Persistence Pays... Maybe

I received a call from the county Road Commission today. I have been a thorn in their side for quite awhile, but I have to say that Oakland County has been reasonably responsive. A lot of my issues are actually with the Michigan Department Of Transportation, but the county gets to process the complaints.

I did learn that some of the great things that were supposed to have been done over the past few years in the area of traffic management actually did not get done. All of those computerized signals that were supposed to optimize traffic... well, a lot of them aren't there. And, therefore, the high-traffic routes are disrupted by mechanical timers that lose their timing and create traffic "bunching"... clusters of vehicles that go from one red light to the next.

The Road Commission representative said that she would see to it that the specific problems I identified would be checked out by an engineer and corrected. That's great, but as long as the system is not upgraded, it will be a losing battle for commuters. Still, I applaud the Road Commission of Oakland County for trying to be responsive and responsible. Now, about MDOT....

Catholics Threaten Cartoonist

Angry Catholics around the world threatened cartoonist Mike Thompson of the Detroit Free Press with death and beheading for publishing the cartoon depicting "fallible" popes. Catholics chanted "death to Mike," "death to the infidel" as they burned copies of the newspaper and declared a "Holy Crusade" against the "unbeliever"...

or not.

Muslim Reaction: Same Song 2nd Verse

... a little louder, a little worse....

Back in February I wrote about Muslim reaction to cartoons about Mohammed.

It appears that nothing has changed:

• An elderly nun was killed in Somalia
• Two churches were set afire on the West Bank
• Protests occurred in Iran
• Al Crummy declared the that the Pope and the West are "doomed"
  

Meanwhile, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and others went about their daily lives.

As I said Friday, you can protest all you want, but if it is written and said and done... it's what it is.

Pots and Kettles

My unprovable beliefs are better than your unprovable beliefs.

By SUZAN FRASER, Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey - Muslims around the world expressed outrage Friday over Pope Benedict XVI's comments on Islam, with Turkey's ruling party accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades and scores taking to the streets in protest

Pakistan's parliament unanimously condemned the pope, and the Foreign Ministry summoned the Vatican's ambassador to express regret over the remarks.

The Vatican said the pope did not intend the remarks — made in Germany on Tuesday during an address at a university — to be offensive.

Benedict quoted from a book recounting a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II and a Persian scholar on the truths of Christianity and Islam.

"The emperor comes to speak about the issue of jihad, holy war," the pope said. "He said, I quote, 'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.'"

People really get angry when you express something negative about their most closely held beliefs... probably because they know that they can only believe what they believe, not prove what they believe... especially when there is a provable assessment about what they believe... this is what is written; this is what is said; this is what is done.

Of course, using a 14th century reference from someone who supported 14th century Christian beliefs and actions is a lot like the pot calling the kettle black.

Ahh! September!!!

Golfing in the 60s (temperatures not scores) with cider and doughnuts afterward. The only thing that could be better is scoring in the 60s, too.

Okay, not everything in Michigan is getting bad.

Path to 9/11

Kudos to ABC for its two-day broadcast of "The Path To 9/11". If you didn't see it, you can.
ABC did a risky and classy thing with this broadcast.

It was very difficult to watch it, but it's something that Americans should. While the portrayals may have offended some, the people portrayed did not have the benefit of 20-20 hindsight. It was amazing that some government officials actually tried to do the right thing and, at times, succeeded. The message was pretty clear to anyone watching: us or them.

It was also pretty clear that the Geneva convention doesn't apply... even if politicans and judges want to say it does. But that's another matter.

Uncivilized and Barbaric

September 11, 2001: the actions of those who caused the destructive events were uncivilized and barbaric. That does not mean they were unintelligent; it just means they are representative of a way of thinking that is the opposite of:

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) - civ‧i‧lized  /ˈsɪvəˌlaɪzd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[siv-uh-lahyzd] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective

1.	having an advanced or humane culture, society, etc.

2.	polite; well-bred; refined.

3.	of or pertaining to civilized people

It also means, however, that they are ignorant of the Western culture to the extent that they believe that the Western world will convert to Islam under threat of death... anymore than it would convert to Nazism under threat of death.

Right now, these so-called Jihadists are nothing more than a major annoyance to the West. They cause some damage and hurt some people, but do not represent a substantial threat. But, in the future, if they actually pose a significant threat to the West, there will be an unprecedented price they pay for that... and Geneva convention violations will be the least of their worries.

Civilization is a thin veneer when ones world is threatened. The Jihadists, whether wildly disturbed individuals or rogue nations will learn that even nuclear weapons in their hands ensures nothing except a larger target on their backs. They will learn that even though they may be intelligent, cunning, brutal and fanatic... they will be tremendously stupid to do more than they have already done.

I believe that if there is another military action against a rouge nation or geography dominated by these people, it will not involve many land-based troops or nation rebuilding. The patience of the U.S. is running very short... and the willingness to be "civilized" toward these people is evaporating.

Inflationary Education - Part 2

A recent comment regarding my assertion that the cost of college education, which affects tens of millions of Americans, as a large contributing factor to overall inflation was criticized as unfair with the blame being placed on Medicaid.

While it is true that there have been some cutbacks in state support recently, the fact remains that SINCE 1958 the rate of tuition increase has been from 1.5-2.0 times general inflation.

It really boils down to two things:

1. colleges and universities can have large increases in tuition year after year because our society places a premium on a college education, and
2. colleges and universities choose to have large increases in tuition year after year to fund non-teaching efforts (and fairly hefty salaries for college presidents).

Nevertheless, colleges and universities are quick to point out the fiscal management shortcomings of business and government.

Not Feeling Your Pain

Visitors to the Cafe Hayek might be surprised to see how little empathy? there is toward the situation so many wage earners find themselves in today: declining real income. Rather, there are strong arguments made that because technology has improved the products we buy, even if the median income is declining (which they argue is not the case), our standard of living is increasing rapidly.

I think the only qualification is whether declining real incomes (if that is the case) allows the same number of people to buy the kind of products they would have purchased had their incomes kept pace with the costs of living. After all, if you can't afford to buy better products, you can't really enjoy them... or is that too self-evident?

South of the Border

With all of the focus on the Middle East, most Americans... and the government, too?... seem to be ignoring what is happening in Mexico.

There is a growing movement away from the idea of a free-market, centrist government toward the socialist approach of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The prospect of another Venezuela on our border is not exactly gratifying and could cause some additional political pressure to restrict the border even more than the planned wall and patrols.

Not much has happened to change the Hispanic tradition of bungled government in Mexico, Central America and South America. It looks like stupidity continues to have its own rewards there.

Up or Down?

Spending provides cheer on US economy

(Government data)

Costco alert points to lower US spending

Which data will the Fed consider?

Greeks Can't Jump?

Cripes... now the U.S. is outsourcing championship teams!

Will it never end?