Fishwrapped thudbits, January 27, 2012

OUTRAGE DU JOUR

 NLRB seeks to have employers turn over home telephone numbers and email addresses for all employees of the 93% non-union companies targeted for unionization. This is so far beyond invasion of privacy as to be grounds for impeachment.  Wait, how can illegal bureaucrats be impeached?

SOTU

 FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

Fitch downgrades long-term rates for 5 EU countries.  Obviously, not satisfied that enough has been done.

POLITICS

 Shlaes: Gingrich Showed us How to Wreck a Revolution.  It’s all about allocation.

Calif. Orders Automakers to Sell Less Polluting Cars and if the mfgs don’t comply?  Unenforceable.  A terrific way to hasten out-migration.

SOTU

“President Obama’s State of the Union address was disgusting.  That’s putting it way to charitably.  This president, emulating King Jong Il and Kim Jong Un, doesn’t deserve a single vote come November.  That the election is deemed to be close or even have this enemy of American exceptionalism re-elected is such a sad commentary of ignorance and denial of reality, as the case may be, with those who would even consider voting for this wannabe man.  Goldberg sums it up: “This nation isn’t great because we work as a team with the president as our captain. America is great because America is free. It is great not because we put our self-interest aside, but because we have the right to pursue happiness.”

     Dr. K. writes with humor about the Little Man delivering a jumble of little but intrusive counter-productive money pits into our lives.  He concludes with the unfortunate truth, “if the Republicans can’t beat that in November, they should try another line of work.”

EDUCATION

Once Again, Our Government finds itself Clueless: “Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued an “informal discussion letter” stating that businesses that require a high school diploma in a help wanted advertisement might be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, unless they can prove that courses in high school have a direct bearing on the ability to do the job being advertised.”  Unfortunately, even a stupid law/regulation like that doesn’t mean that an applicant can read and write, much less think.

Free Courses, Elite colleges.  Sounds exciting.  I’m going to investigate.

LIFE

 Alexis de Tocqueville and A drowning dog, aka ‘compassion’ and ‘government’ do not belong in the same sentence.  “As Tocqueville also observed, “There is only one country on the face of the earth where the citizens enjoy unlimited freedom of association for political purposes.”  That is us.  The 2012 election may well determine whether it remains us.”

ELECTIONS

Raking Fire in the Stern (a term of 18^th-19^th century combat on the high seas, in which one of the vessels manages a ‘particularly crushing fusillade on the unarmed stern of its opponent) applied to the FL GOP Primary.  Excellent essay!!  Recommended reading for all who enjoy good writing, to which this writer continues to aspire.

I’m partial to that genre of seafaring battle, having read almost all of C.S. Forester’s Hornblower series as a kid, which prompted me to go to sea at 19.  After 6 hours out, on a Norwegian oil tanker, I vowed that the next time I went to sea, it would be on a yacht and immediately canceled my post-college plan of becoming a naval officer.