I generally like John Aziz's blog. I don't always agree, but he never fails to provoke thought.
http://azizonomics.com/2012/03/30/the-economics-of-the-war-on-terror/
I thought this post was pretty good in terms of that. We spend a lot of time in the United States talking about debt, and deficits in terms of whose fault it is - politically speaking. That's one problem with out political culture; it's D said R said tunnel vision passing for political coverage when in fact the decisions that are made have to be judged in longer terms than the next election or poll.
When it comes to the War on Terror, a lot was spent. The Dept of Homeland security is a huge bureaucracy. The Iraq Invasion, and subsequent occupation was exclusively funded through supplemental bills meaning all deficits. No taxes were part of those bills. The Afghanistan operations were funded likewise. This is not to say the deficit is therefore the fault of President Bush. The question as to whether this additional deficit was worth it is the main thrust in the linked post. I do quite agree that given the state of affairs in Afghanistan, with a resurgent Taliban in Pakistan, and in Afghanistan we have had questionable success in establishing a friendly government in Afghanistan. President Karzai is quite unpopular due mainly to corruption in his government, and the view that he's a puppet of the United States. "Winning the peace" as General Patreus put it has proven difficult in that region of the world. Over in Iraq, while Hussein is long gone we can hardly say that the current leadership there is friendly toward us, and our interests.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
This gun thing......
This Traymon thing, it's got me. I mean, really got me.
Look, I support gun rights. The 2nd Amendment is there for a reason. The Founders had recently fought the War for Independence. They firmly believed that citizens needed the right to arm themselves. Both in the defense from invaders, and in the event government became tyrannical. So all the gun rights purists who DON'T read me......well they don't so it's all good.
Guns don't kill people. People kill people. We've heard it thousands of times - maybe hundreds. I just did a little mental math. It's probably hundreds. It's up there in the hundreds though. Pretty high in the hundreds I'd say, but that's a small point. Fact is the adage is pretty on the button. The problem is the message of the adage is missed. If the wild card in the equation is people, then the only conclusion any logical person can make is that: SOME PEOPLE SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO GUNS!!!!
The self-appointed captain of the the neighborhood watch takes it upon himself to patrol the neighborhood. That's fine I guess. It's what neighborhood watches do. This guy though, this guy was something else. He calls 911 - an emergency line - to report the presence of a "suspicious person." I'm sorry, is that what the emergency line is for? He follows the kid, tells the operator he's gonna follow him, even after the operator tells him not to. This fucking cowboy is the reason for the confrontation, not a teen with some skittles. Don't we all know someone like George Zimmerman: takes himself a little too seriously, wants to be a cop, but the cops you know think he's a fucking nut, and would probably snap and beat a suspect because "he knows."
Then there's the guy in Slinger. Drinking party next door. He calls the police with a noise complaint. Police come, and they don't get permission to enter the house. The don't have a warrant, or probably cause (complaint isn't probable cause), so they tell the guy they're gonna wait across the street till the owner (parents) get home. In the meantime, idiot teens, and early 20s being drunk, and dumb decide some are gonna make a break, One hides in this guys porch which is unlocked. Let's see, he's got a gun in his house, and he calls the cops, but he doesn't lock his porch. Not saying he's baiting someone, he's probably just dumb too. I mean, he hears a noise, but doesn't call the cops who are ACROSS THE STREET? So he looks in his porch, sees the guy between the fridge, and cabinet (or dresser). Guy moves. Homeowner shoots. Police finally are called buy homeowners wife. Shot guy, STILL BETWEEN THE FURNITURE AND FRIDGE.
That's the problem with "Stand Your Ground," the Florida law that allows you to use a gun outside of your home if you feel threatened, and the "Castle Doctrine" in Wisconsin that presumes self defense if a person uses deadly force in their home. It's all if you "feel" threatened. Clearly some people have no tolerance for threat, and just enough crazy to feel threatened by a teenager in a hoodie.
Some people should not have guns, and that's not a gun thing, that's a people thing, People kill people
Look, I support gun rights. The 2nd Amendment is there for a reason. The Founders had recently fought the War for Independence. They firmly believed that citizens needed the right to arm themselves. Both in the defense from invaders, and in the event government became tyrannical. So all the gun rights purists who DON'T read me......well they don't so it's all good.
Guns don't kill people. People kill people. We've heard it thousands of times - maybe hundreds. I just did a little mental math. It's probably hundreds. It's up there in the hundreds though. Pretty high in the hundreds I'd say, but that's a small point. Fact is the adage is pretty on the button. The problem is the message of the adage is missed. If the wild card in the equation is people, then the only conclusion any logical person can make is that: SOME PEOPLE SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO GUNS!!!!
The self-appointed captain of the the neighborhood watch takes it upon himself to patrol the neighborhood. That's fine I guess. It's what neighborhood watches do. This guy though, this guy was something else. He calls 911 - an emergency line - to report the presence of a "suspicious person." I'm sorry, is that what the emergency line is for? He follows the kid, tells the operator he's gonna follow him, even after the operator tells him not to. This fucking cowboy is the reason for the confrontation, not a teen with some skittles. Don't we all know someone like George Zimmerman: takes himself a little too seriously, wants to be a cop, but the cops you know think he's a fucking nut, and would probably snap and beat a suspect because "he knows."
Then there's the guy in Slinger. Drinking party next door. He calls the police with a noise complaint. Police come, and they don't get permission to enter the house. The don't have a warrant, or probably cause (complaint isn't probable cause), so they tell the guy they're gonna wait across the street till the owner (parents) get home. In the meantime, idiot teens, and early 20s being drunk, and dumb decide some are gonna make a break, One hides in this guys porch which is unlocked. Let's see, he's got a gun in his house, and he calls the cops, but he doesn't lock his porch. Not saying he's baiting someone, he's probably just dumb too. I mean, he hears a noise, but doesn't call the cops who are ACROSS THE STREET? So he looks in his porch, sees the guy between the fridge, and cabinet (or dresser). Guy moves. Homeowner shoots. Police finally are called buy homeowners wife. Shot guy, STILL BETWEEN THE FURNITURE AND FRIDGE.
That's the problem with "Stand Your Ground," the Florida law that allows you to use a gun outside of your home if you feel threatened, and the "Castle Doctrine" in Wisconsin that presumes self defense if a person uses deadly force in their home. It's all if you "feel" threatened. Clearly some people have no tolerance for threat, and just enough crazy to feel threatened by a teenager in a hoodie.
Some people should not have guns, and that's not a gun thing, that's a people thing, People kill people
Monday, March 5, 2012
Rush Limbaugh is an asshole......
Rush said some, depending on your location on the ideological spectrum, despicable/insensitive/stupid/honest things about a Georgetown student, and contraception. This is the political theater's outrage of the moment. Look, Rush Limbaugh is an asshole. I don't mean that in the insult/pejorative sense. I mean Rush says things and people react. He shares opinion on a great many things, and you can like it or hate it. At the end of the day he really doesn't care if you like him or not. He's an asshole in the same way my buddy Roy is an asshole, or in the same way my Dad can be an asshole. Don't like what I say - go fuck yourself. At the end of the day Roy is my buddy and I love my Dad and at their core they're good people. Rush's job is to be an asshole on the radio. People listen, like, and keep listening. Others listen, dislike, and don't listen, or make a stink. It's political theater like I said.
Here's the issue. We don't need anymore political theater. We've had the same bullshit theater for the last 20 yrs. Since the 92 election it's been theater way over the top. I'm tired of it.
Why is it people say we should have a leader with business experience? Really, why is it that a person with business experience is so valuable for the economy? Because they are the experts in business. We're told that because they live in the business world, they can speak to the real world applications of how the economy manifests itself. Well why, when the consensus of the scientific community - the experts - say that climate change is real, the same people say we should not listen to those people.
In 2008 when the financial sector of the world economy nearly melted down because the leverage in the system from opaque derivative instruments is so great, and interconnected that there is not enough liquidity when swaps are called in. Why is the solution from the same experts who didn't see this in the system, more of the same "let the market" figure it out. The market nearly melted down without rules. Now you tell us the solution is to keep playing the game with no rules?
Regardless of your stripe of politic - ask the question, and demand a debate on the issues that matter. When the media dipshits give you the assholism of the day from (insert dickhead media person) turn it off. OK, Rush Limbaugh is an asshole. We've known for a long time. Rush Limbaugh being as asshole again is not news.
Here's the issue. We don't need anymore political theater. We've had the same bullshit theater for the last 20 yrs. Since the 92 election it's been theater way over the top. I'm tired of it.
Why is it people say we should have a leader with business experience? Really, why is it that a person with business experience is so valuable for the economy? Because they are the experts in business. We're told that because they live in the business world, they can speak to the real world applications of how the economy manifests itself. Well why, when the consensus of the scientific community - the experts - say that climate change is real, the same people say we should not listen to those people.
In 2008 when the financial sector of the world economy nearly melted down because the leverage in the system from opaque derivative instruments is so great, and interconnected that there is not enough liquidity when swaps are called in. Why is the solution from the same experts who didn't see this in the system, more of the same "let the market" figure it out. The market nearly melted down without rules. Now you tell us the solution is to keep playing the game with no rules?
Regardless of your stripe of politic - ask the question, and demand a debate on the issues that matter. When the media dipshits give you the assholism of the day from (insert dickhead media person) turn it off. OK, Rush Limbaugh is an asshole. We've known for a long time. Rush Limbaugh being as asshole again is not news.
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