Giving It All Away at Bottom Dollar Prices

It is now after the election, and as stated in an unguarded moment, President Obama now perceives himself to possess "more flexibility."

Ambassador to Russia and Obama appointee Michael McFaul makes it rather clear:

The United States will push forward with plans for a missile defense shield, including installations in Europe, which have aroused the Kremlin's ire, but McFaul said he was an optimist that physics would prevail over what he characterized as blustery rhetoric.

"I think the actual conversation about this, not the public posturing … has been more pragmatic, has been more in line with reality," he said, adding that the planned system was not designed to counter Russia's missile capability.

Also, Obama would like to have a "serious conversation" with President Vladimir Putin about a further round of reductions in nuclear weapons to build on the New START treaty, signed in 2010, McFaul said, describing the existing treaty as "modest."
 

Well, that's curious.  If the missile defense shield wasn't designed to counter Russia's missile capability...then, what's it for?   And, this must be what Ambassador McFaul calls "pragmatic actual conversation."  This is from March of this year:

(Reuters) - The Obama administration disclosed on Tuesday that it is considering sharing some classified U.S. data as part of an effort to allay Russian concerns about a controversial antimissile shield.
 

So, in summary.  It's after the election, and President Obama now has more flexibility to give away our defense secrets and compromise our allies in the process while pretending an amicable relationship with Russia.   Not necessarily the best poker player, is he?

Blind Leading the Blind

What can Detroit teach Reading?

That's what Mayor Vaughn D. Spencer and three other city officials hope to discover next week, when they join 19 others on a three-day bus trip to the ailing Motor City that's trying to make a comeback.

"Detroit is going through something more painful than what Reading is going through," said Council President Francis G. Acosta, who will join Spencer, city Managing Director Carole B. Snyder and Community Development Director Lenin Agudo on the trip.

Acosta said Detroit has a plan similar to the recent market value analysis of the greater Reading area.

Here, it's expected to drive city housing and economic development efforts. Acosta and Spencer said they'll see first-hand how the plan works in Detroit.

They'll be meeting with neighborhood groups, foundations and the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.
 

What can Detroit teach Reading?  Graft, corruption, short-sightedness...any number of things, I suppose.  I find it disturbing that the #1 worst small city to live in would seek advice from the #1 worst large city to live in.  I'm not surprised...just disturbed.

The Republicans Never Made it Personal (Lost Election)

You know, I've seen all the excuses and speculation about how the election turned out as it did.  But, the answer is rather simple. 

Does that sound like overstatement?  It isn't.

The straightforward fact of the matter is that the Republicans had the winning issue.  Over and over again, the populous stated unequivocally that the most important issue was and is the economy.  The problem is that no one took the time to educate the public as to how the economy works.

Here's a simple experiment:

Ask any acquaintance or complete stranger what the Federal Deficit is and how it effects them personally.  I guarantee the answer you receive will be, either, woefully incorrect or merely a blank stare. 

This is the country that relishes watching washed up celebrities dance poorly as a form of entertainment.  This is the country where you can be famous for trying to be famous.  This is a country that sits in front of a television amused by the antics of spoiled youth.  It is not a country, any more, where efforts are made beyond immediate gratification and self-interest.  Unfortunately, the Republican party never played to immediate gratification or self-interest.

The Republicans never went beyond naming an undefined entity as existing in the form of $16 Trillion.   Think about that.  Romney/Ryan and a vast collection of political candidates across the country always stated that we must get that $16 Trillion monster under control.  How much time did they spend associating that monster with the benefits and entitlements voters collect on a daily basis in a detailed basis?  How often did they state, "you know, unless we reel in this Federal Deficit right now, you John Smith are not going to collecting that social security check tomorrow."

The Federal Deficit is amount by which a government's expenditures exceed its tax revenues. The difference is made up for by borrowing from the public through the issuance of debt.   Do you think most voters out there even understand this concept?  I'm willing to bet that you can go to any street in any major city and ask complete strangers to define "Federal Deficit" and you will be lucky to receive a 20% response anywhere near accurate.  But, that's not even the issue.  The main argument should have been how that effects the individual; how it effects the individual voter who may be receiving food stamps, Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, or any other benefit of entitlements.

Eventually, we will no longer be able to borrow at our current rate.  As the outlook for the financial future gets more dismal, the credit rating of the entire country could (and should) be downgraded once again.  This will disallow the country to borrow money effectively.  At the same time, the revenue base from taxes levied on a disintegrating working class will continue to get smaller until there is no way to subsidize any and all government programs.  At that point "goodbye  Obamaphone...goodbye freebies...and welcome to the Apocalypse."

This election was always about the economy.  It still is.  Unfortunately, no one on the Republican side ever made a direct connection to the masses about how the current state of affairs and more of the same will effect them PERSONALLY.  No one put it in understandable terms to a country that spends and exhorbinant amount of time watching The X-Factor and the like.  No one made an effort to eclipse the ignorance and self-interest of the electorate.

Compare that approach to the Democrat position.  "Here...have some free stuff...don't worry about where I got it...it's yours."

That's why the Republicans had their lunch handed to them.  They never made it personal.

ADDENDUM:

Somewhere along the way, the term repercussions lost all relevance.  If a major car manufacturer produces products no one wants and overloads their debts to accomodate a demanding unionized workforce, they don't go out of business...the government gives them money to go on.  If a sex offender gets caught he is placed in rehabilitation and released to try again.  If you lose your job, there is a continuously expanded safety net discouraging a raging effort to regain further employment.  Repercussions are not what they were.

The absolute biggest and most relevant repercussion will be when the Federal Government no longer has these "gifts" to hand out.  When that happens, there will be a purposeful and egregious education levied on the masses.  When that occurs we should seriously consider swapping out the Eagle as our national symbol for the Phoenix.  Because, by that time there will be nothing left but rising from the ashes.

Zero Votes for Romney in 59 Philly Precincts

It's one thing for a Democratic presidential candidate to dominate a Democratic city like Philadelphia, but check out this head-spinning figure: In 59 voting divisions in the city, Mitt Romney received not one vote. Zero. Zilch.

These are the kind of numbers that send Republicans into paroxysms of voter-fraud angst, but such results may not be so startling after all.

"We have always had these dense urban corridors that are extremely Democratic," said Jonathan Rodden, a political science professor at Stanford University. "It's kind of an urban fact, and you are looking at the extreme end of it in Philadelphia."

Most big cities are politically homogeneous, with 75 percent to 80 percent of voters identifying as Democrats.
 

I'm actually a bit surprised that the liberal Philadelphia Inquirer published this.  Usually (and it happens every election in memory) they sweep it under the rug by not even mentioning it.

Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Paper (China)

China is like that annoying kid that tries to copy answers over your shoulder.

China unveiled its attack helicopter, WZ-10, for the first time, during the air show in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Sunday.

The attack helicopter is similar with Apachi helicopter o f the United States with air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons loaded on both wings.

China will also introduce a drone, named Yinglung, produced locally during the air show. The drone is reported to be similar with Predator of the United States although it is smaller than the U.S. drone, according to reports.
 

I suppose that's what happens when a country is established based on a political premise that dismisses, discourages, and destroys innovation and creativity.  They are dependent on someone else to do the heavy lifting so that they can copy it to their own arsenal. 

Give & Take

Stimulus Bill