As I noted in an earlier post, I often refer to the Democratic Party as the Law of Unintended Consequences Party, or LUC Party for short.  Currently many in the party are campaigning hard for immigration reform, or as is obvious to everyone, voter registration via amnesty.  Depending on who you believe, demographics are either working for them or against them.  There are those who predict growth in the number of registered Republicans, generally based on the fact that conservatives tend to have a lot more babies than do liberals.  We have three where are liberal friends have one or none, to be anecdotal.  One of our liberal couple friends had a baby, became conservatives, and then had two more.  However others predict with the browning of America will come a more left-leaning populace.  

With the dollar collapsing as a world currency and the Dow hitting 10,000, it's obvious that world has no faith in the US government and much faith the American people.

In this Bloomberg article Mark Warner is quoted as saying....

Last fall I was watching some MSNBC post-election coverage, albeit not voluntarily, under the tutelage of Matthews, Olberman and Maddow and found myself asking, er, myself, “Where have I seen these people before?”. The giddiness of Matthews, the phony rage of Olberman and the I-Can’t-Believe-You-Are-Talking-To-Me look of Maddow, I’d been in their presence before, but where? Where? When I was attending my University studies? When I was teaching at a University? Was it while working in Hollywood for TV and film? No. That’s not it. But, where? Or when? That’s it!

Then it hit me. Junior high school! That Bastian of pre-educated insecurity. I can see it now. Matthews as the hyper-active, non-athletic, fawning boy pal to the captain of the basketball team (let’s say, Obama). Olberman as the brooding angry young man ready to die on any hill just impress himself. And Maddow as the snearing teenage girl who pretends to be impressed with nothing, which secretly includes herself. I hated Junior High.

These characters played out in every junior high in every blue and red state across the land. And in film. Think John Hughes’ Breakfast Club. If I close my eyes and transport myself through the ages, OK not that far back, I can see the halls of the government school of my youth. The bell rings. Classes empty.

Here comes Chris, just nano-steps behind the lanky Barry, who says, “Let’s do something different this weekend.” To which the slightly pudgy Chris replies, “That sounds great Barry, let’s do it!”. Barry doesn’t really like Chris. But he is a good errand boy and knows intrinsically when Barry doesn’t want him around. To Chris Barry can do no wrong. He is a god to him. And when he is much older these will have been the best years of his life.

Look out here come Keith. Don’t make eye contact. Because he’s looking for any excuse to take someone down a notch. Except his father, the only person he’s afraid of. He’s energized because he just told his teacher to go F herself after she told him to sit down in the middle of his diatribe on why Stalin was the best ruler in recent history. A statement he knew was malarkey but made solely to shock. As he walks by you in the hall he says something falsely maligning like, “You! Have you told your parents you’re a gay yet?”. These aren’t the best years of his life. He will not keep in contact with anyone from these days, but will occasionally run into someone from these years, to whom he’ll reply at some point in the reminiscence, “I didn’t really say that did I?”. Statements not believed are rarely remembered. 

Rachel wants to be cool. She wants to be spoiled like the princesses in her class. She wishes she were pretty. You think Rachel is cute, but you don’t have the guts to talk to her until the end of the school year. The thought of not seeing her again all summer hurts. So you invite her to the weekly Young Life meeting. Something she would’ve considered had you been one of the rich boys, a group she mentally categorized all school year. Instead she looks at you as if you were her little brother, making you feeler small, and says laughing with a confused look on her face, “Um, thanks? But, heh, no thanks”. She walks away chuckling on the outside and angry at herself on the inside wondering why she was so mean to you. Years later, if she grows up, at a reunion, she’ll apologize. If not, she’ll make some man very unhappy. Or she’ll become a lesbian, cause it’s cool.

These three would never hang out together while in the system. And neither do these MSNBC commentators I speculate. But never has a group of people been more degreed and more emotionally stunted than the American left in the 21st century.

Now this post may say much more about me than about this trio of post-elementary terror. That’s the risk I take willingly. I hated junior high. I admit it. The self-doubt, over self-awareness. The confusing class schedules and locker combinations. But I loved high school, where identities were more forged and groupings less cliquish. And everything beyond has been a grand adventure of seasons designed by time itself to coach, train and guide one to a state of proper, realistic perspective. At least for some of us.

It was reported today that the first meeting between President Bush and President-Elect Obama was not without it's tensions.
This is the kind of inexperience that conservatives feared from the freshman senator. Will Obama's lack of discretion affect future meetings with other world leaders: Sarkozy, Merkel, Brown, Harper, Aso, Zapatero, Seung-Soo, et-al. Let's hope it's just a rookie mistake and not a harbinger of things to come.

I was watching some MSNBC post-election coverage, albeit not voluntarily, under the tutelage of Matthews, Olberman and Maddow and found myself asking, er, myself, “Where have I seen these people before?”. The giddiness of Matthews, the phony rage of Olberman and the I-Can’t-Believe-You-Are-Talking-To-Me look of Maddow, I’d been in their presence before, but where? Where? When I was attending my University studies? When I was teaching at a University? Was it while working in Hollywood for TV and film? No. That’s not it. But, where? Or when? That’s it!

Then it hit me. Junior high school! That Bastian of pre-educated insecurity. I can see it now. Matthews as the hyper-active, non-athletic, fawning boy pal to the captain of the basketball team (let’s say, Obama). Olberman as the brooding angry young man  ready to die on any hill just impress himself. And Maddow as the snearing teenage girl who pretends to be impressed with nothing, which secretly includes herself. I hated Junior High.

These characters played out in every junior high in every blue and red state across the land. And in film. Think John Hughes’ Breakfast Club. If I close my eyes and transport myself through the ages, OK not that far back, I can see the halls of the government school of my youth. The bell rings. Classes empty.

Here comes Chris, just nano-steps behind the lanky Barry, who says, “Let’s do something different this weekend.” To which the slightly pudgy Chris replies, “That sounds great Barry, let’s do it!”. Barry doesn’t really like Chris. But he is a good errand boy and knows intrinsically when Barry doesn’t want him around. To Chris Barry can do no wrong. He is a god to him. And when he is much older these will have been the best years of his life.

Look out here come Keith. Don’t make eye contact. Because he’s looking for any excuse to take someone down a notch. Except his father, the only person he’s afraid of. He’s energized because he just told his teacher to go F herself after she told him to sit down in the middle of his diatribe on why Stalin was the best ruler in recent history. A statement he knew was malarkey but made solely to shock. As he walks by you in the hall he says something falsely maligning like, “You! Have you told your parents you’re a gay yet?”. These aren’t the best years of his life. He will not keep in contact with anyone from these days, but will occasionally run into someone from these years, to whom he’ll reply at some point in the reminiscence, “I didn’t really say that did I?”. Statements not believed are rarely remembered.

Rachel wants to be cool. She wants to be spoiled like the princesses in her class. She wishes she were pretty. You think Rachel is cute, but you don’t have the guts to talk to her until the end of the school year. The thought of not seeing her again all summer hurts. So you invite her to the weekly Young Life meeting. Something she would’ve considered had you been one of the rich boys, a group she mentally categorized all school year. Instead she looks at you as if you were her little brother, making you feeler small, and says laughing with a confused look on her face, “Um, thanks? But, heh, no thanks”. She walks away chuckling on the outside and angry at herself on the inside wondering why she was so mean to you. Years later, if she grows up, at a reunion, she’ll apologize. If not, she’ll make some man very unhappy. Or she’ll become a lesbian, cause it’s cool.

These three would never hang out together while in the system. And neither do these MSNBC commentators I speculate. But never has a group of people been more degreed and more emotionally stunted than the American left in the 21st century.

Now this post may say much more about me than about this trio of post-elementary terror. That’s the risk I take willingly. I hated junior high. I admit it. The self-doubt, over self-awareness. The confusing class schedules and locker combinations. But I loved high school, where identities were more forged and groupings less cliquish.  And everything beyond has been a grand adventure of seasons designed by time itself to coach, train and guide one to a state of proper, realistic perspective. At least for some of us.

...just in time for us to treat the new president better.

I have to say I really love the Law of Unintended Consequences (LUC). It will, for me, be the most enjoyable thing about being governed by Obama, Reid and Pelosi. One predicted unintended consequence I can see coming: shift in democratic thinking when the Fed's investment starts to pay back. Big! Suddenly, in spite of lower tax revenues from individual payers due to the looming recession, the gov'ment money bags will swell as their investments in banks and financial and insurance companies, bought for pennies on the dollar become worth real dollars, in spite of Fed management. Suddenly they'll notice that pro-business policies will result in better return on their investments. More money to give to the poor. Wait, where did the poor go? What, the pro-business policies resulted in more jobs?!?! What LUC!

With the collapse of the stock market there are literally hundreds of articles and blogs trumpeting how bad it would've been had Bush been able to privatize a portion of social security. Imagine the losses! A couple thoughts, first, if Bush had some managed to get congress to pass changes that would allow future retirees the ability to invest a third of their "savings" in the stock market, it wouldn't have gone into affect until next year anyway. There would've been some good deals out there. And second, didn't the federal government essentially privatize all of social security by so heavily tying the future of the government to banking, financial and insurance stocks?

I get the impression from this Washington Post article about many banks refusing federal monies that most banks, particularly community banks, did the right thing: only loan to those who can pay you back and only loan that which you have. This paragraph from the article I found socialistic...

"Participating banks cannot increase the dividends they pay to shareholders without federal permission, they must accept some limitations on compensation for their executives, and Paulson said the government would press companies to limit mortgage foreclosures."

The government will always get theirs first. Except when they are giving it out to get your vote and their power.

Welcome students to Defraud Tech College! Here on our beautiful campus you will find a course of study that will keep democrats in office and college professors flush with grant money.

For those of you interested in the psychology of multiple personalities we have Registering Homeless 50-100 Times Each 101, in Rathke Hall south of the giant oak tree. Just watch out for all the acorns, they can really trip you up.

If law is your thing then check out Voting Rights of the Recently and not so Recently Deceased. Though as a prerequisite you'll need to take the med class Practising Senior Medicine Poorly to Save Social Security. That's at Daley Hall, Room 1960, the Ivory Tower on the north end of campus.

Also in Rathke Hall for those of you who love literature there's Copying Names Out of the Phone Book 235. Scintillating!

For those interested in the science of cloning technology there's Using Earmarks to Create Earmarks. That's in Nevada Hall on Tuesdays, Missouri Hall on Wednesdays, and Ohio Hall on Thursdays.

In the Obama Center for Progressive Advancement, check out the math course Hiding Donations Through Accounting 101.

Any athletes? Good! Check out the lecture - Dallas Cowboys Once Played In Ohio . That's at Brunner Auditorium.

We as you can see we have something for everyone here Defraud Tech College. Let's everyone sing the school mantra...

Ooooohmmmmm-bama,
Ooooohmmmmm-bama, so good to us.
Ooooohmmmmm-bama,
Ooooohmmmmm-bama, so good to us.
All bad karma comes from Bush.
Ooooohmmmmm-bama,
Ooooohmmmmm-bama, so good to us. 

Religion is the sign of the oppressed... It is the opium of the people. (clinging to God and guns)

From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.

For the bureaucrat, the world is a mere object to be manipulated by him.

Civil servants and priests, soldiers and ballet-dancers, schoolmasters and police constables, Greek museums and Gothic steeples, civil list and services list - the common seed within which all these fabulous beings slumber in embryo is taxation.

The theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.

These are all Karl Marx of course.

Pelosi joyously displays America's shackles.

What's with her hand? Does she have an old war injury we don't know about? Or is it just cramped from incessant finger pointing?

Speaker Pelosi, when asked if the Democrat congress bore any responsibility in banking troubles we find ourselves in said, "No". It was Bush's "mismanagement" that resulted in the current problems. From the Hill article...

“John McCain said that this is a result of overregulation by the Democrats in Congress,” she added. “Either he doesn’t know what he's talking about or he’s misrepresenting the facts as he knows them. But it’s simply not true.”

McCain "doesn't know what he's talking about"? Hmmm, that's rich seeing that it's Congress that regulates banking. Apparently she's the one who doesn't know what she's talking about. However I would hardly put the blame on the current congress. I would put most, if not all, of the blame on Democratic policies embraced by Republicans to use Fannie Mae an Freddie Mac to artificially boost minority home ownership. The Democrats can't have it both ways. If minorities are unfairly left behind in economic booms, as they say, then they shouldn't be given loans they can't afford during those times. Which is it? They are poor? Or they are homeowners?

This may help explain how so many highly educated liberals can be so irrational.