Friday Feed Bag

The local weatherman is describing it as "hazy hot."  Heat index pushing 105F is just plain "hot," and is unacceptable except in the middle of the Summer.  Oh wait, it is the middle of the summer - guess we'll just have to deal with it.

Say, speaking of global warming, remember when CO2 was an awful thing?  So awful that Obama's EPA has stepped into regulate it?  Well, it turns out that the forests of the world are growing faster and absorbing all the CO2 we miserable humans can put out.  The net effect is that CO2 levels are stabilizing - the earth is getting greener, not browner.  Aww, but who cares about "facts" when you have a "cause?"

One of the other liberal mythologies I take issue with is the notion that the United States needs to look more like Europe; we need to evolve into neat little hamlets connected by high-speed rail with a highly developed public transport system that everyone who wasn't walking or riding a bike would use.  It's a nice picture, but like so many Liberal panaceas, it is devoid of reality.  Let's start with HSR or "high speed rail."  Obama came to office pledging billions for a national system of high speed rail.  Well, after the local union thugs got done siphoning off the funds and the reality of actually building such a system came to play - it turns out the concept is on life support.  Here's a good thoughtful analysis of what happened: "Let's Face It, High Speed Rail Is Dead."  Please understand that I would love to have an HSR system in place - I have fond memories of riding trains in Europe and in the Orient...there was a time when Nashville had a rail line that I could jump on to get to my grandmother's house, but we have to be realistic about our priorities and build a system from density to density where the economics work.  Liberals get all misty eyed about Chinese five year plans to build more HSR than anyone on earth, but that's what centralized control does.  The end result will probably be unsafe and economically disastrous...but the trains sure look shiny right now!

Speaking of liberal mythologies and central planning, guess what yesterday way?  Why it was the one year anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Bill!!  Hurray!!  That's when two of the politicians most responsible for the financial meltdown rammed through 2,300 pages of legislation that will create some 30,000 pages of REGULATION that has left financial firms in uncertain limbo and the economy gasping on its knees.  Of course passage of Obamacare only helped the situation.  "Helped" if your goal is to wreck the greatest economy on earth.  Heritage has a great write up on this wonderful event" "Unhappy Anniversaries President Obama."

Hat tip Michael Ramirez, IBD

In the same vein - we posted Steve Wynn's rant the other day - here's another businessman weighing in - Bernie Marcus, who co-founded Home Depot, tells it like it is: "Obama Is Choking The Recovery."

I love the TED series of talks - if you are not familiar with them, Google yourself some and sit back and enjoy.  I'm going to close out today's edition with a TED talk from Eric Daniels at the Clemson Institute for the Study of Free Markets...the moral case for free markets:



Have a great weekend!

Rumble on!