Monday, April 26, 2010

The 10 Cars That Killed Detroit

Last week's claim that General Motors had repaid its loan to the American public was accompanied by a cacophony of self-congratulatory rhetoric by the administration. In his weekly address, the President lauded the move and claimed, "the auto industry has actually added 45,000 jobs – the strongest growth in a decade [and] GM announced that it paid back its loans to taxpayers with interest, fully five years ahead of schedule."

As RedState's Luke Matthews explains, the claim was as bold as it was fraudulent.

This truly a fantastic accomplishment. So, from hearing this stunning example of government efficiency and foresight, it would appear Government Motors is back on the profitability track. We can assume, can’t we, that GM has be making money to pay back the government bailout loans? We invested billions of dollars to save Government Motors and UAW Motors, er Chrysler, and that investment is paying off. Right?

But the automaker is a long way from regaining its old blue-chip status: It remains more than 70 percent government-owned and is still losing money — $3.4 billion in last year’s fourth quarter alone. And while its car and truck sales are up so far this year, that’s primarily due to lower-profit sales to car rental companies and other fleet buyers.

Wait a second. If GM is still losing money hand over fist, where is it getting these funds to pay back the loans? Is this really the glowing example of government wisdom Obama is touting?

Grassley said in his letter that a Securities and Exchange Commission form filed by GM showed that $6.7 billion of the tens of billions the company received was sitting in an escrow account and available to be used for repayment.

So, we loaned GM a whole bunch of money. They stashed some of that money in an escrow account.

And then they used it to pay back some of the money they owe the taxpayer. At least $60 billion's gone to the auto companies and methinks we won't be seeing that amount paid back for a long, long, long time. Like ever.

The epitaph of the auto companies -- the days when the U.A.W. and an idiotic, bloated management structure decided that whatever crap they shoveled out was good enough for you, the consumer -- is written in the US News & World Report list of Detroit's crappiest cars. Truth be told, the quality of GM and Chrysler vehicles is light-years ahead of their fat-dumb-happy heyday. But there's no forgettin' this "top ten".


One of our "winners"

I modified the list a bit, since it included Japanese cars that helped put a stake in the heart of Detroit (e.g., the Prius).

10. Ford Pinto: Hey, only a couple of hundred fuel tanks exploded. What's the big deal?

9. Chevrolet Cavalier: Here's a plan: let's go a decade without upgrading any technology plus try to pawn off a high-end model (the Cadillac Cimarron) on an unsuspecting public. AKA the rubes. AKA us.

8. Chevrolet Astro: Hey, we need a minivan! Let's slap some sheet-metal on a truck -- no one'll know the difference!

7. Ford Taurus: Introduced in '86 to great acclaim, Ford went on to ignore the sedan for two decades, until it ended up an Avis staple.

6. Jaguar X-Type: Speaking of the Taurus, may I introduce the Jag X-Type? Or, as some like to call it, The Brand-Killer.

5. Hummer H-2: Can you imagine the planning process? "First, we're betting gas prices will never increase. Second, let's show everyone what we think of the environment. Third, the guiding principle is to crush other drivers."

4. Chrysler Sebring: It's called the Sebring because the Vapid was taken.

3. Ford Explorer: it's not a 401K rollover, but it's almost as well known for its catastrophic tendency to crush passengers. And it helped spawn Detroit's addiction to SUVs that ultimately doomed the company.

2. Chevy Cobalt: What's it take to win the "Least Reliable Small Car" award from Consumer Reports? Or a two-star review from TAC? Or blogosphere reviews like "...the worst vehicle I have ever driven..."? Simple. It takes a Cobalt.

1. Chevy Vega: Some of the quotes from Car Talk's worst car list say it all.

"As near as I could tell, the car was built from compressed rust."

"My Chevy Vega actually broke in half going over railroad tracks. The whole rear end came around slightly to the front, sort of like a dog wagging its tail."

"Burned so much oil, it was single-handedly responsible for the formation of OPEC."

* * *

What killed Detroit? There's a compelling argument that overregulation and Congressional idiocy played a central role. But these egregious examples of automotive mediocrity didn't help.


Larwyn's Linx: How Can a 'Fellow Black Republican' Oppose Obama?

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

How Can a 'Fellow Black Republican' Oppose Obama?: Elder
Nigerian scam artists move to DemCare fraud: RWN
The Dreadful Equation: Doc Zero

Minority Minority Report: StateBrief
To be young, socialist and racist: Frederick
Teabonics: Obama Zombies Protest Palin: AmPower

Economy

Public unions make a private sector power grab: WashExam
The Euro States of America: Crittenden
Government Motors repayment fraud: Times

Obama on 212: Langbert
Tough mom fights back against unions and Quinn: Marathon
'The unions truly still don't get it': LVRJ

Climate & Energy

Rubbish, or When Good Intentions Fail Miserably: Patterico
More Global Warming Profiteering by Obama Energy Official: PJM
Climatard rescued just before freezing to death: BlogProf

Media

Politics Suspends Critical Thinking At The Times: JOM
Jump! How High?: WashReb
Who's the Prophet Now: CBullitt (NSFW)

Townhall Magazine featured profile: Michelle Malkin: Hot Air
L.A.Times Publishes Anti-Tea Party Smear From 'Concerned Citizen'-Unidentified Radical Feminist: AmPower
Oh, now I'm totally cool with Bill Ayers: Hindenblog

Black Republican Rebukes Michael Steele: AT
My, how the Left hates strong conservative women -- Jan Brewer Edition: AT
Nevada: Now it’s the ‘People’s Truck!’: BigGovt

World

Should Puerto Rico Become Our 51st State?: SIGIS
Comic Depictions of Mohammed: Knowing When to Hold and When to Fold: Greenroom
Update on the sunken South Korean ship: Patterico

Obama Is Enabling Nuclear Breakout: AT
Top Islamic Site Calls for the Final Jihad: EuropeNews
JPost Editor-in-Chief uses 2,600 words to tell us he's absolutely clueless: JPost

Today, We Are All Israelis: Ledeen
Increasing the danger in a dangerous world: VodkaPundit
Tribute to the $100 trillion man: WashExam

SciTech

Stephen Hawking Warns Against Being Friendly With Aliens: Mediaite
Blue Marble (Planet Earth): RWN
Postal-themed PDF spam: Sophos

Cornucopia

Love, the Pope, and C.S. Lewis : Avery Cardinal Dulles
Journey of Redemption: Brutally Honest
Who's Dressed Better?: HillBuzz

Image: EuropeNews.
Today's Larwyn's Linx Sponsored By: Remember November.

QOTD: "Anyone who can cross our border is a citizen -- anyone who can climb in your house is a family member.

This is how liberals think." -- Anonymous


Sunday, April 25, 2010

I feel confident that President Obama will courageously defend North Korea from its blatant oppressors in the south

Tomorrow's Wall Street Journal will report that the head of South Korea's military has confirmed that a torpedo likely sank one of its patrol boats last month.





The finding puts South Korea and its ally the U.S. in a bind in confronting the nuclear-armed totalitarian state. Seoul faces several constraints in penalizing Pyongyang, starting with the prospect that a military response could escalate into a war that very few here want...

...A military response looks unlikely at this point. South Korea has stopped short of matching previous acts of aggression, from the 1987 explosion of a Korean Air jet near Myanmar to the July 2008 killing of a South Korean tourist at a North Korean resort by a North Korean soldier. Though the public favors punishing the North, there is little appetite for warlike action that would disrupt the South Korean economy or destabilize the North enough to require the South to take it over...

...Privately, U.S. officials acknowledged the findings will have major ramifications for U.S. policy in Asia. They worry that further escalations by the North could complicate an American foreign policy agenda dominated by the war in Afghanistan and international efforts to contain Iran's nuclear program...

...There remains a chance the explosion was caused by a mine that South Korea or the U.S. planted along the countries' shared maritime border 40 years ago, when a nearby island was used as a radar station. Defense officials believe such mines were cleared long ago...

...The March 26 sinking occurred in the same boundary waters where South Korea's navy severely damaged a North Korean vessel in November, perhaps killing some of its sailors. In February, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il visited the navy base where the damaged ship returned, raising speculation in the South that he ordered an attack in retribution.

In another line of speculation, some analysts say Mr. Kim may have wanted to show strength inside the country to help the potential succession of his son, Kim Jong Un.

It's also reassuring that our country remains a financial powerhouse capable of weathering a new national security challenge. Sound investments like cash-for-clunkers, mortgage giveaways and weather-stripping programs have only strengthened our once-troubled economy.


Headline idea: WSJ Commenter Terry Kimble.

Your handy guide to navigating DemCare's 159 new agencies, offices, boards, commissions, programs, committees, task forces, councils and bureaus

Mike M.:

1. Grant program for consumer assistance offices (Section 1002, p. 37)
2. Grant program for states to monitor premium increases (Section 1003, p. 42)
3. Committee to review administrative simplification standards (Section 1104, p. 71)
4. Demonstration program for state wellness programs (Section 1201, p. 93)
5. Grant program to establish state Exchanges (Section 1311(a), p. 130)
6. State American Health Benefit Exchanges (Section 1311(b), p. 131)
7. Exchange grants to establish consumer navigator programs (Section 1311(i), p. 150)
8. Grant program for state cooperatives (Section 1322, p. 169)
9. Advisory board for state cooperatives (Section 1322(b)(3), p. 173)
10. Private purchasing council for state cooperatives (Section 1322(d), p. 177)
11. State basic health plan programs (Section 1331, p. 201)
12. State-based reinsurance program (Section 1341, p. 226)
13. Program of risk corridors for individual and small group markets (Section 1342, p. 233)
14. Program to determine eligibility for Exchange participation (Section 1411, p. 267)
15. Program for advance determination of tax credit eligibility (Section 1412, p. 288)
16. Grant program to implement health IT enrollment standards (Section 1561, p. 370)
17. Federal Coordinated Health Care Office for dual eligible beneficiaries (Section 2602, p. 512)
18. Medicaid quality measurement program (Section 2701, p. 518)
19. Medicaid health home program for people with chronic conditions, and grants for planning same (Section 2703, p. 524)
20. Medicaid demonstration project to evaluate bundled payments (Section 2704, p. 532)
21. Medicaid demonstration project for global payment system (Section 2705, p. 536)
22. Medicaid demonstration project for accountable care organizations (Section 2706, p. 538)
23. Medicaid demonstration project for emergency psychiatric care (Section 2707, p. 540)
24. Grant program for delivery of services to individuals with postpartum depression (Section 2952(b), p. 591)
25. State allotments for grants to promote personal responsibility education programs (Section 2953, p. 596)
26. Medicare value-based purchasing program (Section 3001(a), p. 613)
27. Medicare value-based purchasing demonstration program for critical access hospitals (Section 3001(b), p. 637)
28. Medicare value-based purchasing program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 3006(a), p. 666)
29. Medicare value-based purchasing program for home health agencies (Section 3006(b), p. 668)
30. Interagency Working Group on Health Care Quality (Section 3012, p. 688)
31. Grant program to develop health care quality measures (Section 3013, p. 693)
32. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Section 3021, p. 712)
33. Medicare shared savings program (Section 3022, p. 728)
34. Medicare pilot program on payment bundling (Section 3023, p. 739)
35. Independence at home medical practice demonstration program (Section 3024, p. 752)
36. Program for use of patient safety organizations to reduce hospital readmission rates (Section 3025(b), p. 775)
37. Community-based care transitions program (Section 3026, p. 776)
38. Demonstration project for payment of complex diagnostic laboratory tests (Section 3113, p. 800)
39. Medicare hospice concurrent care demonstration project (Section 3140, p. 850)
40. Independent Payment Advisory Board (Section 3403, p. 982)
41. Consumer Advisory Council for Independent Payment Advisory Board (Section 3403, p. 1027)
42. Grant program for technical assistance to providers implementing health quality practices (Section 3501, p. 1043)
43. Grant program to establish interdisciplinary health teams (Section 3502, p. 1048)
44. Grant program to implement medication therapy management (Section 3503, p. 1055)
45. Grant program to support emergency care pilot programs (Section 3504, p. 1061)
46. Grant program to promote universal access to trauma services (Section 3505(b), p. 1081)
47. Grant program to develop and promote shared decision-making aids (Section 3506, p. 1088)
48. Grant program to support implementation of shared decision-making (Section 3506, p. 1091)
49. Grant program to integrate quality improvement in clinical education (Section 3508, p. 1095)
50. Health and Human Services Coordinating Committee on Women’s Health (Section 3509(a), p. 1098)
51. Centers for Disease Control Office of Women’s Health (Section 3509(b), p. 1102)
52. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Women’s Health (Section 3509(e), p. 1105)
53. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women’s Health (Section 3509(f), p. 1106)
54. Food and Drug Administration Office of Women’s Health (Section 3509(g), p. 1109)
55. National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (Section 4001, p. 1114)
56. Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health (Section 4001(f), p. 1117)
57. Prevention and Public Health Fund (Section 4002, p. 1121)
58. Community Preventive Services Task Force (Section 4003(b), p. 1126)
59. Grant program to support school-based health centers (Section 4101, p. 1135)
60. Grant program to promote research-based dental caries disease management (Section 4102, p. 1147)
61. Grant program for States to prevent chronic disease in Medicaid beneficiaries (Section 4108, p. 1174)
62. Community transformation grants (Section 4201, p. 1182)
63. Grant program to provide public health interventions (Section 4202, p. 1188)
64. Demonstration program of grants to improve child immunization rates (Section 4204(b), p. 1200)
65. Pilot program for risk-factor assessments provided through community health centers (Section 4206, p. 1215)
66. Grant program to increase epidemiology and laboratory capacity (Section 4304, p. 1233)
67. Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (Section 4305, p. 1238)
68. National Health Care Workforce Commission (Section 5101, p. 1256)
69. Grant program to plan health care workforce development activities (Section 5102(c), p. 1275)
70. Grant program to implement health care workforce development activities (Section 5102(d), p. 1279)
71. Pediatric specialty loan repayment program (Section 5203, p. 1295)
72. Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (Section 5204, p. 1300)
73. Allied Health Loan Forgiveness Program (Section 5205, p. 1305)
74. Grant program to provide mid-career training for health professionals (Section 5206, p. 1307)
75. Grant program to fund nurse-managed health clinics (Section 5208, p. 1310)
76. Grant program to support primary care training programs (Section 5301, p. 1315)
77. Grant program to fund training for direct care workers (Section 5302, p. 1322)
78. Grant program to develop dental training programs (Section 5303, p. 1325)
79. Demonstration program to increase access to dental health care in underserved communities (Section 5304, p. 1331)
80. Grant program to promote geriatric education centers (Section 5305, p. 1334)
81. Grant program to promote health professionals entering geriatrics (Section 5305, p. 1339)
82. Grant program to promote training in mental and behavioral health (Section 5306, p. 1344)
83. Grant program to promote nurse retention programs (Section 5309, p. 1354)
84. Student loan forgiveness for nursing school faculty (Section 5311(b), p. 1360)
85. Grant program to promote positive health behaviors and outcomes (Section 5313, p. 1364)
86. Public Health Sciences Track for medical students (Section 5315, p. 1372)
87. Primary Care Extension Program to educate providers (Section 5405, p. 1404)
88. Grant program for demonstration projects to address health workforce shortage needs (Section 5507, p. 1442)
89. Grant program for demonstration projects to develop training programs for home health aides (Section 5507, p. 1447)
90. Grant program to establish new primary care residency programs (Section 5508(a), p. 1458)
91. Program of payments to teaching health centers that sponsor medical residency training (Section 5508(c), p. 1462)
92. Graduate nurse education demonstration program (Section 5509, p. 1472)
93. Grant program to establish demonstration projects for community-based mental health settings (Section 5604, p. 1486)
94. Commission on Key National Indicators (Section 5605, p. 1489)
95. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 6102, p. 1554)
96. Special focus facility program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 6103(a)(3), p. 1561)
97. Special focus facility program for nursing facilities (Section 6103(b)(3), p. 1568)
98. National independent monitor pilot program for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities (Section 6112, p. 1589)
99. Demonstration projects for nursing facilities involved in the culture change movement (Section 6114, p. 1597)
100. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1619)
101. Standing methodology committee for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1629)
102. Board of Governors for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1638)
103. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund (Section 6301(e), p. 1656)
104. Elder Justice Coordinating Council (Section 6703, p. 1773)
105. Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation (Section 6703, p. 1776)
106. Grant program to create elder abuse forensic centers (Section 6703, p. 1783)
107. Grant program to promote continuing education for long-term care staffers (Section 6703, p. 1787)
108. Grant program to improve management practices and training (Section 6703, p. 1788)
109. Grant program to subsidize costs of electronic health records (Section 6703, p. 1791)
110. Grant program to promote adult protective services (Section 6703, p. 1796)
111. Grant program to conduct elder abuse detection and prevention (Section 6703, p. 1798)
112. Grant program to support long-term care ombudsmen (Section 6703, p. 1800)
113. National Training Institute for long-term care surveyors (Section 6703, p. 1806)
114. Grant program to fund State surveys of long-term care residences (Section 6703, p. 1809)
115. CLASS Independence Fund (Section 8002, p. 1926)
116. CLASS Independence Fund Board of Trustees (Section 8002, p. 1927)
117. CLASS Independence Advisory Council (Section 8002, p. 1931)
118. Personal Care Attendants Workforce Advisory Panel (Section 8002(c), p. 1938)
119. Multi-state health plans offered by Office of Personnel Management (Section 10104(p), p. 2086)
120. Advisory board for multi-state health plans (Section 10104(p), p. 2094)
121. Pregnancy Assistance Fund (Section 10212, p. 2164)
122. Value-based purchasing program for ambulatory surgical centers (Section 10301, p. 2176)
123. Demonstration project for payment adjustments to home health services (Section 10315, p. 2200)
124. Pilot program for care of individuals in environmental emergency declaration areas (Section 10323, p. 2223)
125. Grant program to screen at-risk individuals for environmental health conditions (Section 10323(b), p. 2231)
126. Pilot programs to implement value-based purchasing (Section 10326, p. 2242)
127. Grant program to support community-based collaborative care networks (Section 10333, p. 2265)
128. Centers for Disease Control Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
129. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
130. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
131. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
132. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
133. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
134. Grant program to promote small business wellness programs (Section 10408, p. 2285)
135. Cures Acceleration Network (Section 10409, p. 2289)
136. Cures Acceleration Network Review Board (Section 10409, p. 2291)
137. Grant program for Cures Acceleration Network (Section 10409, p. 2297)
138. Grant program to promote centers of excellence for depression (Section 10410, p. 2304)
139. Advisory committee for young women’s breast health awareness education campaign (Section 10413, p. 2322)
140. Grant program to provide assistance to provide information to young women with breast cancer (Section 10413, p. 2326)
141. Interagency Access to Health Care in Alaska Task Force (Section 10501, p. 2329)
142. Grant program to train nurse practitioners as primary care providers (Section 10501(e), p. 2332)
143. Grant program for community-based diabetes prevention (Section 10501(g), p. 2337)
144. Grant program for providers who treat a high percentage of medically underserved populations (Section 10501(k), p. 2343)
145. Grant program to recruit students to practice in underserved communities (Section 10501(l), p. 2344)
146. Community Health Center Fund (Section 10503, p. 2355)
147. Demonstration project to provide access to health care for the uninsured at reduced fees (Section 10504, p. 2357)
148. Demonstration program to explore alternatives to tort litigation (Section 10607, p. 2369)
149. Indian Health demonstration program for chronic shortages of health professionals (S. 1790, Section 112, p. 24)*
150. Office of Indian Men’s Health (S. 1790, Section 136, p. 71)*
151. Indian Country modular component facilities demonstration program (S. 1790, Section 146, p. 108)*
152. Indian mobile health stations demonstration program (S. 1790, Section 147, p. 111)*
153. Office of Direct Service Tribes (S. 1790, Section 172, p. 151)*
154. Indian Health Service mental health technician training program (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 173)*
155. Indian Health Service program for treatment of child sexual abuse victims (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 192)*
156. Indian Health Service program for treatment of domestic violence and sexual abuse (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 194)*
157. Indian youth telemental health demonstration project (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 204)*
158. Indian youth life skills demonstration project (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 220)*
159. Indian Health Service Director of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment (S. 1790, Section 199B, p. 258)*

*Section 10221, page 2173 of H.R. 3590 deems that S. 1790 shall be deemed as passed with certain amendments.

Yes, it's just that simple. You can't find an elegant organizational design like this one outside another centralized, authoritarian, Politburo-style national government.


Thanks, Blago, Stern, Daley, Jarrett and company: Illinois public sector pensions will run dry in just 8 years... or less

Earlier this week, 15,000 people protested in Springfield, Illinois not to register discontent over the ever-increasing size of government, but to lobby for more taxpayer money.

They chanted, "Raise my taxes! Raise my taxes!"

What they really meant was, "We want your money! We want your money!"

Representing the SEIU, the AFT, the NEA and other public sector unions in Illinois, the group demanded to be kept whole despite the fact that their exorbitant salaries and benefits are increasingly lavish compared to their private sector equivalents.

Illinois has two looming financial problems: a $13 billion budget deficit and a $60 billion pension funding shortfall. According to the Chicago News Cooperative, Illinois will be forced to sell another $4.6 billion in securities in 2011 after selling $3.5 billion in 2010. The financial markets will likely respond with disgust: investors in the '10 issue were led to believe that it would be many years before another bond issue was necessary.

Northwestern economic Joshua Rauh says, in fact, the pension shortfall is far more dire than the $60 billion estimate. He projects that persistent underfunding on the part of the state had led to a $166 billion shortfall for the three largest pension plans alone.

That's not all: there's an additional $40 billion shortfall in covering public retiree health care costs.

Governor Patrick Quinn's answer? More borrowing, including $7 billion in brand new debt. But state taxpayers are already spending $540 million annually on interest alone for a 2003 bond issue that was supposed to close the funding gap. In fact, the current gap is just as bad as it was in 2003.

Net net: in only eight years time -- sooner if their investments go south -- the pension plans will be utterly bankrupt.

Isn't Democrat-controlled government great? Letting the public sector unions and corrupt liberals set policy is tantamount to societal suicide. California, New Jersey and New York are next on the chopping block. Not to mention the entire country, should the Obama-SEIU Democrats continue on their course of fiscal hara-kari.


Linked by: Legal Insurrection. Thanks! Related: Aren't public sector unions cool? Greece about to go KA-F***ING-BOOM and take out the rest of Europe with it.

Rupert unleashes the dogs of war on Pinchy

Dan from New York writes, "If you haven't already, drop the Times, pick up the Journal."

Wall Street Journal revs up New York Times rivalry


AP, 4/25/2010

NEW YORK – It might be the last great American newspaper war. And Rupert Murdoch intends to win it.

He has made a career of grabbing readers and advertisers from competing newspapers, and now he is racheting up the challenge his Wall Street Journal poses to The New York Times. On Monday, the Journal is launching a metro section that will vie for readers and advertisers on the Times' turf.

Although the new section will be available only in the New York City area, collateral damage could spread around the country. Both newspapers are jostling with each other, USA Today and regional dailies for readers. By dramatically lowering advertising rates in New York to undercut the Times, Murdoch's assault could leave both newspapers with fewer resources for other expansion plans.

... "The Times has a lot of readers and a lot of them are very loyal, long-standing folks. It's not going to be easy to peel off the Times' core constituency," says Dean Starkman, a former Journal reporter who writes for the Columbia Journalism Review. "As a business proposition, I think I'm with the majority of skeptics who think that this could ultimately damage both papers."

...Luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman, a longtime prominent advertiser in the Times, plans to advertise in the new Journal section. "We're going to try it and see," spokeswoman Ginger Reeder says. "We always look for new ways to reach our customers." It's not yet clear whether Bergdorf will reduce its advertising in the Times.

Of course, the AP fails to note that the Times long ago ceased operating as a newspaper; today its content consists entirely of repackaged press releases from the DNC and Organizing for America.


George Carlin Obliterates the Hubris of Earth Day (Illustrated Version): 'The planet isn't going anywhere. WE ARE!'

Sheer genius from the late George Carlin, circa 1994.

You got people like this around you? Country is full of them now! People walking around all day long, every minute of the day — worried about EVERYTHING! Worried about the air, worried about the water, worried about the soil. Worried about insecticides, pesticides, food additives, carcinogens; worried about radon gas; worried about asbestos. Worried about saving endangered species.

Let me tell you about endangered species, all right? Saving endangered species is just one more arrogant attempt by humans to control Nature! It's arrogant meddling! It's what got us into trouble in the first place! Doesn't anybody understand that? Interfering with Nature! Over 90 percent.. over... way over 90 percent of all the species that have ever lived — EVER LIVED — on this planet are gone. Whissshht! They are extinct!

We didn't kill them all.

They just... disappeared! That's what Nature does! They disappear these days at the rate of 25 a day, and I mean regardless of our behavior. Irrespective of how we act on this planet, 25 species that were here today, will be gone tomorrow! Let them go... gracefully! Leave Nature alone! Haven't we done enough?

We're so self-important. So self-important! Everybody's going to save something now. "Save the trees; save the bees; save the whales; save those snails." And the greatest arrogance of all, "Save the planet." WHAT? Are these f***ing people kidding me? Save the planet? We don't even know how to take care of ourselves yet. We haven't learned how to care for one another, we're gonna save the f***ing planet?

I'm getting tired of that s***. Tired of that s***. Tired! I'm tired of f***ing Earth Day! I'm tired of these self-righteous environmentalists; these white, bourgeois liberals who think the only thing wrong with this country is there aren't enough bicycle paths. People trying to make the world safe for their Volvos.

Besides, environmentalists don't give a s*** about the planet. They don't care about the planet. Not in the abstract they don't. Not in the abstract they don't. You know what they're interested in? A clean place to live. Their own habitat. They're worried that some day in the future, they might be personally inconvenienced. Narrow, unenlightened self-interest doesn't impress me.

Besides, there is nothing wrong with the planet. Nothing wrong with the planet. The planet is fine. The PEOPLE are f***ed. Difference. Difference! The planet is fine. Compared to the people, the planet is doing great. Been here four and a half billion years. Did you ever think about the arithmetic? The planet has been here four and a half billion years. We've been here, what? A hundred thousand? Maybe two hundred thousand? And we've only been engaged in heavy industry for a little over two hundred years. Two hundred years versus four and a half billion. And we have the CONCEIT to think that somehow we're a threat? That somehow we're gonna put in jeopardy this beautiful little blue-green ball that's just a-floatin' around the sun?

The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through all kinds of things worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles; hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors; worlwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages... And we think some plastic bags, and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet... the planet... the planet isn't going anywhere. WE ARE!

We're going away. Pack your s***, folks. We're going away. And we won't leave much of a trace, either. Thank God for that. Maybe a little styrofoam. Maybe. A little styrofoam. The planet will be here and we'll be long gone. Just another failed mutation. Just another closed-end biological mistake. An evolutionary cul-de-sac. The planet will shake us off like a bad case of fleas. A surface nuisance.

You wanna know how the planet is doing? Ask those people at Pompeii, who are frozen into position from volcanic ash, "How the planet's doing?" You wanna know if the planet's all right, ask those people in Mexico City or Armenia or a hundred other places buried under thousands of tons of earthquake rubble, if they feel like a threat to the planet this week. Or how about those people in Kilowaia, Hawaii, who built their homes right next to an active volcano, and then wonder why they have lava in the living room.

The planet will be here for a long, long — LONG — time after we're gone, and it will heal itself; it will cleanse itself, because that's what it does. It's a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover; the earth will be renewed; and, if it's true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: the Earth plus plastic! The Earth doesn't share our prejudice towards plastic. Plastic came out of the Earth. The Earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the Earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn't know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old philosophical question, "Why are we here?" "Plastic! A**holes."

So! So, the plastic is here, our job is done, we can be phased out now. And I think that it has already started already, don't you? I think, to be fair, the planet probably sees us as a mild threat. Something to be dealt with. And I am sure the planet will defend itself in the manner of a large organism, like a beehive or an ant colony, and muster a defense. I am sure the planet will think of something. What would you do if you were the planet trying to defend against this pesky, troublesome species?

"Let's see... What might... Hmm.. Viruses! Viruses might be good. They seem vulnerable to viruses. And, uh...viruses are tricky, always mutating and forming new strains whenever a vaccine is developed. Perhaps, this first virus could be one that compromises the immune system of these creatures. Perhaps a human immunodeficiency virus, making them vulnerable to all sorts of other diseases and infections that might come along. And maybe it could be spread sexually, making them a little reluctant to engage in the act of reproduction."

Well, that's a poetic note. And it's a start. And I can dream, can't I? See I don't worry about the little things: bees, trees, whales, snails. I think we're part of a greater wisdom than we will ever understand. A higher order. Call it what you want. Know what I call it? The Big Electron." The Big Electron...whoooa. Whoooa. Whoooa. It doesn't punish; it doesn't reward; it doesn't judge at all. It just is. And so are we. For a little while.


Good News: effective April 22nd, the EPA will fine you $35,000 if you replace 10 windows in your own home 'incorrectly'

Now that the salt wars have died down a bit -- and you begin to think the federal government couldn't become any more intrusive -- the EPA shows up to happily disabuse you of your quaint notions. In that context, please consider the "major new EPA rules" that go into effect on 22 April, which dramatically increase the cost, complexity and penalties associated with construction projects. As for you home handymen? You're specifically targeted.

If your home or commercial property was built before 1978, the EPA will fine you $3,500 for each 'incorrect' sanding, cutting and rehab project. Which means if Joe Homeowner replaces 10 windows in a home incorrectly, he will face a $35,000 fine.

According to the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), construction activities performed in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 which can create hazardous lead dust and chips that are harmful to children and adults must be conducted by RRP-certified renovation firms, using renovators with EPA RRP- accredited training, and following the work practice requirements of the rule.

The EPA said 'lead paint is in most pre-1978 homes. We estimate about 38 million homes and apartment units, or 40 percent of the housing stock, contains lead paint.' The Agency’s new law will require all contractors be certified to remove lead paint. Previously, no certification was required and homeowners could ''opt-out'' of lead-safe practices if no children under six years old or pregnant women lived in the house.

The EPA says the new law will only increase average jobs about $100. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimates the new law will increase home repair costs by between $500 and $1,500 per job.

Sean Lintow Sr., owner of SLS Construction, has already spent the money to become certified. He estimates one third of his jobs will be affected by the rule changes. He says he "will need to buy new equipment to comply with the rules, and I will always need someone certified on site."

Lintow said he also expects cleanup will longer. For example, instead of throwing drywall into a dumpster, his workers will have to first remove any hardware (like nails and screws), wrap the drywall in plastic, and take it out of the house in trash bags. Then he'll have to wait at least an hour after cleaning to determine if any lead dust is present.

Unelected bureaucrats at the EPA, like the old Soviet Politburo, are dreaming up regulation after regulation, dictate after dictate; they are inventing new rules to steal more and more of your freedom.

When the federal government can tell you how much water can flow through your shower head, how many gallons your toilet tank can hold, how much salt you can put in your soup, what kind of toilet paper you can use, what kind of light bulbs you must buy -- when they can do all of those things, there are no limits to their power. They are no longer a federal government but have become instead a national government.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but as it pertains to government encroaching on our bathrooms, the modern Democrat Party is using the Constitution as toilet paper.


Larwyn's Linx: 83% of Phoenix homicide warrants are issued for illegals

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

83% of Phoenix murder warrants issued for illegal aliens: FAM
Deportation? Sí, Se Puede!: RWN
Fighting Statism: AT

More evidence Dems freaking out about 2010: Wizbang
Insurers Need Permission to Survive; Citizens, to Live: PJM
Are Jewish students safe on California campuses?: AT

Economy

Say, wouldn't more financial regulation be great?: Mish
GM: Repaying You With Your Money: CFB
Mickey Kaus, Union Fighter?: RWN

‘The Cartel’ sees teacher unions’ grip as crippling: Globe
Home Sales: Distressing Gap: CalRisk
President Obama: where are the handcuffs?: Denninger

Climate & Energy

White House: churches should promote climate agenda: WklyStd
'Save the F***in' Planet? I'm Getting Tired of That S***': AmDigest

Media

Re ‘South Park,’ the Silence of the Media Lambs Continues: Big Journalism
I think Steve Benen’s about to wet himself.: RWN
‘Victory’ Over Obama? Hannity Shows How It Can Be Done: PJM

Prime Time Slime: Larry King Says Sarah Palin Should Pose for Playboy: RWN
The quote that isn't a quote: InstaPundit
Word Around the Net: Let Us Now Praise Bloggers You Don't Know: AmDigest

Comedy Central: Please Behead Us Last: Driscoll
Deconstructing WaPo poison pills reporting on Israel: AT

World

Truman Was Right; Netanyahu Would Be Right: AT
The Right Not To Obey Islamic Law: Greenroom
Amnesty International Votes for “Defensive” Jihad: Glazov

'Muslim' who threatened South Park creators, a U.S. convert who lives with mommy: Creeping Sharia
French Muslims feel stigmatised in veil row: Maktoob

SciTech

China fails to hose one American: Denninger
AT&T, Verizon Subscriber Growth Falling: InformationWeek
2010: A Space Odyssey: MOTUS

Cornucopia

The Circumnambulation of Queen Anne: A Walk Around My Neighborhood: AmDigest
CSI: Asheville: MOTUS
Once upon a time in Utah: Dewey

Image: Maktoob
Today's Larwyn's Linx Sponsored By: Republican State Leadership Committee.

QOTD: "Frankly, I don't know what it is about California, but we seem to have a strange urge to elect really obnoxious women to high office. I'm not bragging, you understand, but no other state, including Maine, even comes close. When it comes to sending left-wing dingbats to Washington, we're number one. There's no getting around the fact that the last time anyone saw the likes of Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Maxine Waters, and Nancy Pelosi, they were stirring a cauldron when the curtain went up on 'Macbeth'. The four of them are like jackasses who happen to possess the gift of blab. You don't know if you should condemn them for their stupidity or simply marvel at their ability to form words." -- columnist Burt Prelutsky, LA Times


Saturday, April 24, 2010

Kudos to Lindsey Graham: Defer, Deflect and Delay Energy Tax

I've given Lindsey Graham plenty of grief over the years, but he deserves our praise today if Ben Geman's report is accurate.

Monday climate bill rollout scuttled as Graham decides to walk away


Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) decision to walk away from Senate talks on climate change and energy legislation – at least for now – has prompted the measure's remaining architects to scuttle Monday’s planned unveiling of the bill.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who is crafting the bill with Graham and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), announced what he called a temporary postponement and said he remained committed to action this year on a sweeping climate and energy measure.

...Graham is upset over Democratic plans to take up immigration legislation this year – he accuses Democratic leaders of pushing forward immigration “haphazardly” and calls it an election-year political gambit.

Kerry praised Graham’s work on the climate effort and expressed hope that he would rejoin the initiative "once the politics of immigration are resolved," but vowed to press ahead one way or the other.

If Graham is doing his best to delay and deflect the National Social Democrat agenda, I salute him.

His office number is 202-224-5972. You can help strengthen his resolve by offering a word of encouragement.