Scaring White People: I hate even bringing up Rachel Maddow. Everyone at MSNBC has become a sad, liberal caricature of a sad, liberal caricature. The hipster dufuses who take her seriously are typically feel good utopians who probably haven’t worked a day in their lives. You know the person. They feel things. They like IKEA and Target. They hate Wal-Mart and love ecotourism (more on that later). Maddow was on David Letterman and said that the GOP was scaring white people. She called it “good politics.” It’s a fascinating idea considering Maddow cut her teeth on a network that fanned the flames of wingnut lunacy during the Bush years. I don’t understand how people turn on these talking heads at FOX, CNN, and MSNBC and take anything they say seriously.
Ecotourism: This is more of a rant than news; however, ecotourism crept into my consciousness today and immediately I could see the hipster dufus fingerprints. For those uninitiated here is the definition of ecotourism according to Wikipedia.
‘Ecotourism’ (also known as ecological tourism) is responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low impact and (often) small scale. It purports to educate the traveler; provide funds for conservation; directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities; and foster respect for different cultures and for human rights.
I have a better definition. Ecotourism is for guilty rich people. Traveling to Paris is great, but you have to mix with all those unwashed Americans. Those stupid tourists! A trip to Tokyo isn’t great because the typical ignorant tourist never “learns” anything. The elite ecotourist travels to La Boca, Buenos Aires and purchases a Boca Juniors jersey from a street vendor and suddenly feels enlightened. I’ve encountered this type of person before. The American ecotourist wearing the Boca Junior shirt will tell people that Boca is their favorite team. When pressed about the team’s history, players or formation you’ll likely get a blank stare. At least the street vendor was able to find some stupid American to purchase a knock-off jersey.
The best part of ecotourism is the idea that it won’t damage fragile environments. If the environment is fragile shouldn’t it be avoided altogether? If Joe “Ecotourist” Smith finds an awesome place to visit and goes home to tell ten other hipster dufuses and they visit, guess what? That fragile, untouched tourist destination is going to be trampled by all the other people. Shuush…. I know, I’m using too much logic.
Kagan Confirmed: Elena Kagan will be a fine liberal replacement to Justice Stevens. The Constitution weeps, Founders roll over in graves, and so on and so forth…
Say What? It’s a little known fact that President Obama is opposed to gay marriage. It’s probably that way because the rhetoric coming out of the White House is mind numbingly incoherent. White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod tried to explain this equation:
(a) He [Obama] opposes same-sex marriage and (b) believes that states should be able to set their own marriage rules, but (c) if a state decides to set its own rules by adopting his position, then, according to a White House spokesman, it’s “divisive and discriminatory.”
We all know what the President really believes on this issue. He’s just too scared of “white people” to give an honest opinion. Remember transparency?
August Surprise: James Pethokoukis reports that Obama is about to offer an $800 billion dollar bailout for people upside down on their Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. Count me unconvinced since it seems like that would fuel a backlash. There are all kinds of problems with this idea, but buying votes isn’t exactly new for Democrats.
That’s all I’ve got for today. Until next time, America!
I had so much fun putting together The Daily Flush yesterday I’m making it a daily column here at The Daily Plunge. There’s just so much stuff to write about and so little time. Let’s Flush!
Double Rainbow: I’m a few days behind this internet sensation, but the Double Rainbow video is amazing. At first I thought the guy was on drugs, but after seeing an interview of the guy and seeing where he lives, I’m not so sure. He sure does love rainbows.
Apple iPerfect: Steve Jobs told everyone what we needed to know; they’re not perfect. Perfection aside, according to Jobs, 0.55% of all iPhone 4 users have called Apple Care to complain. For those scoring at home that’s one half of one percent. It should be noted that calling Apple Care is almost useless. Also, if someone is having problems getting a signal how exactly are you supposed to call Apple Care?
Foxes Running the Henhouse: The ass clowns who told us there was nothing wrong with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now celebrating the new “consumer protection bill.” When Nancy Pelosi, Christopher Dodd, and Barney Frank talk about “consumer protection” it’s almost certain that consumers are about to be screwed. These people should be in prison. Instead, they’ll continue to get sweetheart deals the rest of us can only dream about.
The Holy Trinity of Politcal Evil
While these idiots trade high fives some of the problems that led to the crisis aren’t being addressed. The Democrats are either too corrupt or too ideologically tied to the welfare state (take your pick) to deal with the problem.
Sheila Jackson Lee: Finally, we have a fantastic history lesson from Democrat Representative Shelia Jackson Lee. Did you know there’s a North and South Vietnam still living side by side? Nope, neither did I. Before anyone simply says she had Vietnam confused with Korea, she cites the correct number of American casualties from the Vietnam conflict. I only point out the ignorance of this representative because of white privilege.
That’s all for today… I’ll close with the Rainbow Guy song. Classic!
The big news today is the Rolling Stone article about General McChrystal. I don’t really have much to add about that situation. I think Jonah Goldberg’s take on the whole thing seems the most reasonable. Anyway, I’m not writing about that story. The real story for me today is that fact that the Democrat-led Congress isn’t going to submit a budget.
Finger-pointing has become the hallmark symbol of this administration
While this is hardly a new tactic, please remember that in 2006 the Democrats promised to run a more open and transparent government. Instead of improving on their Republican counterparts the Democrats have been a disaster running Congress, not to mention extremely opaque in their governance. Many of the Democrats elected in 2006 ran as fiscal conservatives. Since 2006, spending has skyrocketed. What exactly have the Democrats accomplished the past four years? Why would anyone vote to maintain this leadership?
Democrats seem intent on proving their unworthiness to lead Congress in even its most basic tasks. At the same time, their leadership wants voters to trust them to make the most personal of decisions in their health care, as well as believe that they can cool the planet and lower the sea level with punitive taxes on energy production and boondoggles in alternative energy. They can’t even govern themselves.
I know the Left doesn’t care but the Republicans should get their platform in order. While the Republicans were asleep at the fiscal switch the Democrats had no problem with spending us into oblivion. It was Congressman Barney Frank and other Democrats who fought tooth and nail to maintain the status quo at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Senator Chris Dodd and Rep. Frank belong in jail along with all the other criminals.
This is the face of change.
The Republicans aren’t much better, but bad always looks better when it’s compared to evil. The Democrat political agenda is at odds with most of the American people. Most Americans don’t want amnesty for illegal immigrants. Most Americans are opposed to ObamaCare. Most Americans are opposed to the Climate bill. These are the three biggest priorities for the Democrats and President Obama. Well, that and labeling anyone who disagrees with the agenda as racists wing-nuts.
Until liberals come up with some better ideas they’re not fit to govern the United States. Frankly, the progressive fascination with Utopia is a threat to the Republic and is sending us down the road to tyranny. The nation is already burdened with debt from Left’s old ideas. There simply isn’t enough money left to pay for everything bureaucrats have imagined. The reason Democrats can’t pass a budget before the election is because they know no one will like it. The Democratic majority in Washington is the greatest bait and switch in my lifetime.
One of the major problems with debunking liberal policies is that it usually takes years before a Utopian policy fails. By the time the policy fails, no one remembers it. The Community Reinvestment Act was passed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and was little used until the Clinton administration changed it in 1995. Howard Husock wrote an article in 2000 warning that it could cause a housing crisis.
Looking into the future gives further cause for concern: “The bulk of these loans,” notes a Federal Reserve economist, “have been made during a period in which we have not experienced an economic downturn.” The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America’s own success stories make you wonder how much CRA-related carnage will result when the economy cools.
It’s important to remember that while those on the Left assail capitalism and the free market for the banking criss they forget that regulations like the CRA helped create the problem. In 2003, President Bush tried to reform the housing industry, especially in regard to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which had become Democrat institutions. Look at the talking points from the Left in 2003.
”These two entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — are not facing any kind of financial crisis,” said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ”The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.” Representative Melvin L. Watt, Democrat of North Carolina, agreed. ”I don’t see much other than a shell game going on here, moving something from one agency to another and in the process weakening the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing,” Mr. Watt said.
There you have it, Representative Frank said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were “not facing any kind of financial crisis.” Thanks to this kind of forward thinking Bush wasn’t able to get the changes implimented. Incidentally, Representative Watt used to be my rep in North Caroina. He’s basically a pure socialist, but he’s in a gerrymandered district so he gets reelected year after year.
Barney Frank was worried about affordable housing. The air is going out of the Utopian balloon, but it doesn’t matter that liberals were wrong again if they can blame the free market. Obama is blaming Bush for the mess and Obama supports the type regulation that caused this to happen in the first place. What a country!
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