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JANUARY 8,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:46 P.M. ET

GOOD FOR HER – From the New York Post:  "TUCSON, Ariz. — In the three years since she was severely injured in a mass shooting at a political event, Gabrielle Giffords has made an impressive recovery, learned to walk again and founded a national political organization. On Wednesday, while others gathered for bell-ringing and flag-raising ceremonies, she marked the anniversary by skydiving.  After completing her landing, Giffords blew kisses and waved to a crowd of reporters. She described the jump as a wonderful experience.  The former congresswoman’s jump will be broadcast on NBC’s 'Today' show on Thursday."  She's a moderate Democrat, the sane kind, and her proposals to reduce gun violence are consistent with her strong belief in the Second Amendment.

POLITICAL CHOICES – From Gallup:  "PRINCETON, NJ -- Forty-two percent of Americans, on average, identified as political independents in 2013, the highest Gallup has measured since it began conducting interviews by telephone 25 years ago. Meanwhile, Republican identification fell to 25%, the lowest over that time span. At 31%, Democratic identification is unchanged from the last four years but down from 36% in 2008."  I have no problem with the increase in independents, but it's clear the GOP has a serious problem with voter love.  I think many things are being done to reach more voters with convincing arguments, but it's a long road, not helped by internal warfare. 

MUSIC FOR THE MIND – From London's Daily Mail:  "Playing classical music such as Beethoven and Mozart to young children boosts their concentration and self-discipline, a new study suggests.  Youngsters also improve their general listening and social skills by being exposed to repertoires from composers including Ravel, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn.  In addition, they are likely to appreciate a wider range of music in later years, according to a study from the Institute of Education, (IoE), University of London."  I wonder if this is a function of listening to great music or having great parents.  I'd like to see a study of kids whose parents feed them hip-hop.

SHOCK, SHOCK – From The Washington Times:  "The Justice Department put an avowed political supporter of President Obama in charge of the criminal probe into the IRS targeting of tea party groups, according to top Republicans who said Wednesday that the move has ruined the entire investigation.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell E. Issa, California Republican, and regulatory affairs subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, said they have discovered that the head of the investigation is Barbara Kay Bosserman, a trial lawyer in the Justice Department who donated more than $6,000 to Mr. Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns, as well as several hundred dollars to the national Democratic Party."

January 8, 2013       Permalink

HERE IT COMES – EUROPE IN AMERICA – AT 10:04 A.M. ET:  Some critics of Obamacare claim it's just the first step in a move toward a European-style "single payer" system in America.  The Obamans say they are shocked, shocked, by such a charge.  Yet, one of the most "progressive" states in America – Vermont – is already heading toward single payer.  You may be sure Vermont will soon be used as the example whereby the left moves toward socialized medicine in America.  From Fox: 

WASHINGTON – While all eyes are on the ObamaCare rollout, an ambitious health care experiment is going forward in Vermont that would create a government-run alternative know as a "single-payer" system -- and it's starting to attract more attention from liberals frustrated with the Affordable Care Act's implementation.

Democrats' faith in ObamaCare has been shaken by the technical failures of the federal and state insurance exchanges as well as, in some cases, premium increases. In Vermont, however, they see a potential first step toward the kind of national government-run health care system some have advocated for years. Filmmaker Michael Moore, in a column last week blasting ObamaCare, said Vermont's plan could "change everything."

Michael Moore is now an expert on health care?  I guess when no one wants to see your movies...

But critics say the proposal goes too far and would kill thousands of jobs. "It’s not practical,” Vermont state Rep. Patti Komline, who voted against the plan, told FoxNews.com. “There are too many complications involved.”

A single-payer plan would largely sideline the insurance industry, and instead set up a government-managed insurance system to collect all health care fees and pay out all health care costs.

Full implementation of Vermont’s single-payer plan could be held up for another three years, at least. In order for Green Mountain Care to fully launch in 2017, the health care exchange would have to get approval from the federal government to use federal money to fund the state program.

State law would also require Vermont to define the benefits of the single-payer program and provide a three-year budget that clocks in less than current health care costs.

University of Virginia public policy professor Raymond Scheppach said it will take another half decade to determine whether Vermont’s controversial plan even works and if there are any real benefits associated with it. He also says that regardless of outcome, Vermont’s political makeup differs from other states and therefore would not provide an accurate view of what’s to come.

COMMENT:  The problem with single payer is in its name.  It's a monopoly, and monopolies quickly turn into rigid bureaucracies, incapable of progress.  (Remember the days when you had to rent your telephone from the phone company, and a long-distance call cost ten dollars?) 

European single-payer system do have some good points, but they are slow, and they do indeed have death panels, which decide on the "standard of care" for an entire population.  A chilling prospect for an individualistic society like ours. 

January 8, 2013       Permalink

CRACK JOURNALISTS AT WORK – AT 9:21 A.M. ET:   The phrase of the week, of course, is "polar vortex."  That is supposedly the cause of the deep chill we're experiencing in the U.S.  And what is the cause?  Well, to some at least, it has to be, natch, global warming.  But, ahem, TIME was saying something very different about the polar vortex not too many decades ago.  From PJ Media:

As spotted by Steve Goddard, and linked to by Climate Depot:

In 1974, Time Magazine blamed the cold polar vortex on global cooling.

‘Scientists have found other indications of global cooling. For one thing there has been a noticeable expansion of the great belt of dry, high-altitude polar winds —the so-called circumpolar vortex—that sweep from west to east around the top and bottom of the world.’

Another Ice Age? – TIME

Forty years later, Time Magazine blames the cold polar vortex on global warming

‘But not only does the cold spell not disprove climate change, it may well be that global warming could be making the occasional bout of extreme cold weather in the U.S. even more likely. Right now much of the U.S. is in the grip of a polar vortex, which is pretty much what it sounds like: a whirlwind of extremely cold, extremely dense air that forms near the poles.’

Polar Vortex: Climate Change Could Be the Cause of Record Cold Weather | TIME.com

To borrow from an item I wrote a few days before Christmas, as Zombie noted at PJM last year, the warnings for what industrialized man should do to fight global cooling are virtually identical to the warnings would-be “climate” “scientists” have given to fight global warming as well.

COMMENT:  And yet, the "crisis" of global warming is the accepted position of the Obama administration and the passionately held position of the trendies in journalism. 

And yes, it's true, journalists in the 1970s were writing about the possibility of another ice age.  We were all going to freeze.  Now we're all going to melt. 

The new ice age never happened.  We haven't had any global warming in more than 15 years.  Maybe we should take a hard look at what we call "science."

January 8, 2013       Permalink

AFGHAN DISASTER – AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  We are withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan.  The move has wide popular support.  Americans are "tired of war," we're told, even though most Americans haven't lifted a finger. 

But we are leaving Afghanistan the same way we left Iraq – badly.  Con Coughlin, one of Britain's leading experts on the war on terror explains what will happen and who will be at fault.  From The Telegraph: 

When the unhappy history of America's involvement in the Afghan conflict comes to be written, the damning critique provided by former US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on President Barack Obama's inept handling of the war will be required reading.

As a former Defence Secretary for both the Bush and Obama administrations, and in his capacity as a former director of the CIA, Mr Gates has been at the heart of American policymaking on security issues for decades. And the scathing remarks he makes in his new book, Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary of War, about Mr Obama's handling of the conflict, will not make for comfortable reading at the White House.

Mr Gates says that, even though Mr Obama personally authorised the military surge against the Taliban in late 2009, his heart was never really focused on the mission and that, from the moment he entered the White House, he was more interested in a cut-and-run strategy than actually bothering to win the war by defeating the Taliban and stabilising the war-ravaged country.

Mr Gates says the president's focus was "all about getting out", and that he was "sceptical if not outright convinced" that his generals' plans would end in failure. No wonder Mr Obama forced two of his leading generals in Afghanistan - Generals David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal – out of their jobs.

In fact, if any blame is to accrue for the way the mission has unravelled since Mr Obama came to office, then it lies fairly and squarely with the Oval office. As Mr Gates writes, the American president and commander-in-chief "doesn't believe in his own strategy and doesn't consider the war to be his". So much for "Obama's War", as some sections of the American media labelled it.

COMMENT:  Gates is simply the latest figure to make clear that Obama has weakened America.  But the dismal fact is that his policies are highly popular on the left wing of the Democratic Party, and major media will still support him.  Weakening America is no issue for them.  On the left, America is never the solution, only the problem.

And the equally dismal fact is that most Americans, at least right now, just don't care.  Lack of leadership is the cause, and lack of responsibility in the media.

January 8, 2013       Permalink 

SAD – AT 8:36 A.M. ET:  We normally don't cover individual police cases here, but this one is a bit different. 

Many of you know the work of Jeff Jacoby, the sole conservative columnist on the Boston Globe.  He has done outstanding work over the years in an atmosphere often described as hostile.  He is also a religious man and a devoted parent.

It now turns out that Jacoby's son, Caleb, a religious-school student, has been missing in Brookline since Monday afternoon.  The temperature in the area has hovered in the single digits.  Young Caleb just disappeared.  There are no clues and there is no trace of him.  He does not appear to be the kind of boy who would run away.  Obviously, there is cause for grave concern.  Police say that foul play isn't suspected at this time, but that is a routine statement. 

Jeff Jacoby has been an inspiring columnist on our side, always maintaining high standards while working in a decidedly liberal environment.  We're following the story and hope for his son's return to his family.  We'll keep you informed.

January 8,  2013     Permalink

JANUARY 7,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:58 P.M. ET: 

SICKENING – Basketball star Dennis Rodman is engaged in personal diplomacy with North Korea, with the full support of one-time civil rights important person Jesse Jackson.  But Rodman has difficulty with those who might question his mission to a dictator who starves his people and just murdered his uncle.  Rodman blew up during a recent TV interview.  From Newsmax:  "Former NBA star Dennis Rodman Tuesday angrily defended his decision to take a team of former NBA players to play basketball in North Korea, saying the reason was because he loved his friend, leader Kim Jong Un.  'It's a great idea for the world. And, people always turn down the things I do. And, it's weird,' Rodman told CNN's 'New Day' host Chris Cuomo. 'Why? I love my friend. I love my friend. This is my friend.'"  I guess there really isn't life after basketball.

GATES – Much buzz already on former Defense Secretary Bob Gates's new memoir, which minces no words.  He portrays the current president as an indifferent, cynical, contradictory commander-in-chief, whose decisions on war and peace were colored by domestic politics.  Other than that, Obama is another Napoleon.  The Gates book is filled with accusations and allegations.  It is hard to assess its impact, however, as books like this can often come off as self-righteous and self-serving.  Pundits are already buzzing about Gates's take on Hillary Clinton, whom Gates praises heavily in one place.  In another, though, he says that Clinton admitted that her stand on military strategy during the 2008 campaign was based on political need.  I'm shocked.

STUNNING – IT WAS COLD BEFORE! – From London's Daily Mail:  "Today's biting temperatures in New York City may be breaking records - but they've got nothing on the freezing winds that rattled through the city 80 years ago.  Black-and-white photographs capture New Yorkers huddling together for warmth during the city's coldest day on record - February 9, 1934, when it was 15 degrees below zero.  Other images taken throughout the last century reveal the untold hardships on the homeless, commuters and workers as they battled snow-covered streets and icy winds on winter days."  Yeah, there have been cold waves before, but you'd never know it according to some of the news coverage of the current snap.  And of course the global warmers put icing, so to speak, on the cake by claiming this is all due to the warmin' gods. 

A STORY WE LIKE – This will be a new feature at Urgent Agenda.  On no particular schedule we'll refer readers to optimistic stories that show that good things really do happen in the news, and often to good people.  Here, for example, is a story of a family brought back together by the chance encounter of a White House photographer and a troubled young man.  I think you'll like this too:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/06/nicholas-simmons-missing-man-reunited-with-family-after-ap-photograph/?intcmp=latestnews

January 7, 2014       Permalink

SIGN OF TROUBLE – AT 10:35 A.M. ET:  It seems the climate-change industry knows it's in trouble.  From Breitbart: 

It is unclear exactly why many climate change organizations are installing new executives, but it appears they are following the professional sports paradigm: When a team loses more than it wins, you can’t fire all the players, but you can fire the coach.

In the last decade the environmentalist have peddled harsh laws to install climate change strategies. However, many of these laws don’t pass, and new regulations fail to get traction. With global warming at a standstill for most of the last two decades and – much to Al Gore’s chagrin – plenty of ice still on the polar caps, more green groups are firing their CEO’s.

Next to go is Maggie Fox, president and CEO of the Al Gore-founded Climate Reality Project, who will be gone in the Spring. The group was previously called the Alliance for Climate Protection and was part of the unsuccessful environmental movement’s drive to enact cap-and-trade legislation in 2009-10.

Two other large U.S. environmental companies are giving the boot to their leaders. National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Larry Schweiger is leaving in May, and Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke is also parting ways with her group in 2014.

COMMENT:  Maybe a little less fanaticism and a little more cooperation with real problem solvers would help.  Environmentalism has become a rigid religion, and people are dropping away. 

January 7, 2014       Permalink

SIGN OF THE TIMES – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:  Illinois, the president's home state, is a basket case.  While Republican-run states around it – Indiana and Wisconsin – are doing well, Illinois continues into the 21st century as a train wreck.  People don't feel safe, the state is getting poorer, jobs are being lost.  Otherwise, it's a great place and the Chicago machine is a wonderful institution.  From Breitbart:

On the heels of a federal court striking down Chicago's ban on gun sales, those seeking gun permits in Illinois flooded the State Police website over the weekend to begin the permitting process.

In fact, the amount of Illinois residents seeking a conceal carry permit already surpasses those who enrolled in Obamacare after the first two months of the launch of healthcare.gov. The Chicago Sun-Times reported 4,525 individuals signed up on Sunday alone for their firearms permits, when the State Police first opened the process to all concealed carry applicants.

Illinois State Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said that number is included in Sunday’s total of more than 11,000 people who have signed up because of an early application process that began December 18 and was open to only firearm instructors. Officials told the Sun-Times they expect 350,000 to 400,000 people (about 1,000 per day) will sign up for conceal carry firearm permits this year.

And...

Illinois State Police have up to 90 days to approve or reject applicants if their applications are completed and their fingerprints are submitted in an electronic format. Illinois became the last state to pass legislation allowing residents to carry concealed weapons. The five-year permits cost $150 for residents and $300 for non-residents.

In contrast, the number of Illinois residents going to healthcare.gov over a two-month period and enrolling in Obamacare is currently on a slower pace than those looking to become conceal carry permit holders. Only 7,043 Illinoisans were enrolled in Obamacare plans two months after the website's launch, the Chicago Tribune reported in December.

COMMENT:  So, more people want guns than want Obamacare.  I wonder why.

January 7, 2014       Permalink

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  Canada's Steve Harper is one of our favorite foreign leaders.  He's everything an American president should be.  Naturally, Obama has dissed him whenever possible.  Harper can diss back.  Cheers.  From The Hill: 

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said President Obama "punted" the decision on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

But Harper said he remains confident it will be built.

Harper commented on the $5.4 billion project during a conversation hosted by Vancouver Board of Trade chief executive Iain Black, the Calgary Herald reports.

Black began asking Harper about the pipeline, saying Obama had rejected it when Harper interjected.

"No, he's punted," Harper said of Obama on Monday. "He said 'maybe'"

"It's my hope that the administration will in due course see its way to take the appropriate decision, but that's obviously a political process in the United States," Harper said.

The controversial pipeline proposed by TransCanada would run from the oil sands in Alberta, Canada to refineries in the Gulf Coast

"The good news is that on both sides of the aisle, in both political parties, in both houses, and throughout the American economy and public, there is widespread support for the project," Harper said.

"I am confident that in due course the project will, in one way or another, proceed," he added.

Stakeholders are awaiting the State Department's highly anticipated final environmental impact statement of the pipeline, which has garnered some scrutiny. It is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

COMMENT:  Nothing like damning with faint praise.  Like other American allies, Canada has learned that Congress, not this president, has the wisdom in foreign policy.  While Harper gave the required lame defense of Obama, his feelings are clear.  Obama is the obstacle, not the catalyst. 

Canada will, in the end, always be with us.  There were some exceptions in the cases of recent left-wing prime ministers, starting with the awful Pierre Trudeau.  But Canada right now is lead by a truly great leader.  I only wish he had the same relationship with the American president that Ronald Reagan had with Brian Mulroney.

January 7, 2014       Permalink

HILLARY IN TROUBLE? – AT 8:52 A.M. ET:  It wasn't many months ago when Washington journalists were preparing the coronation of Queen Hillary, blessed be she.  Times have changed.  From The Politico:

There’s no question that Hillary Clinton would make a formidable presidential candidate. She routinely polls as America’s most admired figure, and voters gave her high marks during her tenure as the country’s top diplomat. But Hillary Clinton has a potential problem. His name is Barack Obama.

Same problem the country has.

While she had to contend with “Clinton fatigue” in 2008, “Obama fatigue” is her potential stumbling block this time. Should dissatisfaction with the state of the nation and disapproval of Obama persist as 2016 approaches, the former secretary of state may well struggle to position herself as an agent of change.

For now, she is once again the early frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Public views of her are much like what they were as she looked ahead to her first presidential run. In fact, Clinton’s current Pew Research Center favorability rating is almost identical to what it was in 2005. The profile of her most enthusiastic fans resembles her initial constituency, before Obama emerged as a viable candidate. And when tested, she is the hands-down favorite to become the Democrats’ standard-bearer in 2016. For the moment, there’s simply no other contender in sight.

But at the same time, disillusionment with Obama could significantly undermine her current standing. The president’s approval numbers at the start of 2014 are in the low 40s in both the Gallup and Pew Research Center polls—10 points lower than in January 2013, and markedly lower than Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton’s ratings as they entered their eighth years in office. More ominously for Democrats, Obama’s personal image has slipped. Over the course of 2013, the percentage of the public viewing Obama as “able to get things done” fell from 57 percent to 43 percent, and those regarding him as “trustworthy” slipped from 59 percent to 50 percent.

And...

Potential problems notwithstanding, Clinton’s national image is quite strong, even though her ratings have dipped a bit since leaving Foggy Bottom. A 56 percent majority of respondents in an October Pew Research Center nationwide survey rated her favorably, somewhat lower than she tested in December 2012 (65 percent) near the end of her term as secretary of state.

COMMENT:  I think that's actually a fairly soft assessment of Hillary's problems.  A 56% approval rating for a potential president isn't very impressive, given the fact that the whole country knows her.  Where does she go from here?  Where is the upward potential?  Indeed, history shows us that potential presidents tend to decline in approval once they formally announce their candidacy and the other side starts to attack.

I would not be shocked if Hillary has competition for the nomination, nor would I be shocked if she ultimately decides not to run.

January 7,  2014     Permalink