It Is Finished

The election is over. Trump won, Hillary lost. And the Main Stream Media (MSM) was wounded.

Trump did the Obama - brilliant. Now he has gained the White House. Perhaps Republicans nationwide will take notice of how to run a campaign nowadays.

The MSM are writhing like vampires in sunlight trying to explain why they were so completely wrong. The day after saw them blame it on ignorance, racism and misogyny. The point is that they've blamed everyone else - anyone who voted for Trump.

But Trump won the election, so nobody cares what  the MSM says right now as they creep away into the darkness to lick their wounds. Republicans gained the Oval Office, retained Congress and now have 80% of the Governor offices. Clearly both Democrat party and the MSM are out of touch.

The MSM and Democrat Oligarchy jointly because they dismissed the anger of the average American:

• uncontrolled illegal immigration.
• the abuse of the H1B system
• the steep premium increases with the ACA
• a very weak foreign policy
• unelected plutocrats seemingly controlling DC

Both the Left and Right were angry for differing reasons, but Republicans stuck with Trump while Democrats ditched Bernie.

The Democrat party because they ran a status quo candidate when voters wanted change. They seemed to be emboldened by a completely wrong MSM and convinced that this country mainly needed a woman President - even one with significant baggage.

But like I said, the election is over. Trump won. The Clinton oligarchy has been defeated. The Republican old guard has been severely wounded. Madonna gave up, celebrities are back-peddling on their promise to leave, and Canada put up signs saying "GO AWAY (please)".

Doing the Obama

30 years ago nobody would've imagined a Junior Senator, lacking both private  and State governance experience, making it into the White House. But he did. And he did it because his campaign emphasized emotion over substance. Remember "Hope and Change", "Yes We Can"? Oh and by the way, lest we forget: he did it twice. And the last time he whipped a vastly more qualified opponent. I call this "doing the Obama".

I know that Trump is "doing the Obama" to get into office. Trump's a fast learner and he's leveraging what works. The other Republicans either co-opt Trump's approach or they are gone. Trump's approach to campaigning is brilliant.

So what is "doing the Obama" really? It is leveraging the angst of low-information voters. Frankly, today's voters are probably the most ignorant in a couple of generations. Lots of reasons for it: 3rd-world Public Education system, entitlement mentality, Media ignoring their fiduciary responsibility, and the glaring fact that the gyrations in the Oval Office have little impact on everyday life.

So is "doing the Obama" bad?  Not really. After all, as demonstrated by Obama, you can make all sorts of promises and then renege on them once in office. And if the public continues to hold the Office of the President in low esteem, nobody will be shocked.

Trump is a smart businessman with a big ego. He has a good shot at the Presidency, assuming he doesn't self-implode. Whether or not he can be a good President is anyone's guess. But I'm impressed at his campaign, and disappointed in his Republican opposition.

Trump's Wall

The various talking heads of the entertainment side of the media have had a lot of fun with Trump. He's arguably good for their business. He gives them lots of buzz to sell, and in so doing he gets his populist notions aired. Doubt it? Well think of Marco Rubio's approach to uncontrolled Mexican immigration - can you remember anything? Nope? That's because Rubio couldn't get the time of day from the media, and now he is gone.

Trump's wall is a polarizing idea. Why? Because it will work. And that defines the ideological split in America on the subject of immigration. I know there are entertainment talking heads who deride the idea as fundamentally unworkable, but these are not very bright people - they just work for laughs. The Wall most certainly will work.

There are those in America who believe borders are meaningless - we are all "citizens of the world" - to misquote Barack Obama. Conversely there are those who believe America is a sovereign nation, American citizenship should convey special privileges, American citizens should be economically protected, and America should be selective on who we allow in. In my view, this defines the tension in the immigration debate in general.

Much of the wave of popularity Trump is riding is generated by the rising anger of Americans who feel betrayed by the Beltway. President Obama has long since lost his sizzle to thinking people, he no longer commands the bully pulpit. Can you think of Obama's solution to uncontrolled Mexican immigration? Did positive thoughts come to mind?

America has absorbed 12 million unskilled, uneducated, from Latin America - probably the largest foreign aid program ever run under a different name. Made sense to prop up failing Latin American States back in the Reagan years when the Soviet Union was creating proxy states. Doesn't make sense now.

The entry-level job market has been hammered by a gross over-supply of labor. Wages have stagnated for years, causing some jurisdictions to pursue a silly course of mandating "living" minimum wages.

So if you are in ideological agreement with President Obama, the Wall scares you. If you disagree with the President, the Wall is one real solution that doesn't require an act of Congress.

Immigration - Obama's Got it Partially Right

Obama threw open the floodgates on our southern boarder and we've now packed in another 2.5 million immigrants. And at this point Liberal talking heads will gush about our efforts to care for them and Conservative media-types will be screaming about rounding them up and sending them back. But as is often the case, our Mindless Media (MM) is failing to show America the bigger picture - a picture that Obama has got partially correct.

America, like most Western nations, experienced a baby boom following WWII. These "boomers" are now at retirement age and leaving the workforce. Because the Boomers had sub-replacement birthrates, and because the Boomers politically stifled immigration, all the Western nations are facing economic shrinkage simply because there aren't enough workers to sustain the peak wrought by the Boomers.

America, unlike many nations, is an attractive place to live and prosper. We do a great job of selling the idea of the American Dream. So we have no problem  getting people to emigrate to here, and our population has shown growth, unlike other western nations who have shrunk. This growth is directly due to immigration.

Yes it is true that we don't get the "best and the brightest" from Mexico. I doubt there are many Einsteins coming across the border in old Chevy's. But it is easy to forget that America's greatness is much greater than the sum of technical achievements, after all, how many Einsteins did the Irish give us?

So Obama, unannounced, and unnoticed by the MM, has set about to fix a huge demographic disaster awaiting us. Funny, we've known this problem existed since back when Reagan was President, but we seem to have collectively forgotten about it. Whether it is the funding of Social Security, or the general size of our economy, or just our very attractive lifestyle  - it all depends on having enough people, enough workers. The West hasn't figured out how to raise productivity fast enough to offset the losses due to shrinking populations.

Reagan stabilized Social Security by raising the tax and delaying retirement age. But we all knew it was just a stop-gap measure. The crash of 2008 and the abysmal recovery afterwards, (lowest level of labor participation ever), has shown us that our massive economy can come crumbling down. The best solution to maintain the status quo is more people - but it is not a popular idea.

OK, so I'm giving Obama credit for solving a huge problem by basically flying under the radar of the MM. But what is Obama screwing up? I.e. like ObamaCare, which is a partial solution at best, what is Obama half-assing this time? Glad you asked. I think it can be summarized thusly:

1. Massive displacement of American workers - the working poor are hammered by by the influx of low-skilled foreign workers. The computer technology industry is seeing a huge wage decline due the abuse of the H1B visa system. So the wages of entry-level jobs stagnate and the wages at the high-end are falling - all due to massive over-supply. And lest we forget, if some worker gets displaced by some kid from India, we end up supporting that worker - and that is not a "win" economically.
2. The burden of divisiveness - our schools and public services are bear the burden of accommodating non-English speaking people. Politically the modern robber-barons take advantage of immigrants to build voting block power-bases, which is not the way to make people identify as "American".
3. Geographical bias - most of our immigrants are from the failed politcal States of Mexico and Central America. Historically a low performing immigrant group. Not many lawyers, doctors, nuclear-rocket scientists come from second-generation Latino immigrants.
4. Loss of Einstein leverage - we're making it increasingly difficult for the nuclear-rocket-scientists from countries with strong educational systems to emigrate to America. Partially because we still have in place heavy regulations for people who get here via plane, and partially because the influx of poor tarnishes the image of the American lifestyle.

 So just like Obama didn't address cost with ObamaCare, Obama isn't addressing the above issues either. This time I'd give him about a 30% , or F minus. Too bad the MM isn't smart enough to get engaged.

We need immigration, but we need it done right.

Affordable Care Act Explained

Imagine that you go out to dinner at a very large chain restaurant. You order a small steak and enjoy your meal. The bill comes and you're shocked at the $200 charge. You complain to the manager and he comforts you and says "wait a minute". He goes out and charges the other patrons a portion of your bill. Then he hands you a bill for $20. The small steak is still grossly over-priced, and folks who ordered a salad were forced to help pay for your steak. But you're happy.

And that is ObamaCare in a nutshell. It doesn't address cost, it simply spreads the bill over a larger population. Sort of an extension of the "tax & spend" legislative approach.

Now I wonder how many folks got this concept from the media when the Affordable Care Act was being kicked around in the halls of Congress? No, we got information on Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan and other important stuff.

The Zimmerman debacle

First, I think it is clear by now that Florida State's Attorney Angela Corey should be removed from office. Her handling of the Zimmerman trial and the Marissa Alexander case (the woman who got 20 years for firing at, but missing her husband) shows that she lacks good judgement.

She should've backed off on the Marissa Alexander case as it was clear that the charges and penalty were unwarranted. I'm not sure what "message" Corey thought she was sending.

She over-charged Zimmerman even though she had insufficient evidence going into the trial. Then at the last moment she added Manslaughter in a blatant ploy to dupe jurors into convicting Zimmerman of something, anything. She was rebuked in her attempt to add child endangerment charges by the presiding Judge. All of this very uncommon. None of it warranted by the evidence. I believe Corey's behavior is the main reason people believe there was pressure from the Obama administration.

But enough about the DA, the trial is over and Zimmerman was acquitted and in now in debt.

The master race baiter Al Sharpton has used the jury verdict as grounds for inciting riots nationwide. I wonder why this master baiter isn't behind bars - inciting to riot is illegal in most states.

I hope the Zimmerman team is successful in suing NBC for the doctored 911 call and various other media outlets for running the photo of the 12yr old Trayvon Martin instead of the real Martin at the time of his death. I believe this has contributed to a large number of really ignorant people thinking Zimmerman shot a child.

What we see nationwide are two camps of people: those who accept the jury's verdict and go on with life and those who can't seem to understand it. I think the latter need counseling.

The aftermath of the trial has shown once again the pitiful results of America's failed education system. There are a lot of really ignorant people out there. The Low Information Voter will be a significant part of American politics for a long time.

Selling the Sizzle

President Obama is a very good front man. He has the voice. He has the charm. He has the looks. And he is black in a predominately white America. He was a rock star in the 2008 campaign. He sold "hope & change" to so many, some even quit their lucrative acting jobs (Kal Penn of House MD) to work with Obama to "change the world".

But 4 years later it has become apparent that Obama can't deliver a meal. When Fred Armisen's SNL Obama character announced that he hasn't done jack, he wasn't kidding. Obama lacked leadership on the Affordable Care Act and allowed Congress to wheel and deal to the various special interests. In the end the ACA increased coverage and increased cost. The bill being so repugnant that it required the SCOTUS to sort it out.

America needs real leadership to fix real structural problems. We have a runaway Federal deficit. We haven't had an approved budget for 4 years. Our economy is stagnant. Inflation is picking up. Obama "surged" troops into Afghanistan without a clue as to the end goal and we watch as they come home in coffins. We are NOT better now than in 2008.

 We aren't at war with anyone. The cold war is over, so we don't need to fight proxy wars. China isn't trying to become a super power. North Korea is a silly little land-locked enclave of stupidity that is destined to collapse upon itself. It is pretty clear that Federal spending must be reigned in. The horrific deficits were not due to Medicare or Social Security spending, they were due to Congress throwing money everywhere and continuing to pay for a much larger Federal government than we need.

Truly, anybody but Obama.

Still Blaming Bush?

The summer doldrums are upon us and there's really nothing about the upcoming election for the news media to report. So it is relatively quiet for now.

There's been just a tiny bit of stirring with the media-made panic concerning Obama's campaign. The polls show Romney slightly ahead. The news reports that Obama barely beat's prison inmates in state primaries. Move-On.org is not happy with Obama. The media is calling for Obama to fire Axlerod. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney seems to be getting a free pass while he hammers away at the incumbent.

Obama’s weakness is that he doesn’t actually have a punch. He’s a front man, an entertainer, not a boxer. Romney is proving to be a boxer. Romney’s strategy is get out and stay out in front of the President with the issues. Romney is adhering to the idea that “action beats reaction”. Call it pre-buttal or whatever you want, Romney has Obama off balance, on the defensive. Obama can’t deliver the charm when he’s back-peddling and playing rope-a-dope.

I don’t believe this is so much a character defect with Obama as it is a burden all incumbents face when times are lousy. You just can’t blame it all on Bush.

The Democrat faithful will still pull the lever for Obama, but that’s not enough to win. Obama has to court the independent vote and that will be a challenge. Obama will get a break if the economy improves. Obama will get a huge break if Ron Paul decides to take his voting block and run as an independent. But if Mitt can woo Ron and the economy stays lousy, Obama may be a one-termer. At least Jimmy Carter will be happy – he’s no longer the worst president.

Cool Power

President Obama was on the Jimmy Fallon show. Normally low ratings because it is on so late and Jimmy isn’t really very funny. But when Jimmy slow jammed the news with President Obama – that segment was an internet hit. 5 million views on YouTube alone. Cool still has power.

Romney has been successful at stripping Obama of substance with the pre-buttal attack (see sidebar video). But substance has always been Obama’s weakness and Obama has overcome that weakness with cool.

In 2008, before the severity of the housing crash had sunk in, the average person was blasted daily with news that Iraq was bad. Now it is 2011, Iraq is forgotten, the nation is mired in massive deficits, a stagnant economy, and our President is in full campaign mode. Voters are not better off than they were 4 years ago. "It's the economy - stupid" and our President is focusing on "cool".

Cool has tremendous power. Cool has the power to entertain and make us feel good in the midst of our problems. Cool is a shot of morphine to a country in pain.

If you have a bad tooth, numbing the pain doesn't fix the tooth. As the video in the sidebar asks, Obama in 2012? Seriously?

A Reminder About Media, Politics, and Concealed Carrry

The title is a bit far-reaching, maybe a bit convoluted, but I think a few points can be made without writing a book.

The issue I'm talking about is the Zimmerman/Trayvon shooting in Florida.

Regarding the media: NBC was guilty of editing the 911 call to make it sound like Zimmerman was a KKK member at a rally. All the media outlets used the AP photo of a sweet looking 10yr old Trayvon instead of the 17yr old thug-wannabe at the time of his death. Most of the media misrepresented the "stand your ground" law in Florida not bothering to look it up before blathering away. And the media is orgasmic at the thought of another OJ-like trial to boost their ratings.

Regarding politics: The POTUS weighed in on the issue making a statement of how Trayvon looked like his son, if he were to have a son. Of course the traditional race baiters, (masters at their art), of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson made use of this tragedy. These master baiters managed to get their faces in the news once again beside the grieved family creating a weird notion of law where Zimmerman had to be arrested for "justice" to be served. Amazingly, the DA charged Zimmerman with 2nd degree murder after a 40day silence - and created the specter of political string-pulling by the Obama Administration.

Regarding concealed carry, I'm going to lay down some salient points or takeaways from this incident as they apply to me:

1. I am not in the Cop business. Ever. Period. I do not arrest people. The gun I'm carrying is only to save my life, (or loved ones), in a situation that I can't otherwise get out of.
2. Pulling a gun is evidence of the intent to use lethal force. Waving a gun around is grounds for someone else to shoot me. Using the gun is evidence of intent to kill will either result in (a) a justified shoot or (b) charged with some form of murder (serious jail time). So other than putting it back in the safe, there is really only one other reason to pull my gun.
3. Using a gun will kill somebody (that's why it is called lethal force). If I am not willing to kill somebody, then I should be carrying pepper spray and/or a tazer. Unlawful use of pepper spray is misdemeanor assault in most states.
4. If I am involved in a shooting, (a) keep my mouth shut, (b) get a lawyer, (c) don't trust anybody, don't talk to anybody who isn't covered under non-testify immunity (wife, attorney, priest).
5. The Cops and DA are not my friends. And they may or may not do a thorough job investigating. And they can make an example of me. Even if I am found innocent, I'm am out a lot of money because of the DA's decision.

Carrying handgun is a highly desirable option for self-defense. And carrying a gun is serious business. Everyone who does so should think this through. Skip the myths and lies you see from Hollywood in movies and TV as they will get you killed and/or in a lot of trouble.

And now we all get to watch how it plays out with  Zimmerman's 2nd degree murder trial.

Framing the Debate on Healthcare Reform

I honestly think that getting an accurate picture of important events from the MSM is as futile as trying to tell time with a clock having only a second hand. But despite the low-brow nature of America's media, I think I've got a handle on the fundamental issues driving the Health Care debate.

I'm one of those people who think "top down" and very "left-brain" by training. It's what I do to get my job done. 2+2 = 4 every time. Not 3.5 or blue, but 4. It is a liability sometimes as I cannot engage in a "The View"-like discussion. I just shut up when confronted by noisy people who drift off on tangents either because they're flat stupid, or they lack the foundation for the discussion. So you won't catch me watching "The View" unless I'm in the mood for poking fun at really dumb discussions.

But most of the discussion on Health care reform has been conducted "The View" style. Very little analysis and/or critical thinking has been done by the MSM reporting on Congressional progress. Does the average American feel they have a grasp of the issues driving the President's health care reform? I think not. At least not the handful of people I've spoken with. Why? Because (a) The President has done a horrible job of communicating beyond vague generaltities - at some point he really needs to get past this "hopey changey" thing. (b) Congress is all over the map with thoughts on a plan. And (c) the MSM is still trying to deliver sound-bites and partisan cheer leading instead of in-depth reporting.

Ok, so here's my thoughts. They're really quite simple - so simple that if I'm wrong, well then I'm really wrong.

The debate is framed by two extreme ideological positions. I will use left and right deliberately, as I think they're accurate labels. Although I talk about them as though they are polar opposites, they aren't that far apart.

On the Left are those who believe that it is morally wrong that every Man, Woman and Child in the United States lacks access to free (or at least very affordable) health care. This group believes in "cover everyone first, costs be dammed". Some in this camp believe health care is a right.

On the right are those who believe that the cost of health care is out of control. They believe that if costs were in line with other expenses, (dozen eggs, gallon of gas, etc.), access to quality medical care would be within reach of every productive member of society. So this crowd believes "get the costs under control and access to medical care won't be an issue".

President Obama is on the Left. And the Congressional majority is charged with advancing the President's plan. If I'm correct, then you can see how there is great tension between the Left and the Right. President Obama is pushing maximum coverage with no plan for cost control, short of denying coverage (Sara Palin's "death panels" - the logical extreme). The Right has no clear champion and appears to be simply deconstructing the President's plan without offering a coherent alternative.

So there you have it, my view of the debate from the 100,000 foot level.

Al-Qaeda is attacking now

I think this blog is one of the few voices on Iraq that is at least somewhat rational. I pitty those citizens trying to make an informed decision based on the noise from the American press and Talking heads.

America is being played by Al-Qaeda and a liberal press. Al-Qaeda is trying to survive, and the liberal press wants a Democrat President at all costs. I wonder how long the MSM can keep up the farce? Can they keep it going till the 2008 elections?

Remember how Al-Qaeda got the Democrats elected last year? (Al-Qaeda's #2 man sent the video reminding the Dems in Dec 2006) I have no doubt that Al-Qaeda is still working hard at it.

What is becoming funny to me is that we think "attacking" the US requires bombs, planes and bullets.

It should be obvious

A sad day for our nation as we reflect on the deaths of students and teachers at Virginia Tech. I hate to point out the obvious, but it has to be done: The students died because they couldn't defend themselves. They were disarmed by school policy, and left to die at the hands of a man who chose not to obey the law. The school adminstration that disarmed the students, and the police were far too slow and impotent in responding to the crisis to prevent the loss of life. As I said, this should be obvious but sadly it is not.

Why do we allow stupid people to disarm the good guys? How long will we follow an idiotic path of gun control - a proven failure in multiple nations?

Osama's a gloating

I'm surprized they contained themselves for this long. Today ABC news is running a report that al Qaeda No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri released a tape in which he reminds Democrats that they are in power only because Al Qaeda got them elected.

I remember when folks thought Ann Coulter was a bit shrill for suggesting that the Democrats were tools of the terrorists......

Osama's defeat - triangulation

There's a brilliant bit of triangulation in the works, but most Americans can't see it. Ignorance of Islam and a mindless MSM, I suspect.

Islam is unified in core theology, but fractured organizationally into the two major divisions Sunni and Shiite, much the same as Protestant and Catholic in Christendom. Sharia law (Islamic legal system) has evolved slowly largely in response to Islam's decline in the face of Western civilization's gains. In general, the more "westernized" the application of Sharia law, the more prosperous the people in the 20th century. The Islamic world is seriously divided into the "haves" and "have nots".

The 1700's saw the birth of a fundamentalist movement known as Wahhabism, strong in Saudia Arabia, Quatar and W.Iraq. Appart from oil, Wahhabism would likely vanish.Wahhabism does not use Sharia law, as developed by Sunni and Shia legalists, but instead relys on interpeting the words of Mohammed directly for guidance. Wahhabists view Sunnis and Shia's as heretics. Wahhabists don't watch TV or listen to the radio - very isolated from ideas. Osama is a Wahhabist. Kind of like the Amish but without a penchant for slitting throats.

So we have two groups with bad blood who make up 99% of those involved. Then we have a 3rd group convinced the other two groups are going to hell, propped up by oil, that has provided the religious justification for hyper-violent organizations like Al-Qaeda.

Along comes Bush the younger who topples the dictatorship and forms a democratically elected republic in its place. A new model for the region offering an attractive alternative. A clear distinction between the opportunity of the "haves" versus the intellectual retreat of the "have nots". Bloody brilliant I would say.

Iraqi Muslims don't have to starting eating bacon or listening to Madonna to enjoy a 21st century democracy. But at some point they must realize that fighting over the Sunni, Shia and Wahhabist issues will just leave them dead and "have nots". Bacon and Madonna will continue. And a little girl will ask "Why don't we vacation in Afganistan Daddy?".

Osama's worry - economics

Some very smart people have noted that war is fundamentally about economics. Here are the Gross Domestic Products, in US dollars, of some select countries:


US = $13 trillion
China = $2.2 trillion
Russia = $1.6 trillion
Iran = $560 billion
Saudi Arabia = $330 billion
Egypt = $316 billion
Israel = $130 billion
Syria = $60 billion
Jordan = $26 billion
Lebanon = $18 billion

1% of US GDP = 130 billion

CBO estimates of Iraq war cost todate = $342 billion.

think: Osama been leading?

No Al-Qaeda attacks in the US since 911. Why? Is it because Al-Qaeda is being decimated by the US? Or is Osama leading us to believe we're on the right course?

Osama's been thinking

Al Qaeda has won a strategic victory by securing the one weapon proven to work against the American military - public opion.
Using the tools (MSM), Al Qaeda fed the American public violence at the proper beat rate to prevent anyone from getting positive news. We know that Iraq is the size of California. We know Irag has 26 million people. We know Baghdad is 5.7 million. Yet our collective OCD prevents us from seeing anything beyond the suburbs of Baghdad.
Keeping up the beat rate for another 2 years will be hard for Al Qaeda, but learning from Vietnam it is their only hope of chasing America away.