Friday, August 29, 2008

NORTH TO ALASKA

The upside to having Governor Sarah Palin on the McCain ticket:
1) Her youth is a good contrast to McCain's age.
2) Her conservatism offsets McCain's lack of solid conservative credentials.
3) Her polished good looks are an image enhancer for the ticket.
4) As a female she certainly will snare at least a portion of disenchanted Hillary Clinton supporters.

The downside to having Governor Sarah Palin on the ticket:
1) She hails from a state with few electoral votes.
2) She has little experience in national politics.
3) Her conservative views on issues such as abortion and gun rights could turn off some voters, particularly women.

In either case, studies and polls have indicated that vice-presidential candidates are only a minor factor in a voter's decision to vote for a particular presidential candidate.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

THINGS TO DISCUSS DURING A LULL IN THE CONVERSATION

1.) Eighty percent of all the tea consumed in the US is iced tea.

2.)Thomas Edison did not invent the electric bulb in 1879, as is generally assumed. There were already numerous lightbulb patents issued between 1849 and 1879.

3.)Only 19% of African American males in Indianapolis finish high school.

4.) If Adam and Eve were created by God, and not given birth by mothers, did they have navels?

5.) By the year 2050, 60% of children under the age of twelve in Italy will have neither brothers, sisters, aunts or uncles.

Monday, August 25, 2008

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Following on the heels of the Olympic Games extravaganza staged in Beijing are the political games of the 2008 Democrat Convention in Denver, Colorado. Both are about breathtaking imagery and mind numbing spectacle. But unlike the Olympic Games, we already know who the winners are at the Dems convention.

There was a time not too long ago when the political conventions held mystery and suspense. No one knew with any large degree of certainty who the party nominee for president or vice president would be. There was always talk of a "dark horse" candidate who just might sneak in somewhere around the sixth ballot. Those days are as dead as VHS. With the recent reforms to the primary election process, the party nominee is decided months prior to the convention. The vote on the floor is a mere formality.

Rather than a nominating process, the Republican and Democrat conventions have become week-long glorified infomercials. It is about presenting an image, pithy soundbites and photo ops. They are as staged and orchestrated as the opening and closing ceremonies in Beijing, except with fewer people. It's a chance for politicians to do a lot of of waving, hugging and pontificating.

To regard these conventions as anything other than harmless fun and self-aggrandizement would be a mistake. It is theatre of the absurd, and in the words of Shakepeare,sound and fury signifying nothing.

For proponents of alternative energy sources, these conventions will be a boon. There will be enough hot wind in those halls to power several medium sized cities.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

RANDOM RANTS

Responding to John McCain's call for more domestic oil drilling, Barack Obama countered with a plan of his own to help ease the pain at the gas pump. Rather than drill for more oil, Obama said we could obtain the equivalent amount of oil if Americans would simply check their tire pressure and get engine tuneups, as if American drivers are too stupid to think of this on their own. He touts himself as the candidate of change and a man of vision. But is this the extent of his vision regarding gas prices? Tuneups and tire pressure? What is his solution for rising unmemployment? Everyone go into business for themselves by selling apples on the sidewalk? His statement reeks of condescension and reveals himself as a man who truly believes he is smarter than the average citizen, and that we are a nation of dunces.Besides his sage advice to drivers about checking the air in their tires, he recently gave a speech in which he ridiculed Americans for not being bi-linqual. His words betray him as an elitist who looks down on middle America. I, for one, will never cast a vote for someone who looks down their nose at me.

Did you know that China exports more goods in a single day than they did in the entire year of 1978? And for those of you who fear that trade with China is a one-way street, with all our money going in their direction, it may interest you to know that China also imports annually 300 billion dollars worth of goods from us. In addition, they have to date sent a trillion dollars back to the United States in the form of Treasury bond purchases.

We keep hearing and reading about China's dynamic economy and how it will surpass the US economy within a few decades. Fear not. China is still an authoritarian Marxist state that controls every aspect of their booming economy, which means that at some point in the near future, their progress will come to a screeching halt. Statist economies directed by faceless bureaucrats have severe limitations when compared to a free market like our own. At some point their stringent policies and controls will be self-defeating and halt their progress. Think of it as a dog tied to a long leash. For a period the dog will be able to frolick freely, but at some point that leash will halt his progress and bring him to an abrupt stop. No statist economy has ever run as efficiently and prosperously as a free market economy.