The political establishment in Washington continues to fail to take Mexico seriously. We are literally being invaded from the south, and the federal government is issuing rubber bullets and beanbags. And of course, this lawlessness and corruption is inevitable as long as we continue the futile War On (Some) Drugs.
Everyone I Know
As a native Californian, it no longer astonishes me how so many in this state, one bountifully blessed by nature, have become deaf to reason. I’ve grown sadly used to such alleged thinking. The people of California who determine government, business and societal direction have swallowed their own hype, firmly believing that California’s greatness cannot be damaged or destroyed by their actions. In this they are completely mistaken, utterly unaware of this being the case.
These people are committed to the philosophy that wealth is both to be obtained at all costs and the greatest of evils, something to be seized and redistributed to those unwilling to work toward bettering themselves. California is a nanny state on steroids, driving businesses away and mocking them as they leave for failure to be good citizens, never once stopping to note how their departure also means the loss of jobs and tax revenue. It preaches diversity but practices division, excuses all from personal responsibility and promotes itself as a godless church giving alms to the poor while not once noticing that not only in doing so does it keep them forever chained to government handouts, the donation basket is empty due to having driven away all followers from its pews.
There is no reason to believe any of this will change in the near future. Politically, the state is firmly in the hands of liberal Democrats who are blind to economic reality, forever beholden to overpaid and horribly over-pensioned state employees who accept no responsibility for the economic crisis. Unemployment is rampant due to the state’s anti-business attitude and insanely excessive regulatory addiction. Taxes are obscene; the highest in the nation. The California GOP is pathetic, unable to find and support quality candidates that stay on message while speaking honestly about the state’s problems. Sacramento gleefully doles out taxpayer dollars to illegal immigrants while strangling farms with inane environmental laws that solve nonexistent problems while creating authentic new ones. California is tens of billions of dollars in debt with no cohesive policy, let alone the courage, to do what is necessary to solve the problem: create jobs by easing regulations and slashing taxes while simultaneously making deep cuts across the board in government spending, starting with its state workers salaries and pensions. Instead, it will most likely beg for a federal bailout, which it won’t get, and then either declare bankruptcy, hiding behind judicial decisions as to what will be done to relieve the debt, or simply default on what it owes to most everyone.
Well, apparently, that’s what California wanted.
Nice Way To End The Season
Well, while Michigan college football was a disaster yesterday, it was nice to see the Lions win their last four straight, two of them on the road. Let’s see if they can keep the streak going into next season.
NASA, Why Build A Rocket?
Some good advice from FLAToday. Unfortunately, the comments section is overflowing with ignorance and illogic, including the usual lies about SpaceX.
Low-Budget Disaster Prep
Happy 1/1/11
And of course, early this morning, it was 1:11:11, and then, ten hours later, 11:11:11 on 1/1/11.
Anyway, I have a space bleg. I have a vague recollection of a chart that shows all of NASA’s failed attempts to develop a new launcher over the past decades. Does anyone else know about it, and how to find it?
Bye Bye, RichRod
This must be the worst day in Michigan college football history. And it was a horrible day for the Big Ten in general, especially against the SEC. Even Wisconsin looks unlikely to win their game.
The Year-End Lurio Report
…is out. Clark Lindsey has the Table of Contents. If you don’t subscribe, you should, if you want to stay on top of this exciting new industry. Charles has a lot of detail on various goings on, including the Dragon flight, that you’ll have trouble finding other places.
The Year The “Progressives…”
…came after the Constitution. And the Constitution fought back. It was also the year that the “voters saw the left’s unvarnished agenda and said no:”
Never has a Congress done so much and been so despised for it.
…The real story of 2010 is that the voters were finally able to see and judge this liberal agenda in its unvarnished form. For once, there was no Republican President to muddle the message or divide the accountability. The public was able to compare the promise of 8% unemployment if the government spent $812 billion on “stimulus” with the 9.8% jobless result. They stood athwart liberal history in the making and said, “Stop.”
And justly so. No, the government, and especially the federal government, can’t make you eat your broccoli.
The Year In Commercial Spaceflight
My year-end roundup is up now at Popular Mechanics.