Lou Minatti

How low can the television networks go?

2012-01-27T05:43:00.001-06:00

The execs at NBC are going to do something so repulsive that I won't link to it. I can't imagine what they are thinking. If you want to know, Google "Fear Factor donkey".

Debate Fatigue

2012-01-26T21:41:00.001-06:00

There's no new ground being broken. It's the same tired re-hash. Enough already.

Just another Massachusetts politician running for president

2012-01-25T20:35:00.003-06:00

He has no chance. Don't kid yourself. The incumbent has all of the power.

The challenger from Massachusetts is extraordinarily wealthy and cannot relate to the common man. He inherited most of his wealth and his income is primarily derived from capital gains... money that isn't taxed as ordinary income. His father did some very shady things to generate their wealth!

He's considered too liberal in much of the country, but he does say that he would like to lower taxes. Can one offset the other?

He's a lifelong member of some weird church, and many (if not most) protestants won't abide someone of his faith being president. It just isn't gonna happen.

He is good looking though, and he does have a nice head of hair. So he has that going for him. Plus he's pretty glib.

Stupid Brits

2012-01-25T20:29:00.001-06:00

Gosh, those limeys sure are stupid.

Half of children aged between 10 and 12 do not know what a noun is or cannot identify an adverb while almost a third, 31 per cent, cannot use apostrophes correctly.

More than one in five 22 per cent could not use the correct version of 'they're', 'there' and 'their' in a sentence and more than four in 10 couldn't spell the word 'secretaries' correctly.

Which is funny. Based on the grammar I see in the comment feeds of most blogs, 50-70% of grown adult men, primarily in North America, don't know the difference between "they're", "their" and "there". They also have a hard time using the words "to" and "too" properly. What a bunch of loosers! There abuse of grammer is to much.

Has Facebook has reached that pivotal MySpace moment?

2012-01-24T22:27:00.004-06:00

I don't know what Mark and his buddies are thinking, but the Timeline thing is really turning a lot of people off. To be blunt, it sucks. Now word has it that Facebook users have no choice. You're Timelined whether you like it or not.

It wasn't too long ago that everyone "had to be on MySpace." I wonder if Mark & Co. know this. A few tweaks here and there and the Google+ platform may be viable.

Newt Gingrich is a hypocrite!

2012-01-19T21:17:00.002-06:00

So I keep hearing that his ex-wife is gonna drop a bombshell that will sink Newt's campaign. When the news broke yesterday I was wondering if he was a wife-beater, or a rapist, or maybe he was snorting heroin?

No, her bombshell is Newt's a horndog philanderer. Which makes him a hypocrite since he was one of the "family values" people in the 1990s. Which means... this is a non story because we already know that Newt is a horndog philanderer. Sheesh. Is there anyone who DOESN'T know this about Newt? This ain't gonna affect his campaign one iota.

But I did get a chuckle from the picture seen above that has emerged from this.

Boom/Bust

2012-01-19T06:03:00.002-06:00

Boom:

Powered by a booming energy business, the Houston regional economy grew faster last year than any other in North America, the Brookings Institution reports.

Bust:

Our little burg feels like a glass half empty, half full right now, and you can see that reflected in the national focus on us over the past few weeks.

I still remember this. When you draw that trendline on a chart don't forget that the trend can be broken to the downside very quickly.

Make up a bunch of fake political crap and post it to Facebook

2012-01-17T19:53:00.002-06:00

As you may be aware, Facebook will now be sharing your personal political opinions, whether you post them privately or not, with Politico.

Most notably, the Facebook-Politico data set will include Facebook users’ private status messages and comments. While that may alarm some people, Facebook and Politico say the entire process is automated and no Facebook employees read the posts.

Rather, every post and comment — both public and private — by a U.S. user that mentions a presidential candidate’s name will be fed through a sentiment analysis tool that spits out anonymized measures of the general U.S. Facebook population.

I don't recall giving Facebook my permission to disseminate this private information (it must be in the TOS, right?), but since they are doing this us Facebook users could have fun thwarting them. Just start posting random political comments praising each of the candidates. One day say, "I am a proud Democrat and I am voting to reelect President Obama, you should too!" then the next day say "Rick Santorum is my candidate and only he can save America!" Repeat with each of the candidates and political parties at random and ask your friends to do the same.

Ron Paul is First Class

2012-01-16T21:19:00.006-06:00

Ron Paul is a classy guy who just wants to watch out for us taxpayers. (Just kidding!)

Paul flew first class on at least 31 round-trip flights and 12 one-way flights since May 2009 when he was traveling between Washington and his district in Texas, according to a review by The Associated Press of his congressional office expenses.

More here.

Ron Paul: Wasting tens of thousands of your hard-earned tax dollars every year on personal luxury travel while claiming to be against wasteful government spending.

(Today's secret Ron Paul code words: neocon, stooge, warmonger, Mossad)

Mike and Carol Brady just lost a crapload of money

2012-01-12T21:55:00.003-06:00

The value of their house in North Hollwood just took a $37,000 dump to $925k, according to Zillow. But when they left the show their house was worth $61k. So they are still up big time.

Brad Pitt / Kurt Cobain

2012-01-11T21:07:00.009-06:00

Separated at Birth: Brad Pitt at the White House today...
and Kurt Cobain from the "In Bloom" music video?

Prescription Drug Shortages

2012-01-11T06:52:00.002-06:00

Mish highlights prescription drug shortages in Greece. Even aspirin is hard to come by.

For patients and pharmacists in financially stricken Greece, even finding aspirin has turned into a headache.

The 12,000 pharmacies that dot almost every street corner in Greek cities are the damaged capillaries of a complex system for getting treatment to patients. The Panhellenic Association of Pharmacists reports shortages of almost half the country’s 500 most-used medicines. Even when drugs are available, pharmacists often must foot the bill up front, or patients simply do without.

As a reminder to people who may have forgotten, the US is also experiencing shortages of vital drugs, at least partly due to idiotic government policies.

The head of one of the largest US generic drugs companies has warned that intensifying regulatory inspections are causing record numbers of medicine shortages that threaten patients’ lives.

Housing bubble in Norway

2012-01-06T06:25:00.001-06:00

$325,000 for 375-square-feet. Watch your head when you want to take a leak.

California Dreamin'

2012-01-05T06:52:00.003-06:00

According to an official study, California's $100 billion high-speed rail project,

'(I)s not financially feasible.' Gov. Jerry Brown's office signals that he isn't likely to be swayed by the findings.

I wouldn't normally care about what goes on in another state, but I get the feeling that the other 49 states will be bailing out the bond holders once this white elephant goes belly-up. Of course in 20 years $100 billion might be equivalent to today's buck fity so who cares.

Meh. It's just as believable as the Texas high-speed rail plan that will supposedly be paid for by the Japanese.

This would be more fun than Obama vs Romney

2012-01-03T06:28:00.001-06:00

For sheer entertainment value, I would like to see Hillary Clinton vs Newt Gingrich this November.

To clear up the top two political smears this fall, Barack Obama was born a US citizen and there is nothing particularly weird about the Mormon religion that should disqualify a candidate from national office.

2012 Predictions

2012-01-01T14:39:00.004-06:00

I have no idea what is going to happen this year, except that I don't think 2012 will be 365 days of "muddle through." It will either be a good year (resulting in Obama being reelected) or a really bad year (resulting in Romney being elected). If it's bad, I think that the US is in better shape to weather the storm since de-leveraging has been going on for 5 years now (at least on the household level), while many other countries are just getting started. One thing I don't worry about is that "Mayan Calendar" bullcrap.

OK, some predictions:

Ron Paul will have a public meltdown after being asked about his racist newsletters again. His campaign ends by February and he will not run on a third party ticket.
Obama/Clinton will not happen. It will still be Obama/Biden.
Kindle Fire 2.0 takes the top spot in the tablet wars.
The end of RIM.
An Angry Birds movie.
Nintendo files for bankruptcy due to their continued collapse in market share and a vast unsold inventory build.
Southeast Texas will be plagued by serious power outages as millions of dead trees fall on power lines during spring thunderstorms.
I thought Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal would leave the Euro this year. I think they will kick the can down the road another year. Europe will not be a good place to be as the riots continue and various "red army" factions reemerge.
A number of recently constructed, never-occupied high-rises in China and Dubai will collapse. Huge swaths of this vacant real estate will be condemned due to shoddy construction.
A "gay scandal" erupts in the White House centered around a departed adviser.
A supernova will appear that is visible to the naked eye.
Student loan debt will become a primary campaign issue. Easy student loans for questionable majors and fields of study will be eyed closely, and in many cases eliminated.
There will be no war with Iran. A proxy civil war will continue in Syria.

Art Bell's hole

2011-12-31T16:11:00.005-06:00

I rediscovered these recently. I can't remember who created them. Someone from alt.fan.art-bell. (If it was you please let me know!) I do know they fooled Art for an entire evening after this person faxed these "newspaper clippings" to him. I am pretty sure that Glen Quarnstrom (a newsgroup regular) passed away many years ago.

How to guarantee Barack Obama's reelection in one easy step

2011-12-31T09:07:00.001-06:00

Step 1: Nominate Ron Paul.

2011 Predictions: A year in failure.

2011-12-30T22:28:00.003-06:00

A review of my 2011 guesses, which were even worse than my 2010 guesses:

Republicans fail at their attempts to repeal Obamacare. However, they are able to push through some minor tweaks.

50% fail. Nothing happened.

Barack Obama's team attempts a re-branding campaign. No public photos of Obama eating ice cream or playing golf will be seen in 2011. Arugula is out, replaced with steak and hamburgers. In 2011, Obama will project a macho image.

Complete fail. Obama spent most of the year on the golf course.

Republicans fail at their pledge to reign in the budget deficit, but the growth is slowed somewhat. Republicans will try to brag about this.

I don't know what the hell I was thinking. Fail.

A major hurricane will strike the Texas Gulf coast.

Fail. We got a major drought instead.

A prominent California blogger and his former wife will be arrested for mortgage fraud.

Haha! Fail. Stoopid's been quiet for over a year now.

Chevrolet will shock naysayers by ramping up production of the Volt due to strong demand.

My worst guess of all time. Epic fail.

An American will take the helm at Toyota.

Fail.

Bill Clinton collapses during a speaking engagement after having a stroke.

Nope.

Elton John settles in Las Vegas and becomes the house act at the Venetian.

Fail. I guess this every year (along with Led Zeppelin) and I still think it will happen.

Gold prices will continue to surge, peaking in April. It will end the year below $700.

Fail, but gold is breaking down now.

Shocking celebrity deaths: John Goodman and Prince.

Not.

Oil prices will skyrocket during the first quarter of 2011, then collapse to below $40/barrel.

Fail.

Hype about tablets comes to an end after Samsung and HP products flop. iPad sales flatten and market analysts discover that demand is limited to Apple's existing core of monied customers. The new Apple TV flops, while the new iPhone helps Apple regain top spot in the smartphone wars. Apple studies the idea of spinning off the media side of their business into a new company (iTunes, Inc.) that is less dependent upon Apple and more platform-agnostic.

I should just shut my pie hole.

A major US newspaper will shock the industry by announcing free home delivery.

Fail. But it is coming.

The Dead Kennedys get back together to re-work California Über Alles in honor of the new governor. They fail spectacularly as everyone realizes that the Dead Kennedys still suck and have no real talent and Jello Biafra is not as clever and astute as he thinks he is.

Fail. Fail. Fail.

Best Buy removes packaged software from its shelves.

I think this is a hit. I went to my local BB last week and didn't see any packaged software. Maybe that's different in your neck of the woods.

Amazon Kindle price breaks the $100 barrier, making the e-reader one of the biggest tech stories of 2011. Market analysts are stunned at the success and Amazon stock adjusts accordingly.

A hit on the price barrier, and the e-reader was undoubtedly a big success in 2011. Dunno about market analysts being stunned, though. So a qualified hit.

Disaster strikes the new high-speed rail system in China due to construction defects.

Nailed that sucker.

Hugo Chavez continues to consolidate his power and launches a series of military strikes against border areas in Columbia in order to gin up patriotic fervor.

Melonhead pretended to have cancer most of the year to gin up sympathy, so that's a fail. (Did I say Chavez is faking his illness? I am sorry for being so callous.)

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hires a fashion consultant to give him a more polished, less threatening appearance.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. He's still wearing the ugly grey dinner jacket.

War in the Korean Peninsula. Kim the Fat, in order to show everyone that he has balls of steel like his weird father, orders the shelling of a ROK village, resulting in a massive ROK response to targets within 10 km of the DMZ. North Korea opens fire on Seoul with artillery, but wholesale destruction of the city is avoided as US and ROK forces launch a stunning counter-attack and destroy over 10,000 pieces of artillery within 24 hours. North Korean officers flee back to Pyongyang, leaving behind 300,000 weary, starving soldiers, who promptly give up. A new cease-fire is called, resulting in a new DMZ that is 40 km north of the old one, giving Seoul a much better protective cushion.

Nope. Kim the Fat took power after his crazy father passed away. Some believe that Kim the Fat will be like a Korean Gorby. We'll see.

Many new jobs and new businesses will emerge in Florida to salvage the thousands of empty houses built in 2005-2007 that have been damaged due to heat and humidity. Houses will be so cheap in Florida that the glut will be cleared faster than expected thanks to the surge of government retirees from the Northeast and Midwest looking for a low-cost place to live due to their shrinking pension checks. In fact, even the most bearish of bears will realize that 2011 marks the first year of undeniable recovery, except in places like coastal California, Washington, Oregon and the DC area.

This is a maybe. I can't write this guess off. It is a fact that a number of the Housing Bubble people are talking about buying in places like Phoenix and southwest Florida.

Gut-wrenching economic times will visit Canada, Brazil and Australia, with housing prices down at least 20% by December. Housing will go on to crash another 40% in these countries over the following 2 years.

I was a year early. Smart people in the resource countries are starting to get The Fear.

It is discovered that China is essentially run by gangsters. This year the world will finally see the full scale of China's problems with malinvestment, and it will shock even those of us who try to keep up with events there.

Hit. Big hit.

Julian Assange will be charged in the US federal courts. Not for espionage, but with fraud. Investigators will discover that Assange has been going short against the companies he threatens to expose, particularly Bank of America. He is extradited to New York, no longer the hero that he once was.

Nope. Assange has pretty much vanished from the news.

Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland will say goodbye to the Euro.

Nope. But some think they are pretty close to saying goodbye.

Peak Oil is here and we are all doomed! Oh, wait.

2011-12-30T07:34:00.003-06:00

Funny how these massive crude discoveries keep popping up, even though we are running out.

With relatively little fanfare on the international stage, Lundin Petroleum and Statoil (and partners) have just recently jointly discovered one of the largest oil fields ever found in the North Sea. The Aldous Major South - Avaldsnes discovery on the Utsira High structure is currently estimated to contain 1.7 to 3.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil. The astonishing thing about this discovery is that it has lain undiscovered in a mature oil province for so long providing ample encouragement for explorers to go on exploring.

Oil prices remain high because a) OPEC wants to create the idea of a shortfall to keep prices up, and b) central banks, including the Fed, pump "money" into the system and weaken our currency. There remains an enormous quantity of oil to be discovered and processed. (Whether or not we should use it is a different matter.)

What's wrong with this paragraph?

2011-12-29T21:34:00.000-06:00

From the Housing Bubble Blog:

The Associated Press. “Donna West could once name the homeowners on her affluent Las Vegas street. Then came the recession, the vacant homes, and the parade of anonymous renters. ‘To me, the recession hasn’t ended,’ said West, a 55-year-old retired state worker. ‘We have more foreclosures happening in my neighbourhood than a year ago.’”

Not one person on the blog picked up on it.

Lee County, Florida PD torture Ohio man to death

2011-12-25T11:22:00.005-06:00

It seems incredible this isn't news.

From Fox 13 in Tampa comes the horrifying story of Nick Christie, a 62-year-old Ohio man who was detained by the Lee County Sheriff's Office for being publicly intoxicated. While Christie's wife asked that he be taken to the hospital, Lee County cops decided instead to strip Christie naked, tie him to a chair, cover his face, and then pepper spray him repeatedly, until he died.

They blasted him with pepper spray 10 times over 48 hours. I cannot see any reason to do this to a person who is already restrained. They tortured Christie to death. His death was ruled a homicide, yet to date not one person has been charged with a crime.

This is waterboarding with pepper spray. When is justice for this man and his family going to be served?

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T11:30:00.000-06:00

Who will be first to use the N Word with Ron Paul?

2011-12-21T06:53:00.006-06:00

Ron Paul leads the polls in Iowa. Or doesn't. It depends upon the poll. What is interesting is that the other candidates have kept silent about Ron Paul's history. Ron Paul supporters claim that the newsletter issue isn't really an issue, that it's been debunked.

The truth is, the newsletter issue hasn't been debunked. Assuming Paul maintains his lead, heading into the Iowa Caucus it will become the big issue. The question is, who will be the first to use the N Word? As soon as one of the other candidates make an issue of the newsletters, the mainstream press will be forced to deal with it.

If I was to wager, I think it will be Gingrich. He has the most to lose by keeping silent, and he isn't likely to get the Paul voters anyway. If not Gingrich, Perry. There is no love lost between Perry and Paul.

Democrats want to keep the newsletter issue quiet. You won't hear a peep from them. They are playing smart and will have a campaign war chest of over $1 billion to broadcast endless television and radio ads showing "highlights" from the newsletters. President Obama would be reelected in a landslide of historic proportions if Ron Paul is the nominee.

(Today's secret Ron Paul code words: gold standard, neo-con, warmonger, zionist, empire)

Why does Barack Obama hate the environment?

2011-12-18T21:06:00.004-06:00

Perhaps someone reading this can clue me in. Why is Barack Obama against the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the US Gulf Coast? I am struggling to come up with a rational explanation.

We are told that buying Saudi oil supports terrorists. OK. But Canada is our friend, right next door, and is the country most similar to us. So the Keystone XL pipeline wouldn't support terrorists.

We are told that it's bad for the environment. But Canada is a sovereign country and China would like to buy this Canadian oil. If we don't buy this oil the Chinese will. To serve the Chinese market the pipeline would cross the rugged and beautiful Rocky Mountains, and the oil would be loaded on Chinese tankers. It would be a shame if one of these tankers ran aground, spewing thousands of tons of oil and killing all of the beautiful creatures that are found in the Pacific Northwest. Like the cute baby sea otters. Does Barack Obama have confidence in the Chinese record of environmental stewardship?

It seems to me that it would be far more ecologically sound to transport the oil 2500 miles via pipeline over the relatively flat Great Plains to existing US refineries instead of building a new pipeline across the Rockies and then loading it onto tankers for a 5,000 mile trip to China.

It's not like the Keystone XL would cross virgin land. The Great Plains are already crossed with thousands of miles of pipeline.
Then there are the jobs. Tens of thousands of highly-paid, sought-after jobs would be created right here in the US. Many millions of tax dollars would pour in to government coffers, paying salaries for many valuable state and local employees.

So someone, please. Clue me in. What am I missing? Why is Obama so against this? I really don't get it.

Houston-Dallas in 90 minutes

2011-12-13T20:41:00.003-06:00

Central Japan Railways, through a shell company in Houston, says they can build high-speed rail between Houston and Dallas by 2020. The key is they say they can do it without tax dollars.

I am skeptical, but if the Japanese want to spend their money building this I say bring it on. In fact, I also think it would be great if Europeans who say Americans are backward because we don't have high-speed rail would also put their money where their mouths are. If it's so great, if it's so profitable, please invest your money and build those rail lines.

I am not sure the economics quite pencil out though. Lone Star High Speed Rail says the tickets will be "about" $100. Houston to Dallas is approximately 225 miles. Let's see, figure 2 persons per car, a large car that gets a mediocre 25 miles per gallon, gas at $3.00/gallon, that's... $13.50/person, vs $100/person on rail. I think my remedial math is right on that. Plus at the other end of the rail line you'll have to arrange further transportation.

My breakfast taco

2011-12-05T21:57:00.004-06:00

I'm a Texan. We have an interesting blend of Texas and Mexican cultures, which extends to food. I like a good taco with some egg and chorizo.

But I have been short on time in the morning lately. So I bought some frozen breakfast tacos. They look OK based on the package photo, even if they have more bland sausage than the Mexican chorizo that I like.
Like I said, looks OK. But here's what came out of my microwave after 40 seconds.
After seeing the photo, a friend said it looks like something he'd seen on a Pamper.

Political spectrum of the financial blogs

2011-12-02T07:22:00.003-06:00

How I see things on the financial blogs I follow regularly. Sort of a follow-up to this. If you read these sites, feel free to disagree.

Red - Leans Left
Purple - Centrist
Blue - Leans Right

Calculated Risk
85% Red
10% Purple
5% Blue

Zero Hedge
10% Red
20% Rabid, foaming-at-the mouth insane (i.e., "George Washington" and readers of his posts)
70% Blue

Mish
30% Red
10% Purple
5% Crazy but loveable and harmless (i.e., Ben Franklin Was Right)
55% Blue

Housing Bubble Blog
50% Red
30% Purple
10% Idiotic, borderline retarded (i.e., Hwy50ina49Dodge, Eddie)
10% Blue

Ambrose Evans-Prichard (UK Telegraph)
10% Red
50% Purple
30% Blue
10% Chelyabinsk

The Oil Drum
90% Red
5% Purple
5% Blue
99% We're doomed like Dr. Smith

Santa Fe Super Chief

2011-11-30T21:50:00.002-06:00

I keep hearing how we're backwards because we don't have more trains like Europe. This looks like fun, for maybe 5 hours. But I think I'd go stir crazy if I had to sit on this train for 40 hours. Even with the 50's hottie. I think the cigarette smoke would do me in.

Modern "high speed" rail may cut the Chicago-LA down to 25 hours. I think I'd still rather fly and get it done with in 4 1/2 hours.

Let's get drunk and build a tank.

2011-11-29T06:30:00.003-06:00

First it was these guys.

Now it's these guys.

There's no way the crafty Chinese can compete with us.

Dawn of the Dead 2011

2011-11-25T11:03:00.003-06:00

Remember the really cool George Romero sequel, Dawn of the Dead? The one in the shopping mall. Remember the scene where the zombies pulled down the bikers and started tearing them apart? Yeah, that scene. It was pretty cool, wasn't it?

You iPhone users, would you please learn to hold your camera horizontally when you're taking a movie?

A disturbance in the force

2011-11-17T21:36:00.005-06:00

I am getting a creepy vibe. The UK's Nigel Farage addressed the European Parliament and sums it up.

This is really serious stuff, more sinister than the economic crisis we all face. Leaving aside tiny Greece, the elected leader of Italy, a G8 economy, was essentially forced from power by a small cadre of unelected bureaucrats from outside the country. Can you imagine what the uproar would be if China forced Obama out of office and installed Jamie Dimon as President? That is essentially what has happened to Italy.

Silvio Berlusconi may or may not have been a lousy Italian leader, but his election was a decision left to the Italian people. No more. Spain and perhaps even France will be next into the breech.

Occupy Sallie Mae

2011-11-16T06:55:00.005-06:00

As Occupy Wall Street breaks down and becomes a parody, perhaps it's time for the remaining protestors to focus on what I think is their primary beef. It's apparent from the signs that many of the OWS people are enslaved for the rest of their lives to Sallie Mae, thanks to crushing college debt loads used to acquire worthless degrees.

Wall Street didn't create Sallie Mae. The government did. Wall Street isn't keeping the OWS people enslaved, the government is. I suggest the OWS people head down to the Sallie Mae offices. Head down to the US Capital building. A bailout may await.

I guess Gerald Celente isn't as brilliant as some people thought

2011-11-15T22:11:00.002-06:00

Noted trend guesser/blog reader Gerald Celente was cleaned out by the MF Global scums.

Gerald Celente became the newest victim of the MF Global bankruptcy when his gold futures account was taken by trustees, and he was hit with a margin call within days of the corporate shutdown.

I am sorry that he's a victim of these shysters, but if he's such a visionary why was he taken in by this?

I will be your girlfriend on Facebook for $5

2011-11-15T07:18:00.003-06:00

I saw this on Zero Hedge last night.
This is a market niche I had never considered. I wonder if there are people so sad and lonely that they'd actually fork over the five bucks.

Two boobs and a boner

2011-11-14T20:03:00.003-06:00

I Googled "two boobs and a Boehner" and "two boobs and a boner" and as far as I can tell this is the first time these words have been used in a phrase. So I dedicate this post to the fine men and women who lead our political system and pretend to be outraged over Wall Street and corporate greed while using the very same system to legally grift millions of dollars.

They're all shysters

2011-11-14T05:56:00.004-06:00

Did you see the 60 Minutes piece last night? I hope you did. Cynics like me have long believed our elected officials in DC are shysters, and this confirms it. Congress is simply a way for the men and woman of either party to become legalized grifters and scam millions. The issues we send them to legislate on? Those are things these politicians use as cover.

Here is a summary of the STOCK Act.

I think it would be a good idea to ask Gingrich about this during the next Republican debate. As a former Speaker of the House, he would have insight like few others. With his past scandals he doesn't stand a chance to be elected president and he knows it. He is just playing the role of the artificial hare, enjoying the limelight, and it seems to me that he has been fairly candid about the issues lately.

Happy Nigel Tufnel Day

2011-11-11T04:52:00.002-06:00

11/11/11 is just another day for most. For others, 11/11/11 is a special day.

Dear Governor Perry

2011-11-09T22:18:00.002-06:00

Please quit the race. I don't know what happened. You used to be an outstanding public speaker and you were pretty good with the ad libs. No more. So leave gracefully now rather than later. Thanks.

Occupy Houston

2011-11-09T21:43:00.002-06:00

Some Occupy Houston people were arrested yesterday. Dustin Phipps had something to say about this. Skip ahead to the 1:15 mark:

We are unable to put up a blasted tarp over our bedding, over our Band-Aids, over our granola bars, to protect ourselves and make our occupation sustainable and effective.

Californians are Insane, Part 23

2011-11-07T19:58:00.004-06:00

On the lighter side of unreality, in LA $2.5 million gets you this (101 South Rockingham Avenue, 90049 in case it moves around in the MLS.) Yes, I realize that location is important. This is OJ's old 'hood, so even old houses that need stucco repair and still have Christmas lights up deserve the premium price.In Houston, $2.4 million gets you this. Scroll all the way down to get the full Monty.

On a different note, after a 3-year hiatus, I just noticed that tower cranes have started to rise again in west Houston, particularly at the old Town and Country center and over at Memorial City. I can't image they are condos since we are awash in those. My guess is spec office buildings.

The Tower Heist

2011-11-06T21:06:00.005-06:00

I saw The Tower Heist today. It was OK, not bad. It had some funny moments, and I enjoyed seeing Téa Leoni and Alan Alda on the big screen again. It was also great seeing Eddie Murphy returning to his Reggie Hammond stock character.

But I am wondering what happened to Matthew Broderick. He looked really, really bad. Like he's aged 15 years and added 50 pounds. He's not much older than me but he looks like he's pushing 60, and I don't think his appearance is due to a special Hollywood makeup effect. So many of us grew up watching Broderick, in classic movies like War Games, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Biloxi Blues.

Yet look at him now, in 2011. He's been in motion pictures for 30 years. It's like some strange force sucked the vitality out of Matthew Broderick, leaving behind an empty, outsized and haggard shell of a man.

I wonder what happened to him?

Nonmacher’s Bar-B-Que

2011-11-05T17:44:00.002-05:00

I lived in Katy for 17 years and I think I've been to Nonmacher's once. As you can see it is an exceedingly tiny place. It has literally 4 small tables, a counter and a kitchen.
I have never noticed the "Let's play cowboys and Iranians" poster in question.

When I drove by today I saw that Nonmacher's is doing more business than ever. There was a line out the door, with supporters waving American flags by the side of Mason Road. On the other side of Mason Road there were perhaps 20 people holding signs up that said things like "Stop the hate." Half of them were young Texans of Iranian descent (I assume) who were wearing cowboys hats. The rest were older white people.

What strikes me about this incident is that the poster was there for over 30 years and no one even noticed it until now. I think the "outrage" is fake. I am not questioning the patriotism of the young dudes protesting Nonmacher's, but they weren't born yet during the Hostage Crisis. Americans were highly pissed and stuff like this poster were quite common in our homes and businesses. If Vince Vance & The Valiants play "Bomb Iran" during a 30-year reunion gig, is that hate speech? Seems like it should be if we're to pretend that we're outraged over this old poster that no one even noticed all this time.

I think something bad is gonna happen to the restaurant, unfortunately. Just a suspicion.

Chaos

2011-11-01T22:10:00.002-05:00

I am not sure why allowing Greek citizens to determine their own fate is chaos. Greece has survived for thousands of years and it will survive this. There will be a great deal of pain, but not chaos (except for the bankers). At least Greece got some cool stuff that can't be repossessed.

Why Toyota is in trouble

2011-10-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

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.

2011-10-28T22:24:00.001-05:00

Austin real estate market ready to implode

2011-10-27T07:13:00.002-05:00

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?

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

2011-10-26T07:17:00.002-05:00

We came, we saw, he died.

2011-10-24T06:52:00.001-05:00

I find this very disquieting.

Cheese and Whine

2011-10-24T05:52:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-22T12:09:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-21T05:49:00.002-05:00

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

Gaddafi dead

2011-10-20T07:20:00.003-05:00

(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

2011-10-18T22:11:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-17T21:50:00.003-05:00

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

2011-10-15T08:02:00.001-05:00

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

About the 99 percenters

2011-10-12T21:57:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-12T07:18:00.003-05:00

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

2011-10-03T21:50:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-03T20:53:00.003-05:00

List of demands.

Brazil's $12 Billion iPad Deal Is in Trouble

2011-09-29T22:12:00.002-05:00

According to CNBC,

The expected start date for production was first set for July, then delayed to November. Now, it is unclear whether the project will ever get off the ground, at least in the form that it was originally envisioned, the officials said on condition of anonymity.

According to MarketWatch,

The Tech Trader Daily blog on Barron’s said J.P. Morgan analyst Gokul Hariharan wrote that (China's) Hon Hai “appears to be cutting production of the iPad for Q4, citing multiple sources from the electronics supply chain.”

There should no mystery. Apple is scaling back production because of this.

$600 is a major investment for most people, particularly for something that is very delicate and used primarily for frivolous reasons like playing Angry Birds and surfing the web. But $199 is a whole different price point.

The Kindle Fire will be the big Christmas gift this year. It will be huge. And Apple has just lost its market for the iPad.

Next time, try looking about 3,000 miles to the north and west

2011-09-29T06:57:00.000-05:00

Former state trooper pleads not guilty to mortgage fraud

Reid, who collected a salary of $41,000, paid $500,000 for a home at 4515 W. Azeele St., in Tampa's posh Beach Park neighborhood in 2008.

Reid was charged with grand theft, mortgage fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. The Florida Highway Patrol fired Reid on Sept. 9, citing that investigation.

In a dismissal letter, Reid's boss, Colonel David H. Brierton, referred to the investigation and said Reid lied on financial documents used to convince a bank give him a mortgage. Those documents listed a second job at Hernandez Janitorial Service, with a monthly income of $1,700 and liquid assets of more than $160,000, according to the letter.

They continue to go after the minnows when there are far bigger fish to fry. Hello? Bueller?

CDC cancels summertime fun

2011-09-28T06:07:00.003-05:00

Our lakes and oceans have far more crap floating in them, but the CDC is warning concerned parents about the dangers of water parks. Pools, play-in fountains spread diarrheal disease, CDC says.

Let's just shrink-wrap our kids and give them a self-contained breathing apparatus when they go out the door. If they approach something with wheels, make sure they have a helmet on. Don't let them walk to school even if they live two blocks away... as we all know there are child predators everywhere. If they touch something make sure they use generous amounts of hand sanitizer. And for Pete's sake, don't take your kids to the water park because they are breeding grounds for germs!

That's it.

2011-09-22T07:05:00.005-05:00

Looks like the Fed signaled it's out of ammo yesterday. We're toast.

What was inconceivable just a few years ago may occur very soon. A complete do-over. Debt repudiation, currency revaluation, trade wars with massive tariffs. I really do think it's coming.

Some would say, "It's about time." I am not sure that we understand the consequences, but we may be about to find out.

The future of HP in America

2011-09-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

My take on the 2012 GOP candidates

2011-09-14T21:40:00.003-05:00

Michele Bachmann - She is crazy. It is one thing to pounce on the donations Perry received from drug companies for his HPV vaccination plan, but when she started up with the "vaccines cause autism!" crap she morphed into a full-bore kOOk. I don't want her anywhere near the levers of power.
Herman Cain - I like him and he doesn't stand a chance in hell. Which is a shame because he may be the only candidate from either party with real-life business experience.
Newt Gingrich - He isn't actually running for president. He likes the spotlight and is angling (brown-nosing) for a cabinet position with the Perry/Romney administration. I think he is a sleazebag but I do admire his intelligence.
Jon Huntsman, Jr. - Who?
Gary Johnson - Who?
Ron Paul - His ideas may or may not have merit, but what is undeniable to almost everyone is he looks and sounds nutty. Surely there are better candidates that represent libertarian ideals.
Rick Perry - Is fumbling. Instead of hemming and hawing he needs to point out that people like Mitt Romney and Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman agree with him about the Social Security Ponzi. He needs better advisers.
Mitt Romney - Winning. He's not my pick but he is undeniably smooth and polished. His campaign is a finely-tuned machine.
Rick Santorum - Who?
Wild card: Marco Rubio.

There will be no Democratic challenger to Obama. Some believe that Hillary Clinton will challenge him, but I think she looks and sounds tired. She no longer has that spark.

Next Step

2011-09-14T07:17:00.003-05:00

More Americans are living in poverty than any time in decades. Your base is yawning at your latest economic proposal. Unemployment is mired at over 9 percent, with no hope of improvement. Your approval rating has collapsed. A New York congressional district that had been solidly Democratic for 80 years just voted for a teabagging Republican. Potential adversaries in countries like China openly laugh at your policies. You have little more than a year left to turn things around. What to do?

I recommend a well-deserved vacation and a nice ice cream.

Work opportunities in Houston

2011-09-10T11:26:00.002-05:00

Stuff I've seen, off the top of my head...

Pipefitters/welders. I don't know about other parts of town, but the fabricators along 290 near Cypress have billboards and electronic signs lining the highway advertising that they need workers.
Foundation repair. A number of the foundation repair companies are tacking on messages that they are hiring during their radio spots. (This is brutal work this time of year.)
Tree surgeons/timber cutters. The drought has devastated the forests and there are millions of dead/dying mature trees in the Houston metro area. These trees, particularly in neighborhoods, will need to come down before the start of next year's hurricane season. I haven't seen the help wanted ads yet, but they will start appearing soon enough. Very dangerous work that requires unique skills. It's amazing to watch them in action.
Food service. The restaurant business is in a hiring mode, based upon the Help Wanted signs I've seen.

It sucks to be poor.

2011-09-08T05:40:00.002-05:00

It really does. It sucks on a level you can't imagine unless you've been there.

(Michigan) Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday signed into law a stricter, four-year lifetime limit on cash welfare benefits, prompting advocates for the poor to warn that tens of thousands of residents will find themselves without cash assistance on Oct. 1.

How are these people going to find jobs in the next 3 weeks? Many of them have none of the skills necessary to survive a work-and-pay-your-bills world. The factory jobs are gone, illegals perform much of the back-breaking work that is required to keep our country moving and government jobs are evaporating as the tax base shrinks. There's nothing left for someone with no knowledge of even basic job skills. Thanks to the welfare state, the world has passed these people by.

The simple answer is, "Kick the illegals out and make the unemployed bums pick up the trash/debeak the chickens/slaughter the steers." But have you seen what a lifetime of welfare does to people? Many (most?) of them are not physically capable of doing these jobs. You are welcome to accuse me of generalizing, but I don't think I am.

I don't like the welfare state, but kicking people out of the system with just 3 weeks notice is cruel and will lead to very bad events.

In defense of President Obama

2011-09-07T06:55:00.003-05:00

A comment posted on The Atlantic:

ecoco 2 hours ago
We don't want to hear the President have been disconnect the Democrats and Republicans must have been disconnect for 8 years when Bush was in the Seat, both of these party's bent and bowed for everything Bush and Cheney ask for while they was pushing this Country off the Cliff. We would like to ask the People if President Obama doing such a Bad job maybe he should have let your BUTTS Float on down one of the Stream's, what we see is a bunch of ungrateful bastards, we said a long time ago no matter what President Obama do for them they are ungreatful, every Disaster that have happen who do they call President Obama, he's there Consoling the people, do they think Bush would put his life on the line for them or got out the Plane and hit the ground? As President Obama, American people are like wild animals that's starving you feed them and Put meat on they bones, theY get the Strength back then they Bite the hands that feed them, But guess what it's coming up again, you can Mark My Word, My kids don't like for me to said that. Because I' m right 88 percent. One man ask was this Country Curse, Because all the Trials this country is going through, is because Hate President Obama.

Massive layoffs at AT&T

2011-09-06T21:43:00.001-05:00

Tens of thousands of layoffs at AT&T due to technology upgrades.

Texas wildfires

2011-09-05T21:16:00.004-05:00

About 20 miles from here as a crow flies.

We have the smoke, but I don't think we're in any danger as the trees here in my 'hood are kept pretty well watered. But the forests north of town are tinder-dry. News reports say 10% of the trees in the Houston area have died due to the drought, and it's worse in the national forests. 66 million trees will need to be culled over the next few years. I don't know how they plan to cull a number that large.

This drought has been brutal. I am very sad to see the large 100+ year old live oaks dying. It makes me want to throttle land owners who refuse to take care of these trees.

Update: An amazing video that shows how quickly the fires spread yesterday.

A Microsoft ad that I actually like

2011-09-01T20:30:00.001-05:00

I bet Paul Allen had a van like that.

Barack Obama is a hero

2011-09-01T06:12:00.005-05:00

A comment from the prior post:

That dork on the bike made the call and got OBL. A bit more macho than dressing in a flight suit and posing on an aircraft carrier. That dork made the call that in 5 months helped to bring down Gaddafi with no loss of US lives. That dork has put a lot of pressure on terrorists everywhere... That dork may have saved your job with the stimulus. That dork gave you multiple tax cuts. And despite the best efforts of some in Congress he has given us 17 connective months of private sector job growth .... Need I go on? Meanwhile the guy from Texas has produced jobs while poisoning the air and water of Texas. Texas ranks dead last in the number of citizens over 25 with a high school degree. Texas is a horrible place to be a citizen, unless you're a corporation.

Guess I'd rather have the dork than the gunner!

With the swell job Obama has done, I don't understand why his poll numbers are at Jimmy Carter/George Bush levels. Perhaps the low polling is the fault of the teabagging rednecks in the press who are so mean to him.

Update: Wait a minute. The percent of residents over 25 with a high school degree in Texas is just barely beat out by the very blue state of California. What do these two states have in common? Let me think... Could this possibly be due to the millions of undocumented workers who come here looking to better their lives but lack a standard American K-12 education?

Vlad, Rick and Barry

2011-08-29T21:18:00.006-05:00

Texas Governor Rick Perry
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
US President Barack Obama

HELLSTORM IRENE

2011-08-27T21:37:00.004-05:00

I am watching Geraldo doing a live report from a Manhattan street corner. He is wearing his SPECIAL HURRICANE COVERAGE rain gear. Sadly, it is raining on Geraldo. I hope he survives this death storm so that he can report on the looting tomorrow night during the power outages.

I suspect that Gulf Coast residents are watching this with the same sense of bemusement that California residents were watching the earthquake coverage last week.

I sorta feel sorry for the President. This just looks silly. He can't catch a break. He needs to fire his image handlers.

Come on, Irene

2011-08-25T21:08:00.004-05:00

I am waiting to see this on Drudge this coming Saturday.

HELLSTORM IRENE BEARS DOWN ON BIG APPLE

US may back mortgage refinancing for millions

2011-08-25T06:52:00.004-05:00

All I can say is, if the Federal government hands out sub-4% mortgages for underwater homeloaners, the millions of us dutifully paying our mortgages on time had better get the same deal.

If the Obama administration really wants to juice housing over the next year, just announce government-backed interest-free 15 and 30-year loans, but only if they act within the next 12-18 months. Pay off the existing bond holders and have the Fed print even more. It's just electrons.

Would you be surprised if they did this? Me neither.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-23T19:08:00.002-05:00

If it hits Martha's Vineyard, golf will be out of the question.

Lloyd Blankfein = Mini-Me

2011-08-23T07:06:00.004-05:00

I don't have anything to say except that Lloyd looks like a scaled-up version of Verne Troyer.

Obama's Getaway

2011-08-19T06:30:00.009-05:00

With so much material available, this is the best the GOP can do? Lame. Not funny. A complete failure. And if you're gonna put this stuff out, use a copy editor to check for spelling and punctuation errors.
We're all looking at the future and we don't like what we see. We see the economy collapsing, unemployment skyrocketing and a White House and Congress that are rudderless. Most of us, including his base, have concluded that the President no longer cares and has given up. What we need from our candidates are concrete plans to get us out of this. Unfunny snark aimed at a president who has resigned himself to failure isn't necessary and doesn't make me want to vote for the other brand, it just reinforces the idea that the Republican Party, like the Democrats, still don't get it.

Adios, mofo.

2011-08-18T07:17:00.002-05:00

This would make a good bumper sticker. Just sayin'.

Rick Perry's "Dukakis tank" moment

2011-08-16T21:10:00.005-05:00

Forget the Willie Horton stuff. We all know that what sank Michael Dukakis was the tank photo.

Here's a free tip for Obama campaign operatives: Dig around for any photos or videos of Rick Perry joining ZZ Top onstage at the Houston Compaq Center in 2003. It was ZZ Top's last show of that tour, and the last concert played at the Summit/Compaq Center before Joel Osteen took it over.

ZZ Top fans were treated to a very bizarre spectacle during the show. Governor Perry came out onstage dressed in something that looked like an ill-fitting one-piece dark jumpsuit, and from where we were sitting it appeared as though he skipped out on stage. Then he sat down behind the drum kit and played along with La Grange. Once the song was over he stood up, skipped again to the front of the stage and bowed. When it was over we all looked at each other and said, "What the HELL did we just see?"

So get busy Obama operatives. I've been looking for pictures and videos of this event off-and-on for years. They must exist somewhere, but to date there's nothing online except this.

Rick Perry eats a corn dog!

2011-08-16T07:19:00.007-05:00

Wow! Rick Perry was photographed eating a corn dog!
And so was Michelle Bachmann!
Barack Obama also enjoys a weiner!
Can we quit with this stupid meme already? Thanks.

Perry vs Obama

2011-08-12T19:45:00.002-05:00

If you are sick of nasty, brutal, in-your-face politics, brace yourself. Over the next 15 months your eyes and ears will bleed. We will witness dirty politics on a level never seen before. Team Obama will shamelessly throw everything they can at Perry in order to derail his campaign, turning Campaign 2012 into a degrading cesspool of racial accusations. Watch for blatant plants at Perry rallies holding up racially-charged signs denigrating blacks and Hispanics. Listen to left-leaning pundits screaming about tea-bagging rednecks who hate Obama because of his race. This election is going to divide the nation more radically than ever. It is coming.

If Perry was Bush, Team Obama wouldn't have to stoop to this level. Obama would demolish him after just one debate. But as I have said before, Perry is NOT Bush. Perry is a skilled orator and an outstanding campaigner, and he won't have to resort to the same tactics. All he has to do is ask the same question Ronald Reagan asked in 1980: Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?

Houston Metro Rail: Billions of dollars down the drain

2011-08-10T20:40:00.004-05:00

Houston Metro is celebrating the construction of a new light rail (read: streetcar) line. Yay!

I am old enough to remember how Metro was sold to Houston/Harris County voters. We'd have commuter rail (like Atlanta or DC) and it would unclog our freeways. 20 years later (after the promise of commuter rail morphed into a, get this, monorail) we got a light rail line from the Astrodome to downtown, used almost exclusively by Texas Medical Center employees traveling from a remote parking garage. It runs right down Main Street, literally a street car.

Meanwhile, as Metro works on its new trophy project, service to the working poor who rely on bus service has been cut back.

Bus ridership numbers also dropped dramatically, according to Metro documents, from about 80 million in 2005 to just a little more than 17 million during the last year.

So after 30 years and many billions of dollars, we have a streetcar line for Medical Center employees that would be better served by some shuttle buses and another streetcar line in the works. But nothing that reduces congestion on our freeways for commuters out in the 'burbs who still pay the 1% Metro sales tax, and reduced service for the folks who truly need a cheap, reliable way to get to work.

As a snarky aside, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's video touting the latest Metro grant has received all of 16 views since it debuted 2 weeks ago.

I bet my tiny little blog will double her viewers!

How to shave $130 billion/year off the federal deficit

2011-08-08T21:38:00.004-05:00

I have a solution to shave $130 billion each year off the federal deficit right away. Not only would it save us a hell of a lot of money, it would also solve a problem that has created gross distortions in a crucial sector of the US economy, causing massive economic problems and punishing the majority of Americans.

I am talking about the mortgage interest deduction. It will cost US taxpayers $131 billion this year. It cannot be justified on any rational basis except to keep housing prices inflated and unaffordable for average citizens in the bubblezone states. It is absurd for an apartment renter in Garden Grove to subsidize a homeloaner in Beverly Hills, but that's exactly what the mortgage interest deduction does.

So let's scrap that sucker. It would wipe out approximately 12% of the deficit instantly and restore fairness and true market pricing to the housing markets.

S&P cuts U.S. rating

2011-08-05T20:38:00.004-05:00

I never thought I'd see this day... but I am also asking myself what took S&P so long. The DC idiots in the White House and Congress, from both so-called parties, need to cancel all of their weekend activities and get busy. Like tonight.

Big taxes are coming. So are big cuts in everything fatty related to government. On the plus side, instead of getting 0.01% interest on my cash, the bank may offer me 1%.

There's panic in the White House and the halls of Congress right now. Maybe this is the kick in the ass that they need.

Where's Chelyabinsk?

2011-08-05T07:07:00.002-05:00

Chelyabinsk is a regular on the comments feed over at Ambrose Evans-Pritchard's place. No matter what Ambrose writes about, Chelyabinsk stinks up the place with "America is dead and Europe will rule the world."

Chelyabinsk has been missing lately. I wonder why.

It is interesting that Chelyabinsk names himself after the worst place in the world.

Do you have your Google+ invite?

2011-08-03T21:03:00.003-05:00

It all came off the rails in 1980.

2011-08-03T06:58:00.002-05:00

I keep seeing that meme on the blogs lately. Meaning, "We're in this mess because of Reagan."

My recollection of history is different. I was a mere kid at the time, but I recall things were pretty much "off the rails" in the 1970s. Look back at the movies of the time and you can see that Americans were getting desperate then, reflected in popular movies like Taxi Driver, Network, Car Wash, etc.

It is before my time, but it seems pretty clear to me that things truly came off the rails in the 1960s due to LBJ, and we are still dealing with the mess he left us. It was LBJ's Guns and Butter that got us where we are today. He dumped the load into Nixon's lap, Nixon dumped it into Ford's lap, then it got dumped onto Carter. We've been dealing with this crap for 45 years, not 30.

Those Arab sheiks sure do love Frank Lloyd Wright

2011-08-02T21:50:00.002-05:00

Sheikh Mohammed got his (now empty) Burj Khalifa, and now the Saudis want the same thing, only taller and apparently exactly what Frank Lloyd Wright envisioned 55 years ago.

Rick Perry the libertarian

2011-07-31T11:59:00.003-05:00

Rick Santorum is ripping Rick Perry over his libertarian stance on gay marriage.

“States do not have the right to destroy the American family. It is our business,’’ he said. “It is not fine with me that New York has destroyed marriage. It is not fine with me that New York is setting a template that will cause great division in this country.”

What Perry said is very simple: He's against it gay marriage, but it's not up to the federal government. It is a decision that should be left to the individual states. I think Perry would be wise to not back down on this because he is 100% correct, and if his critics slowed down for a minute and took a deep breath they'd reach the same conclusion. Conservatives are not gonna vote for Obama because Perry is a 10th Amendment advocate, and Perry would likely pick up a lot of support from the gay community. (It strikes me that Perry is the sole "libertarian" running who stands a chance on either ticket. Democrats insist on forcing gay marriage on a national level, while other Republicans insist on making a national law against it.)

If Santorum keeps the attacks up, Perry should says one thing: Bashing gays doesn't create jobs. That's really all he needs to say. He should say the same thing with all of the other campaign distractions headed his way over the next year.

Don

2011-07-27T21:07:00.002-05:00

We desperately need the rain, and hurricane Don will be a drought-buster. Hurricane Don doesn't sound very threatening, does it? It's like hurricane Bob or hurricane Suzie.

Hugo Chavez comes to Houston

2011-07-16T16:57:00.001-05:00

Hugo Chavez has deadly cancer and he's seeking treatment in Cuba. I predict that as the cancer spreads, Melonhead will make the decision to swallow his ego and travel to Houston and check himself into M.D. Anderson within a year.

A wager for David Murrin of Emergent Asset Management

2011-07-13T07:05:00.003-05:00

David Murrin, chief investment officer at Emergent Asset Management, told CNBC:

It's inevitable that the US will default - it's essentially an empire which is overextended and in decline - and that its financial system will go with it.

Mr. Murrin, I'll bet you $50 that within 5 years the US will have recovered and China will be in the deep shitter. You say that default is likely, so let me ask: If Europe and the US default on their debt to merchantilist China, who is more screwed? Which country has the real weapon here, Mr. Murrin?

People who use the words "empire" and "American" in the same sentence have a pretty big chip on their shoulder, and David Murrin uses those two words a lot. Murrin has such a big chip on his shoulder that it's blocking his vision.

Bavaria

2011-07-12T21:25:00.004-05:00

The last time I was in Bavaria, the waiters were Turks and Greeks.

I like Graham Chapman speaking bad German with a Midwestern US accent. This skit is surreal even for Python.

California Tourism

2011-07-07T07:33:00.004-05:00

The State of California is running TV and radio spots here in Houston (and maybe your town) promoting tourism. I can't recall this happening in the past because it wasn't necessary. It's an "I Love NY" moment circa 1977, when New York was hurting, tourism was down and leaders felt the state suffered an image problem.

Government

2011-06-30T07:07:00.003-05:00

If you don't do your patriotic duty and pay your fair share, how will government succeed in its vital tasks? Such as harassing old hippies peacefully living out their remaining years in the desert and not bothering anyone.

Goldman is indeed a "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." And government at all levels is Seymour. Feed me.

Barack who?

2011-06-16T06:54:00.005-05:00

It's interesting that my friends on the Democratic side of the spectrum have forgotten who the president is. Up until roughly 6 months ago my Facebook pals enjoyed posting about how much they loved Barack Obama. My relatives on the left were so proud of the man they elected and were quite vocal around the dinner table. I bit my tongue.

Now, they don't utter a word. There are no tweets, no Facebook posts. They don't mention Barack Obama at all. Indeed, if they feel the need to discuss politics, all they can utter is a disjointed rant about Sarah Palin or joke about Rick Perry's hair. It's like they have no recollection of who they voted for.

The collapse in Obama's popularity appears even more dramatic than Bush 1's collapse after the first Gulf War. Hero to Zero. I'm waiting for Obama to barf on a world leader and the cycle will be complete.