Why Toyota is in trouble

For 2012, Hyundai has the new Veloster.
For 2012, Ford has the new Focus.
For 2012, Toyota has what appears to be the same Corolla they had in 1995 but with a new grill.
Look at that beauty. Nothing shouts out "driving excitement!" like a 2012 Toyota Corolla.

No comment.

Austin real estate market ready to implode

Most people don't think Texas had a real estate bubble. But consider this bit from the Austin American Statesman.

Though Austin has not been immune to the broader economic downturn, "we have a growing, dynamic economy and are getting a lot of things right," Holt said. "Whether it's companies or individuals, everybody it seems like wants to live in Austin," he said, noting that the Four Seasons project is seeing interest from prospective buyers from across the globe.

Just to let that sink in,

everybody it seems like wants to live in Austin

Where have we heard that before?

• March 2006: Phoenix is landlocked and everyone wants to live there.
• March 2007: Orlando is where everyone wants to live.
• May 2006: Do you know what the top tips are for picking a Las Vegas condo are? Everyone wants to live in the city of eternal neon and never ending gambling opportunities.

He has a pair of handcuffs and he knows how to use them.

We came, we saw, he died.

I find this very disquieting.

Cheese and Whine

I can't decide if this piece from Salon is a parody or the real thing. The author noticed a terrible blurb on a friend's Facebook page.

“Just turned off the t.v. More lies from B. Hussein Obama.”

She was horrified!

I nearly fell out of my chair. My heart was racing. I squinted at the screen. I read the comments again and again. This was the real deal, not on Fox News but right here on MY computer, on MY Facebook page.

After decompressing with a little bit of NPR (is this a parody or what?), out came the big gun.

... I’m a little embarrassed to admit I often do when presented with a problem I can’t solve: I called my dad.

I don't know how this woman can cope with all of the other hassles of every day life. Her heart raced and she nearly fell out of her chair because someone used the president's middle name? And how the hell is this a "problem"?

Texan accused of assault with frozen armadillo

From the Houston Chronicle,

Dallas police are on the lookout for a man who could face assault charges for throwing a frozen armadillo at a 57-year-old woman near Dallas.

Back in the Great Depression they called armadillos Hoover Hogs. There needs to be an update. Barack Bacon? Bush Burgers? Hillary Ham?

An American Hippie in Israel

This is the most amazing movie preview I've ever seen. He's a Jewish Charles Manson/Billy Jack! Gratuitous nudity ahead.

Gaddafi dead

(Reuters) - Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered in his capture near his hometown of Sirte on Thursday, a senior NTC military official said.

It's amazing that a Nobel Peace Prize winner has knocked off a guy he shook hands with just two years earlier.

Unhappy Hipsters

To laugh at the the unwashed proletariat, it's The People of Walmart.

To laugh at the ironic-glasses-wearing smug bourgeoisie, it's this. Nice t-shirt, Pop.

Jim Cramer is chock full of feces

Just going through some old videos I did years ago. Here's Jimmy, late 2006.

To answer Jimmy's last set of questions, yes, we have. Everything Jim Cramer said was not happening actually did happen. In spades. Booyah.

Help us

You will be pleased to know there is an Occupy Katy movement.

About the 99 percenters

A lot of the "99 percenters" are easy to make fun of. They made decisions that seem really dumb to the rest of us, like going $100,000 in debt for a BA in political science, then whining about being in debt for the rest of their lives with no way out. But a lot of the 99ers are also complaining about insane medical treatment costs that are bankrupting them. For these people, I think their grievances are legitimate. We should all be honest with ourselves and admit that a $6,000 bill for 3 stitches is absurd.

I'll wager that for the vast majority of the 99ers, student loan debt and medical costs are the real issues. (The rest of the 99ers appear to be tools of the "progressives" and stoners.) Neither problem was created by Wall Street. The problems are a direct result of government interference in the marketplace. If there were no government-backed "no questions asked" student loans, college wouldn't be so insanely expensive. And if government wasn't demanding that insurance companies pick up various and sundry costs, and quit forcing hospitals to give free medical care to anyone and everyone (including approximately 20 million people who shouldn't be here), medical costs would be a lot lower. Maybe low enough so those 3 stitches would cost what they should cost in the real world. Less than $200.

The 99ers have the wrong demands and they are protesting in the wrong locations.

About that jobs bill

Obama's jobs bill goes down in flames as expected. I am not sure why it is fair for taxpayers in Oregon to pay the salary for a teacher's aid in Florida, or for taxpayers in Oklahoma to pay the salary for a secretary in a DMV office in California. This bill was a can-kicker, to keep state employees on the payrolls for another 6 months. It simply delays the inevitable adjustment that has to occur before we can get back on track as a country. I am sorry that state employees will suffer, but there is no choice.

The incredible shrinking Rick Perry

I am shocked at the complete and utter collapse of the Rick Perry campaign. As our governor for so many years I figured I knew him better. What a fail. But props to the Mitt Romney campaign for shopping today's story around. The Romney campaign staffers are the best in the business. They are like Apple, and everyone else is like Microsoft, RIM and Palm.

Since I seem to be a jinx when it comes to picking candidates (see Fred Thompson, my many blog posts nuked during my 2008 crisis), let me say that New Jersey governor Chris Christie would make a horrible president and I hope he fails. Ditto for Herman Cain, who is a complete loser who offers nothing. A Cain/Christie ticket would be a really bad thing for this country and I hope that they don't get the RNC nomination.

Occupy Wall Street has jumped the shark

List of demands.