16 December 2004

She's Back

Rachel Lucas has returned from her self imposed exile from the blogosphere. Go read and then join me in doing the Happy Dance.

08 December 2004

On Constitutional Amendments

Leave my Constitution alone, dammit!

Please refer to the previously unpublished “Heywood’s Second Maxim on The Big Issues”: “There is no Issue currently in the public conscientiousness that merits Amending the Constitution of the United States of America”

Not one. Nada. Zip. Zero. Not in our lifetime. Not unless I am suddenly appointed Emperor, in which case as my First Official Act I will, permanently and Constitutionally, ban Astroturf and the Designated Hitter rule from Baseball. I’m willing to entertain arguments about Astroturf (you’ll lose), but the DH is Right.Out. Now, about that fookin’ tax code.....

“Gay Marriage”? Non-issue. The “Arnold” amendment? Piss off. The Founding Fathers were almost all born abroad, they put the “native born” caveat in The Document for a reason. “Abortion”? (The mere word has been mentioned! He has mentioned The Very Word, we must stone the heretic!) Issue.Not.Defined. I owe both of our regular readers a position paper on That Issue; it is forthcoming. I’ve managed to get caught up in an seemingly endless “edit / re-write” loop, but I’ll get it out soon. I almost promise.....

Practically speaking, getting a Constitutional Amendment passed and ratified in this Day and Age is next to impossible. Hell’s bells, the 16th Amendment didn’t really make it all the way through the process. I refer you to Article V of our Most Beloved Document: two-thirds of Congress have to decide it’s necessary, then three-quarters of the State Legislatures have to ratify it? Puh-lease.

Not.Going.To.Happen. Not now. Maybe in Condi’s second term.....
You want to talk about repealing the 16th and the 22th amendmends? Call me, let's talk

07 December 2004

IBM makes a Sale

Thank you, billy jeff

It looks like a ChiCom concern has just purchased the personal computer operations of IBM. Isn’t that special? It looks like billy jeff blythe clinton gave the gift that keeps on giving, with his gift quid pro quo to the Chinese Communist with the Most Favored Nation trading status. Perfect.

[On one hand, it’s a sound business decision. Look at the ads in your Sunday paper: you can buy a complete desk-top system for $400. I paid $1900 for a close-out scratch & dent demo model 486SX100 in 1995. Now for $400 or less you can buy a complete Pentium 3 eleventy-seven million gig system that will run circles around any computer that’s over 5 years old. There’s no money to be made in mass produced personal computers, so IBM made the business decision to sell their PC unit.

On the other hand, “To the fookin’ ChiComs? WTF were you thinging?” The next time NORAD needs to upgrade their PC inventory, now they have to call Bejing? Really, WTF? I’m surprised that the FTC let this go through. Imagine if the ChiComs wanted to buy NorthWest Airlines or the Ford Motor Company. Don’t laugh, it’s not that far from possibility.]

All that aside, all this talk about “outsourcing” makes me want to vomit. The left keeps going on about GWB “outsourcing” jobs, and they just don’t see who’s to blame.

Three (not so rhetorical) questions:

· What President signed the NAFTA agreement?
· What President granted China Most Favored Nation trading status?
· What President signed the GATT treaty?

Give up? The answer to all three questions is billy jeff blythe clinton. Get over it. OK, so the impact of the “outsourcing” occured on GWB’s watch. bjbc enjoyed a robust economy (courtesy of Ronald Wilson Reagan’s and George Herbert Walker Bush’s economic stewardship) up until about 1997, when his (or Hillary’s) policies finally managed to fcuk it up. Absent the events of 11 September 2001, we would have gotten over clinton’s horrid economic legacy by the spring of 2002. The left can’t see that their boy was the source of all the “outsourcing” nonsense.

Just because the Berlin Wall fell during Bush 41’s term; don’t be confused. The Wall fell because Ronald Wilson Reagan was determined to see it fall and willed it to do so. “Mr.Gorbachov: Bring down this Wall” “Or we’ll kick your ass” was the unspoken implication. So it took a few years, but the Wall fell. During the Next Administration. Just like now. GWB is having to repair the damage of the clinton Administration, and taking all the heat because the previous Adminstration’s policies came to roost during is watch.