JUNE 30, 2008
2008 JD Powers Initial Quality Reports:
Midsize & Full Size vehicles:
Midsize Car Segment
Highest Ranked: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
Disproving the theory that all-new or redesigned models can�t achieve high levels of initial quality, the Chevrolet Malibu is the highest-ranking midsize car in initial quality in the 2008 IQS. By offering a clean exterior design and a stylish, rich-looking interior, the all-new, 2008 Chevrolet Malibu has impressed consumers and the auto-enthusiast press alike.
Based on the same platform as the Saturn Aura and Pontiac G6, the midsize 2008 Chevrolet Malibu is 6 inches longer than the 2007 model and, at 112 inches, is the longest Malibu ever and the same size as the 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The Malibu is available in four trim levels: LS, LT (1LT & 2LT), LTZ and Hybrid. Standard equipment highlights include remote keyless entry, power driver�s seat, Driver Information Center with oil-life monitor, OnStar and XM satellite radio. Options on the 2008 Malibu include electronic stability control; a variety of wheel packages; premium audio package; power seats; remote vehicle starter; and power-adjustable pedals.
Powering 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LS and LT models is a 169-hp, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission. This powertain achieves 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway. The Malibu Hybrid is also powered by the same 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine, coupled with a special hybrid electric propulsion system. It generates 164 hp. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the Malibu Hybrid are 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway. Malibu LTZ models come equipped with a 252-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission with a TAPshift feature, which enables the driver to shift manually with steering wheel-mounted shift controls. The 3.6-liter engine/6-speed automatic transmission powertrain combination is also available on 2LT models. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the Malibu LTZ are 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway.
Midsize & Full Size vehicles:
Midsize Car Segment
Highest Ranked: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
Disproving the theory that all-new or redesigned models can�t achieve high levels of initial quality, the Chevrolet Malibu is the highest-ranking midsize car in initial quality in the 2008 IQS. By offering a clean exterior design and a stylish, rich-looking interior, the all-new, 2008 Chevrolet Malibu has impressed consumers and the auto-enthusiast press alike.
Based on the same platform as the Saturn Aura and Pontiac G6, the midsize 2008 Chevrolet Malibu is 6 inches longer than the 2007 model and, at 112 inches, is the longest Malibu ever and the same size as the 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The Malibu is available in four trim levels: LS, LT (1LT & 2LT), LTZ and Hybrid. Standard equipment highlights include remote keyless entry, power driver�s seat, Driver Information Center with oil-life monitor, OnStar and XM satellite radio. Options on the 2008 Malibu include electronic stability control; a variety of wheel packages; premium audio package; power seats; remote vehicle starter; and power-adjustable pedals.
Powering 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LS and LT models is a 169-hp, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission. This powertain achieves 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway. The Malibu Hybrid is also powered by the same 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine, coupled with a special hybrid electric propulsion system. It generates 164 hp. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the Malibu Hybrid are 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway. Malibu LTZ models come equipped with a 252-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission with a TAPshift feature, which enables the driver to shift manually with steering wheel-mounted shift controls. The 3.6-liter engine/6-speed automatic transmission powertrain combination is also available on 2LT models. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the Malibu LTZ are 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway.
Highest Ranked: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
Disproving the theory that all-new or redesigned models can�t achieve high levels of initial quality, the Chevrolet Malibu is the highest-ranking midsize car in initial quality in the 2008 IQS. By offering a clean exterior design and a stylish, rich-looking interior, the all-new, 2008 Chevrolet Malibu has impressed consumers and the auto-enthusiast press alike. Based on the same platform as the Saturn Aura and Pontiac G6, the midsize 2008 Chevrolet Malibu is 6 inches longer than the 2007 model and, at 112 inches, is the longest Malibu ever and the same size as the 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The Malibu is available in four trim levels: LS, LT (1LT & 2LT), LTZ and Hybrid. Standard equipment highlights include remote keyless entry, power driver�s seat, Driver Information Center with oil-life monitor, OnStar and XM satellite radio. Options on the 2008 Malibu include electronic stability control; a variety of wheel packages; premium audio package; power seats; remote vehicle starter; and power-adjustable pedals. Powering 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LS and LT models is a 169-hp, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission. This powertain achieves 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway. The Malibu Hybrid is also powered by the same 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine, coupled with a special hybrid electric propulsion system. It generates 164 hp. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the Malibu Hybrid are 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway. Malibu LTZ models come equipped with a 252-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission with a TAPshift feature, which enables the driver to shift manually with steering wheel-mounted shift controls. The 3.6-liter engine/6-speed automatic transmission powertrain combination is also available on 2LT models. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the Malibu LTZ are 24 mpg city/32 mpg highway.
Ranked No. 2: 2008 Mitsubishi Galant
Improving one rank position from last year�s study, the Mitsubishi Galant moves up to the No. 2 ranking in the midsize car segment in the 2008 IQS. The Galant is mostly carryover for the 2008 model year, the most notable changes being a revised model lineup (DE, ES and Ralliart; the GTS has been dropped) and a tire-pressure-monitoring system is now standard. DE and ES models are powered by a 160-hp, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission (with adaptive shift control and clutchless manual shift mode on the ES).
Ranked No. 3: 2008 Ford Fusion
Competing directly with the likes of perennial sales leaders Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima, the Ford Fusion faces some pretty stiff competition. However, the Fusion has shown it is up to the challenge by ranking No. 3 in the midsize car segment in the 2008 IQS, ahead of its primary challengers. The front-wheel-drive Fusion shares its platform with the current-generation Mazda 6, as well as the Mercury Milan and the Lincoln MKZ. Both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive (FWD and AWD) are offered on the Fusion. Front-drive models come with 4-cylinder or V-6 power, while AWD Fusions are only available with the V-6 engine. The 2008 Ford Fusion comes in three trim levels: S, SE and SEL. All offer FWD, and SE and SEL are available with AWD.
Large Car Segment
Highest Ranked: 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
Following the departure of the Bonneville after the 2005 model year and until the recent arrival of the potent G8, the Grand Prix was the de facto �flagship� sedan of the Pontiac brand, if for no other reason than it was simply the largest, most powerful car in the model lineup. Alas, the G8 has arrived and Grand Prix production has officially ceased (2008 is the final model year). But there�s still some good news for anyone considering a Grand Prix purchase. For the third consecutive year, the Pontiac Grand Prix is the award recipient for highest initial quality in the large car segment.
As can be expected with any model in its final year of production, changes to the 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix are minimal. Most notably, the GT trim has been dropped, leaving only the base and high-performance GXP models. Also, a tire-pressure-monitoring system and OnStar are now standard, and three new colors are available. Standard equipment of note on base 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix models includes a power driver�s seat, remote keyless entry, and power windows and door locks. The GXP adds, among other items, fog lamps, a performance-tuned suspension, tire-inflation kit, heated front seats, dual-zone air conditioning, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Monsoon 9-speaker audio system, remote vehicle start, head-up display, dual chrome-tip exhaust, and a rear sport spoiler. Stability and traction control and 4-wheel ABS are standard on GXP, with all but stability control available on the base Grand Prix.
The base 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix is powered by a 200-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 engine. GXP models get a 303-hp, 5.3-liter V-8 engine with cylinder-deactivation technology. A 4-speed automatic transmission is mated to both engines. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the V-6 engine are 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway, while the V-8 engine gets 16 mpg city/25 mpg highway.
Highest Ranked: 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
Following the departure of the Bonneville after the 2005 model year and until the recent arrival of the potent G8, the Grand Prix was the de facto �flagship� sedan of the Pontiac brand, if for no other reason than it was simply the largest, most powerful car in the model lineup. Alas, the G8 has arrived and Grand Prix production has officially ceased (2008 is the final model year). But there�s still some good news for anyone considering a Grand Prix purchase. For the third consecutive year, the Pontiac Grand Prix is the award recipient for highest initial quality in the large car segment. As can be expected with any model in its final year of production, changes to the 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix are minimal. Most notably, the GT trim has been dropped, leaving only the base and high-performance GXP models. Also, a tire-pressure-monitoring system and OnStar are now standard, and three new colors are available. Standard equipment of note on base 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix models includes a power driver�s seat, remote keyless entry, and power windows and door locks. The GXP adds, among other items, fog lamps, a performance-tuned suspension, tire-inflation kit, heated front seats, dual-zone air conditioning, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Monsoon 9-speaker audio system, remote vehicle start, head-up display, dual chrome-tip exhaust, and a rear sport spoiler. Stability and traction control and 4-wheel ABS are standard on GXP, with all but stability control available on the base Grand Prix. The base 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix is powered by a 200-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 engine. GXP models get a 303-hp, 5.3-liter V-8 engine with cylinder-deactivation technology. A 4-speed automatic transmission is mated to both engines. EPA fuel-economy estimates for the V-6 engine are 18 mpg city/28 mpg highway, while the V-8 engine gets 16 mpg city/25 mpg highway.
Ranked No. 2: 2008 Mercury Sable
The Mercury Sable, known until last year as the Montego, ranks No. 2 in the large car segment in the 2008 IQS. Along with the name change comes the addition of a bigger Duratec engine, upgraded interior and exterior styling cues, and features and options that are a step above its Ford brethren. The 2008 Mercury Sable comes in two trim levels�base and Premier�both offering front- or all-wheel drive. The 2008 Mercury Sable is powered by a 263-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 engine. The engine is mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission that replaces the CVT from the Montego.
Ranked No. 3: 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis
The Mercury Grand Marquis and its twin, the Ford Crown Victoria, are two of the oldest models still being produced for the U.S. market. However, the Grand Marquis remains popular among full-size sedan buyers. And, according to consumers, the Grand Marquis also offers a high level of initial quality, as evidenced by its No. 3 ranking in the large car segment in the 2008 IQS. The standard 224-hp, 4.6-liter V-8 engine�the only engine choice for both the GS and LS trims�is a flex-fuel engine that can run on gasoline, E85 ethanol, or any mixture thereof. It is mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.�Jeff Youngs
Read the entire report here.
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JUNE 29, 2008
FIND THE LOWEST PRICE GAS IN YOUR AREA:
Gas Buddy.com has an interesting little drop down menu where you can input your city or zip code and a Google Map will pop up showing the lowest priced gas in your area!
MSN Autos has the same feature here which is updated nightly with information from 90,000 gas stations across the country.
And finally Gas Price Watch is a site which promises to save you money by getting you to the lowest gasoline in your area!
Remember in January 2006 when the Democratic Congress took control of Congress gasoline cost $2.33 on average nationwide. One of their promises when they took over was to lower gasoline prices using a "Common Sense Plan". VERY FUNNY...
JUNE 27, 2008
FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS:
"Friday Night Fights is a new weekly addition to COMMON CENTS. We hope you enjoy the videos and come back soon!
Vote for your favorite video:
"Freedom" - Narrated by Fred Thompson
"Courage for our friends!"
"THE RETURN OF THE KING"
Vote below for your favorite video:
GOOD NEWS:
You probably will not find all the GOOD NEWS that came out on Thursday anywhere BUT Common Cents. Consider:
"Freedom" - Narrated by Fred Thompson
"Courage for our friends!"
"THE RETURN OF THE KING"
Vote below for your favorite video:
You probably will not find all the GOOD NEWS that came out on Thursday anywhere BUT Common Cents. Consider:
The Bush Administration is lifting economic sanctions on North Korea Pyongyang has met a key requirement of its promise to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Read about it here.
Economic Growth in the United States was revised upward in the First Quarter of 2008 to 1.0%. This exceeds the previous quarter's growth of 0.6%. As every COMMON CENTS reader knows a recession is defined as 'Two consecutive quarters of NEGATIVE economic growth' - and we haven't had the FIRST negative growth quarter. Read about it here.
Existing home sales rise on price drop Realtors' group says the number of existing homes sold in May gained 2% to an annual rate of nearly 5 million. Read the story here.
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JUNE 26, 2008
DEMOCRATS FLAG:
The Democratic Party has a long history of racism and bigotry. Democrats started the Civil War to preserve the institution of slavery. After the Civil War the Democratic Party started the Klu Kluk Klan. In the 20th Century Democrats institued Poll Taxes other means to keep blacks from voting. Jesse Jackson Jr. said it best:
"There is no doubt that the Democratic Party is the party of the Confederacy, historically, that the Democratic Party's flag is the Confederate flag. It was our party's flag. That Jefferson Davis was a Democrat; that Stonewall Jackson strongly identified with the Democratic Party; that secessionists in the South saw themselves as Democrats and were Democrats; that so much of the Democratic Party's history, since it is our nation's oldest political party, has its roots in slavery."
In Bamboozled, author Angela McGlowan calls Jackson's admission "stunningly candid" and "a statement both impressive in its historical accuracy and devastating in its implications."
McGlowan adds, "Congressman Jackson is an honest Democrat and should be applauded as such."
Read the story here.
This article explores whether the Democratic Party owes Black America an apology for its past support of slavery, Jim Crow, the Ku Klux Klan, and violent acts of racism such as lynching?
The PBS website on The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow said: The Democratic Party identified itself as the �white man's party and demonized the Republican Party as being �Negro dominated, even though whites were in control. Some Democrats formed the terrorist organization the Ku Klux Klan in the 1870's. An article in the 1992 Encyclopedia Britannica under the Reconstruction heading reported: The Democratic resentment led to the formation of the secret terroristic organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of the White Camilia. The use of fraud, violence, and intimidation helped Southern conservatives regain control of their state governments. Blacks and White Republicans were the targets of the Klan's wrath. Read it here.
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JUNE 25, 2008
THE KEYS TO HAPPINESS:
'Economist' Magazine recently printed an excellent article on happiness. We all know an angry liberal. Liberals are almost by nature angry with society at large.
In 2004 Americans who called themselves conservative or very conservative were nearly twice as likely to tell pollsters they were happy as those who considered themselves liberal or very liberal (44% versus 25%). One might think this was because liberals were made wretched by George Bush. But the data show that American conservatives have been consistently happier than liberals for at least 35 years. This is not because they are richer; they are not. Mr Brooks thinks three factors are important. Conservatives are twice as likely as liberals to be married and twice as likely to attend church every week. Married, religious people are more likely than secular singles to be happy. They are also more likely to have children, which makes Mr Brooks confident that the next generation will be at least as happy as the current one.
When religious and political differences are combined, the results are striking. Secular liberals are as likely to say they are not too happy as to say they are very happy (22% to 22%). Religious conservatives are ten times more likely to report being very happy than not too happy (50% to 5%). Religious liberals are about as happy as secular conservatives.
The Democratic Party has a long history of racism and bigotry. Democrats started the Civil War to preserve the institution of slavery. After the Civil War the Democratic Party started the Klu Kluk Klan. In the 20th Century Democrats institued Poll Taxes other means to keep blacks from voting. Jesse Jackson Jr. said it best:
"There is no doubt that the Democratic Party is the party of the Confederacy, historically, that the Democratic Party's flag is the Confederate flag. It was our party's flag. That Jefferson Davis was a Democrat; that Stonewall Jackson strongly identified with the Democratic Party; that secessionists in the South saw themselves as Democrats and were Democrats; that so much of the Democratic Party's history, since it is our nation's oldest political party, has its roots in slavery."
In Bamboozled, author Angela McGlowan calls Jackson's admission "stunningly candid" and "a statement both impressive in its historical accuracy and devastating in its implications."
McGlowan adds, "Congressman Jackson is an honest Democrat and should be applauded as such."
Read the story here.
This article explores whether the Democratic Party owes Black America an apology for its past support of slavery, Jim Crow, the Ku Klux Klan, and violent acts of racism such as lynching?
The PBS website on The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow said: The Democratic Party identified itself as the �white man's party and demonized the Republican Party as being �Negro dominated, even though whites were in control. Some Democrats formed the terrorist organization the Ku Klux Klan in the 1870's. An article in the 1992 Encyclopedia Britannica under the Reconstruction heading reported: The Democratic resentment led to the formation of the secret terroristic organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of the White Camilia. The use of fraud, violence, and intimidation helped Southern conservatives regain control of their state governments. Blacks and White Republicans were the targets of the Klan's wrath. Read it here.
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JUNE 25, 2008
THE KEYS TO HAPPINESS:
'Economist' Magazine recently printed an excellent article on happiness. We all know an angry liberal. Liberals are almost by nature angry with society at large.
In 2004 Americans who called themselves conservative or very conservative were nearly twice as likely to tell pollsters they were happy as those who considered themselves liberal or very liberal (44% versus 25%). One might think this was because liberals were made wretched by George Bush. But the data show that American conservatives have been consistently happier than liberals for at least 35 years. This is not because they are richer; they are not. Mr Brooks thinks three factors are important. Conservatives are twice as likely as liberals to be married and twice as likely to attend church every week. Married, religious people are more likely than secular singles to be happy. They are also more likely to have children, which makes Mr Brooks confident that the next generation will be at least as happy as the current one.
When religious and political differences are combined, the results are striking. Secular liberals are as likely to say they are not too happy as to say they are very happy (22% to 22%). Religious conservatives are ten times more likely to report being very happy than not too happy (50% to 5%). Religious liberals are about as happy as secular conservatives.
In Bamboozled, author Angela McGlowan calls Jackson's admission "stunningly candid" and "a statement both impressive in its historical accuracy and devastating in its implications."
McGlowan adds, "Congressman Jackson is an honest Democrat and should be applauded as such."
THE KEYS TO HAPPINESS:
'Economist' Magazine recently printed an excellent article on happiness. We all know an angry liberal. Liberals are almost by nature angry with society at large.
In 2004 Americans who called themselves conservative or very conservative were nearly twice as likely to tell pollsters they were happy as those who considered themselves liberal or very liberal (44% versus 25%). One might think this was because liberals were made wretched by George Bush. But the data show that American conservatives have been consistently happier than liberals for at least 35 years. This is not because they are richer; they are not. Mr Brooks thinks three factors are important. Conservatives are twice as likely as liberals to be married and twice as likely to attend church every week. Married, religious people are more likely than secular singles to be happy. They are also more likely to have children, which makes Mr Brooks confident that the next generation will be at least as happy as the current one.
When religious and political differences are combined, the results are striking. Secular liberals are as likely to say they are not too happy as to say they are very happy (22% to 22%). Religious conservatives are ten times more likely to report being very happy than not too happy (50% to 5%). Religious liberals are about as happy as secular conservatives.
In 2004 Americans who called themselves conservative or very conservative were nearly twice as likely to tell pollsters they were happy as those who considered themselves liberal or very liberal (44% versus 25%). One might think this was because liberals were made wretched by George Bush. But the data show that American conservatives have been consistently happier than liberals for at least 35 years. This is not because they are richer; they are not. Mr Brooks thinks three factors are important. Conservatives are twice as likely as liberals to be married and twice as likely to attend church every week. Married, religious people are more likely than secular singles to be happy. They are also more likely to have children, which makes Mr Brooks confident that the next generation will be at least as happy as the current one. When religious and political differences are combined, the results are striking. Secular liberals are as likely to say they are not too happy as to say they are very happy (22% to 22%). Religious conservatives are ten times more likely to report being very happy than not too happy (50% to 5%). Religious liberals are about as happy as secular conservatives.
You can read the entire article here.
Also George Will's column on happiness is outstanding!
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JUNE 23, 2008
100 MILES PER GALLON?
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY GILBERT, Ariz. � After a 29-mile jaunt from his Phoenix office to his home here, Louis Hudgin proclaimed his gas mileage "pitiful." He averaged just 88.3 miles per gallon. Most drivers would take a victory lap if they managed to squeeze that kind of mileage out of increasingly precious gasoline. Even on this, a bad day, Hudgin coaxed 28 mpg more out of his 2000 Honda Insight hybrid than its federal highway mpg rating. Hudgin's disappointment � he usually averages about 100 mpg this time of year � stems from his pride in being no ordinary driver. He's a hypermiler, part of a loose-knit legion of commuters who've made racking up seemingly unattainable mpg an art. And a sport. Hypermilers practice such unorthodox techniques as coasting for blocks with their car's engine turned off, driving far below speed limits on the freeway, pumping up tire pressure far beyond car and tire makers' recommendations and carefully manipulating the gas pedal to avoid fuel-burning excess.
Read the rest of the story here.
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY GILBERT, Ariz. � After a 29-mile jaunt from his Phoenix office to his home here, Louis Hudgin proclaimed his gas mileage "pitiful." He averaged just 88.3 miles per gallon. Most drivers would take a victory lap if they managed to squeeze that kind of mileage out of increasingly precious gasoline. Even on this, a bad day, Hudgin coaxed 28 mpg more out of his 2000 Honda Insight hybrid than its federal highway mpg rating. Hudgin's disappointment � he usually averages about 100 mpg this time of year � stems from his pride in being no ordinary driver. He's a hypermiler, part of a loose-knit legion of commuters who've made racking up seemingly unattainable mpg an art. And a sport. Hypermilers practice such unorthodox techniques as coasting for blocks with their car's engine turned off, driving far below speed limits on the freeway, pumping up tire pressure far beyond car and tire makers' recommendations and carefully manipulating the gas pedal to avoid fuel-burning excess.
Read the rest of the story here.
You can read more about HYPERMILING here and here.
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JUNE 23, 2008
IRAQ AND ROLL
This is an excellent article by Michael Barone titled "The Facts in Iraq are changing".
In January 2007, when George W. Bush ordered the surge strategy, which John McCain had advocated since the summer of 2003, Barack Obama informed us that the surge couldn't work. The only thing to do was to get out as soon as possible.
That stance proved to be a good move toward winning the presidential nomination -- but it was poor prophecy. It is beyond doubt now that the surge has been hugely successful, beyond even the hopes of its strongest advocates, like Frederick and Kimberly Kagan. Violence is down enormously, Anbar and Basra and Sadr City have been pacified, Prime Minister Maliki has led successful attempts to pacify Shiites as well as Sunnis, and the Iraqi parliament has passed almost all of the "benchmark" legislation demanded by the Democratic Congress -- all of which Barack Obama seems to have barely noticed or noticed not at all. He has not visited Iraq since January 2006 and did not seek a meeting with Gen. David Petraeus when he was in Washington.
I can remember how opponents of the Vietnam War simply tuned out news of American success when at Richard Nixon's orders Gen. Creighton Abrams pursued a new strategy. Opponents of the Iraq war, including Obama, seem to have been doing the same.
That's not true of all critics of the Bush administration and its military leaders. The editorial writers of The Washington Post have been paying close and careful attention. And even though they may be temperamentally more inclined to favor Obama's candidacy over John McCain's, they have not been unwilling to take Obama to task for his inattention to American success. Obama, the Post noted tartly on June 7, "has become unreasonably wedded to a year-old proposal to rapidly withdraw all U.S. combat forces from the country -- a plan offered when he wrongly believed that the situation would only worsen as long as American troops remained."
On June 18, a Post editorial made the same point again and noted that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyard Zebari told Obama in a phone conversation that a precipitate withdrawal would embolden al-Qaida and Iran. But Obama told ABC News' Jake Tapper he said no such thing. Perhaps he's still trying to avoid facing facts that undermine his narrative. Which might also explain why he said he was willing to meet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions while he has not been able to find time to meet with Petraeus.
Other examples of facts undermining Democratic narratives readily occur. Last week charges were dropped against the seventh of eight Marines accused of atrocities in Haditha. The narrative, peddled by Democratic Congressman (and Marine veteran) John Murtha, of depraved American soldiers massacring innocent Iraqis seems to be falling victim to the facts.
All of this matters because the rejection of the Republicans in the 2006 elections was a verdict on competence more than ideology. The Republicans seemed incompetent at relieving victims of Katrina, producing success in Iraq and even policing the House page programs. The Democrats could not do worse and might do better. But in the 19 months since November 2006, some important facts have changed.
If George W. Bush was wrong about the surge from summer 2003 to January 2007, Barack Obama has been wrong about it from January 2007 to today. John McCain seems to have been right on it all along. When asked why he changed his position on an issue, John Maynard Keynes said: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" What say you, Sen. Obama? Read the entire editorial here
This is an excellent article by Michael Barone titled "The Facts in Iraq are changing".
In January 2007, when George W. Bush ordered the surge strategy, which John McCain had advocated since the summer of 2003, Barack Obama informed us that the surge couldn't work. The only thing to do was to get out as soon as possible.
That stance proved to be a good move toward winning the presidential nomination -- but it was poor prophecy. It is beyond doubt now that the surge has been hugely successful, beyond even the hopes of its strongest advocates, like Frederick and Kimberly Kagan. Violence is down enormously, Anbar and Basra and Sadr City have been pacified, Prime Minister Maliki has led successful attempts to pacify Shiites as well as Sunnis, and the Iraqi parliament has passed almost all of the "benchmark" legislation demanded by the Democratic Congress -- all of which Barack Obama seems to have barely noticed or noticed not at all. He has not visited Iraq since January 2006 and did not seek a meeting with Gen. David Petraeus when he was in Washington.
I can remember how opponents of the Vietnam War simply tuned out news of American success when at Richard Nixon's orders Gen. Creighton Abrams pursued a new strategy. Opponents of the Iraq war, including Obama, seem to have been doing the same.
That's not true of all critics of the Bush administration and its military leaders. The editorial writers of The Washington Post have been paying close and careful attention. And even though they may be temperamentally more inclined to favor Obama's candidacy over John McCain's, they have not been unwilling to take Obama to task for his inattention to American success. Obama, the Post noted tartly on June 7, "has become unreasonably wedded to a year-old proposal to rapidly withdraw all U.S. combat forces from the country -- a plan offered when he wrongly believed that the situation would only worsen as long as American troops remained."
On June 18, a Post editorial made the same point again and noted that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyard Zebari told Obama in a phone conversation that a precipitate withdrawal would embolden al-Qaida and Iran. But Obama told ABC News' Jake Tapper he said no such thing. Perhaps he's still trying to avoid facing facts that undermine his narrative. Which might also explain why he said he was willing to meet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions while he has not been able to find time to meet with Petraeus.
Other examples of facts undermining Democratic narratives readily occur. Last week charges were dropped against the seventh of eight Marines accused of atrocities in Haditha. The narrative, peddled by Democratic Congressman (and Marine veteran) John Murtha, of depraved American soldiers massacring innocent Iraqis seems to be falling victim to the facts.
All of this matters because the rejection of the Republicans in the 2006 elections was a verdict on competence more than ideology. The Republicans seemed incompetent at relieving victims of Katrina, producing success in Iraq and even policing the House page programs. The Democrats could not do worse and might do better. But in the 19 months since November 2006, some important facts have changed.
If George W. Bush was wrong about the surge from summer 2003 to January 2007, Barack Obama has been wrong about it from January 2007 to today. John McCain seems to have been right on it all along. When asked why he changed his position on an issue, John Maynard Keynes said: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" What say you, Sen. Obama? Read the entire editorial here
In January 2007, when George W. Bush ordered the surge strategy, which John McCain had advocated since the summer of 2003, Barack Obama informed us that the surge couldn't work. The only thing to do was to get out as soon as possible. That stance proved to be a good move toward winning the presidential nomination -- but it was poor prophecy. It is beyond doubt now that the surge has been hugely successful, beyond even the hopes of its strongest advocates, like Frederick and Kimberly Kagan. Violence is down enormously, Anbar and Basra and Sadr City have been pacified, Prime Minister Maliki has led successful attempts to pacify Shiites as well as Sunnis, and the Iraqi parliament has passed almost all of the "benchmark" legislation demanded by the Democratic Congress -- all of which Barack Obama seems to have barely noticed or noticed not at all. He has not visited Iraq since January 2006 and did not seek a meeting with Gen. David Petraeus when he was in Washington. I can remember how opponents of the Vietnam War simply tuned out news of American success when at Richard Nixon's orders Gen. Creighton Abrams pursued a new strategy. Opponents of the Iraq war, including Obama, seem to have been doing the same. That's not true of all critics of the Bush administration and its military leaders. The editorial writers of The Washington Post have been paying close and careful attention. And even though they may be temperamentally more inclined to favor Obama's candidacy over John McCain's, they have not been unwilling to take Obama to task for his inattention to American success. Obama, the Post noted tartly on June 7, "has become unreasonably wedded to a year-old proposal to rapidly withdraw all U.S. combat forces from the country -- a plan offered when he wrongly believed that the situation would only worsen as long as American troops remained." On June 18, a Post editorial made the same point again and noted that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyard Zebari told Obama in a phone conversation that a precipitate withdrawal would embolden al-Qaida and Iran. But Obama told ABC News' Jake Tapper he said no such thing. Perhaps he's still trying to avoid facing facts that undermine his narrative. Which might also explain why he said he was willing to meet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions while he has not been able to find time to meet with Petraeus. Other examples of facts undermining Democratic narratives readily occur. Last week charges were dropped against the seventh of eight Marines accused of atrocities in Haditha. The narrative, peddled by Democratic Congressman (and Marine veteran) John Murtha, of depraved American soldiers massacring innocent Iraqis seems to be falling victim to the facts. All of this matters because the rejection of the Republicans in the 2006 elections was a verdict on competence more than ideology. The Republicans seemed incompetent at relieving victims of Katrina, producing success in Iraq and even policing the House page programs. The Democrats could not do worse and might do better. But in the 19 months since November 2006, some important facts have changed. If George W. Bush was wrong about the surge from summer 2003 to January 2007, Barack Obama has been wrong about it from January 2007 to today. John McCain seems to have been right on it all along. When asked why he changed his position on an issue, John Maynard Keynes said: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" What say you, Sen. Obama? Read the entire editorial here
And this article in "The New York Times" paints a optimistic, yet realistic picture of the improved life in Iraq. Read it here.
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JUNE 22, 2008
IS THIS THE AD THAT SCARED OBAMA INTO ABANDONING HIS PLEDGE ON PUBLIC FINANCING?
Hat Tip to Extreme Mortmanfor this. Obama swore for over a year that he was committed to Public Financing. Last week he reneged on that promise. This is the ad he was specifically complaining about:
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JUNE 20, 2008
LOWER AND LOWER AND ...
The Democratic Congress continues to set new records for incompetence. "Gallup's annual update on confidence in institutions finds just 12% of Americans expressing confidence in Congress, the lowest of the 16 institutions tested this year, and the worst rating Gallup has measured for any institution in the 35-year history of this question," the polling firm just reported. Read about it here
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JUNE 19, 2008
OBAMA CAUGHT IN THE ULTIMATE LIE:
Kudo's to California Yankee for this transcript with Tim Russert:
On January 22, 2006, Obama stated flat out he wouldn't seek the presidency in 2008:
MR. RUSSERT: There's been enormous speculation about your political future, Senator. The man you succeeded in the Senate, Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican, said this recently. I think there's a very good chance that Senator Obama is on the Democratic ticket in 2008 as the vice presidential nominee. Do you agree?
SEN. OBAMA: No. You know, I can't speculate on those kinds of things. What I have said is that, you know, I'm not focused on running for higher office, I'm focused on doing the job that the people of Illinois just sent me to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But there seems to be an evolution in your thinking. This is what you told the Chicago Tribune last month: Have you ruled out running for another office before your term is up? Obama answer: It's not something I anticipate doing. But when we talked back in November of 04 after your election I said, There's been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your six-year term as United States senator from Illinois? Obama: Absolutely.
SEN. OBAMA: I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not.
Can we count on anything Obama says? I mean, other than the fact that he will change his mind.
LIKE HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT - PUT DEMOCRAT'S IN CHARGE!!
No state is more beholden to Democratic policies than Michigan. Thanks to high minority populations and high union turnouts in elections Democrats' have a lock on Michigan's policies. Not surprisingly, like other states ran by Democrat's (D.C., Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois) the population is moving to Republican states (Texas, Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, etc). One year ago a Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm pushed through the largest tax increase in history. The results have been devastating:
National Unemployment Rate (May): 5.5%
Michigan Unemployment Rate (May): 8.5%
Increase over April (US): .5%
Increase over April (Michigan): 1.6%
Increase over May 2007 (US): 1%
Increase over May 2007 (Michigan): 1.4%
Unemployed members of Michigan workforce: 428,000
Increase in unemployed members of MI workforce (April to May): 82,000
Jobs lost LAST MONTH in Michigan (total employment): 56,000
Jobs outsourced to Mexico (or China) by Electrolux (May): 0
Amount of success the Granholm / House Democrat tax hikes had in creating jobs: 0
Kudos to RightMichigan for the link.
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JUNE 18, 2008
BREAKING NEWS - Tiger Woods out for rest of the season!
Tiger Woods just finished an historic US Open this weekend winning his 14 Major Championship for second place all time. The pain he was in this weekend as he limped around the course using his putter as a cane was truly inspirational.
Tiger Woods has decided to have surgery on his left knee, which will end his 2008 season, according to a source close to Woods. A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL.
The Golf Channel and Associated Press reported that Woods suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. The AP reported that Woods is expect to discuss his future on his Web site later Wednesday. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 15, two days after he finished second in The Masters in April. He won the U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate on Monday. Woods had committed to playing in the Buick Invitational next week. He hosts the AT&T National the week after at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. The report said he would fulfill his obligations to sponsors at those events. He was also scheduled to play in the British Open in July and defend his PGA Championship title in August. The Ryder Cup is set for September at Valhalla, just outside of Louisville, Ky.
COMMON CENTS wishes Tiger a quick recovery!
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JUNE 18, 2008
PUT IN YOUR TWO CENTS:
COMMON CENTS is a relatively new blog. We are growing slowly but surely but there is room for improvement. I am asking, no imploring, COMMON CENTS readers to contact me HERE with any suggestions. I would like to know what you like about CC and what you don't like. Let me know what you'd like to see more of and what you'd like to see less of. CC is for you, my loyal readers, and I would like to have more of a dialog with you. And if you like CC please tell a friend. I look forward to hearing from you!
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
American's know that the ONLY LONG TERM solution to high gas prices is more supply. If you want to do something - sign the petition!!
OBAMA ON RECORD IN FAVOR OF $4 A GALLON GAS!
Recall that Obama supports "gradually" higher gas prices:
Is this guy for real? Can he really be that in love with $4 a gallon gasoline. Apparently...
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JUNE 16, 2008
PRIVATE ACCOUNTS WORK BETTER!
In 1981 three Texas counties opted out of the US Social Security System. They set up a system they named the "Alternative Plan" where employees retirement is invested in a "Private Account". This is similar to the plan President Bush proposed and the one all US Government Employees have available.
Privatize Social Security? Galveston County Did
by The Honorable Ray Holbrook
Former Galveston County Judge
There currently is much discussion about the state of the Social Security System. Some are advocating radical change such as privatization of the system. These calls are met with concern that nothing like that has ever been done. Even if we ignore the success of other countries that have privatized this remnant of paternalist government, we need to look no further than the Texas coast for an example of successful privatization.
In the late 1970's it was becoming clear that Social Security was in financial trouble and that Congress was not dealing with it. What was less known was that local governments had an option to withdraw from Social Security and set up their own retirement programs. The Social Security Administration did require, however, a two-year notification prior to withdrawal. Galveston County submitted notification in 1979 using the ensuing two years to develop an alternative that would cover all county employees.
The Commissioners Court wanted a plan that had the exact, or better, benefits as Social Security at the same cost to the county and the employees. The Alternate Plan developed comprised a life insurance element for employees which would protect families of deceased employees, a disability insurance element as good as Social Security, and a retirement element with annuities purchased from major life insurance companies.
A calculated decision was made not to invest in the stock market, even though retirement income would have been higher if that had been done, probably twice as much. Nevertheless, retirement income for employees with 20 to 40 years of service is calculated to be two to five times the retirement income of Social Security. Disability insurance pays 60% of salary up to $5,000 per month and life insurance is three times annual salary up to $50,000 per year, i.e., a total of $150,000.
There was, of course, no guarantee this plan would be as successful as designed; and there was considerable opposition from labor unions, minorities and other traditional supporters, including many elected officials. Social Security representatives debated the plan in the employee meetings. By then a majority of the Commissioners Court were strongly supportive of the Alternate Plan. An election for all county employees was scheduled. The election carried by about three to one in favor of the Alternate Plan and the Commissioners Court voted four to one to implement it on Jan. 1, 1981.
The Alternate Plan has been successful for the past 18 years with a return on retirement investments of about 6-1/2%. That is at least three times the return on a like investment in Social Security right now. Even though the return from a stock market investment would have significantly increased the actual return, there was much less risk potential in buying annuities with guaranteed returns. Furthermore, the investments in life insurance annuities are the same for all employees and are handled by an outside company that was chosen through a bid process. There is no need for each employee to be an expert in investments and there is no chance one employee will lose everything and others will make a mint.
Those who criticize Social Security privatization because of the stock market ups and downs or the lack of investment knowledge of many employees have not done their homework or they would be aware of what has been done in Galveston County. Each employee has an individual retirement account which is available upon retirement or is owned by their families if the county employee/retiree dies. In addition the families also receive life insurance.
Brazoria and Matagorda Counties joined Galveston County in the Alternate Plan in 1982 and Harris County along with some 50 other counties were ready to join when Congress passed a bill in 1983 to save Social Security. That bill increased taxes, gradually raised the retirement age and closed the door on other local governments withdrawing from Social Security. Ironically, it was authored by then Congressman Jack Brooks of Beaumont.
There is now extremely high approval of the Alternate Plan among officials and employees as well as in the community and the most ardent proponents of big government. Congress should closely examine the Galveston County plan and use it as a model for the nation.
You can read about their successful plan here and here
The bottom line with the Galveston Private accounts
- A retired $20,000-per-year worker with the personal retirement account would receive $2,740 each month at current interest rates, while Social Security benefits would be about $775 per month.
- A $50,000 per year worker would receive $6,843 from the private plan, compared to $1,302 from Social Security.
- The life insurance benefit is three times the worker's salary (with a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $150,000); Social Security, by contrast, pays a one-time death benefit of $255 to a surviving spouse.
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JUNE 15, 2008
NBC's tribute to the late Tim Russert is touching.
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Rush Limbaugh said Friday "Tim was always the same with me: genuine. He never condescended to anyone and was the consummate professional. He will be hard to replace. He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist."
IOWA'S KATRINA? - NO IOWA'S GETS BUSY ON RECOVERY
TIGERHAWK has and excellent article on the horrific 500-year storms that have devastated his state. The contrasts with the locals vis-a-vis Hurricane Katrina are startling!
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far.
Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps.
The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.
You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The entire article is fascinating. You can read it here.
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JUNE 10, 2008
WE ARE WINNING:
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The Associated Press - The number of people who signed contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose in April, to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday. Read the story here
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders for manufactured goods posted a surprisingly strong increase in April as demand rose across a number of industries. Read about it here
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JUNE 8, 2008
OBAMA vs. OBAMA
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Here's the latest Obama gaffe- "Give the kid a breathalyzer test."
Yuk-Yuk.
Of course, he's just short on his sleep.
Obama gets lost in thought on Iraq.
This is TOO FUNNY... Barry doesn't have a clue where he's going with this one:
He's probably just tired.
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JUNE 6, 2008
D-DAY TRIBUTE:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
McCAIN'S ORDEAL:
John McCain's ordeal as a Prisoner of War for 5 1/2 years is harrowing and inspiring. The torture he endured is incredible. This 1973 story should be required reading. Read it here
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
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JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
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JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
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JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
BAGHDAD - Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of security incidents since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.
The collective efforts to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,� Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad.
Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.
The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces, told reporters during the news conference.
The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces.
Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq's special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation's armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said.
Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it's almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,� he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.
Hat Tip to Extreme Mortmanfor this. Obama swore for over a year that he was committed to Public Financing. Last week he reneged on that promise. This is the ad he was specifically complaining about:
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JUNE 20, 2008
LOWER AND LOWER AND ...
The Democratic Congress continues to set new records for incompetence. "Gallup's annual update on confidence in institutions finds just 12% of Americans expressing confidence in Congress, the lowest of the 16 institutions tested this year, and the worst rating Gallup has measured for any institution in the 35-year history of this question," the polling firm just reported. Read about it here
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JUNE 19, 2008
OBAMA CAUGHT IN THE ULTIMATE LIE:
Kudo's to California Yankee for this transcript with Tim Russert:
On January 22, 2006, Obama stated flat out he wouldn't seek the presidency in 2008:
MR. RUSSERT: There's been enormous speculation about your political future, Senator. The man you succeeded in the Senate, Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican, said this recently. I think there's a very good chance that Senator Obama is on the Democratic ticket in 2008 as the vice presidential nominee. Do you agree?
SEN. OBAMA: No. You know, I can't speculate on those kinds of things. What I have said is that, you know, I'm not focused on running for higher office, I'm focused on doing the job that the people of Illinois just sent me to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But there seems to be an evolution in your thinking. This is what you told the Chicago Tribune last month: Have you ruled out running for another office before your term is up? Obama answer: It's not something I anticipate doing. But when we talked back in November of 04 after your election I said, There's been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your six-year term as United States senator from Illinois? Obama: Absolutely.
SEN. OBAMA: I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not.
Can we count on anything Obama says? I mean, other than the fact that he will change his mind.
LIKE HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT - PUT DEMOCRAT'S IN CHARGE!!
No state is more beholden to Democratic policies than Michigan. Thanks to high minority populations and high union turnouts in elections Democrats' have a lock on Michigan's policies. Not surprisingly, like other states ran by Democrat's (D.C., Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois) the population is moving to Republican states (Texas, Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, etc). One year ago a Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm pushed through the largest tax increase in history. The results have been devastating:
National Unemployment Rate (May): 5.5%
Michigan Unemployment Rate (May): 8.5%
Increase over April (US): .5%
Increase over April (Michigan): 1.6%
Increase over May 2007 (US): 1%
Increase over May 2007 (Michigan): 1.4%
Unemployed members of Michigan workforce: 428,000
Increase in unemployed members of MI workforce (April to May): 82,000
Jobs lost LAST MONTH in Michigan (total employment): 56,000
Jobs outsourced to Mexico (or China) by Electrolux (May): 0
Amount of success the Granholm / House Democrat tax hikes had in creating jobs: 0
Kudos to RightMichigan for the link.
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JUNE 18, 2008
BREAKING NEWS - Tiger Woods out for rest of the season!
Tiger Woods just finished an historic US Open this weekend winning his 14 Major Championship for second place all time. The pain he was in this weekend as he limped around the course using his putter as a cane was truly inspirational.
Tiger Woods has decided to have surgery on his left knee, which will end his 2008 season, according to a source close to Woods. A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL.
The Golf Channel and Associated Press reported that Woods suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. The AP reported that Woods is expect to discuss his future on his Web site later Wednesday. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 15, two days after he finished second in The Masters in April. He won the U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate on Monday. Woods had committed to playing in the Buick Invitational next week. He hosts the AT&T National the week after at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. The report said he would fulfill his obligations to sponsors at those events. He was also scheduled to play in the British Open in July and defend his PGA Championship title in August. The Ryder Cup is set for September at Valhalla, just outside of Louisville, Ky.
COMMON CENTS wishes Tiger a quick recovery!
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JUNE 18, 2008
PUT IN YOUR TWO CENTS:
COMMON CENTS is a relatively new blog. We are growing slowly but surely but there is room for improvement. I am asking, no imploring, COMMON CENTS readers to contact me HERE with any suggestions. I would like to know what you like about CC and what you don't like. Let me know what you'd like to see more of and what you'd like to see less of. CC is for you, my loyal readers, and I would like to have more of a dialog with you. And if you like CC please tell a friend. I look forward to hearing from you!
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
American's know that the ONLY LONG TERM solution to high gas prices is more supply. If you want to do something - sign the petition!!
OBAMA ON RECORD IN FAVOR OF $4 A GALLON GAS!
Recall that Obama supports "gradually" higher gas prices:
Is this guy for real? Can he really be that in love with $4 a gallon gasoline. Apparently...
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JUNE 16, 2008
PRIVATE ACCOUNTS WORK BETTER!
In 1981 three Texas counties opted out of the US Social Security System. They set up a system they named the "Alternative Plan" where employees retirement is invested in a "Private Account". This is similar to the plan President Bush proposed and the one all US Government Employees have available.
Privatize Social Security? Galveston County Did
by The Honorable Ray Holbrook
Former Galveston County Judge
There currently is much discussion about the state of the Social Security System. Some are advocating radical change such as privatization of the system. These calls are met with concern that nothing like that has ever been done. Even if we ignore the success of other countries that have privatized this remnant of paternalist government, we need to look no further than the Texas coast for an example of successful privatization.
In the late 1970's it was becoming clear that Social Security was in financial trouble and that Congress was not dealing with it. What was less known was that local governments had an option to withdraw from Social Security and set up their own retirement programs. The Social Security Administration did require, however, a two-year notification prior to withdrawal. Galveston County submitted notification in 1979 using the ensuing two years to develop an alternative that would cover all county employees.
The Commissioners Court wanted a plan that had the exact, or better, benefits as Social Security at the same cost to the county and the employees. The Alternate Plan developed comprised a life insurance element for employees which would protect families of deceased employees, a disability insurance element as good as Social Security, and a retirement element with annuities purchased from major life insurance companies.
A calculated decision was made not to invest in the stock market, even though retirement income would have been higher if that had been done, probably twice as much. Nevertheless, retirement income for employees with 20 to 40 years of service is calculated to be two to five times the retirement income of Social Security. Disability insurance pays 60% of salary up to $5,000 per month and life insurance is three times annual salary up to $50,000 per year, i.e., a total of $150,000.
There was, of course, no guarantee this plan would be as successful as designed; and there was considerable opposition from labor unions, minorities and other traditional supporters, including many elected officials. Social Security representatives debated the plan in the employee meetings. By then a majority of the Commissioners Court were strongly supportive of the Alternate Plan. An election for all county employees was scheduled. The election carried by about three to one in favor of the Alternate Plan and the Commissioners Court voted four to one to implement it on Jan. 1, 1981.
The Alternate Plan has been successful for the past 18 years with a return on retirement investments of about 6-1/2%. That is at least three times the return on a like investment in Social Security right now. Even though the return from a stock market investment would have significantly increased the actual return, there was much less risk potential in buying annuities with guaranteed returns. Furthermore, the investments in life insurance annuities are the same for all employees and are handled by an outside company that was chosen through a bid process. There is no need for each employee to be an expert in investments and there is no chance one employee will lose everything and others will make a mint.
Those who criticize Social Security privatization because of the stock market ups and downs or the lack of investment knowledge of many employees have not done their homework or they would be aware of what has been done in Galveston County. Each employee has an individual retirement account which is available upon retirement or is owned by their families if the county employee/retiree dies. In addition the families also receive life insurance.
Brazoria and Matagorda Counties joined Galveston County in the Alternate Plan in 1982 and Harris County along with some 50 other counties were ready to join when Congress passed a bill in 1983 to save Social Security. That bill increased taxes, gradually raised the retirement age and closed the door on other local governments withdrawing from Social Security. Ironically, it was authored by then Congressman Jack Brooks of Beaumont.
There is now extremely high approval of the Alternate Plan among officials and employees as well as in the community and the most ardent proponents of big government. Congress should closely examine the Galveston County plan and use it as a model for the nation.
You can read about their successful plan here and here
The bottom line with the Galveston Private accounts
- A retired $20,000-per-year worker with the personal retirement account would receive $2,740 each month at current interest rates, while Social Security benefits would be about $775 per month.
- A $50,000 per year worker would receive $6,843 from the private plan, compared to $1,302 from Social Security.
- The life insurance benefit is three times the worker's salary (with a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $150,000); Social Security, by contrast, pays a one-time death benefit of $255 to a surviving spouse.
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JUNE 15, 2008
NBC's tribute to the late Tim Russert is touching.
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Rush Limbaugh said Friday "Tim was always the same with me: genuine. He never condescended to anyone and was the consummate professional. He will be hard to replace. He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist."
IOWA'S KATRINA? - NO IOWA'S GETS BUSY ON RECOVERY
TIGERHAWK has and excellent article on the horrific 500-year storms that have devastated his state. The contrasts with the locals vis-a-vis Hurricane Katrina are startling!
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far.
Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps.
The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.
You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The entire article is fascinating. You can read it here.
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JUNE 10, 2008
WE ARE WINNING:
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The Associated Press - The number of people who signed contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose in April, to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday. Read the story here
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders for manufactured goods posted a surprisingly strong increase in April as demand rose across a number of industries. Read about it here
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JUNE 8, 2008
OBAMA vs. OBAMA
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Here's the latest Obama gaffe- "Give the kid a breathalyzer test."
Yuk-Yuk.
Of course, he's just short on his sleep.
Obama gets lost in thought on Iraq.
This is TOO FUNNY... Barry doesn't have a clue where he's going with this one:
He's probably just tired.
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JUNE 6, 2008
D-DAY TRIBUTE:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
McCAIN'S ORDEAL:
John McCain's ordeal as a Prisoner of War for 5 1/2 years is harrowing and inspiring. The torture he endured is incredible. This 1973 story should be required reading. Read it here
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
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JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
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JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
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JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
BAGHDAD - Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of security incidents since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.
The collective efforts to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,� Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad.
Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.
The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces, told reporters during the news conference.
The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces.
Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq's special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation's armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said.
Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it's almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,� he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.
LOWER AND LOWER AND ...
The Democratic Congress continues to set new records for incompetence. "Gallup's annual update on confidence in institutions finds just 12% of Americans expressing confidence in Congress, the lowest of the 16 institutions tested this year, and the worst rating Gallup has measured for any institution in the 35-year history of this question," the polling firm just reported. Read about it here
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JUNE 19, 2008
OBAMA CAUGHT IN THE ULTIMATE LIE:
Kudo's to California Yankee for this transcript with Tim Russert:
On January 22, 2006, Obama stated flat out he wouldn't seek the presidency in 2008:
MR. RUSSERT: There's been enormous speculation about your political future, Senator. The man you succeeded in the Senate, Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican, said this recently. I think there's a very good chance that Senator Obama is on the Democratic ticket in 2008 as the vice presidential nominee. Do you agree?
SEN. OBAMA: No. You know, I can't speculate on those kinds of things. What I have said is that, you know, I'm not focused on running for higher office, I'm focused on doing the job that the people of Illinois just sent me to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But there seems to be an evolution in your thinking. This is what you told the Chicago Tribune last month: Have you ruled out running for another office before your term is up? Obama answer: It's not something I anticipate doing. But when we talked back in November of 04 after your election I said, There's been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your six-year term as United States senator from Illinois? Obama: Absolutely.
SEN. OBAMA: I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not.
Can we count on anything Obama says? I mean, other than the fact that he will change his mind.
LIKE HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT - PUT DEMOCRAT'S IN CHARGE!!
No state is more beholden to Democratic policies than Michigan. Thanks to high minority populations and high union turnouts in elections Democrats' have a lock on Michigan's policies. Not surprisingly, like other states ran by Democrat's (D.C., Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois) the population is moving to Republican states (Texas, Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, etc). One year ago a Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm pushed through the largest tax increase in history. The results have been devastating:
National Unemployment Rate (May): 5.5%
Michigan Unemployment Rate (May): 8.5%
Increase over April (US): .5%
Increase over April (Michigan): 1.6%
Increase over May 2007 (US): 1%
Increase over May 2007 (Michigan): 1.4%
Unemployed members of Michigan workforce: 428,000
Increase in unemployed members of MI workforce (April to May): 82,000
Jobs lost LAST MONTH in Michigan (total employment): 56,000
Jobs outsourced to Mexico (or China) by Electrolux (May): 0
Amount of success the Granholm / House Democrat tax hikes had in creating jobs: 0
Kudos to RightMichigan for the link.
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JUNE 18, 2008
BREAKING NEWS - Tiger Woods out for rest of the season!
Tiger Woods just finished an historic US Open this weekend winning his 14 Major Championship for second place all time. The pain he was in this weekend as he limped around the course using his putter as a cane was truly inspirational.
Tiger Woods has decided to have surgery on his left knee, which will end his 2008 season, according to a source close to Woods. A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL.
The Golf Channel and Associated Press reported that Woods suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. The AP reported that Woods is expect to discuss his future on his Web site later Wednesday. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 15, two days after he finished second in The Masters in April. He won the U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate on Monday. Woods had committed to playing in the Buick Invitational next week. He hosts the AT&T National the week after at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. The report said he would fulfill his obligations to sponsors at those events. He was also scheduled to play in the British Open in July and defend his PGA Championship title in August. The Ryder Cup is set for September at Valhalla, just outside of Louisville, Ky.
COMMON CENTS wishes Tiger a quick recovery!
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JUNE 18, 2008
PUT IN YOUR TWO CENTS:
COMMON CENTS is a relatively new blog. We are growing slowly but surely but there is room for improvement. I am asking, no imploring, COMMON CENTS readers to contact me HERE with any suggestions. I would like to know what you like about CC and what you don't like. Let me know what you'd like to see more of and what you'd like to see less of. CC is for you, my loyal readers, and I would like to have more of a dialog with you. And if you like CC please tell a friend. I look forward to hearing from you!
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
American's know that the ONLY LONG TERM solution to high gas prices is more supply. If you want to do something - sign the petition!!
OBAMA ON RECORD IN FAVOR OF $4 A GALLON GAS!
Recall that Obama supports "gradually" higher gas prices:
Is this guy for real? Can he really be that in love with $4 a gallon gasoline. Apparently...
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JUNE 16, 2008
PRIVATE ACCOUNTS WORK BETTER!
In 1981 three Texas counties opted out of the US Social Security System. They set up a system they named the "Alternative Plan" where employees retirement is invested in a "Private Account". This is similar to the plan President Bush proposed and the one all US Government Employees have available.
Privatize Social Security? Galveston County Did
by The Honorable Ray Holbrook
Former Galveston County Judge
There currently is much discussion about the state of the Social Security System. Some are advocating radical change such as privatization of the system. These calls are met with concern that nothing like that has ever been done. Even if we ignore the success of other countries that have privatized this remnant of paternalist government, we need to look no further than the Texas coast for an example of successful privatization.
In the late 1970's it was becoming clear that Social Security was in financial trouble and that Congress was not dealing with it. What was less known was that local governments had an option to withdraw from Social Security and set up their own retirement programs. The Social Security Administration did require, however, a two-year notification prior to withdrawal. Galveston County submitted notification in 1979 using the ensuing two years to develop an alternative that would cover all county employees.
The Commissioners Court wanted a plan that had the exact, or better, benefits as Social Security at the same cost to the county and the employees. The Alternate Plan developed comprised a life insurance element for employees which would protect families of deceased employees, a disability insurance element as good as Social Security, and a retirement element with annuities purchased from major life insurance companies.
A calculated decision was made not to invest in the stock market, even though retirement income would have been higher if that had been done, probably twice as much. Nevertheless, retirement income for employees with 20 to 40 years of service is calculated to be two to five times the retirement income of Social Security. Disability insurance pays 60% of salary up to $5,000 per month and life insurance is three times annual salary up to $50,000 per year, i.e., a total of $150,000.
There was, of course, no guarantee this plan would be as successful as designed; and there was considerable opposition from labor unions, minorities and other traditional supporters, including many elected officials. Social Security representatives debated the plan in the employee meetings. By then a majority of the Commissioners Court were strongly supportive of the Alternate Plan. An election for all county employees was scheduled. The election carried by about three to one in favor of the Alternate Plan and the Commissioners Court voted four to one to implement it on Jan. 1, 1981.
The Alternate Plan has been successful for the past 18 years with a return on retirement investments of about 6-1/2%. That is at least three times the return on a like investment in Social Security right now. Even though the return from a stock market investment would have significantly increased the actual return, there was much less risk potential in buying annuities with guaranteed returns. Furthermore, the investments in life insurance annuities are the same for all employees and are handled by an outside company that was chosen through a bid process. There is no need for each employee to be an expert in investments and there is no chance one employee will lose everything and others will make a mint.
Those who criticize Social Security privatization because of the stock market ups and downs or the lack of investment knowledge of many employees have not done their homework or they would be aware of what has been done in Galveston County. Each employee has an individual retirement account which is available upon retirement or is owned by their families if the county employee/retiree dies. In addition the families also receive life insurance.
Brazoria and Matagorda Counties joined Galveston County in the Alternate Plan in 1982 and Harris County along with some 50 other counties were ready to join when Congress passed a bill in 1983 to save Social Security. That bill increased taxes, gradually raised the retirement age and closed the door on other local governments withdrawing from Social Security. Ironically, it was authored by then Congressman Jack Brooks of Beaumont.
There is now extremely high approval of the Alternate Plan among officials and employees as well as in the community and the most ardent proponents of big government. Congress should closely examine the Galveston County plan and use it as a model for the nation.
You can read about their successful plan here and here
The bottom line with the Galveston Private accounts
- A retired $20,000-per-year worker with the personal retirement account would receive $2,740 each month at current interest rates, while Social Security benefits would be about $775 per month.
- A $50,000 per year worker would receive $6,843 from the private plan, compared to $1,302 from Social Security.
- The life insurance benefit is three times the worker's salary (with a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $150,000); Social Security, by contrast, pays a one-time death benefit of $255 to a surviving spouse.
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JUNE 15, 2008
NBC's tribute to the late Tim Russert is touching.
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Rush Limbaugh said Friday "Tim was always the same with me: genuine. He never condescended to anyone and was the consummate professional. He will be hard to replace. He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist."
IOWA'S KATRINA? - NO IOWA'S GETS BUSY ON RECOVERY
TIGERHAWK has and excellent article on the horrific 500-year storms that have devastated his state. The contrasts with the locals vis-a-vis Hurricane Katrina are startling!
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far.
Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps.
The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.
You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The entire article is fascinating. You can read it here.
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JUNE 10, 2008
WE ARE WINNING:
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The Associated Press - The number of people who signed contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose in April, to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday. Read the story here
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders for manufactured goods posted a surprisingly strong increase in April as demand rose across a number of industries. Read about it here
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JUNE 8, 2008
OBAMA vs. OBAMA
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Here's the latest Obama gaffe- "Give the kid a breathalyzer test."
Yuk-Yuk.
Of course, he's just short on his sleep.
Obama gets lost in thought on Iraq.
This is TOO FUNNY... Barry doesn't have a clue where he's going with this one:
He's probably just tired.
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JUNE 6, 2008
D-DAY TRIBUTE:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
McCAIN'S ORDEAL:
John McCain's ordeal as a Prisoner of War for 5 1/2 years is harrowing and inspiring. The torture he endured is incredible. This 1973 story should be required reading. Read it here
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
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JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
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JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
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JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
BAGHDAD - Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of security incidents since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.
The collective efforts to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,� Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad.
Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.
The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces, told reporters during the news conference.
The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces.
Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq's special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation's armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said.
Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it's almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,� he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.
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JUNE 19, 2008
OBAMA CAUGHT IN THE ULTIMATE LIE:
Kudo's to California Yankee for this transcript with Tim Russert:
On January 22, 2006, Obama stated flat out he wouldn't seek the presidency in 2008:
MR. RUSSERT: There's been enormous speculation about your political future, Senator. The man you succeeded in the Senate, Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican, said this recently. I think there's a very good chance that Senator Obama is on the Democratic ticket in 2008 as the vice presidential nominee. Do you agree?
SEN. OBAMA: No. You know, I can't speculate on those kinds of things. What I have said is that, you know, I'm not focused on running for higher office, I'm focused on doing the job that the people of Illinois just sent me to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But there seems to be an evolution in your thinking. This is what you told the Chicago Tribune last month: Have you ruled out running for another office before your term is up? Obama answer: It's not something I anticipate doing. But when we talked back in November of 04 after your election I said, There's been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your six-year term as United States senator from Illinois? Obama: Absolutely.
SEN. OBAMA: I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not.
Can we count on anything Obama says? I mean, other than the fact that he will change his mind.
LIKE HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT - PUT DEMOCRAT'S IN CHARGE!!
No state is more beholden to Democratic policies than Michigan. Thanks to high minority populations and high union turnouts in elections Democrats' have a lock on Michigan's policies. Not surprisingly, like other states ran by Democrat's (D.C., Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois) the population is moving to Republican states (Texas, Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, etc). One year ago a Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm pushed through the largest tax increase in history. The results have been devastating:
National Unemployment Rate (May): 5.5%
Michigan Unemployment Rate (May): 8.5%
Increase over April (US): .5%
Increase over April (Michigan): 1.6%
Increase over May 2007 (US): 1%
Increase over May 2007 (Michigan): 1.4%
Unemployed members of Michigan workforce: 428,000
Increase in unemployed members of MI workforce (April to May): 82,000
Jobs lost LAST MONTH in Michigan (total employment): 56,000
Jobs outsourced to Mexico (or China) by Electrolux (May): 0
Amount of success the Granholm / House Democrat tax hikes had in creating jobs: 0
Kudos to RightMichigan for the link.
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JUNE 18, 2008
BREAKING NEWS - Tiger Woods out for rest of the season!
Tiger Woods just finished an historic US Open this weekend winning his 14 Major Championship for second place all time. The pain he was in this weekend as he limped around the course using his putter as a cane was truly inspirational.
Tiger Woods has decided to have surgery on his left knee, which will end his 2008 season, according to a source close to Woods. A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL.
The Golf Channel and Associated Press reported that Woods suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. The AP reported that Woods is expect to discuss his future on his Web site later Wednesday. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 15, two days after he finished second in The Masters in April. He won the U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate on Monday. Woods had committed to playing in the Buick Invitational next week. He hosts the AT&T National the week after at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. The report said he would fulfill his obligations to sponsors at those events. He was also scheduled to play in the British Open in July and defend his PGA Championship title in August. The Ryder Cup is set for September at Valhalla, just outside of Louisville, Ky.
COMMON CENTS wishes Tiger a quick recovery!
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JUNE 18, 2008
PUT IN YOUR TWO CENTS:
COMMON CENTS is a relatively new blog. We are growing slowly but surely but there is room for improvement. I am asking, no imploring, COMMON CENTS readers to contact me HERE with any suggestions. I would like to know what you like about CC and what you don't like. Let me know what you'd like to see more of and what you'd like to see less of. CC is for you, my loyal readers, and I would like to have more of a dialog with you. And if you like CC please tell a friend. I look forward to hearing from you!
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
American's know that the ONLY LONG TERM solution to high gas prices is more supply. If you want to do something - sign the petition!!
OBAMA ON RECORD IN FAVOR OF $4 A GALLON GAS!
Recall that Obama supports "gradually" higher gas prices:
Is this guy for real? Can he really be that in love with $4 a gallon gasoline. Apparently...
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JUNE 16, 2008
PRIVATE ACCOUNTS WORK BETTER!
In 1981 three Texas counties opted out of the US Social Security System. They set up a system they named the "Alternative Plan" where employees retirement is invested in a "Private Account". This is similar to the plan President Bush proposed and the one all US Government Employees have available.
Privatize Social Security? Galveston County Did
by The Honorable Ray Holbrook
Former Galveston County Judge
There currently is much discussion about the state of the Social Security System. Some are advocating radical change such as privatization of the system. These calls are met with concern that nothing like that has ever been done. Even if we ignore the success of other countries that have privatized this remnant of paternalist government, we need to look no further than the Texas coast for an example of successful privatization.
In the late 1970's it was becoming clear that Social Security was in financial trouble and that Congress was not dealing with it. What was less known was that local governments had an option to withdraw from Social Security and set up their own retirement programs. The Social Security Administration did require, however, a two-year notification prior to withdrawal. Galveston County submitted notification in 1979 using the ensuing two years to develop an alternative that would cover all county employees.
The Commissioners Court wanted a plan that had the exact, or better, benefits as Social Security at the same cost to the county and the employees. The Alternate Plan developed comprised a life insurance element for employees which would protect families of deceased employees, a disability insurance element as good as Social Security, and a retirement element with annuities purchased from major life insurance companies.
A calculated decision was made not to invest in the stock market, even though retirement income would have been higher if that had been done, probably twice as much. Nevertheless, retirement income for employees with 20 to 40 years of service is calculated to be two to five times the retirement income of Social Security. Disability insurance pays 60% of salary up to $5,000 per month and life insurance is three times annual salary up to $50,000 per year, i.e., a total of $150,000.
There was, of course, no guarantee this plan would be as successful as designed; and there was considerable opposition from labor unions, minorities and other traditional supporters, including many elected officials. Social Security representatives debated the plan in the employee meetings. By then a majority of the Commissioners Court were strongly supportive of the Alternate Plan. An election for all county employees was scheduled. The election carried by about three to one in favor of the Alternate Plan and the Commissioners Court voted four to one to implement it on Jan. 1, 1981.
The Alternate Plan has been successful for the past 18 years with a return on retirement investments of about 6-1/2%. That is at least three times the return on a like investment in Social Security right now. Even though the return from a stock market investment would have significantly increased the actual return, there was much less risk potential in buying annuities with guaranteed returns. Furthermore, the investments in life insurance annuities are the same for all employees and are handled by an outside company that was chosen through a bid process. There is no need for each employee to be an expert in investments and there is no chance one employee will lose everything and others will make a mint.
Those who criticize Social Security privatization because of the stock market ups and downs or the lack of investment knowledge of many employees have not done their homework or they would be aware of what has been done in Galveston County. Each employee has an individual retirement account which is available upon retirement or is owned by their families if the county employee/retiree dies. In addition the families also receive life insurance.
Brazoria and Matagorda Counties joined Galveston County in the Alternate Plan in 1982 and Harris County along with some 50 other counties were ready to join when Congress passed a bill in 1983 to save Social Security. That bill increased taxes, gradually raised the retirement age and closed the door on other local governments withdrawing from Social Security. Ironically, it was authored by then Congressman Jack Brooks of Beaumont.
There is now extremely high approval of the Alternate Plan among officials and employees as well as in the community and the most ardent proponents of big government. Congress should closely examine the Galveston County plan and use it as a model for the nation.
You can read about their successful plan here and here
The bottom line with the Galveston Private accounts
- A retired $20,000-per-year worker with the personal retirement account would receive $2,740 each month at current interest rates, while Social Security benefits would be about $775 per month.
- A $50,000 per year worker would receive $6,843 from the private plan, compared to $1,302 from Social Security.
- The life insurance benefit is three times the worker's salary (with a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $150,000); Social Security, by contrast, pays a one-time death benefit of $255 to a surviving spouse.
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JUNE 15, 2008
NBC's tribute to the late Tim Russert is touching.
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Rush Limbaugh said Friday "Tim was always the same with me: genuine. He never condescended to anyone and was the consummate professional. He will be hard to replace. He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist."
IOWA'S KATRINA? - NO IOWA'S GETS BUSY ON RECOVERY
TIGERHAWK has and excellent article on the horrific 500-year storms that have devastated his state. The contrasts with the locals vis-a-vis Hurricane Katrina are startling!
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far.
Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps.
The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.
You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The entire article is fascinating. You can read it here.
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JUNE 10, 2008
WE ARE WINNING:
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The Associated Press - The number of people who signed contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose in April, to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday. Read the story here
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders for manufactured goods posted a surprisingly strong increase in April as demand rose across a number of industries. Read about it here
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JUNE 8, 2008
OBAMA vs. OBAMA
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Here's the latest Obama gaffe- "Give the kid a breathalyzer test."
Yuk-Yuk.
Of course, he's just short on his sleep.
Obama gets lost in thought on Iraq.
This is TOO FUNNY... Barry doesn't have a clue where he's going with this one:
He's probably just tired.
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JUNE 6, 2008
D-DAY TRIBUTE:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
McCAIN'S ORDEAL:
John McCain's ordeal as a Prisoner of War for 5 1/2 years is harrowing and inspiring. The torture he endured is incredible. This 1973 story should be required reading. Read it here
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
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JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
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JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
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JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
BAGHDAD - Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of security incidents since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.
The collective efforts to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,� Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad.
Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.
The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces, told reporters during the news conference.
The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces.
Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq's special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation's armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said.
Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it's almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,� he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.
Kudo's to California Yankee for this transcript with Tim Russert:
On January 22, 2006, Obama stated flat out he wouldn't seek the presidency in 2008:
MR. RUSSERT: There's been enormous speculation about your political future, Senator. The man you succeeded in the Senate, Peter Fitzgerald, a Republican, said this recently. I think there's a very good chance that Senator Obama is on the Democratic ticket in 2008 as the vice presidential nominee. Do you agree?Can we count on anything Obama says? I mean, other than the fact that he will change his mind.SEN. OBAMA: No. You know, I can't speculate on those kinds of things. What I have said is that, you know, I'm not focused on running for higher office, I'm focused on doing the job that the people of Illinois just sent me to do.
MR. RUSSERT: But there seems to be an evolution in your thinking. This is what you told the Chicago Tribune last month: Have you ruled out running for another office before your term is up? Obama answer: It's not something I anticipate doing. But when we talked back in November of 04 after your election I said, There's been enormous speculation about your political future. Will you serve your six-year term as United States senator from Illinois? Obama: Absolutely.
SEN. OBAMA: I will serve out my full six-year term. You know, Tim, if you get asked enough, sooner or later you get weary and you start looking for new ways of saying things. But my thinking has not changed.
MR. RUSSERT: So you will not run for president or vice president in 2008?
SEN. OBAMA: I will not.
LIKE HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT - PUT DEMOCRAT'S IN CHARGE!!
No state is more beholden to Democratic policies than Michigan. Thanks to high minority populations and high union turnouts in elections Democrats' have a lock on Michigan's policies. Not surprisingly, like other states ran by Democrat's (D.C., Massachusetts, Maryland, and Illinois) the population is moving to Republican states (Texas, Florida, Utah, Idaho, Georgia, etc). One year ago a Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm pushed through the largest tax increase in history. The results have been devastating:
National Unemployment Rate (May): 5.5%
Michigan Unemployment Rate (May): 8.5%
Increase over April (US): .5%
Increase over April (Michigan): 1.6%
Increase over May 2007 (US): 1%
Increase over May 2007 (Michigan): 1.4%
Unemployed members of Michigan workforce: 428,000
Increase in unemployed members of MI workforce (April to May): 82,000
Jobs lost LAST MONTH in Michigan (total employment): 56,000
Jobs outsourced to Mexico (or China) by Electrolux (May): 0
Amount of success the Granholm / House Democrat tax hikes had in creating jobs: 0
Kudos to RightMichigan for the link.
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JUNE 18, 2008
BREAKING NEWS - Tiger Woods out for rest of the season!
Tiger Woods just finished an historic US Open this weekend winning his 14 Major Championship for second place all time. The pain he was in this weekend as he limped around the course using his putter as a cane was truly inspirational.
Tiger Woods has decided to have surgery on his left knee, which will end his 2008 season, according to a source close to Woods. A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL.
The Golf Channel and Associated Press reported that Woods suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. The AP reported that Woods is expect to discuss his future on his Web site later Wednesday. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 15, two days after he finished second in The Masters in April. He won the U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate on Monday. Woods had committed to playing in the Buick Invitational next week. He hosts the AT&T National the week after at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. The report said he would fulfill his obligations to sponsors at those events. He was also scheduled to play in the British Open in July and defend his PGA Championship title in August. The Ryder Cup is set for September at Valhalla, just outside of Louisville, Ky.
COMMON CENTS wishes Tiger a quick recovery!
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JUNE 18, 2008
PUT IN YOUR TWO CENTS:
COMMON CENTS is a relatively new blog. We are growing slowly but surely but there is room for improvement. I am asking, no imploring, COMMON CENTS readers to contact me HERE with any suggestions. I would like to know what you like about CC and what you don't like. Let me know what you'd like to see more of and what you'd like to see less of. CC is for you, my loyal readers, and I would like to have more of a dialog with you. And if you like CC please tell a friend. I look forward to hearing from you!
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
American's know that the ONLY LONG TERM solution to high gas prices is more supply. If you want to do something - sign the petition!!
OBAMA ON RECORD IN FAVOR OF $4 A GALLON GAS!
Recall that Obama supports "gradually" higher gas prices:
Is this guy for real? Can he really be that in love with $4 a gallon gasoline. Apparently...
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JUNE 16, 2008
PRIVATE ACCOUNTS WORK BETTER!
In 1981 three Texas counties opted out of the US Social Security System. They set up a system they named the "Alternative Plan" where employees retirement is invested in a "Private Account". This is similar to the plan President Bush proposed and the one all US Government Employees have available.
Privatize Social Security? Galveston County Did
by The Honorable Ray Holbrook
Former Galveston County Judge
There currently is much discussion about the state of the Social Security System. Some are advocating radical change such as privatization of the system. These calls are met with concern that nothing like that has ever been done. Even if we ignore the success of other countries that have privatized this remnant of paternalist government, we need to look no further than the Texas coast for an example of successful privatization.
In the late 1970's it was becoming clear that Social Security was in financial trouble and that Congress was not dealing with it. What was less known was that local governments had an option to withdraw from Social Security and set up their own retirement programs. The Social Security Administration did require, however, a two-year notification prior to withdrawal. Galveston County submitted notification in 1979 using the ensuing two years to develop an alternative that would cover all county employees.
The Commissioners Court wanted a plan that had the exact, or better, benefits as Social Security at the same cost to the county and the employees. The Alternate Plan developed comprised a life insurance element for employees which would protect families of deceased employees, a disability insurance element as good as Social Security, and a retirement element with annuities purchased from major life insurance companies.
A calculated decision was made not to invest in the stock market, even though retirement income would have been higher if that had been done, probably twice as much. Nevertheless, retirement income for employees with 20 to 40 years of service is calculated to be two to five times the retirement income of Social Security. Disability insurance pays 60% of salary up to $5,000 per month and life insurance is three times annual salary up to $50,000 per year, i.e., a total of $150,000.
There was, of course, no guarantee this plan would be as successful as designed; and there was considerable opposition from labor unions, minorities and other traditional supporters, including many elected officials. Social Security representatives debated the plan in the employee meetings. By then a majority of the Commissioners Court were strongly supportive of the Alternate Plan. An election for all county employees was scheduled. The election carried by about three to one in favor of the Alternate Plan and the Commissioners Court voted four to one to implement it on Jan. 1, 1981.
The Alternate Plan has been successful for the past 18 years with a return on retirement investments of about 6-1/2%. That is at least three times the return on a like investment in Social Security right now. Even though the return from a stock market investment would have significantly increased the actual return, there was much less risk potential in buying annuities with guaranteed returns. Furthermore, the investments in life insurance annuities are the same for all employees and are handled by an outside company that was chosen through a bid process. There is no need for each employee to be an expert in investments and there is no chance one employee will lose everything and others will make a mint.
Those who criticize Social Security privatization because of the stock market ups and downs or the lack of investment knowledge of many employees have not done their homework or they would be aware of what has been done in Galveston County. Each employee has an individual retirement account which is available upon retirement or is owned by their families if the county employee/retiree dies. In addition the families also receive life insurance.
Brazoria and Matagorda Counties joined Galveston County in the Alternate Plan in 1982 and Harris County along with some 50 other counties were ready to join when Congress passed a bill in 1983 to save Social Security. That bill increased taxes, gradually raised the retirement age and closed the door on other local governments withdrawing from Social Security. Ironically, it was authored by then Congressman Jack Brooks of Beaumont.
There is now extremely high approval of the Alternate Plan among officials and employees as well as in the community and the most ardent proponents of big government. Congress should closely examine the Galveston County plan and use it as a model for the nation.
You can read about their successful plan here and here
The bottom line with the Galveston Private accounts
- A retired $20,000-per-year worker with the personal retirement account would receive $2,740 each month at current interest rates, while Social Security benefits would be about $775 per month.
- A $50,000 per year worker would receive $6,843 from the private plan, compared to $1,302 from Social Security.
- The life insurance benefit is three times the worker's salary (with a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $150,000); Social Security, by contrast, pays a one-time death benefit of $255 to a surviving spouse.
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JUNE 15, 2008
NBC's tribute to the late Tim Russert is touching.
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Rush Limbaugh said Friday "Tim was always the same with me: genuine. He never condescended to anyone and was the consummate professional. He will be hard to replace. He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist."
IOWA'S KATRINA? - NO IOWA'S GETS BUSY ON RECOVERY
TIGERHAWK has and excellent article on the horrific 500-year storms that have devastated his state. The contrasts with the locals vis-a-vis Hurricane Katrina are startling!
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far.
Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps.
The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.
You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The entire article is fascinating. You can read it here.
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JUNE 10, 2008
WE ARE WINNING:
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The Associated Press - The number of people who signed contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose in April, to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday. Read the story here
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders for manufactured goods posted a surprisingly strong increase in April as demand rose across a number of industries. Read about it here
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JUNE 8, 2008
OBAMA vs. OBAMA
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Here's the latest Obama gaffe- "Give the kid a breathalyzer test."
Yuk-Yuk.
Of course, he's just short on his sleep.
Obama gets lost in thought on Iraq.
This is TOO FUNNY... Barry doesn't have a clue where he's going with this one:
He's probably just tired.
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JUNE 6, 2008
D-DAY TRIBUTE:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
McCAIN'S ORDEAL:
John McCain's ordeal as a Prisoner of War for 5 1/2 years is harrowing and inspiring. The torture he endured is incredible. This 1973 story should be required reading. Read it here
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
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JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
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JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
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JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
BAGHDAD - Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of security incidents since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.
The collective efforts to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,� Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad.
Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.
The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces, told reporters during the news conference.
The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces.
Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq's special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation's armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said.
Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it's almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,� he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.
National Unemployment Rate (May): 5.5%Kudos to RightMichigan for the link.
Michigan Unemployment Rate (May): 8.5%Increase over April (US): .5%
Increase over April (Michigan): 1.6%Increase over May 2007 (US): 1%
Increase over May 2007 (Michigan): 1.4%Unemployed members of Michigan workforce: 428,000
Increase in unemployed members of MI workforce (April to May): 82,000
Jobs lost LAST MONTH in Michigan (total employment): 56,000
Jobs outsourced to Mexico (or China) by Electrolux (May): 0
Amount of success the Granholm / House Democrat tax hikes had in creating jobs: 0
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JUNE 18, 2008
BREAKING NEWS - Tiger Woods out for rest of the season!
Tiger Woods just finished an historic US Open this weekend winning his 14 Major Championship for second place all time. The pain he was in this weekend as he limped around the course using his putter as a cane was truly inspirational.
Tiger Woods has decided to have surgery on his left knee, which will end his 2008 season, according to a source close to Woods. A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL.
The Golf Channel and Associated Press reported that Woods suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. The AP reported that Woods is expect to discuss his future on his Web site later Wednesday. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 15, two days after he finished second in The Masters in April. He won the U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate on Monday. Woods had committed to playing in the Buick Invitational next week. He hosts the AT&T National the week after at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. The report said he would fulfill his obligations to sponsors at those events. He was also scheduled to play in the British Open in July and defend his PGA Championship title in August. The Ryder Cup is set for September at Valhalla, just outside of Louisville, Ky.
COMMON CENTS wishes Tiger a quick recovery!
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JUNE 18, 2008
PUT IN YOUR TWO CENTS:
COMMON CENTS is a relatively new blog. We are growing slowly but surely but there is room for improvement. I am asking, no imploring, COMMON CENTS readers to contact me HERE with any suggestions. I would like to know what you like about CC and what you don't like. Let me know what you'd like to see more of and what you'd like to see less of. CC is for you, my loyal readers, and I would like to have more of a dialog with you. And if you like CC please tell a friend. I look forward to hearing from you!
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
American's know that the ONLY LONG TERM solution to high gas prices is more supply. If you want to do something - sign the petition!!
OBAMA ON RECORD IN FAVOR OF $4 A GALLON GAS!
Recall that Obama supports "gradually" higher gas prices:
Is this guy for real? Can he really be that in love with $4 a gallon gasoline. Apparently...
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JUNE 16, 2008
PRIVATE ACCOUNTS WORK BETTER!
In 1981 three Texas counties opted out of the US Social Security System. They set up a system they named the "Alternative Plan" where employees retirement is invested in a "Private Account". This is similar to the plan President Bush proposed and the one all US Government Employees have available.
Privatize Social Security? Galveston County Did
by The Honorable Ray Holbrook
Former Galveston County Judge
There currently is much discussion about the state of the Social Security System. Some are advocating radical change such as privatization of the system. These calls are met with concern that nothing like that has ever been done. Even if we ignore the success of other countries that have privatized this remnant of paternalist government, we need to look no further than the Texas coast for an example of successful privatization.
In the late 1970's it was becoming clear that Social Security was in financial trouble and that Congress was not dealing with it. What was less known was that local governments had an option to withdraw from Social Security and set up their own retirement programs. The Social Security Administration did require, however, a two-year notification prior to withdrawal. Galveston County submitted notification in 1979 using the ensuing two years to develop an alternative that would cover all county employees.
The Commissioners Court wanted a plan that had the exact, or better, benefits as Social Security at the same cost to the county and the employees. The Alternate Plan developed comprised a life insurance element for employees which would protect families of deceased employees, a disability insurance element as good as Social Security, and a retirement element with annuities purchased from major life insurance companies.
A calculated decision was made not to invest in the stock market, even though retirement income would have been higher if that had been done, probably twice as much. Nevertheless, retirement income for employees with 20 to 40 years of service is calculated to be two to five times the retirement income of Social Security. Disability insurance pays 60% of salary up to $5,000 per month and life insurance is three times annual salary up to $50,000 per year, i.e., a total of $150,000.
There was, of course, no guarantee this plan would be as successful as designed; and there was considerable opposition from labor unions, minorities and other traditional supporters, including many elected officials. Social Security representatives debated the plan in the employee meetings. By then a majority of the Commissioners Court were strongly supportive of the Alternate Plan. An election for all county employees was scheduled. The election carried by about three to one in favor of the Alternate Plan and the Commissioners Court voted four to one to implement it on Jan. 1, 1981.
The Alternate Plan has been successful for the past 18 years with a return on retirement investments of about 6-1/2%. That is at least three times the return on a like investment in Social Security right now. Even though the return from a stock market investment would have significantly increased the actual return, there was much less risk potential in buying annuities with guaranteed returns. Furthermore, the investments in life insurance annuities are the same for all employees and are handled by an outside company that was chosen through a bid process. There is no need for each employee to be an expert in investments and there is no chance one employee will lose everything and others will make a mint.
Those who criticize Social Security privatization because of the stock market ups and downs or the lack of investment knowledge of many employees have not done their homework or they would be aware of what has been done in Galveston County. Each employee has an individual retirement account which is available upon retirement or is owned by their families if the county employee/retiree dies. In addition the families also receive life insurance.
Brazoria and Matagorda Counties joined Galveston County in the Alternate Plan in 1982 and Harris County along with some 50 other counties were ready to join when Congress passed a bill in 1983 to save Social Security. That bill increased taxes, gradually raised the retirement age and closed the door on other local governments withdrawing from Social Security. Ironically, it was authored by then Congressman Jack Brooks of Beaumont.
There is now extremely high approval of the Alternate Plan among officials and employees as well as in the community and the most ardent proponents of big government. Congress should closely examine the Galveston County plan and use it as a model for the nation.
You can read about their successful plan here and here
The bottom line with the Galveston Private accounts
- A retired $20,000-per-year worker with the personal retirement account would receive $2,740 each month at current interest rates, while Social Security benefits would be about $775 per month.
- A $50,000 per year worker would receive $6,843 from the private plan, compared to $1,302 from Social Security.
- The life insurance benefit is three times the worker's salary (with a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $150,000); Social Security, by contrast, pays a one-time death benefit of $255 to a surviving spouse.
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JUNE 15, 2008
NBC's tribute to the late Tim Russert is touching.
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Rush Limbaugh said Friday "Tim was always the same with me: genuine. He never condescended to anyone and was the consummate professional. He will be hard to replace. He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist."
IOWA'S KATRINA? - NO IOWA'S GETS BUSY ON RECOVERY
TIGERHAWK has and excellent article on the horrific 500-year storms that have devastated his state. The contrasts with the locals vis-a-vis Hurricane Katrina are startling!
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far.
Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps.
The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.
You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The entire article is fascinating. You can read it here.
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JUNE 10, 2008
WE ARE WINNING:
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The Associated Press - The number of people who signed contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose in April, to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday. Read the story here
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders for manufactured goods posted a surprisingly strong increase in April as demand rose across a number of industries. Read about it here
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JUNE 8, 2008
OBAMA vs. OBAMA
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Here's the latest Obama gaffe- "Give the kid a breathalyzer test."
Yuk-Yuk.
Of course, he's just short on his sleep.
Obama gets lost in thought on Iraq.
This is TOO FUNNY... Barry doesn't have a clue where he's going with this one:
He's probably just tired.
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JUNE 6, 2008
D-DAY TRIBUTE:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
McCAIN'S ORDEAL:
John McCain's ordeal as a Prisoner of War for 5 1/2 years is harrowing and inspiring. The torture he endured is incredible. This 1973 story should be required reading. Read it here
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
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JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
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JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
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JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
BAGHDAD - Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of security incidents since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.
The collective efforts to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,� Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad.
Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.
The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces, told reporters during the news conference.
The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces.
Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq's special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation's armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said.
Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it's almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,� he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.
Tiger Woods just finished an historic US Open this weekend winning his 14 Major Championship for second place all time. The pain he was in this weekend as he limped around the course using his putter as a cane was truly inspirational.
Tiger Woods has decided to have surgery on his left knee, which will end his 2008 season, according to a source close to Woods. A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL.
The Golf Channel and Associated Press reported that Woods suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. The AP reported that Woods is expect to discuss his future on his Web site later Wednesday. Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 15, two days after he finished second in The Masters in April. He won the U.S. Open in a playoff over Rocco Mediate on Monday. Woods had committed to playing in the Buick Invitational next week. He hosts the AT&T National the week after at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. The report said he would fulfill his obligations to sponsors at those events. He was also scheduled to play in the British Open in July and defend his PGA Championship title in August. The Ryder Cup is set for September at Valhalla, just outside of Louisville, Ky.
COMMON CENTS wishes Tiger a quick recovery!
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JUNE 18, 2008
PUT IN YOUR TWO CENTS:
COMMON CENTS is a relatively new blog. We are growing slowly but surely but there is room for improvement. I am asking, no imploring, COMMON CENTS readers to contact me HERE with any suggestions. I would like to know what you like about CC and what you don't like. Let me know what you'd like to see more of and what you'd like to see less of. CC is for you, my loyal readers, and I would like to have more of a dialog with you. And if you like CC please tell a friend. I look forward to hearing from you!
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
PUT IN YOUR TWO CENTS:
COMMON CENTS is a relatively new blog. We are growing slowly but surely but there is room for improvement. I am asking, no imploring, COMMON CENTS readers to contact me HERE with any suggestions. I would like to know what you like about CC and what you don't like. Let me know what you'd like to see more of and what you'd like to see less of. CC is for you, my loyal readers, and I would like to have more of a dialog with you. And if you like CC please tell a friend. I look forward to hearing from you!
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
And yes, there will be legitimate news postings later in the day.
JUNE 17, 2008
WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES?
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
You may have heard about the petition on Sean Hannity's or Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. American solutions has an online petition with over 800,00 signatures imploring Congress to DRILL HERE - DRILL NOW - PAY LESS
American's know that the ONLY LONG TERM solution to high gas prices is more supply. If you want to do something - sign the petition!!
OBAMA ON RECORD IN FAVOR OF $4 A GALLON GAS!
Recall that Obama supports "gradually" higher gas prices:
Is this guy for real? Can he really be that in love with $4 a gallon gasoline. Apparently...
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JUNE 16, 2008
PRIVATE ACCOUNTS WORK BETTER!
In 1981 three Texas counties opted out of the US Social Security System. They set up a system they named the "Alternative Plan" where employees retirement is invested in a "Private Account". This is similar to the plan President Bush proposed and the one all US Government Employees have available.
Privatize Social Security? Galveston County Did
by The Honorable Ray Holbrook
Former Galveston County Judge
There currently is much discussion about the state of the Social Security System. Some are advocating radical change such as privatization of the system. These calls are met with concern that nothing like that has ever been done. Even if we ignore the success of other countries that have privatized this remnant of paternalist government, we need to look no further than the Texas coast for an example of successful privatization. In the late 1970's it was becoming clear that Social Security was in financial trouble and that Congress was not dealing with it. What was less known was that local governments had an option to withdraw from Social Security and set up their own retirement programs. The Social Security Administration did require, however, a two-year notification prior to withdrawal. Galveston County submitted notification in 1979 using the ensuing two years to develop an alternative that would cover all county employees. The Commissioners Court wanted a plan that had the exact, or better, benefits as Social Security at the same cost to the county and the employees. The Alternate Plan developed comprised a life insurance element for employees which would protect families of deceased employees, a disability insurance element as good as Social Security, and a retirement element with annuities purchased from major life insurance companies. A calculated decision was made not to invest in the stock market, even though retirement income would have been higher if that had been done, probably twice as much. Nevertheless, retirement income for employees with 20 to 40 years of service is calculated to be two to five times the retirement income of Social Security. Disability insurance pays 60% of salary up to $5,000 per month and life insurance is three times annual salary up to $50,000 per year, i.e., a total of $150,000. There was, of course, no guarantee this plan would be as successful as designed; and there was considerable opposition from labor unions, minorities and other traditional supporters, including many elected officials. Social Security representatives debated the plan in the employee meetings. By then a majority of the Commissioners Court were strongly supportive of the Alternate Plan. An election for all county employees was scheduled. The election carried by about three to one in favor of the Alternate Plan and the Commissioners Court voted four to one to implement it on Jan. 1, 1981. The Alternate Plan has been successful for the past 18 years with a return on retirement investments of about 6-1/2%. That is at least three times the return on a like investment in Social Security right now. Even though the return from a stock market investment would have significantly increased the actual return, there was much less risk potential in buying annuities with guaranteed returns. Furthermore, the investments in life insurance annuities are the same for all employees and are handled by an outside company that was chosen through a bid process. There is no need for each employee to be an expert in investments and there is no chance one employee will lose everything and others will make a mint. Those who criticize Social Security privatization because of the stock market ups and downs or the lack of investment knowledge of many employees have not done their homework or they would be aware of what has been done in Galveston County. Each employee has an individual retirement account which is available upon retirement or is owned by their families if the county employee/retiree dies. In addition the families also receive life insurance. Brazoria and Matagorda Counties joined Galveston County in the Alternate Plan in 1982 and Harris County along with some 50 other counties were ready to join when Congress passed a bill in 1983 to save Social Security. That bill increased taxes, gradually raised the retirement age and closed the door on other local governments withdrawing from Social Security. Ironically, it was authored by then Congressman Jack Brooks of Beaumont. There is now extremely high approval of the Alternate Plan among officials and employees as well as in the community and the most ardent proponents of big government. Congress should closely examine the Galveston County plan and use it as a model for the nation.
You can read about their successful plan here and here
The bottom line with the Galveston Private accounts
- A retired $20,000-per-year worker with the personal retirement account would receive $2,740 each month at current interest rates, while Social Security benefits would be about $775 per month.
- A $50,000 per year worker would receive $6,843 from the private plan, compared to $1,302 from Social Security.
- The life insurance benefit is three times the worker's salary (with a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $150,000); Social Security, by contrast, pays a one-time death benefit of $255 to a surviving spouse.
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JUNE 15, 2008
NBC's tribute to the late Tim Russert is touching.
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Rush Limbaugh said Friday "Tim was always the same with me: genuine. He never condescended to anyone and was the consummate professional. He will be hard to replace. He was the closest thing there was at any of the networks to an objective journalist."
IOWA'S KATRINA? - NO IOWA'S GETS BUSY ON RECOVERY
TIGERHAWK has and excellent article on the horrific 500-year storms that have devastated his state. The contrasts with the locals vis-a-vis Hurricane Katrina are startling!
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far.
Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps.
The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.
You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The entire article is fascinating. You can read it here.
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JUNE 10, 2008
WE ARE WINNING:
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The Associated Press - The number of people who signed contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose in April, to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday. Read the story here
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders for manufactured goods posted a surprisingly strong increase in April as demand rose across a number of industries. Read about it here
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JUNE 8, 2008
OBAMA vs. OBAMA
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Here's the latest Obama gaffe- "Give the kid a breathalyzer test."
Yuk-Yuk.
Of course, he's just short on his sleep.
Obama gets lost in thought on Iraq.
This is TOO FUNNY... Barry doesn't have a clue where he's going with this one:
He's probably just tired.
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JUNE 6, 2008
D-DAY TRIBUTE:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
McCAIN'S ORDEAL:
John McCain's ordeal as a Prisoner of War for 5 1/2 years is harrowing and inspiring. The torture he endured is incredible. This 1973 story should be required reading. Read it here
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
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JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
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JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
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JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
BAGHDAD - Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of security incidents since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.
The collective efforts to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,� Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad.
Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.
The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces, told reporters during the news conference.
The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces.
Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq's special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation's armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said.
Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it's almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,� he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.
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JUNE 15, 2008
NBC's tribute to the late Tim Russert is touching.
IOWA'S KATRINA? - NO IOWA'S GETS BUSY ON RECOVERY
TIGERHAWK has and excellent article on the horrific 500-year storms that have devastated his state. The contrasts with the locals vis-a-vis Hurricane Katrina are startling!
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far.
Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps.
The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.
You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The flooding in eastern Iowa has reached the point of catastrophe. Towns are overwhelmed, businesses destroyed, and crops are gone. A fifth of the corn and soybeans are gone. Fox News is calling it "Iowa's Katrina." Here is a gallery of aerial phtographs at the web site of the newspaper I used to deliver every afternoon, the Iowa City Press-Citizen. The thing is, though, the people of eastern Iowa seem to be stepping up in the Iowa stubborn way. I have seen any number of man-on-the-street interviews, and nobody is complaining. They all seem to be working to solve their problem, which is not surprising because Iowans do not complain about tragedy. They complain about hot weather and dry weather, but not tragedy. And I have looked for reports of looting and come up empty so far. Katrina has become a metaphor for many things beyond natural disaster, including governmental and individual incompetence (depending on your point of view). In Iowa there is a 500 year flood, but the people are not paralyzed, whining, or looting. There will be no massive relief effort from around the world, and nobody will step up to help Iowans except for other Iowans. Yet years from now, there will be no Iowans still in FEMA camps. The difference is not in the severity of the flood, but in the people who confront the flood.You can learn more about volunteering here. Remember all relief efforts are ran by local authorities. And remember with 3 days of Hurricane Katrina 100,000 rescue personnel were on hand assisting those who refused to leave.
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JUNE 13, 2008
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
Weather Channel founder John Coleman's address to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is outstanding. He uses facts and logic to completely debunk the Theory of Man-Made Global Warming.
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
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JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
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JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
WEATHER CHANNEL FOUNDER
"Earth has cooled for almost ten straight years."
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
"So, I ask Al Gore, where�s the global warming?"
BRAZIL vs USA:
Brazil shows the that, unlike the United States, it is serious about achieving energy independence. The Brazilians know that oil is located in the ground and the only way to get at it is to drill. Maybe we can import some Brazilian Common Sense up here...
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.
Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
|
JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
|
JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
Brazil discovered only yesterday (November) that billions of barrels of oil sit in difficult water beneath a swath of the Santos Basin, 180 miles offshore from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. The U.S. has known for decades that at least 8.5 billion proven barrels of oil sit off its Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, with the Interior Department estimating 86 billion barrels of undiscovered oil resources. When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields? Of course it didn't. Guilherme Estrella, director of exploration and production for the Brazilian oil company Petrobras, said, "It's an extraordinary position for Brazil to be in." Indeed it is. At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back. But not us. We won't drill.Read the entire 'Wall St Journal' editorial here
|
JUNE 12, 2008
DEMOCRAT'S DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICES:
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
|
JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The Democratic Party is on record advocating higher gas prices. Bill Clinton vetoed a bill which would have allowed us to drill in the ANWAR in 1996. We could really use those 1 million barrels that took off the market today. Just yesterday Barack Obama said:
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
This chart helps explain the two parties differences in dealing with the Energy Crisis - courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Remember when the Democratic took control of Congress gas sold for $2.33 a gallon!
|
JUNE 11, 2008
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
CNBC'S John Harwood: �So Could These High Prices Help Us?�
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): �I Think That I Would Have Preferred A Gradual Adjustment.�
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS:
We all want to be happy. This article explores what makes people happy and the results may surprise you:
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week.
There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
For example, despite their 35-hour work weeks and long vacations, the French are less happy than Americans. Most Americans who work are amazingly happy with their jobs, even if they work at Wal-Mart. Happiness and income are not closely related. Churchgoing people are happier than secular ones, married happier than unmarried. And people who give away their money are the happiest of all.
The study of happiness is a thriving field these days. Entire scholarly journals are devoted to the subject, as well as tons of books. For his book, Gross National Happiness, Mr. Brooks decided to delve into the data. He discovered mountains of large-scale, reliable surveys that go back for decades. According to the data, conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say they're happy - and the gap has persisted for at least a generation.
What explains the happiness gap? Two of the biggest factors are marriage and religion, which are powerfully correlated with happiness. Two-thirds of conservatives are married, while only a third of liberals are. Conservatives are also twice as likely to go to a house of worship once a week. There's another factor, too, which, he argues, centres on world view. Conservatives generally believe that people who work hard can get ahead and be successful. They believe success is in their own control. Liberals are more inclined to believe in collective solutions to social problems - and that people's success depends on factors outside their control. "I compared poor conservatives with rich liberals," he told me. "Ninety per cent of poor conservatives say that hard work and perseverance can overcome disadvantage. But only 65 per cent of rich liberals believe that."
"Work is an authentic source of happiness, and idleness - especially involuntary idleness - is a source of pure misery," Mr. Brooks says. Work gives life meaning. Even among the nickel-and-dimed set, he found, 87 per cent of people are satisfied with their jobs. And job satisfaction is highly correlated with life satisfaction.
It turns out that your mother was right. Happiness has very little to do with materialistic stuff at all. It mostly comes (and I shudder to say these words) from family, faith, friends and the dignity of work. This is a truth that Mr. Brooks thinks the urban elites ought to try to grasp. "The majority of people are very happy with these yucky traditional values," he says. "They work very well." Who, then, are the unhappiest of them all? Look in the mirror, dear reader, for it may be you. Researchers have found that lifetime happiness is shaped like a U. It has a big sag in the middle. "Statistically, the saddest year in a man's life is age 44," he tells me merrily. "By then your spouse has figured out that you're a bore. You're not that fun, and you're not gonna change. You have adolescents in the house. And you've found that success and money aren't the same thing." For men, all these chickens come home to roost in their mid-to-late 40s. (Women also have a middle-aged slump, but they tend to suffer somewhat less.) If you are 44, I have good news. Soon you will be 50, and things will start looking up. Happiness studies show that healthy people who are 70 are just as happy as people who are 20.
The entire article is fascinating. You can read it here.
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JUNE 10, 2008
WE ARE WINNING:
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The "New York Post" has published an outstanding article detailing how we are winning the war in Iraq. This article should be required reading in America:
AMERICA has won, or is about to win, the Iraq war. The latest proof came last month, as the Iraqi army - just a few months ago the target of scorn and abuse from Democratic politicians and journalists - forcefully reoccupied three cities that had served as key insurgency bases (Basra, Sadr City and Mosul). Sunnis and Shias alike applauded as their nation's army compelled insurgent militias to lay down their arms. The country's leading opposition newspaper, Azzaman, led the applause for the move into Mosul - a sign that national reconciliation in Iraq is under way and probably irreversible. US combat deaths in May also were down to 20, the lowest monthly total since February 2004. The toll for May 2007 was 121. In a Washington Post interview, CIA Director Michael Hayden said we're witnessing the "near strategic defeat of al Qaeda in Iraq."
Read the Post article here
"Investor's Business Daily recently published an outstanding editorial Beating Al-Qaida
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JUNE 9, 2008
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS:
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose to a three-month high against the yen after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the risks to the U.S. economy have diminished, prompting traders to increase bets on higher interest rates. Read the good news here
The Associated Press - The number of people who signed contracts to buy existing homes unexpectedly rose in April, to the highest reading since October, an industry group said Monday. Read the story here
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Orders for manufactured goods posted a surprisingly strong increase in April as demand rose across a number of industries. Read about it here
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JUNE 8, 2008
OBAMA vs. OBAMA
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Barack Obama argues with himself - and loses. Courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Here's the latest Obama gaffe- "Give the kid a breathalyzer test."
Yuk-Yuk.
Of course, he's just short on his sleep.
Obama gets lost in thought on Iraq.
This is TOO FUNNY... Barry doesn't have a clue where he's going with this one:
He's probably just tired.
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JUNE 6, 2008
D-DAY TRIBUTE:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
Today is D-Day the day the Allied Forces began the liberation of Europe in WWII. Over 175,000 troops participated in the first days invasion and over 6,000 died in Normandy. This is a moving tribute to them:
McCAIN'S ORDEAL:
John McCain's ordeal as a Prisoner of War for 5 1/2 years is harrowing and inspiring. The torture he endured is incredible. This 1973 story should be required reading. Read it here
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
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JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
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JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
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JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
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JUNE 5, 2008
Barack Obama knows he has no experience or qualifications to be President. He has NO MILITARY, NO BUSINESS or NO EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE so has been running largely on his judgement and competence. Interesting. His longtime friend and business partner Tony Rezko was just found guilty on 16 counts. The RNC has an ad up detailing the guilty verdict and Rezko's connections to Obama.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
|
JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
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JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
|
JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
|
JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
OMABAMETRICS:
The demographics of the Democratic Primaries are very interesting. Barack Obama polls very well from Blacks, the extreme left and the very wealthy. However he is getting wiped out by about every other demographic group. The entire story is on REDSTATE
|
JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
|
JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
|
JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
|
JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
|
JUNE 4, 2008
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS RECORD:
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
|
JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
|
JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
|
JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
The US citizenry chose to elect a Democratic congress in 2006. When the Democrats took control of Congress the Stock Market was booming and gasoline cost an average of $2.33 a gallon. Their record so far:
|
JUNE 3, 2008
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
|
JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
|
JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
ELECTION RESULTS:
The last two Presidential Primaries are today. COMMON CENTS has the election results below.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
|
JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
|
JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
You can watch the Montana results here
You can watch the South Dakota results here
|
JUNE 2, 2008
WHERE ARE THE MARTIANS?
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
|
JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
The Mars Probe has been on the Red Planet of Mars since May 26. Some of the recent pictures have been just superlative.
FROM THE OFFICIAL HOMEPAGE: This image, released on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008, shows the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, which is about 3 ft. above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million earthlings.
The rest of the pictures can be viewed here
|
JUNE 1, 2008
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
IRAQ BY THE NUMBERS
Every death is a tragedy but the bottom line truth is that US deaths in Iraq are down significantly. In May there were only 21 total US Military deaths in Iraq (19 combat related). The success of the "Surge" is undeniable.
BAGHDAD - Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of security incidents since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces. The collective efforts to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,� Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said May 28 during a news conference in Baghdad. Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress. The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces, told reporters during the news conference. The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces. Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq's special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation's armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said. Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it's almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,� he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.
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