Goodnight America

Well it went about as well as I thought it would. Republicans will have a majority in the House and the Democrats' majority in the Senate has been significantly reduced. Also, do not overlook the importance of Republican gains in governorships and state legislatures which have occurred.

And now it's time to get some sleep. It would be nice if tomorrow I wake up to the news that Patty Murray is coming home. But I'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

How about those initiatives?

Back to the state of Washington for some news on the initiatives that were on the ballot.

First, the good news:

I-1053, which restores the requirements to raise taxes initially imposed by I-960 three years ago, is passing by a large margin. This isn't surprising. We meant it when we passed 960; now the legislature has been told this in no uncertain terms.

I-1098, the income tax on top earners, is going down to a flaming defeat. Let's hope this monster never raises its head again. I wouldn't be surprised if the legislature tries to impose one within the next couple of years, however.

I-1107, which rolls back new taxes on certain food items, is winning handily. I don't care that these items are things like candy and gum, it's the principle of the thing. Good job.

I-1105, one of the initiatives that would privatize liquor sales, is being defeated handily. I ended up voting against this one as I preferred the other initiative that addressed getting the state out of the liquor business.

The not so good news:

I-1082, which would have privatized industrial insurance (i.e. workers' comp), is going down to defeat. I wasn't sure at the time I posted my recommendations but I ended up voting for it.

I-1100, my preferred initiative for privatizing liquor sales, is currently losing but not by much. Currently enough votes from King County, where the initiative was leading, remain to be counted that it could still pass.

Hey Phil, do you care about the Constitution now?

Phil Hare, soon to be former Representative from Illinois, is the one who once said he didn't care about the Constitution.

I bet he's really regretting his words now.

Will they steal it from Dino a third time?

The Senate race between Democrat Senator Patty Murray and Republican challenger Dino Rossi is still too close to call given that Washington State votes mostly by mail. This one could drag on for several days, maybe even longer. Depending on the outcome of other Senate races throughout the country, control of the Senate may end up depending on how this one turns out. Even if there's no doubt that Democrats will retain a majority, it will be close enough to even that one seat will still make a big difference.

I believe Dino Rossi had the 2004 gubernatorial election flat out stolen by the Democrats. When he lost again in 2008 it was by a larger margin though I suspect there was still fraud. I can't say whether it made the difference that time but I'm certainly not ruling it out completely.

Given the importance of this election and this particular race, I expect Democrats to pull out all the stops in an effort to ensure Murray returns to the Senate. Let's hope that any shenanigans that do take place are uncovered in a timely manner.

Really, California?

It looks like California is sending Governor Moonbeam back to the executive mansion. Unbelievable. My lovely wife informs me that he was effectively running on the statement that, when he was governor, California had a balanced budget. That may be but the state legislature would have been most responsible for that.

Seven beautiful words...

Fox News is now projecting that Republicans will gain control of the House of Representatives and gain about 60 seats. We figured this would happen but it's now become more and more likely that soon we'll hear those seven beautiful words....

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

I get goose bumps just typing it.

Now the fun really begins

It's after 5:00 here on the West Coast which means polls in the East are closed or will close soon.

The one race I'll note at this time is the Senate race in Connecticut between Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who exaggerated his military service, and Republican Linda McMahon who, along with her husband, built a wildly successful business. Fox News is projecting Blumenthal to be the winner but the number of votes counted is still a small percentage of the total. I'm going to wait and see on this one.

What the Tea Party believes: Part 4

The latest in Bill Whittle's "Firewall" series defines and explores the difference between political law and natural law. In the course of this presentation he also succinctly describes the real reason why the recession continues. Hint: It's not Bush's fault.

This election is likely the most important one that has occurred within my lifetime. I've already voted by mail. I urge all of you to get out and vote your conscience, though if your conscience tells you to vote for so called "progressive" candidates, increased debt, increased government, higher unemployment, continued economic stagnation, and ultimately less freedom, then I suggest you review these videos and reconsider whether you're as wise as you think you are.

Part 4: Natural Law

What it's really about

Jeffrey Goldberg's post at The Atlantic is short, which means I'll be including most of it here.

More on this later, but the only surprising aspect  -- and obviously this is a pleasantly surprising aspect -- of the attempt to mail-bomb two Chicago-area synagogues is that the bombs were discovered so far from Chicago, one in Dubai and one in England.

Read the whole post for what he finds unsurprising. The last couple of sentences are the kicker, though, and state a clear fact that so many just don't seem to understand:

...there are many people out there who believe that al Qaeda and its fellow travelers are angry over settlements. They are not. They are angry over the continued existence of Jews.

Quotes of the Day

 Via the Patriot Post.

The Foundation

"[I]f the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted." --Noah Webster

Liberty

"Most people whom we elect to Congress are either ignorant of, have contempt for or are just plain stupid about the United States Constitution. ... Here, in part, is the oath of office that each congressman takes: 'I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same....' Here's my question to you: If one takes an oath to uphold and defend, and bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution, at the minimum, shouldn't he know what he's supposed to uphold, defend and be faithful to? If congressmen, judges, the president and other government officials were merely ignorant of our Constitution, there'd be hope -- ignorance is curable through education. These people in Washington see themselves as our betters and rulers. They have contempt for the limits our Constitution places on the federal government envisioned by James Madison, the father of our Constitution, who explained in the Federalist Paper 45: 'The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce. ... The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives and liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement and prosperity of the State.'" --economist Walter E. Williams

 

Equal justice for all

Rob McKenna, a Republican, is the Washington State Attorney General. He has been vilified by many, some of whom I know personally, for daring - daring - to join the multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. He has been accused of doing so solely for partisan reasons. Well, if he's so partisan, how come he's doing this?

Attorney General Rob McKenna sued a Seattle political consultant Friday, alleging the firm deliberately concealed the source of money used in its campaign to oust state Sen. Jean Berkey, D- Everett, in the primary.

The eight-page lawsuit against Lisa MacLean and her firm, Moxie Media, contends she “acted to conceal the true participants” behind the mailers and phone calls opposing Berkey and supporting a conservative Republican opponent.

Consider, if you will, what would likely happen were this to occur in New York State. The Attorney General there is Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. Do you think he would take the same action? I can't say with certainty that he wouldn't, but I highly doubt he would.

Rob McKenna is suing over so-called ObamaCare because it's the right thing to do. And he's suing over the fraud in this election for the same reason. He will continue to receive my vote for this or any other office as long as he continues to demonstrate this quality.

A skeptic, not a denier

Warren Meyer, writing for Forbes, provides the most cogent explanation I've yet seen for why many of us are skeptical regarding anthropogenic global warming, or AGW. He outlines a very important distinction between being skeptical that any sort of climate change is occurring, and being skeptical that we are heading for some sort of global climate disaster.

It is important to begin by emphasizing that few skeptics doubt or deny that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas or that it and other greenhouse gasses (water vapor being the most important) help to warm the surface of the Earth. Further, few skeptics deny that man is probably contributing to higher CO2 levels through his burning of fossil fuels, though remember we are talking about a maximum total change in atmospheric CO2 concentration due to man of about 0.01% over the last 100 years.

What skeptics deny is the catastrophe, the notion that man’s incremental contributions to CO2 levels will create catastrophic warming and wildly adverse climate changes. To understand the skeptic’s position requires understanding something about the alarmists’ case that is seldom discussed in the press: the theory of catastrophic man-made global warming is actually comprised of two separate, linked theories, of which only the first is frequently discussed in the media.

The first theory is that a doubling of atmospheric CO2 levels (approximately what we might see under the more extreme emission assumptions for the next century) will lead to about a degree Celsius of warming. Though some quibble over the number – it might be a half degree, it might be a degree and a half – most skeptics, alarmists and even the UN’s IPCC are roughly in agreement on this fact.

But one degree due to the all the CO2 emissions we might see over the next century is hardly a catastrophe. The catastrophe, then, comes from the second theory, that the climate is dominated by positive feedbacks (basically acceleration factors) that multiply the warming from CO2 many fold. Thus one degree of warming from the greenhouse gas effect of CO2 might be multiplied to five or eight or even more degrees.

Back in my college days, I took a class on systems of linear differential equations. I've long since forgotten the details but one of the practical applications was to model systems. The solution of a system of linear differential equations was an equation whose graph depended on starting conditions. For modeling systems, the horizontal coordinate was usually time and the vertical coordinate was some value such as population. Generally, these fell into two types. The first was a convergent solution. Different starting conditions would produce graphs that, as the value for time increased, would converge to a specific value.

The second was a divergent solution. If the starting conditions were altered, then the graphs would diverge away from the value. For example, if the starting condition was low enough, the graph could plunge toward zero. If it was high enough, it could skyrocket toward infinity. Let's say that the system modeled the population of a particular species. If the starting value was too low, the population wouldn't be self-sustaining and would die out. Too high, and overpopulation would occur.

The essence of the final paragraph of the excerpt above is that the second theory predicts a divergent solution; in this case the vertical coordinate is temperature. Adding CO2 artificially alters the starting condition of the graph which skyrockets to a high temperature value. Skeptics, based on historical analysis of temperatures and other factors, think it much more likely that the solution is convergent, or at least not fully divergent.

My thoughts on the Juan Williams affair

When even Whoopi Goldberg says NPR was wrong to fire Juan Williams, you know a line has been crossed.

I believe a private company or other employer should be able to choose who it wants to work for it. If an employee is acting against the best interests of the employer, then the employer should be able to terminate that employee.

However, NPR, and by extension its parent the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, is not a private company. A small but non-zero percentage of its operating costs are paid for by the federal government; in other words, the taxpayers. Us. The argument can legitimately be made that it should be held to a different standard.

In my opinion, the answer is simple. The federal government should do what many have called on it to do and stop funding the CPB in any way. Let it compete on its own merits as a corporation completely separate from government. Let it, with its clear liberal bias, try to do better than Air America did without me having to support it. Then, it can decide who should work for it or not as it sees fit.

What the Tea Party really believes

It really is very simple. I know many of you are afraid of the "racist," and "extreme Right Wing" Tea Party but that just means you've been watching too much Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. Bill Whittle, who excels at explaining simple concepts so that even the elite intelligentsia can understand them, is producing a series of videos which lay out just what the Tea Party is all about. At this time, he has three available. I've embedded them below. As I become aware of any more, I'll post links to them here. You can also find them at Bill's YouTube Channel.

Part 1: Small Government and Free Enterprise


Part 2: The Problem with Elitism


Part 3: Wealth Creation

Review of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Gary Gastelu reviews the new Chevrolet Volt for Fox News.  Short form: It's a good car that performs well.  If you drive it correctly, you will save considerably on operation costs vs. the Toyota Prius, although it does cost quite a bit more to purchase.

Something to note is that the way the drivetrain works is not actually what I originally heard.  My original understanding was that the internal combustion engine was not mechanically coupled to the wheels in any way.  It only served to run a generator which fed electricity into the electric drive system when the batteries drained to a certain point.  However, according to the review, the IC engine actually does have a mechanical coupling to the wheels which engages under certain circumstances.

In brief, the Volt’s powertrain has three main components: a main electric motor, a smaller electric motor/generator, and the engine. All of which are connected by a series of clutches and a planetary gearbox that takes the place of a traditional transmission. But, unlike grief, there are four stages that the Volt goes through while you’re driving it.

Start off with a full charge and the motor moves the Volt, getting an assist from the otherwise idle motor/generator from time to time under certain conditions. Deplete your battery, and the gasoline engine kicks in, coupling to the motor/generator to create electricity and, under similar certain conditions, send some mechanical torque through the gearbox to help propel the car.

Fear and Loathing in the White House

Because the thought that Americans are about to make a rational decision in a couple weeks is simply unfathomable, it must be because of fear:

In his remarks at a Democratic fundraiser in Massachusetts Saturday evening, President Barack Obama said that Americans’ fear and frustration” are to blame for an intensely competitive midterm election season favoring Republican candidates.
 
“Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now and facts and science and argument does not seem to be winning the day all the time is because we‘re hardwired not to always think clearly when we’re scared,” Obama said Saturday evening in remarks at a small Democratic fundraiser Saturday evening. “And the country’s scared.”

Obama told the several dozen donors that he was offering them his “view from the Oval Office.” According to Politico, Obama blamed the economic downturn for Americans’ inability to “think clearly” and said the burden is on Democrats “to break through the fear and the frustration people are feeling.

On the contrary, Mr. President, it is precisely because many Americans have regained the ability to "think clearly" that Republicans are predicted to make large gains.  Once again we see the arrogance and elitism break through the mask (which was never very thick to begin with).  Anyone who opposes the policies of higher taxes, increased useless spending, and greater dependence on Government is obviously not thinking straight.

My recommendations for the 2010 Washington State Initiatives

Here is how I intend to vote on the slate of initiatives that will appear on the Washington State 2010 general election ballot and a brief explanation why.

Initiative 1053: Yes
In 2007, the voters of Washington passed I-960 which made it more difficult for the legislature to raise taxes. To do so required either a two-thirds majority in the State House and Senate, or a simple majority in both houses followed by a simple majority of the people. In Washington, an Initiative can be overridden after two years by a simple majority of both houses. This happened earlier this year which came as no surprise given Democrats hold majorities in both houses.

I-1053 will undo that override and restore those requirements. In today's economy, everyone has to tighten their belts, I know I sure have. The state government is no exception.

Initiative 1082: Leaning Yes
Supporters note that what 1082 allows is already in place in 46 other states. Also, I believe that increasing the role of the market in just about anything is a good idea. I'm going to research this one some more just to make sure but at this time I'm probably going to vote yes on 1082.

Initiative 1098: No, Hell No
Washington already has a high state sales tax. This would be an additional tax on top of it. I understand that income taxes have advantages and disadvantages when compared to a sales tax. If an income tax were to be implemented, it should be accompanied by an elimination of the state sales tax. But that's a discussion for another day.

Some of you may respond, "Yeah, but this income tax only affects rich individuals making over $200,000 per year and couples making over $400,000 per year." At first, yes, this will be the case. However, once the income tax is on the books, eventually the legislature (assuming continued Democrat control, and perhaps even if not) will decide that revenue isn't sufficient and will lower that minimum. Eventually, it will be extended to everyone (though I expect there will still be a minimum based on the poverty level). If you don't think this will happen, you are, quite frankly, a fool.

Initiative 1100: Yes
Initiative 1105: Probably No
Quite simply, the state should not be in the retail business. Period. Both of these initiatives get the state out of the liquor selling business. Based on my understanding, how 1100 does it is a bit simpler. It also appears to favor the retailers whereas 1105 favors liquor distributors. Either of them is preferable to the current system but at this time I'm going with 1100.

Initiative 1107: Yes
It will repeal sales tax changes that the legislature made earlier this year. Even though the items the new taxes applied to, namely candy, soda, and bottled water, are items that are not necessary it's still a new tax and it will have a deleterious effect on the economy. The taxes on soda and bottled water are supposedly temporary but you know they probably won't be. Again, the state must learn to live within its means just like the rest of us.

Well it's that time again

The November election is weeks away so I'm going to dust off this blog and try to post more-or-less regularly as we approach zero-hour and then beyond. Maybe I'll even succeed.

Test post

Ignore this.

The hypocrisy of the Left, part the zillionth

Quote provided by The Patriot Post:

"Barack Obama has made few policy pronouncements since his November election. But he and his wife have made a personal decision that is rich with policy ramifications: the choice of a school for their daughters. During the campaign, Obama said he supports charter schools, which are public schools that are free of some bureaucratic constraints, but that he opposes private school choice, because it doesn't work. Turns out it does work for the Obamas, who determined that no public or charter school in the nation's capital would be the 'best fit' for their daughters. Instead they chose Sidwell Friends, an exclusive private school that counts Chelsea Clinton among its alumni. No one should begrudge the Obamas for choosing the best possible school for their children. But we should begrudge Barack Obama for vowing to deny such choices to low-income parents. As Polly Williams, the state representative who gave birth to Milwaukee's school choice program put it, 'The president shouldn't be the only person who lives in public housing who gets to send his kids to private schools.'" --Hoover Institution research fellow Clint Bolick