Ring the gong. Please.

NRO: The European Social Welfare State Bill

So, if this is a "normal" length recession, the spending bill will have the classic problem that fiscal stimulus does--namely, it comes too late to do much good, but right on time to help stoke inflation and mis-allocation of resources that are suddenly in high demand as the economy enters a recovery. And if this is a very long-lasting recession, more like a U.S. 1930s Depression or Japan 1990s "lost decade", then the problem is so long-lasting that we're not really debating a stimulus bill, we're debating a near-permanent shift of control of resources to the government, which doesn't exactly have a sterling track record of success. Only if this is a "Goldilocks-length" recession of more than 1-2 years, but less than a decade (which is a pretty hard beast to find in modern American history) would this temporal spending pattern turn out to be wise.

...The huge categories of spending under this bill that I could map to categories other than "General Spending" are in Social Protection (~$90 billion), Education (~$90 billion) and Environment (~$55 billion). Interestingly, Defense represents only about 3% of the spending in the bill (as opposed to 12% of U.S. government spending overall, or about 3% of French overall government spending as a point of comparison) and Public Safety represents only about 1% of spending in the bill (as opposed to about 6% of U.S. government spending overall, or about 2% of French government spending overall). In other words, the net effect of this bill is to shift the distribution of U.S. government spending as a whole away from defense and public safety and toward social programs: for good or ill, to make the U.S. into more of a European-style social welfare state. Because the amount of spending is so huge, this will be a material, not notional, shift. Eventually, we will emerge from this recession/depression/whatever it's going to be. When that happens, is this really the kind of government we're going to want?

I know, I'm ringing the gong again. But this bill is a Trojan Horse for the expanded nanny-state. And that is where I have the biggest issue with Obama. The foreign policy thing has a way of figuring itself out. If you look at every presidential race since Truman-Ike you see that the challenger that won ran with a policy puppy dogs and lollipops. Ike thought Truman was inexperienced in foreign affairs and then had the Korean War grind to a stalemate. JFK though he could do better and started Vietnam. Nixon had the secret answer to ending Vietnam but decided to wait five years to reveal it. Carter sold us on the tragedies of the Cold War and then had to boycott the US Olympics due to the USSR's aggressions. Clinton bombed Serbians, Somalians, Iraqis and Afghans without consulting Congress of the UN; and then we have George Bush who ran with a policy against Nation-Building. Obama ran on withdrawal in Iraq and since then has come back to reality.

What scares the shit out of me is the galactic shift in domestic policy that is being proposed by the Dem's in the name of doing something. Sure, it started with Bush and the initial bailout. That does not mean it has to continue with Obama Administration. And as for immediacy, know that the economy was in the shitter when Reagan took office and it took him nine months to pass him budget. Today's version will spend $900 Billion in nine days. Awesome.

CNN: 'Cello scrotum' exposed as a hoax

Anyone who has ever watched a cello being played would realize the physical impossibility of our claim.

Oh, the pseudo affliction is from playing the cello, not playing the anatomy like a cello. Got it. Good to know.

Tech note: I upgraded our copy of Movabletype and added a subscription module, MT Notifier. Everything seems to be working.

So hey, sign-up via the right-hand submission form and start getting e-mail notifications when this site is updated. You know, every two weeks or so. It'll be fun.

Epicrious: Salt Water for Boiling, Reviews

Hilarious read. On the tech side of things, if you are not using salt in your cooking try a few things:

1. Next time you make a batch of soup [note: make means the action involves more than opening the can.] try adding some salt to the mix. Taste it when you think it is done. Remove a portion of it and add a bit of salt. Taste it again and note how it tastes more like the food that is in it. You don't have to do this with soup either. Try it with boiled veggies. Get a pot of boiling water, sans salt. Put in your favorite greens and cook them to your liking. Remove and taste. Now add a touch of salt to them and taste again. Better, huh? More like a cooked veg. and not a raw veg.
2. Wanna keep those greens green? Add salt. Don't believe me? Boil two pots of water. Add salt to one, enough to make it salty like soup. Leave the other unsalted. Par boil your favorite greens in both. Compare the difference in color.

Salt opens your taste buds making them more receptive to the food. The trick is to find the point at which you taste more of the food, without thinking it's salty. If you are preparing dishes at home and wondering why they taste kinda flat. It might be your salt content.

Here's another tip: season food at the temperature it are going to be consumed. The temperature of the food will impact the perceived salt content. So, season your soup when it's hot. Common sense, right? Well, it works the same on the cold side. Say your making a nice compound butter with herbs. You get the mixture right where you want it in terms of taste. But the butter is cold. When it gets put on a hot piece of bread, or steak, etc. its profile is going to change with the temperature. If you know this you will be able to get more predictable results.

One last tip: Coarse kosher/sea salt takes a bit of time to dissolve and distribute. As you are bringing the seasoning up, give the soup or whatever time to even out. Otherwise, you might come back to a dish that was spot-on and find that it is now ready for the trash.

RCP: Campaign Rhetoric and Presidential Reality -- A Brief History

After the interventions of the trigger-happy Reagan and Bush Sr., feel-your-pain Bill Clinton was convinced that his charisma could achieve through diplomacy what his predecessors had failed at through their clumsy use of force. But after 1993, President Clinton ended up bombing or shooting Afghans, Iraqis, Serbians, Somalis and Sudanese -- without consulting either Congress or the United Nations.

I'm taking comfort in the fact that the change of today and the inherent stench of bullshit that comes with it, is not any different than that of previous elections. True, the volume was increased ten-fold. It's still just a galactic pander. At least in terms of foreign policy.

In terms of domestic policy, we are fucked. Big time. We'll get to that in due time (maybe).

I could not resist. My comments in red. Full text sourced from Real Clear Politics President Obama's Inaugural Address:

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans (you got that George? You were 43.) have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents , except for gun-control and abortion, and maybe the recent bailout, but whatever..

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network terrorists of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also congress' our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet, however the cure may be worse than the disease.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. If we stop spending like drunken sailors and shed the light of reality on our current entitlements there might be more to feel good about.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met, minus Social Security or immigration reform.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. Not sure what hope stands for? Check my website, or send my Blackberry a text.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. These will be replaced with puppy dogs and lollipops and politicians that crap tulips.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. Emphasis mine. Strange, no mention of the positive-right additions to the US constitution.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less - see also: auto bailout. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things (yes, I read Ayn Rand too) - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. No. Sorry. They did that for themselves. Nice story though.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. Maybe. Most likely they did it for their kids and themselves. Altruism is dead.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Bingo, sorta. Except for those that were conscripted and died because they were scared shitless, or died because they were trying to save comrades of the more immediate sort. Whatever.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began, except for GM, Ford and Chrysler. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. (Raising hand) Didn't that time pass with the first immigration reform, the first auto bailout, the S&L bailout, no? Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America, again.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. What I really mean is that the Gov't will buy the HC industry and crowd-out private money-grubbing insurance providers. Then, the tax-payer will absorb the high-cost HC fees. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. Even if the sun and wind turn out to be worthless pursuits, and by earth I mean uranium. And we will spend more money on transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. Nice. Warm and fuzzy

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. See also: Rod Blagojevich

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. Here's a clue: the idea of extending opportunity is what got us into this mess. Freddie and Fannie created the biggest market for sub-prime loans, which was encouraged by Fed. policy. Then they sold it off, as did everybody else. Then the gas came out of the bag and everybody realized that there eggs were in one basket.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks a LOT of missiles and tanks, and planes. Really expensive planes that previous leaders were not scared to use., but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions as long as they do not take too long or make people unhappy, self-conscious, worried or bored. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. Repeat: Altruism is dead. Plan on giving other nations incentives for cooperation. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. Bullshit of the highest order. Even if every country could meet their Kyoto requirements, the Earth would cool by less than .5ºF over the next 50 years. And guess what? They can't. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. Tell that to the MSM.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. The US and other more prosperous nations will pay for your carbon footprint. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. Nice to hear that once in a while. No?

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. Unless you are talking about Union negotiations. Then that might be different. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. Or old, depending on your memory or how long you have been politically aware. No, this is not a singles gathering. The instruments with which we meet them may be expensive new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of government responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. Taxes are due April 15th, by the way. See the Treasury Secretary for details.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. Who is calling?

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. Zzzzzzzzz.....

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we argued about what the test was. Then we pointed fingers and pandered for cheap political points we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and ____________'s God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. Which way to the White House?

God bless you. And God bless the United Socialistic States of America.

Here's some real substance for a light Friday. National Journal: Obama's Dangerous Detainees

I do not think I would be the only rider here to say this, but I am going to take special pleasure in the way the Obama administration re-brands previous Bush policies in an effort to soften them into baby mush mouthfuls suitable for mass public consumption. Obama showed a tendency for this approach after the primaries, where he gently backed away from far left stances that won him votes and voted for FISA and supported the gun control ruling in DC, and so on.

This come-to-jesus moment could be witnessed again when the Iraq timetable for withdrawal came back into the public discussions. From the stump, Obama wanted an immediate withdrawal early in the primaries. As the situation greatly improved in Iraq, he wanted a withdrawal based on conditions. His tuned has changed quite a bit and has come right back to where Bush Co said it would be: withdrawal based on the ground situation and in agreement with the Iraqi government. Sounds pretty logical, no?

Now the focus is on Guantanamo and its detainees. Of course, the position that won Obama the most votes appealed to groups like the ACLU. Nobody's going to rush to the polls with the intent of keeping Guantanamo open, right? The post-election tune has changed some, wouldn't you say?

The president-elect said on January 11, on ABC's This Week, that he wants "a process that adheres to [the] rule of law [but] doesn't result in releasing people who are intent on blowing us up." He also said that "many" detainees who "may be very dangerous" present special problems because "some of the evidence against them may be tainted even though it's true." And Eric Holder testified on Thursday, during the Senate confirmation hearing on his nomination to be attorney general, that "I don't think . . . we can release" people known to be dangerous.

[Raising my hand] Isn't there a great deal of grey area between people who are dangerous and those who are intent on blowing us up? Isn't that the point of Guantanamo? The US captures individuals that are engaged in terrorist activities against it during what the US determines is part of a larger conflict. Evidence exists that implicates these individuals, but the nature of it does not always lead to full disclosure. The detainees either claim no sovereign nation or their native countries do not want them repatriated. Guantanamo is where you keep these individuals until: the war on terror is over; evidence supports conviction and the individual no longer offers any valuable intelligence; current legal processes can be tailored to accommodate 21st century enemy combatants terrorists criminals.

Getting back to the article, Obama will have some tough choices to make that do not fit on a campaign t-shirt. He can determine who is still of value in terms of intel and who is not. Then he can decided who can be tried, and in what type of court. Those who are left will need to go somewhere. If Obama moves them within the US borders, that's not closing Guantanamo as much as it is moving and renaming. He can hope to get other countries to take them back. But that's not like the US being asked to take back Madonna. There's going to be individuals that are not wanted back. Take it to the bank.

So what I see is not so much a rejection of Bush Co's policies as much as a rebranding. Guantanamo will cease to exist. But the policies that brought it into existence will not. The US will still detain terrorists caught in the field. Unless Obama plans on capturing these people and giving them a one-way ticket to Times Square, they are going to be detained outside the US. Some of those detainees are still going to fall through the coarse cracks in the judicial system and they are still going to pose a threat to the US. Obama is not going to win support for a catch and release program for international terrorists. He's also smart enough to know that hanging on to some of them is going to make his job easier.

RCP: I Want To Play Poker With Harry Reid

That is far too funny not to bring to our three riders' attention. Add to the Blago-fiasco a fumbling, grand-standing fool leader of the Senate. But folks, once again, the point in all of the charades surrounding the fall of Bag-O-Chips has been missed. The focus has been on Blago, and unfortunately not on the system of Illinois politics that has fostered him.

It seems to me that all the shenanigans in DC could have very easily been avoided if the Illinois legislature would have stripped Blago of his appointment powers and called for a special election for the US Senate seat. But after the torches have gone out, the Blue Machine has discovered that they could lose that election to the Republican Party. Anybody else not surprised that not much has happened in IL since Blago's arrest? Me either.

Following that is fatuous nonsense of the highest order. Bobby Rush's assertion that race plays a factor in Burris' rejection is stupendously stooopid. The Senate's refusal to accept Burris as Illinois' senator is baseless. Last time I checked, the IL Secretary of State, Jesse White, does not have veto power of the Governor's appointment. Add to that Reid's latest actions and I want to stick a fork in my head. Seriously, these are the assholes that are our elected representatives?

We are in for it. Holy. Shit.

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Tech note: Anybody else running both 10.5x and 10.4x with a Time Capsule, Extreme and Express and HATE it? I cannot tell you how glad I am that I shelled out $500 for a slow, inconsistent n router/hard drive and $125 for a new OS that pretty much fucks up everything. Awesome. Now my USB printers spew out garbled files, my DHCP IP addresses duplicate and the Time Capsule back-up is 50/50.