Monthly Archives: September 2008

The Monetary Base Finally Moves

The Federal Reserve has for a long time eschewed increasing the money supply directly, and instead has manipulated credit to affect the economy and control inflation. This has led to three important things which are in my opinion at the … Continue reading

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We are led by little men and women

I was not in favor of the Paulson plan if you haven’t caught that yet. Still, the pitiful display from our congress today set a recent low. First, faced with an unpopular and contentious bill which she feels for the … Continue reading

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The SEC doesn’t get the short end of the stick

If they did, then they wouldn’t have banned short selling. People may have noticed that the ban hasn’t helped, and today we see one of the real costs. See, when markets collapse like today, short sellers dive into the market … Continue reading

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The Bailout…

doesn’t look like it’s going to pass the House floor. Update: It failed. The vote was 207-226 against the measure, with one member not voting, half an hour after voting began. Voting remains open even though the “official” time has … Continue reading

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…and I want a pony!

Larry Summers and Mark Thoma argue that if done right the bailout will mean we can solve this crisis and still have everything we want, tax cuts, health care spending and all kinds of other goodies. Larry argues: Just as … Continue reading

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China Pulls a Lapham – UPDATED

China space mission article hits Web before launch A news story describing a successful launch of China’s long-awaited space mission and including detailed dialogue between astronauts launched on the Internet Thursday, hours before the rocket had even left the ground. … Continue reading

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Scamming

Dear American: I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude. I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had a crisis that … Continue reading

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40 Years (a Haiku)

It is not so much, And Time stands alone for a moment. Fall begins.

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The Big Lie of Being Nice

Outside the Beltway“It’s quite possible, though, that we’ve simply created a culture that values sparing hurt feelings over individual freedom of expression.”

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More Big lie – the False Patriot

Stop the ACLU“but that pretended patriotism which so many, in all ages and countries, have made a cloak of self-interest.”

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Remember The Last Dire Warning?

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Glass-Steagall : RIP

Continuing the discussion on tonight’s podcast, one of the recurring themes of much of the commentary on our current financial crisis is that the cause is too much deregulation. Possibly there is some truth to this, though the evidence is … Continue reading

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More Big Lie Perspective

Ross Douthat Even among Christians, there were disparities. While 36% of those belonging to the United Church of Christ, Sen. Barack Obama’s former denomination, expressed strong beliefs in the paranormal, only 14% of those belonging to the Assemblies of God, … Continue reading

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The Marxist Drumbeat of the Left

Brutally HonestThe drumbeat – the phenomenon of the big lie.  It’s the drumbeat of the left. It is political, philosophical, theological, and social. It pervades every activity. It is post-structural, post-modern, post-everything in the parlance of the day. It is … Continue reading

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Consumers get credit for their part in the debacle

Washington PostThis is not good news for consumers.  Reminds me of Phil Gramm’s “whiners” comment.  “Wall Street has lived beyond its means, but so has Washington. Both did so, in part, because consumers and voters on Main Street wanted it … Continue reading

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Against all of that stand these two.

InstapunditBill Whittle talks about McCain and Palin and their stand against a Legion of Narcissists and a Confederacy of Despair – the Liberal Left.

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Les Miserables

You know, I’m a little tired of all of the snide comparisons of Ike and Katrina, in particular the comparisons of New Orleanians to Houstonians. Why is there almost no news coverage of Ike’s aftermath vs. that of Katrina? For … Continue reading

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Short of Wisdom, Common Sense and a Grasp of Reality

The hedge fund industry is feeling gloomy, and so is Mayfair. Meanwhile our government is considering following London’s lead and making their lives even more difficult, by banning short selling for a while. Yep, Fannie would have been just fine … Continue reading

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More Electoral College Prediction

American Digest

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CEO’s as Pirates

Vox Popoli The executive class is not, for the most part, capitalist, it can be more accurately understood as a sort of pirates union that is loosely allied in common cause against the capitalists who actually own the companies that … Continue reading

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Shine on Richard Wright

The keyboardist for Pink Floyd, responsible for the texture of the bands surreal sound, passed away on Monday.

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Uprecedented Financial Turmoil

Today the Fed went to the Treasury and asked for a line of credit. You know, the lender of last resort has had to turn to our Treasury to protect their balance sheet. Want to see something weird. Go here … Continue reading

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Hacks & Hackers

Sarah Palin’s personal email account gets hacked by an anonymous operative and Farhad Manjoo blames Palin for “Rovian tactics.” Indifference to irony isn’t a new thing in Palin reporting, but there’s a certain amusement about the event in liberal circles … Continue reading

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Georgia’s Tapes

Who jumped first in South Ossetia has become a bit of a information war between Georgia and Russia. Today, the Georgian government went a ways toward resolving it by releasing recordings of intercepted radio traffic preceding the Russian invasion. The … Continue reading

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Palinmania Snippets

Like so many others, Elizabeth Johnson is out for that Palin look. Sarah always has such choice footwear…and eyewear retailers are getting explicit in their advertising. In case you were curious, this is where you end up when your anti-Palin … Continue reading

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Sarah vs. Joe

Who would win in a head-to-head contest of the Veeps for the presidency? Palin, according to Rasmussen, by 47%-44%.

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Changing Themes in the GOP

Had the radio on driving to get coffee. Rush Limbaugh was denouncing sexism and patriarchal privilege. McCain ad comes on pitching expanding embryonic stem cell research. Boy, haven’t things changed in the Republican party? For the better, says me.

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Ike Aftermath

Hey guys. I’m still here and everything is fine. Had a small leak in my ceiling but otherwise no damage. Got power and water back Sunday, but there are still 1.5 million without, including my mother and sisters. Gas is … Continue reading

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Dems Turn to Outside Groups

Senior Democrats gave a conference call briefing to their top outside donors last week. Things are pretty grim according to them. Obama had once signaled that he didn’t want support from 527 type PACs, but with his support eroding rapidly … Continue reading

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Whither the Rule of Law

The Strata Sphere When governments allow unreasonable panic to set in and the mob rule to take over the rule of law – even in the slow motion case of a trial like this – they have lost control. The … Continue reading

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Wireless Power Transmission Making Progress

Impact Lab“A new long-range energy transmission experiment opens the possibility of sending solar energy from space to earth.”

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Dilemma of Modern Technology

Astute Bloggers Who would have thought that Skype was a bad thing?  “Taliban fighters targeting British troops in Afghanistan are using the latest ‘internet phones’ to evade detection by MI6, security sources said last night.”

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Eating Their Own

Stop the ACLU“Dontcha ya hate it when Old Media outlets beat up on other Old Media outlets?”

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Deafening Silence at Columbia

Say Anything“A pretty sad commentary if you ask me.”

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Long Term Effects of “Chamberlain” Thinking

Commentary“More complacency will only feed Russia’s ambitions.”

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Poneco Parties in Chile

There’s a teenage sexual revolution underway in Chile, that is animated by the emergence of a rebellious new generation of kids born after the 1988 referendum and democratic transition. A generation with no memory of the moral strictures of a … Continue reading

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When They Came for Kenny…

Photos of Russian kids mounting a street protest against the banning of South Park by the state. This is no small or meaningless act. As daily experience, one of the worst aspects of living under a repressive fascist regime is … Continue reading

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McCain and the Electoral College

For two weeks, as John McCain’s national polls first rose above Obama and then solidified there, Democrats protested that the popular vote was irrelevant. Look to the state polls said they, in a sensible but amusingly opportunistic argument for the … Continue reading

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Two Girls and a Dream

(Houston Chronicle)

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Earmark Battle Continues

Instapundit“Senate Democrats promised more open government.  This is not it.”

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The Economic Message is Bad – Not the Economy

The Chronicles of the Conspiracy“What does it say about our nation that it has become political suicide to state the good news that our economy is not in recession?”

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Comprehensive Energy Policy Emerging

IBDPerhaps we are making progress.

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Hurricane Ike (Updated)

Scroll down for the updates. Well Hurricane Ike is heading my way. The center is projected to hit west of Houston, but a Freeport landfall would be the worst case for Houston, as it would entail a huge storm surge … Continue reading

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The Palin Democrats

Tim Reid travels to Mount Clemens, Macomb County Michigan, to talk to white working class female voters. Macomb County should be core Democratic blue country, but it was here that Stanley Greenberg first identified the “Reagan Democrats” of the 1980s, … Continue reading

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Mark Penn on the Press & Palin

Boy, this was an awfully interesting exchange. Democratic strategist Mark Penn, absurdly invited by Brian Goldsmith to argue the press has been soft on Sarah Palin, instead slams the media for counterproductively biased and vindictive coverage:

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The Error of Inexperience

According to a new Associated Press poll 46% of the public thinks Barack Obama is too inexperienced for the presidency, and only 36% say the same of Governor Palin. So much for that line of attack. In contrast with both, … Continue reading

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Déjà Vu Obama

Obama’s “new” tactic to regain the initiative in the election is to portray McCain as out of touch with ordinary Americans. Hmm. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t this the old tactic? Patrician wife, seven houses, price of milk, … Continue reading

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Talk about your free markets

neatorama“We live in a capitalist society,” she tells us. “Why shouldn’t I be allowed to capitalize on my virginity?”  Is this a hoax or just free markets?

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New Era Mergers

From Craigs List, though it has since been removed: H/T- Alphaville

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A Journey from Left to Right

Redstate“And I will love her despite her flaws, instead of hating her despite her greatness. It is the very least I owe to those who perished to wake up a foolish, foolish young man.”

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