Reality Check

I often wonder how the liberals can keep up their skewed world view in spite of so many facts that counter their beliefs. Why all of the conspiracy theories? If you visit some of the liberal links I have on this site, and on my other site, you'll see some pretty far out theories from time to time. I don't want to itemize them all here, but I will be discussing a few below. I do think that conspiracy theories pop up in the absence of information, but there is plenty of information out there, so why all the persistent tongue wagging over things that are just plain incorrect? That is one reason why I created the SOS Award, or Sossy. To acknowledge the hard work put into maitaining a level of fiction in ones mind. Some of the items in this post below may be candidates for the next award presentation. I offer the following for your entertainment:

1) Despite all of the progress we are making in Iraq, there are those who still believe that it is a quagmire with no hope of success. But the good news and the facts present the opposite. Sure it isn't as safe as walking down the street in Redmond, Wa. But would guess it is safer than some big American cities after dark.

2) And when it comes to labeling people, or groups, the liberals are all for separating people through their hate speech than they are in bringing people together. And they accuse the Republicans of being the hate-mongers! They accuse good guys (the border watchers) of being 'racist and violent',when that is the opposite of what they are. And all the while they can't even find the accurate description of our all-to-real enemies! The true reality is those of us on the right are the true advocates for liberty and freedom, not the left.

3) Getting the facts straight is even hard for them to do in a seemingly simple thing as reporting events as they happen. All of the sensational stories in the first few days of the New Orleans flooding were either wrong or over-hyped. They can't keep their hatred for America out of anything they report on!

4) And finally the ability to remember historical facts seems to challenge them the most. No matter what the subject, they seem to think history started in the 1960's. But even if that were true, there has been a lot of history from then till now. Presidential poll numbers go up and down during the life of an administration. But the media love to present snapshots instead of an overview, especially bad ones. Unfortunately, reporters think of themselves as the writers of history, it's a pity none of them remember it. Thats why we, as individuals, need to be educated...yes educated. In history, civics and economics. Otherwise we'll have to continually listen to these boors who cannot get it right.

Day after day there are stories of the left's uncompromising twisting of false perceptions into realities. I list some on my running news archive over at www.Rhyme-and-Reason.us, and it gets dizzying at times. With all of their many intellectually challenged views, how can they sell their candidates to the American people? And a bigger questions is: Who's side are they really on?

Those on the left are the true naive simpletons...or they are treasonous traiters. You choose.

Proper Incentives attain desired goals

If free market capitalism is actually practiced, then society's problems will take care of themselves, I believe. Although there might be an 'appearance' of hardship or 'pain' of adjustment, the free market model works much better than the mangaged model of socialism. As a case in point: the Little Rock school system.

In Little Rock Arkansas, they decided to by-pass the teachers union and give direct cash bonuses to teachers who had students who increased a certain test result by 4% or more. The amount of the bonuses went up as the students results went up. And the bonuses were for each individual student. So if you had 100 students improve, your bonus was multiplied by a factor of 100. Well, teachers are not stupid, despite what they say through their unions. They voted 100% to continue this program. And so far, the test results look promising. The kids are doing well, the teachers are happy about it, and the parents must be happy too. How blissful, everyone is happy. Sounds like a socialist dream right? - wrong. It is a capitalist dream. All of this was possible because of the financial incentive to improve. A goal without an incentive is just wishful thinking, but a goal with a proper incentive will always attain the desired results.

The incentive principle works like this: If you say 'son, mow this yard and I'll pay you $5'. You might get the lawn mowed at some point, as long as you put in additional effort to get a teenage body in motion. But if you say 'son, mow this yard and I'll pay you $5 - And if you finish within 1 hour, I'll quadruple your payment to $20'. Well then you would probably get your lawn mowed in less than an hour, without any extra effort on your part, because the boy now has a financial incentive. Your goal all along was to get the lawn mowed quickly, but your goal may not have been met without the additional incentive in place. This type of completion incentive is used in the construction industry all the time, and it works. There is also the opposite incentive in place as well...finish late and you'll have your contract reduced by $1,000 a day. So the contractor will aim to finish early to protect is job as well as his company. You could then say to your son 'if you finish late you have to buy me dinner'...which brings up another point - the incentives must be practical and attractive to the individual doing the work in order for them to work. If it's not practical for your son to buy you dinner with what money he has, then he'll develop a defeatist attitude, especially if the 'goal' is set too high for him to attain.

I have to wonder what the reaction of the teachers union in Little Rock was when they saw the 100% approval vote by their members. After all, they voted FOR a capitalist idea instead of the typical socialist ideas they've promoted in the past. But the proof is always in the pudding, and history will always give us examples of sound principles working. And most of the time we have examples right in front of our faces, if we just choose to notice instead of listening to the socialist advocates scream 'oppression'.

Capitalism always works everytime it's tried, and socialism is nothing but a drag...literally.

The Nuclear Option

At some point, people are forced to stop and accept the realities of life. We may be in such a situation now. For years the envinronmentalists have been telling us all about the woes of each and every type of energy production. Coal burning requires mining and then when you burn it, produces a heavy dark smoke. Hydro-electric power, genertated by river dams, causes the fish population to dwindle. Natural gas generated electricity, generated from a fossil fuel, requires the ever-resisted drilling and refining. And nuclear power is just another atomic disaster waiting to happen, not to mention the waste disposal issue. So whether it is environmental damage, pollution or risk to humans, some reason could be given to argue against each and every one.

Well, something has to be done. With the constant advances in solar and hydrogen research our future is starting to look better. But there is another option that is ready right now and very practical. That would be the Nuclear option. The biggest problem about nuclear power seems to be public opinion rather than any scientific reason. And we all know how fickle public opinion is, and how easily it can be manipulated by a focused public media.

I think nuclear power should be a major consideration in our energy discussions. Consider the fact that the U.S. right now produces 20% of its energy via nuclear power. Also the military uses smaller reactors in its naval vessels without many problems. France now produces 75% of it's electrical power from nuclear energy and is the leading exporter of electricity! The U.S. can do the same thing we just get past our 'opinion' that nuclear power is dangerous.

The storied examples of 3-Mile Island, and Chernobyl should never be forgotten, but they are definately the exception rather than the norm. How many French disasters have their been? How many military, of all nationalities, have their been? How many Chinese problems too? And the Chinese present another problem of a different subject...they are having an industrial revolution right now and we need to stay on par with them. Thus ever the pressure on a reliable power supply. But there are very few large scale nuclear problems. Of course, you have the many small leaks and radiation exposures, but those are called 'accidents' - not disasters. And every industry has accidents so it is futile to go down that road of debate.

The bottom line is that we need to put aside our pre-conceived opinons about everything these days, and re-evaluate each issue while considering the modern advances in technology. And NOT keep our heads in the sand like the looney left always seems to be encouraging.

SOS Award Inauguration

Welcome to the inauguration of the SOS award! Each week I'll take a look back at the week in the news and determine the one person, above all the rest, who demonstrated the most dire need for a life saving infusion of intelligence! I know it'll be tough as there will be plenty of candidates to choose from!! The Idea came from the now famous quotes of General Honore: "you're stuck on stupid!....you're STILL stuck on stupid!" SOS means just that - stuck on stupid. An alternate interpretation is 'save ourselves', as in 'save ourselves from ourselves...before we are stupid again!". So without further ado, the inaugural SOS award - or 'Sossy' - goes to: Nancy Pelosi

That's right - Miss America - as Rush Limbaugh calls her. The Honorable Nancy Pelosi (Democrat) represents the 8th district in California, the San Fransisco area...definately a blue district. She has risen to the top leadership position of the House Democrats, so you'd think she was a pretty smart gal. But as you'll see, Ms. Pelosi demonstrates she is all Sossed because of what she said after the House of Representatives passed the 'Gasoline for America's security Act of 2005 - H.R. 3893' (enter "HR3893" in search window).

This particular bill was passed in response to the fuel supply crisis we find ourselves in after two devastating hurricanes. The reports I've read have estimated that 23% of our refining capacity was off-line as of late sept. Therefore, alot of people think some measures are in order. But it seems also that there are those more concerned with posturing, rather than governing. Ms. Pelosi is one of those politicians. And the closeness of the vote (212-210) indicates how common her views are in the Democratic party. But Ms. Pelosi has such a genuine confidence that her pronouncements are true it is astonishing!

If you read the bill linked above, you'll see it has many good provisions and even some a good liberal should love. There are provisions for the construction of new refineries, transportation and prices. There are also specific provisions for minority hiring and price gouging, both things liberals should be happy about. And, to my happy suprise, there is a provision creating a 'Commission For The Deployment Of The Hydrogen Economy'! This is the kind of thing the environmentalists should be happy about too! This is in no doubt reference to the new hydrogen technologies coming on-line. So with all this as background, after the vote, Ms. Pelosi is quoted in The New York Times as saying the following:

"It took that long for the indicted leader of the House of Representatives to twist the arms necessary to get a vote against the American people, against the consumer, against the taxpayer and against the environment - in favor of the energy companies"

She is practicing demogoguery perfectly!! She simply appeals to the emotional sensibilities of her radical left supporters by taking the same anti-Republican stance they do! She then offers an analysis of the bill that is the exact opposite of the truth! And what Mr. DeLay's legal problems have to do with this legislation is beyond me. The American people will yell if Congress does NOT do anything. (I'm sure polling will be done that supports that.) Anything that increases the supply in this market is going to lower the consumers cost and those same benefits, along with an improving economy and increasing tax revenues will help everyone. The hydrogen study is the promising note on the environmental front that she is totally ignoring. Hydrogen is one of the fuels of the future and a nail in the coffin of OPEC's influence. As far as the charge of being beneficial for the oil companies goes, it is the very success of those businesses that provide all the jobs the politicians say they want. Everything she said is completely backwards from reality. And unfortunately, she has plenty of company.

So congratulations Nancy Pelosi!!
You are the winner of the inaugural SOS "Sossy" award!!
You've been 'Sossed'!

The Third Way - Move to the Right

In a previous post, I commented on how the Democrats have drifted left since WWII and how far left they are at the present time. I predicted that they would continue their fall from grace if they continued down that path unless they realized their mistake in time. This week there have been a few articles written regarding this issue, from both the left and the right.

The Washington Post has reported on a Democratic group called The Third Way. They are a group of people who worked in the Clinton administration and other liberal advocacy groups. The term 'third way' is a Clinton era term meaning 'triangulation' as taught by Dick Morris. Relying on heavy polling, the 'third way' is a way of bisecting two polarized views on any issue, in an attempt to demonstrate original thinking and leadership.

The Third Way report gives a surprisingly honest critique of the Democratic Party. Most of the issues actually address the party's worst socialistic views, and one issue dealing with presentation. They have a big reason to advise against the socialist trends since liberals only make up about 20% of the electorate, it is politically unfeasable to promote that viewpoint too much. Also, it isn't good enough to reframe the language, or finding a new narrative, they must actually follow through with the changes and get behind positions they are not ashamed of.

What it all means is the Democratic Party must move to the right in order to be credible to the great moderate bulk of American voters. That also would mean they would have to start taking into consideration ALL the facts of an issue rather than just the ones that support their position. Both of those things will make the loud left even louder. The press corps are the loudest on the left, being the communications dept of the Democratic Party, and they would have to return to honest journalism.

At the same time the Democrats are trying to find their way, the Republican Party is having an open debate about their direction. But, as I've commented before, their base is always pulling them back to the right. Conservatives are not afraid to discuss all the issues openly as they have no postions they are ashamed of. I will continue to post the results of the ongoing 'investigations' into some Republicans alledged misdeeds. And the rule of law will be obeyed without complaint. That is something the Democrats have had difficulty doing.

President Clinton said he would have the most ethical administration in the history of the republic, and yet there has not been fair or open reporting on Democratic legal problems since he was elected. Spin was the rule of the day. While Republicans in trouble have always been like blood in the water to a great white shark. Here (registration may be required) is a story on how the Democrats continually try to cover up anything they are ashamed of. Because there might be some news that impacts Hillary's re-election efforts they have to delay this news as long as possible. Or until it is so old people don't care. Open journalism, true non-bias reporting will treat all politicians the same.

Whether or not the press, the Democrats and the loud left actually adopt any of these measures time will tell. My guess is they will try to, but will fail to build enough of a consesus to make it a true shift. It will take courageous individuals to start wrestling the party back. We will know soon enough when we see the discussion the follows in the wake of the Third Way report.

But as this trend in the Democrats took a generation to reach this point, it may take a generation for them to come back around.

New(som) Rights

To get a good idea of just how far we have come as a society, is to compare the luxuries we have now with those of our ancestors. For the most part we have things much better. We have electricity, automobiles, telephones and the most important...toilet paper. Some of these things we call luxuries - like cell phones or cars, and others are very necessary - like electricity.

The Honorable Mayor of San Fransisco, Gavin Newsom, thinks that you have a new right. And that would be wireless internet. Thats right. Along with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is free Wi-Fi for all.

"This is inevitable - Wi-Fi. It is long overdue...It is to me a
fundamental right to have access universally to information."

Well isn't just great! We've progressed so far as a society that we now have the right to Wi-Fi. But if it's a right, do I have to pay for it? Heck no! Mayor Newsom doesn't think you should have to pay hardly anything at all for it, after all - it's a civil rights issue!"

"My intent is to have the taxpayers pay little or nothing...
This is a civil rights issue as much as anything else."

What a great country! You too can get special treatment! Imagine the possibilites! And your rights cannot be denied or you can sue for damages! You could take as many net-surfing breaks at work as the smokers do, prisoners, bums and illegal aliens will also need theirs. And, of course, there will be advocacy groups clammering for those who don't have access to a computer. So free computers will be next. After all, you can't 'technically' be on-line if you don't have a computer!

How blissful it must be to be a good-intentioned socialist! The cost of such coverage will be too cost-prohibitive to maintain for the long haul. The anticipated advertising revenue wont cover all the expenses. And if the city tries to step in and finance the coverage, then look for huge budget increases to follow.

Either way, the old saying - "there is no such thing as a free lunch" - will be proven true, no matter how well intentioned or hopeful everyone is. And socialism, once again, will have shown itself to be unsupportable.

Finally!!!

I believe the future of oil dependency is over. Check out this news article from a Danish University on the advances in hydrogen fuel.

They claim to have invented a safe way to store, transport and refuel hydrogen 'tablet' fuel cells. Could the end of the Arab terrorist funding source (oil) be near?

I believe this is huge news!

Dumb, Deranged and Dangerous

Here are some recent news items that have provoked some small reaction from me.

Sen. Schumer is Nixon redux: Top aids of Sen. Schumer being investigated for Nixon-esque activities. Hear any clammer in the news? Of course not. Democrats are pure as the wind driven snow...NOT!

Democrat free speech hipocrisy: You'd think that the party that promotes free speech as much as the Democrats do would be somewhat tolerant of objectional speech. Oh wait, thats only anti-American speech that they protect.

Tom DeLay punching bag: Ok, so the first indictment wasn't valid because the law DeLay is accused of violating wasn't passed until a year after he supposedly did what he is alledged to have done. So new charges are filed in a hurry to cover the D.A.'s ass and they somehow echo the 'money laundering' talking point the Democrats came up with the previous day...nice. Oh, and this isn't political...right.

Activist reporting: Ok, so what is it? Is Judith Miller a Bush lacky, or is she trying to protect someone else? After the bashing she got from her collegues about Iraq, I'm guessing she is not trying to protect her 'source' of Mr. Libby, rather it is someone else. And for the New York Times to stand behind her, they must know who and why. Time for some reporters to do what they want politicians to do - reveal what they know and when did they know it!

PETA pathetic: This one takes the cake, literally. I mean, c'mon folks...those little goldfish are labled as 'feeders' in the pet store. They are bred to be eaten! Does it really matter WHO eats it? What a waste that group is.

May I please arrest him sir?: For crying out loud! It takes a special order from the Governor to authorize the state troopers to arrest illegal aliens?? And only 3 states now are allowed to do so? This is why political correctness, and those who profess it, are treasonous!

Democrats are dumb, deranged and dangerous.