Ruminations – 4aug15 (updated 6aug15)

George Rebane

Progressives are the real opponents of change.  Contrary to their desperate message over the years, their very mindset is sclerotic when it comes to the change that matters in areas like entrepreneurship, invention, technology, economics, individual empowerment, and, of course, personal liberties.  Progressives' latest attempts to keep yesteryear in gear for everyone is their opposition to what has become known as the ‘sharing economy’.  This is where individuals can fill demand by joining innovative jitney services, renting out unused rooms, or offering their talents for some-time housecleaning.  Liberals from candidates, big labor, plaintiffs bar, … have mounted attacks on all these and similar initiatives by a free people offering part-time services with what they have or can do.  Anything that changes their conception of a regulated and regimented workforce is verboten.  (more here)

Most teachers are not corrigible.  A big three-year study involving thousands of teachers who attended various teacher development courses and programs concluded that school districts don’t get much of anything for the dollars they spend in sending teachers to better themselves.  70% of teachers came back unimproved or worse in their teaching performance.   “The report found that no particular approach to professional development consistently helped teachers get better. When individual teachers improved, their success didn’t appear to be linked to systemic efforts by the districts.”  That result can easily be explained by the overall percentage of teachers that fall into the academic low grade ore category. (more here)

Secret codicils of the Iran agreement.  Contrary to lamestream reports, everything that is known about what Team Obama cobbled together with the ayatollahs is already pretty bad since it legitimizes their building nuclear weapons out of sight and without inspections.  But now we’re told that besides not being able to inspect the facilities where real weapon development takes place, the UN’s IAEA has some added secret codicils that even our Congress will not be able to see.  The only purpose of secret codicils to any agreement is to circumvent the publicly visible parts, since it is ONLY the publicly visible parts that give muscle to any agreement, pact, or treaty between sovereign nation-states.  When provisions of secret codicils are violated, there is no one to hold accountable since the violating party can deny the previous existence of such violated provision.  Team Obama understands none of this.

The country is on the wrong track, still.  Our progressive elites and local liberal lyricists have been in terminal denial of this for some years.  They blame such sentiments to be isolated in the small minority of conservatives and people they call “tea baggers”.  Well, the latest WSJ/NBC poll confirms about two out of three continue to believe that our nation is on the ‘wrong track’, while less than 30% believe we’re on the ‘right track’.  If progressives could do math, they would discover that you can’t have a small minority and a strong majority at the same time.  But then, such thinking was never their strong suit. (more here)  Voters confirm ‘wrong track’ sentiment in their unusually large support of the fringe candidates of both parties.  Socialist Bernie Sanders is packing them in with promises to do away with capitalism and distribute from all according to their abilities and to all according to their needs (kinda has a nice ring to it).  At the same time Trump is delivering what the other half is thinking, packed between outrageous observations designed to vacuum all the attention from the other candidates.  Bottom line – this is what it looks like when the tipping point is visible in the rear view mirror.

Super PACs make possible a wide field of candidates.  And speaking of Trump, that wealthy RINO agrees with liberals that political spending should be ever more regulated.  With his ability to self-fund his campaign, why wouldn’t he back policies that could beggar his opponents?  He knows money makes all the difference in how much of what political speech gets disseminated to the voters.  (I can already hear the liberals gasp, ‘… and is that what you want?’)  The alternative to money determining ‘how much of what’ is hidden money paying for bureaucrats and judges to do the same thing.  I’ll take the open money and the large field of candidates any day.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki seventy years on.  Bret Stephens writes the now obligatory reprise that recounts the undeniable yet denied logic that to date the atom bomb has been one of the greatest life-saving technologies ever invented.  Our light thinking contingent has denied that fact, and for decades proposed instead that the US take the lead in unilateral nuclear disarmament and climb Mount Morality, thereby shaming other countries to follow us up the slopes (more here).  That’s what could be the called the other ‘mad’ policy to counter the MAD that did work with nations that do not embrace ‘end-timer’ cosmologies.  For the unread, Iran (and radical Islam) very much belong to the End-Timer Cosmology Club.

Engineers ‘Anonymously Saving the World’.  This new book by Guru Madhavan extolls the contributions of the thousands of uncelebrated engineers who have been the real creators and ‘creative types’ of our human societies.  He also outlines the mode of thinking we are taught that gives rise to such gifts.  Being a lifetime, card-carrying, (registered) professional engineer and overboard evangelist myself, I was going to wax eloquent on the contributions of this humble profession of technical geeks.  But what the hell, these pages are already full of that propaganda from me and similarly biased/trained readers – so I’ll spare you.  Just think of us the next time you’re enjoying the real (or virtual) world.

[6aug15 update]  MBA students catching up on math and stat skills in summer school, as reported by several business oriented publications.  It’s a long time coming, but these days if you don’t do some level of math and stats, you’re basically not employable in any of the ‘upper hump’ of the jobs distribution (see, it even takes a bit of that to understand this sentence).  RR readers may also recall the mantra – ALL social issues derive their significance from the numbers that characterize them.  Corollary – If you don’t understand such numbers, your arguments about any issue are most likely the issue of your antipodal orifice.

Obama’s Iran agreement apologetics hit a new low.  He acknowledged that Iran’s ayatollahs continue their ‘Death to America’ denigrations of the agreement, but then pointed out that this was not necessarily the sentiment of “all Iranians”, as if that mattered.  He then grouped the Republican congressional caucus with the antagonist towel heads as linked arms opponents of his deeply flawed and still unknown executive something or other with Iran.  The comparison was joyously lapped up by his hard left and terminally gruberized constituents.

Trump’s voluble support of single payer healthcare may allow him to garner some mid-road voters.  It will be interesting at tonight’s debate to see if FN’s moderating mavens bring up all the past baggage in the public record about The Donald.  Republican strategist and talking head Karl Rove did a good job in this morning’s WSJ recalling some of these flip flops and wondering which Trump will be at the podium tonight – “He has been on so many sides of so many issues that Thursday’s stage is a multiple-choice test.” (more here).

Comments

[Gregory]

Combining the teachers and engineers themes... teachers take advanced degrees to hop on to a higher salary schedule; guaranteed higher pay. Engineers take additional training or advanced degrees to gain knowledge that may allow them to do their jobs better or allow changes in their career path. The company they work for may pay the expenses if it relates to a company line of business but there is rarely any guarantee of higher pay.

Prior reportings of the teacher situation asked teachers if they'd take these (apparently useless) advanced degrees if there wasn't higher pay attached to their passing and the answer was a resounding NO.

My basic prescription for better schools has remained stable for awhile... require all public schools to determine and make public the average SAT Math + Verbal of their teachers and of their administration. Let the information flow. A teacher or administrator that doesn't have an SAT or ACT equivalent should get a few years to do so, after which the COLA stops as an incentive.

Just like with student testing, no personally identifiable info. Withheld at the school level if too few teachers, but will still be a part of the district or county figures.

I can't think of a single reform that would better open up schools to academically successful adults who wish a second career teaching... a 1250 SAT M+V may be a smartass compared to the rest of the staff and a pain for the idiot administration to deal with but they will immediately make the school look better to the community..

[George Rebane]

Gregory - agreed. (And there were never promises of higher pay when I completed another degree or PE certification. It's what you did with your added education that got recognized in your paycheck, or not.)

[Jon]

"Progressives' latest attempts to keep yesteryear in gear for everyone is their opposition to what has become known as the ‘sharing economy’."

Say what? LOL. Quite the opposite of course. George, are you usurping the Todd tactic of saying things 180 degrees from reality? I hope not.

[Gregory]

Let me guess, "Jon"... you didn't bother to read the linked WSJ article that supported George's statement.

[Todd Juvinall]

The progressives want to share my earnings, not theirs. Quite a scam it appears to me.

[George Rebane]

Jon 813pm - You really are a piece of work.

[Russ]

This is what the Progressive are worried about:

New ‘gig’ economy spells end to lifetime careers

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ab492ffc-3522-11e5-b05b-b01debd57852.html#axzz3huVUcpkM

[George Rebane]

Russ 931pm - I think your link is paywalled. But the point of the article is consistent with reports from all over the developed world that speak of union backed socialist governments doing all they can to stifle the entrepreneurs attempting to launch the new sharing economies. Only the sclerotic leftwing choirs whose lamestream media don't report such goings on are totally and perennially behind the times (witness Jon's 813pm).

[Russ]

A few of my thoughts on teaching, by Tyler Cowen on August 4, 2015 at 3:13 am (Tyler is in Serbia)

What concrete changes would I make in schools? The idea that you need to take a whole class to learn some topic is absurd. Whatever you’ve learned is probably going to be obsolete. A class is to spur your interest, to expose you to a new role model, a new professor, to a new set of students. We should have way more classes which are way shorter. It should be much more about learning, more about variety, give up the myth that you’re teaching people how to master some topic; you’re not! You want to inspire them; it’s much more about persuasion, soft skills.

- See more at: http://marginalrevolution.com/#sthash.Vv9lJb3T.dpuf

[Russ]

George@09:39PM

When I clicked on the Drudge Report link it is not paywalled. See http://www.drudgereport.com Left hand column, near the bottom: New 'gig' economy spells end to lifetime careers...

[Joe Koyote]

"Progressives' latest attempts to keep yesteryear in gear for everyone is their opposition to what has become known as the ‘sharing economy’." really? Who stands to gain or lose the most money in a shared economy? I would think that following the money trail would lead to who opposes this idea the most and/or supports it.

[TheMikeyMcD]

Everything we ALL know to be wrong with our system summed up in one word: Clinton.

This is a new low, even for them. Clinton's launder tax money into their own pockets in the name of education. This is the biggest story of the year, IMO.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-25/author-alleges-bill-clinton-just-quit-education-company-because-of-clinton-cash-

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/05/bill-clinton-bagged-16-million-from-company-that-received-millions-from-hillarys-state-dept/

[Todd Juvinall]

Joe Koyote | 05 August 2015 at 02:49 PM

JoeK, is there a number, or amount, that you believe every person should have in America? What is that number of dollars? How would you "redistribute" What are your criteria?

[George Rebane]

JoeK 249pm - the sharing economy is supported by main street, it is opposed by unions, union-paid politicians, and all who have successfully lobbied to raise barriers to entry for the services today being included into the shared economy. Next question.

[Steven Frisch]

If you want to get around the pay wall for the WSJ article go here:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/shackling-the-sharing-economy/ar-BBlkUvj?srcref=rss

[Paul Emery]

George

Certainly the super wealthy don't complain about the economy. No "slow recover " for them.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/19/rich-keep-getting-richer-oxfam-says-wealth-is-increasingly-concentrated-in/

[George Rebane]

PaulE 650pm - Of course not Paul, that's why the socialist policies that keep the wealth flowing to the super wealthy are so harmful. No conservatarian supports such policies. It's OK for wealth to take any distribution it will as long as the less wealthy classes willing to work are also gaining from their efforts. Progressives hide their perfidy by continuing to tell the gruberized that it's the conservative policies that concentrate wealth to the detriment of the poor. That gets them votes, but does nothing to solve the problem of increasing the standard of living of the poor people. The butt stupid policies of socialism just reduce the total size of the pie toward everyone being destitute save the ruling elite. Look at all the socialist authoritarian countries in the world - Russia, China, Cuba, Vietnam, Iran, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Burma, ... .

[fish]

Posted by: Paul Emery | 05 August 2015 at 06:50 PM

...and your proposal to remedy this situation Paul?

[Joe Koyote]

" all who have successfully lobbied to raise barriers " That would include, I presume, industries that are losing business like cabs, delivery (fed-ex, USPS, UPS), Merry Maids, so on and so forth. It seems to me that if a fast growing corporate house cleaning chain folded because of the competition from independents, they and others like them would also be against the sharing economy. So perhaps your list of liberals, labor unions, etc. is a little incomplete and should include large corporations that compete with " a free people offering part-time services".

[Bill Tozer]

Give 'em hell. Mr. Koyote! Glad we have the Koyote guarding the hen house.

http://patriotpost.us/cartoons/22296

[Walt]

Poor Joe.. Unions are going tits up, and the independent guy is reaping the rewards.
That's what happens when someone can do it better and cheaper. Welcome to "progress".
Unions don't "own" the economy. Remember. They take a cut out of the woking stiff's paycheck, just to spend it on political whores. Those days are coming to an end.

What will the fat cat union boss's do?

[Jon]

Yeah Walt, of course the Woking Stiff is worse off because of Unions.

Only problem is that history tells us otherwise.

[Larry Wirth]

Jon & JoKe, in a word: Unions + corrupt politicians + Detroit.

[Larry Wirth]

Oops, try again: Unions + corrupt politicians = Detroit.

[George Rebane]

JoeK 901pm - If you can't get it from these pages Joe, someone should really explain corporations to you, especially the ones who need the government gun to stay in business.

[Paul Emery]

Fish I have some ideas about this (remedies). No time tonight to get into it but I'll try to find some time tomorrow

[Bill Tozer]

Dr. Reban @ 1022 in the nighttime.
Unions need the government gun to say in business. Bad State Supreme Court, bad. Just your normal opt-out fall out.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2015/07/31/mackinac-teachers-union-choices/30901279/

[Bill Tozer]

But...but...but isn't August vacation month with the kids?
http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/18991

[George Rebane]

Would some of our left-leaning readers look more kindly at Trump, knowing that he's a single payer supporter?

In any event, I call your kind attention to today's update of this post.

[fish]

An interesting take on this evenings debate....with a little something for everybody here to love....and hate....from a guy that Paul Emery and I both read!

Mish for President: Officially Throwing My Hat Into the Ring; 11 Questions, 11 Answers

The American public has questions. And unlike others running for president, I have frank answers.

And with my answers to major questions presented below, I officially throw my hat into the GOP presidential sweepstakes ring.

11 Questions US Public Wants to Ask Candidates

Gallup has an interesting article based on the premise If the American People Were Running the GOP Debate what would they ask?

Gallup claims the questions are based on issues that people say are the most important problems facing the country today.

Gallup says there are "No gotcha questions or efforts to stump the candidates or push them off their talking points, just sincere questions from the people to help them understand how these individuals who want to take over as the people's chief executive would handle the issues the people deem most important."

Gallup Questions, Mish Answers

Here are the questions, along with my answers. I believe I am the only candidate willing to answer truthfully.

First question: How do you propose to fix the U.S. economy?

Mish answer: The economy is in mess precisely because we have too many government bureaucrats as well as the Fed attempting to fix it. We do not have a failure to regulate, we have failure by regulation. Every affordable housing program failed. Obamacare failed. The Fed and the government bailed out the banks while taxpayers took the risk. The number one sponsor of income inequality that Fed chair Janet Yellen rails against is the Fed itself. The number two sponsor of income inequality is Congress. The Fed has blown bubble after bubble for the primary benefit of the already wealthy. And everywhere Congress has meddled has been a disaster. The primary examples are health care, education, and housing. None of them are affordable. We need a simpler tax code and more free market economics, because every time the government steps in, government makes things worse. And every time the Fed steps in, the Fed blows bubbles.

Second question: How do you propose to deal with the people's record-low confidence in Congress and the elected representatives they send to Washington?

Mish answer: The supreme court decision that corporations are people makes no sense. We need another challenge. Campaign finance reform is certainly needed. Gerrymandering by both political parties has to stop. That the vast majority of Congress gets reelected every election even though Congressional ratings are at record lows says volumes about how the system is rigged for incumbents.

Third question: What do you propose to do about race relations in this country?

Mish Answer: We need more prosecutors like Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters who brought murder and manslaughter charges against University of Cincinnati police Officer Ray Tensing for the traffic stop shooting death of motorist Samuel DuBose. Deters had the courage to stand up to the police unions. In addition, Deters wants to decriminalize marijuana and so do I. Most of those in prison for minor drug violations are black. When they get out, they cannot get a job because of their prison record. The system of hate and crime feeds on itself, for the benefit of prison unions, drug lords, and those allegedly seeking to stop the spread of drugs.

Fourth question: What do you propose to do about immigration and individuals living in this country illegally?

Mish answer: The first thing we need to do is close the door. The way to do that is not build a wall on the border, but instead build an economic wall: Be willing to decline free education, free medical care, and housing assistance to those who are here illegally. Once we stop the flow, we can then have an honest debate about long-time illegals. Positive factors for amnesty include those who have a steady job, speak English, own property, or have US citizen children. Negative factors include those with criminal records. Joint discussions with Mexico on border controls and repatriation issues would be wise.

Five or six more follow these!

Enjoy!

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/#slDqECtikjhZXKFB.99

[fish]

I think most the regulars on the left would consider Di Blasio a progressive exemplar.......

http://nypost.com/rotting-apple/

Discuss.

[fish]

Well at least the progressives are better at the whole civil liberties/crime thing~!

According to the initial and incomplete set of 3,621 arrest records disclosed by the Chicago Police Department, two-thirds of the detentions at Homan Square thus far revealed — at least 2,522 — occurred under the term of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was inaugurated in May 2011.

So you got that going for you......which is nice!

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/05/homan-square-chicago-thousands-detained

[Bill Tozer]

You just can't please everybody I reckon.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-06/an-unintended-consequence-of-wal-mart-pay-raise-unhappy-workers?cmpid=yhoo

[George Rebane]

BillT 857pm - This predictable result will again surprise the progressives. Such wage gap narrowing goes against fundamental feelings of fairness. But hey, in Hillary's world this will be the norm.

[Bill Tozer]

Can't disagree with that analysis in the least, my good Doc. Missed the debate (on purpose) but the libs are already going bonkers. Did your hear what that uppity Negro said???

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben-carson-typical-democrat-is-uneducated_55c41b17e4b0923c12bc6640?kvcommref=mostpopular

Another good Doc with a fine grasp on reality.

[Bill Tozer]

And now, to be fair to my brethren, the Clinton Camp has issued Hillary's response to this evening's debate. Hillary was "left in a state of disbelief"

Add drama queen to her list of qualities that we have grown to love. Can't handle two e-mail accounts, but she sure handled one. Tonight she is left speechless for once, unless you count the time she bumped her melon. Her in the trance of disbelief is what I call a nice juicy silver lining bigger than most ever heard of. Maybe she will faint and crack her egg again. That would be like a pile of whipped cream on top, keep the cherries if you don't mind. I be in hogs' heaven, if only for an hour.

[Walt]

It sure was a "take down Trump" night. A little beneath FOX if you ask me.
Trump was himself, and pulled no punches.
As for the GOP clan, the same old " I will do this".. Basic political speak.
Rubio is a turncoat since he decided to buddy up with LIBS on immigration.

[Bill Tozer]

Walt, details will dribble out. Trump and you just might not see eye to eye on the 2nd Amendment per vicious nasty rumors. Sorry for the let down. Heck, I was looking at Hurman Cain last time around and he got taken down quick and looked like buzzard guts dragged down 5 miles track when all was said and done. And Alan Keyes knew more about The Declaration of Independence than about The Constitution which was another big lower lip.

I'll tell you one thing. If Dr. Carson keeps talking that talk, he better watch out. Ole Jesse Jackson is liable to wander over and cut Dr. Carson's nuts off.

As far a immigration is concerned, I say open the flood gates and let em' all race in. Welcome to America and please drink the water.
http://news.yahoo.com/epa-team-spills-million-gallons-waste-water-colorado-020713461.html

[Paul Emery]

Bush the Third fried in his own babble by saying that while the war in Irag was a mistake we should have stayed longer as if that would have repaired the damage caused by his brother and the neocons that pushed for war with no verifiable intelligence. What Jeb said was quite astounding. And the God stuff at the end! Lord God Almighty who cares.

[Bill Tozer]

Gee Paul, coming down with Bush Derangement Syndrome a bit early, aren't we? Opps, I apologize for my grievous misreprestation. BDS never left.

Oh Paul, they all put of their pants one leg at a time and walk around inside the house in their underwear like we all do.

http://news.yahoo.com/george-w-bush-cant-jury-duty-probably-cant-153837798.html;_ylt=A0SO80gcSMRV8oIAjUfBGOd_;_ylu=X3oDMTEyYXE5Mm5vBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQTAxNDNfMQRzZWMDc2M-

[Walt]

On a lighter note,, There is a BBQ cookoff at the PV park TOMORROW!!
I hope a few of the guys from BBQ pitmasters will be there making their magic.

Hope some of you can make it. I know our resident Muslim won't be there.

And of ALL times for it to show up. I swear the dentist I had to see today has a side business as a butcher.

Bill. I will take my chances with Trump. He has more positives than negatives in my book.
Jeb. is a RINO in Elephants clothing.

Hope I see ya' at the BBQ. ( Now since I don't have a clue what ya' look like,,,)

So you can pick me out,, I will have my "don't tread on me" shirt on. The snake is on the front, that way a LIB can't stab me in the back.

[Bill Tozer]

Walt, I be playing the working stiff Friday and Saturday. Gotta support my grand pappy's Daddy. No, not the son of the one who had his neighbors for dinner up on The Summit before it was called Donner Summit. No him, the other great grandpapy. The crazy one. At least the pool boys are kinda fond of him. Combat ribs and downwind chili makes my mouth water from here.

Best to wear a teeshirt with a scorpion on it if you suspect some libs might go off the res and sneak out for a taste. The scorpion can bite ya in front and sting ya in the rear. Just some fashion talk among us girls. :)

[Gregory]

H. Ross Trump.

[Gregory]

The big hand grenade with a bad haircut.

[Bill Tozer]

Progressives are the real opponents of change? Say it ain't so. Hillary refusing to allow an Inspector General while at State? No way,

http://observer.com/2015/08/breaking-cheryl-mills-to-destroy-emails-about-hillary-clinton/

Come on Progressives near and far, put your hands together and give it up for Change.

http://www.pottsmerc.com/general-news/20150807/ag-kathleen-kane-scheduled-to-be-arraigned-in-norristown-saturday

[Bill Tozer]

More opponents of change from the angry white supremist progressives.

http://nypost.com/2015/08/09/de-blasios-new-welfare-plan-anything-to-stop-people-from-getting-a-job/

http://patriotpost.us/articles/36837