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Archives for 2009
We’re So Screwed
Jim Cramer just told Chris Matthews that we are going to have a great retail season this Christmas. Given Cramer’s track record, I’d start preparing for a complete economic collapse somewhere around Thanksgiving, complete with people jumping from buildings, mass layoffs, hyper-inflation and bread lines.
Pathological functions
Ryan Sager (via Sully) highlights a fact that has long fascinated me:
With the exception of 2001 and 2002 (9/11 effect?), between 52% and 89% of Americans every year since 1990 have thought that crime is on the rise. That’s a pretty remarkable statistic, given that crime declined steadily nationally throughout the 1990s and has remained essentially level in the 2000s. Whatever the year-to-year correspondence is, we know that people have gotten the big picture wildly wrong, year after year.
That is, people pretty much always seem to think that this year is worse than last, regardless of the actual trends.
Does this sound like anything else to you? How about: This generation is so much stupider/lazier/ruder than the last; politics is so much dirtier these days; the world is going to hell in a hand basket.
A friend of mine once pointed out that, while each generation is thought to be dumber than the last, the people of a thousand years ago are thought to be dumber than people today (single digit literacy rates, burning of witches, etc.). So generational intelligence is a function that increases despite being everywhere locally decreasing.
The Party of No
This really sums it up, doesn’t it:
A key House committee on Thursday passed legislation reining in the multitrillion-dollar market for financial derivatives.
The House Financial Services Committee passed the bill on a 43-26 vote, with only one Republican, Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.), siding with all Democrats.
The bill is the first in a series of measures the Obama administration and congressional allies are pushing to remake the financial system. House leaders are eyeing votes in November, while it may take more time for the Senate to consider legislation.
Exactly what would have to happen before Republicans would agree to regulation of a sector of the economy that could bring down the house? The financial crash of 2008 was not enough?
I’m struggling to figure out how these guys think. And Walter Jones doesn’t really count as a Republican vote, really, since he has spoken out against the Iraq war. That basically means he is a pinko commie like Michael Moore.
Activist judges
There’s a lot of winger law professors on the intertubes, so I’m looking forward to a protracted discussion of this (presumably bogus) issue:
Pro-football fans and political pundits alike have been talking about Rush Limbaugh’s proposed bid to buy the St. Louis Rams football franchise, but many in the NFL are not too happy with the prospect of Mr. Limbaugh owning a team. In fact, the bid “ran into opposition within the NFL on Tuesday as [Indianapolis] Colts owner Jim Irsay vowed to vote against him, and commissioner Roger Goodell said . . . [his] ‘divisive’ comments would not be tolerated from any NFL insider.” This got me thinking preemptively of the antitrust problems the NFL may run into if an effort to stall Mr. Limbaugh’s bid is successful. (For details on the basic antitrust principles I omit for brevity, click here).
In other words, activist judges need to force the NFL to let Rush have a team.
It’s a shame that this hasn’t happening while Republicans control Congress. It would make for some interesting hearings.
Update. And, finally, we get an Instapundit-approved boycott of the NFL. What the hell took so long?
Better Than Expected
I have to admit, the freak-out over Rush not being wanted as an investor in the Rams bid is better than I expected. Scott at LGM points out a couple good reactions, but my personal favorite is Allahpundit:
Needless to say, the next vocal liberal who tries to buy a sports franchise is going to have a hell of a time.
OOOOOHHHH! Tough guy, you think you’re like the Shaq!
Yeah, I suppose the next liberal who compares half the players to crips and bloods and has a long history of racially offensive statements probably will have a hell of a time.
*** Update ***
Earlier this evening, as most of you now know, one of our own, Rush Hudson Limbaugh, while taking withering fire, crashed and burned.
Tonight, Rush is no longer ‘just’ a radio personality.
Tonight, Rush is no longer ‘just’ a NFL owner denied
Tonight, Rush is us. And we are him.
It ends with the obligatory Niemöller quote.
I’m seriously dying over here. I am honest to goodness crying I’m laughing so hard.
Maybe the Red State Strike Farce can do another one of their crack operations and mail oxycontin to Checketts to show their outrage.
Good News
Goldman beats expectations, so our financial overlord’s appetites have been sated with record bonuses. Looks like we won’t need to spend another trillion to keep them in the Hamptons.
And yes, I supported the TARP action, because I still figure it was better than a global financial collapse. I still reserve the right to hate these people.