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Haiti Vs New Orleans

Haiti Vs New Orleans

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HaitiFrom the Palm 700P….

Hey Glenn:

London Times: Haiti earthquake: a few more rescues, but aid still slow.“Nobody can go anywhere without security in the city. No aid workers can go anywhere without taking risks with security. That adds to the difficulty of delivering the aid because you not only have to have transport – which is rare – you also have to have some sort of security with you, or you are taking a risk. People are getting angry, people are getting hungry and thirsty.” This is sounding kind of familiar.

As I mentioned before, disaster relief isn’t like ordering a pizza. It’s hard to get aid into a place where the infrastructure has been wrecked and ordinary social order broken down. I’m seeing some people start to go after Obama on this in an obvious echo of the Katrina-based criticism of Bush. I understand the appeal of payback, but I don’t see any evidence that Obama has blown it here; this stuff is just hard. Of course, the press won’t go after him the way they went after Bush, but that’s a given.

Thing is, that’s exactly the point. I said to David in [...]

Haiti Vs New Orleans

Stimulus Report Card

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Performance ReportNine months ago, Congress passed and President Obama signed an economic stimulus package totalling $1.8 trillion. Hastily designed and implemented, the legislation was highly criticized because it was virtually impossible for anyone to have actually read the bill (much less understand it) prior to implementation. The President himself told us that it was imperative we pass these bills in order to restore economic stability. Conservatives, especially fiscal conservatives, howled, claiming the bill was inappropriately designed, that the money being spent could not possibly generate economic growth because it would take too long to move through the system, with the added concern of driving up an already astronomical deficit. The Administration insisted that the spending was necessary to keep unemployment from exceeding 10%. We were being deceived, and we knew it. It generally takes about six months for changes in fiscal or monetary policy to be felt throughout the broader economy, so after nine months we should be seeing some signs of economic improvement. That is, the weekly economic statistics [...]
Haiti Vs New Orleans

Always Remember

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WTC LightsIt was eight years ago today, as many days into George W. Bush's Presidency then as we are now in Barack Obama's, that we were viciously attached by an enemy that seeks only to terrorize and devastate us. They have less honor than the Japanese ever did, no apparent desire to take control of our land, and no official standing with the U.N. or any western nation that could provide even a modicum of legitimacy to their actions. And they attacked a civilian target. It is not enough to move on from this. Moving on has become a weary forgetfulness that leaves us emotionally and physically unprepared for the reality of a difficult world and the evil intents of those who hate us. Moving on from Hitler's Germany has left us so dreadfully unscarred that when we see the rise of leaders like Saddam Hussein, we still think we can negotiate our way from the risk of land-grabbing military campaigns, or can turn a blind eye to genocide in places like Bosnia, Rwanda and Darfur. We may not be the world's police, but we can and should be part of the the conscience and leadership that makes this world free. And perhaps there will be times when we must stand alone for what is right. It is not enough to move on and yet forget the fortitude it took to work together to emerge from the rubble intact. That fortitude, the wise watching that followed, and the integrity to face head-on the military and political attacks on our nation and all people who long to be free across the world, are what we will need to continue as a strong nation. Let's remember those who fell as innocent victims and as rescuers. Remember the price they paid, that we paid in losing them, and the vision of freedom that stirs in every human heart.
Did Obama’s Speech Change Your Mind?

Did Obama’s Speech Change Your Mind?

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The President of The United States, the Leader of The Free World, The Hope and Change for our nation, sounds tonight like a hero to some, a potential suitor to others, and a charlatan to the rest. President Barack Obama's speech (video/text) was somewhat predictable. And yet, the core principles are honorable and should be agreeable to all parties:
  1. Provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance
  2. Provide insurance to those who don’t
  3. Slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government
These words are verbatim from the President. And I agree with them. Unfortunately, the President began falling flat with the very next paragraph when he stated:
"...if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, Medicare, Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have."
This is a promise that Obama simply cannot keep. Why? The first principle of security and stability will require changes in the business model of insurance companies. This will quickly lead to changes in premium costs and the structure of policies. What any of us with insurance currently has will simply have to change, and to the financial disadvantage of the majority. Frankly, I'm not worried about how [...]
Haiti Vs New Orleans

Cash for Clunkers

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money-flying-awayBy all accounts, the cash for clunkers program has been a huge success. Never mind the fact that auto dealerships want nothing to do with the bureaucratic red tape and if at all possible will steer a customer toward conventional financing. The fact of the matter is that it has been a real boost to the economy. So who really has benefited from this program?
  • Some consumers, who traded up from old gas guzzlers to spiffy new fuel-efficient models,
  • Auto dealers, who were able to dump inventory and pay their financiers,
  • Banks, who all of a sudden, had some new auto loan volume, with up to $4,500 down-payments,
  • Auto companies, especially Ford, Toyota, Honda and Nissan, who led the pack in sales. Conspicuously absent from the list were the beneficiaries of the government's bailout program, General Motors and Chrysler. The car companies were also able to unload a bunch of inventory,
  • Unions, who conceivably will be called back to work to replace all of that sold inventory,
  • Steel manufacturers, such as Nucor, who will be able to buy cheap scrap steel and turn it into something usable,
  • The green movement, because these new cars will be spitting out fewer greenhouse gas emissions,
  • And the biggest winner of all, the Obama Administration, who was able to satisfy a number of constuencies and supporters, namely, the unions, the green folks, and the car companies they now run (GM and Chrysler). In the process, the President will be able to boast how this will boost the nation's Gross Domestic Product and single-handedly pull us out of recession.
With so many winners, how can there be any losers? Of course, [...]
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