Ace of Spades HQ

December 14, 2011

DOOM: Monty got a raw deal
— Monty

Paul Rahe: Is means-testing just? IÂ’m reading RaheÂ’s magisterial Republics Ancient and Modern right now, so I was interested to see what his take on this issue would be. A particularly savory bit:

Along the way, next to no one on the left or right paused to consider whether policing the lives of ordinary citizens in this fashion is not a species of tyranny. Almost everyone thought that the end Â– getting all Americans on health insurance Â– justifies the means, for the unspoken presumption of our masters in Washington and in the state capitols is that ordinary people lack the capacity to assess the risks they encounter, make their own decisions, and pay the consequences.

And more:

I am no friend to any of the entitlement programs. All of them involve a stealthy transfer of wealth. All of them discourage diligence and industry. All of them reward sloth and punish success Â– and it seems to me that means-testing those not yet means-tested would serve only to take bad policy and make it worse, for it would transform what presents itself as a species of social insurance (and to some degree really serves as such) into an out-and-out welfare program.

ItÂ’s all great stuff (I wish IÂ’d written it), but IÂ’d respond to Rahe by saying that the time for a "fair" or "just" resolution is long past. There is no Â“fairÂ” outcome possible at this point. No matter what happens, someone is going to get cheated. Maybe everyone. The ultimate villains here are the politicians who have been lying to their constituents for much of the past several decades about the sustainability of these programs. I can only repeat what IÂ’ve said before: you know youÂ’re in a crisis when all of your options suck.

This piece is less an argument in favor of a Eurozone bailout and more an argument for not letting things come to such a pass in the first place. "Moral hazard" can't just be a conveniently-ignored abstraction when the going gets tough because if you ignore it too long, the whole edifice will fall down around your ears. Supply and demand, action and consequence -- for an economy to function, it must be allowed to work naturally. The ECB and Eurozone bureaucrats have blown right past the "two wrongs make a right" phase and have gone into the "maybe fifteen or twenty wrongs might make a right, somehow" phase. (This article also trots out the fallacy that this is a liquidity crisis. It's not. It is at base a sovereign solvency crisis.)
Myths of the New Deal. In many ways, FDRÂ’s New Deal is the Â“founding mythÂ” of modern liberalism. In actual policy terms, the New Deal was an unmitigated disaster, but years of hagiography and sentimentalism have obscured the basic failures of FDRÂ’s Depression-era policy. (Noted liberal tool Michael Hiltzik has contributed to this with his latest piece of FDR propaganda entitled The New Deal: A Modern History. Even the Socialist Realist cover art is a dead giveaway; stick a hammer-and-sickle flag behind the guy instead of Old Glory, and youÂ’d have a dandy Lenin-era USSR bit of commie kitsch.)

If this is the Â“new povertyÂ” that so enrages liberals, then maybe they need to be reacquainted with the old poverty -- you know, the kind where people dress in rags and die of starvation. On this issue as in so much else liberals are wrong about, a bit of historical knowledge would go a long way. For most of human history upon this earth, Â“povertyÂ” was the normal state of existence (and still is for more than half the population of the earth). The way we live now is not normal; it is a dramatic aberration. Be thankful you were lucky enough to be born a citizen of the West in this age of the world, people: you won lifeÂ’s lottery, whether you know it or not.

The Nobel Prize in Economics lectures of Thomas Sargent and Christopher Sims.

The Euro and the Â“two drunksÂ” problem.

Eric Raymond (or Â‘esrÂ’ to us Unix geeks) on why he loves Wal-Mart despite never shopping there. I tend to agree. I donÂ’t shop at Wal-Mart much myself -- I buy nearly everything that isnÂ’t food from Amazon these days -- but I think on balance that itÂ’s been a great force for good in poor and rural peopleÂ’s lives. Much more so than any government program I can think of.

ItÂ’s as I expected: all the happy talk about rebounding retail sales was pretty much nonsense. Retailers are moving inventory, but only by making steep discounts that murder the bottom line. WhatÂ’s the word, hummingbird? A measly 0.2% growth in November, and not much prospect of doing better in December. (Remember: you can sell everything you have on the shelves, but if you canÂ’t do it at a profit, youÂ’re still going to go broke.)

Rule of law and why itÂ’s critical for a prosperous and free society.

Yet another state public-employee retirement system hits the skids. The newest LOTB inductee: Virginia! Funny how state finances went from Â“WeÂ’re fine!Â” to Â“Oh shit!Â” in the course of a year or two. ItÂ’s almost as if that river of Â“stimulusÂ” money from Washington D.C. dried up and states didnÂ’t bother actually fixing the underlying problems.

"Everyone is looking for the policy-making silver bullet. There really are none," Basu said. "The best is a balanced approach that sets aside more funds for pensions while adjusting benefits and retaining an economic environment good for growth."

(Emphasis mine.) Basu is singing from ObamaÂ’s favorite Democrat hymnal, I see.

So what can Greece do to get out of the fix theyÂ’re in? Not much. Sometimes all you can do is board up the windows and wait for the hurricane to hit.

GreeceÂ’s problems fall basically into four baskets. The first is the huge public and private debt that has been run up, the servicing of which is dependent on the good will of others. the second is the intractability of the public sector, including judiciary, not so much to reform (which is far too timid a word) as to total reinvention. The third basket is the current morphology of the Greek economy, imbalances one sees in the public/private sector relationship, the imbalances in investment/consumption/savings, export/imports, tax base and research/innovation. The fourth, which is not so much a basket as a world in itself, is the reshaping of the Greek civil mind set, the norms, ways of thinking, relation to civil society and the state, attitude towards ones fellow citizens, oneÂ’s civic obligations. My guess is the that second and third are impossible to take on, but even if possible, will take generations to improve.

HereÂ’s the problem investors have with the promises made by the ECB and Eurozone governments: they are unlikely to be carried out, even if they are sincerely meant. The whole Euro project, from the start, has been predicated on the notion that there is some entity called Â“EuropeÂ”, and that a citizen of that entity is Â“EuropeanÂ”. It turns out that this is not the case: you still the same collection of Frenchmen, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Poles, Lithuanians, Norwegians, Swedes, and Greeks you had before the Euro project came into being. It turns out that there really is no such creature as Â“EuropeÂ”, so any promises made on this mythical creatureÂ’s behalf are not to be taken too seriously.

Also, remember this quote: Â“I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity.Â” ThatÂ’s coming from a Pole. You know that things have spiraled out of control when a Pole can say this about Germany.

No one wants the commemorative Presidential dollar coins. It always struck me as a waste of resources anyway -- make the coins out of specie (gold or silver) and theyÂ’d sell like the wind. But coins made of copper, zinc, manganese, and nickel? Not so much. And IÂ’ve got to say: I donÂ’t exactly thrill to the idea of owning a Chester A. Arthur commemorative coin. Maybe itÂ’s just me.

The US House of Representatives: HereÂ’s our payroll tax bill with the Keystone XL pipeline provision, Bammer. Go ahead and veto it! I double dog dare you! I triple dog dare you! (Boehner created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple dare and going right for the throat!)

Senate to MF Global Execs: You guys find that missing money yet?
MF Global Execs to Senate: Er...no. We looked everywhere, too. Under the couch, under the car seats, behind the toilet in the bathroom, in the junk-drawer in the kitchen...everywhere. We did find a check for eight dollars and thirteen cents, but it was made out to some dude named Zublatmadar Hagrodimorg Polagibarbiderg, who according to our records doesnÂ’t even work for the firm. We think he might have been that old guy who used to park his gyro food cart outside of MF Global HQ a couple of years ago. If we can locate him, weÂ’ll be sure to get his eight dollars back to him. Because weÂ’re all about honesty and customer service here at MF Global. Or, well, we used to be. You know, before we went bankrupt. And lost $1.2 billion dollars of our customersÂ’ money.

ItÂ’s gonna get worse before it gets better.

More love for dividend stocks. IÂ’m seeing a lot more interest in dividend stocks as other fixed-income streams dry up.

EuropeÂ’s political class doesn't much like free markets, but thatÂ’s not exactly news to anyone whoÂ’s followed European politics or economics for, oh, the past sixty years or so.

The European political class doesnÂ’t understand markets, and doesnÂ’t like markets. The[y] resent the pressure global financial markets are placing on them, which helps explain why they are lashing out at Â“London bankers.Â” (Apparently they have completely forgotten how Britain railed against the Â“gnomes of ZurichÂ” during BritainÂ’s currency crisis in 1964. What goes around comes around.)

Also:

Southern Europe believes that richer Northern Europe owes them a bailout. Solving the problem requires breaking the entitlement mentality of the weaker members of the EU. Moreover, wage levels in Southern Europe are too high by about 25 percent. Adjusting this problem ever over the long term is going to be extremely painful for the southern economies.

Southern Europe is in for a rude awakening, methinks.

Once again we suck less than everyone else! USA! USA! USA!

Without growth, the countries of the Eurozone canÂ’t even begin to solve their economic problems...but cultural and demographic trends in most of Europe make growth a very dim proposition indeed. Investors are (finally) beginning to question how Europe plans to achieve the kind of growth theyÂ’re going to have to have to pay down their debt. And European leaders are basically just shrugging uncomfortably, because they havenÂ’t got a clue.

IÂ’ve always said that if you must place Â“economicsÂ” (especially macro) among the sciences, then it is properly placed with alchemy, divination, and astrology. It has pretty much the same level of empirical support, and pretty much the same predictive track-record. This is not to say that the study of economics is without value; simply that it should studied more as philosophy or a branch of psychology -- a study that should be explanatory rather than (attempt to be) predictive. I've always thought that economics should be a Â“why?Â” as well as a Â“how?Â” course of study. ThatÂ’s why I gravitated towards the Austrian School of economics, I suppose. (I also think that there really is no such thing as "macro" economics, but that's a rant for another day.)

Euro banks need Â“tons of moneyÂ”. And I think our interlocutor is speaking the literal truth: European banks need large truckloads of actual money. Maybe the ECB will take pity on them and print up a bunch of Euro notes, you think? (This is a case where a solvency crisis is giving rise to a liquidity crisis rather than the other way around.)

The problem that I have with the Â“Fed saved our economyÂ” narrative in the wake of the Lehman collapse is this: we have no way of knowing what might have happened had the Fed simply let events unfold. Too many pundits (and most lefties) assert as fact many things that simply cannot be proved. The road not taken is a road forever unknown to the traveler. ItÂ’s possible that Fed inaction in the wake of LehmanÂ’s collapse would have led to greater calamity; itÂ’s equally possible that the FedÂ’s action actually prolonged and worsened the downturn.

The Occutards cost the longshoremen a dayÂ’s pay. Somehow I suspect the unions arenÂ’t feeling much love for their ideological confreres out on the barricades. In fact, I suspect more than a few of them want to work out their frustrations by raising some lumps on some scabrous hippie noggins.

Copying versus creating. Innovation -- R&D, basic research, engineering -- is hard. ItÂ’s expensive. It often has long time-horizons with no guarantee of payoff at the end. And it requires a certain frame of mind: a combination of creativity, empirical knowledge, ambition, drive, and self-confidence. Time will tell if America can still produce sufficient numbers of people with these qualities.

Posted by: Monty at 04:40 AM | Comments (161)
Post contains 2226 words, total size 17 kb.

1 Great cat

Posted by: Velvet Ambition at December 14, 2011 04:47 AM (mFxQX)

2 Percolated DOOM!, French-pressed, or automatic-drip?

Posted by: Cicerokid at December 14, 2011 04:47 AM (uTGQs)

3 So what you're saying is no going back to having debtor prisons?

Posted by: Alabaster Jones at December 14, 2011 04:52 AM (spa4d)

4 Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:02 AM (8y9MW)

5 Anybody know much about the IMF? Hearing noises that billions will go to bail out European Banks, funded by the good ole American Taxpayer, probably hear as much about that as we will about the Hollywood shooter and the Belgium grenade thrower were Muslims (They were/are).

Posted by: Jehu at December 14, 2011 05:03 AM (wXl2T)

6 Most importantly, R & D also requires an environment conducive to creativity. I can choose to create or not, depending upon how miserable, political, and overbearing the support staff becomes.

Results. How do we produce them?

Posted by: Fritz at December 14, 2011 05:04 AM (/ZZCn)

Good post - agree that the ECB and Eurozone bureaucrats' solutions to date have been about as effective as Gardening at Night.

And yes, nice to see Boehner and the House - with 10 Dems - call Obama's bluff. Guess those blue dogs still have a little bite. Though come 2012, they'll likely be facing dual headwinds ... http://bit.ly/qVdDUt

Posted by: ombdz at December 14, 2011 05:05 AM (2DpoY)

8 golly, this DOOM seems worse than usual.

Posted by: kelley in virginia at December 14, 2011 05:05 AM (bjx73)

9 My (more liberal than me, anyway) brothers both detest Walmart. The believe the lies told about their "unfair" employment policies, that they "cheat" their suppliers, and so forth.

And yet, as one put it to me on Sunday, "When it's time to buy something where the quality doesn't matter, and all I'm interested in is the price, I'll swallow my morals and go to Walmart."

I suspect this is true of most liberals- who understand principle only in the abstract.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:05 AM (8y9MW)

10 ****The problem that I have with the Â“Fed saved our economyÂ” narrative in the wake of the Lehman collapse is this: we have no way of knowing what might have happened had the Fed simply let events unfold. Too many pundits (and most lefties) assert as fact many things that simply cannot be proved. The road not taken is a road forever unknown to the traveler. ItÂ’s possible that Fed inaction in the wake of LehmanÂ’s collapse would have led to greater calamity; itÂ’s equally possible that the FedÂ’s action actually prolonged and worsened the downturn.********

gee, I wonder which candidate has the best handle on this aspect of domestic policy.?

Posted by: Vergeltung at December 14, 2011 05:06 AM (jttPx)

11 The problem that I have with the Â“Fed saved our economyÂ” narrative in the wake of the Lehman collapse is this: we have no way of knowing what might have happened had the Fed simply let events unfold. Too many pundits (and most lefties) assert as fact many things that simply cannot be proved. The road not taken is a road forever unknown to the traveler. ItÂ’s possible that Fed inaction in the wake of LehmanÂ’s collapse would have led to greater calamity; itÂ’s equally possible that the FedÂ’s action actually prolonged and worsened the downturn.

This. This. This!

Remember (and use) this phrase: An unprovable assumption unsupported by any empirical evidence.

Posted by: Jeremiad was a Bullfrog at December 14, 2011 05:07 AM (Og1Kk)

12 So what you're saying is no going back to having debtor prisons?

I prefer indentured servitude. You can work off your debt.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:08 AM (8y9MW)

13 1 Great catPosted by: Velvet Ambition at December 14, 2011 08:47 AM (mFxQX)

Cats and mice sleeping together!

Posted by: Jeremiad was a Bullfrog at December 14, 2011 05:10 AM (Og1Kk)

14 And it requires a certain frame of mind: a combination of creativity, empirical knowledge, ambition, drive, and self-confidence. Time will tell if America can still produce sufficient numbers of people with these qualities.

Oh, America certainly can. The question is "will we?" And to answer that in the affirmative, we have to do things like getting out of the way, ensure the survival of the profit motive, and protect Intellectual Property.

We seem to be a little over-zealous (if anything) about the third, but the first two are rather in doubt.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:11 AM (8y9MW)

15 The dollar coins are just another wasteful government fiasco. It was pointed out repeatedly that the program would fail if they didn't remove the dollar bill from circulation.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 05:13 AM (GrCp5)

And yet, as one put it to me on Sunday, "When it's time to buy something where the quality doesn't matter, and all I'm interested in is the price, I'll swallow my morals and go to Walmart."

I suspect this is true of most liberals- who understand principle only in the abstract.

This is my issue with liberals. Not a one of them has the courage of their convictions.

Concerned about overpopulation? Start closer to home - kill yourself.

Concerned about global warming? The move to a cabin in the woods and freeze to death. And no, you can't burn wood to stay warm, that generates CO2 and removes a CO2 scrubber from the eco-system.

Concerned about the evil that is the modern corporation? Then don't own any of their products. That includes your iPad, iPhone, iMac and your $300 NorthFace parka.

Nope. Instead, liberals want everyone to to do what they want done, while they get a pass.

Posted by: Sean Bannion at December 14, 2011 05:16 AM (sbV1u)

17 And there is an awful lot of DOOM today. Thanks, Monty.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 05:17 AM (GrCp5)

18 It was pointed out repeatedly that the program would fail if they didn't remove the dollar bill from circulation.

It also doesn't help that they keep making them "pretty." The Fed wants people to use them, but people want to collect them instead (not sure why, but there you go). If they made them ugly and silver like they had always been, they might have worked.

There's also the fact that dollar coins are harder to use than dollar bills. Every time a new dollar coin is issued, vending machines have to be re-built (or have a part retro-fit) to accept them. When they change the design of a bill (the $5 and $10, mostly) they just need a firmware update. Much cheaper and easier.

Given that people don't use dollars for vending machines all the time, you still don't want to limit the manner in which you can use any cash money you're carrying. Money I can't use may as well not be money.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:17 AM (8y9MW)

On the potential-personal-doom front, I've seen at least 3 houses in our 25 year old development with "foundation problem" trucks doing work on them.

I'm sure the cracks in our driveway and floor aren't signs of any serious problems.

Yep, I'm just going to put my head in this here sand and be sure about that.

Posted by: Mama AJ at December 14, 2011 05:21 AM (XdlcF)

20 Not a one of them has the courage of their convictions.

That's because they're not "convictions" at all. They're poorly thought out, pseudo-ideas that are mostly emotion. It's their "feelings." And they don't want convictions, because that might lead to the greatest sin of all: "intolerance."

Which, apparently, they get a pass on when they're being intolerant of those icky conservatives and/or Christians.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:21 AM (8y9MW)

21 This meme from Krauthammer, Hugh Hewitt (A Romney Supporter) and Brit Hume et al, that Newt is anti-capitalism is a hysterical wish-fulfillment. The take is that Newt was attacking capitalism because he responded to Romney's attack on Newt taking money from Fanny and Freddie with one of "why don't you apologize to all the people that lost jobs because of your corporate house-cleaning job?" My take is Newt was responding in perhaps a childish way that if you want to attack me for making a living giving advice to a corrupt quasi-government entity, that did NOT take my advice anyway, then maybe you should be as pristine and pure in your job activities as you claim I should be. Nothing more or less, not some hidden Lefty impulse to attack capitalism. It goes to show that some people are really invested in Romney, that are a part of the Right-Wing media. Nothing wrong with that, but then nothing wrong with me not taking them too seriously either. Also the more Fanny and Freddie are mentioned and Front Page, the better for the stupid party that has been unable to peg the economic implosion of the sub-prime market, which was a Democratic idea, just as Fanny and Freddie is a giant slush-fund and retirement home for EX, or between assignments, Democratic operatives.

Posted by: Jehu at December 14, 2011 05:22 AM (wXl2T)

22 I'm sure the cracks in our driveway and floor aren't signs of any serious problems.

Foundation problems suck. Our neighbor has a faulty foundation (the house was built with one, no less, but she wouldn't do what was necessary to get it fixed under the home's warranty), and the back half of her house is more or less falling off.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:23 AM (8y9MW)

23 DOOM Kitteh looks pretty relaxed today

Posted by: chemjeff at December 14, 2011 05:24 AM (qVUxp)

24 The whole Euro project, from the start, has been predicated on the notion that there is some entity called Â“EuropeÂ”, and that a citizen of that entity is Â“EuropeanÂ”. It turns out that this is not the case: you still the same collection of Frenchmen, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Poles, Lithuanians, Norwegians, Swedes, and Greeks you had before the Euro project came into being. This cannot be said enough: You ignore basic human nature at your own peril. And history. The only way to save the "European" project is to crank up the totalitarianism and go full-on enslavement of the continent. Which is not practicable. At BEST, you're looking at a contracted Euro zone, as members withdraw or are given the boot. Human nature, remember? A big part of that is the irresistable urge to double down on stupid. At worst, this thing hangs together 'til the bitter end, nationalistic resentment flares, and we're back to how Europe has always conducted its affairs - with these hairy-backed savages killing each other off by the thousands.

Posted by: Empire of Jeff at December 14, 2011 05:24 AM (XE2Oo)

25 Mark Levin made the point last night that Republicans who would faint away dead if you said Obama was a socialist were calling Newt a Marxist. This is why it's called the Stupid Party.

Posted by: blaster at December 14, 2011 05:25 AM (Fw2Gg)

26 The Simpsons weigh in on dollar coins:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay2-hwTQ8II

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at December 14, 2011 05:26 AM (AQD6a)

Not a one of them has the courage of their convictions.

Yeh, it's about pushing their guilt onto other people.

Posted by: Mama AJ at December 14, 2011 05:26 AM (XdlcF)

28 #11 I would point out that Milton Friedman indicated that one of the main causes of the start of the Depression was the Fed Reserve not intervening and letting the runs on the banks occur. Hoover in his memoirs takes great pain in listening to his advisors that pushed him to just let them fail.

Posted by: Alabaster Jones at December 14, 2011 05:26 AM (spa4d)

29 Also, I still say everything you need to know about Greece you can learn by reading the Wikipedia article on Andreas Papandreou. Likely the article on Obama will serve the same purpose ten years hence.

Posted by: blaster at December 14, 2011 05:29 AM (Fw2Gg)

30 I'm sure the cracks inÂ our driveway and floor aren't signs of any serious problems. Yep, I'm just going to put my head in this here sand and be sure about that PROBLEM: Every time I shit, there's blood in the toilet. SOLUTION: I turn the lights off while I shit. Now I can't see any blood. PROBLEM STATUS: RESOLVED

Posted by: Empire of Jeff at December 14, 2011 05:29 AM (XE2Oo)

31 At worst, this thing hangs together 'til the bitter end, nationalistic resentment flares, and we're back to how Europe has always conducted its affairs - with these hairy-backed savages killing each other off by the thousands.

As long as they leave us out of it this time, I'm okay with that.

However, they won't, so I'm really hoping they get their crap together. I'd rather not have to enforce a Pax Americana.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:29 AM (8y9MW)

32 #26 what does Levin think about Newt praising Andy Stern of SEIU fame, in his 2007 book?

Posted by: Alabaster Jones at December 14, 2011 05:29 AM (spa4d)

Yeh, it's about pushing their guilt onto other people.

Remember folks, vote Democrat, it's easier than thinking.

You have a point with the guilt thing, but if you're a guy it's also because they think being a liberal is a free pass to the hot chicks in the PoliSci Department - who are air heads.

Personally, the conservative chicks were always hotter. Gimme a woman mechanical engineer or computer science major anyday. Smart is sexy.

Posted by: Sean Bannion at December 14, 2011 05:31 AM (sbV1u)

The summer was hard on everything and everyone here. No rain and 62 days over 100 (average was 6 days).

In a place that usually gets tons of rain...

They are small cracks. And just a few.

Posted by: Mama AJ, typing with her head under the desk at December 14, 2011 05:31 AM (XdlcF)

35 There's also the fact that dollar coins are harder to use than dollar bills. Every time a new dollar coin is issued, vending machines have to be re-built (or have a part retro-fit) to accept them.

I was a gaming machine manufacturer for about ten years (video poker, slots and blackjacks), during the push for the dollar coins. Re-fitting the vending machines isn't that big a deal, its just a matter of a new coin mech. Upgrading bill acceptors with the new chip or program cost about the same in terms of parts and labor. Either way, you've got to service the unit.

If the public was going to make the transition to dollar coins and realize the tremendous savings, it was only going to happen by removing the dollar bill from circulation. Once again, a half-ass measure failed. Go figure.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 05:31 AM (GrCp5)

36 For those of you who think the GOP race isn't quite whack enough already, Not-A-Witch has endorsed Not-Obama. And he seems to consider this a good thing!

Now, explain to me again about this 'electability' thing...?

Posted by: DarkLord© for Prez! at December 14, 2011 05:32 AM (GBXon)

PROBLEM STATUS: RESOLVED

Yeh, you get it. Can I get some sort of crisis management position in your upcoming regime?

Posted by: Mama AJ at December 14, 2011 05:33 AM (XdlcF)

38 Don't know if anyone's mentioned it yet, but that Marketwatch article at the "It's gonna get worse before it gets better" link is basically crap the farther you go into it.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at December 14, 2011 05:33 AM (rX1N2)

39 "Andy Stern, the head of the Service Employees International Union, is the union leader who probably best understands the challenge of the world market and the need to make American union members productive in the face of world competition." - Newt Gingrich, "Real Chance: From the World That Fails to the World That Works" (2007)

I'm voting for Santorum.

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at December 14, 2011 05:34 AM (AQD6a)

There is no Â“fairÂ” outcome possible at this point. No matter what happens, someone is going to get cheated.

Yup. At this point we are only arguing over who gets the lube and who gets the sand. We are all The Chicken.

So what you're saying is no going back to having debtor prisons?

Actually, we sort of are. Oh, it's not being called debtor's prison but people are going to jail for contempt of court for violating orders requiring payment of debts. Effectively, it's debtor's prison. That's not even going into the fact that there is actualfax debtor's prison for those who don't pay child support.

And yet, as one put it to me on Sunday, "When it's time to buy something where the quality doesn't matter, and all I'm interested in is the price, I'll swallow my morals and go to Walmart."

Yeah, this is roughly akin to how I have a sneaking suspicion that my Strong Moral Stance that I won't buy Skyrim for PC due to the enforced use of Steam will suddenly become pragmatic acceptance of Steam right around the time Skyrim hits the $25-30 price point.

Posted by: alexthechick at December 14, 2011 05:34 AM (VtjlW)

41 newt is dead to me

Posted by: phoenixgirl at December 14, 2011 05:35 AM (Ho2rs)

make the coins out of specie (gold or silver) and theyÂ’d sell like the wind

I agree that the dollar coin, as executed, is dumb (they should have made it a standard size/weight that did NOT closely resemble a quarter). But when it comes to making them out of precious metal, that would make a bad idea far worse. We will never ever go back to hard money - making moves in that direction will do nothing but drive the cost of those metals up yet further. I don't want the government getting into the commodities business any further than it already has.

Posted by: Reactionary at December 14, 2011 05:36 AM (xUM1Q)

newt is dead to me

So he didn't get better?

(oh c'mon it was hanging right there!)

Posted by: alexthechick at December 14, 2011 05:36 AM (VtjlW)

44 @40: Oh snap! What a horrible quote. Vote for Perry instead.

Posted by: Joffen at December 14, 2011 05:36 AM (zLeKL)

45 @33 Dunno. Not the point. What does Krauthammer et al say about Obamas extensive connections to Andy Stern?

Posted by: blaster at December 14, 2011 05:36 AM (Fw2Gg)

Was flipping around channels last night, and Judge Nap had a Euro-guy on there....a conservative member of the Euro parliament.....who said that most Americans don't know that Obama has been putting money into the DC IMF fund and flowing it into Europe. .....So that the US is now holding 18% of [worthless] Euro-debt.

He was right....I didn't know that.

Posted by: wheatie.....aka ConservativeMenAreJustHotter at December 14, 2011 05:36 AM (HvKWW)

47 Yeah, this is roughly akin to how I have a sneaking suspicion that my Strong Moral Stance that I won't buy Skyrim for PC due to the enforced use of Steam will suddenly become pragmatic acceptance of Steam right around the time Skyrim hits the $25-30 price point.

XBox 360. For all your gaming needs.
Also, you can get a Kinect, which is pretty fun.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:37 AM (8y9MW)

They are small cracks. And just a few.

Marine clay?

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 05:38 AM (tb5pQ)

49 If you want to take a time machine ride to 1977 psuedo-liberalism some cable channel is showing Billy Jack goes to Washington. I did not remember other human beings could imitate wood as well as Al Gore until I saw Tom Laughlin acting. All about saving the planet from Nuclear power plants...thanks Billy Jack! Thanks for my $300.00 a month utility bills great thinking. However he does give a speech while filibustering in the Senate that is pretty good, attacking the rampant corruption and lobbying in DC, could have come from a Tea Party member. Probably not worth waiting through such scenes as Bill Jack up on some ridge in the Grand Canyon meditating or praying to Gaia and a Helicopter circling for what seems like hours as it depicts the heroic pose of the hero. It goes on so long you start hoping for a terrorist to let loose one of the missing Libyan stinger missiles to take down the circling Helicopter. And Billy Jack's leading lady is probably the homeliest woman ever allowed to be in movies, this side of Rosie O'Donald.

Posted by: Jehu at December 14, 2011 05:38 AM (wXl2T)

50 I'd love to pour a glass of water on that cat.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 05:38 AM (tb5pQ)

51 Wait 'til someone posts those vids of Newt praising FDR and Woodrow Wilson. It'll make Nancy's couch look like a good idea.

Posted by: Joffen at December 14, 2011 05:39 AM (zLeKL)

it's also because they think being a liberal is a free pass to the hot chicks in the PoliSci Department - who are air heads.

You know, as someone with a polisci background, I would like to defend against this scurrilous charge. Really. I would.

Look! A unicorn!

On the polisci/econ as philosophy tangent, I've always considered economics to be philosophy with a minor overlay of empirical evidence. It's theory. Now, it may have more real world application than my discussion of the best political system for Alextopia (it's rule by whim btw) but it's still theory at heart.

Posted by: alexthechick at December 14, 2011 05:40 AM (VtjlW)

53 So, latest on the job front: contacted back a recruiter who contacted me about a gig in Clemson (really Seneca), SC.

I'm interested because it's in manufacturing (would love to leave banking behind forever).

They need folks who know Microsoft's ERP system and its X++ language but cannot get any of the tiny pool that know it to consider a move to the area.

C# guys can learn it but they're finding that most who make the cut to come and visit decide the thought of having to go out on the shop floor occasionally "icky".

Personally I think I'd love it. I'm mesmerized by the show "How It's Made". I am very DIY oriented so getting a little dirty doesn't bother me.

Recruiter says their pay range will match my current salary.

So next step is a phone interview.

I'm absolutely petrified at the thought of relocating though. I've never relocated for a job before.

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 05:41 AM (KC2BE)

54 #46 The point is no one called Newt a Marxist. They said his rhetoric was similar to what a Marxist would say. That Newt praises a someone I consider having Marxist ideas is the other point.

Posted by: Alabaster Jones at December 14, 2011 05:42 AM (spa4d)

XBox 360. For all your gaming needs.
Also, you can get a Kinect, which is pretty fun.

I've got an xbox and a ps3 but I want Skyrim for the PC because that's something I can muck about with while watching college basketball which is a bit harder to do when using a console without setting up a multi tv system in the living room.

I am going to get a Kinect though.

Posted by: alexthechick at December 14, 2011 05:42 AM (VtjlW)

56 This Newt hate doesn't make sense to me.

We knew (I say again: knew) this is where he comes from. He believes in Big Government. When you get down to it, what he believes in is Organization or Hierarchy. So of course he admires people (for their positions and power) like Andy Stern- even if he disagrees with them politically.

That's why he shared the couch with Pelosi: he believes that Government is the Answer.

The problem is: So does Mitt. He proved that's how he sees thing in MA.

Is Newt an idiot? Yes. Mitt is a bigger one.

I'm still voting Perry, if I have the chance. But if he's off the ballot, or Newt needs to win TX to prevent a Mitt candidacy, I'll go with Newt.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:42 AM (8y9MW)

Marine clay?

Swamp land after a drought.

Posted by: Mama AJ at December 14, 2011 05:44 AM (XdlcF)

58 I want Skyrim for the PC because that's something I can muck about with while watching college basketball

Ah. I understand.

I want Skyrim for the XBox so I can go play in fantasy land and ignore the fact the world exists for an hour or two at a time. Also watching TV would kind of break that bubble.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 05:45 AM (8y9MW)

59 I'm absolutely petrified at the thought of relocating though. I've never relocated for a job before.

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 09:41 AM (KC2BE)

Good luck Scott, and welcome to the Carolinas. I'm a big "How Its Made" fan too. I really enjoyed the work I did when I was making coin-op machines, more so than just about anything else I've done. Except for what I'm doing now. Taking raw materials and/or components and producing finished goods that sell for a profit is where its at.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 05:46 AM (GrCp5)

60 ScottJ , If you enjoy hunting and fishing you'd be well served by a move to S. Carolina .

Posted by: awkward davies at December 14, 2011 05:46 AM (ybe4q)

61 AllenG: No Newt hate here, just trying to make sure people realize what they're getting into. A lot of people are mindlessly jumping onto the Newt bandwagon. Well, the wagon is full of crap. Think about who your candidate is, people!

Posted by: Joffen at December 14, 2011 05:47 AM (zLeKL)

You know, as someone with a polisci background, I would like to defend against this scurrilous charge. Really. I would.

Look! A unicorn!

You're not an airhead, alex. At least your better not be. It completely ruins the stompy boot fantasy.

But you do know of whence I speak. The only major in a modern university where the girls are more dense is....education.

Posted by: Sean Bannion at December 14, 2011 05:47 AM (sbV1u)

Marine clay?

Swamp land after a drought.

So kinda.

My city has a whole section built on marine clay. All those foundations are fucked. It costs some of them 100 thou to get it fixed. My mom, who as an army wife moved 30 times, made me buy on the other less prestigious side of town because of the marine clay. Turned out she was right. As she says, she only knows stuff through experience but the 'tards don't believe in that. They can invent everything new!

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 05:47 AM (tb5pQ)

64 New Romney ad....yikes!

http://tinyurl.com/cmemawx

Posted by: Tami at December 14, 2011 05:48 AM (X6akg)

65 allen just let me wallow in my GOP candidate hatefest.....i'll vote for what ever sticks to the wall after the primaries but i'm not going to pretend to be happy about it.......it's too early to drink.....

Posted by: phoenixgirl at December 14, 2011 05:48 AM (Ho2rs)

66 it'll never fly, but they ought to make ss only for those no longer working ...hard to police though, and details would suck. I think this is why the USSR and Japan used to make people retire and do menial stuff like doorman or sweeping the streets.

Posted by: jeanne! at December 14, 2011 05:49 AM (2Xv+g)

67 This Newt hate doesn't make sense to me.

Is it hate just to point out things he actually said? That sounds like the Democrats' definition of 'hate.'

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at December 14, 2011 05:49 AM (AQD6a)

Monty,

Maybe you can put me some info. If the main problem (as I have heard ad infinitum from my government overlords) is that several banks were too big to fail and, therefore, I had to offer up some my skimpy stash of cash. What has been done since 2008 to break them up? As I see it, I ante'd up to buy up toxic assets or improve their loan-to-asset ratios, or whatever and get them over the hump. They banked that money, gave out a bunch of fat cat bonuses, and we're right back where we were and waiting for the next blowup.

Posted by: Dennis at December 14, 2011 05:50 AM (34fj9)

69 "Andy Stern, the head of the Service Employees International Union, is the union leader who probably best understands the challenge of the world market and the need to make American union members productive in the face of world competition." - Newt Gingrich, "Real Chance: From the World That Fails to the World That Works" (2007)

Even though Newt is my distant second choice (Perry being my first), I have a great many reservations about him. I can listen to him talk today and really be drawn in by his oratorical skills, his at-the-ready knowledge of topic x, y or z....yet something within me doesn't trust him. This quote, and other very stupid things he's said over the years leaves me to wonder what it is exactly he does believe. The pi$$er is that Romney is worse when I hear his moderate Republican schtick.

Doom kitteh looks dead.

Posted by: Lady in Black at December 14, 2011 05:51 AM (ycuSb)

70 Tami. Yikes! Let's see how Newt responds. Romney is scared.

Posted by: Joffen at December 14, 2011 05:51 AM (zLeKL)

71 Sean: You know about the waterfront fight?

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 05:51 AM (tb5pQ)

72 #54 Re: relocation...........Done it many times myself. And these were major moves. Bottom line started the movement in Louisiana and ended up in ILL-A-NOISE. you do what you have to do for a better job and better pay. Don't be afraid. The vast majority are which is why they are born and die in the same town. Much to be learned by dealing with different companies, people, states, communities. A great life experience.

Posted by: VinylMan at December 14, 2011 05:52 AM (qRxfv)

73 ugh....their knees were touching!!!!!!!!

Posted by: phoenixgirl at December 14, 2011 05:52 AM (Ho2rs)

74 ScottJ , If you enjoy hunting and fishing you'd be well served by a move to S. Carolina .

Oh I know. My wife is from North Charleston and the rest of her family still lives there (mom, dad, 3 sisters their S.O.s and kids). Before my kids started school we went for a week twice a year on average. I'd spend the week fishing with pa-in-law.

If I got the job and by some stroke of divine providence could afford a place on one of the lakes up there he'd probably practically move in with us.

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 05:53 AM (KC2BE)

Sean: You know about the waterfront fight?

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 09:51 AM (tb5pQ)

No. Links?

Posted by: Sean Bannion at December 14, 2011 05:53 AM (sbV1u)

As she says, she only knows stuff through experience but the 'tards don't believe in that.

But, but, wishful thinking is so much better than experience!!

Posted by: Mama AJ at December 14, 2011 05:53 AM (XdlcF)

Regarding the innovation issue, I don't think the US has too much to fear there, yet. There's money in it, so that will always motivate smart folks, and we don't really need that many people trying to innovate. In all the world, the only other people who have a prayer of doing any of that work are Europeans and Canadians. The Canadians are even more socialized than we are, the Europe is slo-mo imploding. Eastern cultures are incapable of innovation. No matter how much you educate them, until they learn to think like Western Man, they have no hope. They're stuck at whatever level of technology we leave them at. If those of us who are still part of the Western tradition were to leave the earth for some other planet, we could come back to visit in 100 years and things would be no better, and probably worse.

We corner the market, and will continue to do so.

Posted by: Reactionary at December 14, 2011 05:53 AM (xUM1Q)

78 Those poor gnomes of Zurich -- whatever happened to them? I always liked the imagery this invoked, of a bunch of wizened old men greedily grasping clutches of coins in their withered hands.

Today's method is so much more sterile. Just add a zero at the end of a digital number, and presto! -- $100 billion becomes a trillion.

Oh yeah, I'm soooo impressed with Boehner & co. Yep, they are really sticking it to the man. Let's extend the unemployment bennie once again; hell, let's just make it permanent. Short term fix my ass. Sigh.

Posted by: GnuBreed at December 14, 2011 05:53 AM (ENKCw)

79 Can anyone help me reword this for brevity?

If your ideology is dependent, on willfully surrendering to a group of self appointed humans, your power, money, and authority.

How can you act surprised when predictably behave in their own self interest, by abusing said power, money, and authority?

Posted by: Shiggz - Newt (Warp 7) at December 14, 2011 05:54 AM (RfvTE)

80 Hot Gas makes a good point: this ad wasn't done by a PAC. It was paid for by Romney's campaign.

Posted by: Joffen at December 14, 2011 05:54 AM (zLeKL)

Today's musical selections are "For the Kids":
My Advent Calendar of Music Â– Day #14: The Children's Hour http://t.co/kJY1uy4Y

(No sacred music today, either - be patient!)

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, TX at December 14, 2011 05:55 AM (0xqzf)

82 73, the BIG worry is unloading my current house without taking a loss.

I've been sort of slack on landscaping and minor maintenance around the place so I'd probably wind up having to pay folks to come in and take care of all that.

According to the recruiter the company (a tool and die maker) is willing to offer relocation assistance (most likely a lump sum cash).

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 05:56 AM (KC2BE)

Sean: Here is an old article. The city wants to use eminant domain for more development. They want old town to be washington harbor. Old townies are fighting it. There are newer articles. Citizens are sueing. The libtards are out of control and have decided that they would have more freedom if their whole tax base is business not citizens. They don't want democracy anymore and don't want personal interests involved in the city. Corruption abounds. We're in the middle of it.

http://tinyurl.com/6m2gdwl

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 05:59 AM (tb5pQ)

84 If your ideology is dependent, on willfully surrendering to a group of self appointed humans, your power, money, and authority.

How can you act surprised when predictably behave in their own self interest, by abusing said power, money, and authority?

Posted by: Shiggz - Newt (Warp 7) at December 14, 2011 09:54 AM (RfvTE)

The first sentence is incomplete...

If your ideology is dependent on willfully surrendering to a group of self appointed humans, your power, money, and authority, don't be surprised when they predictably behave in their own self interest, by abusing said power, money, and authority.

Posted by: Tami at December 14, 2011 05:59 AM (X6akg)

85 I'd never heard the "gnomes of Zurich" thing before.

Is that why Gringott's bank in Harry Potter is run by the creepy little bastards?

Posted by: Waterhouse at December 14, 2011 05:59 AM (dp+c+)

86 I grew up on Ft Bragg. Ofucknugget down there couldn't be more anacronistic.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:01 AM (tb5pQ)

87 Can anyone help me reword this for brevity?

If your ideology is dependent, on willfully surrendering to a group of self appointed humans, your power, money, and authority.

How can you act surprised when predictably behave in their own self interest, by abusing said power, money, and authority?

If your worldview requires someone to rule you, don't be surprised when they do.

Posted by: DarkLord© for Prez! at December 14, 2011 06:02 AM (GBXon)

88 Oh and to be more specific the unit I'd work for makes drill bits. Everything from giant ones bigger than a person to stuff smaller than a human hair for medical applications.

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 06:02 AM (KC2BE)

89 Goblins run Gringott's.

Posted by: Mama AJ, finally an expert at something mentioned in the Doom thread at December 14, 2011 06:02 AM (XdlcF)

90 That sounds like the Democrats' definition of 'hate.'

Oh give me a break. First off, get your hyperbole meter checked.

Second, deciding that anyone who thinks that Andy Stern might have some admirable qualities- as the leader of the nation's largest labor group- is somehow unworthy is over-the-top.

My point is that we know who Newt is. You don't really get to act surprised that he's a big-government, top-down solution kind of guy.

If you don't like that, fine (I don't like that: thus my vote for Perry), but to say that he's somehow worse than Mitt because of it?

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 06:02 AM (8y9MW)

91 scott get a handyman stat......you can hire them for the day and they can go around fixing all the things you put off....landscaping is easy.....keep it simple...clean stuff up make sure the flower beds have new mulch....your house will sell quickly and for a decent price if it looks clean!!!!! this will be the hardest part because i think you've mentioned children......but remove all clutter....and extra furniture.....if a room looks crowded....no matter how big it is or how nice the furniture is.....it's a turn off.....if you can store stuff off property it's better than tossing it all in the garage....

Posted by: phoenixgirl at December 14, 2011 06:03 AM (Ho2rs)

When your ideology requires surrendering your money and authority to elites why are you surprised when they abuse that money and authority to advance their own interests?

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:04 AM (tb5pQ)

93 I'm absolutely petrified at the thought of relocating though. I've never relocated for a job before.

It ain't fun sometimes, Hire a good mover and watch em like a hawk if you've got enough stuff.

You'll lose things when you move.

Re-connect asap with non-work life, church, club, hobo hunting, etc.

My folks did, Chicago -> Pittsburgh -> Buffalo -> Chicago area
I'm on Pittsburgh -> DC area -> Dallas -> South Jersey -> DC again

Posted by: DaveA at December 14, 2011 06:05 AM (nPNjl)

94 Thanks Tami

Posted by: Shiggz - Newt (Warp 7) at December 14, 2011 06:05 AM (RfvTE)

95 Goblins run Gringott's.

Ah. Rowling missed an opportunity, then. Oh well.

Posted by: Waterhouse at December 14, 2011 06:05 AM (dp+c+)

96 87 I grew up on Ft Bragg. Ofucknugget down there couldn't be more anacronistic.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 10:01 AM (tb5pQ)

Really. I grew up in Alexandria. Thanks for the link to the waterfront fight. Too many libs inside the beltway.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 06:06 AM (GrCp5)

You're not an airhead, alex. At least your better not be. It completely ruins the stompy boot fantasy.

Ahh, thanks, though I'm certain Amish will be more than happy to explain to you that I am stupid. I like to think that I'm reasonably intelligent. This is generally immediately followed by my walking into a wall.

ScottJ, moving down to NC was one of the best decisions I've made. My brother is in Charleston, SC and he loves it down there.

Posted by: alexthechick at December 14, 2011 06:06 AM (VtjlW)

98 Thanks Dagny

Posted by: Shiggz - Newt (Warp 7) at December 14, 2011 06:06 AM (RfvTE)

99 Beware of the Kitty Litter Police!

Posted by: mike at December 14, 2011 06:07 AM (0hdwM)

100 54 So, latest on the job front: contacted back a recruiter who contacted me about a gig in Clemson (really Seneca), SC.
I'm interested because it's in manufacturing (would love to leave banking behind forever).
I'm absolutely petrified at the thought of relocating though. I've never relocated for a job before.
Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 09:41 AM (KC2BE)

Manufacturing gigs are great, IMHO; I'm looking to get back into one myself. My first five years out of school were spent at a manufacturing plant in Camden, SC. Didn't like the summer heat and humidity, but the people and the location were great. I'm considering returning, when I "retire", to the upstate region around Clemson / Greenville / Spartanburg.

As for relocation, I've done it three times, but always within the same firm. If they hire you, the new firm may be able to provide assistance. It's much easier if you are currently renting your home, though.

The real plus to all this is that you'll be just a short hop across the state away from Vic...

Posted by: Jeremiad was a Bullfrog at December 14, 2011 06:07 AM (Og1Kk)

101

The libtards are out of control and have decided that they would have more freedom if their whole tax base is business not citizens.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 09:59 AM (tb5pQ)

I did hear about this. I thought that in your post "fight" meant "riot."

All this is hilarious since Alexandria is notoriously unfriendly to business. Well, small business anyway. They do seem to have a preference for large businesses from which they can extract large amounts of tax dollars. Which are then used to prop up services that the city really has no business providing in the first place.

This is sort of funny since it's the folks in Old Town who are usually anti-business.

I wonder if this will finally make Republicans out of Old Townies.

...

Naaaaah, that's just crazy talk.

Posted by: Sean Bannion at December 14, 2011 06:07 AM (sbV1u)

102 Newt & FDR

Posted by: chemjeff at December 14, 2011 06:08 AM (qVUxp)

103 alexthechick, what part of NC?

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 06:08 AM (GrCp5)

104 Thanks Darklord

Posted by: Shiggz - Newt (Warp 7) at December 14, 2011 06:08 AM (RfvTE)

105 Walmart is actually a great company to work for. I go out of my way to help convince fellow employees why a union would be a bad idea.

Posted by: Joffen at December 14, 2011 06:09 AM (zLeKL)

106
I'm absolutely petrified at the thought of relocating though. I've never relocated for a job before.

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 09:41 AM (KC2BE)

Let's see....St. Louis > Champaign/Urbana > Chicago > Singapore > Hong Kong > Connecticut.

(And a several moves within some of those places.)

Cardboard now gives me the shakes.

Posted by: Tami at December 14, 2011 06:09 AM (X6akg)

107 if you can store stuff off property it's better than tossing it all in the garage....

Yeah, I figure a big chunk of the relo money would go to storage unit(s).

My plan would be to go get me a rental at the new place. It's a 5 hour drive roughly from home.

I'd have SWMBO get to packing and I'd just come back each weekend and haul a load until we're down to the minimum needed in the house.

Then once the place sells do the final move with a U-haul. Then start looking to buy in the new place.

Re-connect asap with non-work life, church, club, hobo hunting, etc.

Yeah, leaving my current Church and the friends therein would probably be the hardest part. I already checked out where the nearest IDPA ranges are

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 06:09 AM (KC2BE)

108

Never be surprised when people you give power to use it to enslave you. Why do you think they wanted it in the first place?

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at December 14, 2011 06:12 AM (AQD6a)

109 Walmart is actually a great company to work for.

I've known several people (mostly friends while I was in high school) who worked there, and they never had a problem. I know that Walmart is supposed to be really good about promoting from within, and their tuition assistance is supposed to be really good.

The problem liberals have with Walmart is they think they're a "bully." And, in some respects, they kind of are (I worked for a company who provided them some admin services). The thing is, with the right of free association, no one is required to work for or with Walmart at all. So if they were really that bad, no one would.

They just happen to know they're the 800 lb gorilla, and they're not terribly shy about letting you know that, too.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 06:12 AM (8y9MW)

110 Was the Massachusetts Health Care Law Romney's idea?

Or, was it a Massachusetts' Liberal idea, shoved down his throat by Massachusetts' Liberal voters?

Isn't that Ted Kennedy's state?.. Isn't that Barney Frank's state?

Let's not let critical thinking get in the way.

Posted by: franksalterego at December 14, 2011 06:13 AM (9XykO)

111

Liberty, once surrendered, is often subverted, and always difficult to regain.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 06:14 AM (8y9MW)

112 Hey Scott J hope the relo works out
Just don't get two mortgages, that can be a disaster

Posted by: chemjeff at December 14, 2011 06:14 AM (qVUxp)

113

Really. I grew up in Alexandria. Thanks for the link to the waterfront fight. Too many libs inside the beltway.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 10:06 AM (GrCp5)

0-2 Ft Belvoir

2-3 Front Royal

3-7 Fairfax

7-12 Ft Bragg

12-18 Alexandria

18-23 Durham

23-present Alexandria

A friend told us that he mentioned our name to some alexandria democrat operatives at a party. He said he would have gotten a better reception if he had shit in the punch bowl. How awesome is that?

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:16 AM (tb5pQ)

114 Holder is going after states that require photo ID's when voting. He said in a speech that politicians should not be able to choose who votes for them. Fair enough. But this country should be able to choose who votes. He wants anyone, of any age, regardless of citizenship, to be able to say they are who they say they are, and that should be good enough.

In the end, these jackasses want UN supervised elections in this country which means ultimately, a UN supervised democracy with all of the bullshit, Marxist loving, Islam justifying bullshit that goes along with that.

They want an end to the sovereignty of nations and the beginning of the sovereignty of the planet.

Posted by: Hussein the Plumber at December 14, 2011 06:16 AM (jx2j9)

115

Go play in traffic you fucking marxist scrunt.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:17 AM (tb5pQ)

116 There are three incredibly simple way to fix all the problems with our society: -If you are receiving any DIRECT payments from the government, including "refundable" tax credits, you don't get to vote until a year after the last check is cashed. This would stop rocker jockeys, welfare queens, and public employees from electing idiots who promise them the most ill-gotten swag. -If you file a tax return where the tax calculation is 0 or less after adjustments and deductions, you don't get to vote until you file one that's over 0. -Don't file a tax return? You don't get to vote until you do, and only if you're a net taxpayer. This would shift political power away from the unproductive and towards the productive, and effectively ban vote-buying by politicians. Therefore, I'm more likely to see a leprechaun riding a unicorn than it enacted in my lifetime.

Posted by: Mr_UNIVAC at December 14, 2011 06:17 AM (YQqq9)

117 Or, was it a Massachusetts' Liberal idea, shoved down his throat by Massachusetts' Liberal voters?

Isn't that Ted Kennedy's state?.. Isn't that Barney Frank's state?

Didn't he voluntarily run for Governor? Didn't he claim to the voters of Massachusetts that he was a "Moderate, with Progressive Ideas?" Didn't he say (just about 18 months ago, or so, I think) that "I like mandates. Mandates work?"

Didn't he sign the bill?

Let's not let facts get in the way.

As for "Isn't that Ted Kennedy's state?" I've been pointing that out all along. Mitt Romney is liberal enough that he was elected in a state wide election (just like a Senator) in the state of Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 06:17 AM (8y9MW)

118 Ive been replaying skyrim since I just roughshodded over the main quest on normal difficulty in 5 days. Actually doing side quests for once even though I normally skip the "I lost my cat in the evil dungeon" quests from random townspeople in games.

Posted by: Mr Pink at December 14, 2011 06:18 AM (YfCfZ)

119 Before Hillary ran in 2008, she was on the board of directors for Walmart and getting a nice fat check for doing nothing. And one of the founders of Kos -the atty who lives in Puerto Rico, his firm represented Walmart in million dollar suits. So, for all the whining and attacks by the left against Walmart, they had no problems taking money from them. Hypocrites.

Posted by: mike at December 14, 2011 06:19 AM (0hdwM)

120

ScottJ, moving down to NC was one of the best decisions I've made. My brother is in Charleston, SC and he loves it down there.

Posted by: alexthechick at December 14, 2011 10:06 AM (VtjlW)

But Scranton (drink) is the hometown of Joe Biden!

Posted by: Ed Anger - Certified Kos Kid at December 14, 2011 06:20 AM (7+pP9)

121 The Gingrich clip is probably the best argument against using snippets for praise and criticism I've seen in a while.

One can only imagine the context of the entire paragraphs.

Posted by: jwb7605 at December 14, 2011 06:20 AM (+KHIt)

122 116: I think the point was to find a more concise formulation of the statement. I'd be surprised if the OP actually thought the first half of the postulation was a good idea in any way, shape, or form.

Posted by: DarkLord© for Prez! at December 14, 2011 06:22 AM (GBXon)

123 116: I think the point was to find a more concise formulation of the statement.

Yeah. I think Dagny summed it up quite nicely.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) says 'No' to RINO Romney at December 14, 2011 06:23 AM (8y9MW)

124 Darklord: I know, I gave him a suggestion earlier. Then I began to contemplate the futility of arguing with libs. My second stab at the edit was an effort to get the tard, not the author, to put themselves out of our author's misery.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:25 AM (tb5pQ)

125

I'm not in favor of willfully surrendering at all (I'm in the 48% minority).
I'm unsurprised that they're abusing money, power, and authority.

Apparently I'm a Marxist scrunt, Dagny.

Posted by: jwb7605 at December 14, 2011 06:28 AM (+KHIt)

126 126 NO. Jeez. I meant that's what could be said to the lib.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:29 AM (tb5pQ)

127 @Mr Pink

Skipping the side quests in an open world Bethesda game like morrowind-oblivion-fallout3-skyrim... is like skipping the foreplay and sex and going right back to not getting any. Or reading the last chapter of some magnum opus.

Nobody does that stuff better then them.

Posted by: Shiggz - Newt (Warp 7) at December 14, 2011 06:29 AM (RfvTE)

128

alexthechick, what part of NC?

Northwest. It's still shocking to me how an enormous constant background worry about what the weather will be like and can I get up my driveway and do I have enough caffeine and val u rite if the ice storm hits is just poof gone. I didn't realize how stressful that was until it went away.

But Scranton (drink) is the hometown of Joe Biden!

You know, whenever anyone brings up the waffles, it makes me mis The Glider.

Posted by: alexthechick at December 14, 2011 06:30 AM (VtjlW)

129 "Sell like the wind" is not a good simile. I would suggest "sell like 100-watt incandescent lightbulbs."

Posted by: Jeff W. at December 14, 2011 06:30 AM (97Rlt)

130 Yeah, I can see that. I like mine earlier, thought I might rephrase it: "If you believe it's best to be a slave, don't complain you're a slave."

Though admittedly, I'd phrase the Dagny Corollary as a kick to the groin.

Posted by: DarkLord© for Prez! at December 14, 2011 06:30 AM (GBXon)

131 126 NO. Jeez. I meant that's what could be said to the lib.

Oh. My bad. Should'a read the (probably preceding) fine print.
That's what I get for just seeing bolded italicized text.
That's what you get for leaving a confusing reply.

I WIN!

Posted by: jwb7605 at December 14, 2011 06:33 AM (+KHIt)

132 With the abundance of criticism of Newt I want to mention I remember the 40 years of Dem rule of Congress, much of the current welfare state became entrenched because of that unbroken rule. The general consensus back in the late 80s was that the GOP would never retake Congress...NEVER. That was broken almost entirely because of the work and vision of Newt, he also paid a heavy price and probably became the most hated man in the country by the time the media and the Dems and RINOs were done with him. Part of Newt's appeal to people like me is because of his enemies. And today is no different, a lot of self-appointed elites in both parties and the media hate his guts. Why? I think a lot has to do with the fact that this guy is the only person that actually changed things in DC, everyone says they will change DC, including the Obungler, but nobody, virtually nobody, has changed anything about DC except Newt, not even Reagan changed DC much...Reagan changed the world and Reagan had a singular God-given focus to end communism, which he did. Newt has a singular...maybe God-given focus to change DC, and has proven he can do that. He has the mind and the historical thinking that can create, he is a true original thinker (very rare). He knows what we are, where we have been, and perhaps can then take us to where we should be. Such people are far more rare than we think. Some of this criticism is out of context, is too narrowly focused. I know Newt says dumb things, but they are in a large part the static of a generator of ideas. The couch thing with Pelosi? If someone showed Newt the current state of Global Warming science, and the East Anglia emails, he would not only say that his appearance with Nancy was a stupid mistake, but he would be a fearsome crusader against all Global Warming BS. Just as when he is informed about the Middle East and the history of the Palestinians he is without regard to the Politically Correct crap everyone spouts and hits the very heart of the matter and calls the Palestinians an "invented," people. I think when Newt knows and understands an issue, he then displays the true core of conservatism, and is utterly fearless, and is one of the few people on that level that will not be bowed by the rules of Political Correctness. Just as he evidenced in the last debate when he correctly charged Romney as being Timid in his equivocation about the Palestinians.

Posted by: Jehu at December 14, 2011 06:35 AM (wXl2T)

133 Chemjeff, I've done the two mortgages thing. Bought our current home without selling our first.

Never.

Again.

Longest 8 months of my life.

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 06:36 AM (KC2BE)

134

131 Or my old one that got picked up by instapundit:

SEEN ON FACEBOOK: Â“The social contract exists so that everyone doesnÂ’t have to squat in the dust holding a spear to protect his woman and his meat all day every day. It does not exist so that the government can take your spear, your meat, and your woman because it knows better what to do with them.Â”

UPDATE: Ah, itÂ’s from commenter Dagny at AceÂ’s place.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:37 AM (tb5pQ)

135

Northwest. alexthechick at December 14, 2011 10:30 AM (VtjlW)

Hmm. So not too far from the Clemson area then. I might could meet you and the legendary stompy boots.

Posted by: Scott J at December 14, 2011 06:39 AM (KC2BE)

136 Ah, that was yours! Very well then, I think that's ground well covered...

Posted by: DarkLord© for Prez! at December 14, 2011 06:40 AM (GBXon)

137 137 Hubby who is a constant reader of instapundit tortured me for a week about his squatting in the dust and his "spear". In fact, he's still making "spear" comments.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:42 AM (tb5pQ)

138

Monty, Why in the hell do you link to that screeching retard Farrell? He is Krugman on steroids, and I can' help but want to punch someone in the throat everytime I read his insane drivel. Yes, he projects the correct probable outcomes, then builds a causation stream backwards weaving in every socialist narrative while absolutely ignoring the actual structural problem.

These progressive nuts know the end is coming, and they likely know the reasons, but they try and construct a narrative that fits their retarded philosophy.

Posted by: Alamo at December 14, 2011 06:42 AM (m/tN9)

139 About if Newt is making Romney scared

-I would rather Obama and all those abusing the rest of us through government largess be scared.

-I don't think a guy who seems quite happy with his family and literally has a multi-hundred milllion dollars in the bank but who fails what is functionally a popularity contest/job interview can ever be that afraid of "losing."

Losing Mitt Romney style would be a massive upgrade for me.

Posted by: Shiggz - Newt (Warp 7) at December 14, 2011 06:45 AM (RfvTE)

140

In fact, he's still making "spear" comments.

Ah, the price of fame.

Posted by: Mama AJ at December 14, 2011 06:47 AM (XdlcF)

141 FDR's New Deal should have been called the "raw deal". During a time when they could least afford it, he significantly increased the total tax burden of the poor.

With the highest marginal tax rates spiking to between 60% and 90% during FDR's term, the Democrats had already squeezed "the rich" as much as they could be squeezed, their only viable source of taxes left was the lower and middle classes whom they hammered with a bevy of various sin and excise taxes.

Were it not for a concurrent general demographic shift towards higher paying urban factory jobs to support the war effort, FDR's massive taxing regime would have been far more painful to the masses that it seemed. War inflated wages essentially muted the pain.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at December 14, 2011 06:49 AM (X7pCb)

142

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 10:16 AM (tb5pQ)

No way, Durham? Small world, that's where I am now. But I never knew how many conservatives there were out there until I moved to flyover country. I went to school in Alexandria with Jim Moran's daughter, who is now probably just another one of those communist Democrat operatives.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 06:50 AM (GrCp5)

143

143 Moran's daughter? UGH. God, I hate that freak.

I was in Durham for Duke so I really never left campus. It was pretty sketchy in the early 80s as in not safe to go into.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 06:55 AM (tb5pQ)

144 Yeah she was a snotty superior-than-thou elitist even in middle school. And I was afraid that you might have gone to Duke but I can look past it since you are a moronette now. And those parts of Durham haven't gotten much better since you left. I just bought a house but its south of I-40 close to the park.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 06:58 AM (GrCp5)

145

145 Well, I took the young democrat bus (there was no republican one) to vote for Jesse Helms and Ronald Reagan. I came out MORE conservative not less--probably because I'm naturally oppositional (which I have to remember with my kids--they are too). My dead brother's wife and kids live in Cary and my mom lived there for 20 years and is back up here now.

It's weird, I picked Duke because it wasn't as lib as Princeton et al in 1981. Now, it's worse.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 07:05 AM (tb5pQ)

146 Sounds like there needs to be an NC moron meeting; I live about 20 miles southwest of Charlotte, straight down I-85.

Posted by: DaveinNC at December 14, 2011 07:11 AM (boNGU)

147 I was one of the few young conservatives too, but at UNC. Would you believe that Duke now has a voting precinct right on their campus? Easier to get everyone to vote Ja on teh Anschluss.

Posted by: NC Ref at December 14, 2011 07:38 AM (GrCp5)

148 148 Ugh. The last time they called for money and I asked (in my most dulcet tone) if Brodhead were still president--you should have heard the ha-rumph from the little libtard uptalker phone caller.

Posted by: dagny at December 14, 2011 07:43 AM (tb5pQ)

149 Means-testing turns SS and Medicare into welfare programs flat out. The criteria of who has the "means" would be arbitrarily decided by politicians and bureaucrats. I would be considered rich because of my income even though I have a negative net worth.

For years I have paid in to these asinine programs and NOW they are going to tell me I get nothing? No. We should just end both programs completely if that is going to be the case. Give back whatever money they can and forget them.

Posted by: Ken Royall at December 14, 2011 08:00 AM (9zzk+)

150 Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia AG, gave a speech yesterday in which he said bammy has only implemented one third of his agenda in his first three years. Imagine what he'll do if he gets re-elected.

Posted by: RushBabe at December 14, 2011 08:04 AM (tQHzJ)

151 Monty, Did you read the article by By aulBFarrell@charter.net"> ;">Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch, "it's gonna get worse before it gets better"? He is a stuttering clusterfu*k of a miserable failure. He sounds like the guy feeding all the Occupy drones their talking points.

Posted by: Hamilton Burger at December 14, 2011 08:18 AM (zFMCq)

152 Have they looked for the money in Obama's re-election fund? Probably in increments of $500 to $1500. That's the usual recirculation path.

Posted by: Advo at December 14, 2011 08:25 AM (7vbG1)

153 Means-testing turns SS and Medicare into welfare programs flat out.

Screwing the well off always plays well to the masses and will be an irresistible temptation to even fairly conservative Republicans with their backs firmly against a wall facing a budget meltdown they have no other answer for.

For about 20 years now I've felt we'd eventually see SS and Medicare means tested because there won't be any other politically viable solution. There simply aren't enough well off voters to stop it.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at December 14, 2011 08:47 AM (ZS2uo)

154

Vergeltung makes an excellent point re the unknowable counterfactual case. In addition to not knowing whether Fed inaction would have aggravated or mitigated the calamity, we also don't know the longer term implications. Even if inaction had exacerbated the short term problem, perhaps it would have dissuaded future shitheads from doing the same thing as Lehman Brothers, and thereby in the long run had a beneficial effect.

Posted by: Jay Guevara at December 14, 2011 08:55 AM (DWGuv)

155 Even if inaction had exacerbated the short term problem, perhaps it would have dissuaded future shitheads from doing the same thing as Lehman Brothers, and thereby in the long run had a beneficial effect. Posted by: Jay Guevara

That is the 'moral hazard' that many on the Right ignored in joining the chorus of 'Do Something! Do Something!'

Medved, who used to decry that mode of politics, had thrown in with the alarmists and still defends TARP to this day apparently ignoring the info that has to be wrangled out of the Treasury. $7.7 trillion pledged to prop up banks? Hundreds of billions lent to foreign banks? It's fucking annoying to have erstwhile Righties lend support to fucking Statists.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at December 14, 2011 09:05 AM (mIucK)

156 Hundreds of billions lent to foreign banks?

Hundreds of billions lent gifted to foreign banks.

There's a better chance of an Ori takeover of the Milky Way than ever seeing that money again.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at December 14, 2011 09:16 AM (ZS2uo)

157 Yeah, this is roughly akin to how I have a sneaking suspicion that my Strong Moral Stance that I won't buy Skyrim for PC due to the enforced use of Steam will suddenly become pragmatic acceptance of Steam right around the time Skyrim hits the $25-30 price point. Posted by: alexthechick at December 14, 2011 09:34 AM (VtjlW) Better than pre-ordering it, doing your own tech support for three weeks because they're basically helpless, and then giving up and waiting six months to see if anyone fixes the 700 or so bugs, repeatable crashes, random crashes triggered by game events, and the single worst interface design I've ever seen on a PC. And no, it's not the hardware.

Posted by: Merovign, Dark Lord of Cognitive Dissonance at December 14, 2011 10:03 AM (bxiXv)

158 @39 and @139

Yes, Monty, no more Farrell links, please. My screen started to melt in disgust from all the stupid.

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159
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