Instapundit’s Favorite Word

February 19th, 2013

See if you can fill in the blank for the following headline:

“Homebuilder Confidence in U.S. BLANK Fell in February”

Having trouble? Try again with the first sentence

“Confidence among U.S. homebuilders BLANK dropped in February from a more than six-year high, a sign the real-estate market will take time to accelerate.”

If you’ve been reading Instapundit for any length of time, you know exactly what the word replaced with BLANK is. And that word is “unexpectedly.”

Gee, how could anyone possibly have seen that continued high unemployment and an economy that is shrinking might negatively impact the housing market? (And of course, when the economy shrank, the shrinkage happened “unexpectedly.”)

Obama and friends keep trying and trying neo-Keynesian pump-priming and keep getting the same results: economic stagnation. While trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of madness, that doesn’t matter to them, since it allows them to continue the payoffs to cronies and interest groups that keep the Big Government Class in power (and rolling in taxpayer dough). Germany and Estonia performed no or minimal “stimulus” deficit spending and their economies are growing again. Obama and congressional Democrats have taken the opposite tack: Keep pouring money down the big government rathole and hope that results this year won’t be identical to the last four. My prediction: higher deficits, continued high unemployment and continued economic stagnation.

And each and every negative economic indicator the media will report as arriving “unexpectedly.”

Expect it.

A Quick Roundup of Gun News

February 18th, 2013

Here’s a Whitman’s Sampler of gun news for you to chew on:

  • The Truth About Assault Weapons, in easy-to-follow graphic form.
  • Dwight is all over Polifact Texas “checking” Ted Cruz’ statements about untracked gun buyers.
  • Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot appeared on a RedState podcast discussing guns.
  • More on the tremendous success of Chicago’s gun control initiative, and how it’s throwing a wee bit of a kink into Obama’s gun control pitch.
  • In the Texas legislature, Rep. James White’s House Bill 1142 would allow firearms safety to be taught as an elective.
  • Missouri Democrats introduce a bill to seize the guns of the law-abiding.
  • What happens when an expert arrives to provide testimony on modern sporting rifles? If you’re a Minnesota Democrat, you actually walk out of the presentation.
  • Borepatch suggests a legislative strategy.
  • Interesting profile of Bond Arms of Granbury, which makes derringers. The article calls them the only gun manufacturer in the DFW area, which I rather doubt.
  • Ted Cruz will be visiting LaRue Tactical to support the Second Amendment. Sadly, Wayne Slater is evidently too unprofessional to bother telling you when Cruz will be visiting. (Do they just not teach “Five Ws and an H” in journalism school anymore?) Since I offer a full-service blog: Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 11:00 AM, LaRue Tactical, 850 County Road 177, Leander, TX 78641.
  • Finally, here’s a fine NSFW rant about how liberal “civil libertarians” are only too ready to watch the rights of gun owners trampled:

    “At the time the Constitution was written, the weapons in question were muskets.”

    You know what? You’re right. And marriage was between one man and one woman. So what’s with gay marriage? No longer will I offer any moral support, oppose any online statements attacking it, speak out for it. They have the same right as anyone—to marry someone of the opposite gender. And given that all gays support raping little boys (just like all gun owners support shooting school kids), I don’t think I can support them. We should do things just the way they were done 220 years ago. That’s the liberal way.

    “The Heller Decision was by an activist court. It doesn’t count.”

    Indeed. Just like Roe v Wade was an activist decision. It doesn’t count.

    “We’re not trying to take your guns away, just have reasonable limits. It’s a compromise.”

    And some people want reasonable limits on abortion, like waiting periods, gestational time limits, ultrasound, etc. It’s a reasonable response to an activist court decision, and reasonable restrictions on a right, for public benefit. Don’t come whining about your right to murder babies, and I won’t come to you whining about my right to shoot school kids.

    And no one is saying you can’t ride the bus. You just have to sit where people think is reasonable. No one is saying women can’t work. They just have to get paid what is reasonable for the work they do, allowing for the fact they’re going to leave the workplace and raise a family. It’s a compromise.

    “Assault weapons are an extreme interpretation.”

    True. And not allowing any religious emblems on government premises is an extreme interpretation. As long as they’re privately paid for, what’s it to you? No one is saying you can’t belong to the Christian church of your choice, just not to extreme groups, like atheists or Muslims. It would be paranoid to think anyone was trying to infringe on your legitimate right to be free from state religion, just like I’d be paranoid to think they wanted to take my guns. Quite a few states had official churches well into the 1800s. This is not an infringement on your freedom of religion.

    “Given Sandy Hook, you have to make reasonable compromises.”

    “We just want licensing and safe storage requirements so the wrong people don’t get guns.”

    “Publicizing the information lets people make informed choices about who they live near.”

    Accepted. In exchange, gay men should make reasonable compromises over Penn State. They will simply have to accept being registered and kept a safe distance from children. This isn’t a violation of their rights. It’s just common sense. The public has a right to know.

    This should apply to protests, too. No reasonable person would object to being identified. They should welcome it—it means they can’t be wrongly maligned. All union members, blacks, gays and feminists should be signed in with ID before a march or gathering, just so we can track the real criminals to keep the rest safe.

    Also:

    First they came for the blacks, and I spoke up because it was wrong, even though I’m not black.

    Then they came for the gays, and I spoke up, even though I’m not gay.

    Then they came for the Muslims, and I spoke up, because it was wrong, even though I’m an atheist.

    When they came for illegal aliens, I spoke up, even though I’m a legal immigrant.

    Then they came for the pornographers, rebels and dissenters and their speech and flag burning, and I spoke up, because rights are not only for the establishment.

    Then they came for the gun owners, and you liberal shitbags threw me under the bus, even though I’d done nothing wrong. So when they come to put you on the train, you can fucking choke and die.

  • How Not To Commit the Perfect Robbery

    February 16th, 2013

    If you want to commit a comically inept but still dangerous robbery, here are a few easy pointers from this Valentine’s Day holdup in Inkster, Michigan:

  • Be sure to try and rob the place in broad daylight.
  • Pick a place that has an obvious security company car parked right in front.
  • Make sure not to conceal your own features, even though there’s a security camera at the door.
  • Pull out your gun and wave it around in a limp-wristed fashion, ensuring you’re more likely to hurt yourself than hit what you’re aiming at when you fire.
  • Have your partner in crime lackadaisically take several seconds to casually pull her own gun out of her purse. No hurry! It’s not like speed is important during a daylight armed robbery.
  • Pick a tax preparation business where the guard has an AR-15 in the next room.
  • Run back out the front door in a panic when you see it.
  • To make sure you’ve understood all these vital pointers, watch the video below. (15 second ad at the beginning, but well worth it.)

    Fox 2 News Headlines

    And liberals: The fact criminals seem to find the AR-15 every bit as scary as you do? That’s not a bug, that’s a feature.

    LinkSwarm for February 15, 2013

    February 15th, 2013

    The Week of Extreme Busyness continues (though the weekend has gotten slightly less busy), but here’s a semi-random LinkSwarm to end your work week with.

  • The Washington Post is shocked, shocked that Ted Cruz dares to rock the comfy Democratic Media Complex boat.
  • Democrats attempting to hold onto the Senate just got kicked right in the Vilsack.
  • Government entitlement spending is unsustainable. Duh.
  • Thanks to ObamaCare’s electronic billing provisions, doctors “see fewer patients per shift than they did previously, and spend less time with each one.”
  • The media just can’t help itself when it comes to lying about Sarah Palin.
  • Gee, who do I trust less: a New York Times reporter, or the CEO of an electric car maker who received $465 million in “green energy” loans?
  • Oh, and everyone complaining about New York Times inaccuracy and bias? Now you know how every gun owner feels about every NYT story about guns.
  • America doesn’t have a crime problem, it has a Democrat problem.
  • Massachusetts Democratic Senator-in-Waiting Ed Markey is deeply upset that somewhere out there, people might be having fun on roller coasters.
  • Grad student sues over university giving her a C+ in a class. Oh, and she also attend the university for free. Why not just hang a sign around your neck saying “No employer should ever hire me, I’m a lawsuit waiting to happen”?
  • School locked down over evil “Assault Shovel”.
  • Cops to Dorner: We don’t need no water, let the motherfarker burn. (NSFW reference follows.)

  • Have a great weekend!

    Texas vs. California Update for February 13, 2013

    February 13th, 2013

    Busy day! Here’s a quick Texas vs. California roundup:

  • Texas economic success is no mirage.
  • More on Rick Perry’s California raid. “I’d take free-market capitalism over socialism any day, and that was the decision that we made,” said Waste Connections Inc Chairman and CEO Ron Mittelstaedt. “He added that it took Waste Connections 16 months to design and build a new, 11-story building in Texas, including eight weeks for permits. He estimated it would have taken three years just to get the permits in California. The California Environmental Quality Act is often cited by critics as a major cause of pointless delays on construction projects in particular.”
  • California’s aversion to both nuclear power and fossil fuels will probably cause blackouts in the state this year.
  • “Thanks to appointments by Gov. Jerry Brown, the Public Employment Relations Board has gone from an obscure agency to a union front.”
  • The Milkin Institute’s Kevin Klowden takes a brief look at which state has a better business climate. “California’s higher costs and a difficult-to-navigate regulatory system mean that a split has developed. While research and development and innovation are more likely to stay in California, companies often expand or move their back offices and new manufacturing to Texas.”
  • Rick Perry Trolls California (For Business)

    February 12th, 2013

    First Texas Governor Rick Perry put up a 30 second radio spot on California airwaves suggesting businesses in the no longer golden state relocate to Texas.

    Now Perry has gone to California himself to make the same pitch.

    Says Perry: “When you’re fishing, you go where the fish are. I’m not out here forcing anybody to rent a van and head to Texas. We’re just giving a sales pitch here. It’s up to them to make the decision.”

    “Straight-up competition between the states, the way our founding fathers envisioned it when they crafted that 10th Amendment.” And then SF Gate offers up a definition of the Tenth Amendment, for all those Californians unfamiliar with that quaint and curious document known as “The Constitution of the United States of America.”

    Ross Ramsey covers the story with his usual lack of insight.

    Quick Notes from the TPPF Gun Control Conference Call for February 11, 2013

    February 11th, 2013

    I sat in a Texas Public Policy Foundation teleconference on the current state legislative session, the main topic of which was Texas efforts to fight Democrats gun control agenda at the national level. On hand were Arlene Wohlgemuth, Mario Loyola and James Golsan, though I believe all the gun control points were from Loyola. Here are a few very brief notes on the call:

    There are three main legislative to avoid federal gun control laws being enacted in Texas:

    1. Nullification: Refuse Cooperation. “We don’t think this approach is constitutional or can prevail.”
    2. Keep state employees from becoming agents of the federal government. “Printz vs. United States struck down part of the Brady Act that forced state officials to enforce federal law.” Make it illegal to cooperate.
    3. Gun control version of TSA Groping bill, Rep. Otto sponsored (HR 553). “Arrest those trying to enforce unconstitutional laws, sort it out in court. High risk, high reward.”

    Some Republicans losing their nerve against fighting ObamaCare.

    Loyola: There’s a difference between setting up exchanges and Medicaid expansion. Later is holding a gun to our heads and will bankrupt our country. It’s important for Texas to hold the line rather than giving into blackmail with their own money. Republican governors need to hold the line to prevent Texas from going it alone.

    Once again a federal judge wants Texas to spend more money on education ($2,000 more per student). Smart play is to appeal and take no legislative action while the issue works its way through the court.

    Texas vs. California Update for Feburay 7, 2013

    February 7th, 2013

    No sooner did I post yesterday’s California vs. Texas update than all manner of related news pours forth.

    First, I missed the news that John Stossel did a story on Texas vs. California back in January. That link takes you to the whole thing (which i haven’t watched yet), but here’s a taste featuring ex-Californian and current Texas Public Policy Foundation vice president of policy Chuck DeVore:

    Naturally, the states media outlets are trying to downplay Texas’ advantage. Fortunately, here’s DeVore again debunking their claims good and hard. Read the whole thing.

    Earlier this week, Texas Governor Rick Perry went on the offensive with a radio ad in California suggesting businesses relocate here:

    Needless to say, California’s liberal establishment is perturbed.

    Texas vs. California Roundup for February 6, 2013

    February 6th, 2013
  • CalPERS: the pension fund that ate California. A tale filled with lies, waste, and outright corruption that’s even worse than I thought (and I thought it plenty bad).
  • Via the indispensable Will Franklin comes this eye-opening comparison of welfare in California vs. Texas. “As you can see, California is practically in a quadrant unto itself, indicating a lot of people receiving a lot each in welfare benefits. Meanwhile, Texas is situated precisely in the opposite corner of the graphic, indicating that a low percentage of Texas’ residents are receiving welfare, and among those who are receiving welfare, they’re receiving smaller benefits than those living essentially anywhere else in the country.” Read the whole thing. And get a gander at the chart.
  • Jerry Brown gets voters to approve a measure that cuts California public employee union pensions a tiny, weensie bit. The result? “California Public Employees’ Retirement System is essentially going to defy the order that pensions will be calculated based on base pay by declaring enhancements and bonuses are part of base pay.” And some unions are suing to opt out. And Brown isn’t even willing to defend the reforms in court.
  • “The highest-paid 10 percent of Southern California Edison employees earned at least $418.8 million in combined total compensation during 2011, and charged at least $11.8 million to their expense accounts, according to a report the public utility filed with the state. SCE’s most recent annual report showed 19 executives and other SCE employees received more than $1 million in total compensation during 2011, and at least 130 others received $300,000 or more in total compensation.”
  • Judge in Stockton bankruptcy: Sure, it’s OK to screw bondholders. Go right ahead.
  • Professional athletes are leaving high tax states like California for low-tax states like Texas and Florida.
  • At least Texans know how much they owe.
  • Here’s the official Texas state document on local debt. Texas cities, alas, haven’t been nearly as frugal as the state legislature has been.
  • Speaking of not being as frugal as they could be, here’s the place to search Texas pension funds. I might delve more into these two links when I have time.
  • Texas Public Policy Foundation on keeping Texas competitive.
  • And if you haven’t kept up with Dwight’s updates on the Bell corruption trial, you really should.
  • Iran Plays “Make Believe Airplane”

    February 5th, 2013

    Iran has unveiled an advanced new stealth fighter plane.

    And by “an advanced new stealth fighter plane,” I mean “a large plastic RC aircraft that’s obviously not suited for combat, stealth, or actually carrying a pilot.”

    So says many experts in military aviation from all around the world.

    A few tidbits of analysis:

  • “The engine section lacks any kind of nozzle: engine afterburners could melt the entire jet.”
  • “The cockpit seems to be too small, to such an extent a normal pilot doesn’t properly fit in the ejection seat. Have you ever seen a pilot with his knees above the side borders of the cockpit and his helmet well beyond the ejection seat’s head pad?”
  • “The canopy lacks transparency and looks like it is made of plexiglass.”
  • Many viewers have said that the cockpit instrumentation resembles that of a Cessna rather than a fighter aircraft.
  • Maybe they should have left the fakery to their vaunted Al-Aqua Photoshop Martyrs Brigade