7 Mar, 2010
Important college/university essay HERE.
Dr. Pournelle’s big question is right on the money: As a taxpayer being compelled through taxation to “invest” in a state college/university system, what kind of return can I expect on my compelled investment?
I agree with Dr. Pournelle when he says:
|
“It is time for the people of the United States to take a hard look at their university systems. Understand, I said hard look: I would strongly oppose eliminating them. What they need is restructuring by people who have their purpose in mind. They are not charitable institutions. The money they spend is not their own, nor is it voluntarily given. Every dime ought to be spent for a real purpose, not because some member of the administration, faculty, staff, or student body is “entitled” to it. Alas, the “entitlement” argument became prevalent back when we were rich and afford to let these institutions be built by intellectuals and unions. We were foolish to listen to those arguments then. Now it is worse than folly: we’re bankrupt, the college and university systems are bankrupt, a crash is inevitable, and what we will lose in the crash is all chance of getting a return on our public investments.” |
24 Feb, 2010
Keep March 14 in mind. Mark it on your calendar.
Why?
Daylight Savings Time!
13 Feb, 2010
Why do so many people around the world want to be American?
Zimbabweans? Russians? Filipinos? Koreans? South Africans?
Why?
I asked a Russian, once. And several Filipinos. A Brit. A Frenchman. A Korean. Several Germans. A Columbian. Dozens of Canadians. Mexicans. The list goes on and on.
There were several answers.
The common thread was “Freedom”.
The freedom to:
Live wherever we want.
To work hard and prostper.
For our children to live free.
For ourselves to live free.
To choose our own destiny.
To live by law, not by fiat (that was an Englishman!).
13 Feb, 2010
Washington DC has been snowed-in for the last week. The silence out of Washington has been golden! Just think, the Congress wasn’t able to do anything to us for a whole week! Oh, the humanity of it all…
Also on the Silence is Golden front, Chickie (the 15-year-old) has come down with Lost Voice Syndrome – all she can do is whisper at me. I can’t hear even the snarkiest of 15-year-old comments.
A two-fer in the Silence Is Golden Department…
11 Feb, 2010
Tomorrow there’s a good chance of cold rain and/or snow here in South East Georgia.
I tell you what… I’ll swap some warming now, for some cooling in a South East Georgia July…
I’m just sayin’…
28 Jan, 2010
As of 30 September 2009, the biggest newspaper in the US is NOT the NY Times. The top newspaper in the US is a bit of a shocker for Yours Truly.
For ‘Leventy-dozen years, the biggest and best newspaper in the US was the New York Times. “All the News That’s Fit to Print”. “The Newspaper of Record for the United States”. “The Gray Lady”.
Well, things have changed, just a bit.
In First Place, the Wall Street Journal!
In Second, USA Today!
In Third, The New York Times!
Just Dayum! Who’d of thunk it! The NY Times bumped by the WSJ and by USA Today? The sky HAS fallen….
See the rankings HERE.
What’s really astounding is the proportion of circulation to the population of the area served by the newspaper in question. Just for instance, compare the population of NY City to the circulation of the NY Times.
Wow….
19 Jan, 2010
Politics
Who’d a thunk it?
Massachusetts actually elected a Republican to the US Senate?
Never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever think that would happen!
A close race by a Republican would have been a slap in the chops. THIS is a by-God smack in the head with the Clue Bat.
Mr. President and the rest of the Democratic Party – you guys have got some serious problems, and I don’t think they’re going to go away in the next seven months….
8 Jan, 2010
Americans come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
Majed Moughni stands as a Tall Dog in America.
“We’re telling the terrorists we’re Americans. If you want to kill Americans come kill us,” he said.
“We’re going to send you back to the caves of Afghanistan because you don’t belong in a civilized society. Islam is a religion of peace, and you don’t represent Islam. Stay away from us.”
I will add, on behalf of many other Americans, that if you terrorists want to kill Mr. Mougni and his friends, you’d best pack a lunch. We ARE Americans, and we don’t like terrorists. Not. At. All.
See the story HERE.
8 Jan, 2010
Dr. Jerry Pournelle has been around for a while. He’s also capable of doing summaries of current events that give you all you need to know for a thumbnail of what’s going on in politics.
Therefore, go and look. As always, you are invited to verify through your own research.
See it HERE.
“Obama says that this wasn’t a screw up, the system is broken. He also says that we are at war.
Actually the system isn’t broken, it has been deliberately gummed up with political correctness. The same nonsense that causes little old ladies to be as likely to get special attention from our incorruptible and intrepid crackerjack TSA officers as would a Nigerian coming on a flight from Yemen and buying his ticket with cash applies to a great many other cases. Obama can only fix that by making it safe to “discriminate”, and he won’t do that. Thus even the most conscientious TSA officer must weigh his possibility of being personally ruined by a charge of racism or being anti-Muslim against the probabilities of detecting an actual terrorist. There are not many terrorists. There are plenty of people willing to charge racism. Like being a “denier”, the charge is sufficient: no real evidence is required, and the result of such calumny is well described in Rossini’s Barber of Seville.”
6 Jan, 2010
Weather
We’re projected for a 22F low tonight. The low record is 21F set in 1924.
“Global Warming” my behind!