McCain's Early Recognition of Fannie/Freddie Crisis

It is beyond distressing that the democrats have essentially avoided responsibility for the financial meltdown caused by their complicity in preventing the reforming of these GSEs over the years.  The record is right here for everyone to see.  No media weighed in on this scandal except Fox News and perhaps even they could be faulted for not making an even bigger deal out of this issue on an ongoing basis.  What's to be done if clowns like Barney Frank and Chuck Schumer continue to get reelected (which they did) and wield great influence in the Congress (which they still do) even after evidence of their horribly bad judgement and outright incompetent leadership?  Until people like this are expunged from key decision making positions in our government, we are all doomed.

Our Enemy, The State --Albert Jay Nock

What's going on in Wisconsin and in other states trying to roll back the power of public service unions, goes to the heart of what is meant by government, freedom and the State.  This essay by a libertarian, Albert Jay Nock, who lived through the take over of the government and the State by the Democrat Party and the New Dealers describes the difference between the government and State and why that distinction is important to our freedom.  As it stands now, the unions have pretty much hijacked the State and the conservative government administration in Wisconsin (and elsewhere) is trying to reclaim it on behalf of its constituency -- the citizens.  We are at an inflection point when we can go in one of two directions, depending on the outcome of this struggle between the government and the unions.  If the unions win, we will continue down the path of collectivism and more government intrusion in our daily lives and less personal freedom.  If the government succeeds in rolling back the power of the unions to control the State,  the size of government and its role in our lives can in turn be rolled back.  For those who believe limited government equals freedom, this latter case is the preferred outcome.  Otherwise the Obama agenda of socialized medicine, et. al., will prevail and we are to be diminished as individuals.  There's a lot at stake in Wisconsin and in other states.

So much for Mayor Bloomberg the savior

NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg has cut a wide swath in big city politics for the past 10 years.  His legacy will be far from positive, as we see from this Commentary article by Fred Siegel and Sol Stern, two of the more astute and brave investigative reporters on the scene today.  It's pretty clear that Bloomberg is yet another megalomaniac who craves attention.  In his case he has so much wealth he's able to buy just about all the attention he needs.  Meanwhile he's leaving a train wreck for the next mayor to clean up.

The demise of oral communication

Most adults of my generation often comment on the use of the word "like" by today's youth.  I often find myself counting the "likes" offered up by youthful and often not-so-youthful commenters on news programs during the course of an interview.  It is a breakdown of the capacity to think and express thoughts coherently, which according to at least one professor stems from a diminishing ability to think in the abstract.  The cause of this disability is in the realm of speculation, however one professor observing the change in speaking patters of his students over time opined it has to do with teaching in middle and high schools these days.  It appears there is no focus on the basics, that any form of expression is okay and permmisible  Must not be critical otherwise might damage student self esteem.  This sounds like the end result of political correctness, multiculturalism and affirmative action in play.   This article enlightens on the history and development of this disease.