SamSaid!

STATISTICS

     Sometimes while reading  thru magazines and newspapers, numbers prominently jump out at the readers.   Here are a few examples.

   1.  A creative statistition has calculated that the mortality rate per 1000,000 people over 22 months is higher in Washington DC than it is among our military folks in Iraq. Since it is so dangerous in the Nation's Capital, I wonder if the anti-war left wingers advocate pulling out of Washington??

   2. When oil drilling began at  Prudoe Bay, Alaska, in 1977, the caribou population was 5000. Now, the population at 31,000. I did NOT get this data from the Sierra Club or the other “Greenies”. It's my guess that if we start drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Preserve, we'll probably have to resort to hunting permits to cull the herd.

   3. The annual earnings of shoppers at Walmart is $35,000. The comparable earnings figures at Target and Costco are $50,000 and $75,000 respectively. With all of the anti-Walmart propaganda nowadays, the solution seems to be for Walmart to raise its costs and force shoppers to move up to Target and Costco. I don't get the sense that Walmart shoppers are unhappy campers they way things are now.

   4. In the US, life expectancy has now risen to 77.6 years. Does that make the Pharmacuetical Companies good guys or just greedy, money hungry capitalists. I hate to read these articles that in effect say “It's too bad we really need those miserable #@!!Z*@## drug peddlers.” Anyone for more research?

   5. The unpaid deficit in repayment of student loans is now $7,000,000,000. Any way you look at it, $7 Billion is a lot of money. The student loan program was a good idea — and it still is  –  sort of like a civilian version of the GI Bill. But surviving as a good program is premised on the assumption that the recipients will pay back the loans. Obviously, that is not happening. It has gotten to the point where a portion of Social Security payments is being withheld to satisfy the loans.

     Even with the intellectual elite (?) there is the prevailing attitude that where tax dollars are concerned, repayment is no big deal. Since Social Security benefits start at age 62 (the earliest), how long have some of these unpaid loans been riding forward? Interest free??

   6. Last year, 1/3 of all of the babies born in the US were born to unwed mothers. Among blacks, the percentage of babies born to unwed mothers was 70%. What does that say about  family life in the next generation?

   7. At the Univ of California (Berkeley) the campaign for quotas in enrollment continues. The eggheads go to great lengths to avoid the word “quotas”. They look in all directions to find words that mean “quotas” without saying so  — like Equal Opportunity, Under-representation, Affirmative Action, Diversity, Total Experieice, and the like. Anything except merit and accomplishment. A banner heeadline in the local newspaper boasted, “Minority enrollment up at Berkeley”.—  meaning blacks and Hispanics.

    Buried in the article was a telling statistic. Enrollment for the coming year includes  48% Asian, and 31% white. Is this the product of Affirmative Action? Or diversity? Or under-represention? Who is discriminating against whom? If the Asians are a protected class, what are they being protected against?? If the blacks or hispanics have a beef, who is it against? The whites or the Asians? 

     Numbers!!

DEMOCRACY

     Election Day is behind us by two weeks. The victors are still chortling in glee and the losers are still crying in their beer. Such is the way of Democracy. One of the biggest elections occurred in California where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger put his leadership and prestige on the line in support of 4 ballot Initiatives. All four had merit and were worthy of popular support. All four lost.

     I voted for all four Initiatives. I did not do so as some mind of a right wing idealogue or extremist. Rather I voted “Yes” for very simple reason. California is in a mess  — financially, socially, politically and ecomonically. Maybe not just one mess; let's  say there are several messes. There is one thing that separates Schwarzenegger from the others —   at least he has the guts to try and do something about it. He is one guy who has the moxie to seek changes that would repair, if not fix, the problems that curently plague the state. And to make matters worse, without repair and reform, the “messes” will simply get worse.

     But Big Labor was aroused to meet the Gov at the pass and reject his efforts, and they prevailed.  Big Labor said, “Hey, Arnold, we've got ours, so let us alone. If you want to reform something, go find something else”. Their obvious self interest  — fully funded by taxpayers  –  appealed to those who put their personal interests first.  So now we are back at square one where there is no way to get from here to there. Next year, Arnold  may or may not run for re-election, but either way we will hear from the limp wrist Democrats who will be in pay-back time to the Unions. The public smokescreen will be cleverly crafted, but the main fare of Democratic politicos will be smoke, mirrors, pretense, and DEBT. When the Unions have their hands that deep in the pockets of Taxpayers, we should not expect them to withwraw them easily or fully

     Anyone with a political IQ over 20 should be able to understand the impossibility of the current structure of State spending, or how to live by a sensible budget. Cailfornia's downward spiral only goes in one direction.

     Just remember the basic message from the Unions,  “Hey Arnold, we've got ours. so let us alone. If you want to reform something, go find something else”.

     Self interest?? Remember, “……the alphabet is a string of 26 letters starting with  “I” and ending with “U”. Don't give us that “We” stuff”.

SMART

     There are lots of ways to describe the Muslim terrorists   —  brutal, sub-human, devious, bloodthirsty, vicious, insane, depraved, or other terms of like kind. But nobody regards them as being smart  — as in intelligent smart. That's the way it is with zealots  –  dedicated, ambitious, determined, off their rockers but not particularly smart.

     The recent bombings of hotels in Amman, Jordan proves the thesis. When it comes to Zarqawi, Zawahiri or Bin Landin, they have gotten carried away to the point of indiscriminately killing their own fellow Arabs. In the long run, that kind of stupidity will undermine their main mission against the west. The Middle East arabs may not rise in open rebellion over the senseless killing of fellow arabs, but they may be outraged to the point of starting to point fingers at the guilty ones. Up to this point in time we have not been able to zero in on these three dudes, but I would bet that sensible arabs who have lost loved ones will become more helpful in locating these three mass murderers. None too soon.

   All we need is a few more arabs with decent sensibilities.

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INDICTMENTS

     So Scooter Libby has been indicted on 5 counts for “lying” to a Grand Jury. Makes me think of the days of Bill Clinton when he faced the same Grand Jury charges over his dalliances in the White House (or was it as Governor?). It's ironic that in Scooter's case it still hasn't been found that a crime was committed in the whole CIA affair. The Democrats are having a field day over this “scandal”, but  some comparisons are easy to make. It appears that the leftwingers regard Clinton's troubles as being in the same category as jaywalking tickets or ripping off a vending machine  –  and the same might be said for Ted Kennedy's fatal affair at Chappaquiddick   –  just a ho-hum auto accident. But Scooter??  That's a different matter altogether.

     From the public pronouncements of Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid and others, Scooter will go down in history with Benedict Arnold, John Wilkes Boot, Lee Harvey Oswald and Sirhan Sirhan. Scooter will rank high among the miscreants of the last 3 centuries. The fact is that there is great doubt that he will ever be convicted of anything. But let the Ds have their fun  — while they can.

    Now it is Supreme Court time again, and just maybe the long awaited showdown in the Senate is imminent. The Ds will try to destroy Sam Alito, but he is likely to be a very tough customer. Who knows, they may long for the good old days of Harriet Meirs.

DISASTERS

     Natural calamities of enormous dimension are happening so frequently, that this it is almost impossible to visualize all of the human tragedies associated with each. How do you go about the process of helping or at least understanding the deaths of so many thousands of innocent people  –  men, women and especially small children?  First it was the Indonesian Tsunami. Then came Hurricane Katrina  — followed by Hurricane Rita. The flood waters hadn't even receded before the huge earthquake struck Pakistan. A single death can have a dramatic effect on many people.But what about 30,000 deaths?     –  and that figure may only be an estimate.

     The nut-case Islamic Fundamentalist Ayatollahs and Mullahs may attribute all of this to the evil-doers of the west  –  God's revenge against the nasty Americans  – the infidel non-believers. When I read stuff like that I really wonder about Islam qualifying as one of the world's Great Religions. At the same time it convinces me that there is little hope in trying to reason with these kinds of people. There doesn't seem to be much alternative than to get them to their brand of Heaven  — as soon as possible. No persuasion  — eradication.

     In our local newspaper there is a weekly article that covers all kinds of natural phenomena on a world wide basis. Earthquakes, typhoons, tidal waves, fires, floods, tidal waves, volcanoes, hurricanes, epidemics, fishkills, droughts  — an almost endless list of calamities. It just seems that something  major occurs around the world almost every week. As one who enjoys geography, I look for the article every week. It sure elevates the awareness of the kind of world we call home.

AN EVENT

     State College is a small town located in the geographic center of Pennsylvania. Among other things, it is the home of the Pennsylvania State University  –  better known simply as Penn State. One unique characteristic of State College is that on 6 or 7 weekends every year it becomes the third largest City in Pennsylvania  — right after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  Those are the weekends when Penn State plays a home football game. So it was on the weekend of October 8th when Penn State's Nittany Lions hosted the Buckeyes of Ohio State. Over 109,000 fans streamed into Beaver Stadium, not at all deterred by chilly, rainy, blustery weather.

     Penn State does not have a big population base from which to draw fans. Rather, they come from all over the east  —  from cities and towns far away  –  and the RVs number in the hundreds or thousands. This huge stadium sits right in the middle of fields, farms, pastures, orchards, forests, mountains and streams. The surroundings are about as bucolic as bucolic can get. October 8th was a good day for Penn State as they defeated their arch rivals 17-10. On the following day, the throng of thousands melted into the Pennsylvania highway system while making plans for the next visit to Happy Valley –  a term frequently used by sports scribes.  

     Football games with a big attendance are largely the evidence of an active Alumni group. Penn State is no exception, except that a home game is not just a game. It is an event. Every game  –  every year  —over 100,000 people from far and wide. In times when so much of the news is dominated by bad or evil occurrences, it is nice to know that happy events can occur also. And on October 8th, it was a happy event in Happy Valley. And always a bit happier when the home team wins!

CAT 5

     Not long ago, I took course in the History of the English language. In all candor, it was not as interesting or exciting as I thought it might be, but it had its value in explainng how modern day English (British and American) evolved from the Celtic, Norman, Viking, German, Anglo-Saxon, Roman, Greek, etc. languages. Of particular interest to me was how small special phrases came into existence and became a part of the English language. In most cases, such phrases came about through common usage (street language) and then were “formalized” over time. That practice continues right up to the present.

     Hurricane Katrina has had a devastating effect on the Gulf States in the USA. It was a Category 5 Hurricane based on meteorolical measurements. For a long time, hurricanes were hurricanes, but nowadays they are named and ranked by severity. Category 5 is at the top of the severity rankings. It may be that Hurricane Katrina will make a contribution to the english language  –  a “Cat 5″.

    There are a lot of conceptions or thoughts that are encapsulated in very brief terms. Some examples are “Deep-six”, “Catch 22″, “Perfect 10″, “Ground zero”. and now “Cat 5″. Each one of these terms  — letters and a number(s)  — have a distinct meaning and are generally recognized as part of our language. Now we have “Cat 5″, meaning the biggest, strongest force there is. Already you can see the term “Cat 5″ on news items that have no relationship to the now historic Hurricane. “He went off tackle like a Cat5″ –  “that homer flew out of here on a Cat 5 wind”, “Pretty awesome but not a Cat 5″ — “It was a Cat 5 day on Wall Street for buyers”. And on and on.

     Cat5 will likely be the legacy of Katrina, but years from now, people will use the term without any memory of the storm that destroyed so much in lives and property. Watch for it —   Cat5.

CONFIRMED

     John Roberts hasn't been confirmed as yet, but it is looking more and more like a safe bet. Interesting how his status changed. At first we was nominated to succeed Justice O'Connor, but when Chief Justice Rhenquist  died, Prez Bush changed his status  to become the nominee to succeed Rhenquist both as a Justice and Chief Justice. Ted Kennedy has fulfilled his blowhard role and Joe Biden as taken advantage o free TV time to plug his bid for the 2008 Presidential campaign. The vote will take place in the next week or so, and the odds are that Roberts will be confirmed. The real indicator will be how many Democrats vote “no” in the floor vote of the Senate.

     The nominee to replace Justice O”Connor hasn't been identified and probably will not be named for a few weeks. In the meantime, she continues to serve as the “swing ” vote. Looks like she may be swinging for some time. The media are having a field day speculating on who the next nominee will be  — Hispanic, Female, or both. The Dems are howling for a woman. It would serve them right if George nominated a woman who would be a first cousin to Barry Goldwater. Good Old Patrick Leahy is arguing to keep a 5-4 court, since a 6-3 court would spell doom for some of the left wing causes he supports. But I think George is made of sterner stuff. He has the chance of a lifetime. I don't think he will blow it.

A BIG MESS

     New Orleans is a mess  — a very big mess. But that is nothing new. It has been a big mess for a long time. In searching for a synonym for “corruption”, New Orleans would be a good place to start. Now, of course, the Crescent City is a much bigger mess  — the Katrina mess. Certainly there is no sentiment to abandon our fellow citizens who are in total and desperate need of help, so we have to live with this  huge mess for months and years to come. We can only hope at the outcome.

     I don't quarrel with the President's outline of programs to rebuild and reconstruct New Orleans. He really didn't have much choice. But when $200 BILLION dollars are involved, I am not very comfortable about how our tax dollars will be spent. Obviously, the New Orleans City officials as well as the State leaders in Baton Rouge just can't wait to get their hands on such largesse. The small change is enough to make friends and associates millionaires over nite. Here is a case where $100,000 amounts to chump change. In a political environment built on decades of graft, fraud and kickbacks, it is far too much to expect that our tax dollars will be safe-guarded or well spent. And it is reasonably safe to assume that the bureaucracies administering umpteen re-construction programs will live for decades and grow in size every year.

     The basic problem is that the dollars to be spent to re-build New Orleans are tax dollars. They don't belong to anyone  –  they are just sitting in a big pile in Washington  —   waiting to be spent. In not belonging to anyone, they are are free for the taking, and accountability is just a matter of missing records. Just wait and see  — when we get to the $100,000,000,000 mark, just ask your Congressman, “Where did it all go?” Answer, “Nobody knows”.

     A good exercise would be to count the number of new millionaires in Louisiana in 2015. This is not a lottery for those in the inner circle.   –  nope, it is a sure thing. To some, Katrina was a tragedy. To others it will be a bonanza. Remember, the objective is to throw money at the problems, not save nickels and dimes.

ARMAGEDDON

     As the health of Chief Justice Rhenquist was deteriorating, there was a lot of speculation over whom George Bush would nominate as a replacement for the aging Chief Justice. The unexpected resignation of Sandra Day OConnor complicated matters a bit, and the Senate confirmation hearings for her replacement, Judge John Roberts, are scheduled to commence this week. Meanwhile, Sandra Day O'Connor continues to serve on the Court pending the confirmation of Judge Roberts. With the death of Mr Rhenquist, the plot thickened when Geo Bush nominated John Roberts to be the next Chief Justice.

     The full spectrum of left wingers will assuredly mount an assault against the character and thinking of Judge Roberts. They will no doubt try to trash him in all respects  — just as they did Judge Robert Bork. It is doubtful, hoewever. that the Democrats can prevent the confirmation of Mr Roberts. But the Supreme Court issue becomes much more critical with the need for a second nomination to replace Judge Rhenquist. It is indeed unique for a President to have the opportunity (responsibility) to nominate two new Justices at essentially the same time. The Republicans view this as a political opportunity of a lifetime while the Democrats look upon it as a Judicial Armageddon. The far left extremists like Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, Howard Dean, Pat Leahy, Barbara Worthless (CA), et al. will be at their wits end  — near outright apoplexy  –  at the very thought of another conservative on the bench.

     The best guessing on a new nominee is that the person will be a woman or Hispanic  — or maybe both. But whatever the identity, it is virtually certain that Bush's nominee will be a conservative who will help to stop the left-ward tilt of the Court due to Judicial activism. The short list of names has probably already been prepared. The Democrats know that their left wing agenda will never be adopted by the ballot box, and that “friendly” Court decisions are their only hope.  Thus they have no alternative but to fight to the bitter end. It will eventually come down to Senate Rules which allow the Democrats to say to the full Senate, “We will not allow you to vote!”. A few month back, the Senatorial crisis over approval of Circuit Court Judges was averted. Not likely this time. Too much at stake.  Now we have come full circle on the filibuster issue. It all comes down to whether a hand full of left wing extremists can block the legitimate process of goverment and deny nominees a vote before the full Senate.

     If I had to guess, it would be that the President will wind up in a speech to the nation to address a Senatorial stalemate. That will likely be the last step before the filibuster rule goes down the drain. I'll be watching.