If you are one of the multitude of folks out there who think that somehow you will "get Mr. Exxon" with a magical tax on oil profits let me disabuse you of the notion. Such a tax would only hurt you the consumer and the economy at large.      Firstly, costs are fungible . Whether these costs are material inputs, labor, or taxes makes no difference as all are equally redistributed not to the business itself but rather to the consum...

Time is Money. This saying is also reversible to: Money is Time.        More properly, money is an abstraction of time used by societal groups to efficiently allocate the time of it's members. Wealth is created by making time available more efficiently to members of the group.        A simple example of how this evolves in the (fictional yet strangely progressive) Neolithic  Uj tribe in the tiny  Villa...

 *For those wondering about my long absence: See the end of the article. -GW       Expertise in technical and combat fields should be a top priority for any Army. For the U.S. Army it simply isn't. The institution doesn't value it and your security as a citizen is put at risk by this fact.       This isn't the first time I have seen the following words in print nor was the first time I saw them printed the first time I k...

     Just when I thought he was quietly fading away into Billary's shadow Barack Obama pulls out a big gun:   "Barack Obama is vowing to detail all his earmark requests today and is challenging his Presidential rivals to do the same. " - TPM Cafe        Not only has he made the challenge, he has followed through already here .        Will Billary et al follow suit? If they do will it hurt them? &nb...

 *edited to include drmiler's dispute over the payout arrangement of Social Security. I will have to do more research on this aspect.          There is a nice article over at National Review dealing with Social Security and it's impending collapse. I suggest you read it but in case you don't want to I will summarize the key points: 1. Social Security will not cover its yearly payouts with contributions starting in 2017. Then ...

     Sometimes I cruise the Net simply to accquaint myself with various strains of rhetoric. I find this useful as it helps me to spot when people who are presenting themselves as moderates are actually pushing much more extreme agendas than they let on. Second Seedline doctrine is a good example of this.      Many conspiracy theorists appearing in connection with seemingly more mainstream things like the 9/11 "Truthers" movement (Rosie O'D...

    From Sheryl Crow's Biodiesel Bus Blog (via Wapo )   Crow (4/19, Springfield , Tenn. ): I have spent the better part of this tour trying to come up with easy ways for us all to become a part of the solution to global warming. Although my ideas are in the earliest stages of development, they are, in my mind, worth investigating. One of my favorites is in the area of forest conservation which we heavily rely on for oxygen. I propose a...

Fact 1: There are very few Warriors who actively fight the enemy in armed combat in the Army. I would put this percentage at 15% or less of the active duty force and I frankly think that is an overestimation. Fact 2: The Army is full of pogue retards who desperately want to be thought of as Warriors. they often seek to associate themselves with the Iraq or Afghan Wars by using lots of jargon like "Battlespace", "Warfighter", and give their pogue staff titles like "Battle Captain". &nb...

      Ok you miserable bags of shit : I have had it. I have been a hell of a lot more tolerant and a lot less vulgar since my return from blogging hiatus but you excerable, defeatist, Anti-American, traitorous fuckbags have found a way to piss me off again. Be thankful I am not drunk while writing this as that would prompt even more invective.      Not only are you applauding the deaths of Americans in Iraq (an act worthy of a treason conv...

     Here is the indirect reason for this entry. Via Espn of all things. "At a marina near Russell Springs, workers spent Monday moving million-dollar houseboats to moorings where they can stay afloat after the water recedes. "We're kind of at a loss," said Estelee Slusser, who operates the Alligator Dock No. 1 marina. " It has just happened so quickly. We really don't know what to do. " The Army Corps notified local officials and business owners before making the ...

     *Disclaimer : I do not support any candidates as of yet nor does Barack Obama's politics come anywhere near my own. /rant on      So Barack Obama apparently attended a Madrassa in Indonesia for a few years as a young child . I could give a damn. Here is why:   - The guy verifiably went back to live with his maternal grandparents in Hawaii by age 10. - Religious programming of any ilk works poorly without constant re-enforcement...

     I don't understand why the U.S. even bothers with the U.N. and it's toothless appeasement branches like the IAEA anymore . (from Yahoo News) El Baradei (Head Eunuch of the IAEA) - "I don't think sanctions will resolve the issue. I think sanctions, in my view, could lead to escalation on both sides,"       Needless to say he also opposes military action of any kind. In fact it really seems that El Baradei thinks the only solution for th...

     Remember all the pre-2004/2006 election hype about how the Republicans would be re-instating the draft if they were re-elected? Well we just passed the 2006 elections and sure enough there is a bill being introduced to re-instate the draft ... but not by Republicans. This is Charlie Rangel's (D-NY) 3rd attempt to re-instate the draft actually:  From Newsday.com and the AP - "Rep. Charles Rangel, a fierce opponent of the Iraq war, on Thursday called for a ne...

     I wonder if sheepherders in Anatolia ever had to deal with being accused of fearmongering against wolves?           Grey the Shepherd "Hey Bobby! That Wolf is getting real close to your sheep! Looks mighty hungry too!"           Bobby the P.C. Shepherd : "Shut up Grey, you're just rascist against Wolves! Most Wolves don't kill sheep, they just live peacfully in the f...

     I will continue to flog this deceased equine because the hits just won't stop coming. This week from The Guardian : "An undercover investigation has revealed disturbing evidence of Islamic extremism at a number of Britain's leading mosques and Muslim institutions, including an organisation praised by the Prime Minister." "Secret video footage reveals Muslim preachers exhorting followers to prepare for jihad, to hit girls for not wearing the hijab, and to creat...