More Death and Carnage

I was saddened by the horrific events in Pittsburgh this weekend. It seems the nuts are coming out of the woodwork, but it's no surprise. The ramped up rhetoric of the past decade is a siren call to the mentally ill; those who would shoot up a church or synagogue, those who would gun down a man playing softball, or massacre a club full of gays having a good time, or badly beat a neighbor out mowing his yard.

It will get worse before it gets better.

I read that the synagogue in question has declared our President persona non grata until he denounces white nationalism. That's not helping, and is only pitting one group of Americans against another yet again.

I don't hang out on FB or twitter much, but I did peek in and noticed a strange silence. My Jewish friends were understandably upset, and my far-left friends and family were virtue-signalling themselves into a sickening self-satisfied dither. But most folks were very quiet. They're horrified by the carnage, and know in their hearts there is more to come.

White nationalists, or more properly American nationalists, are a hard-working, law-abiding bunch that like peace and order. All the shrieking and ridiculousness being crammed down their throats 24/7 isn't sitting well. People that ten years ago would be running to your door with a casserole and a hug during times of tragedy are instead warily peeking out their door to assess friend or foe. It's very sad. Our national motto is E Pluribus Unum, but we have become E Unum Pluribus.

I pray for the victims and their families, and I pray for our beautiful country. May God hold us in His protective hand and heal our broken hearts. Amen.

How Did You Vote? said Poo

As seen on FB, by poster Brendan O'Neill:

"Lots of journos and pro-EU people are sharing this smug little lecture, telling off the little people for being dumb and destructive. And they wonder why the public hates them. This is why. This meme might be post-referendum, but it sums up perfectly why you took such a beating in the referendum. The people are sick of this shit."

The Mind Of The Left

Here's a good article I thought you all might enjoy reading and pondering.  A snippet:

"Economics are not usually considered part of a culture, but for red-diaper leftists, their attitude to economics is cultural. It is part of the core, sacred narrative. They usually have a child-like view of economics, which they often have inherited from their parents. This is probably why the doubt triggered by their first tax shock is so easily forgotten for leftists. The child-like view is comfortable and familiar. Once amnesia sets in and comfort returns, discussions of economic reality are seen as right-wing propaganda.

Leftists hear big numbers and picture Scrooge McDuck’s money bin, not infrastructure, maintenance, specialized equipment, transportation, training, payrolls, etc. 

For leftists, industry has so much money. Businesses make huge profits. The price of everything is too high. The government has billions. They want to keep it all for themselves and their rich friends. So leftists believe that these evil people must be made to spend the money on things the leftists themselves choose."

Thanks to Vox Day for the great find.   A slice of his thoughts on the article:

"It's an interesting glimpse into what, for me, is an entirely alien mindset. I find it easier to understand those from very foreign cultures, including the English, the Italians, and even the Japanese, than I do a left-wing 2.0 American. While I correctly noted their fixation on narratives and the childish nature of their magical thinking, I was always mystified by their delusions of intellectual brilliance.

I put it down to their education and credential fetishes, but the author makes clear their belief in their intelligence is actually due to the fact that they are so deluded, they believe they are actually producing the solution to all the various problems they encounter by virtue of repeating their magic mantra: more government spending.

Of course, their concept of government is childish too; it is essentially a magic combination of a 365-day Santa Claus with a friendly Sunday School god whose got the whole world in his hands."

When The Structure of The System Becomes More Important Than The People

Here is a very good article by Daniel Greenfield entitled The Two Empires We Must Defeat.

"There is a thread that connects many of our conflicts, whether it's the one against terrorism or the one between the Republican establishment and its conservative insurgency. To win a war, we have to understand the nature of the conflict and how we got there. And that's often the missing piece."

 

Interesting Times

Here is an interesting article by William Galston, published at Politico. A taste:

"Bill Clinton, in whose administration I served as a domestic policy adviser, spoke often of an economy that rewards Americans “who work hard and play by the rules.” Today, these Americans still work hard, but they no longer know what the rules are, and they are no longer seeing the rewards as readily. They want, but are not getting, a credible success story for the American economy in the 21st century. That is one reason why the sense of loss of control is so pervasive." 

I think that Galston captures the mood of working voters. There is a sense that Americans who refuse to work are benefiting more from the economy than those who bust their derrier. Families who don't work have their housing, food, medical care, utilities, and children's college education paid for by those who cannot afford to send their kids to college. Where is the reward in that?

I've personally seen people drop out of the work force because their employers no longer offer health insurance because they have received an "exemption". For individuals and families, the Obamacare premiums are too steep if the breadwinner has a decent job; these folks don't qualify for the subsidies. People who have manageable health conditions who could continue to work for years to come are forced onto the disability/medicaid rolls because it's the only way they can obtain the medications they require. Of course, you won't be reading about these families in the NY Times or watching their hard-luck stories on the ABC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

There is also a sense that government institutions have grown too big and corrupt. This tax season, the IRS will be confiscating the refunds (the actually overpayments of working Americans, not the income redistribution that is known in lower income/no income circles as a "tax refund") of Americans who cannot afford to pay the ACA premiums (of which a large chunk is a donation rather than an actual premium). This will not go over well. At all. 

NASA, the agency that inspired kids to dream BIG in our youth, is now a joke. The CDC, once the elite organization of health care and epidemiology, has been caught like a deer in the headlights by this Ebola business. The head of this once revered agency has no clothes. Have you seen the newest guidelines to stem the spread of this horrible hemorrhagic nightmare? Here, take a look:

The CDC released new Ebola guidelines on Monday for monitoring travelers, including healthcare workers, coming to the U.S. from West Africa.

For asymptomatic travelers at the highest level of risk (e.g., received a needle stick when caring for an Ebola patient, or cared for a patient without wearing protective equipment), the CDC is recommending voluntary at-home isolation and direct active monitoring for fever and symptoms for 21 days. Those with some risk (e.g., a returning healthcare worker) are advised to undergo daily active monitoring and, depending on the local health department, could also be restricted from boarding airplanes or public transportation or going to work, similar to the high-risk group.

Several medical groups, including the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, have denounced some states requiring that all healthcare workers returning from Ebola-stricken countries undergo a mandatory 21-day quarantine.

Editorialists in the New England Journal of Medicine write: "We should be honoring, not quarantining, health care workers who put their lives at risk not only to save people suffering from Ebola virus disease in West Africa but also to help achieve source control, bringing the world closer to stopping the spread of this killer epidemic."

Does that give you confidence? Especially after the New York doctor who chose to transverse a city of 20 million people via the subway, after only being home from West Africa for a few days? Or the nurse (cringe) who has thrown a conniption fit because she was forcibly quarantined for day or two, threatening to sue because her civil rights were violated? Do these examples give you the warm, fuzzy feel of certainty that your health care professionals are placing the public health as a first priority over their own comfort?

There is also a sense that our elections are not free and fair, and that shenanigans are commonplace. We've all seen the photos of NBP goons hijacking a polling place, read the stories of voting machines that register straight-ticket democrat regardless of who the voter actually selects, heard the whispers of illegals (and dead people) voting in many jurisdictions. What's the truth? The media isn't trying to find out, that's for sure. If the Rs don't take the senate next week, as every poll says they will, how will conservative voters react? 

May we live in interesting times.

Indeed.

Pineapple For Everyone!

I read an interesting, though shallow, article this morning, and I remembered that our lewy had touched upon the "not enough jobs" thing a while back. Is a universal basic income the answer? Has the author of the article seen the movie Wall-E? Anyhoo, here's a taste:

The reality of this situation is chewing at the roots of American politics. The fundamental bargain of American society is that for anyone willing to hustle, there is a decent job to be found, or one that will at least prevent abject destitution. It underpins our national mythos as the land of opportunity and self-reliance. It has always been less true than anyone wanted to admit, but for an increasingly large fraction of the population — start with the 16 percent of Americans who regularly don't have enough to eat— it's a sick joke.

So, according to this premise, EVERYONE would get a check, every month. How much would it be? 2 grand? 3? 4? Whatever it would take to be comfortably above the poverty level?  So if we did that, we could lay off all welfare, food stamp, WIC, and other public workers that manage the business of gov't largesse. Sweet! They wouldn't need to work anyway. Sam will provide!

Also, if we did that, we would no longer need Medicaid (because everyone could afford "insurance"), we would no longer need Earned Income Credit and the plethora of other tax-time wealth transfers, we would no longer need social security for our oldsters, and we would no longer need to fund food pantry or soup kitchens. All of this should generate more than enough moola to fund giving the working 50% a big slice of the pie too (the non-working 50% already get theirs, just not in the form of one monthly check). What's not to love? Mmmm...pineapple!

Morning Coffee

Egads! Headline-mania! I just can't believe it...no, no...surely this isn't true...Shep Smith is gay? Oh wait. Shep Smith might be gay. Oh wait. Shep Smith is allegedly gay. A pox on Gawker for outing him if he is indeed gay, and a double-pox on Gawker if they are lying. Hang in there, Shep. Don't let the bastards win.

The statist train barrels down the track. Choo-choo! They are insisting that the most popular online store in history blacklist "haters". No more cheap Chinese shit for you buddy! Al Sharpton will be heartbroken. Oh wait...he has immunity. Rachel Maddow will be heartbroken. Oh wait...she has immunity. That leaves the true haters; white men. Yes, you. Hater!

I'm thinking that if the Clippers players are all butt-hurt by Sterling's rants, they should walk. That's right. Hang up your jersey and retire Clippers, or go play for another team. Oh wait...they're not THAT butt-hurt. Hypocrites. Stripping someone of their assets because of an opinion will not end well. The most offensive comments I've ever heard are from minorities and the democrats who despise them. Sterling has been spouting off his garbage for years and nobody cared; now Obama is in hot water over Benghazi and the media needs a story to drown out the pack of lies emanating from the White House. Thanks, alphabet networks, for fanning the flames of racial hatred to save Obama's scrawny backside.

Only 67% of ObamaCare signer-uppers have paid their first "premium". I'm going WAY out on a limb and guess that the majority who did "pay" are fully subsidized by the gov't/taxpayers. Meanwhile, at the street level, the entire thing is FUBAR. Sick babies getting lost between programs, old folks losing services they desperately need, doctors and nurses walking away in droves...but of course HIPPA prevents any health care worker from talking. Please pass the duct tape.

Days of Rules

Barby Droll

Matt's Musings

OK, let's see if this idea works. Hope you enjoy it.