Oddball thoughts from Lileks. Yes, I’d never thought about it before, but he’s right — unless Samaritans are truly notoriously bad people, “good Samaritans” is sort of like “compassionate conservatives.”
Our Post-Racial President
…says that we have to defend ourselves against those white males. Not just the males, though. He also has to worry about those typical white people like his grandmother.
Some Thoughts On “A” Students
…and why we don’t want them running the country, from P. J. O’Rourke.
Trading Value For Power
Some thoughts on central planning.
Confusing cost, price and value is a continuous problem in the government space program.
Well, Israelis Should Quiet Their Fears
…with a US National Security Advisor like this.
[Monday morning update]
Today, we are all Israelis. Well, OK, maybe not the National Security Advisor.
Losing California Space
Stu Witt and Peter Navarro make a (probably futile) plea to Sacramento. Don’t hold your breath, guys. As you noted, the state’s politicians don’t give a damn.
Permission To Survive
Some thoughts on the health-care debacle, in Massachusetts and the nation:
Insurance companies in Massachusetts are thus required to offer numerous benefits as determined by politicians and lobbyists, but they may only charge what government bureaucrats permit. It would be akin to the government requiring restaurants to sell $50 steak dinners, but only allowing them to charge $25.
When similar price controls and “guaranteed coverage” laws were imposed in South Dakota and Kentucky, many insurers left these states rather than be slowly bled to death. As similar laws are phased in nationally under ObamaCare, the government could drive private insurers out of business altogether, enabling it to herd unwilling Americans into a “public option.”
ObamaCare thus places a noose around insurers’ necks. Insurance companies will be allowed to survive only at the arbitrary pleasure of the government.
…The trend is becoming clear. First, insurers must seek government permission to survive. Then, patients must seek permission to receive some forms of medical care. Will we soon need government permission simply to live?
That’s what seems to generally happen at the end of the road we’re on. A quarter of a billion people were, after all, murdered by their governments in the last century.
Heating The Planet
…with biodiesel.
Maybe politicos should do more research before imposing half-baked energy mandates?
It wouldn’t do any good. They’re mostly too stupid to understand the results of the research, or too much on the take from the benefitting industry to care. But they get to pretend to be saving the planet.
Speaking of biodiesel, will the same be true of biokerosene? Is the “green aviation” initiative another unintended consequence on the way?
The Paranoid Style
Liberals, to put it mildly, are not dealing well with their declining political fortunes. For some reason, liberals seem surprised that Americans have not warmed to the Obama administration’s policies, like government takeover of health care; bailouts and government ownership in multiple industries; wasteful and ineffective “stimulus” spending; unheard of deficits; massive tax increases slated for next year; and a foreign policy that perversely alienates our allies and caters to our enemies. There has never been a time in our history when most Americans would have approved of such policies, yet liberals are somehow convinced that today’s manifestation of longstanding voter attitudes represents a unique and sinister animus against Barack Obama and his administration.
As he goes on, Joe Klein is a poster boy for this.
A Pithy Comment
…over at Althouse’ place:
A religion that elevates men over women, lets you wear cool robes and headgear and carry guns and take exotic names and shit – what could be more appealing to a stupid boy who hasn’t done anything with himself yet?
Win-win for him.
Sadly, there are a lot more like him out there.