I’m with you folks

It’s time to get real with money.

No – it’s past time.
Michael Walsh

For it’s the moral component of entitlements that’s even more important. At what point did Americans turn away from their self-reliant pride and become a nation of whiners and beggars? How long should the dead hand of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal be allowed to dictate not only policy but also the very terms of the debate?
No one is “entitled” to anything, even “entitlements.” The notion that just being alive “entitles” you to other people’s money — not freely given but extracted at gunpoint by the IRS — must be publicly debated, then put to rest.
This is not to say that some sort of governmental social safety net is not desirable. The question, though, is not whether we should have one, in a perfect world. It’s how much we can af ford in the world we actually live in.

General Observation

I always thought it was the left that was so bad about not being very self reflective. Now daily I am feeling inundated with the right telling me how we should quit all the media attention concerning the nuclear plants in Japan because scientists have told us how safe they are and they have all these you know fail safe mechanisms in place.

Call me skeptical.

That doesn’t mean I want nuclear energy to go away. It means I will call your bullshit when one day you want me to believe scientists because it holds with something you want (more nuclear power) but another day I’m to not believe scientists at all because it does not agree with your view (anthropomorphic global warming, or just straight global warming for that matter).

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan were catastrophic. If those plants hold it will be a testament to their design and building standards. If they don’t hold, it will be a testament to the rare event that occurred.

Good luck with that apology

Israel is demanding an apology from CNN for CNN’s use of scare quotes around ‘terrorist attack’ concerning that family of 5 murdered in their beds.

Scare quotes run rampant in journalism….as this post of mine back in 2006 concerning the BBC.

And in other news…..

And in other news, what was predicted has come to pass.

Bank of America, now hindered by limits on late fees and overdraft fees etc, are making up for this loss by charging higher annual fees.

Imagine that. It’s almost as if the banks should be giving credit out of the goodness of their hearts. I am curious what would happen to people’s mutual funds etc that have stock in banks if suddenly they were run as not for profit.

David Lazarus is apparently a typical leftie who believes that if only you could put enough laws on the books we would all be living at Candy Mountain. Apparently David Lazarus did not see the end of Candy Mountain.

Let me just throw some random quotes out here. You can say I’ve taken them out of context and then go read the whole thing. You’ll say I’ve got the context just right. The bold is mine so you notice the meat.

Bank of America’s $59 annual charge for about 5% of its cardholders that begins April 11 appears to violate the spirit of financial reforms

…..

What makes Bank of America’s new fee all the more galling is that it appears to violate the spirit, if not the letter, of financial reforms signed into law by President Obama in 2009.

……

The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act, known as the CARD Act, prohibits a rate increase on existing balances unless a cardholder is 60 days delinquent in making at least a minimum payment.

Introduction of an annual fee thus skirts the law by allowing a bank to milk extra revenue from an account without raising rates.

His solution to all this unfairness?
Banks should instead, close accounts and work out payment plans.

But listen to his real world example of a person in dire straights due to these credit card fees.

Laman, 52, of Lomita is typical of millions of consumers who have had no choice but to run up staggering card balances as the economy has worked its way through an ugly recession.

David Lazarus would have poor Ms Laman live without a credit card in spite of her clear need for it because she owes $30,000 and shouldn’t have to pay a higher annual fee than during previous good times.

I don’t think I’ve said this online before because I hate to throw everyone into the same pile, but these fees were easily predicable by me, an admin person with very little economic sense, yet were passed by the experts (or rather with the counsel of experts) in the big D congress. These people are idiots.

Japan

Here and now is where broadcast news can shine with their reporters all over the world.
I am grateful to hear of what is going on in Japan and now around the world concerning the tsunamis and my thoughts and prayers are with Japan today.

Yes, the Army of Davids will also share news, but broadcasters – this is your time.
Tsunamis look terrifying to me and these two men on the bridge…? I hope the water didn’t go any higher for your sake.

UPDATE: The Anchoress has a lot of links for following this horrible story. 8.9. I can’t even imagine. And those images of water leave us all with memories of Boxing Day I’m certain.
Sadly most of the images/movies that are out there show moving cars or pedestrians as the waters come near. Strength to all of Japan and the rest of us as this day continues.

The Anchoress mentions the town of Kurihara – population 77,000 that has been completely destroyed.

UPDATE: Authorities are evacuating around one of Japan’s nuclear power plant.

The photo on Drudge right now is brutal.

Obama

It’s Friday, it’s supposed to be Friday Fun blog but there is too much seriousness going on.

I will post this though because in the midst of the lack of leadership on Libya we get this from our President in a kiss his tush story out of the NYTimes today about how this lack of leadership is actually pragmatism. If you read the story, keep a bucket next to you.

How Mr. Obama manages to do that while also balancing American interests is a question that officials acknowledge will plague this historic president for months to come. Mr. Obama has told people that it would be so much easier to be the president of China. As one official put it, “No one is scrutinizing Hu Jintao’s words in Tahrir Square.”

Poor, poor Obama. Let’s give him the presidency of China with its 1.3 billion people. Would he find it “easy” to deny rights? Would he find it “easy” to lock up his enemies? Would he find it “easy” to deal with no union deals for workers? etc, etc. Poor man having to deal with the US of A and all its disagreements and you know, freedom. What a jerk.

UPDATE: I forgot to add this gem. Lack of leadership results in this sort of slop being handed out by subordinates.

DNI James Clapper:

The Director of National Intelligence dropped a bomb – metaphorically — in the Senate on Thursday when he testified that Libyan rebels are not likely to oust Muammar Gaddafi and predicted that eventually “the regime will prevail.”

UPDATE:
Ed Morrissey thinks Bill Kristol does well with this:

If you’re president of China, people around the world who are fighting for freedom don’t really expect you to help. If you’re president of China, you don’t have to put up with annoying off-year congressional elections, and then negotiate your budget with a bunch of gun-and-religion-clinging congressmen and senators. If you’re president of China, you can fund your national public radio to your heart’s content. And if you’re president of China, when you host a conference on bullying in schools, people take you seriously.

I think Ed did just fine:

And since the “president” of China doesn’t give a damn about the freedom and liberty of his own people, no one really gives a damn what he thinks about the freedom and liberty of others. Most see that as a feature of being President of the United States, not a bug.

Libya

There are reasons to set up no fly zones above Libya and those not to. There are reasons to provide weapons to rebels and reasons not to. There are reasons to blah, blah, blah.

All options should publicly ALWAYS remain on the table lest Gaddafi think “Aha! No worries from them then!”.

What I like to think is that our government is weighing everything ever so carefully and keeping up on all events with inside people on both sides.

What I would really hate to think is that because some columnist in the NYTimtes “feels” this one is different….that we should go in. ? Seriously. Nicholas D. Kristof:

I was a strong opponent of the Iraq war, but this feels different.

Go back, read that again.

Gee Mr. Kristof…..apparently Iraq really “felt different” to George W. and so he made a decision….you know, with actual information.

Friends are Three Sources also “feel differently” than does Mr. Kirstof in this instance. Me….I would keep the solid threat in place and put it to use if we started looking at genocide vs civil war. But that’s just what I “feel”.

Cowboy Poetry Continued

The Western Folklife Center Responds to all the attention they’ve been getting. Essentially, what I said yesterday is true. They’ll be fine without Federal money.
Please continue to pick on Harry Reid, but Cowboy Poetry does not deserve your scoffing!

See yesterday’s post if you don’t believe me.

To Our Members, Friends and Supporters:

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering would not exist were it not for the National Endowment for the Arts. Unfortunately, some media outlets have attempted to make the case that we are entirely funded by the Federal Government, which is not true. I want you to know that the Western Folklife Center receives only a minimal amount of funding from the NEA each year, typically less than 3% of our total organizational budget. And, more often than not, the grants are not for direct support of the Gathering, but for other projects of the Western Folklife Center. Funding for the Gathering comes primarily from ticket sales, which cover about 50% of the cost of the event, and the rest comes from local business support, individual donors and private foundations.

Reid was correct, however, in saying that the Gathering would not exist were it not for the NEA. The Cowboy Poetry Gathering came into existence 27 years ago because the NEA provided two small seed grants to the Western Folklife Center to first locate and identify cowboy poets throughout the West, and then to produce the first Gathering in 1985. Without that first assistance, the Gathering would not exist today. And Reid was also correct that without the Gathering, the local community of Elko, Nevada, would not benefit from what has become a $7 million annual impact on the local economy each year in the dead of winter. That is very good leverage for the small investment the NEA has made in us over the years.

We are very appreciative of all the funding we get; however, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering continues to exist because of the incredible support of the people who care about this art form and about preserving the cultural traditions of the American West.

Thank you for your support!

Charlie Seemann
Executive Director
Western Folklife Center

Cowboy Poetry

So there has been a little attention given to cowboy poetry since yesterday when Harry Reid suggested that 10s of thousands of fans would just up and disappear from the Elko National Poetry Gathering each January unless the Federal Government is willing to pay up.

Dream on Harry – I wouldn’t miss a Cowboy gathering if I could help it! They are great, great fun. (Yes, I mean it)
I’m embedding some of the more famous because they’re on Youtube, but the fun part is discovering the new folks. (Yes, you Mr. Steiger would be one for me. Though you’re hardly “new” anymore.)

Poetry gatherings will survive just fine without the influx of taxpayer money from Manhattan, or Boca, or LA, or any other place that may not appreciate the genre. Poets will gather during these times of the year (pre calving/post haying) just like powwows of yore.

So listen – you might just enjoy it – and never fear, they might accept your tax money, but they don’t need it.

Baxter Black on Johnnie Carson years ago reciting “A Vetetarian’s Nightmare”.

Wylie and the Wild West and the “Yodeling Fool”. Yes, Yodeling it good, good fun!

Don Edwards singing Little Joe

Interesting

So Iran, who is in need off fuel and so wants to turn to nuclear energy (and is being guaranteed a supply of uranium from Russia) is setting up a deal for uranium from Zimbabwe in exchange for …… wait for it……..

fuel.