Excessive Spending: Federal Protection Agency aka Federal Reserve

• Jobs lost to China because of currency manipulation
• Economic distress because of oil price surges
• Budget problems for states because of high unemployment

So the Federal Protection Agency aka Federal Reserve has a plan to raise interest rates until everything is fixed:

NEW YORK - The Federal Reserve has room to raise interest rates further but may be getting close to the end of its tightening cycle, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher told CNBC TV Wednesday.

"We are not quite there yet. We are getting closer, and as to when we get there, stay tuned,” he said.

Fortunately for us, the government is a lot smarter than all of those people who can't see that unemployment, high oil prices, and state and local communities with budget problems are really all treatable by raising interest rates.

US to brand China a fx manipulator if no move-Snow

'Nuff said

Environmental Extremism - Global Warming

The latest buzz on Global Warming from USA Today:
The debate's over: Globe is warming

By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY Mon Jun 13, 6:56 AM ET

Don't look now, but the ground has shifted on global warming. After decades of debate over whether the planet is heating and, if so, whose fault it is, divergent groups are joining hands with little fanfare to deal with a problem they say people can no longer avoid.

General Electric is the latest big corporate convert; politicians at the state and national level are looking for solutions; and religious groups are taking philosophical and financial stands to slow the progression of climate change.

They agree that the problem is real. A recent study led by James Hansen of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies confirms that, because of carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases, Earth is trapping more energy from the sun than it is releasing back into space.

Well, that settles it. USA Today has spoken.

An interesting side note. For awhile, I have stated that the only viable solution for both energy and environmental issues is the expansion of nuclear power. The same article above stated:

More people are advocating nuclear power. Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore told a congressional panel in April that "nuclear energy is the only non-greenhouse gas-emitting energy source that can effectively replace fossil fuels and satisfy global demand."

Wait a minute! Greenpeace co-founder agrees with me? Well, why was this buried near the end of this long article?

Whether or not the prognosticators are correct that Michigan will become the great Sahara of the north, there is hope when someone from Greenpeace can actually see issues clearly enough to make such a statement.

There is one other front that is still a "frontier"... the application of available technology on a commercial and personal level that can reduce energy consumption. And why is that lagging? Because there is no energy policy or strategy that encourages... no, incentivizes... the use of such technology as:

• geothermal heating and cooling (effective as far north as Minnesota)
• diesel/electric hybrid vehicles (requires cleaner diesel fuel)
• new building codes for homes that take advantage of better insulation and lighting technologies

and the list goes on.

Just as the argument for building small, efficient natural gas power plants rather than investing in advanced nuclear power plants is spurious (it's cheaper, but the issue is a non-renewable resource that contributes to the dreaded "greenhouse" effect versus a reliable, non-polluting, non-greenhouse system)... so too is the "market driven" approach to energy conservation. Sometimes, better, more expensive technologies need to be PUSHED INTO USE.

Excessive Spending - Verbal Prestidigitation

Headline: Treasuries ease, trade gap narrower than expected

Another Headline: US trade gap widens less than expected in April

Good news, eh?

Read further:

Despite the monthly improvement, the deficit remained on track to surpass last year's record of $618 billion.

The gap for the first four months of the year was up 22 percent from the same period in 2004.

Okay, call me old fashioned, but that sounds a lot like "I'm feeling much better now; the doctor gives me three weeks to live instead of two."

Summertime Expectation

It's not official by the calendar, but the temperature says summer has arrived. Along with that comes the unreasonable expectations of summer: we will all have fun, fun, fun.

The cottage is about to be back in business; the boat is in the water, the power is back on, the carpets will be cleaned, the furniture will be moved back in a few days, and relatives will start arriving immediately thereafter. Then it's the trek back and forth from home, hauling food one way and trash the other.

Of course, this is in addition to running the business and taking care of the maintenance for two homes. It's constant motion from dawn to dusk... and that's a lot of hours this time of the year. The schedule is dictated by the season. Michigan sleeps during the winter and is sleep deprived in the summer.

It IS fun. But, by the end of August, we look forward to the slowdown. That's three months away. Now I have to go have some fun.

Education Failure - And why are you surprised?

I've been writing for awhile on the problems in education. Unlike many who feel that the issue is not enough money for education or not enough good teachers, I have stated that the responsibility falls back to the families and that, in some subcultures, there is no family support for education.

Now The Detroit News has come out with a series of articles about how not enough children are graduating from high school. The News report states that the most cited reason for dropping out is that the students "did not like school."

Gee, I'd rather cruise on a yacht than work, so I'll drop out of work.

Gee, I'd rather go to Las Vegas than pay my taxes, so I won't pay my taxes.

Gee, I'd rather be an idiot instead of preparing for my future, so I'll be an idiot.

Somehow I don't feel all that sorry for those people who make stupid life decisions. After all, stupidity does have its own rewards. Too bad those who don't complete high school or get a GED by the time they turn 19 can't be drafted into the Iraqi army. They might like school better.

Well, okay, that's a little severe. Children are not really adept at making life decisions. The problem is that many parents abdicate their responsibility to the school system... and the school system does not have the tools at its disposal to change the attitudes of parents who do not value an education for their children. The solution always has been and always will be with the family. Sure, there are those exceptional and lucky children who succeed at school dispite the best efforts of their progenitors to discourage them. But that's not the rule.

And then there are those children who are just plain stupid....

You can find other articles in this blog under the heading of "Education Failure".

• Education Failure - All should get a college education
• Education Failure - 60 Kids or an Ex-Con?
• Education Failure - The Dream
• Education Failure - Basketball News
• Education Failure: We're no worse than...
• Education Failure: One Child Left Behind
• Education Failure: Education or Failure... Either Or
• Education Failure: Halo-2
• Education Failure: No Child Left Behind - Part 1
• Education Failure: No Child Left Behind - Part 2

Also, these were part of a look into the year 2020:

• 2020 Preparations - Step 1: Education
• 2020 Preparations - Step 1: Education (continued)
• 2020 Preparations - Step 1: Education (Continuing?)