Harsh. :pinch:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/214268
QuoteAn Ivy League Huey Long
by George F. Will
Washington is seriously unserious.
Published Aug 29, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Sep 7, 2009
In August our ubiquitous president became the nation's elevator music, always out and about, heard but not really listened to, like audible wallpaper. And now, as Congress returns to resume wrestling with health care reform, we shall see if he continues his August project of proving that the idea of an Ivy League Huey Long is not oxymoronic.
Barack Obama in August became a Huey for today, a rabble rouser with a better tailor, an unrumpled and modulated tribune of downtrodden Americans, telling them that opponents of his reform plan—which actually does not yet exist—are fearmongers employing scare tactics. He also told Americans to be afraid, very afraid of health-insurance providers because they are dishonest (and will remain so until there is a "public option" to make them "honest"). And to be afraid, very afraid of pediatricians who unnecessarily extract children's tonsils for monetary rather than medical reasons. And to be afraid, very afraid of doctors generally because so many of them are so rapacious that they prefer lopping off limbs of diabetes patients rather than engaging in lifestyle counseling that for "a pittance" could prevent diabetes.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, the Maine Republican whom Democrats hope will lend a patina of bipartisanship to their health legislation whenever it gets written, says that one thing we learned from the cacophonous town halls of August is "that there are many people who are satisfied with their health insurance." Actually, long before this debate began we knew that a large majority of Americans have insurance, and a large majority of that majority are content with their care. That is why the president has become shrill: There is no underlying discontent commensurate with the scale of the changes he is trying to propel.
Quantcast
Another reason that reasonable people are wary of any government plan for a grandiose rearrangement of the health-care sector's 17 percent of the economy is that, regarding grandiosity, the president, after less than eight months in office, is a recidivist. His health-care crusade comes after a $787 billion stimulus (which has effectively made the Energy Department into the nation's largest venture-capital firm, scattering scores of billions of dollars to speculative energy investments) and the semi-nationalization of two car companies. August ended with the unembarrassable administration uttering a $2 trillion "Oops!" by estimating that the 10-year budget-deficit projection is about $9 trillion rather than $7.1 trillion. The supposed means of paying for the president's $1 trillion health-care plan include substantial Medicare cuts that will never happen, and the auction of carbon-emission permits that, instead, would be given away by the Waxman--Markey cap-and-trade legislation the House has sent to the Senate.
That legislation is a particularly lurid illustration of why no serious person nowadays takes seriously Washington's increasingly infantile bandying of numbers. The point of cap-and-trade is to impose a ceiling on the nation's greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions—primarily carbon dioxide. The legislation endorses the goal of holding the global carbon--dioxide level to a maximum of 450 parts per million by 2050. That. Will. Not. Happen.
Steven Hayward and Kenneth Green of the American Enterprise Institute do the math. The 450 level is less than the 2030 projected level for all countries other than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's 30 developed nations. Which means the global goal would be unreachable even if in 2030 those 30 disappear—if they have zero emissions. Waxman--Markey endorses the goal of reducing all of this nation's GHG emissions 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. In 2005, the United States' carbon-dioxide emissions were 6 billion tons, so an 83 percent -reduction would permit about 1 billion tons—what America's emissions were in 1910, when the population was 92 million and the economy was one twenty-fifth of today's. But by 2050, the population probably will be about 420 million, so per capita carbon-dioxide emissions would have to be 2.4 tons—one quarter of 1910's per capita emissions.
Hayward and Green say that historical data indicate that the last time emissions were that low was 1875. And even before that, before widespread use of fossil fuels, wood burning by Americans may have produced more than 2.4 tons per capita. Today France, which generates approximately 80 percent of its electricity by nuclear power, and Switzerland, which generates most of its electricity by nuclear or hydropower, have per capita emissions of 6.59 and 6.13 tons, respectively.
Obviously Hayward and Green are correct that meeting the 2.4-ton goal "is not going to be seriously attempted." So why do the same politicians who want to radically expand government's control of health care pretend otherwise? Because they are not serious people. Which is why so many Americans are seriously alarmed.
© 2009
My preference would be for him to be a National Football League Howie Long. :)
He does seem to think it's hip to be square.
Tim, why do you hate America?
Tim , like most of his island spear chuckers, are "Puertoriquenos" first, Americans second. His loyalty to the state ends when the chocolate milk runs dry. Fortunately, it appears he'll be loyal for at least the next 8 years of the Obama administration. :D
Quote from: Jaron on August 31, 2009, 01:37:07 PM
Tim , like most of his island spear chuckers, are "Puertoriquenos" first, Americans second. His loyalty to the state ends when the chocolate milk runs dry. Fortunately, it appears he'll be loyal for at least the next 8 years of the Obama administration. :D
The state drink of Rhode Island is coffee milk. :x
Quote from: jimmy olsen on August 31, 2009, 01:40:57 PM
The state drink of Rhode Island is coffee milk. :x
The state drink of Michigan is wolverine milk. It takes a very brave man to acquire that.
;)
Check it out, Nebraska's State Drink is Kool-Aid:
http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_beverages.htm (http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_beverages.htm)
Quote from: Savonarola on August 31, 2009, 01:46:26 PM
Check it out, Nebraska's State Drink is Kool-Aid:
http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_beverages.htm (http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_beverages.htm)
What a boring table. Milk, milk, milk, milk, milk. :yawn:
What a disappointing list, no Tennessee whiskey or Kentucky Bourbon.
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 31, 2009, 02:10:06 PM
[What a boring table. Milk, milk, milk, milk, milk. :yawn:
Ohio has Tomato Juice. They're the land of Bloody Marys and Sloopy. :)
Quote from: Savonarola on August 31, 2009, 02:14:44 PM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 31, 2009, 02:10:06 PM
[What a boring table. Milk, milk, milk, milk, milk. :yawn:
Ohio has Tomato Juice. They're the land of Bloody Marys and Sloopy. :)
I think whichever state legislature is the first to claim "dibs" should get to keep milk as their state drink and the rest have to go back to the drawing board. :D
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on August 31, 2009, 02:10:06 PM
Quote from: Savonarola on August 31, 2009, 01:46:26 PM
Check it out, Nebraska's State Drink is Kool-Aid:
http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_beverages.htm (http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_beverages.htm)
What a boring table. Milk, milk, milk, milk, milk. :yawn:
:huh: The only one of those that makes sense is Florida's.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on August 31, 2009, 03:23:10 PM
:huh: The only one of those that makes sense is Florida's.
Wisconsin's makes sense; although cheap beer would also have worked for them.
Oficial State Drink? Oficial State Soft Drink? Which legislature wastes a second deciding that? What's next, Oficial State Munchies?
I went to my PCP that my HMO assigned the other day. He was horrible. I need healthcare reform!
Quote from: The Larch on August 31, 2009, 04:48:12 PM
Oficial State Drink? Oficial State Soft Drink? Which legislature wastes a second deciding that? What's next, Oficial State Munchies?
Better that than fucking up something important.
Quote from: The Larch on August 31, 2009, 04:48:12 PM
Oficial State Drink? Oficial State Soft Drink? Which legislature wastes a second deciding that? What's next, Oficial State Munchies?
Official State Rock Song, of course:
QuoteHOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 16
WHEREAS, The members of the 116th General Assembly of Ohio wish to recognize the rock song "Hang On Sloopy" as the official rock song of the great State of Ohio; and
WHEREAS, In 1965, an Ohio-based rock group known as the McCoys reached the top of the national record charts with "Hang On Sloopy," composed by Bert Russell and Wes Farrell, and that same year, John Tagenhorst, then an arranger for the Ohio State University Marching Band, created the band's now-famous arrangement of "Sloopy," first performed at the Ohio State-Illinois football game on October 9, 1965; and
WHEREAS, Rock music has become an integral part of American culture, having attained a degree of acceptance no one would have thought possible twenty years ago; and
WHEREAS, Adoption of "Hang On Sloopy" as the official rock song of Ohio is in no way intended to supplant "Beautiful Ohio" as the official state song, but would serve as a companion piece to that old chestnut; and
WHEREAS, If fans of jazz, country-and-western, classical, Hawaiian and polka music think those styles also should be recognized by the state, then by golly, they can push their own resolution just like we're doing; and
WHEREAS, "Hang On Sloopy" is of particular relevance to members of the Baby Boom Generation, who were once dismissed as a bunch of long-haired, crazy kids, but who now are old enough and vote in sufficient numbers to be taken quite seriously; and
WHEREAS, Adoption of this resolution will not take too long, cost the state anything, or affect the quality of life in this state to any appreciable degree, and if we in the legislature just go ahead and pass the darn thing, we can get on with more important stuff; and
WHEREAS, Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town, and everybody, yeah, tries to put my Sloopy down; and
WHEREAS, Sloopy, I don't care what your daddy do, 'cause you know, Sloopy girl, I'm in love with you; therefore be it Resolved, That we, the members of the 116th General Assembly of Ohio, in adopting this Resolution, name "Hang On Sloopy" as the official rock song of the State of Ohio; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislative Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly authenticated copies of this Resolution to the news media of Ohio.
Whereas, This proposal is stupid.
Quote from: garbon on August 31, 2009, 04:56:29 PM
Whereas, This proposal is stupid.
It's Ohio. Ohio and stupid go together like milk and cookies.
Quote from: dps on August 31, 2009, 04:58:24 PM
It's Ohio. Ohio and stupid go together like milk and cookies.
Why does everyone pick on the land of mediocre presidents? :(
QuoteWHEREAS, If fans of jazz, country-and-western, classical, Hawaiian and polka music think those styles also should be recognized by the state, then by golly, they can push their own resolution just like we're doing; and
WHEREAS, "Hang On Sloopy" is of particular relevance to members of the Baby Boom Generation, who were once dismissed as a bunch of long-haired, crazy kids, but who now are old enough and vote in sufficient numbers to be taken quite seriously; and
WHEREAS, Adoption of this resolution will not take too long, cost the state anything, or affect the quality of life in this state to any appreciable degree, and if we in the legislature just go ahead and pass the darn thing, we can get on with more important stuff; and
WHEREAS, Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town, and everybody, yeah, tries to put my Sloopy down; and
WHEREAS, Sloopy, I don't care what your daddy do, 'cause you know, Sloopy girl, I'm in love with you;
:lol:
You laugh Beeb. I've had that song driven into my fucking skull.
New Jersey has a better state song. :cool:
Arkansas's state drink should be moonshine.
I can play Sloopy in my sleep. Nightmares, even.
Quote from: dps on August 31, 2009, 04:58:24 PM
Quote from: garbon on August 31, 2009, 04:56:29 PM
Whereas, This proposal is stupid.
It's Ohio. Ohio and stupid go together like milk Tomato Juice and cookies.
Fixed it for you.
Shit, I WISH Obama would take a few pages from the Kingfish's playbook.
Obama needs to quit pussyfooting around with the Republicans and get liberal as hell. I'm getting tired quick of his centrism and pandering to a dead party and a dead ideology.
And in other news, George Will is a hack and an idiot. A slightly smarter William Kristol, if you will.
Quote from: The Larch on August 31, 2009, 04:48:12 PM
Oficial State Drink? Oficial State Soft Drink? Which legislature wastes a second deciding that? What's next, Oficial State Munchies?
We have an official State Dinosaur but not a State Beverage.
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 31, 2009, 05:42:25 PM
You laugh Beeb. I've had that song driven into my fucking skull.
I was singing it Saturday at the Hofbrauhaus :blush:
Quote from: derspiess on September 01, 2009, 12:38:19 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on August 31, 2009, 05:42:25 PM
You laugh Beeb. I've had that song driven into my fucking skull.
I was singing it Saturday at the Hofbrauhaus :blush:
Colonel Klink and Schulz was singing too.
Quote from: Fireblade on August 31, 2009, 08:30:33 PM
And in other news, George Will is a hack and an idiot. A slightly smarter William Kristol, if you will.
I think it was George Will that recently wrote a NY Times editorial whining about how many people wear jeans. :D
Oklahoma resolved for a Flaming Lips song this year. :cool:
Quote from: alfred russel on September 01, 2009, 02:57:01 PMI think it was George Will that recently wrote a NY Times editorial whining about how many people wear jeans. :D
Oh goody, his personality is merging with Andy Rooney's.
Quote from: alfred russel on September 01, 2009, 02:57:01 PM
Quote from: Fireblade on August 31, 2009, 08:30:33 PM
And in other news, George Will is a hack and an idiot. A slightly smarter William Kristol, if you will.
I think it was George Will that recently wrote a NY Times editorial whining about how many people wear jeans. :D
In Canada, his name is Rex Murphy. They should both be stoned to death by Thesauri.