Is There Nothing That Obama Can’t Do?

I Miss W. 37 Comments

Never attribute to stupidity what can be adequately explained by malice;

Democrats are loath to admit the president doesn’t know what he is doing, so they are left trying to convince themselves and others that this is a fuss about nothing. The most honest defense I heard from a pro-Israel Democratic staffer was to acknowledge that Obama had made mincemeat out of the “peace process” but to remind me that talks aren’t going anywhere anyway. In essence, “no harm, no foul” and look at all the hardware and military support we’ve given Israel!

h/t

Stop the Spending!

Baiting the Right 58 Comments

The National Post must be applauded for their most recent editorial, “Wanted: Zero budgetary growth“. The question is, will Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty pay any attention to it?
The most basic of conservative principles is to live within one’s means. If a majority Conservative government in Canada won’t eliminate the annual deficit within a year or so, is the entire notion of conservative thought lost in our country for at least the next few decades?

A Rae of Sunlight for the Liberals?

You Might Be A Liberal 18 Comments

Kelly McParland’s editorial on the return of Bob Rae to the Numero Uno position of a political party in Canada is most interesting.
Reading it, the following juxtaposition comes to mind:
Old Parlour Game: Describe what it means to be a Canadian without once mentioning America or American.
New Parlour Game: Describe what it means to be a Liberal in Canada without once mentioning Stephen Harper or the Conservatives.

In The Mail

Books 60 Comments
The Benefits Of Socialism, by A. Hunter Solomon. “A comprehensive itemization of leftist contributions to humanitarianism, prosperity, liberty and society.”

“As you know, the recent election brought some remarkable gains for the NDP. It is critically important that mere ordinary people learn to appreciate the extent to which their meager lives may be bettered through leftist dogma.”

I read “Benefits of Socialism” from cover to cover, without putting it down. In my opinion, this may be the most illuminating book on the topic, ever.
Ever ever ever.

The 20 Best- and Worst-Paid College Majors in America

entitlement generation 26 Comments

On the heels of the SDA discussion about whether college/university was a good investment, comes this new piece by Time magazine. Here’s a synopsis:

A new report shows some undergraduate degrees pay off more than others — literally. Using data from the U.S. Census, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce’s “What’s It Worth: The Economic Value of College Majors” report, issued May 24, looked at 171 different majors and found that the difference in earning potential between one field of study and another can be more than 300%. TIME took a look at the 10 highest- and the 10 lowest-earning majors

On a personal note, may I admit that I smiled broadly when I saw that Mining and Mineral Engineering was in the top ten for Best Majors. For when I graduated as a mining engineer in the late 80’s I’ll never forget how all the “experts” told me what a dumb decision it was to be getting involved in a “sunset industry”. I guess they forgot about what happens the morning after the sun sets!

The Gated-Community Community

Roadkill 16 Comments

You see, here is the situation in California. Tens of thousands of prisoners are scheduled by a U.S. Supreme Court order to be released. But why this inability to house our criminals when we pay among the highest sales, income, and gas taxes in the nation? Too many criminals? Too few new prisons? Too high costs per prisoner? Too many non-violent crimes that warrant incarceration? God help us when they are released. We know what crime is like now; what will it be like if thousands are let go? I doubt they will end up in the yards of the justices who let them out.


Flashback: The Global Village Fortifies.

Reader Tips

Reader Tips 38 Comments

As a tribute to birthday boy Bob Dylan, who, at 70 years old, is preparing for yet another grueling tour, here’s a selection of a few of the songs from his remarkable 50-year musical career: From the 1965 album “Bringing It All Back Home”, here’s the wake-up call It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue. From the 1975 album “Blood On The Tracks”, Simple Twist Of Fate, Tangled Up In Blue, and one of my all-time favourites, Buckets Of Rain. From the 1989 Daniel Lanois-produced album “Oh Mercy”, here’s the elegiac and touching Shooting Star. Finally, h/t Mick Hartley, here’s Irish singer Sinéad_Lohan’s lovely cover version of Dylan’s 1964 song To Ramona.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.

The World Needs More Canada, Important Section

Not Quite News 28 Comments

I saw Prof. Timothy Garton Ash interviewed on BBC World television May 24 about President Obama’s visit to Britain, in particular the statement in a joint newspaper piece with Prime Minister Cameron that “Ours is not just a special relationship, it is an essential relationship – for us and for the world [the article was in the Times, pay firewall; the text is here at the No. 10 website]”. The professor quite realistically pointed out that the relationship was essential only for the UK, merely “important” for the US – along with quite a few other countries including France, Germany and Mexico. Look who’s missing. The Brits really do tend to find Canada invisible, in large measure a hangover of imperial arrogance.

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