In Times of Trouble

I finished watching the HBO mini-series John Adams last week. The final episode was perhaps the best thing I have ever watched on television. John Adams was, of course, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the second President. He died fittingly on July 4, 1826, at age 90.


One scene showed Adams walking with his grandson and reminiscing about his life. He was looking at a wildflower and taking great pleasure in it. Looking at his grandson, he said that if he had it to do all over again, he would rejoice more, much more. Sage advice from a wise man.

Adams' advice echoes Philippians 4:4, " Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
The trailing verse is normally left out, but it is worthy of mention, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." After a tumultuous life, I think Adams sensed this. In tumultuous times such as our own, we would do well to heed this advice too, especially during Holy Week. He is near. Rejoice! I will say it again: Rejoice! For He has overcome the world. John 16:33.

Out of Sight; Out of Mind

An excellent article by Roy Innis illustrates the true cost of being environmentally supercilious - people in poor countries die. Ghana is trying to build a power plant to bring the blessings of electricity to its citizens. When it turned to its U.S. agency "partner" for help with financing, though, the answer was a resounding "no" because President Obama had signed an executive order requiring all Federal agencies to reduce "greenhouse emissions" by 30% and this was a natural gas-fired plant. As Innis points out:

"Today, almost half of Ghanaians never have access to electricity, or get it only a few hours a week, leaving their futures bleak.

Most people in Ghana are forced to cook and heat with wood, crop wastes or dung, says Franklin Cudjoe, director of the Imani (Hope) Center for Policy and Education, in Accra. The indoor air pollution from these fires causes blindness, asthma and severe lung infections that kill a million women and young children every year. Countless more Africans die from intestinal diseases caused by eating unrefrigerated, spoiled food.

Out of sight, out of mind I guess, but darn we can feel green!

townhall.com/columnists/RoyInnis/2010/03/25/bringing_light,_health_and_prosperity_to_africa

A New Environmental Crusade in the Offing

SUVs, warm houses and ...showers? Yup. Here comes the next crusade. The EPA reports that active ingredients in soap and shampoos may be polluting the ocean. I can see the slogan now: "Skip the shower; save the planet!" No price is too high for a clean environmental conscience!

www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7513258/Daily-baths-and-showers-polluting-the-environment.html

Thank You Jefe - Castro Applauds Obamacare

Oh be still my heart! As the saying goes, you are known by the company you keep.

finance.yahoo.com/news/Cuban-leader-applauds-US-apf-124808403.html?x=0&.v=1

Salem's Mayoral Race

Salem elects a new mayor on May 18 and Anna Peterson is clearly the better candidate. Her CV is posted below. Of equal importance is that she was an adviser to Janet Taylor, who has been one of Salem's better mayors of recent decades. She also has a grip on economic reality. At a recent debate with her opponent, Chuck Bennett, Peterson said that now was not the time to consider a tax increase while Bennett left the door open. So take time to do some due diligence on the two candidates, but when you do, I think you will find Anna Peterson is the one to lead city government.

www.google.com/profiles/annaformayor

Warren Buffett Better Credit Risk Than U.S. Government

Michael Barone has written a good piece on the true cost of Obamacare. The key thing for voters to understand is that by not starting benefits until 2014, it gets a 4-year headstart on expenses so that the "scoring" by the CBO for the next 10 years looks good. It also did not include $114B in Medicare spending that will be necessary to run the program, but rather stuck it in a separate bill, again to preserve a favorable CBO rating.

This financial trickery hasn't fooled the bond markets, which are now granting lower rates to several American businesses floating bond issues than to U.S. Treasury bond issues, which have traditionally been the "gold standard" for bonds. Moody's is seriously talking about down-rating the bond credit rating for the U.S. government. This means future bond issues to pay for the increasing deficit will cost more, maybe a lot more. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but we are all going to pay for this debacle in myriad ways.

townhall.com/columnists/MichaelBarone/2010/03/25/bond_markets_reflect_the_true_cost_of_obamacare

An Oldie But Goodie

Here's one for aviation buffs. The venerable U-2, once our cutting edge and super secret spy plane, is still performing well in Afghanistan. Because of the extreme altitudes at which it flies, it can intercept line-of-sight communications from the bad guys. Predators are then vectored into the area to monitor the signals traffic and when pinpointed - voila, a few less bad guys! The recon cameras on board are also excellent for detecting IEDs and saving our troops travelling Afghan roads. Great job Lockheed and Kelly Johnson on an aircraft that has served this country extremely long and extremely well!

finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/109138/u-2-spy-plane-evades-the-day-of-retirement

It's Not Just Talk - Measure 66-67 Fallout

A long article in The Oregonian reports on the continuing fallout from Measures 66-67. Gov. Ted is putting on his happy face and saying this will all blow over. Don't think so Ted. BTW - did you see that Saks Fifth Avenue is closing in Portland throwing 100+ people out of work? I wonder who's not shopping at Saks? Perhaps the people targeted by 66-67? Hmmm.

www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/03/idaho_chicago_try_to_woo_orego.html

Did America Commit Suicide Last Night?

The Hindenburg was an immense rigid frame airship the size of an aircraft carrier that plied the North Atlantic between Germany and the U.S. during 1936-37. Anyone seeing it could not help but be awed by its sheer size - it looked invincible. Alas, such was not the case. As it maneuvered to its mooring at Lakehurst, NJ on May 6, 1937, something set off the hydrogen contained within its air bags and in seconds the huge airship exploded and burned, crumpling to the ground in a molten heap.

The same thing can happen to nations and it did last night in the United States House of Representatives on a vote of 219-212. British historian Arnold Toynbee Toynbee warned that all great nations rise and all fall and the "autopsy of history is that all great nations commit suicide." And so it has. The America of the future will be fundamentally different from the America that we have known and my great fear is that America, "the next best hope of mankind," has just dropped its mantle on the dust heap of history and taken its place with the rest of the world on the dreary march to mediocrity.

The genius of the Founding Fathers was the concept of limited government which provided certain governmental basics (national defense, roads, etc.) and then let free men create wealth for themselves and their posterity. It worked. Blessed with abundant natural resources and a favored geographic position that, after the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, insulated it from the wars of Europe, the citizens of the United States worked hard and turned this nation into a powerhouse. After 1945, it was the first global superpower, and has remained there despite a nagging reluctance to shoulder this role.

Last night, we walked away from the uniquely American experiment of limited government and embraced big government, one that will cater to our "needs" and enhance our "rights." Clearly, this was a Democratic party run amok. They are now going to do their darndest to roll out bennies for everybody before the voters catch up with them. Bribery they know - witness all the deals cut to get this horrendous bill passed. Now we get to see the character of the American people - can they resist and take care of business? It won't be easy to repeal this legislation and the new course in American history, but it is possible, albeit only with an electorate that is willing to clean house come November. Until then, the jury is out.

Who Turned the Wind Off?

Green power, alternate energy resources - all the good buzz words. Here's an article on wind farm performance in Britain that is not very encouraging. Basically, even the newer wind farms are operating at less than 20% of rated capacity and that's not good enough by a long shot.

The key performance index is "base load" - modern society has a certain minimum consistent demand for power so that whenever someone flips the switch at their home or business, the power comes on. None of the green technologies are reliable enough to meet base load requirements because the wind stops, the sun goes down, etc. Continued R & D into alternate technologies is a good idea to develop supplemental energy resources, but environmentalists and politicians who try to make us believe that we can make the shift now across the board to new green energy resources now are kidding themselves and guaranteeing cold and dark nights for the rest of us in the future.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7069938.ece

Divine Punctuation

I went to the funeral of a colleague today. He was a Christian and the service was a celebration of his life, unlike some of the surreal last rites that I have been to for fellow lawyers who were not believers. The eulogy was given by one of his friends and one line in particular struck me:

"For a Christian, this life does not end with a period, but a comma..."

Nice thought - thank you, Lord. It is heartening to know that my friend is celebrating with you anew in your kingdom.

Nuts to That!

Remember ACORN, the "community organizing" group that organizes such things as public money to fund brothels? Thought they were done for after the multiple times they were taped in various cities doing similar things? Guess again.

While the country is going back and forth on the health care debate, the Obama Administration has quietly begun the process to re-open the Federal budget coffers to fund this fine organization. Why? I think ACORN is critical to to getting the Democrats votes in the November election, which at this point looks to be a wholesale repudiation of pretty much everything the Democrats have done. The level of cynicism this shows and the outright contempt for the American public and our political process is something I have never seen. To the question, "Have you no decency?" the answer is clearly "no."

biggovernment.com/mvadum/2010/03/19/breaking-while-an-anxious-nation-is-transfixed-by-the-healthcare-debate-the-obama-administration-restores-acorn-funding/

Tillamook Brings Home Gold

Enough of political and economic disaster - let's have some good news! The fact that Tillamook medium cheddar is the world's best definitely falls in that category. It just beat 59 other contestants at the World Cheese Championship to take the gold medal. I was never a fan of cheddar until I had Tillamook cheddar and apparently some real cheeseheads agree. Way to go Tillamook!

www.kgw.com/lifestyle/Tillamook-wins-gold-for-best-cheddar-88667582.html

President Barack "My Way or the Highway" Obama

Obama flayed President Bush for being a cowboy on the world stage and said America's reputation among its allies took a big hit from our "unilateral" foreign policy. So how's he doing in changing this so-called critical flaw? Not so well it would seem according to the Washington Post. In one short year he has transformed the U.S. image into one of an unreliable ally that lets adversaries get away with pretty much everything and scolds long time allies like a 2nd grade schoolteacher who has had a bad day - when the Obama Administration has time for them at all. It's sort of like the President's view of bipartisanship - smile and do it my way.

The word "imperious" comes to mind to describe this Administration. The dictionary defines "imperious" as: : "domineering in a haughty manner; dictatorial; overbearing: an imperious manner; an imperious person." It is not a quality that lends itself to the successful practice of politics, either domestic or international. I have been convinced for awhile that Obama does not understand the heart of this country. What is very troubling is that this Administration also cannot recognize its friends or its enemies - or worse yet, has reversed them. There will come a time, probably sooner rather than later, when we need our traditional allies in a major crisis. I hope they are still there to be counted on.


www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031603322.html

Up Up and Away!

One of the themes that I have been blogging on is that there is an inverse relationship between higher taxes and delivery of public services - the higher the taxes, the lower the services provided. The air traffic control "system" is a excellent case in point.

The U.S. air traffic control system has been relying on antiquated radar for years. The radar often breaks down and leaves controllers literally in the dark, sometimes at busy places like JFK in New York or at route control centers controlling the flow of airliners across whole sections of the country.

The FAA itself must shoulder a large part of the blame because it has muffed bringing a new system on line numerous times because of a Pentagon-like procurement system gone mad. Now, however, a new system relying on GPS technology is ready and enjoys the support of the airlines.
The new ADS-B system would give FAA controllers and pilots instant awareness of all aircraft around them with altitude and speed. It will also allow jets to go cross country on routes of their own choosing instead of following the venerable (and crowded) jet routes developed at the dawn of commercial aviation that are tied to ground-based navigation facilities. If implemented, the new system would lower flight delays by an estimated 21% and fuel burn by 1.4 billion gallons over the next eight years. Sounds great - so what's the catch? Well, that would be Congress.

The cost of the new system is $2-$4 billion and Congress is balking at the cost. Never mind that every time we fly we pay a ticket tax of $10-$14 or more to fund the air traffic control system - it's just much more fun to spend the money on non-airline related pork projects like bridges to nowhere, another federal building in West Virginia named after Sen. Byrd, or any one of several million other oinkers. Yes indeed, here is something that really would improve public safety and economic efficiency but because no senator or representative can put their name on it, so there it sits gathering dust. Repeat after me: they are from the government and they are there to help us!

www.airportbusiness.com/web/online/Top-News-Headlines/Air-Traffic-Modernization-on-Congress-Radar-Funding-Isnt/1$34950

Say It Ain't So PDX!

Portland, I gotta say I'm a little disappointed in you. Of the top 25 craziest cities in the U.S., you only managed to eke out a mere #17! My cheeks burn with embarrassment! I mean Cincinnati #1, Providence #3, Milwaukee (Milwaukee?) #4 - c'mon, where is your head?! Even Cleveland was in ahead of you at #13. I am disappointed indeed. You guys are all apparently secretly conservative. At least have the honesty to vote that way!


thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-11/americas-25-craziest-cities/full/

We Can Solve Our Problems Without Becoming Belgium

One of the standard Democratic whines during the healthcare debate has been that Republicans have offered no alternatives. Nonsense. I previously posted on a health plan proposed by the CEO of Whole Foods. Here is another one from Paul Ryan, Republican Congressman from Wisconsin. It covers not only healthcare, but Social Security reform.

www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/plan/

You may remember Ryan from the recent much publicized meeting that Obama chaired with Congress. He knew the legislation cold and asked a series of pointed questions that the President couldn't answer. Ryan is bright and articulate and clearly outlines a path to the future that looks much more like the America that we know than the Belgium-like future proposed by the Democrats.

Autos to Farmland

I posted on 12/22/09 about Detroit's post-apocalyptic landscape. Well, now the mayor is turning chunks of the city back into farms - sort of an American version of Albania. It's a real showcase for Democratic urban policy! I guess they are really serious about attracting environmental voters. Will the peasants eat gruel and haunches of venison while they cavort in the forest?

www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/09/detroit-looks-at-downsizing-to-save-city/

Life Isn't Fair

One of my sayings that always agitated my kids (until they got older) was "Life isn't fair." John Stumbo, associate pastor at Salem Alliance Church, has a thought-provoking post on his blog on this subject that is well worth reading. Between justice and mercy, I'll take mercy every time!

www.johnstumbo.org/blog/index.php?/archives/135-The-Question-of-Fairness.html

How Obama Looks from England

Generally the British media have reported with more accuracy about American politics than mainstream American media to the point that if I want to read somewhat objective information about what is going on in the U.S. or its activities around the world, I have routinely resorted to reading British online newspapers. Sad but true. Here is another example of that from the Telegraph that says Obama is through. I think this conclusion is premature, but it makes for interesting reading and the reporter's reading of the mood of the country is spot on.

It's not just Obama, though, but the entire liberal approach to governing. Reagan was popular because he understood and embodied the native optimism and "can-do" attitude of the United States. The Democrats do not understand this any more, starting with their President, and that's why the public and the government are so out of sync. It's a heart issue, not a head issue.


www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/7396358/The-end-of-the-road-for-Barack-Obama.html

A Changed Heart in the Middle East

To put it mildly, Hamas is not a positive force for change in the Middle East. The terrorist organization has left no stone unturned in trying to derail peace with Israel or trying to consolidate its position as the preeminent Arab power player amongst the Palestinians. Thus you can imagine the earthquake when the son of the leader of Hamas announced his conversion to Christianity and that he had spied for the Israelis.

He has written a book about the "why" behind his actions and it makes for fascinating reading. The article below is an interview with him that discusses some of the reasons, but the standout quote is this:

"I converted to Christianity because I was convinced by Jesus Christ as a character, as a personality. I loved him, his wisdom, his love, his unconditional love. I didn't leave [the Islamic] religion to put myself in another box of religion. At the same time it's a beautiful thing to see my God exist in my life and see the change in my life. I see that when he does exist in other Middle Easterners there will be a change."

Amen. Apparently God is still in the business of converting Sauls to Pauls and this means hope for the Middle East.

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703915204575103481069258868.html

Obamacare - The Final Chapter

Charles Krauthammer in his column today on Obama going for broke in healthcare mentions something that I hadn't seen - Warren Buffett is now recommending dumping Obamacare because it does nothing to reverse the upwards cost curve of medical care. Buffett is a staunch Democrat, which is somewhat unusual because he is also considered Mr. Capitalist, but at least he deals with reality - something not seen at this White House for months, if ever.
townhall.com/columnists/CharlesKrauthammer/2010/03/05/onward,_he_said,_regardless

A provocative opinion piece by another conservative columnist suggests that America's relationship with Democrats in general and Obama in particular has moved to the date-rape stage. Basically, they tried to have their way with us by flattery, courting us, etc., but now that the country through a series of elections has said "No!" in an increasingly loud voice, charm is out the window and now they mean to have their way by force. www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=127027

Strong words, but essentially correct. I have posted before about the authoritarian impulse in liberals and we are now seeing it acted out in healthcare. American needs to get a stalking order by throwing all these bums out come November!

We've Been Working on the Railroad - Sort Of.

Oregon just ordered two of these Talgo trainsets for use on the Cascades service in the Eugene-Salem-Portland-Seattle corridor. www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=6419 We have ridden them numerous times to/from Seattle and like them. As I-5 gets more crowded alternatives become more important - just ask anybody who has been stuck in traffic near the Tacoma Dome in the last 10 years. The new trainsets are nice, but in Oregon the bigger problem is the tracks they run on.

I traveled to Eugene by train last Saturday and although pleasant, it was more of a leisurely amble than a high speed rail experience. The official speed limit for passenger trains in Oregon is 79 mph but we never broke 60 and most of the time rocked along well below that. In fact, several times we slowed to 5 mph to pass other trains. The problem was a single track interspersed with passing sidings about every 10 miles. This is fine for moving freight, so it is not fair to ask Union Pacific to add track capacity it doesn't need, but if Oregon is really interested in getting people out of cars and on to trains, it is going to have to pony up for some major track improvements.

Since the mid-1990s the State of Washington has double-tracked and in some cases triple-tracked the main line from Seattle all the way to Vancouver, WA. There are also high-speed crossovers allowing dispatchers to move a fast passenger train around a slower freight and then back to the same track without slowing down at all. New signaling to make this safe was also installed. Many times going to/from Seattle we have experienced the payoff by blasting past freight trains laboring on adjacent tracks as if they were standing still.

Track improvements are not nearly as glamorous as new trainsets, but they are necessary to allow the speed and frequencies that will convince people to leave their cars behind and get into "training." I hope the state will think long term and make the improvements to allow the new Talgos reach the 110 mph of which they are capable. Salem-Portland in 35 minutes or Salem-Seattle in 2.5 hours anyone?

Thank You Canada

Thank you Canada for hosting the just completed Olympic Winter Games. They were a pleasant diversion for many of us during the winter doldrums.

More importantly, I want to say thank you for standing with us in Afghanistan. We have fought side-by-side since WW I to stem the tide of tyrants in the world and we salute your courage, as exemplified in this dispatch from the Afghan front by American war correspondent Michael Yon about one of Canada's finest young sons.

www.michaelyon-online.com/from-canada-a-thank-you-to-u.s.-service-members.htm

Another Country Heard From

Al-Qaeda is spreading in West Africa, specifically Mali. I was in Burkina Faso (just south of Mali) in 2008 and although there is a lot of Islamic penetration of this area, courtesy of Mr. Gadafi of Libya, it doesn't appear to go more than skin deep. The U.S. is generally liked, particularly for the AIDS work by President Bush. The people who live in the Sahara to the north, however, are tough and ruthless and if they are co-opted by Al-Qaeda they could cause real problems in the rest of West Africa. We already have special ops troops in Timbuktu and the forecast would seem to be for more.

Mali and Burkina Faso are among the poorest nations in the world and a little increase in aid wouldn't be a bad idea, particularly if directed to roads and infrastructure projects. The fight against terrorism is going to be a long haul in many parts of the world and will involve all the assets the U.S. has - economic, political, and military. If we ignore backwaters like this, as we recently learned with regard to Yemen and the Christmas underpants bomber, it can come back to bite us in a big way.

townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2010/03/01/al-qaida_growing_in_strength_and_numbers_in_africa