January 03, 2009
LIKE I SAID, WE NEED TO LEARN TO LIVE OUR PARENT'S LIFESTYLE
This is a reasonably subdued prediction of how things will change due to the financial meltdown.
Me & The Chief covered this topic some time ago. We need to learn to be happy with what we have, reasonable about what we can afford, and satisfied with reasonable returns on investment.
Above all, the cost of government has to shrink dramatically and stay shrunk from then on.
Me & The Chief covered this topic some time ago. We need to learn to be happy with what we have, reasonable about what we can afford, and satisfied with reasonable returns on investment.
Above all, the cost of government has to shrink dramatically and stay shrunk from then on.
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EVERYBODY'S GETTING NUKES BUT US
Time for us to get on the nuclear power bandwagon.
We don't need anything from the government to do this except the OK to go, and a lid on the inevitable lawsuits by the Left.
This is a big Only Obama Can...
We don't need anything from the government to do this except the OK to go, and a lid on the inevitable lawsuits by the Left.
This is a big Only Obama Can...
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A DEAR OBAMA LETTER FROM CHESTER FINN
Chester Finn is the guy Obama should be listening to for education reform. Here are some of his recommendations.
His name for the current education establishment in America is "The Blob". How apt.
Here are my K-12 recommendations.
Chances that any of this will get done - low. Unless, of course, Obama has a conservative epiphany, which, given the mayhem to come, and the mischief we can expect from his supporters and advisers, is not such a long shot.
His name for the current education establishment in America is "The Blob". How apt.
Here are my K-12 recommendations.
Chances that any of this will get done - low. Unless, of course, Obama has a conservative epiphany, which, given the mayhem to come, and the mischief we can expect from his supporters and advisers, is not such a long shot.
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HELLO, MOHAMMED, THIS IS LEVI. LEAVE NOW OR ATTAIN MARTYRDOM
Everything you need to know about the difference between Israel and its Muslim enemies in the Arab and Persian world is summed up in this story.
Not exactly Dresden, is it?
Jonah has an equally telling point about "diplomacy":
I am 100% behind Israel in every way, shape and form.
more...
The IDF has also used what they are calling "roof
knocking" operations, in which they inform the residents of suspected
buildings that they have 10 minutes to leave the premises.
Not exactly Dresden, is it?
Jonah has an equally telling point about "diplomacy":
I do like the bit about how Israelis should have "tried a diplomatic solution first." This is a classic example of ideological knee-jerkery substituting for information. Hamas launched (or permitted to be launched) 6,464 rockets into Israel over the last three years. Israel did little to nothing but try "diplomatic solutions."
That's 6 rockets a day fired from an area half the size of the San Fernando Valley. How long would we "try diplomacy" if San Diego got hit by 6 missiles a day from Tijuana?I am 100% behind Israel in every way, shape and form.
more...
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HO HUM - JUST A THOUSAND CARS TORCHED ON NEW YEAR'S EVE - PETITE INQUIÉTUDE
With a Gallic shrug, the French continue to tolerate indulge anarchy. Yes, indulge. Somebody is guilty. Somebody is paying to clear away and replace these cars.
How many intentional carbecues were there in America all last year? Meaning, cars on the street intentionally burned by non-owners as either protest or act of defiance. I would guess no where near 1,000, probably more like 100.
If there were even 2 cars burned by mobs in LA on New Year's, there would be endless footage from circling news choppers, and months of anguish, finger-pointing and government thrashing about. The only place that came even close in America in recent years was Detroit on Halloween (810 in 1984) in the heyday of that city's descent into its current Third World status.
That the Frogs continue to let this happen is unfathomable to me.
How many intentional carbecues were there in America all last year? Meaning, cars on the street intentionally burned by non-owners as either protest or act of defiance. I would guess no where near 1,000, probably more like 100.
If there were even 2 cars burned by mobs in LA on New Year's, there would be endless footage from circling news choppers, and months of anguish, finger-pointing and government thrashing about. The only place that came even close in America in recent years was Detroit on Halloween (810 in 1984) in the heyday of that city's descent into its current Third World status.
That the Frogs continue to let this happen is unfathomable to me.
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MIRACLE ENGINE OF THE FUTURE, PART #5,324
K.C. Jones sends along this article about the Sanderson engine, the latest in a long line of garage-built super engines and power sources that will some day revolutionize the world.
As usual in these stories, there are glowing testimonials and eye-popping test results, along with expressions of interest and investment from industry, and promises of mass production "just around the corner".
Note that most of the pilot programs and success stories on the website are 5-6 years old. If this is such a hot property, why is the company asking for government seed money? If the Ford engineers are so jazzed, why the delay?
Why then do these super engines never actually show up in the real world? Conspiracy fetishists claim that these miracle engines get bought and killed by greedy corporations and oil companies who are bent on perpetuating their monopolies. Those of us in the real world, however, realize that going from a wooden model or prototype to actual reliable mass production is a tough trick to pull off.
And, the risk of marketing a new technology to consumers (as opposed to companies for fleet or industrial uses) includes exposure to government safety bureaucrats and aggressive trial lawyers who will take every opportunity to delay and demonize anything new.
One example - I remember all the hype about the Wankel rotary engine in the 60's - it was practically the house pet of Popular Mechanics magazine. This engine was going to someday replace all other piston engines. So why hasn't it? First, the seals kept blowing, requiring expensive repairs. Once that was figured out, the advent of electronic fuel injection and pollution standards negated most of the rotary's mechanical advantages. So you can still buy a car with a rotary engine, but it is a novelty, not a standard.
This Sanderson engine looks much more promising for fixed-power uses - pumps and compressors, etc - rather than for the high temperature and stresses of automobile use. Time will tell, I suppose, but don't hold your breath.
As usual in these stories, there are glowing testimonials and eye-popping test results, along with expressions of interest and investment from industry, and promises of mass production "just around the corner".
Note that most of the pilot programs and success stories on the website are 5-6 years old. If this is such a hot property, why is the company asking for government seed money? If the Ford engineers are so jazzed, why the delay?
Why then do these super engines never actually show up in the real world? Conspiracy fetishists claim that these miracle engines get bought and killed by greedy corporations and oil companies who are bent on perpetuating their monopolies. Those of us in the real world, however, realize that going from a wooden model or prototype to actual reliable mass production is a tough trick to pull off.
And, the risk of marketing a new technology to consumers (as opposed to companies for fleet or industrial uses) includes exposure to government safety bureaucrats and aggressive trial lawyers who will take every opportunity to delay and demonize anything new.
One example - I remember all the hype about the Wankel rotary engine in the 60's - it was practically the house pet of Popular Mechanics magazine. This engine was going to someday replace all other piston engines. So why hasn't it? First, the seals kept blowing, requiring expensive repairs. Once that was figured out, the advent of electronic fuel injection and pollution standards negated most of the rotary's mechanical advantages. So you can still buy a car with a rotary engine, but it is a novelty, not a standard.
This Sanderson engine looks much more promising for fixed-power uses - pumps and compressors, etc - rather than for the high temperature and stresses of automobile use. Time will tell, I suppose, but don't hold your breath.
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EVERY AMERICAN SEVENTH GRADER SHOULD MEMORIZE THIS
K.C. Jones passes on this excellent review of The Forms of Government.
It is jingoistic in places, and I'm sure there are classics majors and historians out there who will quibble with some of the shortcuts taken to make certain points. But for defining terms, and for clarifying how we make our choices, this is excellent, and particularly timely.
This presentation whittles all forms of government down to two - Oligarchies (rule by a few) and Republics (rule of law). Close readers of my blog know that I often use Thomas Sowell's formulation to express this same approach - all government decision-making comes down to two questions - Who decides? And at what cost?
more...
It is jingoistic in places, and I'm sure there are classics majors and historians out there who will quibble with some of the shortcuts taken to make certain points. But for defining terms, and for clarifying how we make our choices, this is excellent, and particularly timely.
This presentation whittles all forms of government down to two - Oligarchies (rule by a few) and Republics (rule of law). Close readers of my blog know that I often use Thomas Sowell's formulation to express this same approach - all government decision-making comes down to two questions - Who decides? And at what cost?
more...
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December 30, 2008
REMOVE THE AUDIENCE AND THE HAMS WILL DEPART.
Mark Krikorian, NRO's "illegal immigration bore", laments the loss of metro newspapers because they fill a role that he finds essential - keeping local politicians honest. Here's the e-mail I sent him:
Hello Mr. Krikorian. Reacting to the imminent demise of metro newspapers, you ask:
You assert, as does Mulshine, that the departure of the local print journos will allow these organizations to be even less honest and accountable than they were. You liken the scrutiny of the press to the disinfectant of sunshine.
I disagree, respectfully, for several reasons: UPDATE BELOW
more...
Hello Mr. Krikorian. Reacting to the imminent demise of metro newspapers, you ask:
Who's going to cover meetings of the city council, the board of education, the zoning commission, the board of property assessment appeals and review, not to mention hearings of the state legislature's finance committee?
You assert, as does Mulshine, that the departure of the local print journos will allow these organizations to be even less honest and accountable than they were. You liken the scrutiny of the press to the disinfectant of sunshine.
I disagree, respectfully, for several reasons: UPDATE BELOW
more...
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WILL THE REAL BHO PLEASE STAND UP?
From K.C. Jones:
I replied:
Just the beginning indeed.
more...
There was an interview the other day with Barrack and Michelle when she talked about the “Two†Obama’s. The “Real Guy†(married to her) and “Barrack Obama†the Persona. Did you catch that? Seems scary to me that we won’t really know which one is talking.
This is an older article, but seems to confirm her remark in the interview.
This is an older article, but seems to confirm her remark in the interview.
I replied:
The "Who is the real Obama?" question was routinely blared in the right-wing blogosphere, but mostly ignored by the MSM. Remember the instance during the campaign where he came out against NAFTA in public while at the same time sending his aides to Canada to tell them that he really didn't mean it?
It will be interesting to watch as the MSM gradually falls out of love with BHO and starts treating him like a regular politician. His halo got knocked askew already with the Blago blow-up, and given his Chicago political roots, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
He's also starting to realize that being President is far more of a job than being a candidate, as he found out in Hawaii. Not only is he already sniping at pushy reporters, he's trying to sneak out and act like a regular guy without his press pool.
It will be interesting to watch as the MSM gradually falls out of love with BHO and starts treating him like a regular politician. His halo got knocked askew already with the Blago blow-up, and given his Chicago political roots, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
He's also starting to realize that being President is far more of a job than being a candidate, as he found out in Hawaii. Not only is he already sniping at pushy reporters, he's trying to sneak out and act like a regular guy without his press pool.
Just the beginning indeed.
more...
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NET-ZERO IS NOT JUST A RIVER IN EGYPT
Jim Manzi at NRO pours cold water on Dr. K's net-zero tax plan. Manzi rocks, as usual, and that's no mean trick pulling down the pants of a careful braino like Krauthammer.
Manzi rightly outlines the biggest problem with tax tinkering - the ideas always start out small and simple, but then rapidly get complicated by exceptions and allowances. Then before you know it, the original trade- off deal is lost in the weeds, and you end up with both taxes higher than you originally started with. This is how "temporary" sales taxes for things like emergency repairs after natural disaters end up being permanent. Government will not give up tax money without a big fight.
What I like about Krauthammer's idea is making taxes based on sales and consumption, rather than on income, profits or capital gains. I think all taxes should be collected this way. You know up-front what the final total cost is, and you also have a direct daily reminder of what government actually costs you. So there is no hassle and expense of trtacking deductions and credits, and any increases are immediately felt, which would act as a restraint against unnecessary increases.
I believe there should be a consitutional amendment that limits total takes collected by local, state and federal government. This limit could be a percentage of GNP, or an inflation-adjusted per capita amount. Next year's budget is limited to what is collected this year. States and countines should be the only tax collectors, and the fed should get their money from the states on a flat per-capita rate. That way senators and congressmen will go to DC looking for ways to keep mony away from the Fed, rather than spending all their time traying to get it back.
Manzi rightly outlines the biggest problem with tax tinkering - the ideas always start out small and simple, but then rapidly get complicated by exceptions and allowances. Then before you know it, the original trade- off deal is lost in the weeds, and you end up with both taxes higher than you originally started with. This is how "temporary" sales taxes for things like emergency repairs after natural disaters end up being permanent. Government will not give up tax money without a big fight.
What I like about Krauthammer's idea is making taxes based on sales and consumption, rather than on income, profits or capital gains. I think all taxes should be collected this way. You know up-front what the final total cost is, and you also have a direct daily reminder of what government actually costs you. So there is no hassle and expense of trtacking deductions and credits, and any increases are immediately felt, which would act as a restraint against unnecessary increases.
I believe there should be a consitutional amendment that limits total takes collected by local, state and federal government. This limit could be a percentage of GNP, or an inflation-adjusted per capita amount. Next year's budget is limited to what is collected this year. States and countines should be the only tax collectors, and the fed should get their money from the states on a flat per-capita rate. That way senators and congressmen will go to DC looking for ways to keep mony away from the Fed, rather than spending all their time traying to get it back.
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December 29, 2008
EXACTLY
This brief post does a great job of stating my philosophy of politics.
In short:
In short:
- We ignore human nature at our peril,
- We prosper most when our politics align with and reward the best instincts of humanity.
- Trying to dictate, legislate or usurp those instincts through government is futile.
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ANY WEAK LINKS IN YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN?
UPS forwards a study on how major companies with global supply chains may not be doing enough risk assessment to help them weather the tough times ahead.
Lean manufacturing means depending on your suppliers to give you what you need when you need it. But that means any supplier problems immediately impact your business, and unless you have a contingency plan, a failed supplier can bring you to a halt.
I was struck in particular by one counter intuitive statement:
Consider: the Detroit 3 are swimming in inventories of parts, supplies, work-in-process and finished goods. They would have been much better off selling out of some products every year than overproducing and driving the value of every vehicle lower. But that would have been unthinkable.
It will be very interesting to see how all this shakes out, and which practices emerge as truly successful in what promises to be the toughest business environment in a century. On the one hand, we have analytical tools and transportation infrastructure unavailable to any previous businessmen. On the other, so do all of our competitors.
Game on.
Lean manufacturing means depending on your suppliers to give you what you need when you need it. But that means any supplier problems immediately impact your business, and unless you have a contingency plan, a failed supplier can bring you to a halt.
I was struck in particular by one counter intuitive statement:
"...a significant minority of businesses are falling back on increased inventory to address resilience problems, an expensive and ineffective approach. Almost half the companies surveyed expect to hold additional stock and raise inventory even more in the future.
This is the "nesting" instinct that is so hard for lean manufacturers to overcome in the first place. People seek the comfort of stockpiles they can see and touch, even if it costs them more than any other solution - alternative suppliers & components, partial shipments & backorders, even canceling marginal sales.Consider: the Detroit 3 are swimming in inventories of parts, supplies, work-in-process and finished goods. They would have been much better off selling out of some products every year than overproducing and driving the value of every vehicle lower. But that would have been unthinkable.
It will be very interesting to see how all this shakes out, and which practices emerge as truly successful in what promises to be the toughest business environment in a century. On the one hand, we have analytical tools and transportation infrastructure unavailable to any previous businessmen. On the other, so do all of our competitors.
Game on.
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December 28, 2008
HERE'S THE WORST CASE SCENARIO
A dark view of the year to come.
What's missing from this analysis that will make these bad numbers even worse? War, probably India/Pakistan.
Hold on tight.
What's missing from this analysis that will make these bad numbers even worse? War, probably India/Pakistan.
Hold on tight.
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December 27, 2008
NEW HOTNESS - THE AUTOCRIB.COM WEB SITE
After a pachydermic gestational evolution, the AutoCrib.com web site is reborn, replete with product info, videos, ROI and product calculators, and some swell photos of the gang.
Do me a big fat favor - if you work someplace that uses any kind of industrial supplies, i.e., supplies not used as components the products you sell - including gloves, tools, glues, gauges, safety supplies, etc - go to the site and try out the "Find the Right Solution" calculator, and then the "ROI" calculator.
If you don't know the costs or items to include, pass the link on to whoever it is in your company that does.
There is a money-saving solution for virtually every application.
So find yours, and buy it. Today!.
Thankee.
Do me a big fat favor - if you work someplace that uses any kind of industrial supplies, i.e., supplies not used as components the products you sell - including gloves, tools, glues, gauges, safety supplies, etc - go to the site and try out the "Find the Right Solution" calculator, and then the "ROI" calculator.
If you don't know the costs or items to include, pass the link on to whoever it is in your company that does.
There is a money-saving solution for virtually every application.
So find yours, and buy it. Today!.
Thankee.
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December 26, 2008
LAZY DAY LINKS
Everybody having nice quiet days off after the hullabaloo of Christmas? That describes the mood in the McMahon household.
Here's some links to get you caught up with what I've found interesting:
A billion dollars less per day spent on gas. As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the benefits of the economic contraction is the draw-down of energy costs. So does that mean it is...
...Time to raise gas taxes? Only if you swap if for a payroll tax cut. Dr. K 'splains it all. This is OK only because the belief that Social Security deductions go into a retirement savings account is fiction. They don't; FICA taxes go into the general fund, and Congress writes an IOU back to the Social Security Administration to be paid out of future taxes. So this proposed swap is truly revenue neutral, and as minimally invasive as a tax can get. I would vote to take this approach for all taxes, and abolish the income tax and capital gains taxes completely.
Repeal the Wagner Act. Union wage rates certainly are too high, but the real productivity killer is the work rules that allow line workers to rob their employers and accuse them of bad management at the same time. Chutzpah instituted by the law - don't convict me for killing my parents, I'm an orphan.
Here's some links to get you caught up with what I've found interesting:
A billion dollars less per day spent on gas. As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the benefits of the economic contraction is the draw-down of energy costs. So does that mean it is...
...Time to raise gas taxes? Only if you swap if for a payroll tax cut. Dr. K 'splains it all. This is OK only because the belief that Social Security deductions go into a retirement savings account is fiction. They don't; FICA taxes go into the general fund, and Congress writes an IOU back to the Social Security Administration to be paid out of future taxes. So this proposed swap is truly revenue neutral, and as minimally invasive as a tax can get. I would vote to take this approach for all taxes, and abolish the income tax and capital gains taxes completely.
Repeal the Wagner Act. Union wage rates certainly are too high, but the real productivity killer is the work rules that allow line workers to rob their employers and accuse them of bad management at the same time. Chutzpah instituted by the law - don't convict me for killing my parents, I'm an orphan.
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December 25, 2008
EXCESSIVE CLOSE AIR SUPPORT BY SHERIFF'S CHOPPER.
Some asshole in a LA County Sheriff's helicopter just made 20 treetop-level passes over our neighborhood blaring "Ho-Ho-Ho! Merry Christmas!" When they pass this low, the whole house shakes, and it sounds like they are flying in the front door.
This is the same chopper that shows up at 11:30PM many nights to buzz the gangbangers in Hawaiian Gardens. This show of force is probably a follow-up to the full-court-press they put on after an illegal-alien multiple felon fugitive ambushed a deputy in broad daylight and shot him in the face and killed him.
Either that, or one of the guys in the chopper has a relative or girlfriend in our neighborhood.
My request: save the aviation fuel and just drive over and arrest the gangbangers. Or just text your girlfriend. The rest of us could do without the "North By Northwest" treatment on Christmas morning.
Oh, and Merry Christmas to all. I got a moose, some movies and books, and some snugly clothes.
This is the same chopper that shows up at 11:30PM many nights to buzz the gangbangers in Hawaiian Gardens. This show of force is probably a follow-up to the full-court-press they put on after an illegal-alien multiple felon fugitive ambushed a deputy in broad daylight and shot him in the face and killed him.
Either that, or one of the guys in the chopper has a relative or girlfriend in our neighborhood.
My request: save the aviation fuel and just drive over and arrest the gangbangers. Or just text your girlfriend. The rest of us could do without the "North By Northwest" treatment on Christmas morning.
Oh, and Merry Christmas to all. I got a moose, some movies and books, and some snugly clothes.
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December 22, 2008
STOP BREATHING! YOU'RE POLLUTING MY AIR!
The liberal push for carbon taxes gets a pointy-headed discussion going among a "shut 'em down or tax them bankrupt" uber-blogger, an economist braino, and libertarian squints, all talking past each other, and around the basic point:
CO2 is not a pollutant.
NROs Jim Manzi, who always brings in basic business knowledge and analysis rarely considered in the politico punditocracy, exchanges obscurantism phrase-for-phrase just to prove he can do it, then deflates them by spoon-feeding them the bare truth.
If you have time, read some of the comments to Yglesias and McArdle's posts. It's amazing to me that some of these people survive one day in the real world. It shows how naive, sheltered and un-informed you can be in a free society.
Also, note the usual "conservatives like pollution" assumptions to most of the comments.
CO2 is not a pollutant.
NROs Jim Manzi, who always brings in basic business knowledge and analysis rarely considered in the politico punditocracy, exchanges obscurantism phrase-for-phrase just to prove he can do it, then deflates them by spoon-feeding them the bare truth.
If you have time, read some of the comments to Yglesias and McArdle's posts. It's amazing to me that some of these people survive one day in the real world. It shows how naive, sheltered and un-informed you can be in a free society.
Also, note the usual "conservatives like pollution" assumptions to most of the comments.
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MAKE LIKE AN ARTIFICIAL TREE AND LEAF
Sure hope this works. Sounds a little water-enginey. Its viability depends on the cost of the catalysts per unit of energy.
But by mimicking the way leaves use chlorophyll to convert and store the energy from sunlight, we eliminate the energy required to break it back down into stuff like ethanol.
Make it so, brain-o.
But by mimicking the way leaves use chlorophyll to convert and store the energy from sunlight, we eliminate the energy required to break it back down into stuff like ethanol.
Make it so, brain-o.
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CHRISTMAS MYTHS DEBUNKED
Via Jonah Goldberg's Odd Links Lady. Read and learn, my friends.
My favorite is the "Sugar makes kids hyperactive" myth. Yes, myth. Read the science and weep. I hear this one constantly, and as a coach and a Scoutmaster, I can attest to its mythological status.
All that screaming and running around at Thanksgiving is not due to the punch, cookies and pies, but mostly due to the presence of other children, who prod and incite each other to mayhem.
My favorite is the "Sugar makes kids hyperactive" myth. Yes, myth. Read the science and weep. I hear this one constantly, and as a coach and a Scoutmaster, I can attest to its mythological status.
All that screaming and running around at Thanksgiving is not due to the punch, cookies and pies, but mostly due to the presence of other children, who prod and incite each other to mayhem.
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WE'LL SEE A LOT MORE STORIES LIKE THIS IN THE MONTHS TO COME
Bush/Cheney nostalgia starts early.
I had heard about Bush & Cheney doing this many times over the years, but always through a milblog or other non-MSM source.
Can you imagine Obama doing this? I can't. When he goes to visit troops, it will always be with an entourage of press. The focus will be on Obama instead of the troops and their families, and the topspin will always be about Obama bringing them home rather than what these troops did for their country.
Maybe this will change once Obama has to commit troops on his own, and finally learns what it means to be Commander in Chief. Doubtful - Clinton never did secret visits to the troops, nor did Carter, and Carter at least was in the Navy, so he should have known better.
I had heard about Bush & Cheney doing this many times over the years, but always through a milblog or other non-MSM source.
Can you imagine Obama doing this? I can't. When he goes to visit troops, it will always be with an entourage of press. The focus will be on Obama instead of the troops and their families, and the topspin will always be about Obama bringing them home rather than what these troops did for their country.
Maybe this will change once Obama has to commit troops on his own, and finally learns what it means to be Commander in Chief. Doubtful - Clinton never did secret visits to the troops, nor did Carter, and Carter at least was in the Navy, so he should have known better.
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