Did you catch the State of the Nation address Tuesday night? Almost four months after winning the election, President Obama served up yet another mellifluous campaign speech in which he stated that we’ve been living beyond our means for far too long. Now we are about to enter an era of fiscal responsibility and austerity. [...]
Entries from February 2009
February 23, 2009
Of Regulations, Red Tape, and the Trade Deficit
(This piece originally appeared in The Whited Sepulchre. Thanks again, WS, for allowing me to take up some of your cyberspace.)
A number of pundits lately have declared that the current economic meltdown is proof that deregulation doesn’t work, or that markets can’t regulate themselves. Clearly, they argue, what we need is more government regulation and [...]
February 17, 2009
An Appointment In Damascus
President Obama will sign the latest trillion-dollar spending bill today in Denver. According to the President, this bill is a “major milestone on our road to recovery.” As he has said before, Obama fears that failure to unleash another mind-bendingly large deficit spending package could “turn a crisis into a catastrophe.” And just to allay [...]
February 11, 2009
The Cure Is Worse Than the Disease
Another day, another trillion dollars…this week the Senate passed an $838 billion “stimulus” bill. All that’s left now is to paper over the differences with the House version, throw in a couple more billion dollars, and start spending like Paris Hilton on a bender. This week’s stimulus bill is not to be confused with the [...]
February 6, 2009
The Shape of Things to Come
CNN seems bullish on Obama’s economic stimulus plan, even if public support for the second trillion-dollar spending spree in five months appears to be waning somewhat. Not that low public support should be much of an obstacle. After all, Congress passed then-Treasury Secretary Paulson’s $700 billion bailout over the objections of 99% of those polled. [...]
February 3, 2009
Ernesto “Che” Guevara, R.I.P. (Rebelde, Imbécil, Pendejo)
The Washington Times reports that actor Benicio del Toro left an interview abruptly when questioned about his role in the new Steven Soderbergh film, Che. Pues, Benicio, conoces el dicho, ¿no? If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the lead role in a disgusting hagiography of a scumbag mass murderer.
I heard Benicio [...]
