, as he takes these reckless steps, from touting his Detention Policy Task Force as a demonstration of his national security seriousness. But I can decline to participate in the charade."

He pulls no punches, calling this act out for what it is: a worthless lie. Somehow they think that if you bring people to a meeting, then ignore everything they say, you have somehow been bipartisan. This is not so.

Don't get me wrong. If I were in charge, and my political opponents were powerless to stop me, you better believe I would use the opportunity to enact measures I believed to be in the best interest of our nation. Demolishing spending, cutting taxes (especially on the rich), strengthening the military, reducing government...I'd do what I could to usher in the Conservative golden age. I would respectfully listen to my opponents, but in the end, I would do what I thought was best. What I wouldn't do, and where the left is messing up in my eyes, is try to pretend like I'm not the one making these decisions. I (and all my capitalist friends) would get all the credit for how things went, good or bad.

Look at it this way. The liberals now have complete control of two out of three branches of government, and the third isn't exactly arrayed against them. They ought to be able to do all the things they've wanted to for the last 8 years and longer without any real interference from the conservatives (this is aided by the fact that many Republicans are not conservatives at all). If they were really sure that their policies would work and make a more prosperous nation, if they really believed what they say, they wouldn't want our help. That way, when everything goes rainbows and lollipops, they get all the glory and their opponents are marginalized. They win, America prospers, and they remain in power for a very long time.

Why don't they do this? Because if they do that, when things don't go rainbows and lollipops, they can't blame conservatives for it. So they play this game of bipartisanship, where they pretend they give a rat's behind what the other side thinks by including them in meaningless meetings where they are instantly ignored. That way, should the country take a nose dive, they can cry out that "They weren't the only ones!"

Major kudos to Mr. McCarthy for calling the facade what it is, and giving AG Holder the one fingered salute, in the most kind and respectful way possible.

Obama Approval Rating, Special 102 Day Edition!

Our President has now reached the landmark 102nd day in office. Don't be fooled by the "First 100 days" crowd, the 102nd day is where it's at. I can virtually guarantee you will not get this kind of in depth analysis of the 102nd day anywhere but at Just Another Capitalist.

What has our President done in his first few months? Let's run it down:

#1: Your money is going out of style...: Or at least that's how it's being spent. Check out the summary page of the Obama budget, straight from the Whitehouse website. Spending for 2010: $3.552 Trillion. Deficit: 1.171 Trillion. To give you some reference, take it as a percentage of GDP: 24.1% & 8% respectively. Now look at possibly the worst number of all, the national debt: $9.509 Trillion, or 64.6% of the GDP. Just in case that wasn't enough to floor you, consider this: The budget doesn't include many of the most recent stimulus and bailout packages. Still on your feet? Check out the National Debt Clock: $11.16 Trillion as of 1 May 09.

#2: The best foreign diplomat EVER: The world loves us now, haven't you heard? Showing his countless minutes of foreign relations experience, he has managed to:

• Snub the leader of one of our closest allies, the Brits.
• Bow to the Saudi King, showing we aren't as powerful as you might think.
• Hug/grope the Venezuelan dictator Chavez, who pays him back by strengthening ties with our buddies, the Iranians.
• Explain to the world how we are "arrogant" and "dismissive".
• Much, much more!

What's not to love?

#3: Throw private enterprise under the bus...: Or at least under the Hummer. It all started with bailouts for the auto industry, who we are told are too big to fail. Then he fired GM's CEO. Fired a private employee of a private business. Then he decided the government would take a "key role" in naming the new Board of Directors. Next it was rejecting business plans. The plans of a private enterprise. He also told the bankers who wanted to repay the government loans that they needed to "take their medicine" (in other words, no).

#4: Tell private citizens he doesn't like your AK-47: Sure, he's not seeking a ban on assault rifles. Too bad the only reason he's not seeking it is because he knows that such a move would fail. Meaning: He would love to take those weapons away from the citizenry, and would do it if he thought he could. It is only a matter of time. Then again, at least he's consistent. He wants the government to disarm, too, and cut our nuclear arsenal. A world without nuclear weapons! Presumably said world would be populated exclusively by unicorns and puppies, and trees would grow lollipops and rainbow sherbet.

#5: Put those no good veterans right where they belong...: Alongside neo-Nazis and racists! They are in good company with a host of malcontents, including:

• 2nd amendment activists
• Gun-owners
• Those who fear the rise of unfriendly nations
• Those against illegal immigration
• Pro-lifers

What a crowd of ne'er do wells! Those rotten veterans will fit right in. Remember: Just because you fought on a foreign battlefield for the security of your nation does not mean you care one bit about it once you get back. (Read the report here)

Phew! What a busy time it has been. Tallying up the points, I'd say our President gets an A+ for effort, and a F for execution. But hey, look on the bright side. He's got a whole 1,461 more days to get it right!