READ ABOUT DETROIT AND SOLUTIONS TO ITS PROBLEMS. CLICK HERE.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Detroit's Rotten Core

SEARCH BLOG: DETROIT

Detroit's Mayor, Dave Bing, recently acknowledged the need to "downsize" Detroit. An article by The Detroit News provided a graphic showing why that is so difficult... the best parts of Detroit, aside from the immediate downtown area, lie at the perimeter. The center is missing.

[Click image to enlarge]

The reality is that Detroit is dying from a cancer of suicidal politics that Coleman Young initiated and Kwame Kilpatrick culminated. It is the politics of appealing to the worst aspects of black racial "culture" that drove out business and other racial and ethnic groups. A prime example of that is the school system with its African-centered curriculum... as if Africa were a model of civilization at its best.

Mayor Bing is far too intelligent to have bought into that nonsense and now has the bullshit by the horns. He recognizes that any possible redemption for Detroit will require a realistic, business-like perception of reality... not the rap-culture nonsense represented by Kwame Kilpatrick.

Still, that doesn't make the problem any easier to resolve. Detroit is the worst large city in the United States and Michigan is the most economically depressed state in the United States. There have been ample studies focused on solutions, but sometimes the horse has to be shot.

It is time to "downsize" by dividing. The best areas to the northwest and northeast should be allowed to split off and incorporate as new cities with governments focused on their specific geographies. The core downtown and surrounding areas... including the abandoned or decrepit areas should be the basis for Detroit going forward. The state should then allow all of the downsized Detroit to be a special enterprise zone that is exempt from all state taxes and is a "right to work" zone... in return for no other state subsidies. The state should also declare void all labor contracts the city has, if that can be done... and the new governor has the stomach for it.

Mayor Bing would then be in a position to dramatically streamline the city government, establish new service contracts, and attract business with a new, lower-cost base for doing business. Opportunities would include creating a special manufacturing zone and export port.

Naturally, the one major impediment would be the unions that have crippled the city for decades. They would rather cut of their noses to spite their faces than recognize the need for a different kind of "hope and change."

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Oil Peaking Again

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and OIL

Once again, the story of "peak oil" rears its head. But you have to be careful what you are reading. Oil, no doubt, has a limit. The problem is... the limit being discussed is always about the "known reserves" of the stuff. Each year the "known reserves" seem to increase, which is why oil is still meeting demand. In the U.S., for example, production peaked several decades ago when the cost of exploration and the cost of taxation and the cost of regulation made U.S. production ... unproductive.

To ensure that situation continues, the Obama administration fights any new production efforts in the U.S. with resolute opposition such as the deep water Gulf of Mexico efforts. The Obama administration is determined to make energy costs so high in the U.S. that we will return to the "pristine" Medieval environment of simply burning anything organic in sight to stay warm or power our blacksmith forges.

Oil Production to Peak in 2014, Scientists Predict

By Jeremy Hsu, LiveScience Contributor

posted: 12 March 2010 09:25 am ET

Predicting the end of oil has proven tricky and often controversial, but Kuwaiti scientists now say that global oil production will peak in 2014.

Their work represents an updated version of the famous Hubbert model, which correctly predicted in 1956 that U.S. oil reserves would peak within 20 years. Many researchers have since tried using the model to predict when worldwide oil production might peak.

Some have said production already peaked. One earlier model by Swedish researchers suggested that oil would peak sometime between 2008 and 2018. And other researchers have argued there are decades to go before oil production goes into irreversible decline. The only thing they all agree on: Oil is a finite and very valuable resource.

Read more....

Of course oil is not the answer to our energy needs... it is only part of the answer. The problem is that the Obama administration believes that it can change the energy question and have its predetermined answers fit. You know, "Do you want to pay 500% more for your oil or cut back?"

... and higher taxes and larger government will be the correct answer.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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It Warms Our Hearts And Bodies

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

After a couple of years experiencing mostly below normal temperatures, there is a possibility that the current warm spell in our area may result in an overall March average temperature that is higher than normal.

You can click on the images to enlarge.


Of course, these projections are subject to change.... This is Michigan, after all. Regardless, I hear very little complaining about the snow melting and how the walks outside are so tiring.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

No CO2 and No Oil

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA

President Obama has made it no secret that he is against CO2 and against fossil fuels. He has swallowed large amounts of Al Gore's KoolAid. Now the latest from the Obama administration:

Obama completely reverses course: Absolutely no offshore Oil Drilling under his Administration

Purposely trying to destroy the economies of Republican-leaning States?

by Eric Dondero

As the Wall Street Journal notes this morning, Obama in his State of the Union address to Congress, promised "new offshore areas for oil and gas development." Now, just a few weeks later he is completely reversing his stance. This, despite the fact that a FOIA request clearly shows the American public overwhelmingly in favor of drilling.

From the WSJ:
Congress's ban on offshore drilling expired in September 2008, and a Bush Administration plan for leasing the energy-rich Outer Continental Shelf was due to begin this year. Yet within a month of taking office, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar halted leasing by extending the public comment period by six months. When that period ended last September, Interior said it would take "several weeks" to analyze the results. It has yet to release a summary.

Newt Gingrich's American Solutions group used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain Interior emails suggesting that the public comments ran 2-to-1 in favor of drilling. Instead of acknowledging this, Mr. Salazar last week informed Congress he was scrapping the Bush plan and that leasing will not begin for at least another two years.

Read the rest....

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Big Ten Basketball

SEARCH BLOG: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

After giving blood, I turned on the Big Ten basketball tournament which had Univ. of Michigan playing Iowa University. Michigan had jumped out to an early lead and then Iowa began to do one thing: play harder. That seemed to confuse UM... just as it has all season.

UM has some talented players and among them Manny Harris is clearly one of the best. But he has one bad habit: he likes to conserve his energy on defense. So Michigan tends to play 4 on 5 when the opponent has the ball. Since the other four are forced to work harder on defense, their offense tends to bog down because those other four players don't have quite the gas left.

When Michigan does win big... as it does on occasion... it is usually because they have gotten a big enough lead from early 3-point shooting to cause the other team to attempt more of those lower percentage shots. Unfortunately, they don't have the talent to shoot well against better teams like Ohio State and Michigan State to get those leads so that leaves Mr. Harris to watch the other team's players run past him for far too many baskets. It's almost like his mind switches off when Michigan is on defense.

Pro scouts will like Mr. Harris' shooting abilities; they will make him a low draft pick because he lacks the effort to be a complete player.

Oh yes, Michigan won the game 59-52 as their defense watched a 16-point lead become a 5-point game until Mr. Harris made the final two free throws. Offense... mind on; defense... mind off.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Health Care The Government Cannot Provide

SEARCH BLOG: RED CROSS

... only you.

And you get to received one of these nifty red badges of courage.












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And You Will Pay For Medicare

SEARCH BLOG: HEALTH CARE

Those wonderful electric scooters [see previous post] may be covered by Medicare, but here's the latest on the latest "back door" way of doing business in Washington....

Health-care reform's 'back-door' tax

healthcare_summit.gi.top.jpg

President Obama leads the recent bipartisan meeting to discuss health reform legislation.

By Jia Lynn Yang, writer

March 11, 2010: 7:35 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Fortune) -- The big talk on Capital Hill may be about health-care reform, but as part of this massive undertaking, the Democrats are quietly reshaping the tax system too. Tucked inside President Obama's latest health-care proposal is a major change to the Medicare tax.

Since its conception, the Medicare tax has always been tied to payrolls. Every paycheck, employers and employees each chip in 1.45%, regardless of how much someone makes. Under Obama's proposal -- which should be very close to what Congress winds up enacting -- a Medicare tax would now be applied to investment income too: Individuals who earn more than $200,000 and couples over $250,000 would pay an additional 2.9% surtax on unearned income from interest, dividends, annuities, royalties and rents.

Read the rest....

That's a payroll tax and an income tax. But it is only for those who don't really earn their money... the way union bosses do.

If you don't earn the money, simply receive it... from investing in business, or providing rental housing for those who can't afford to buy, or from the sale of your creative products... then you pay this tax. Follow the hidden message?

Check your wallets.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Medicare Will Pay For It

SEARCH BLOG: HEALTH CARE

Perhaps you have seen those obnoxious commercials for this powered wheelchair from "The Scooter Store." Every time I see it, I grit my teeth and tell myself that this is the kind of crap for which the government just loves to spend taxpayer dollars.



But you have to hand it to this organization. They know a growing demographic when they see one and see the Obamacare writing on the wall.

Even CNNMoney.com thinks this is one of "the best companies for growth" in the U.S.

38. Scooter Store

Scooter Store
Job growth: 51%
U.S. employees: 2,173
2010 Best Companies rank: 38

Not to be confused with those zippy little rides for kids, the Scooter Store specializes in medical power chairs for seniors -- and is no fad. The company notched some impressive job growth last year thanks to the aging baby boomer population and a strategic marketing shift.

Instead of relying on television advertisements, the Scooter Store bulked up its sales force to court doctors and assisted living facilities directly, with much success. New positions have also opened up for those who provide delivery, service and administrative support across the country.

Although Executive Vice President Mike Pfister doesn't anticipate the same level of growth that the company experienced last year, he estimates it will remain in the double digits. "We try to provide an alternative for going to a nursing home," he said, and "people believe in our ideology."

By Jessica Dicker
I am not saying that the product is crap. I am saying that the spiel is. "Don't worry about the cost... the government is taking care of you." First of all, Medicare is not going to pay for it unless you are broke [which is as it should be], so the commercial is nothing more than the classic "bait and switch" updated to "we know you want it, but the bad old government won't pay for it like we thought they would, so we can set up an easy payment plan for you." Remember... it's paid for by the government, if you get prequalified by the company. Likely you won't, but likely you'll get the hard sell... or the wrong sell.

If this is one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S., you had better check your wallets on April 15... or after you call them.

Compare this to the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan subsidiary which lets doctors decide and then offers some really good prices on medical equipment here. I think I would go through a process that includes a professional organization of doctors and therapists before running out to buy some equipment that may or may not be suitable.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Dear Mr. President

SEARCH BLOG: OBAMA and HEALTH CARE

This post from Dr. Donald Boudreaux of George Mason University really puts the national health care crisis ... particularly with regard to insurance companies ... into a different perspective:

An Open Letter to President Obama

by Don Boudreaux on March 8, 2010

in Health, Prices, Reality Is Not Optional, Seen and Unseen

8 March 2010

Mr. Barack Obama
President, Executive Branch
United States Government
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. Obama:

CBS radio news this morning ran a clip of one of your recent speeches. In it, you criticize insurance companies because they “ration coverage … according to who can pay and who can’t.”

My first thought was “not exactly; coverage is rationed according to who pays and who doesn’t.” Ability to pay isn’t the same thing as actually paying, and what insurers care about is the latter. Many folks – especially young adults – have the ability to pay but choose not to do so. They get no coverage.

Read the rest here....

But what if those who don't pay do so because they have to make a choice? Perhaps it is the choice between sacrificing the wants of the present for the needs of the future? For example, living in a tiny place and barely eating enough to get by on so that they can obtain a college education and have a brighter economic future where they can choose to buy insurance... I did that when I finished my undergraduate work while living in a one-room converted garage and working full time in a hot, Florida warehouse during the day.

Of course, those "choices" are not available to the poor in America.

The following are facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various government reports:

  • Forty-six percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
  • Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
  • Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
  • The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
  • Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
  • Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.
  • Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
  • Seventy-three percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Fox News Into The Wildersness

SEARCH BLOG: POLITICS and ISLAM

For those of you who watched Glen Beck remark about Geert Wilders, you might have wondered, "What the hell?"

A YouTube video showing Beck describing Wilders [a right-wing Dutch politician who speaks out against radical Muslims in Europe] as being a "fascist," has been pulled by Fox News. You can view Beck's remarks here by going to 12:22 of this video that is still on Fox News. Or you can watch the embedded video below until you get to that point.



2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Tea Party Presentations

SEARCH BLOG: POLITICS

The following posts were a result of attending the "Tea Party" presentations at the Westland, Michigan AMVETS Memorial Hall on March 8, 2010.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Political Incentives

SEARCH BLOG: POLITICS

Of the fours speakers at the Westland, Michigan AMVETS Memorial Hall last night, the one that is most well known around the state is Jack McHugh, Senior Legislative Analyst, of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Jack has been around the block a few times when it comes to the workings of Michigan's government. He understands that passion alone will not make efforts such as the Tea Party a success when it comes to changing government.

It is not so much about sending new people to Lansing as it is changing the behaviors of those who are already there... a big challenge.

Jack confided to me that this was the first time the presentation we saw had been shown and it was still a work in progress... probably subject to revision and refinement. His main point was that it was not necessarily the stated positions of a candidate or incumbent that was the key to change as much as understanding what really drives politicians and providing the right incentives to change their voting behaviors.

Jack has a plan which I won't reveal, but it is targeted and could be effective. It requires changing mindsets of elected officials from both parties about what is important to them.

That's a big task. We've all witnessed the dramatic growth of the Federal government while the private sector has shrunken. We've seen the state governments resist fiscal reform despite loss of tax revenues, instead seeking new sources of revenues such as the "sales tax on services." Government, like unions, are focused on protecting their turfs rather than representing the people for whom they were elected to represent.

It's like a dog that won't stop barking until it is fed and you'd rather feed the damn thing thing than listen to it. At some point you have to change the incentive.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Ununited Unions

SEARCH BLOG: POLITICS

At the Westland, Michigan AMVET Memorial Hall, Scott Hagerstrom of Americans For Prosperity presented some interesting views of unions in America to a gathering of "Tea Party" participants.

Scott's background of being raised in a union family is at odds with his present view of how union leadership has essentially abandoned the rank and file for their own gain and to the detriment of the communities and country.

My interpretation of his talk... in a nutshell... is that unions once served the purpose of balancing the overwhelming power of the corporations to ensure that workers received a fair wage and fair treatment in reasonable working conditions. As the laws of the nation solidified those efforts, unions moved on to seeking political power and wealth for the sake of political power and wealth.

In today's world of declining union membership in the private sectors, Scott points out that unions have targeted growth in the government/public sector which is why union leadership is pushing so hard to have government intrude into every aspect of corporate and individual activity... it means more bureaucracy and more bureaucracy means more union members from which to collect dues.

Scott pointed out the perversion of union leadership in an example of where the Michigan Education Association leadership voted themselves 19% in raises over recent years while teachers' salaries and benefits were being cut. Government employee unions are growing, but the benefit is not to the employees or community.

Scott's answer to the growing stranglehold of unions in Michigan... making Michigan a "right to work" state and make the unions earn their members by actually representing the workers rather than themselves.

The question is: can the unions actually survive if they have to be competitive?

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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He 2nds That Amendment

SEARCH BLOG: GUNS

If I were a left-wing reporter, I would say something like this:

"Last night at the Westland, Michigan AMVETS Memorial Hall, Rick Jarosz, a foaming-at-the-mouth right-wing radical, ranted on and on about the need to get everyone armed to the teeth in his anti-Supreme Court frenzy."
Well, I'm not a left-wing reporter and that is not what happened.

Rick Jarosz gave about a 15-minute history of the 2nd Amendment and provided excellent context for understanding why the Amendment included the mention of a well-regulated militia and how that was different from the National Guard and how the tradition of an armed citizenry extended back into Medieval England.

While the left-wing may view gun owners as in the spoof paragraph at the top, Rick's point was that the founders of this country wanted to ensure that individuals always had the right to defend themselves and determined that this was an "unalienable" right.

Rick is a reserved... should I say "conservative"... person who sounds more like a law professor than a protester. His points were simply that the individual ownership of guns has been challenged many time and that... until the day that the Supreme Court simply fails to consider the 2nd Amendment as relevant... these challenges are without merit.

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Michigan Gubernatorial Candidate

SEARCH BLOG: POLITICS

We get used to familiar faces, especially in politics. If we haven't seen someone before, we tend to hold back a bit and think, "Show me." Yesterday, at the Westland, Michigan AMVETS Memorial Hall, Stacey Mathia let everyone there know that she was running for Michigan's governor. Stacey's website is here.

Memorial Hall is a gathering place for military veterans who don't suffer pretensions very well. But, on the other hand, this forum did not offer much in the way of a "cross examination" of ideas. I was able to ask a couple of questions regarding what she felt was the most important role of Michigan government and her quick answer was "infrastructure." That was a little vague, but she was pressed for time. She was adamant about the need to reduce government spending.

Here are her talking points from her website:

1. Just as all of us have had to tighten our belts and cut back on spending, so must our government. We must cut our government budget by a minimum of 15% upon inauguration.

2. Excessive taxation has contributed heavily to our current economic freefall. I will examine each and every tax and fee levied by our state, and pledge to eliminate those that are strictly punitive, such as the MBT. I will reduce those that are excessive, in order to stimulate job creation and entrepreneurial risk taking. As a result, tax revenue will increase, and jobs will be created, all without punishing Michigan families or entrepreneurs, but rewarding them for their faith in the American Dream!

3. Our education system needs to be overhauled. Failing schools, and those that run them can no longer be rewarded. Parents and educators must bear their responsibility in our children's education. My administration will support schools that educate, and ensure that children attending a school that is failing to educate them will have the opportunity to transfer to one that will.

4. As your Governor I will enforce and ensure that Michigan's rights are protected under the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution. I will not allow the Federal Government to dictate by fiat, to the citizens of Michigan, impermissable control of our daily lives, or the businesses we run.
Stacey is not a "polished" politician. That may be both a negative and a positive in this year's campaign. She has a bit of the Sarah Palin in her that will appeal to some and be a turn-off to others. Realistically, Stacey has an extremely small chance of winning the campaign battle. But she is in a position to send a message if she makes it on the primary ballot.


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Tea Anyone?

SEARCH BLOG: POLITICS

Last night I attended a meeting at the Westland, Michigan AMVETS Memorial Hall. It will take awhile for me to organize my thoughts around what I heard, but suffice it to say that it was not necessary to have the city and state police called in to control the radical crowd who all stood up and recited the Pledge Of Allegiance.

There were four guest speakers:


Stacey announced that she is running for Governor of Michigan. She is from Alpena and, unfortunately, did not have the opportunity to stay for the question session at the end of all of the presentations, although she did respond to a few questions after she spoke and was then heading back home.






That's supposed to say Jack McHugh from the Mackinac Center who gave a long, but quite interesting slide presentation covering the incentives that lead our representatives to "behave badly" and what sort of incentives might be required to change their behavior.

The presentation was much more in focus than the picture of his name.




Rick Jarosz gave an interesting and scholarly talk about the 2nd Amendment and its history and court challenges. Rick ought to have the opportunity to present that to more than just friendly crowds. Too many people simply don't understand the political context or ramifications of this Amendment.






Scott had an unique view of unions in America and American governments. His background includes growing up in a strong union family, so his current views represent a struggle with his past.








As I said, it will take a few hours to organize my thoughts about what I saw and heard, but the evening was well spent. I'll post more later today.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Monday, March 08, 2010

University Of Michigan Athletics Slipping

SEARCH BLOG: SPORTS

Having sent two sons to the University of Michigan and a third to Michigan State University, I follow the results of their sports teams [no, I attended colleges elsewhere]. After yesterday's abysmal showing by UM vs. MSU on the basketball court [one son was happy] and watching the Big Ten wrestling championships where UM came in 10th out of 11 schools [beating only Northwestern which is more known for its intellectual prowess], I wondered if it was just my perception that UM sports have taken a nose-dive in recent years. Even the normal powerhouse hockey team is so-so at 21-17-1.

[click to enlarge]

No, I guess my perception was accurate. Under the lead of Athletic Director, Bill Martin, UM athletics may not have inspired recently, but with a huge addition to the football stadium, the fans who come to watch will have fine views. And the promise of new basketball practice facilities may help recruit top players.

Today marks the day when the head of Dominos Pizza takes over the reins from Bill Martin. David Brandon can make his first point of order returning winning to the Michigan tradition. I'm not sure how pizzas translate into great athletics, but that's his task.
U-M President Mary Sue Coleman said in a press release. “I am confident that he will carry on the tradition of excellence in U-M athletics as we enter a new era.”
I'm think that maybe she should be pushing for the tradition of excellence in Ohio State athletics. Still, showing improvement from this year should be relatively easy. Meanwhile, my son who graduated from Michigan State can lord it over his brothers during those rivalry games.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Saturday, March 06, 2010

Cooling And Warming Cause Snow... Not Exactly

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

In a desperate attempt to convince the world that black is white and hot is cold, Al Gore reiterates the concept that global warming causes more snow. So let's take a macro look at what has happened in the U.S. [data shown below is for the entire northern hemisphere].

From Watts Up With That?

Now that we have reached the end of the meteorological winter (December-February,) Rutgers University Global Snow Lab numbers (1967-2010) show that the just completed decade (2001-2010) had the snowiest Northern Hemisphere winters on record. The just completed winter was also the second snowiest on record, exceeded only by 1978. Average winter snow extent during the past decade was greater than 45,500,000 km2, beating out the 1960s by about 70,000 km2, and beating out the 1990s by nearly 1,000,000 km2. The bar chart below shows average winter snow extent for each decade going back to the late 1960s.

....................Cooling.......................Warming........................Cooling

Mr. Gore would have to argue that the decade of the 80s and 90s, which were a warming period in the U.S., should have had more snow coverage and extreme snowstorms... but they didn't. The decades of the 60s and 70s which were notoriously cold in the U.S. ... so much so that newspapers and magazines were hyping a new "ice age"... had more snow coverage than the 80s and 90s. This decade of cooling in the U.S. has coincided with more record cold temperatures and more record snowfall.
I remember arriving in Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota in November of 1968 and being given an "orientation" that included pictures of snow covering the entire first story, and sometimes second stories, of buildings a couple years back and being warned of "severe arctic" winters. Temperatures of minus 30° F were common in the winter as were freezing deaths. "Snow packing" was a well-known condition when snow, driven by very high winds, would accumulate in the engine compartment of running vehicles where it would melt and short out the electrical system. The vehicle would then stall and could not be restarted. I know because I was in a vehicle when that occurred.

I remember moving to Michigan in the early 70s and buying a home in the late 70s and then equipping it with central air conditioning in early 80s ... just in time to ward off a summer with over 30 days of 90°+ temperatures... the same time we were having winters when a broom was all that was needed to keep the driveway clear of snow.
Perhaps anecdotal remembrances are not sufficient explanation that snow and cold go together and that snow is less prevalent during warming periods... but the data above should be somewhat more compelling and less strain on credulity than Mr. Gore's assertion that greater warmth brings more snow. Maybe more rain? Maybe longer growing seasons? Definitely less snow.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Friday, March 05, 2010

Cap'n Scam

SEARCH BLOG: CAP AND TRADE

An email from Penny Peiser provided the following links.

(1) U.S. DEMOCRATS MOVE TO BLOCK EPA ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The New York Times, 5 March 2010

(2) LAWMAKERS MOVE TO RESTRAIN EPA ON CLIMATE CHANGE

The Washington Post, 5 March 2010

(3) COLD FEET: JAPAN RETREATS ON CLIMATE PLEDGES

Bloomberg, 3 March 2010

(4) EU COMMISSION PLANS CARBON TAX ON TOP OF RUINOUS CAP AND TRADE

EUObserver, 5 March 2010

(5) ANALYSIS: CARBON CAPS THROUGH THE BACKDOOR?

Kimberley A Strassel, The Wall Street Journal, 5 March 2010

(6) CLIMATEGATE STATEMENTS FROM PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY AND STATISTICAL SOCIETIES

Climate Research News, 5 March 2010

(7) CLIMATEGATE HEARINGS: UNCORRECTED TRANSCRIPT OF ORAL EVIDENCE

HOUSE OF COMMONS

(8) OPINION: DAVID ADAM PERSUES THE INSTITUITE OF PHYSICS

Bishop Hill, 5 March 2010

(9) GREEN ACTIVISTS PLOT ‘STREET FIGHT’ AGAINST CLIMATE SCEPTICS

The Washington Times, 5 March 2010

(10) GLOBAL WARMING MAY BE NORMAL AT THIS POINT IN GLACIAL CYCLE

Lewis Page, The Register, 3 March 2010

Almost a year ago, I wrote this:

Bill and I talked about this the other night... how long before Obama dooms his opportunity for a second term?

Bill was under the impression that the General Motors situation would be his undoing... neither pleasing the left or the right wingers. I'm not so sure. I think there has to be two or three major blunders... and I think they will happen because of Obama's conviction that the U.S. voters and taxpayers strongly support his energy and climate notions... and are willing to pay the price for them.

Polls are unreliable sources of information for politicians to run a country. People will say what they think is the correct response to questions until it comes time to write the check. But when the reality comes that voters and taxpayers are going to pay much more for much less... the responses change... big time. [Read more]

Note... this was the Rasmussen poll when that was written:

Date

Presidential
Approval Index

Strongly Approve

Strongly Disapprove

Total Approve

Total Disapprove


4/1/2009

+8

37%

29%

57%

41%

Blunder 1: Political payoffs in the form of stimulus packages and bailouts to the Dems buddies.

Blunder 2: Pushing health care "reform" that will result in higher costs to individuals and businesses in form of both premiums and taxes, a huge federal deficit, and an erosion in the quality of health care.

Blunder 3: Crippling the U.S. energy supply through onerous and unjustifiable regulation.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Thursday, March 04, 2010

Al Say 'Cause I Say It The Cause

SEARCH BLOG: GLOBAL WARMING

This information has been circulating for a few days, so what is quoted below is not new news. It simply reinforces Al Gore's argument that global warming causes more snowfall because there is more moisture in the air except when it causes droughts because there is less moisture in the air ... post from Watts Up With That?:

2001-2010 was the Snowiest Decade on Record

Guest post by Steven Goddard

Snow blankets New York City. Al Gore (below) claims the increased snow is due to global warming.

Snow blankets New York City. Photo: Del Mundo, New York Daily News

Photo above from: NY Daily News: Record Snowfall in New York

Now that we have reached the end of the meteorological winter (December-February,) Rutgers University Global Snow Lab numbers (1967-2010) show that the just completed decade (2001-2010) had the snowiest Northern Hemisphere winters on record. The just completed winter was also the second snowiest on record, exceeded only by 1978. Average winter snow extent during the past decade was greater than 45,500,000 km2, beating out the 1960s by about 70,000 km2, and beating out the 1990s by nearly 1,000,000 km2. The bar chart below shows average winter snow extent for each decade going back to the late 1960s.

Read more....

The "global warming causes more snow" is somewhat akin to the argument that CO2 causes global warming, when the geological record shows that a warming climate causes a rise in atmospheric CO2... with a lag of about 800 years. We seem to be experiencing the impact of the Medieval [1000s - 1300s] warm period with regard to CO2 increases.

Oh, and having just returned from Florida where the winter has killed off crops and turned golf greens brown with temperatures about 20° below average, I was pleased to see that global warming was melting the driveway full of snow that global warming dumped there.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Dems And GOP Missed The Point

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When the dust settled, Sen. Jim Bunning had his time in front of the cameras. Then life as usual went on in Washington, DC.

You have to step back a little to get some perspective on this so-call "obstructionist" stand that Bunning was taking regarding the financing of the extension of benefits. He certainly could have waited for the big kahuna health care bill, but chose a relatively small bill and even suggested the way to finance the bill... ending "a lucrative tax credit for paper companies on a wood byproduct called "black liquor."

But even the so-called conservatives like Sen. Inhofe couldn't find the principles within his convictions to say that Bunning was doing the correct thing. Yet, Scott Brown, the newest senator who had recently broken ranks with the Republicans, stood up and said,

"I don't think it's about party, it's about good government," said Brown, who was elected in January vowing to promote fiscal discipline. "The perception in Massachusetts and other parts of the country is that Washington is broken. And if it takes one guy to get up and make a stand, to point out that we need a funding source to pay for everything that's being pushed here, I think that speaks for itself."
I guess the proof is in the pudding... and this pudding is still mushy. So look for increasing fiscal irresponsibility from both sides of the aisle.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Sen. Bunning Likes The "Paygo" Idea

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As I was listening to the news this morning, there was Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky talking about the federal government coming up with the source of revenue to fund each program.

Apparently, some Democrats in Congress read this last year and passed the Pay As You Go bill:

Thursday, July 23, 2009 Real Transparency In Government

But now that someone actually calls them out on it [On Feb. 12, President Obama signed the bill. "Now Congress will have to pay for what it spends, just like everybody else," Obama crowed] the Democratic Party is getting all Huffington about it.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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Leaving Florida

SEARCH BLOG: TRAVEL

Another leg of our winter travels is ending today as we head back to Michigan.

It has been pleasant here... about the same temperatures we had in early February in San Francisco... the low 60s. Of course, don't say that to a Floridian.

I've had the opportunity to get in several rounds of golf and yesterday was, by far, the nicest day... about 70 degrees and crystal clear skies. As a lone walk-on, I usually join up with a twosome. Yesterday it was with a couple who have live all over the U.S. as the husband's job with 3M has required moves. Naturally, we talked about the weather.

This seems to have been a particularly unpleasant winter for the natives... and the golf courses. A snide remark about global warming only brought disgusted snickering. I presume that will continue as high temperatures for the mid-week in central Florida reach the dizzying heights of around 60 degrees. Still, I wouldn't mind trading the mid-30s in Michigan for that.

My golf game? The rust was falling off in buckets.

2012 IS GETTING CLOSER

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CO2 Cap and Trade

There is always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.
Henry Louis Mencken (1880–1956)
“The Divine Afflatus,” A Mencken Chrestomathy, chapter 25, p. 443 (1949)
... and one could add "not all human problems really are."
It was beautiful and simple, as truly great swindles are.
- O. Henry
... The Government is on course for an embarrassing showdown with the European Union, business groups and environmental charities after refusing to guarantee that billions of pounds of revenue it stands to earn from carbon-permit trading will be spent on combating climate change.
The Independent (UK)

Tracking Interest Rates

Tracking Interest Rates

FEDERAL RESERVE & HOUSING

SEARCH BLOG: FEDERAL RESERVE for full versions... or use the Blog Archive pulldown menu.

February 3, 2006 Go back to 1999-2000 and see what the Fed did. They are following the same pattern for 2005-06. If it ain't broke, the Fed will fix it... and good!
August 29, 2006 The Federal Reserve always acts on old information... and is the only cause of U.S. recessions.
December 5, 2006 Last spring I wrote about what I saw to be a sharp downturn in the economy in the "rustbelt" states, particularly Michigan.
March 28, 2007
The Federal Reserve sees no need to cut interest rates in the light of adverse recent economic data, Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.
The Fed chairman said ”to date, the incoming data have supported the view that the current stance of policy is likely to foster sustainable economic growth and a gradual ebbing in core inflation”.

July 21, 2007 My guess is that if there is an interest rate change, a cut is more likely than an increase. The key variables to be watching at this point are real estate prices and the inventory of unsold homes.
August 11, 2007 I suspect that within 6 months the Federal Reserve will be forced to lower interest rates before housing becomes a black hole.
September 11, 2007 It only means that the overall process has flaws guaranteeing it will be slow in responding to changes in the economy... and tend to over-react as a result.
September 18, 2007 I think a 4% rate is really what is needed to turn the economy back on the right course. The rate may not get there, but more cuts will be needed with employment rates down and foreclosure rates up.
October 25, 2007 How long will it be before I will be able to write: "The Federal Reserve lowered its lending rate to 4% in response to the collapse of the U.S. housing market and massive numbers of foreclosures that threaten the banking and mortgage sectors."
November 28, 2007 FED VICE CHAIRMAN DONALD KOHN
"Should the elevated turbulence persist, it would increase the possibility of further tightening in financial conditions for households and businesses," he said.

"Uncertainties about the economic outlook are unusually high right now," he said. "These uncertainties require flexible and pragmatic policymaking -- nimble is the adjective I used a few weeks ago."
http://www.reuters.com/

December 11, 2007 Somehow the Fed misses the obvious.
fed_rate_moves_425_small.gif
[Image from: CNNMoney.com]
December 13, 2007 [from The Christian Science Monitor]
"The odds of a recession are now above 50 percent," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "We are right on the edge of a recession in part because of the Fed's reluctance to reduce interest rates more aggressively." [see my comments of September 11]
January 7, 2008 The real problem now is that consumers can't rescue the economy and manufacturing, which is already weakening, will continue to weaken. We've gutted the forces that could avoid a downturn. The question is not whether there will be a recession, but can it be dampened sufficiently so that it is very short.
January 11, 2008 This is death by a thousand cuts.
January 13, 2008 [N.Y. Times]
“The question is not whether we will have a recession, but how deep and prolonged it will be,” said David Rosenberg, the chief North American economist at Merrill Lynch. “Even if the Fed’s moves are going to work, it will not show up until the later part of 2008 or 2009.”
January 17, 2008 A few days ago, Anna Schwartz, nonagenarian economist, implicated the Federal Reserve as the cause of the present lending crisis [from the Telegraph - UK]:
The high priestess of US monetarism - a revered figure at the Fed - says the central bank is itself the chief cause of the credit bubble, and now seems stunned as the consequences of its own actions engulf the financial system. "The new group at the Fed is not equal to the problem that faces it," she says, daring to utter a thought that fellow critics mostly utter sotto voce.
January 22, 2008 The cut has become infected and a limb is in danger. Ben Bernanke is panicking and the Fed has its emergency triage team cutting rates... this time by 3/4%. ...

What should the Federal Reserve do now? Step back... and don't be so anxious to raise rates at the first sign of economic improvement.
Individuals and businesses need stability in their financial cost structures so that they can plan effectively and keep their ships afloat. Wildly fluctuating rates... regardless of what the absolute levels are... create problems. Either too much spending or too much fear. It's just not that difficult to comprehend. Why has it been so difficult for the Fed?

About Me

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Michigan, United States
Air Force (SAC) captain 1968-72. Retired after 35 years of business and logistical planning, including running a small business. Two sons with advanced degrees; one with a business and pre-law degree. Beautiful wife who has put up with me for 4 decades. Education: B.A. (Sociology major; minors in philosopy, English literature, and German) M.S. Operations Management (like a mixture of an MBA with logistical planning)