Ethanol Rises from the Grave.

A farmer lobbying group is leaning on the Congers to have the EPA bump up the blend requirement on ethanol in gasoline. Their talking points can be found here. Ah, what the free market kills government can revive. Find a way to make it a lot cheaper and using less fossil fuel and water, and we'll talk boys...

Socialism Comes to Town.

After the White House and the UAW shook down the bondholders of GM, they set their sights on the senior secured debt holders of Chrysler. The bondholders held their ground, and now bankruptcy court will resolve the disposition of the company's assets. The President may rant and rave about the treachery of the bond holders (many are retirement and pension programs), but the essential issue was whether the federal government and the union would be allowed to destroy corporate legal structure by usurping the holders of senior secured debt first claim to restitution in restructuring. Larry Kudlow described the actions of Obama and the UAW accurately and succinctly: theft. And socialist expropriation.

What Price Socialism?

Robert Tracinski recounts a conversation with a recent emigre' from Russia, and discovers the essential risk of a socialized America.

What Happened At The Opener.

Our anticipation for this year's Trout Opener neared delirium by Friday morning, and we struck out for Grayling at noon after putting in a few hours' toil for The Man. The weather was warm, the sun was bright, and the weekend's forecast for the Ausable and Manistee River areas was for high temperatures in the upper sixties with a less than likely chance of rain. It promised to be a very good Opening Day with good conditions for hatching mayflies and rising fish.

We landed on the banks of the North Branch of the Ausable at 4pm, met our First Platoon of comrades, and commenced dry hackle offerings thrown among the rocks and riffles of fifty-six degree water. The platoon's reconnaissance told of a few fish taken earlier in the day but with action now at a lull. In the next two hours our efforts came to nought, but no matter, for two more solid days of fishing lay ahead. Surely, we thought, things would improve. We sounded recall and headed for Penrod's, our base of operations. We joined the Second Platoon and sought refreshment at Grayling's version of The Russian Tearoom - Spike's "Keg O'Nails" Pub: anybody who is anybody in Crawford County is in Spike's for Opening Eve. We had a wonderfully creamy pint of Guinness, and watched various mating rituals between semi-sober fisherman and the domestic and imported brood mares. Further liquid inspiration followed back at camp, summoning rousing declamations on the glories that awaited us. We also learned that the words for "prairie" and "fire" sound very similar in the Ojibwa langauge, and our Resident Fish Scholar postulated various theories on the future of Michigan salmonids and the Return of the Grayling. He was remarkably coherent even after a substantial helping of a brand-new bottle of Scapa. Hemingway would have been proud to have his company.

With the dawn of Opening Day the stragglers of our Band of Brothers arrived at camp, just in time for a superb breakfast. The group was surprisingly ambulatory given the fervor of the previous night's bacchanal. We girded our loins, packed up our gear, and as we headed toward the cars...

A great KABOOM! heralded the arrival of a fierce and nasty squall line into Grayling. We hunkered down for driving wind and rain for the better part of a hour. The temperature plunged twenty-five degrees. This is not good, we thought. Had one of us sinned against God? Should we stone that transgressor and bring the rest of us back to righteousness and reasonable fishing? No one offered themselves up in sacrifice and we concluded that the sinner was amongst the outsiders from our group. If he had any conscience he would tear out his eyes with No. 2 sized streamer hooks and beg our forgiveness, as well as that of God's. The rain abated, and we set out for the CCC Bridge on the Manistee, where we commenced fishing.

"Slow Fishing" does not do justice to our experience for the next four hours. The sudden and severe change in conditions had put our little friends into a coma. Between bouts of cold, soaking rains and biting winds, our group of five (a sixth was an early casualty to storm-induced demoralization and skeedaddled back to Alpena) landed two fish. One of the fish was identified as a brook trout only after undergoing magnification by reading spectacles. The Master Angler of our group, one with whom we had presumed God was obligated to provide at least one fish per outing, was skunked. This had, in effect, defined the day as a disaster, the flyfishing equivalent of The Apocalypse. We slunk back to Grayling to lick our wounds and to hope for a better Sunday.

No such luck. The Fish Scholar peeled off for home Sunday morning, so demoralized that the prospect of finishing his chorelist at home seemed more appealing. After the remnants of our party reconnoitered the Main Branch of the Ausable and found conditions inimical to even fair fishing for our last day, we headed to Dam Four on the North Branch. Alas, another four hours produced no landed fish and precious few strikes in forty-eight degree water. We surrendered in the midafternoon, struck camp, and headed home.

What is there to be learned from such a Last Saturday in April?

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley - Robert Burns

Fagen on Shep.

Steely Dan Founder Donald Fagen recalls late nights spent with Jean Shepherd, and what he learned from Shep.

Does Penitence Work in Foreign Policy?

President Obama has decided to either apologize for American past "misdeeds" around the world (for example, not defending US attempts to oust Castro after he betrayed the Cuban Revolution), or to act much more deferential and conciliatory to international bad apples like Iran. So much for changing the tone: Iran arrests a journalist and a blogger, gives them hour-long trials, and delivers stiff prison sentences for "spying". The New York Times assures us that
Mr. Ahmadinejad will do his utmost (read: not much) to guarantee them due process. Gee, thanks.

Just Around the Corner...

Things are shaping up for Da Openur. Now the last-minute scramble to ready the tackle and gear!

The Ethanol Industry Implodes.

The Manhattan Institute's Max Schultz provides an update of the corn-fed, government-led debacle.

The Invisible Tea Parties.

Reports on the attendance to the Tax Day Tea Parties across Michigan are quite impressive, from the several hundreds to the few thousands at several locations across the state. If such enthusiasm is being repeated in other states, this event is remarkable.
But not to the New York Times, who confines their coverage to a derisive blog entry.

Tax Day.

We have a real fear - yes, fear - that our government is going past the point of no return on spending and taxes. Entitlements now constitute 38% of the federal budget; including quasi-entitlement social program spending brings the total to 57%. Service on the debt adds another 9%, defense accounts for another 20%. This does include the new bailout and stimulus spending.

It's clear that there is no political gain for any leader to restrain entitlements: it will require an act of political sacrifice by the country's leadership to bring this under control. If the President could bring this financial hemorrhaging to an end, would he sacrifice a second term to bring it about?

The Sixteen-Dollar Breakfast.

There is a deli/restaurant in Washtenaw County that Sensitive Types incessantly rave about. It's heralded for its bakery, its yummy food, and its funky style and cute cartoon advertising. It's been featured on The Sensitive Radio Food Show as the jewel of Ann Arbor eateries. The foodery makes money hand over fist, it pays its employees well with good benefits and its business model has been advocated as a progressive ideal.

The only bug in the whitefish salad about this place is, well, it's expensive. Really expensive. Actually, obscenely expensive. Like thirty-dollar olive oil (it's incredible olive oil!). Or like the recent experience of a friend of mine who stopped there for a bagel with lox & cream cheese, and a side of whitefish salad. After parting with sixteen bucks, he was left with bellyache from the red onions on the sandwich and an inescapable sensation of being had.

This business model is not revolutionary nor progressive. It's the same one that P.T. Barnum employed, or that a famous magic and gag gift company used to lure your author at ten years of age into parting with his chore earnings for a box of tricks the would amaze and astound his family and friends, that would bring to the waiting world a Young Svengali. A photo in a family album records the moment of revelation after opening the box: is this it? Five bucks for this???
Then again, this may be a lesson that one periodically relearns (see previous entry).

B-E-S-U-R-E-T-O-D-R-I-N-K-Y-O-U-R-O-V-A-L-T-I-N-E

A Quest Finally Concludes?

We're always looking for perfect flyboxes to have in the vest while fishing. Perhaps even finding the One Box that will hold all of the streamers, nymphs, pupae, emergers, duns, adults, and spinners that we could possibly need for Opening Day. There have been several failed systems, with results such as having the one particular box holding exactly the fly we need left warm and cozy on the cabin table, or watching a flotilla of boxes drifting downstream after spilling from our vest. The Flambeau Blue Ribbon Fly Box may, finally, be the One Box. It contains three Vertical-Friction Foam (VFF) Technology™ panels (gasp!) for smaller flies and one streamer panel. It's compact and waterproof. Stayed tuned for an after-action report on its performance. If the Flambeau Blue Ribbon box lives up to its potential, prepare for a sudden flood of used flyboxes to appear on EBay...

Holy Week.

Erik Reese has penned an op-ed for the Washington Post, "Save Jesus, Ignore Easter". It concludes with:

...The fact is, American Christianity has historically been focused so obsessively on the Nicene Creed -- which says Jesus was the son of God, who was crucified for our sins and rose from the grave three days later -- that it never made much room for the actual teachings of this radical Jewish street preacher. This is why I'm against Easter. It celebrates the death of Jesus nearly to the exclusion of his life. If the Easter miracle can save us from this life, then why bother with the harder work of enacting the kingdom of God here? It is, after all, much harder. Which brings me back to that word faith. I believe it plays such a disproportionate role in mainstream American Christianity, be it in the rock and roll mega-churches or the humbler places were I worshipped as a child, because it is a belief in what one cannot see. But that belief -- that faith in a salvational Christ -- is what will guarantee everlasting life. But
when such faith is lost, as in my case, what am I left with?
I'm left with the teachings of Jesus -- words so radical, they got him killed, words so radical, they might still bring about the end of empire and the beginning of the kingdom of God.

One can agree, somewhat, with Mr. Reese's first assertion: there appears to be, in some expressions of Christianity, a superficial depiction of Jesus' suffering and crucifixion that emphasizes Christ's physical pain and the guilt that we should feel about it. That guilt, for these dogmas, propels one towards God and Christ: one is obligated to accept Christ because of his suffering. This embrace of Christ is like an atonement for the guilt one may feel after being rescued by a hero who in turn forfeits their own life. But doesn't that place the value of mortal existance and comfort above everything else? That we owe Jesus because he gave up what we value most?

Perhaps the real sacrifice made by Christ in this week was to become totally separated from God in the course of assuming all sin to destroy it ("Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"). And Easter has unbounded joy for us because Christ is reunited with God in ressurection, and with him we are reconciled with God.

For God's Sake - Literally - Just End It.

There is a terrible, terrible arguement in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). This arguement has been a hammer and tong affair for at least two decades now, with no signs of resolution.

Isn't it simply an immutable fact that there exists a fundamental and irreconcilable schism in the church between those that believe that homosexual relationships can be consistent with living a God-directed life and those that believe that such relationships are contrary to God's directives for our lives? If so, we must end the relentless cycle of one side employing the political and bureaucratic hammers of the church to attempt to repeatedly bludgeon the other side into submission or silence. Let's stop this nonsense and agree to a divorce. Yes, divorce. A tragedy? Yes, but inescapable. Is this a radical view? How can we think so after all of the pain received by and delivered to both sides by the other?

The Evil One has really enjoyed this one.

Palm Sunday.

John 12:12-16:

12:12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

12:13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord-- the King of Israel!"

12:14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:

12:15 "Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"

12:16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.

Who Drives What at Obama Motors.

They've been assigned to save the American Automobile Industry. It's time to meet the heroes of Obama Motors and the cars they drive:

• Steve Rattner, the "Car Czar", hedge-fund manager, specialist in media mergers and alumnus of the Council for Foreign Relations. Drives a Lexus, an Audi, and slums it with a Lincoln Town Car.
• Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner drives an Acura.
• Larry Summers, White House Economic Adviser, is a Mazda Man.
• OMB Head Peter Orzag loves his Honda.
• Carbon-hating Carol Browner doesn't own a car, nor does Energy Secretary Stephen Chu.
  
• EPA Chief Lisa Jackson raves about her Prius and her Honda minivan!

Not a Real American Car Guy ("guy" in the generic sense) among them. God help GM and Chrysler.

Obama Motors.

The Obama Car Team is forcing the ouster of GM's CEO Rick Wagoner, and probably most of the board of directors of the corporation. Apparently "change" at GM is not happening fast enough, namely the shafting of GM share and debtholders by massive equity dilution and forced bond conversion, and the building of "Smart"-style toy cars that bureaucrats love. The Administration is also dictating that Fiat shall own Chrysler. So much for corporate governance.

It's not clear how introducing this chaos into GM's management will help them to meet the sixty-day deadline to complete their restructuring, the criteria of which seems only to be known to the Administration.

Just a Cigar?

What is it about a cigar that can bring one's ship hard about from gloom to bliss? Today, with the capable assistance of Number One Son, we conquered the Early Spring Yard Cleanup, topped off with a beautiful new flagstone landing for the deck stairs. But the euphoria for the day's triumphs truly blossomed with the ignition of a fine Rocky Patel Rosado. What a cigar! A sweet floral smoke, with spice on the palate. The clouds of aromatic smoke were like that of drifting remains of cannonade as Wellington surveyed the Waterloo field at the end of that magnificent day.

Why Do You Fish?

I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of the television commercials, cocktail parties and assorted social posturing I thus escape; because, in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience; because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don't want to waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup tastes better out there; because maybe someday I will catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant - and not nearly so much fun. - John Voelker

The Voelker Foundation keeps his ideals alive through law school scholarships, writing competitions, and trout habitat restoration activities.

Perfection?

It's becoming harder to tie tippet to leader as the years accumulate and one's eyesight develops limitations. Much time is lost in midstream by fat-fingered tying of surgeon's knots (it always happens during a hatch!). So we will experiment this year with loop-to-loop connections, with lots of 16" tippet segments pre-tied with Perfection Loops. And we also have a tool to thread 6x tippet through the eyes of size 18 dry fly hooks...

Inciting the Mob.

The of chorus of outrage at AIG has a disturbing tone: bulldozing the rule of law in order to satisfy the mob's bloodlust. Holman Jenkins summarized it quite well this morning, He concluded with:

But the biggest lesson here is the old one that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance -- beginning with insistence on the rule of law. Americans clearly cannot trust their elected officials to defend their rights and interests, or care whether justice is served, when the slightest political risk might attach to doing so.

Which brings us back to Mr. Cuomo, whose office has been implicitly threatening to publish names of AIG employees who don't relinquish pay they were contractually entitled to.

Mr. Cuomo is a thug, but at least he reminds us: It can happen here.

And for those of you holding a torch or pitchfork, consider this point of view.

Clean Coal Dreams.

Jim Cramer interviewed Gene Klappa, the CEO of Wisconsin Energy Corporation, which has been aggressively experimenting with CO2 scrubbing of coal plant emissions. The field experiments have been a failure so far, and Klappa estimates that a "clean coal" solution that can be practically fielded is at least ten years off. Meanwhile the Obama Cap and Trade Juggernaut rolls along. It is now estimated that when C&T is implemented electricity costs will increase by 50%. Just in time to strangle a recovery of the U.S. economy.

In ten years, we could build five nuclear plants, displacing 25 coal-fired plants. That's if we chose to "put science ahead of politics". Wisconsin, in a spasm of self-righteousness, has banned construction on any new nuclear plants.

By the way: 300 additional 1GW nuclear plants would displace the electricity generation of all of the 1500 coal-fired plants in the U.S. Do we have the political will and the seriousness to consider at least five nukes in ten years?

Science Sans Politics.

The Administration is touting big savings in health care by adopting universal electronic record-keeping. Two pro-Obama doctors have looked at the performance of such systems and have concluded otherwise.

Perhaps the President should confine policy decisions "based only on scientific merit" for issues with no perceptible moral dimension, such as medical record-keeping. Nat Hentoff reminds us that the President may have political or ideological investments in issues of life and death.

Simplicity.

Our flytying skills are, shall we say, rustic. Accordingly, we'll keep our spring flybox very simple. "Syl" Nemes is the great champion of soft hackle patterns, and his DVD on tying them has encouraged us to have plenty of Partridge & Green, Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles, and Midge Soft Hackles on hand for the last Saturday in April. Borcher's Special, a truly superb pattern for the Au Sable, is also an essential. Henrickson Duns, BWOs, Hare's Ears and Pheasant Tail nymphs, and the odd streamer will round out our Opening Day Flybox.

And a Man's Fancy Turns To...

Enough politics! It so ruins the digestion. We will, for now, put aside our lance and shield and defer battle with the dragon. So we shall turn to fishing. This weekend we attended the Midwest Flyfishing Expo in Warren, Michigan. It was a badly needed tonic for a weekend of rain and gloom. Good exhibitions on casting & tying, and a good turnout . There was a very fine demonstration on the double-haul (we will definitely make this part of our repertoire!); we had a delightful conversation with Au Sable legend Jerry Regan, and an inspirational one with volunteers with Project Healing Waters about the efforts to use the holistic powers of flyfishing for physical and spiritual recovery for wounder warriors. We finally saw a copy of Voelker's "Anatomy of a Fisherman". It includes a superb color photo section of the fishing retreats of the 1950s Upper Peninsula. Definitely required for the library.

Remember, Comrades.

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under socialism, it's the just the opposite.

Obama's Destruction of Wealth.

Leaving the White House's Rush Limbaugh diversion aside, there is growing opinion that the President's budget and taxation proposals are a very bad thing. Just ask Jim Cramer.

Reaganesque?

Russian President Medvedev, in a completely predictable response, has accepted President Obama's deferral of the deployment of missile defense in Poland, while declining Obama's request that Russia diplomacy be employed to stop Iran's nuclear program. Senator Charles Schumer has called Obama's initiative "Reaganesque". Hmm. Obama's blunder is more reminiscent of Jimmy Carter's whipsawing on the deployment of the "neutron bomb" in Western Europe. Carter's vascillation humiliated then West German leader Helmut Schmidt, and helped to bolster Soviet influence in German politics in the 1980s.

A Thoughtful Alternative.

Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) presents in a WSJ op-ed an economic strategy that makes a lot more sense than zero-sum Obamanomics.

Just Plain Evil.

Robert Mugabe, leader for life of Zimbabwe, celebrated his 85th birthday on the backs of his fellow countrymen, the New York Times reports. The accomplishments of his career are impressive: he squandered international good will and any chance of racial accord by race-baiting and expropriation of land owners, through three decades of corruption and incompetence he has destroyed the country's economy, starvation pervades Zimbabwe, and the level of violence and terror he has employed to prop up his regime would have embarrassed the most ruthless apartheid goon.

Yet the international community does nothing, indeed is nearly silent on the suffering of Zimbabwe. Why? It's baffling that civil and human rights organizations, particularly African-American groups, have assumed such a low profile on this outrage.

Obama's War.

This week President Obama ended his rope-a-dope of the Center-Right and launched an attack against American capitalism. He is: (i) repealing the Bush tax cuts and raising the highest Federal tax rate to 40%, (ii) increasing taxes on the energy industry, (iii) limiting tax relief from mortgage interest, (iv) reinstating the Death Tax, (v) raising capital gains taxes, (vi) raising taxes on successful small businesses*, (vii) increasing federal intervention in the health care industry, (viii) instituting a carbon cap and trade program on American industries, and (viii) dismantling private enterprise student loans. He capped off the week with the destruction of private capital investments in banks.

Wall Street, the source of investment capital needed for recovery, aborted productive uses of finance in favor of "Obama-proof" portfolios: more treasuries, gold, cash, and international stocks poised to benefit from an unfettered Chinese recovery and protected from Obama wealth-redistribution.

The Administration and Congers are fanatically devoted to the notion that The Government will grow us out of this mess, as if they have discovered a perpetual-motion machine.


*Example of such a small business: owner of three convienience stores. A good store will, after expenses, net the owner about $100K per year in profits. Such a store also pays two additional employees $85K in wages and benefits.

Tragedy.

Elie Weisel has been wiped out by Bernard Madoff.

What is the Truth About the Banks?

The fear on bank nationalization is rampant, and threatens to become a self-fueling conflagration. Yet two interesting articles caught our eye that questions whether such a step is necessary at all. First, the staff at Miyanville note that banks are more than capable of writing down - over time- their current large losses against future revenues.Second, the IBD editorial board reminds us that 90% of all banks are sound, and that lending rates are not catastrophic.

Obama Revealed.

President Obama spoke to the Congers last night, and made it very clear that the spending has only just begun. In this first year of his tenure he intends to tackle (universal) health care, expanded federal support for education, and a plunge into "green" energy production. This last objective is of particular concern: the WSJ noted this morning that White House green gurus indicate that the Administration will regulate CO2 as an atmospheric pollutant under the Clean Air Act . In which we reply, in the words of Cromwell: "I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken". As we have learned with the declarations of vague schemes by the Treasury for the next stanza of financial reconstruction, now is not the time to further paralyze private capital investments in our economy because of fear of brave new regulations. And the President's call to action on energy conspicuously dodged a mention of nuclear power. If we are going to supplant coal-fired electricity generation, we need to find sources that can efficiently produce several hundred thousand megawatts of energy. A wind plan as ambitious as that envisioned by Boone Pickens would produce 200,000 MW. While that's a very respectable number, it's less than a quarter of our current electricity demand. Our fear is that the White House greenies will prevail in ideological purity and America's aversion to nuclear power will continue.

Town Hall Meeting with Congerscritter Schauer.

Last Friday we attended a town hall meeting, in our fair burg, with freshman congerscritter Mark Schauer (D). There were around two dozen constituents in attendance. There was a palpable tension in the coffee shop; many families in our town have their financial fortunes tied to the Big Three. In the past week the mammoth "Stimulus" Bill had been whisked through both houses of Congress and signed by the President. The pre-meeting conversations around the tables expressed frustration of citizens unable to slow or alter the course of the massive spending juggernaut. It was a clear sentiment eager to be expressed to the new representative, and hoped he would listen.

Mr. Schauer's priority, however, was not to listen, but to talk. And talk, and talk, and talk. After nearly forty-five minutes of a nearly uninterrupted monologue, some of the attendees began to shoehorn comments into what seemed to be a soliloquy.After a long lecture into the minutiae of a proposed high-speed rail in Michigan, time had run out, and many left extremely frustrated, including this correspondent.

We hope that Mr. Schauer's deafness toward the people he represents will pass with time and experience.

Why Bipartisanship?

On CNBC this morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid revealed the real reason for the of GOP votes for the "Stimulus" bill: Republicans have "bet on failure". Please, Mr. Reid, don't insult our intelligence. This is not a matter of whether your opponents want the country to live or die, it's about what is the best course of action to save the greatest economic system in the history of the world.

Chris Matthews continued the (MS)NBC attacks against Rick Santelli, calling his attitude that of "Ebenezer Scrooge". Be careful, Comrade Santelli, your attitude has been noticed. You don't wan't to be called a counterrevolutionary; they shoot counterrevolutionaries.

"Scoop" Jackson She Ain't.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made it clear that when it comes to dealing with the People's Republic of China, business (and bond buying) comes first. There was a time thirty years ago when some thought that such a realistic attitude be adopted in dealing with the Soviet Union. Senator Henry Jackson, God rest his soul, thought otherwise.

Daddy Lashes Back.

NBC's Brian Williams, Matt Lauer, and Squawk Box foe Steve Liesman jumped CNBC's Rick Santelli this morning on this morning's Today for his audacious and treacherous criticism of the White House's Mortgage Plan. Matt Lauer suggested that Obama's plan is the sacrifice the 92% of the non-delinquent public must make for the good of all of the 8% of the mortgage defaulters. Matt: I know plenty of families that could use the potlickings from the generous compensation from your network; just send us the checks and we'll forward them on. We are now taking bets that Rick will be heading to Fox Business Channel within the year. Indeed, it's not clear how much more dissent parent company (MS)NBC will tolerate from their unenlightened Wall Street Brat Pack. Get ready for Squawk Box with Robert Reich and Rachel Maddow...

The M Bomb.

The White House has just unveiled its plan to bailout distressed homeowners. CNBC's Rick Santelli voices the displeasure felt by many.

The Spending Trainwreck.

The United States Government has signed off on spending an additional $800B for anything and everything. The Left has been braying for government-directed "Industrial Policy" for decades, they now have their opportunity to implement it in a coherent manner...and they've blown it. The "Stimulus" is a trainwreck of directionless and unfocussed spending, driven by craven political desires for pork, patronage, and ideology rather than any kind of coherent plan to guide the repair of the nation's economy. Yet another trillion dollars to hobble our children's future. God Save the United States of America.

A Blunder?

President Obama called for direct talks with Iran during his press conference last night, and the president of Iran responded that he welcomed such a sentiment - with conditions. The sagging Iranian leader has been reinflated with domestic and international prestige - thanks to the White House.

Big Apple Cigar Retreats.

CA's Gordon Mott and David Savona seek out the cigar haunts of New York City.

Where Was This Fact Six Weeks Ago?

George Will unearths this gem:

...Rep. John Campbell, who owned a slew of automobile dealerships before coming to Congress from Southern California, has been told by a senior executive of Toyota's American operations that if Toyota were not making substantial profits from its SUVs and pickups, it could not continue making the Prius, which it sells at a loss. The federal government, which is in a position to dictate to mendicants, wants Detroit to make more cars like the Prius and fewer profitable vehicles. This is a novel business model...

Cheese for the House!

The House of Representatives passed their version of the "Stimulus" Bill, a $819B smorgasbord of spending. Originally peddled as primarily an "investment in infrastructure", the bill has - of course - been overwhelmed with a huge amount of irrelevant spending. Some may argue it's all necessary; if so, let the Congers vote on the proposals individually so that they can each be examined for their merits. To us it appears that most of the spending is, as Robert Samuelson argues, not "stimulative".

John Updike, 1932-2009.

Chronicler of the Middle America in the second half of the twentieth century. Here is an audio of Updike, expressing concerns about the transformation of the written word on paper to infinitely permutable ensembles of electrons.

Updike's contributions to The New Yorker have been assembled here.

Change on "Torture".

Candidate Obama walloped the Bush Administration on "torture", redefined during the extended presidential campaign as any interrogation tactic involving physical coercion, like sleep deprivation. Team O pledged to end any such type of tactic when they assumed presidential power. Now Andrew McCarthy observes (in an interview on Bill Bennett's radio show), that President Obama may reserve the right to use interrogation tactics that include physical coercion, for so-called "ticking bomb" cases. It's refreshing to see some common sense finally take hold with the new powers, but my, how change looks like the same.

Holy Week.

NPR, Gary Keillor, The Nation editor Mistress Katrina Von Hoofenderfloogle, Kief Ubermann and the We Are the World Usual Suspects are getting the vapors in anticipation of the most holy event of our lifetime: the Installation of Pope Barack I. Keillor on a recent Prairie Home Angst, retold the Gospel story of the sojourn of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem as that of Michelle and Barack to Washington. We agree with the National Review, such an analogy is just creeeepy. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Alexander, chair of African-American Studies at Yale, has been tapped to deliver the Inaugural Poem. According to a background piece at the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, her credentials are steeped in art and politics , the politics of art, and the art of politics. Ahh, shall we close our eyes and swoon in rapture to verses of neo-Socialist Realism? The baking of bread as a political statement? A Man and His Tractor? Will the cornicopia of ethnogendercreeds be given each a moment in the sun during the soliloquy? We'll have a big box of Kleenex on hand to soak up our tears of joy. We will also have box on hand to soak up the tears of grief as the Super-Colossal Extravagonzo Stimulus Cheese Wheel is rolled down Capitol Hill.

Make Every Vote Count...for Al.

The snide Al Franken has successfully upended the result of the November election, with a recount in Minnesota that appears to have broken in favor of him in every ruling. Hmmm...Just call him Senator "Landslide Al"?

A Background Fact on Gaza.

Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Hamas has attacked them incessantly, firing over 6500 rockets. What did these idiots think would happen?

An Early Warning.

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man who knows what the law is today can guess what it will be to-morrow.

--James Madison (likely), Federalist No. 62, 1788
(courtesy Patriot Post)

The Blockbuster Events of 2008.

Our top four picks for the most universe-disturbing* stories of the year:

1. The massive deleveraging of the financial system, the huge devaluing of most financial assets, and the long-coming cardiac arrest of a credit-gorged economy. It was fun while it lasted, eh?
2. President-Elect Barack Obama. Hooda thunk it?
3. Success in Iraq. Although you could have missed it for the lack of news coverage.
4. Turning 50, and the associated psychological seismic activity.

*And indeed there will be time

To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”

Time to turn back and descend the stair,

With a bald spot in the middle of my hair —
[They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”]

My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,

My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin — [They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”]

Do I dare Disturb the universe?

In a minute there is time

For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

- T.S. Eliot, from the Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock

Rejoice!

Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Have a Blessed Twelve Days of Christmas!

Fear Not!

It is only four months to Opening Day. In the meantime, let us tie.

Impressionable Elites.

This is the term used by Mark Penn, author of "Microtrends", to describe the very busy, wealthy and powerful who can no longer exploit information directly, but now rely on gut and impression, friends' views and opinions, and the judgement of others. Penn suggests that the behavior of this group was an essential catalyst for the Madoff debacle.

Motown, Y'all.

Newsweek tells the story of Detroit South.

The Pope Salutes Astronomy.

Pope Benedict XVI praised the work of scientists in commemoration of the International Year of Astronomy:

...If the heavens, in the beautiful words of the psalmist, 'tell of the glory of God', the laws of nature, which many scientists have studied over the years giving us an ever-better understanding of them, are a great incentive to contemplate the works of the Lord with gratitude".

We would not doubt that John Paul II and Galileo are now in a smiling embrace.

"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."
Luke 1:26-38

Gabriel has told Mary what is to come to pass - she is to bear a son who will inherit the throne of David. Mary puts her trust in God and commits her life to his service. May we summon an epsilon of such faith and commitment to God.

Good News for Michigan Cigar Aficionados.

The Michigan Legislature failed to enact a total ban on smoking in bars, restaurants, cigar bars, and similar commercial private property. This legislation is now dead until the next Legislature is in session.

The organization Cigar Rights of America has been recently formed to help cigar smokers fight the creeping fascism of smoking bans and excessive tobacco taxes.

Academe' Now Squawking for Government Cheese.

Believe it or not, after a few decades of tuition increases well above the inflation rate, colleges and universities want even more money, claiming a hunk'o Uncle Sugar Daddy's Big Bailout Cheese Wheel.

Here's the ten year history of tuition for LSA students at Michigan:

• 1999-2000 $6335
• 2000-2001 $6515 (+2.8%)
• 2001-2002 $6935 (+6.4%)
• 2002-2003 $7485 (+7.9%)
• 2003-2004 $7975 (+6.5%)
• 2004-2005 $8200 (+2.8%)
• 2005-2006 $9215 (+12.4%)
• 2006-2007 $9725 (+5.5%)
• 2007-2008 $10,445 (+7.4%)
• 2008-2009 $11,035 (+5.6%)
• 1999-2009 +$4700 (+7.4% APR)

When are the administrators of this institution going to face reality? Why do students and their families (or the rest of us, by way of government financial aid) bear the burden, year in and year out, of the academe's dreams of grandeur?

Artes, Scientia, Veritas.

The Ann Arbor News reports that a University of Michigan professor is under investigation for hiring a female UM law student to...well, to...you know...and it got a bit out of hand. Our hallowed alma mater has reassured us, however, that there are strict rules in place to govern faculty-student romantic relationships, such as the requirement to file a "Conflict of Interest" working plan with the appropriate departments. We are much reassured.

Were So Sorry, Guvna' Granholm...

Jennifer Granholm did not make the cut as Secretary of Energy for the Obama Administration, and alas, she must trudge back the Great Lakes State and complete her second term as our governor. It's too bad she was so busy auditioning for Team O; the Detroit Three really could have used her up on The Hill to provide political cover for them as they were pilloried by the many Moronic Congresscritters. In fact, she seems to have been nearly invisible during most of the recent Big Three Crisis.

So Be It.

Tom Brokaw chastised Mr. Obama for continuing to smoke cigarettes. We say: hike up your skirt Mrs. Brokaw, and mind your own business. If the man wants/needs a smoke - and he is an adult - then he is free to puff away. Yes, there are serious health risks, and it's not our choice but his (perhaps we'll encourage him to abandon the coffin nails with a box of Punch Rare Corojos).

Tying the TARP Down.

A recent summary of the confusion about how well TARP is working, where the money is actually going, and the nearly nonexistent oversight of the program. Jim Cramer has reported that AIG is using its wedge of Government Cheese to payoff foreign banks (for credit default swaps?).

Trading Heroes for Ghosts.

Here is arguably the best song on the Golden Era of "Progressive Music". From the "Pulse" tour.

House Democrats Pelosi and Waxman Unveil New Green Vehicle!

Cheap Shots at Detroit?

In a recent column Tom Friedman blasted the "Big 2.5", re-treading the usual claims: vehicles not suited for the market, poor quality and fuel economy, poor management, and lack of innovation. He pines for an American automobile industry that works like Steve Jobs' Apple.

Let's look under the hood at some of Friedman's arguements:

Vehicles not suited for the market. The market for vehicles is complicated and fickle. It is not dictated by fuel economy alone, despite the recent panic caused by $4-a-gallon gasoline. The market is a convolution of product capability, quality, economy, safety, and style. In the early 1990s Detroit made an excellent decision about the automobile market: the SUV. A vehicle now nearly despised, the SUV met the needs of many consumers. It could carry several passengers (spouse, kids, grandma, dog) or could carry the bulky loads from trips from home improvement stores. Drivers valued the improved road visibility and the feeling of greater safety over a compact car (although "improved safety" was a dubious claim). And consumers were willing to pay the premium that SUVs imposed in fuel costs in order to acquire the benefits from the vehicle. Some of the aspects that attracted consumers to SUVs were shared by light trucks, which also enjoyed robust sales. The profit margin on trucks and SUVs was substantial, which was needed to subsidize the production of economy cars, needed to reach CAFE requirements.

The market decision to produce SUVs was so successful that the Japanese automakers, finding themselves out in the cold on trucks and SUVs, began producing these vehicles for the American market.

American cars have poor quality and fuel economy. The claim that American cars have lower quality is no longer true (for example, see this article), but the myth is now engrained into the media brain. As for fuel economy, American makers offer mid-sized cars with conventional power plants yielding 30+ mpg (highway), such as the Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura, Pontiac G6, Chrysler Sebring, and Dodge Avenger (with the Ford Fusion at 29 mpg). American SUVs have improved fuel economy (the Chevy HHR with 30+ mpg; the Jeep Patriot and Compass in the high 20s).

Poor Management. Why then didn't the Big Three switch to a majority offering of small, fuel-efficient passenger cars as the price of oil rose? SUVs and trucks were required to offset the loss in making smaller cars - because of the 2:1 labor rate disadvantage that the Big Three have compared to the Japanese North American operations. During the SUV Salad Days, the UAW staked an uncontested claim to the "record profits": it was just a matter of choosing a strike target and getting it. The blithe notion for Detroit to produce a larger number econo-vehicles ignores the fact that they would lose money on every such car, while the Japanese builders would not.

Lack of Innovation. Please - hybrids are a Green Vanity Vehicle: even after six years of operation, a Toyota Prius will not recover its price premium through higher fuel economy. The Chevy Volt is likely to list for $35K, so it is also a Green Vanity Vehicle. For the short term it is more efficient to increase the fuel economy of the gasoline-powered engine than to plunge into a crash program to develop alternate fueled-vehicles. This is Ford's principal strategy for the next few years. One exception may be making the new fleets "flex-fuel", able to use either straight gasoline or 85% alcohol mixtures. The modifications to make most vehicles flex-fuel is quite cheap, a few hundred dollars.

Have Car CEOs be more like Steve Jobs. Lest we not forget Jobs' NeXT Cube: so innovative in hardware and software, yet so catastrophically uncompetitive in the PC market of the early '90s. Jobs has done well since then with consumers that will accept the stiff Apple price premium and its proprietary hardware and formats. There are analogies to Apple in the car industry: Cadillac, Lexus, Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes, and other upscale brands, but to map Jobs' business plan onto car making for the general consumer market is naive.

We Are A Bank!

We at Deaddrifts have decided that if you can't fight the lurch toward socialism of our economy, you might as well fight for your place in line for the Government Cheese. Therefore, we declare ourselves to be a bank and insist we are entitled to a handout. And if this doesn't work, we will consider building cars...

But Just to Make it Perfectly Clear...

Mr. Obama will become our President, and we him success. He will need all of the support, good wishes, and prayers that Americans can muster; to quote Lincoln, "the occasion is piled high, and we must rise with the occasion." Where we find ourselves in opposition to the President, we will voice our opposition in a civil and intellectually honest manner. No brainless wailing of "Obama Taxed, Jobs Axed!" or the like will be found here. As of now it appears that ambition, namely, Mr. Obama's desire to be successful, is overriding ideology. But we shall see as the events transpire.

The Case of the Vanishing Iraq Policy Statement.

A few days ago, we mentioned the rather detailed plan that was unveiled for Iraq at Change.gov, Mr. Obama's official transition site. That page has now been removed. Amazing what a dose of reality (courtesy a presidential briefing) can bring about.

Note Bene: Wizbang reports that most of the lofty policy plans from the Obama campaign have now vanished from Change.gov. This risks making Mr. Soros angry. You don't want to make Mr. Soros angry.

No doubt over-zealous Obamites thought it was only reasonable to transcribe the campaign bombast to the honest-to-goodness we're-on-the-hook-for-this-now transition plans.

Combustible Courage.

Winston Churchill was derided by Lord Haw-Haw for possessing "liquid courage", i.e. bravery from a cognac decanter. If so, we few (we happy few?) might rally with a snifter of Remy Martin 1738. In the meantime, we have procured a good supply of Rocky Patel Rosado, Punch, Padron, and Arturo Fuente Churchills to soldier on through the winter.

Change Some Can Buy Into.

The background of some of Mr. Obama's economic advisers, and their substantial financial contributions to his campaign (found on Instapundit).

Some Restraint, Please!

We recognize that Mr. Obama is the President-Elect, and will become the new President in a few months. But that does not mean it's prudent nor tactful to establish a parallel government during the transition, complete with policy declarations. Yet, he has already done so, with pronouncements on issues that are not particularly supportive of the real United States Government.

The Parallel United States Government has articulated, in rather clear language, exactly what will transpire in Iraq in the first year: we will be skulking out, apparently without little realistic regard to the conditions on the ground:

...Immediately upon taking office, Obama will give his Secretary of Defense and military commanders a new mission in Iraq: ending the war. The removal of our troops will be responsible and phased, directed by military commanders on the ground and done in consultation with the Iraqi government. Military experts believe we can safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to 2 brigades a month that would remove them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 – more than 7 years after the war began. Under the Obama-Biden plan, a residual force will remain in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and to protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel. They will not build permanent bases in Iraq, but will continue efforts to train and support the Iraqi security forces as long as Iraqi leaders move toward political reconciliation and away from sectarianism...

There is also planned for plenty of opportunity for Iran and Syria to provide their constructive inputs.

Yes, elections have consequences, one of which is inheriting the responsibility supporting the present government while you plan for the new government. The early behavior of the "shadow government" does not exhibit this responsibility.

Sound Recall.

The Conservative Corps has been shattered on the field of November 2008. The corps' generals and their camp followers have skee-daddled. It's time to sound recall - not retreat, but regroup, carry our dead from the field, find brave and brilliant new officers, and refit to fight another day.

The enigmatic General Obama has carried the day. We salute his brilliant victory, and to the extent that his interests in governance are harmonious with our visions for the welfare of our land, we can cooperate. We'll now see whether his mind is governed more by ambition than ideology. Ambition may to temper his socialism to "socialism-lite". But how he will proceed in the details of Iraq is a total mystery.

Required reading around the campfires: "Ten Conservative Principles", by the late Russell Kirk.

Triumph of the Brain Dead.

Jay Nordlinger comments on the spirit of mindless zealotry of Obama supporters; it has manifested itself in Ann Arbor with the harassment of McCain supporters. One guesses the change justifies the means.

The Bell Lap.

It's almost here, our national political orgasm is imminent. And whatever the result of Election Night, on Wednesday morning the Sun will rise, the geese will honk as they fly south, babies will gurgle "good morning" in their cribs, the toast will pop, coffee will be poured, and America will go on*.

Of course, for the pathological types, Wednesday morning will kickoff the campaign cycle for 2012: the planning for acquring power, retaining power, hoarding power, expanding power, or to ingratiate themselves with the newly powerful. Many will forget the reasons why they sought power in the first place. Some will be awake from the religous ecstasy, and ask "now what?"

In David Lean's magnificient film version of Doctor Zhivago (arguably the greatest film ever made), Red Army General "Strelinkov" proclaims to Yuri Zhivago that "the personal life is dead" - that human existance is reduced to service to the Communist Party - and derisively asks Yuri what he intends to do by traveling to the rural backwater of Varikino. "Just live", Zhivago replies.

Whether under the rapturous beneficience of Obamism or not, we can't wait to "just live".

*Inspired by Lou Rukeyser's post 1987 Crash Pep Talk.

No Room on the Plane.

It is reported that McCain campaign has denied Maureen Dowd a seat on the campaign plane. However, the refusal was to make room for more journalists.

Too Little and Too Late?

Jake Tapper has a "wait a minute!" moment with Mr. Obama's ENORMOUS list of promises to the people. Looks like you'll be off "O-Force One", Jake; you can pick up your luggage at the Greyhound terminal.

Old Home Movies Found of Obama Baby Shower!

Look for George Soros giving the gift of gold and Saul Alinsky's gift of a copy of "Rules for Radicals!"

Not Mentioned on The Daily Show.

The Russian Navy returns to the Western Hemisphere, guests of Hugo Chavez...

Thank Heavens You're Here!

The market has tanked, the economy is going south, socialism is knocking on the door, massteria is running amok, Democrats threaten us with unbridled power, and cats and dogs are in the streets. But there is one man who can save us in this desparate hour...

I Am Bill the Terrorist.

That Genius Iowahawk strikes again!

Obama, MoveOn, and Iraq.

Here is the audio of an April 2007 Q&A session on Iraq between members of MoveOn.org and Senator Obama. Its salient content: (i) Obama's declaration of the "failure" of the then-recent surge in Iraq, (ii) his insistance that US withdrawl from Iraq begin immediately (to be completed with a year), (iii) advocacy for a multilateral negotiations on the fate of Iraq between Iraqi Sunnis and Shias, Iran, and Syria, and (iv) appreciation and enthusiasm for MoveOn.org, the folks that brought you the infamous "General Betray Us" ad.

MoveOn endorsed Mr. Obama for the Presidency of the United States in early 2008 with 70% of its voting membership.

Lest we forget.

Barney Frank's Brave New World.

In an expansive and victorious mood, Congerscritter Frank describes his goals for an undivided government: a 25% spending cut for the DoD (forcing our hand in Iraq), expanded federal support of state spending programs, and higher taxes for The Rich^® (from Commentary Magazine).

An Ignored Story...

has been the explosive growth of the federal budget in non-defense related areas: consider the inflation-adjusted growth in the following catagories in the last eight years (courtesy WSJ):

• Transportation +22%
• Community Assistance +91%
• Education +57%
• Welfare +30%