League of Extraordinary Republicans's topics - tribe.net

Back in time

2008-10-07T00:03:06Z

I think, BHO will win, and be a J. Carter.

Palin will win 2012 and .....

the time is to simelar to 1976, and BHO has the same stuff as J. Carter.

Just a thought

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

unofficial poll

2008-10-06T18:40:53Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/sexslaves/thread/ebafea53-e406-4fdb-b70c-b2e189fe58f6

is steven argue

a) an alt
b) insane.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 35 replies

Sept 11th Conspiracy Theories

2008-10-06T17:08:47Z

What is everybody's position on Sept 11th conspiracies. I'm just curious. Personally they are starting to make this grumpy old man a grumpy old man indeed.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 10 replies

contributors to the meltdown

2008-10-06T13:42:46Z

learned a few things from the FT today.

freddie/fannie were privatized under Johnson.

the Fed flooded the markets with liquidity right before 2000 to stem paranoia over the Y2K bug.

20 year T-bills were nixed which sparked the demand for mortgage backed securities.

it is pretty amazing what you can learn from a legitimate news source. but of course the turds on tribe thumb their noses at anachronisms that still read the paper.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

margin of error

2008-10-05T03:22:16Z

had a BS session with an old proff of mine today. and he brought up an interesting factoid.

one thing, the margin of error doesn't necessarily apply to leads as opposed to single estimates. so the moe is relevant when they report the percentage of voters leaning towards obama. and it applies to the percentage of voters leaning towards mccain. but the moe should almost be doubled when reporting on the relative difference between the estimated percentages for the two candidates.

I still think McCain is toast. but it's not necessarily as dire as it seems.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

probably one of those nixon/kennedy things

2008-10-02T06:52:43Z

I caught the debate on the radio. overall, both candidates did well. McCain dominated the first part on the economy surprisingly. The exchange on Pakistan and Georgia also. Obama wasn't bad. but I'd give it to McCain.

but of course I'm a fascist monster, labeled a Rushbot even though I never listen to the guy. so what does my opinion matter.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 44 replies

strangers with candy

2008-09-29T07:42:17Z

caught disc 2 on netflix. I'd like everyone to watch the episode entitled "let freedom ring" interspersed with old news footage from the Jenna 6 protests.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

AC/DC releasing Black Ice 10/20/08

2008-09-29T07:37:04Z

"Brian wails about skies on fire, blood in his eyes, storms raging, lightning flashes, hard rain and pretty women...Angus Young shreds throughout...Malcom Young, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd — are solid as a rock."

~ Rolling Stone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Ice_(album)

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

The Democrats' last chance

2008-09-25T14:04:24Z

I sincerely believe that the Democrats exist in power to the extent that they do only by the the extreme efforts of a "news" establishment that has them on intensive life support. For the last eight years we have been pummeled from all sides about how horrible the Republicans are, what evil monsters Dick Cheney and Karl Rove are, etc. There is really only one Republican leaning newspaper that I am familiar with (The Washington Times). Kids voting for the first time this election have been hearing nothing but piss and vinegar about the Democrats since they were 8 years old. And yet Obama and McCain are still in a statistical tie.

One would think that the Democrats should have run completely away with things by now if a casual foreign observer were to watch our media. They would get the impression that everyone hates the Republicans, loves the Democrats, and that liking a Republican is the epitome of "uncool". Just watch the emmy awards!

But for all the massive spending, for all the fawning press, for all the Barbara Walters' "we think you are a very sexy man" comments and thrills running up news anchors' legs, they are still a tie. Fox News draws more viewers in a day than CNN and MSNBC combined. In prime time, Fox draws more than twice CNN's viewers. MSNBC had their biggest week ever finishing 15th in the ratings lineup. 15th.

I don't see how the media can pour on any more. I really don't see how they can add any more propping up to the Democrats than they already are. If the Democrats lose this one, the networks are going to be forced to make a business decision. Are they a political charity or are they a business? At what point do they realize that their audience is shrinking and maybe it is because they have managed to make a mockery of the journalism trade and at the same time alienate half the population of the country. They are not reaching out to undecided voters or trying to convince the other side anymore. They are preaching to an ever shrinking choir.

If the Democrats lose this one, I think it is going to be game over. They are going to be toast for a very, very long time.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

The Mistress of Disaster

2008-09-23T02:57:39Z

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2008/09/jamie-gorelick-mistress-of-disaster.html

Apparently she ran FNMA into the ground while collecting millions (26 million, in fact) for herself. In the meantime, FNMA shoveled millions of dollars to politicians. The top ten are here:

Dodd, Christopher J S CT D $165,400
Obama, Barack S IL D $126,349
Kerry, John S MA D $111,000
Bennett, Robert F S UT R $107,999
Bachus, Spencer H AL R $103,300
Blunt, Roy H MO R $96,950
Kanjorski, Paul E H PA D $96,000
Bond, Christopher S 'Kit' S MO R $95,400
Shelby, Richard C S AL R $80,000
Reed, Jack S RI D $78,250
Reid, Harry S NV D $77,000
Clinton, Hillary S NY D $76,050

It is hard to reform an organization that is funneling this kind of money (about 5 million dollars) to politicians.

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

No'Bama's Legislation that he says addresses the banking issues

2008-09-22T03:01:02Z

No'Bama's Legislation that he says addresses the banking issues

I keep hearing about No'Bama’s bill to stop fraud abuse and waste.
OK He co sponsored a bill. So what is this bill that he seems willing to hang his entire resume on?

It’s the "stop fraud act." And it does absolutely nothing but make something illegal that was already a serious felony. It looks like it was cut and pasted from other legislation and probably took an intern a half hour to put together.

Obama’s great resume stuffer is absolutely meaningless tripe (at best). It changes nothing, prevents nothing, offers zero guidance to lenders or resellers of mortgages and wasted a fair bit of taxpayer’s money.

No'Bama is a fucking liar and he expects that you are too damn stupid to bother to look behind his smoke and mirrors

Here is the bill:
If you can find even one single thing that it does that wasn’t already covered by the law’s before, please tell me about it.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Stopping Transactions which Operate to Promote Fraud, Risk, and Underdevelopment Act' or the `STOP FRAUD Act'.

SEC. 2. MORTGAGE FRAUD.

(a) In General- Chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

`Sec. 1351. Mortgage fraud

`(a) In General- It shall be unlawful for any mortgage professional to knowingly execute, or attempt to execute, a scheme or artifice--
`(1) to defraud any natural person or financial institution in connection with the offer or extension of consumer credit (as such term is defined in subsections (e) and (h) under section 103 of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1602(e) and (h))), which credit is, or is to be, secured by an interest--
`(A) in real property; or
`(B) in personal property used or expected to be used as the principal dwelling (as such term is defined under section 103(v) of the Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1602(v))) of the natural person to whom such consumer credit is offered or extended; or
`(2) to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, any money or property, including without limitation in the form of fees or charges, from a natural person in connection with an extension of consumer credit secured by an interest--
`(A) in real property; or
`(B) in personal property used or expected to be used as the principal dwelling of such natural person;
`(b) Penalty- Any person who violates paragraph (1) shall be fined not more than $5,000,000, or imprisoned not more than 35 years, or both.
`(c) Private Right of Action by Persons Aggrieved- Any person aggrieved by a violation of this section, or any regulation under this section may, but shall not be required to, file suit in any district court of the United States having jurisdiction of the parties to such suit--
`(1) without respect to the amount in controversy;
`(2) without regard to the citizenship of the parties; and
`(3) without regard to exhaustion of any administrative remedies.
`(d) Rule of Construction- Nothing in this section shall be construed to modify, lessen, or otherwise affect any other provision of this title relating to the rights afforded to financial institutions.
`(e) Definition- As used in this section, the term `mortgage professional' includes real estate appraisers, real estate accountants, real estate attorneys, real estate brokers, mortgage brokers, mortgage underwriters, mortgage processors, mortgage settlement companies, mortgage title companies, mortgage loan originators, and any other provider of professional services engaged in the mortgage process.'.
(b) Table of Sections- The table of sections for chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 1350 the following:
`1351. Mortgage fraud.'.
(c) Conforming Amendment- Section 3293(2) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking `or 1343' and inserting `, 1343, or 1351'.

SEC. 3. MANDATORY REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

(a) Definition of Financial Institution- Section 5312(a)(2)(U) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by--
(1) inserting `and companies' after `persons';
(2) inserting `, transactions,' after `closings'; and
(3) inserting after `settlements' the following: `, including the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Government National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, mortgage appraisers, real estate accountants, real estate attorneys, real estate brokers, mortgage underwriters, mortgage processors, mortgage settlement and title companies, mortgage brokers, mortgage loan originators, and any other mortgage professional engaged in the mortgage industry'.
(b) Regulations-
(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall issue regulations to implement the amendments made in subsection (a).
(2) CONTENT OF REGULATION- A regulation required under paragraph (1) shall include a requirement that any suspicious activity by an individual or entity described in section 5312(a)(2)(U) be reported to the Secretary of the Treasury.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to implement the regulations issued under subsection (b).

SEC. 4. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INDUSTRY COMMUNICATION.

(a) In General- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall establish a system by which mortgage brokers, lenders, and other authorized mortgage professionals may register and receive updates from Federal law enforcement agencies on--
(1) suspicious activity trends in the mortgage industry; and
(2) mortgage fraud-related convictions.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to establish and maintain the system required under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. DEBARRED OR CENSURED MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL DATABASE.

(a) Establishment-
(1) IN GENERAL- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish a Debarred or Censured Mortgage Professional Database that may be accessed by authorized banks and mortgage professionals to determine the Federal and State bar status of mortgage professionals regulated by any Federal or State agency.
(2) PRIVATE CERTIFICATION BOARDS- Any widely accepted private certification board shall have authority to access, maintain, and update the Debarred or Censured Mortgage Professional Database established in paragraph (1) for purposes of adding or removing the information of any mortgage professional contained in such Database.
(3) DEFINITION OF WIDELY ACCEPTED PRIVATE CERTIFICATION BOARD- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall determine the definition of the term `widely accepted private certification board'.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to establish and maintain the database required under subsection (a).

SEC. 6. HOUSING COUNSELING.

Section 106 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 1701x), is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(g) Counseling for Mortgage Fraud-
`(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary is authorized to provide, or contract with public or private organizations to provide, information, advice, counseling, and technical assistance to tenants, homeowners, and other consumers with respect to mortgage fraud, as such activity is described in section 1351 of title 18, United States Code.
`(2) PREFERENCE FOR STATES WITH HIGHER INCIDENTS OF MORTGAGE FRAUD- In distributing any funds authorized under paragraph (3), the Secretary shall give preference to those States with the highest rates of mortgage fraud, as such rates are determined by--
`(A) the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and
`(B) mortgage industry statistics.
`(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000, to implement the provisions of this subsection.'.

SEC. 7. STATE APPRAISAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.

(a) In General- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall provide grants to State appraisal agencies to improve the monitoring and enforcement of housing appraisal regulations in that State.
(b) Application- Each State appraisal agency seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c) Preference for States With Higher Incidents of Mortgage Fraud- In distributing any grant amounts authorized under this section, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall give preference to those States with the highest rates of mortgage fraud, as such rates are determined by--
(1) the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and
(2) mortgage industry statistics.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000, to implement the provisions of this section.

SEC. 8. LAW ENFORCEMENT GRANTS TO STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.

(a) In General- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall provide grants to assist State and local law enforcement agencies in--
(1) establishing and improving mortgage fraud task forces; and
(2) improving communications regarding mortgage fraud cases between such agencies and other Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies.
(b) Application- Each State or local law enforcement agency seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Attorney General at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General may require.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated $40,000,000, to implement the provisions of this section.

SEC. 9. ADDITIONAL DOJ FUNDING.

In addition to any other amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated under this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General $5,000,000, to increase mortgage fraud investigation efforts undertaken by the Departm

Credits:
This bill's language was first posted by Dustin here uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/...50e20741

Thanks Dustin. It is always a good when Someone is smart enough to pull the curtains back and take a peek

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Palin's email

2008-09-19T01:51:52Z

Looks like this is going to hit the news soon. There's a good chance the person who hacked her email account is the son or stepson of a Democratic state senator for Tennessee. He left a clue and I have been watching a thread on the net as people have apparently tracked him down. The way he did it was pretty simple. He simply hit the "i forgot my passwod" link, he was able to figure out the answers to the security questions it asked and he was able to change the password and then access the account. He isn't all THAT savvy and in a posting after the fact let slip a little piece of information that has been used to possibly unravel his identity.

I don't want to say too much now, but if it is true, it will be hitting the news in the morning. He is over 18 now so if it is him, he will likely be charged with a felony.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

should arnold veto the budget?

2008-09-16T19:16:59Z

http://www.sacbee.com/editorials/story/1239071.html

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 6 replies

Obama just blew up his own campaign.

2008-09-15T14:43:03Z

Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment is his "Macaca" moment. Any woman hearing that is going to cringe. He has now lost whatever support he had among Hillary's base. He is done. He, with two sentences, has destroyed his own campaign. I wonder if Oprah is going to demand that he apologize to women everywhere for that remark.

Obama's 2008 campaign is now over.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 13 replies

More California Union Nonsense

2008-09-15T03:04:08Z

the California budget as some of you know is in the crapper. now the insipidly stupid inevitably blame the repeal of the car tax. but verifiable reality has to do with a skyrocketing payroll budget for civil servants. a lot of you are from california and the potential exists that you might actually care about something other than the farce of a general election. so I'd like to take the opportunity to post some links to a little union slight of hand. and keep in mind, it is the skyrocketing payrolls that are bankrupting the state.

below is a point by point rebuttal by the chancellor of the california state college system dealing with union claims. read the following bullets carefully. if you are able to keep from gouging your eyes out, follow the link.

"Rhetoric:

"If they would provide a real 24 percent increase over four years, I do believe our bargaining team would accept it" (Source: San Francisco Chronicle, CSU faculty rejects offer, plans informational picket, January 30, 2007)

Reality:

The union has demanded in bargaining a four-year contract that includes salary increases amounting to 30.12 percent, which would come at a cost of approximately $472 million to taxpayers and students.

Rhetoric:

"In fact, over half of our faculty earn less than $43,000 a year."(Source: Ventura County Star, CSU is mulling major strike, February 22, 2007)

Reality:

What the union is not saying is that an average salary of $43,913 is paid to part-time lecturers, who account for about 11,700 out of the 23,300 faculty members employed throughout CSU. Many of these part-time lecturers earn additional income outside of CSU. The average salary for a full-time faculty member is $74,142 for nine months of work."

http://www.csudh.edu/univadv/newsroom/2007/DH07_JH42.html

got that. the union comprises 11700 part-time employees and 23300 full-time faculty members. so part-time lecturers are implicitly granted tenure after something like a year of service. how exactly does that dilution of benefits relate to full-time employees? think about it.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

And so it begins ...

2008-09-12T20:01:12Z

It is now official. The Democrats are in a panic and it isn't just in the Presidential race. There is an increasing anxiety that the wheels have fallen off the cart and it might even reach into other national elections such as Congress:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c2f69ce-8031-11dd-99a9-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Tom Cruise looks great in Valkyrie

2008-09-12T05:11:18Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iontzhLU3g

he really got into character.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Lancet: Iraq Mortality Study

2008-09-12T05:04:33Z

1) still have not released data for a full peer review.
2) have not accounted for systematic bias by releasing the IDs of interviewers.
3) cannot account for the fact that the sex ratio has yet to reflect the high male mortality rate claimed by the study.

... but nobody really seems to give a shit that a political ideologue decided to subvert the scientific method and the integrity of a medical journal because he feels his political opinion trumps everything else... even the truth.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 8 replies

increase the budget all you like

2008-09-11T23:13:53Z

governments will just grow to spend it all.

"City governments throughout the Sacramento region spent money at a rate that outpaced population growth during the boom years of this decade – and they're now living with a sobering morning after.

From 2001 to 2007, the area's population jumped 25 percent. But local government expenditures – adjusted for inflation – grew about 50 percent to roughly $2 billion, according to a Bee analysis of financial reports from every city in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado counties."

http://www.sacbee.com/localgov/story/1163073.html

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 3 replies

prison guard union gives 602K to Don Perata

2008-09-11T05:02:55Z

"At the same time, it has given $602,000 to outgoing state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata's campaign to defeat Schwarzenegger's redistricting plan on the Nov. 4 ballot, Proposition 11, which would hand over the job of drawing legislative boundaries to a commission."

"The anti-Jimenez unionists have also raised questions about bonuses being paid to union executives and a deal under which a union VP bought a Sacramento home for $149,000 below asking price. The seller: the guards union itself. It had used the house to billet union officials while they were in the capital."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/10/BA5J12R42S.DTL

"Adam Mendelsohn, a senior adviser to Schwarzenegger, said Tuesday that the recall effort is aimed at forcing the Republican governor into agreeing to a new labor contract for the prison guards union."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/10/BA5J12R42S.DTL

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Worked his way through college?

2008-09-10T15:11:49Z

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=305508174916939

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

take that hippie!!!

2008-09-10T06:42:14Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvluHfTVrdU

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you.

2008-09-04T05:20:12Z

Palin. Sorry I ever doubted you.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Burning Man - Best Week I Ever Had in SF

2008-09-02T00:37:55Z

Go Playa With Yourself
Violet Blue explains why sex in the city is so much better during Burning Man

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/08/28/violetblue.DTL

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

Genius!!!

2008-09-01T23:45:25Z

McCain and his campaign staff are fucking geniuses. I didn't get it at first but now the whole thing has sunk in. bait the trap with a sympathetic woman and let the left hang itself.

If I had any doubts before they are gone.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

sick of the whining

2008-09-01T16:40:00Z

sick of the single mother.

sick of the lazy asshole that lost his job.

sick of the moron that took out a risky loan and went into foreclosure.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 3 replies

ha ha ha

2008-09-01T16:35:42Z

http://tinyurl.com/5w8vuk

Leftists on parade

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

the old whore gets political

2008-08-29T02:01:44Z

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/john-mccain-slams-madonna-for-comparing-him-to-hitler/12393?nc

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

stop posting?

2008-08-26T20:52:12Z

consider it. what is the purpose of arguing in the !* politics *! tribe anyway?

for the last couple years the game is for some idiot that thinks they are left-wing to post something outrageous and intended to piss one of us off. we respond. they bait the trap with the usual names and stereotypes. and then we respond. and then they whine about how offensive we are.

it is a collective joke and we play right into it. and the fact is that without our participation, the tribe would be an echo chamber of the absurd... eventually, it would die on the vine as increasingly insane morons dominate the forum. so I'm beginning to think that the best solution is to let the shitheads have their utopia.

what say thee?

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 11 replies

And Obama's running mate is ...

2008-08-26T06:05:48Z

http://www.someguywithawebsite.com/blogarchive/week_2008_08_17.html#002614

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 5 replies

so?

2008-08-23T02:26:19Z

do you think when obama announces his VP choice, the sky will open and all will be right with the world?

I hate to violate social norms and all, but holy proof-positive that social engineering works... those marketing consultants and campaign strategists are worth every penny.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

be afraid. be very afraid.

2008-08-22T18:06:48Z

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3327747/9346618

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 6 replies

didn't we fight a civil war over this?

2008-08-21T00:35:09Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/lads4dads/thread/725ea756-6368-4c39-849b-3c9d9a8404a1

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Let the Olympics be about the Atheletes

2008-08-14T14:39:24Z

I'm kind of annoyed that President Bush felt the need to further politicize the games with his comments on human rights. Our country as a whole has its problems and it just smacks of hypocrisy when we start shaking our finger at China. I'm not saying that there isn't a time and a place. But the Olympics is about the games and the athletes. Let the activist circus do its thing some other time.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

Obama finally finishes his waffle!

2008-08-11T17:36:16Z

Q: You've been talking about those limited missions for a long time. Having gone there and talked to both diplomatic and military folks, do you have a clearer idea of how big a force you'd need to leave behind to fulfill all those functions?

A: I do think that's entirely conditions-based. It's hard to anticipate where we may be six months from now, or a year from now, or a year and a half from now.

conditions-based? Obama adopting the George W. Bush position?

http://www.newsweek.com/id/148986/output/print

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 3 replies

The recession that wasn't

2008-08-11T16:33:53Z

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Expansion accelerated modestly in the second quarter as government stimulus payments helped consumers add more buying punch to the economy, a Commerce Department report on Thursday showed.

Gross Domestic Product or GDP grew at a 1.9 percent annual rate, up from a revised 0.9 percent rate in the first quarter that previously was reported as 1 percent"

So this is the first "recession" in history that has accelerating economic growth and no negative GDP. In other words ... there is no recession in the economics sense. It is a recession in the minds of the news media who want to create one. Most people don't look at economic news and pretty much just listen to the news media. If you ask someone a year from now when the last recession was, they will tell you it was now when in fact there actually was no recession. It was a period of slower expansion, but there was no economic recession. We have now come to the point where we are so spoiled by the longest period of economic expansion in our history that we believe that reduced growth is shrinkage.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 7 replies

Deflating Global Warming Hysteria

2008-08-11T16:26:13Z

Apparently global temperatures are cooling fast according to satellite measurements:

http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog/may_global_4th_coldest_in_uah_msu_satellite_record/

Ground-based measurements can be misleading for several reasons. First, ground measurements have been eliminating places that are cooling from equation leaving warm places to have more influence. Land use change surrounding the stations is a major factor. When you cut down a forest and plant sugar, you change the temperature of the surrounding area. Temperatures are often "adjusted". This has been called "torturing the data until it tells the 'truth'". These "adjustments" are done in such a way as to maximize the appearance of global warming.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/05/goddard_nasa_thermometer/print.html

The truth is that there has been no warming at all since 2002 and we have seen cooling since 1998 when we experienced the mother of all el nino events.

Ground station measurements claiming "hottest month ever" notwithstanding.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 28 replies

Pay raises recommended for top city officials

2008-08-08T07:32:45Z

Pay raises recommended for top city officials; Sacramento City Council to decide
By Terri Hardy

"Sacramento's top administrators are in line to collect a 4 percent pay increase, a plan sure to draw scrutiny as the city struggles with looming layoffs and budget cuts.

Under the proposal, City Manager Ray Kerridge would make $223,871, City Attorney Eileen Teichert $196,560 and City Clerk Shirley Concolino $133,244, according to a just-released city report.

City Treasurer Russ Fehr, who was recently promoted, would not receive a pay hike, the report said. His annual draw would remain at $165,006. "

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1141536.html

??? did I actually read this?

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

Defining Political Correctness and Its Non-Impact

2008-08-08T07:24:26Z

Caught this off David Kane's Ephblog. Thought you might find it interesting.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/25/pc

the study identifies a "politically correct" cohort based on common beliefs associated with "political correctness." the study confirms suspicions of certain majors being dominated by professors identified as PC. it goes on to demonstrate that unPC seem to be more successful.

the study may be flawed. but it's fun to pick apart the design and who knows. it may suggest we carry around our own bias.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Cliff?

2008-08-06T15:43:26Z

is it just me or are you a bit surprised in regards to the amount of hate we're generating? bizarre.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 6 replies

good times make the bad times worse

2008-08-02T07:11:29Z

so you've heard one side of the story about the governor of California laying off temporary workers and cutting the salary of state employees to below minimum wage. and of course everyone is going to blame prop 13.

but slow down and think about it for a second. we came off record revenues in 2000. there was a slight dip and then we had the housing boom. and during that time, gray davis grew the government proportional to the increased revenue... in fact he beat lungren and the second boob by hiring more teachers and growing services. sure there was the blip with the Enron rolling blackouts. that does not wipe away the obvious fact that in the face of increased revenue, the government grew proportionally.

and even during the housing boom, it became obvious that the rate of spending was unsustainable. so we recalled the governor and chose Schwarzeneger. and in good confidence, he set about cutting government waste and bringing in line the salaries of nurses, firemen, teachers and police in order to shore up the budget to avoid the crisis we are in now. and the unions coalesced and his initiatives were defeated in a special election.

and then came a massive lawsuit against the prison system that resulted in the doubling of medical staff with a proportional bump in salary. that salary increase rippled through the government bureaucracy and suddenly the number of employees earning over 200K skyrocketed... in the face of a growing debt and accelerated deficit spending.

and here we are. and in the face of a recession, the democrats want to increase taxes on business and the wealthy. exactly what a state devastated by the housing crisis needs. and to top it off, the top names being circulated for governorship are none other than willie brown and gavin newsom. both sf mayors that despite increasing revenue spent the city into debt and then some.

anyway. there is the democrat miracle that supposedly will save us from all the irresponsible behavior of the republicans.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 5 replies

Stupid Rating

2008-08-01T22:36:54Z

I propose a tribe stupid rating. you hit the major tribes and get a snapshot of the ridiculous shit people are babbling about and then feed it into some kind of function. we could even color code it to be as meaningless as that homeland threat security rubbish.

I seem to remember as early as clinton versus dole that people were having fairly meaningful arguments. this particular cycle, a fair number of people are just reciting what they read and hear from cable news and online blogs. right down to the made-up terms and choice of phrase.

perhaps, the next time I'll just acknowledge the originator. you know, something like, "good point, Chris Matthews said that."

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 14 replies

Callahan's Principle

2008-07-31T23:22:57Z

You can't argue with stupid.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

what you aren't hearing about the CA budget crisis

2008-07-30T06:29:31Z

I had to go back a few months to find an article from the Sacramento Bee that sheds light on the Governor's decision to go after the government employee payroll.

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/758004.html

"The highest-paid 10 percent of state workers earn a median annual salary of $107,580, up almost 25 percent from November 2003, state records show. That's a much bigger increase than most state employees saw; the median salary for all other state employees during that period rose 14 percent.

Both trends mirror the two-tier system of remuneration occurring in the private sector as well. Across California, median salaries for the highest-paid private-sector workers rose more quickly than the salaries of the rest of the work force from 2001 to 2006, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics."

the effect of the prison lawsuit:

"Much of the leap in six-figure salaries is related to the legal tussle involving prison health care. Noting high vacancy rates among positions for prison doctors and other health professionals, authorities in three separate federal court cases raised pay.

The impact was huge. In February 2008, the 1,000 highest-paid staff members at the Department of Corrections – the vast majority of them medical professionals – together earned annual salaries of $198 million. That's $68 million more than they earned in January 2007."

and most importantly... the pay spiral:

"The changes in state prisons had a ripple effect. One state agency got the governor to raise its salaries, arguing that otherwise their medical professionals would jump to jobs covered under the three court cases."

please read the entire article. consider subscribing to the sacramento bee. and refuse to accept the abridged story that you're being fed in the main press.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Legalize freedom first

2008-07-28T23:33:00Z

Libertarianism (classical liberalism) differentiates itself quite readily with modern conservatism. the "Neo-Conservative" movement is startlingly similar to the aberrations of socialism of the mid 20th century. It banks heavily on the notion that the state knows best how to protect the individual, as opposed to the individual (and a modestly large cache of weaponry) knowing best how to protect himself. Ironically, so do modern liberals, although they somehow manage to delude themselves into believing that the individual can somehow protect himself without any privately held weaponry. While modern liberals seek to shake themselves from the yoke of self imposed guilt at a century of being a super power, the neo conservative revels in it and seeks a hegemony of US sovereignty through bellicose foreign policy to back a fraudulent economic ponzi scheme underwriting conspicuous consumption of an upper middle class. To the neo-conservative, manifest destiny was the forerunner to a modern, more global version with the understanding that this is the most wonderful nation on earth, and anyone or anything who stands in the way of our conspicuous consumption must be bulldozed by any means necessary. While libertarians espouse a "live and let live"philosophy where borders are mere formalities to the necessary evil of where one corrupt government boundary ends and another begins, liberals actively seek to undermine US sovereignty by establishing a "one world government" to check their self loathing at American imperialism, whereas neoconservatives seek to undermine US sovereignty by creating an North American Union to better position America as the natural leader of the western hemisphere - hand have cheap labor sources and more natural resources to boot.

So speaking as a libertarian about the left and the right:

We have a love of freedom
They have a love of destroying the freedoms they each despise

We seek to return to constitutionally limited government with checks and balances respected
They seek to bolster the power of the executive (only when their candidate is in office)
and corrupt the judiciary (with right wing nut or liberal loon activist judges)

We respect all nations as abstract frameworks of corrupt power that beset individuals who are captive to them
They seek to cause divisions with imagined enemies, or prostrate themselves to alarmingly real ones

We see the value of free enterprise that must be understood within the framework of fair competitive forces
they seek to deregulate all together at the expense of the proletariat, or regulate entirely with shockingly ineffectual bureaucracy.

We say legalize EVERYTHING, but first - legalize freedom.
they say criminalize the things which offend the party planks, but first legalize that which suits their constituencies.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

environmental guy

2008-07-27T06:02:19Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8tfuBIutLI

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 11 replies

The things that make you go "Hmmmm"

2008-07-25T23:21:34Z

What's wrong with this picture?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92592545

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

numbers and targets

2008-07-25T06:21:22Z

here is a blast from the past that illustrates how government targets are set. how they are interpreted. and they are ultimately implemented.

"One issue which caught Tony Blair by surprise in the just-finished UK election was the effect of targets in Britain's National Health Service (NHS). One of those targets requires that patients be able to get an appointment to see a GP within 48 hours. According to this BBC report , some GPs were refusing to let patients make appointments a week in advance because they had to keep slots available for people who wanted appointments within 48 hours. In other words, the 48 hour target had been turned around: in order to guarantee that patients could get in to see their doctor within 48 hours, doctors were refusing to let patients make appointments any longer than 48 hours in advance."

~ A Canadian Econoview

Thursday, May 12, 2005
Targets Make Bad Policy

http://canadianeconoview.blogspot.com/2005/05/targets-make-bad-policy.html

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

screw all that politics crap

2008-07-20T07:35:12Z

this is the real juice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoUsjFXxMU0&feature=related

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Another Unecessary Problem: Cigarette Smuggling

2008-07-15T22:48:27Z

the statistics as far as cost to society are dubious. when someone dies society supposedly loses out on years of productivity. the fact is smoking takes a while to kill you. so you probably get hit with health implications somewhere in your late fifties. you extend that age by denying people something they enjoy and they live longer.... are they happier? who knows. but that extended life means more services and health problems which basically undermine the superficial claims about cost.

and now on to the grim subject of the consequence of prohibition.

How big is the worldwide cigarettesmuggling problem?
authors:
David Merriman, Ayda Yurekli, and Frank J. Chaloupka

some interesting sections:

"Our estimates indicate that between 6% and 8.5% of global cigarette consumption is smuggled."

p 365

"The presence of smuggling constrains the use of higher taxes as one element of a comprehensive tobacco-control policy in at least three important ways. First, smuggling reduces the maximum revenue that can be raised by cigarette taxes since, as tax rates increase, the quantity of smuggled cigarettes is also likely to increase. Second, attempts to control smuggling may absorb both private and law-enforcement resources. Third, smuggling may present opportunities for corruption that lower the legitimacy of law enforcement authorities."

pg 366

see the analysis between the links between disparity in prices between different states/countries.

p 377

policy implications

p. 384

http://www1.worldbank.org/tobacco/tcdc/365TO392.PDF

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 9 replies

California State workers rake in 6-figure OT

2008-07-07T08:33:53Z

from sfgate:

"A nurse at a state prison in Monterey County collected $198,000 in overtime last year - bringing her total pay to more than $310,000.

The chief investment officer for the state's pension system earned $403,000 in bonuses - for a total paycheck of $945,000.

And a deputy chief for the California Highway Patrol collected a lump-sum payout of $103,000, even though she retired almost two years ago and didn't collect a cent of regular pay last year, according to a Chronicle analysis of state workers' pay.

The extra pay is among $2.1 billion given to state employees in 2007 - including overtime, bonuses, premium pay, relocation allowances and lump-sum payouts."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/29/MNHM119M6T.DTL

I realize only people in this tribe seem to give a crap. the jackasses in the other tribes would just start blaming republicans and all that crap. depressing isn't it?

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 5 replies

American Rage

2008-07-07T02:09:13Z

"In American culture, rebellion is such a very important core value for teenagers, even if you don't have anything to rebel about. You could be totally set as far as having the television in your room and the phone and the computer and you're like getting laid and you're smoking dope and everything is groovy. But you still need to feel that you're oppressed in some way, because that's part of how we form our individuality in this culture."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/interviews/seabrook.html

seem to ring a bell with anyone? experience this on tribe lately?

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

Vague Genre Movie

2008-06-30T06:05:18Z

from the archives of Maddox.

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=af08

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Canada's Health System Has Failed

2008-06-27T00:40:09Z

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299282509335931

The founder of government healthcare in Canada says they need to go back to private insurance. Government healthcare doesn't work.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

No'Bama. What is with him - Why can't he do basic math~?

2008-06-26T06:25:09Z

No'Bama thinks it's silly to give people break of about $0.020 per gallon as a way to give some small measure of immediate relief.

No'Bama thinks it is wrong to offer a $300 million dollar prize to any US entity or person that develops a viable automotive battery that meets certain criteria.

No'Bama says he's unwilling to drill for oil.

No'Bama is all about - - - no solutions.

No'Bama wants to impose a multi Trillion dollar entitlement program based government.
but
No'Bama only says he will raise taxes by a couple billion.
No'Bama says he will tax the oil companies to pay for his lunatic schemes and communist dreams.
No'Bama must not be capable of simple addition cause Oil Companies have posted profits in the Billions not the trillions
No'Bama still can't tell you where the money'll come from.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

Not really a Republican ... but

2008-06-25T01:45:39Z

I fear the Republicans less than I fear the Democrats. There currently isn't a political party that represents my personal platform of issues. I would probably want to find a "Personal Responsibility Part" or something like that. Or a "leave me the hell alone" party. Failing those, the Republicans seem the less scary of the available options.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 31 replies

Olberman = Rage Boy for the psycho left

2008-06-24T21:19:06Z

I wrote the following to <letters@msnbc.com> subject line "To the Editor: Olbermann"

The letter says it all.
************************************************************************************************

Some years ago I would watch Keith Olbermann enjoying the program because Olbermann had a way about him that could be entertaining.

That has changed. He became increasingly strident and politically charged becoming the loathsome rage-boy creature of the far left that he is today.

I don’t watch his program. I can not tolerate his ranting, rage filled, arrogant, diatribes which, for the most part, comprise his entire program.

Thank you
[name]

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Holy crap ...

2008-06-23T13:27:25Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R6gcbC9Hz4

Obama is one SCARY dude.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Video Recommendations

2008-06-23T13:19:00Z

Emperor and the Assassin:

history/mythology of the founding of the Qin Dynasty.

http://www.amazon.com/Emperor-Assassin-Haifeng-Ding/dp/B00004STDA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1211958773&sr=1-1

Fall of Eagles:

series that covers the machinations of the royal houses of Europe and their inevitable fall culminating with WWI. for the trekies, Patrick Stewart plays Lenin.

http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Eagles-Bruce-Purchase/dp/B000EMGF2Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1211959025&sr=8-1

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

Mo-Bama No-Bama you suka you

2008-06-23T13:18:02Z

Michelle Obama is a Vive President at a private hospital (Univ of Chicago Hospital) that makes more than 100-Million dollars a year - - - and it charges uninsured minorities more than 3.5 times what it charges insured patients. ( source: American Hospital directory)

In 2005 Obama said that “Hospitals Terrotrize the uninsured.” Yet he says nothing about his wife’s ruthless gouging of poor uninsured minorities at the hospital where she is a VP.

http://tinyurl.com/669ua7

Michelle Obama hospital has spent over 10 million (over two years alone) in collection fees alone just trying to squeeze blood from the poor whom they already overcharged by 3.5 times. ( that is a 350% markup over people with insurance).
The attorney General of Illinois (Lisa Madigan) demanded that Private hospitals like Obama’s provide more charity care (http://tinyurl.com/69gsct) Obama did nothing.

The University of Chicago Hospitals has made over $100,000 in campaign contributions to Obama.

Obama didn’t care when that hospital gave his wife a $200,000 salary increase as soon as he was sworn in to office in the Senate.

He tells Walmart’s union members bitching about CEO salary that there is a “Moral Responsibility to stand up and fight for a better economic future with adequate wages, health care and retirement benefits.”
http://tinyurl.com/556974

In 2005 the CEO of Walmart received $10.5-Million in compensation.
This appalled Obama.

However, Treehouse foods’ CEO was paid $26-Million that same year (source: Crane’s Chicago Business Dec. 11, 2006). Treehouse has revenues that are about 409-times Less than WalMart.

Obama seems not to need to mention that Michelle Obama is on the Board of Directors of Treehouse.

Nor did Obama feel compelled to say anything about Treehouse closing a plant in 2006 making thousands of minorities unemployed – because it was more profitable to shut the plant than to keep it open and fix what was wrong with it.

When Exelon Corporation was failing to report leaks at a Nuclear plant, Senator Obama took charge. Or did he?
http://tinyurl.com/2kpwsw
He drafted legislation that required mandatory and speedy reporting. He loves to tell people that he wrote legislation that more closely regulates the nuvlear industry:

HA HA HE is a liar: That bill he wrote does nothing but make reccomdendations.
The below is from NY Times Feb 03, 2008 issue here http://tinyurl.com/2kpwsw
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
“A close look at the path his legislation took tells a very different story. While he initially fought to advance his bill, even holding up a presidential nomination to try to force a hearing on it, Mr. Obama eventually rewrote it to reflect changes sought by Senate Republicans, Exelon and nuclear regulators. The new bill removed language mandating prompt reporting and simply offered guidance to regulators, whom it charged with addressing the issue of unreported leaks.

Those revisions propelled the bill through a crucial committee. But, contrary to Mr. Obama's comments in Iowa, it ultimately died amid parliamentary wrangling in the full Senate.

"Senator Obama's staff was sending us copies of the bill to review, and we could see it weakening with each successive draft," said Joe Cosgrove, a park district director in Will County, Ill., where low-level radioactive runoff had turned up in groundwater. "The teeth were just taken out of it."

The history of the bill shows Mr. Obama navigating a home-state controversy that pitted two important constituencies against each other and tested his skills as a legislative infighter. On one side were neighbors of several nuclear plants upset that low-level radioactive leaks had gone unreported for years; on the other was Exelon, the country's largest nuclear plant operator and one of Mr. Obama's largest sources of campaign money.

Since 2003, executives and employees of Exelon, which is based in Illinois, have contributed at least $227,000 to Mr. Obama's campaigns for the United States Senate and for president. Two top Exelon officials, Frank M. Clark, executive vice president, and John W. Rogers Jr., a director, are among his largest fund-raisers.
Another Obama donor, John W. Rowe, chairman of Exelon, is also chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the nuclear power industry's lobbying group, based in Washington. Exelon's support for Mr. Obama far exceeds its support for any other presidential candidate.”
http://tinyurl.com/2kpwsw
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

What about that goofy middle name. Is that the only reason Islamist monsters like him?

http://tinyurl.com/5fflby

And yet wasn’t he just today saying that he wanted to be tough on terrorist and stand by Israel always keeping the military option on the table as it regards Israel’s security?? Yah it was he was speaking at the AIPAC.

He really wants it both ways or is it that he only tells the convenient lies to suit the crowd to whom he’s speaking~?

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

Will environmentalism become the new protectionism?

2008-06-23T13:15:20Z

"Recent debates in the wake of the G8 summit leave the impression that environmental standards are to be used as an excuse for protectionist policies."

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2633/is_3_21/ai_n19492987/pg_5

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Voting rights reform

2008-06-23T13:03:32Z

I think there should be an amendment to the Constitution allowing for a poll tax and the following specifics:
1.) $5000.00 per person per federal vote
2.) All persons not voting for 4 elections in a row:
...........(i) automatically lose their civil rights
...........(ii) are subject to either deportation
..............or
...........(iii) conscription to forced labor working in agricultural areas
That should get the rifraff element out of politics.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Algebra I

2008-06-23T07:59:46Z

I'll dispense with the setup. read this article.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/22/INNS11BNGM.DTL

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Astroturfing

2008-06-23T01:47:17Z

Turns out Obama's campaign hands out signs that look home made but are really professionally printed.

http://theunfocused.blogspot.com/2008/02/passing-out-signs-at-obama-rally.html

The idea is to make the level of enthusiasm for Obama look much higher than it really is. Like all these people made their own signs and stuff but really it is all part of the tv show that surrounds Obama.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

How do you gents feel about coal?

2008-06-21T05:35:44Z

From Coal to Fuel
By Vasko Kohlmayer
FrontPageMagazine.com | Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Apart from engendering economic turmoil and worries of many kinds, the skyrocketing price of oil has also done something momentously beneficial: It has created conditions for America’s oil independence by making it economical to extract fuels from coal, our most abundant energy resource.

A sedimentary rock, coal is primarily made up of carbon. Carbon most commonly occurs in stable compounds but when combined with hydrogen it forms volatile substances known as hydrocarbons. Of those, crude oil is the most useful, because when refined it yields flammable fluids such as diesel and gasoline which are used in combustion engines.

As demand for oil began to rise early in the 20th century, scientists became intrigued with the possibility of converting carbon-rich coal into hydrocarbon liquids as a potential replacement for petroleum-derived fuels. Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch, two German scientists, accomplished the feat in the 1920s. Named after its inventors, the Fischer-Tropsch method is a multistage process during which coal is transformed – through gasification and liquefaction – into synthetic diesel and jet grade kerosene.

The method’s practical viability was first seriously tested in the 1940s. Lacking adequate access to oilfields during World War II, Germany built twenty-five coal-to-liquid plants to boost its fuel supplies. The enterprise proved a success and by 1944 the plants were discharging 144,000 barrels of synthetic fuels a day, enough to cover half of the country’s wartime needs.

Some two decades later, South Africa began using the same technology to soften the hardships of its Apartheid isolation. It proved so successful that the program was continued even after the embargo was no longer an issue. Today almost all diesel engines on South Africa’s roads are powered by synthetic coal fuel.

But even after Germany and South Africa demonstrated its efficiency and reliability, the coal-to-fuel technology failed to find wider use. The reason was cost.

Historically the cost of producing a gallon of synthetic fuel has been higher than what it could fetch on the market. Conversion only becomes profitable when crude passes $55 a barrel, because at that price diesel and kerosene begin to sell for more than what it costs to obtain them from coal.

Since until quite recently the price of oil was below that mark, coal-to-fuel conversion was not commercially viable. This is the reason why it was only done in countries that – for one reason or another – lacked adequate access to petroleum-based products.

The roof-shattering march of crude, however, has changed this situation. At today’s prices, conversion would be not only economically practical, but also decidedly profitable. The combination of current market conditions and long-term outlook thus creates a powerful incentive for the private sector to channel money, capital and entrepreneurial energy into the coal liquefaction enterprise.

This should be great news for the United States which with nearly 270 billion tons of recoverable coal leads the world in reserves. To put it in perspective, U.S. coal deposits contain more energy than that of all the planet’s oil reserves put together. So vast is their potential that at a standard conversion rate of two barrels of liquids per one metric ton of coal, America’s fuel needs would be taken care of for well over a century.

This in effect means that as long as the price of crude oil remains above $55 a barrel – and there is every reason to believe it will – America can enjoy fuel self-sufficiency for as long as the eye can see.

It is important to grasp the full import of this: Unlike all the other ideas and proposals for achieving oil independence, coal conversion represents no false hope or wishful thinking but an eminently feasible and realistic possibility.

No new inventions, no technological breakthroughs, no extensive infrastructure modifications, no lengthy testing, no public investment or government incentives are required to make it happen. Everything is already in place to bring it about:

1. America possesses abundant supplies of coal
2. Proven technology exists to convert coal into fuel
3. Market conditions make conversion commercially practical

While the first two conditions have been true for a long time, the third did not come into play until last year. With the rise in price, however, all the necessary prerequisites for America’s fuel self-sufficiency have been met. All that needs to be done is to remove any artificially imposed impediments that may stand in the way. Most of them are in the form of environmental rules and regulations which make energy production such a difficult and problematic enterprise in this country.

As far as the environment is concerned, coal conversion and its derivatives are cleaner than their crude oil counterparts. There is technology to capture the CO2 released during the liquefaction process and the resulting diesel and kerosene have lower sulfur content than those refined in the conventional way. As a result, during the combustion process they release fewer particulates and less nitrogen oxide then their petroleum cousins. Such, in fact, is their purity that they are often referred to as ultra-clean fuels. This should go a long way toward assuaging environmental concerns.

The rising energy prices have made it possible for America to commercially utilize its enormous coal reserves and to become fuel independent in the process. The only thing required at this point is for government not to interfere with market forces which inexorably incline toward this outcome.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 9 replies

no child left behind

2008-06-20T23:52:21Z

so everyone is complaining about teaching to the test. and obviously that is intended to discredit no child left behind.

but the fact is, if you can't pass the material in the test, what right do you have to a diploma? what good is it to hand out these meaningless pieces of paper?

and why is it that kids from third world countries that attend schools that are allowed to discipline children and don't provide a ready-made excuse for being disruptive seem to be able to add and subtract?

the argument inevitably returns to the usual line that we need more money. but the fact is we're throwing good money after bad. the fact is that the teacher's union resists the implementation of standards and pay based on merit and we all know why.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 9 replies

Fedora 9

2008-06-15T07:08:02Z

just installed fedora 9 on an old PC. I must say that was a painless install. things have really come a long way.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 6 replies

We Are Number Two!

2008-06-15T00:11:41Z

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/13/business/emit.php

China has now clearly overtaken the United States as the world's leading emitter of climate-warming gases, a new study has found. The increasing emissions from China - up 8 percent in the past year - accounted for two-thirds of the growth in global greenhouse gas emissions in 2007, the study found.

SO ... what legislation can we pass here to force Chinese to use curly lightbulbs?

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Tim Russert - RIP

2008-06-13T20:16:59Z

Russert was moderator of Meet the Press. While I disagreed with him on many things, I had a lot of respect. He was one of the last respectable TV journalists left. Now it is pretty much all on Brit Hume.

Russert was a good man, and a good son. Read the book he wrote about his dad sometime. An amazing tribute to a father from a son. Fitting for the season too.

Goodbye, old man, I'm going to miss you.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

Inhofe's Energy Bill Comments

2008-06-11T13:06:05Z

“Here we go again. As the price of gas at the pump continues to go up, Democrats are proposing yet another energy tax,” Senator Inhofe said. “The Democrats don’t appear to have learned anything from their stunning defeat of their climate tax bill last week, which over 20% of Democratic Senators could not even support. This week their attempted ‘solution’ to our energy challenges is to raise taxes again and further harm American families.

The Democrats have introduced an energy bill which contains no energy. The Democrats’ bill does nothing to increase access to America’s extensive oil and natural gas reserves, does nothing for the promotion of nuclear energy, does nothing to increase refinery capacity, does nothing for electricity generation or transmission, and does nothing for the utilization of clean coal.

http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=744e7c0a-802a-23ad-49ed-cf07f7c4f77c&Region_id=&Issue_id=

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Aint it the truth

2008-06-04T21:42:49Z

"For a century, an ambitious, arrogant, unscrupulous knowledge class -- social planners, scientists, intellectuals, experts and their left-wing political allies -- arrogated to themselves the right to rule either in the name of the oppressed working class (communism) or, in its more benign form, by virtue of their superior expertise in achieving the highest social progress by means of state planning (socialism)."
tinyurl.com/3rze5y

Ain't it the truth ain't it the truth.

"Just as the ash heap of history beckoned, the intellectual left was handed the ultimate salvation: environmentalism. Now the experts will regulate your life not in the name of the proletariat or Fabian socialism but -- even better -- in the name of Earth itself."
tinyurl.com/3rze5y

Ain't it the truth ain't it the truth.

"Only Monday, a British parliamentary committee proposed that every citizen be required to carry a carbon card that must be presented, under penalty of law, when buying gasoline, taking an airplane or using electricity. The card contains your yearly carbon ration to be drawn down with every purchase, every trip, every swipe."
tinyurl.com/3rze5y

Ain't it the truth ain't it the truth.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies

Every Age has its Madness

2008-06-04T06:07:10Z

every age has its stupidity.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 6 replies

So SF is in the Hole Again

2008-06-02T19:12:42Z

but unlike other cities, there is no huge economic downturn. I read in the Chronicle that tourists are flocking to the city. rich kids are renting overpriced units at astronomical prices and tax receipts are UP. but the city is in the red due to generous perks given to nurses, firemen and policemen.

your thoughts.

"So what is missing from this heartening response to a mutual problem? Merely any help from San Francisco’s largest and most powerful unions. Where are the police and firefighters, the SEIU, the machinists and building trades? This is their city, too, and their members could well be among “the thousands, not the hundreds” laid off, according to Controller’s Office estimates.

It was April when Newsom began requesting all city employee unions renegotiate their contracts so as to reduce 2008-09 city labor costs by 3 percent. This could be done via a number of options, of which unpaid furloughs were the least disruptive. If all 12,562 city employees paid from the general fund took four days off next year, The City could save as much as $26.5 million."

http://www.examiner.com/a-1417297~Big_unions_should_help_S_F___too.html

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 7 replies

Iran missing 35 BILLION in oil revenue

2008-05-30T05:03:09Z

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/mega-scandal-in-iran-35-billion-in-oil-money-missing-from-state-coffers/

In what appears to be the biggest case of corruption in Iran, and perhaps in the Middle East, the Tehran-based Shahab News reported that the chief auditing office of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) has revealed that close to $35 billion of oil income from the financial year 2006-07 is missing.

According to Iranian law, this money should have been paid by the government of President Ahmadinejad into Iran’s central bank. Once there, the government can request the withdrawal of funds for projects, depending upon the approval of the Majlis. However, the new investigation shows that the government never paid the money into the central bank, and no one knows what has happened to it. Although it has not yet been proven, many suspect that the money has been used to finance corrupt activities of politicians surrounding the president, or the president himself. After all, it is very unlikely that this could have happened without his knowledge.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 1 reply

Richard Clarke: cyberczar, prophet, terror tech porn king...

2008-05-30T04:56:58Z

Is there no beginning to the man's talents?
By George Smith, Dick Destiny
Published Friday 9th February 2007 12:21 GMT

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/09/review_clarke_breakpoint/

tis the season of former disgruntled Whitehouse employees to sell their books and complain about their former boss. here is one book review I bookmarked. thought I'd pull it out after listening to another Clarke interview where he points out vulnerabilities in order to sew paranoia without offering any real strategy. enjoy.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 0 replies

Fox News #1 for 77th month

2008-05-30T02:37:13Z

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/may_ratings_fnc_stays_on_top_85816.asp

For the 77th consecutive month, FNC finished first in total day and prime time ratings during May. FNC was the sixth highest rated cable network on all of basic cable during prime time for the month (CNN and MSNBC finished 19th and 26th) and the seventh rated network in total day (CNN and MSNBC were 19th and 27th).

FNC also had 11 out of the top 13 programs in cable during the month in Total Viewers.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

now if this had been mccain

2008-05-30T01:10:20Z

we'd never hear the end of it.

"The Barack Obama campaign said Tuesday the candidate mistakenly referred to the wrong Nazi death camp when relating the story of a great-uncle who helped liberate the camps in World War II."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080528/ap_on_el_pr/obama_nazi_camp

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 4 replies

the Qin Dynasty

2008-05-28T07:14:46Z

I met up with a buddy of mine that is fascinated with Chinese history. I was lucky enough to get a crash course in the Qin Dynasty.

778-207 BC. unified china. instituted reforms that purged the military of feudalism and professionalized the army. mobilized the masses in order to ensure that the nation's agriculture was capable of supporting the military.

most interesting. implemented a meritocracy. attempted to destroy Confucianism...

anybody have a background in this? book recommendations. or how about the period of the three kingdoms. where basically you had three shrewd rulers, each of which was unable to decisively defeat the other? Chinese history is fascinating.

posted in League of Extraordinary Republicans - 2 replies