the Coolidge Test

A thoughtful analysis of the presidents performance.

"President Barack Obama is an Ivy League-educated man of considerable intelligence and ambition who has surrounded himself with numerous experts to help in his decision-making. With these advantages, he has tried a number of things to help the country domestically and in the area of foreign affairs. But at the end of the day, how does Obama’s efficacy in office compare to that of a sack of hammers?"

Just a Note

While Chrysler is celebrating paying off its debt to the US government, Henry Payne makes a few observations of how things aren't quite what they seem. Notable points:

-The government still owns 6.6% of Chrysler.

-Chrysler didn't so much pay off the debt as move it to another credit card, just not one owned by the government.

-Taxpayers are still going to lose $1.9 billion on the deal.

-Obama insisted that part of part of Fiat's acquisition deal of Chrysler be that they bring the successful small car from Europe, the Fiat 500, to the US. But what's bringing in the money for Chrysler now? The same as every other US automaker, trucks and SUVs.

Quote of the Day

About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.

-Calvin Coolidge, Address at the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, Pa.

Not Superman

The Washington Post has an article today entitled "Don't expect Obama to be Superman." It's not much more than a list of excuses for Obama not living up to his rhetoric, but I found it especially amusing in this case. Why? Maybe the author hasn't seen this picture?



Or this one?


If you let yourself be sold as a superhero, don't complain that people expect too much of you.

Quote of the Day

I will not be denied the pragmatic, functional utility of anything based on the inept, clumsy, irresponsible failure of brain-dead, uncoordinated numskulls.

-Ted Nugent, "My Gun Control"

"Men of Iron and Steel"

Here's a fascinating article on politics and superheroes, via Day by Day, if you're interested. An excerpt:

Superheroes are a libertarian fantasy, because they are individual men and women given the power to shape the course of history, and burdened with the moral responsibility to use it wisely. Spider-Man learned this in his hour of grief, after a moment of selfishness cost a good man his life. Superman is a Kansas farm boy who discovered he was a god, and devoted himself to protecting the mortal men and women around him, who he loved and respected with all of his heart. Batman is an extraordinary individual who devoted his talents to the pursuit of justice, freely choosing a path of agony and terror when his wealth and ability offered countless other choices.

Road to Serfdom

We are driving headlong down the road to serfdom, and no advanced democracy that has come down this far has ever found an off ramp.
-Sally C. Pipes, NRO Symposium

Not A Coupon Insert

A great quote from a great article by Jonah Goldberg today:

The other side says that our rights come from God, not from government. That while the government has an obligation to promote the general welfare, it doesn’t have a holy writ to design the nation as it sees fit. The Constitution is not a coupon insert in your local paper, brimming with all sorts of giveaways and two-for-one deals. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights delineate what the government cannot do, not what it can. What was so fantastic and revolutionary about that is that for the first time in history, a nation was founded on the proposition that the government should mind its own business. Believing that doesn’t make you a fascist, it makes you a patriot.

Mismatch

Obama today, via the Washington Examiner:

The real problem has to do with the fact that there is just a mismatch between the amount of money coming in and the amount of money going out. And that is going to require some big, tough choices that, so far, the political system has been unable to deal with.

I think everyone can agree on that. The problem is whether to fix the "coming in" or the "going out."

"It won't work."

We can, however, be certain of some facts about the health care reform plan. It won't work. No government proposal more complicated than "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private" ever works. And that doesn't work.

-P.J. O'Rourke, on the Clinton health care reform plan, Wall Street Journal

Limited

I just read this article from the Washington Post that argues the government does not have the authority to require every American to buy health insurance based on the powers enumerated in the Constitution. The specifics are interesting, but I thought the conclusion was the most important part. We've gotten so used to the idea of government power that it sounds strange to say the government doesn't have the authority to do something. But that was the idea the founding fathers had; they wanted the government to be weak so that it didn't turn into a tyranny. They'd had enough of that from the king of England. It's a good thing to keep in mind.

Idiots

While I haven't supported the government's actions in dealing with the automakers, the members of Congress that are grilling the auto task force are idiots. Or maybe marginally intelligent people hoping to score a few points with voters. They claim to know better than GM or Chrysler about how many dealerships they need, but most of them have never run a business, or even done real work, in their lives. And looking at the way the government runs, I don't think there's any doubts about the quality of their collective business sense, and drunken sailors have more spending restraint. But back to the point at hand, let's look at an example. How many GM and Chrysler dealers are there within a thirty minute drive of Cass City? And how many people live in the Thumb? Does that seem right to you?

Grownups

I have to admit, I find this idea kind of compelling. If we're determined to let people act like children, giving them a chance to without ruining it for the rest of us just might work.

IRS Short Bus Kids

This is possibly the best comment I've read on government intervention this year. An excerpt:

We've looked at the numbers and know what he's planning to do. I know dozens of people who are already putting the legal structures in place to move their companies and themselves offshore and away from the grip of the tax man. These are some of the smartest most dynamic people in the world and they'll have no trouble staying ahead of the kids from the short bus over at the IRS.

Now that's an insult. (Hat tip: John Derbyshire at The Corner)

"I wasn't gonna vote..."

“I’m sorry, but your mercy is in another Italian plumber!”

This is the funniest thing I read all weekend. There's a little bit of language, but if you've played Super Mario Bros. and know a little bit about politics, it's hilarious.

The Shape of Things to Come

The Wall Street Journal has an excellent editorial up about what the future holds if Obama is elected. Read on, if you dare.

Funny Stuff

Okay, I'm going to do something I never thought I'd do: post a Paris Hilton video on the blog. No wait, it's funny, not that other stuff.



Seriously, how strange is this election going to get by November?

The One

This is hilarious:

Two Quotes

I read these two quotes and thought they'd be pretty funny when put next to each other:

"I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."
-Senator Barack Obama

"He said something, yesterday, basically, that he embodies everything good about America. Well, you know, it's good to have self-confidence. But you can, maybe, go too far."
-Senator Lindsey Graham