Democrats are richer and smarter? I don't think so.

Slate has an article that breaks down the demographics of voters in the recent U.S. election. The article focuses on two factors: income and education. The headline for the article reads: "Places that went for Obama are richer and smarter than places that went for McCain." The rich comment may or may not be true but the smarter comment is highly doubtful. (Click here for the article.)

On income the article has the following stats (as an aside, I don't usually quote statistics as they are useless in my opinion. I can take the same data and draw the exact opposite conclusion as the article but we'll go with it for now):

"Just more than 600 counties (of more than 3,100 nationally) voted Republican more heavily in this year's presidential contest than in 2004. The average per capita yearly income in those counties was about $18,800, according to county income tallies issued each year by the Internal Revenue Service. By contrast, those living in the 500-plus counties that voted more heavily Democratic this year than in 2004 had average personal incomes of $28,000—nearly 50 percent higher than the communities trending Republican. The most Democratic counties (those where Barack Obama won by more than 20 percentage points) had average per capita incomes of $28,207. Those counties where John McCain won by similar margins had average personal incomes of just $21,308."

What does this mean? It means that the ultra rich and ultra poor are more likely to vote Democrat but we already know this. The ultra poor don't pay taxes and are highly dependent on the government and vote Democrat. The ultra rich have more money than they need and are able to pay high priced tax lawyers and avoid paying taxes that the middle class must pay. So the middle class tend to vote Republican as they are the part of society that goes to work and grinds away all day to provide for their family. The middle class understand that government has no money but what they take from the people in the first place.

The confusing part is that it is the Republican voter that is labeled as the rich and greedy. According to the stats in the article it is the Democrats that are the rich and greedy.

"Places divided by income are also separated by education. In landslide Democratic counties, 32.7 percent of the adult population had a bachelor's degree or better. In Republican counties where McCain won by 20 points or better, 20.4 percent of adults had finished college or graduate school."

The highly laughable part of the story is the comment that because more people with college or graduate school education voted Democrat the author concludes that Democrats are smarter. What a joke. Intelligence is not dependent on education. You can be uneducated (in the school sense) and highly intelligent. As someone with a graduate degree, I can attest that higher education does not equate to higher intelligence. I have gained more intelligence outside of the classroom than I did in the classroom and I was an honors student. The stats on education do not surprise me as universities train people to have homogeneous thinking. If you disagree with the professor you fail, very few people express their disagreements in their papers. The highly educated tend to be unwise. Therefore, it is no surprise that they tend to vote Democrat.

More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims

The backlash against the mass hysteria of man made global warming continues to grow. The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works has an article on its website discussing the growing objections by credible scientists to the theory of man made global warming. I guess Al gore and his followers ignore these scientists when they refer to a "consensus". (Click here for the article.)

"The UN global warming conference currently underway in Poland is about to face a serious challenge from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are criticizing the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. Set for release this week, a newly updated U.S. Senate Minority Report features the dissenting voices of over 650 international scientists, many current and former UN IPCC scientists, who have now turned against the UN. The report has added about 250 scientists (and growing) in 2008 to the over 400 scientists who spoke in 2007. The over 650 dissenting scientists are more than12 times the number of UN scientists (52) who authored the media hyped IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers.

The U.S. Senate report is the latest evidence of the growing groundswell of scientific opposition rising to challenge the UN and Gore. Scientific meetings are now being dominated by a growing number of skeptical scientists. The prestigious International Geological Congress, dubbed the geologists' equivalent of the Olympic Games, was held in Norway in August 2008 and prominently featured the voices and views of scientists skeptical of man-made global warming fears."

The great piano industry bailout that wasn't

Jeffrey Tucker at the Mises Institute has a good article comparing the auto industry today to the piano industry of the early twentieth century. (Click here for the article.) You can't bailout companies that are inefficient and incapable of competing. If the auto industry was to go bankrupt the economy would adapt and move forward. And at a much faster and efficient pace not having the burden of the high costs of the current system.

"Today the highest-price good that people buy besides their houses is their car, and this reality leads people to believe that we can't possibly let the American car industry die. We couldn't possibly be a real country and a powerful nation without our beloved auto industry, which is so essential to our national well-being. In any case, this is what spokesmen for the big three say.

What about the time before the car? Look at the years between 1870 and 1930. As surprising as this may sound today, the biggest-ticket item on every household budget besides the house itself was its piano. Everyone had to have one. Those who didn't have one aspired to have one. It was a prize, an essential part of life, and they sold by the millions and millions."

"Let's say that FDR had initiated a bailout of the piano industry and then even taken it over and nationalized it. The same firms would have made the same pianos for decades and decades. But that wouldn't have stopped the Japanese industry from taking off in the 1960s and '70s. Americans would have far preferred them because they would have been cheaper. American pianos, because they would be state owned, would fall in quality, lower and lower to the point that they would become like a Soviet car in the 1960s. Of course you could set up tariff barriers. That would have forced American pianos on us. Except for one thing: demand would still have collapsed. The pianos still have to have a market. But let's say you find a workaround for that problem by requiring everyone to own a piano. You still can't make people play them and value them.

In the end you have to ask, is it really worth trillions in subsidies, vast tariffs, impositions all around, just to keep what you declare to be an essential industry alive? Well, eventually, as we have learned in the case of pianos, this is not essential. Things come and things go. Such is the world. Such is the course of events. Such is the forward motion of history in a world of relentless progress generated by the free market. Thank goodness that FDR didn't bother saving the US piano industry! As a result, Americans can get a huge range of instruments from all countries in the world at any price they are willing to pay."

Day without a gay

I am not sure I follow the logic of the linked story.

"Some same-sex marriage supporters are urging people to "call in gay" Wednesday to show how much the country relies on gays and lesbians, but others question whether it's wise to encourage skipping work given the nation's economic distress." (Click here for the article.)

How will this show reliance on gays? In a time where unemployment is increasing monthly there are multiple workers for each job. If you are gay or straight and don't show up your company will hire one of the unemployed to do your job. If you are a gay retail employee then you can be easily replaced by one of thousands looking for work. The only way this works is if the gay person has unique skills that can not be easily replaced. Point being, the country does NOT rely on gays anymore (or less) than it relies on straight workers.

The scary part of this story is towards the bottom.

"Scott Craig, a fifth-grade teacher at Independence Charter School in Philadelphia, had no problem requesting and being granted the day off. So many of the school's 60 teachers were eager to show support for gay rights they had to make sure enough stayed behind to staff classrooms."

"About 25 teachers plan to take Wednesday off and to have their work covered by substitutes while they discuss ways to introduce gay issues to their students and volunteer at the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, Craig said. A letter telling parents why so many teachers would be out went home Monday."

"While they discuss ways to introduce gay issues to their students"??? Their job is to teach basic skills and knowledge not gay issues. Perhaps if teachers spent more time teaching basic skills and less time on "gay issues" and sex ed. students performance on standardized tests would not be so abysmal.

It's the thought that counts right?

I hope that this does not come as a surprise to anyone but it seems as though celebrity charities might not be all that helpful.

"Welcome to a world in which it's not uncommon for a celebrity's pet foundation to have greater administrative costs than the amount of money it grants. Tax records from Tyra Banks' TZone Foundation, for instance, show that in 2006 it paid US$35,000 in salaries, while distributing only US$32,000 in grants. A spokesperson for Tyra Banks said that the tax form was filled out incorrectly and that the foundation did not pay board members salaries.

The Justin Timberlake Foundation, meanwhile, spent US$146,000 on operating costs in 2006, according to tax records. This included US$10,000 on travel, and US$40,000 on loosely defined "other services." At the same time, it distributed US$32,500, with US$30,000 of that going to the Jane Goodall Institute. No one at the foundation returned calls for comment despite multiple attempts." (Click here for the article.)

Deepak Chopra the foreign affairs expert?

Isn't Deepak Chopra the guy selling self-help books? Then why the heck is he spouting off on foreign affairs? What makes him qualified to speak on foreign affairs? I guess the folks at CNN read his book and paid particular attention to the fourth law "the law of least effort" and decided it took too much effort to find someone qualified to speak on the attacks in Mumbai.

Deepak blames Washington for the attacks and says "Washington funds both sides of the fight through petro dollars" and that "ultimately the message is always towards Washington". Really? These terrorists were way off if they thought Mumbai was close to Washington.

He contradicts himself when he says "it's not Washington's fault, it's everyone's problem".

Please Deepak stick to the silent meditation and incense sniffing. Leave the foreign affairs to the knowledgeable.

Peer pressure

Nothing like good old peer pressure to coerce people in to doing what you want them to do. Just like the tactics used in communist society, the Union Count public school district is using peer pressure to coerce parents into not bringing peanut butter into the schools. If your kid does not have a certificate on the wall they will be shamed and abused until they cave in and stop bringing peanut butter to school. Ignoring the many health benefits of peanut butter, it is a sad reflection of society that such a small minority (less than 1% of kids have peanut allergies) can control the majority. Peer pressure works every time.

"Take Union County Public Schools, the fastest-growing school district in the Tar Heel state. Officials there recently sent letters home to parents asking that they no longer pack peanut-butter sandwiches or cookies in their kids' lunches.

If they abide by the restriction, a certificate with their child's name will be placed on display at their school "in acknowledgment of the voluntary commitment to safety your family has made."

The district's also shaming parents into washing their kids' hands in the morning before they go on the bus, lest they transfer the dangerous peanut molecule and endanger a seat mate." (Click here for the article.)

Obama flip-flopping already?

Obama has not even been sworn in as President and he has already begun to flip-flop on his election promises. I wonder if his voters will be pleased with the flip-flopping?

"US President-elect Barack Obama is not planning to implement a windfall profit tax on oil companies because prices have dropped below $80 a barrel according to an aide."

"President-elect Obama announced the policy during the campaign because oil prices were above $80 per barrel," an aide on Obama's transition team said. "They are currently below that now and expected to stay below that." (Click here for the article.)

They are currently below $80 and EXPECTED to stay below that? Expected by whom? The same people that expected prices to stay above $80 and therefore require a windfall profits tax? If he is serious about the windfall profits tax he should put it in place. He could set it up to kick in when prices are above $80. The fact that he killed it all together suggests that he never intended to actually go through with the tax but rather it was simply an election ploy. Well done, it worked.

The Opportunist, the Socialist, and the Separtist

What is the coalition contemplated by the Liberals, NDP and Bloc really about? I don't believe it has anything to do with the economy. The Conservatives have presented the best plan possible, do nothing. I don't believe it has to do with cutting taxpayer funds supporting political parties. A coalition government simply in response to cutting this funding is overkill as the threat of voting this down would have caused the Conservatives to budge.

I believe that the idea of a coalition was in the works since possibly before the previous election. We know for a fact that the NDP and Bloc have had some sort of agreement in the works for sometime now (Click here for audio clip.) If this is the case then there was nothing that Harper could have done to avoid this mess. The three loser parties wanted a coalition from the day they lost the last election and no matter what Harper had included in this current budget a coalition was going to be formed.

If conservatives are truly concerned about restoring political stability to Canada the in-fighting and blaming of Harper must end. If not, the coalition will have won on multiple fronts. Not only will they usurp governing power they will have divided and conquered the strongest party in Canada, setting the Conservatives back a couple decades. If that happens the only people to blame will be the conservatives that chose to focus their fighting on their leader rather than the true source of contention, the coalition parties.

No to Coalition Government Canada

Click on the link below to show your support for the Conservative government or to show your opposition for the political ploy being attempted by the three loser parties.

www.gopetition.com/petitions/no-to-coalition-government-canada.html

www.howobamagotelected.com

How did Obama get elected? Easy, the media. Filmmaker John Ziegler is in the process of completing a documentary that will explore the significant role the MSM played in electing Barack Obama. At his website, www.howobamagotelected.com, Ziegler has a video showing interviews with Obama voters showcasing their lack of knowledge on basic issues. While on the other hand showcasing their profound knowledge of unimportant facts and outright lies about the Republicans. This should be a good movie when complete.

Zogby Poll Results to 12 simple Multiple Choice Questions

57.4% could NOT correctly say which party controls congress (50/50 shot just by guessing)

71.8% could NOT correctly say Joe Biden quit a previous campaign because of plagiarism (25% chance by guessing)

82.6% could NOT correctly say that Barack Obama won his first election by getting opponents kicked off the ballot (25% chance by guessing)

88.4% could NOT correctly say that Obama said his policies would likely bankrupt the coal industry and make energy rates skyrocket (25% chance by guessing)

56.1% could NOT correctly say Obama started his political career at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground (25% chance by guessing).

And yet.....

Only 13.7% failed to identify Sarah Palin as the person on which their party spent $150,000 in clothes

Only 6.2% failed to identify Palin as the one with a pregnant teenage daughter

And 86.9 % thought that Palin said that she could see Russia from her "house," even though that was Tina Fey who said that!!

Only 2.4% got at least 11 correct.

Only .5% got all of them correct. (And we "gave" one answer that was technically not Palin, but actually Tina Fey)

Sucks to be a white male

White males get no respect these days. In a case of pure prejudice the students association at Carelton university, located in Ottawa, Ontario, has voted to cancel its annual shinerama fundraiser for cystic fibrosis. The reason give? Cystic Fibrosis is a white man's disease. Apparently diseases affecting mostly white men aren't worth fighting. (Click here for the article.)

"The proposal to abandon Shinerama was put forward after it was “recently revealed to only affect white people, and primarily men,” according to the motion."

“We have a diverse community,” CUSA vice-president (finance) Kweku Winful said. “We need something that is more representative of the greater student [body] than just one small group . . . we need to appeal to a larger demographic.”

World Diarrhea day?

Despite what many celebrities may say a reasonable case can be made that too much money is being wasted on the cause of AIDS. The Associated Press has an interesting article found here on this topic. The unfortunate part is millions of needless deaths occur because scarce resources are diverted from high impact causes towards the celebrity friendly AIDS issue. If celebrities really cared about doing the most good for the most people they would focus on causes such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. Unfortunately for the millions that die from these curable diseases they are not cool enough for celebrity endorsements.

"Diarrhea kills five times as many kids as AIDS," said John Oldfield, executive vice president of Water Advocates, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that promotes clean water and sanitation.

"Everybody talks about AIDS at cocktail parties," Oldfield said. "But nobody wants to hear about diarrhea," he said.

""The global HIV industry is too big and out of control. We have created a monster with too many vested interests and reputations at stake, ... too many relatively well paid HIV staff in affected countries, and too many rock stars with AIDS support as a fashion accessory" (Roger England)

Elton John puts the gay marriage debate to rest

I knew that Elton John was more than just a brilliant musician. At a New York City charity event Elton weighed in on the gay marriage debate with his perspective, as a gay man with a civil partner.

"We’re not married, let’s get that straight. We have a civil partnership…I don’t want to be married! I’m very happy with a civil partnership. The word ‘marriage,’ I think, puts a lot of people off. You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."

Government run monopolies are ineffecient and expensive? No duh.

The Fraser Institute has concluded a study that shows what anyone with common sense knows already; government run business is inefficient and inferior compared to private run business. (Click here for the article.)

"Government-run auto insurance monopolies in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are charging some of the highest average premiums in Canada, concludes a new report released today by the independent research organization the Fraser Institute.

The peer-reviewed report found that drivers in BC pay the highest average premium at $1,304 annually. At $1,229, Ontario has the second highest average premium and is the only province with private, competitive auto insurance that has an average insurance premium exceeding $1,000. Saskatchewan has the third highest average premium at $1,063 followed by Manitoba at $1,029."

"The report concludes that the profit motive does not lead to higher auto insurance costs for consumers. When the private sector insurance industry is open to competition and consumer choice is protected, the portion of auto insurance premiums earned as profits will not result from excessive prices, but instead come from cost efficiencies achieved by successful claims management, pricing strategies, customer service, and good business management. Private sector insurers are also able to use the returns on invested surpluses that accrue during profitable years to subsidize premium rates in years where losses exceed the premiums paid by drivers. Such efficiencies are lost in government auto insurance monopolies where there tends to be a higher frequency of claims and suppression of rates for high-risk drivers below the actuarial cost of insuring them."

Barack is pro-choice but only for the rich

One of the key outstanding questions surrounding Barack Obama has been answered. No, we don't know what breed their new dog will be but we do know which school Malia and Sasha will attend. Shock of all shocks the Obama girls will be attending a private school. It must be nice to be able to choose which school your children go to. It is too bad Barack won't extend the same choice to all families.

""A number of great schools were considered," said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Obama. "In the end, the Obamas selected the school that was the best fit for what their daughters need right now."

Note the word "selected," as in made a choice. The Obamas are fortunate to have the means to send their daughters to private school, and no one begrudges them that choice given that Washington's public schools are among the worst in America.

Most D.C. parents would also love to be able to choose a better school for their child, but they lack the financial means to do so. The Washington Opportunity Scholarship Program each year offers up to $7,500 to some 1,900 kids to attend private schools, but Democrats in Congress want to kill it. Average family income for kids in the voucher program is about $22,000.

Mr. Obama says he opposes such vouchers, because "although it might benefit some kids at the top, what you're going to do is leave a lot of kids at the bottom." The example of his own children refutes that: The current system offers plenty of choice to kids "at the top" while abandoning those at the bottom." (Click here for the article.)

Airlines as free service providers

The Supreme Court of Canada has decided that airlines should now be in the business of providing free care giving services to passengers.

"The Supreme Court of Canada has put its stamp of approval on a regulatory order forcing major airlines to provide an extra seat for free to disabled or obese passengers who need the room." (Click here for article.)

If you have specific circumstances that require special care who should pay for this? Why should the airline be responsible to pay for your special needs? If you can't afford the extra airfare then take the train.

What's next, forcing restaurants to provide unlimited meals to customers because they are obese?

The will of the minority controls the majority

California continues to show that democratic elections are meaningless as the Supreme court of California has agreed to hear challenges to the same sex marriage ban. (Click here for article.)

Twice now the majority of Californians have voted to keep the definition of marriage as one man and one woman. The first time was in 2000 when 61% of Californians voted in favor of proposition 22. The second time was more recently when over 52% of Californians voted in favor of proposition 8.

Despite Californians expressing their views clearly on this issue the state supreme court voted 4-3 to allow same sex marriage on May 15, 2008. To be clear, 4 supreme court judges decided that 61% of Californians were wrong and should be over ruled. What a disgrace to democracy that the voice of the people is overruled by a small handful of ideological individuals.

Not Evil Just Wrong

A potentially interesting movie is in the works. "Not Evil Just Wrong" is a film being put together by Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleer that aims to take on the myth of global warming and will highlight the harm that is being done by the hysteria of global warming.

"A new Irish film claims that climate change guru Al Gore is an alarmist and that those who think they are saving the planet are only hurting the poor. If the advance publicity is anything to go by, Not Evil Just Wrong will do for Al Gore what Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 did for George W Bush." (Click here for article.)

I wonder if this movie will receive an Academy Award as An inconvenient truth did. I won't hold my breath on that.

How to save the Auto industry? Let them go bankrupt.

Mitt Romney has had some free time the last few months and it appears he has spent that time thinking up a solution to the auto industry situation. I agree completely with Mitt, the best way to fix Detroit is to let it go bankrupt.

"Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check."

"The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk." (Click here for the article.)

I have heard many say that the government bailed out the banks so they should bail out the auto makers. My response is that two wrongs don't make a right. The bank bailout was a mistake and the auto bailout will be an even bigger mistake. Unfortunately the government has started down a slippery slope that may be too difficult to get off before nationalizing the entire economy.