According to progressives (and liberal thinking for the most part), a person who builds their own business A) didn't really do it because they either exploited labour or did so thanks to roads built by others and B) don't deserve the spoils of their rewards and must give it back through taxes.
If they could they would indeed come up with a salary cap. The person who invests and risks their time and capital shall have no right to a higher income than the lowest ranking worker because egalitarianism! They sit around doing nothing all day anyway so...FAIR!
Yet.
A union boss who earns over 500k a year (Syndicate bosses in Quebec are among the wealthiest people) like the head of the AFT (American Federation of Teacher) escapes criticism despite her salary coming off the backs of workers by way of TAXES paid for the rest of society.
At least in the former there's some wealth and job creation taking place keeping the economy alive which keeps tax revenues flowing to pay for...you know the rest.
Strange logic indeed.
As for CEO's (public enemy #1 and now (figuratively) #4 on the FBI's most wanted list), that's a matter for shareholders. Each company has its own unique and multiple circumstances that determine a CEO's salary (and bonus). The CEO doesn't 'take' or dictate his or own salary.
But in the 'one-size fits all, one-dimensional' mind set of a progressive all CEO's are one and the same.
In case you haven't noticed, I now pile up articles into one big, gigantic, humongous post. Not only that, from now on, sometimes you'll see 'Fall of the West' posts under the banner of Daily Round Up.
Speaking of sad, what about Hilary choosing to hold a press conference at the UN?
Man, oh, man that was horrible theater - and optics!
First, off she can't even lie properly. Nothing she said made any sense or passed the sniff test.
Second, she deleted 30 000 of 60 000 emails. That is, 30 000 personal emails. Harmless emails she assures people.
Third, she still has the charisma of a paper clip.
Fourth, she talks about dedicating herself to woman's rights (woman's rights are HUMAN rights! In case anyone was confused that the term 'human' did not include women) for 20 years. Yeah. Tell that to the poor rape victim she made a meal back when she was practicing law.
This is thing about taxation. It astounds me how people don't sit and ponder what taxation does to wealth; indeed how it destroys our ability to build wealth.
You can tax all you want but if the system is corroded with cronyism and corruption you'll always be begging for more money.
***
Top-bottom approach through government initiatives for entrepreneurship is not a way to create an entrepreneurial class.
In can be a part of the process but not a means to an end.
The best way government can help future entrepreneurs is to get out of the way by reducing superficial barriers to entry, bull shit permits and licenses, monopolies and red tape.
Instead of doing their FUCKING JOBS by cracking down on horrific events like Rotherdam and Oxfordshire, these tyrannical assholes want to go full blown communist on citizens.
"The
rise of the welfare state in the 1960s contributed greatly to the
demise of the black family as a stable institution. The
out-of-wedlock birth rate among African Americans today is 73%, three
times higher than it was prior to the War on Poverty. Children raised
in fatherless homes are far more likely to grow up poor and to
eventually engage in criminal behavior, than their peers who are
raised in two-parent homes. In 2010, blacks (approximately 13% of the
U.S. population) accounted
for
48.7% of all arrests for homicide, 31.8% of arrests for forcible
rape, 33.5% of arrests for aggravated assault, and 55% of arrests for
robbery. Also as of 2010, the black poverty rate was 27.4%
(about 3
times higher
than the white rate), meaning that 11.5 million blacks in the U.S. were
living in poverty."
While we're at it, maybe we shouldn't praise single motherhood too much either. Too many kids are born out of wedlock and that's as sure a bet to poverty as one can get. It's not capitalism that's causes poverty and misery. It's choice. As in our decisions.
Capitalism gives us the rule book and instructions but it's up to us to make it work. Don't confuse and conflate you being in a rut with the system fucking you over.
"...William
Galston, President Bill Clinton's Deputy Assistant to the President
for Domestic Affairs, estimated
that the welfare system, with its economic disincentives to marriage,
was responsible for at least 15% to 20% of the family disintegration
in the United States. Libertarian scholar Charles Murray has placed
the figure at somewhere around 50%.
By Murray's
reckoning,
the growth and increased liberalization of the “welfare complex”
have eroded the traditional ethos of working-class communities that
once held people who worked at low-wage jobs, and men who married the
mothers of their children, in much higher esteem than unwed parents
who became wards of the state."
"A man who leaned over a plate of sizzling fajitas to pray can't sue a Westampton restaurant because the dish burned him, an appellate court ruled Wednesday."
BAN HOT PLATES AND FOOD NOW!
***
The debate on assisted suicide continues in Canada with the CMA recently voicing its concern regarding doctors being forced to perform the act against their wishes. Politicians assure us that won't be the case but we know coercion is right around the corner. It's the government and they will compel doctors if they feel swayed to do so.
On this issue, doctors and the courts seem to be on side (for what it's worth, this include me) and ethicists (natural heirs of eugenicists; The Grim Reapers of hyper-rationalist thought) on the other side.
***
Nanny Bloomberg is at it again and he's nannyier than ever:
“...What are we going to say in 10 years when we see all these kids whose
IQs are 5 and 10 points lower than they would have been?” he asked. “I
couldn’t feel more strongly about it, and my girlfriend says it’s no
different than alcohol. It is different than alcohol. This is one of the
stupider things that’s happening across our country.”
My father had a place of business in the heart of the market/Little Italy. As a member of the Italo tribe, we pretty much grew up on its premises as our family still owns property there and see no problem with Starbucks coming in.
Businesses have
always come and gone in the area. If it didn't, it would be stagnant. Let the market place determine if patrons really want one. I find it somewhat distasteful people would
deprive consumers of having choice.
"The mission of the Public Markets of Montréal (MPM) is to promote the
access of locally grown agricultural produce and to honor Québec’s
heritage.
Yeah well, I haven't been impressed by what the MPM has done to the market among them driving prices up because it takes a cut from all the businesses in the market.
I fail to see how denying other companies in a free market somehow dishonors Quebec's heritage.
The opening of a Starbucks Coffee in Jean-Talon Market
fundamentally denies the mission of the MPM, and favours a globalized
economy, which is dehumanizing and polluting instead of promoting a
local economy based on human scale and sustainable principles.
This is exactly the wrong-headed thinking that's condemning the market to insignificance. The MPM has no business commanding the local economy from a top-bottom approach.
The rest is just unsubstantiated appeals to emotions. Dehumanizing is left-wing code for gibberish. I also fail to see how Starbucks will negatively impact the area.
How come the MPM has no problem with the monopolistic SAQ selling wines from all over the world while hardly supporting local wine makers? Or the Presse Cafe that opened up on St.Laurent and Jean-Talon?
The problem with small and local is they often don't succeed and this puts a strain on commercial owners who have to rent their spaces. A Starbucks Coffee is a threat to the Little Italy landscape, a neighbourhood renowned for its independent coffee shops. Maybe once upon a time, but no more.
Speaking of exaggeration, Montreal is (disappointingly) set to begin hearings on considering a plastic bag ban. Get ready folks, it's gonna happen. Unless we rebel like Toronto did.
The case has raised a new legal question in Canada, a law professor says."
"Under the Customs Act, customs officers are allowed to inspect things
that you have, that you're bringing into the country," he told CBC News.
"The term used in the act is 'goods,' but that certainly extends to
your cellphone, to your tablet, to your computer, pretty much anything
you have."
WTF? How Canada ranks highly in 'Freedom Index' reports is beyond me. Makes you realize the world is just a shit hole of repressiveness.
***
Speaking of Quebec, I continue to gaze upon this province with much disappointment. I'm hearing they may offer a subsidy to private daycares in an effort to 'solve' the fiscal daycare crisis (naturally, created by the free shit state).
Here was an opportunity to truly clean up the mess and this is their solution?
Are they not paying attention to the failed European economic model?
If the time was right to make bold and meaningful fiscal action now was it.
Look at it this way. In a few years, we'll revisit this issue because we'll be scrambling to find money to cover for all this.
Subsidies are wasteful, lazy shots of heroin to the economy.
When it comes to business models, Quebec is a laggard.
***
Heard testimony from victims of the Boston Marathon bombing today on Boston radio.
Incredibly sad, poignant and gut-wretching. Particularly the testimony of the father of the boy (Martin) was killed, a six year-old daughter who lost a leg, a mother an eye and he damage to his hearing.
It was hard to listen to.
***
If you think Hilary having a 'private server' in her house is not a big deal, then you're a gigantic dick who deserves to live in eternal servitude.
Mighty pathetic a society that debates whether a public
official committed an obvious crime and ethical violation.
Our standards for government officials should be
higher, not lower, than people they serve.
The chances of her being investigated let alone prosecuted is next to zero.
If House of Cards is 10% accurate, you can kiss that brand of justice good-bye.
***
Given the politically correct psychosis experienced by the perpetually afraid and aggrieved in many facets of our existence (schools, work, etc.), is it safe for kids to play Cowboys and Indians anymore?
It's a rhetorical question.
Bang, bang.
***
It's remarkable how in reading reviews on House of Cards people trying to find redeeming qualities in Frank and Claire Underwood and Doug Stamper.
Maybe I'm old fashioned but two of them are murderers (three between them) and the other indirectly responsible for two people because of her own manipulative hubris.
All three are disgusting in their own pathetic ways to the point of unwatchable.
However, there is hope for Claire. Given her decision to break with Frank, the show can bring some sense back to the show and have her husband and the recovering alcoholic Doug face some kind of justice for their homicidal behavior.
This is what I find amazing. No one seems to point to all this exhausting politicking often breaking Canonical, legal and Constitutional laws. There's nothing to dissect; to interpret.
The irony about Frank is he wants to create jobs (he was willing to raid funds appropriated to FEMA to ram his vain project through) by him killing two people he deprives the economy of two productive members not to mention destroying families weakening communities further.
The 'greater good' angle is an illusion with Frank Underwood. Just like his success, achieved through nothing but deceit, strong armed tactics and murder.
I don't 'root' for their success; apparently the creator made Underwood a Democrat so viewers can 'root' for him. Had they made Underwood just an asshole minus the murders of innocents, then yeah maybe you could persuade me.
I root for their destruction. The uglier the better.
***
Alright I went on a little about HofC than I should have.
It shouldn't surprise us, after all, to what lengths humans will go to justify their vices and horrible behavior.
The Scythians, for example, would bury knifes in the ground and worship them to justify murder.
***
Speaking of bad behavior. Progressive thinking is nothing but a demand for laws and regulations that justify their own bad behavior. They project in order to absolve; to cleanse themselves.
“I’ve already said I’m happy to look at how we can increase pipeline
production for U.S. oil, but Keystone is for Canadian oil to send that
down to the Gulf. It bypasses the United States and is estimated to
create a little over 250, maybe 300 permanent jobs. We should be
focusing more broadly on American infrastructure for American jobs and
American producers, and that’s something that we very much support.”
I never tire at marveling atpseudo-populism.
Let's play with this for a quick second. So. These 250-300 jobs for middle-classes are worthless to him? Because of an environmental consideration?
Really? If the goal is to create jobs, then why stand in the way of something that could benefit 250-300 families?
And another thing. There's not such thing as PERMANENT JOBS.
"Viet Cong were set to perform at the Oberlin College venue Dionysus Disco on March 14. However, the promoter has canceled the show because of the band's name. In a statement shared on the venue's Facebook page,
promoter Ivan Krasnov apologized "for inviting a band with a name that
deeply offends and hurts Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American communities,
both in Oberlin and beyond." He continued, "I acknowledge the
problematic nature of a band naming themselves 'Viet Cong' and extend my
apology to anyone hurt or made uncomfortable by the name and its
connotations."
Hey, Ivan. Man up. Pull down your pants and tell Oberlin to suck your dick. Sheesh. No need to apologize to those dopes.
Multiculturalism is soooo 1980s and very over rated now.
"The new law, which the Austrian government says could serve as a model
for the rest of Europe, seeks to reduce outside meddling by prohibiting
foreign funding for mosques, imams and Muslim organizations in Austria.
It also stresses that Austrian law must take precedence over Islamic
Sharia law for Muslims living in the country."
"House minority leader Nancy Pelosi at times refused to clap and later issued a statement saying Mr Netanyahu's speech had been an "insult to the intelligence of the United States" that had left her near tears."
My God. Here's a Kleenex, hon.
Is it me or are they like petulant children? They're act like narcissists whenever someone dares question them.
"'Boring and repetitive'Mr Obama said he had been unable to watch the speech as it was given, but found "nothing new" when he read the transcript. "The alternative that the prime minister offers is 'no deal',
in which case Iran will immediately begin once again pursuing its
nuclear programme, accelerate its nuclear programme without us having
any insight into what they are doing and without constraint," he said."
He should know being the master of boring and predictable.
'Nothing New' is the perfect slogan for Obama's tenure as President.
I get that Netanyahu's shitck can upset people but the reaction from the administration has not been statesmanlike to say the least.
"Under a new “fact-based” search rankings system currently under
development by Google, one of the most popular websites for celebrity
news would fall far down the ranks of “trustworthy” sources of
information.
Gawker — the Manhattan-based, media-focused news website that pulls
in an estimated 22 million unique views monthly — is one of a number of
“gossip websites” that could suffer major absences in search queries as a
result of Google’s “Knowledge-Based Trust” system, according to
researchers at Google."
Not sure how this would affect opinion blogs and content though.
At least she's got something to put on her resume.
Prediction: She will demand society pay off her student loan debt.
I still don't understand how ONE twit has the power to shut down a philanthropic event.
We shouldn't be giving overly sensitive and shrill SJW's attention.
***
The same people who absurdly rail against 'cultural appropriation' (notice how it's always whites who appropriate other cultures and never the other way around) embarrass themselves in other ways:
Yes. A white girl with an annoying voice understand racism better than a black cop because UCLA research.
Weep for Western civilization. Or at least whatever kids are learning in universities these days.
"...Does this mean that Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama both discriminate against women, that they are themselves
part of the nefarious "war on women" that so many on the left loudly
denounce? The poetic justice in the recent "pay gap" revelations is that
the fundamental fraud in the statistics that are thrown around comes
back to bite those who are promoting that fraud for political purposes. What makes such statistics fraudulent is that they are comparing apples and oranges. Innumerable studies, going back for decades, have shown that women do
not average as many hours of work per year as men, do not have as many
consecutive years of full-time employment as men, do not work in the
same mix of occupations as men and do not specialize in the same mix of
subjects in college as men. Back in 1996, a study published in the New England Journal of
Medicine showed that young male physicians earned 41 percent higher
incomes than young female physicians. But the same study showed that
young male physicians worked over 500 hours a year more than young
female physicians. When the study took into account differences in hours of work, in the
fields in which male and female doctors specialized and other
differences in their job characteristics, "no earnings difference was
evident." In other words, when you compare apples to apples, you don't
get the "gender gap" in pay that you get when you compare apples to
oranges..."
As the world gets richer and more safe, and they become
less desperately poor, they'll stop caring about what their prophet
said and care more just live like normal people
Except that the spread of Salafism/Wahabism is concurrent with
the rise of the Gulf oil economy. OBL came from one of the richest
families in the world. His successor is a doctor who is the scion
of an elite Egyptian family. Aafia Siddiqui is a PhD in
Neuroscience. Hell, if reports are correct, "Jihdai John" lived a
comfortable upper middle class life in London and earn a degree in
computer programming.
Well, I think that the poor, for the most part, have more
concrete problems, like finding food for their bellies. Much like
how all the first Communist revolutionaries tended to be idiot sons
of the upper middle class, only the rich of Arabia and Pakistan
have the time to philosophize and wax poetic about the
righteousness of a Caliphate.
"Economic forecasting can be a humbling
endeavor. In a cross-country study of private-sector forecasts from 1989
to 1998, Loungani (2001) finds that “the record of failure to predict recessions is virtually unblemished.”
He also finds that forecast revisions in one direction tend to be
followed by further revisions in the same direction and that
one-year-ahead growth forecasts are typically too optimistic. "
"- Crows remember the faces of "dangerous humans," with the memories likely lasting for a bird's lifetime. - Crows may scold people who threaten them, bringing in relatives and even strangers to mob the person. - The crows within mobs then indirectly learn about the person,
so they too associate that individual's face with danger and react
accordingly...."
Hitchcock knew this well. Even made a wicked movie about it.
The investigation came after a sadistic sex gang of seven men were jailed in 2013 for abusing six girls in Oxford, between 2004 and 2012. Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council made "many errors" in that case and could have acted sooner."
Multiculturalism is over rated.
***
"White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest confirmed Monday that President
Obama is "very interested" in the idea of raising taxes through
unilateral executive action. "
Interesting as it is not surprising.
How long before Americans grasp they have a tyrant in power?
He's like Frank Underwood.
Speaking of which, each time I watch House of Cards I need a shower. If politics is half as sleazy as the overly ambitious and murderous Underwoods, God help us.
"The only sad thing about the resignation of Dr
Rajendra Pachauri as chairman of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) is that it was brought about by allegations of
sexual harassment by a young female employee of his Delhi research body,
The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), from which he has also now
stepped down.
Laughably described
as “the world’s leading climate scientist”, this absurd figure, with his
PhD in the economics of railway engineering from an obscure US
university, should never have been given the job in the first place. As a
vegetarian, he jetted round the world exhorting everyone else to save
the planet by giving up air travel and meat. Thanks to the prestige of
his position, his institute was showered with millions of dollars by
international institutions, from global banks to Yale University (not to
mention £10 million from British taxpayers)."
Love - just love - how it comes down to Harper's fault.
I'm not surprised he and Obama aren't the best of friends. Obama has the diplomatic tact of a - well, I'm not sure. Foreign policy, in case anyone hasn't noticed, isn't his forte. Plenty of world leaders - allies - are feeling his cold shoulder.
So why do we single out Harper?Are we forgetting relations between the two countries weren't great under Chretien-Bush either? They were better with Clinton but not significantly more. The Mulroney-Reagan relationship was one where the stars aligned with, what, they being both conservative Irishmen and all that.
The problem is, as it was explained in the piece and one I agree with, Canada's national economic health is dependent on the United States because we never diversified our economy and trade with other nations so that if ever our relations cooled we'd have something to fall back on, if not some leverage. So now that the Americans freeze us out, we feel left alone in the cold shivering.
At some point we'll get back to the natural order of things in the 'special relationship' but for now, our two countries have two leaders that see the world in different ways.
"The vetoed bill — which was co-sponsored by Manchin — would’ve
allowed construction on the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline to continue
despite continued stalling by the Obama administration over the
international venture.
“How many times have you seen us do something bipartisan?” Manchin said
on Fox News’ Cavuto, noting that nine Democrats voted for the bill.
“The Canadians agreed on everything we ask for,” the senator continued,
explaining how the nation agreed to use American-made steel and keep all
oil that flowed through the pipeline in the U.S. domestic market.
He also lamented the lost construction jobs and the safety concerns with
transporting oil by rail. “I just can’t figure [the veto] out, I really
can’t,” he said."
Look. The guy is as dishonorable (and disreputable at this point) as he is smug. That's what happens when you give private citizens access to public funds.
They take it.
Duh.
I have to say, Vermont has been quite sober and responsible in their dealing with the public purse. Recall, they decided to not opt for single-payer because of its costs. You would think a liberal nanny-state like VT would jump on SP no matter what. But it's not the case.
Never mind how it would spiral out of control down the line.
***
This excerpt (sent to me from a concerned citizen) is from the WSJ (paywall): "Greece Struggles to Get Citizens to Pay Their Taxes"
"At the end of 2014, Greeks owed their government about €76 billion
($86 billion) in unpaid taxes accrued over decades; the government
says only €9 billion of that can be recovered, with most of the
rest lost to insolvency.
Billions more in taxes are owed on never-reported revenue from
Greece’s vast underground economy, which was estimated before the
crisis to equal more than a quarter of the country’s gross domestic
product.
“Greeks consider taxes as theft,” said Aristides Hatzis, an
associate professor of law and economics at the University of
Athens. “Normally taxes are considered the price you have to pay
for a just state, but this is not accepted by the Greek
mentality.”"
The Greek mentality, of course, being give us free shit that we don't want to pay for. Something Quebec excels at. Except, the difference being Quebec has the advantage of being in a larger, wealthier and more advanced country where they can extract (or extort depending where you sit) more cash from other provinces in the Federation to pay for their unfunded welfare excesses.
It's not just Greece. The West has created this entitlement monster and it doesn't know how to quell or kill it.
Think Godzilla-King Kong and that alien monster in Cloverfield all rolled into one.
"Oil slump threatens easy life of affluent Norwegians"
"The average Norwegian has just gotten too much. We have a welfare
economy and an expectation from youth, who expect wealth to come
down from heaven," Sunde said. "When we come down to periods like
this, it comes down to good old values of working hard and
competing. A country like Norway needs to go through that."
I see Big Fjord Troubles on the horizon.
/narrows gaze.
***
Speaking of progressive and enlightened Scandinavians:
Ah. Let's not deal with racism in any meaningful manner. Let's just play with words.
It's a new hobby on the left here in North America too. Change the words. What's the big deal, man? PROGRESS!
Here's my take on Scandinavia. From what I can detect from afar, racism is pervasive in those countries. So, to the bureaucratic asshats in power, it makes sense to project and treat racism with political correctness lunacy.
It's pretty obvious. They're applying cologne to treat bad odor.
Apparently, America is one gigantic progressive experiment.
"...The fact is, our entire history – from our revolution
to healthcare reform – is filled with progressive accomplishments,
and it’s hard to sell the Conservative brand to people who know
that history. "
Notice what this buffoon did. He simply reworked history to fit his narrative.
"Dishonesty and Selection into Public Service: Evidence from India". Students who cheat on a simple laboratory task are more likely to prefer public sector jobs in India. We show that cheating on this task predicts corrupt behaviour by bureaucrats, implying that it is a meaningful predictor of future corruption..."
"By
running an experiment among Germans collecting their passports or ID
cards in the citizen centers of Berlin, we find that individuals with an
East German family background cheat significantly more on an abstract
task than those with a West German family background. The longer
individuals were exposed to socialism, the more likely they were to
cheat on our task. While it was recently argued that markets decay
morals (Falk and Szech, 2013), we provide evidence that other political
and economic regimes such as socialism might have an even more
detrimental effect on individuals’ behavior."
Eric Lindros has launched a $250,000 defamation lawsuit against onetime
NHL referee Paul Stewart and the Huffington Post, after Stewart wrote a
column for the online news website that allegedly made the former
Philadelphia Flyers star forward look like a "dickhead."
Something tells me he's not getting it.
***
More inanity from the New York Times (sorry lost the link. In any event, it's not like it's in me to make this shit up:
"As Cuba opens the door wider to private enterprise, the gap
between the haves and have-nots — and between whites and blacks —
that the revolution sought to diminish is growing more evident.
[…]
Raising the [U.S.] remittance cap, along with allowing more
Americans to visit Cuba and other steps toward normal diplomatic
relations, will help "support the Cuban people," the Obama
administration contends.
But some will enjoy that support more than
others. Cuban economists say that whites are 2.5 times
more likely than blacks to receive remittances, leaving many in
crumbling neighborhoods like Little Swamp nearly invisible in the
rise of commerce, especially the restaurants and
bed-and-breakfasts that tourists tend to favor.
"Remittances have produced new forms of inequality, particularly
racial inequality," said Alejandro de la Fuente, director of the
AfroLatin American Research Institute at Harvard University."
Always remember. They sucked communist cock back in the day. And they still do.
***
Speaking of failed liberal journalism on the NYT model, wonder if they wrote about places like Holdomor.
Probably not.
"Extermination by hunger" or "Hunger-extermination";derived from 'морити голодом', "to kill by starvation" was a man-made famine in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
in 1932 and 1933 that killed an estimated 2.5-7.5 million Ukrainians,
with millions more counted in demographic estimates. It was part of the
wider disaster, Soviet famine of 1932–33, which affected the major grain-producing areas of the country. "
Joseph Burrell was
arrested in November and charged with two felony counts of drug
possession. His bail was set at $250,000. The 31-year-old Burrell says
he's not happy it took so long for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
to process the evidence."
The war on drugs.
It wreaks havoc on civil society DESTROYING families and communities.
Remember. When you fail to debate in good fatih, you want to silence the opposition. In the end, these socialist-animists who worship Sock Puppet enviro-gods always over reach. Hopefully, this is their tipping point.
"Let the climate inquisition begin. The ranking Democrat on the House
Natural Resources Committee, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, has written to
seven universities about seven researchers who harbor impure thoughts
about climate change.
One of the targets is Steven Hayward, a blogger, author and
academic now at Pepperdine University (as well as an occasional
contributor to National Review). As Hayward puts it, the spirit of the
inquiry is, “Are you now or have you ever been a climate skeptic?”
I just don't get what the ATF (an oppressive Nixonian agency that's seen better days - if ever) is up to here.
Seems like Sandy Hook has left the 'reality based community' unhinged in its unsubstantiated hysteria.
They will never quit until they get the control they want. Going after ammo was the next step.
"Gun-rights groups are in an uproar over an ammunition ban proposed by
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The ATF
says it wants to ban M855 ball ammunition, a .223 (or 5.56 mm) rifle
bullet that has been used by American citizens for decades. The ATF says
it wants to ban this popular bullet because it is “armor piercing.” The law at the basis of this debate is the Gun Control Act of 1968
(GCA). As amended, the GCA prohibits the import, manufacture and
distribution of “armor piercing ammunition” as defined by a few terms
Attorney General Eric Holder’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is attempting
to broaden. The definition for what constitutes “armor piercing” reads: “a
projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which
is constructed entirely … from one or a combination of tungsten alloys,
steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium.” Now, to be as nitpicky as the law, the M855 ball ammunition the ATF
wants to ban as “armor piercing” doesn’t have a core made of the metals
listed in what legally makes a bullet “armor piercing.” The M855
actually has a lead core with a steel tip. Also, the M855 is
traditionally a rifle cartridge and the ban only covers handgun
ammunition. The DOJ argues this doesn’t stop them because the law
stipulates they can ban a bullet that “may be used in a handgun.” And,
after all, any cartridge may be used in a handgun."
This is the action and reasoning of a bureaucratic entity that will never stop in the demand to know where the guns are.
Is it not, like, super hot in Qatar in the summer?
Ah. But Qatar and their corrupt officials lackeys promised there would be air conditioned, state of the art facilities!
Now we know there isn't gonna be no AC so FIFA basically, as it's apt to do whenever it fucks up royally, told the world they'll simply move the tournament to winter.
Problem is, professional leagues in Europe (governed by UEFA) are in full swing during the winter and wonder about the feasibility of this decision while asking for compensation.
FIFA, naturally (because you know, they're a bunch of incompetent corrupt individuals on the take), gave them the middle-finger salute.
"...Even German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who said
he didn’t “want to make it more difficult for them,” concluded
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will have a “difficult”
time selling the agreement at home. That’s because Tsipras’s
populist rhetoric of ending austerity was overpowered by the
united front he faced.
A “complete political surrender to the world of reality”
was how Erik Nielsen, London-based global chief economist of
UniCredit Bank AG, put it. Societe Generale SA and Berenberg
Bank both labeled it a “u-turn” by Tsipras, who won election
Jan. 25 promising an end to budget cutting. "
"Late last year, as the German Bundeswehr was considering rebooting its
expensive, failed Euro Hawk drone program, the army of the country with
the fourth largest economy in the world fielded its newest armored
vehicles in a major military exercise in Norway with broomsticks painted
black and lashed in place of missing machine gun barrels. That detail
was part of a German Defense Ministry report leaked to Germany's public television network ARD that exposed widespread shortages of basic combat equipment."
Back during my Uni (that's right, my short hand for University) days, scholars from Germany came to speak at a European political science class I took. One student (from the Greek student association), during question period, went off on an embarrassing trek over praising Germany. If they stuck their dicks out he would have sucked them. As it were, they looked at him perplexed and thanked him for his kind words and proceeded to paint a rather sober picture of what ailed Germany at the time. The country was but a few years removed from reunification and the challenges were great. I don't think things are that much better. Call me a Euro-pessimist at this time. Anyway. It all adds up to one thing: Asking for American help and support. Germany's army is roughly the size of Italy's army at about 180k. Britain and France are slightly larger at around 200k. All (including Japan) spend about 1-1.5% of GDP on the military except for the UK who spend about 2%. Perspective: France under Napoleon's Grande Armee had close to 600 000 men. My how the mighty have fallen. *** In the 'duh' and 'no kidding' category:
"Gallup's annual World Affairs survey shows that only 48 percent of those
identifying as Democrats sympathize more with Israelis in tensions in
the Mideast than with Palestinians. In contrast, 83 percent of
Republicans side with Israelis. The figure for all Americans is 62
percent."
"Spider silk may
lose its claim as the strongest known natural material after researchers
found that limpet teeth have more mettle.
Spider silk is hailed by
scientists for its strength and structure, but researchers in Britain
have discovered that limpets -- snail-like sea creatures with conical
shells -- have teeth with structures so strong they could be copied and
used in making cars, boats and planes.
"Until
now we thought that spider silk was the strongest biological material
because of its super-strength and potential applications in everything
from bullet-proof vests to computer electronics," said Asa Barber, a
professor at Portsmouth University's school of engineering, who led the
study."
Seriously. As I've said in the past, the general ignorance on full display about economics and finance I read is shocking as it is frightening. If you can't count, you're especially vulnerable to all this 'pay your fair share' bull shit rhetoric.
***
New York Times in lap tops in 1985:
"The limitations come from what people actually do with computers, as
opposed to what the marketers expect them to do. On the whole, people
don't want to lug a computer with them to the beach or on a train to
while away hours they would rather spend reading the sports or business
section of the newspaper. Somehow, the microcomputer industry has
assumed that everyone would love to have a keyboard grafted on as an
extension of their fingers. It just is not so."
"...But the real future of the laptop computer will remain in the
specialized niche markets. Because no matter how inexpensive the
machines become, and no matter how sophisticated their software, I still
can't imagine the average user taking one along when going fishing. "
BOOYA!
And in 25 years we'll be reading the same thing from these Times only it will be bout global warming. Kidding aside, not the end of the world. He made a call. He missed. Big deal.
Bob Ryan thought Michael Jordan was going to be a flop. The Toronto Maple Leafs passed on Bobby Orr. Economists and meteorologists notoriously miss their marks while climate change scientists have been spectacularly wrong about the 'future of the planet.'
History is filled with misses. In fact, we miss more than we hit.
If I were to guess what our historical batting average is, I'd say about .275. The big ones we predicted were outliers more than anything. Look at it this way, career average of .275 with a couple of solid .300 seasons.
Driving along Montreal's highway 40 (part of the Trans-Canada) on a cold, dreary day the month of February excels at, I passed by a General Motors facility.
The once mighty and proud symbol of the American automobile industry was reduced to a climate metaphor. Its GM sign meekly erect, in its mundane mediocrity, in the backdrop of clouds reminding more of a nationalized enterprise in the Soviet Union or East Germany than a member of a dynamic capitalist class. It's depressing. I mean, look at it, it's the letters G and M in extremely boring font with a dash under it. Hello. 1986 wants its image back.
Logos and branding can be powerful things. Unfortunately, when I see GM I don't see excellence or innovation. I see a corporate ward of the state. No one is asking for anything awesomebut Lord me.
GM should consider, it seems to this consumer anyway, redesigning their logo. It's telling me they make Ladas. By contrast, Ford is coming to market with excellent cars and trucks.
And their original logo expresses it very well.
Even Jeep-Chrysler (now owned by Fiat) has avoided such a drop in status like GM has. Chrysler is clearly benefiting with its access to design ideas from Europe.
While both Ford and Chrysler offer consumers competitive and quality products, GM continues to fail to connect to customers and has failed to find or reinvent itself in the process.
"Comartin asked Martin whether he would like to respond to Galipeau, and Martin explained why he left his seat “briefly” in the middle of the proceedings. “I can blame it on a sale that was down at the Hudson’s Bay,” Martin
said. “They had men’s underwear on for half price. I bought a bunch that
was clearly too small for me and I find it difficult to sit for any
length of time.” By this point, many MPs had begun to laugh. “So I apologize if it was necessary for me to leave my seat briefly,
but I did not mean to forfeit my right to vote,” Martin concluded. After Martin sat down, Comartin paused to consider his ruling before
saying that Martin’s vote counted because he was in his seat for the
actual vote."
At least the NDP are good for a laugh.
Maybe the NDP could introduce 'better labeling' legislation for the underwear industry seeing they're big fans of the nanny-state.
Other than that, I think we guys know how uncomfortable tight under wear can get.
I've grown a little tired of listening to the most powerful leader in the world engage in professorial sophistry regarding ISIS.
I don't understand his pointless obsession in trying to 'school' people into understanding the difference. In fact, it points to his arrogance if he thinks we're not able to distinguish what is a derelict bunch of immoral murderous assholes and Islam.
However, the President is fooling himself if he thinks Islam doesn't permit this sort of nonsense no matter how much relativism he engages in.
Best the President keeps to a basic tenet of any employment: DO YOUR JOB.
"Last night I dreamed I made it to the promise land
I was standin' at the gate and I had the key in my hand
Saint Peter said "Come on in boy, you're finally home"
I said "No thanks Pete, I'll just be moving along"
