Who Believes In Miracles?

Robert Reich explains that Obama is passionate about reducing income inequality, but his Big Finish is a baffler:

President Obama can afford to do the same with regard to the overriding issue of widening inequality in American society [as he did with his speech on race - see below]. He can connect the dots for us, allowing us to understand why inequality is widening without deriding the rich or castigating the fortunate. Doing so would allow us to understand what he is seeking to do and why, and empower us to seek and do the same.

Uhh, if he is going to explain rising income inequality to the rest is us, he is going to have to figure out its cause and its cure, both of which seem to be mysteries.

The one sure thing - even though both economics and common sense suggests that a constant influx of unskilled workers (whether legal or illegal) cannot be helpful to raising the fortunes of the working class, that can't be mentioned.

As to whether Obama can point out the miserable job done by our public schools, well, maybe.  But castigating the uncaring rich would be the safest course.

THE RACE SPEECH:  Robert Reich mentions as an example of Obama's oratorical prowess his "courageous speech on race. He took America to a higher place by explaining what we all knew and felt but giving it a larger and nobler frame. He educated us in the best sense of the word."

That was the speech where Obama couldn't disown Jeremiah Wright, not the one where he did.  Obama also educated us to the notion that his grandmother was a deplorable racist. I can't wait for the sequel.

Comments

[RichatUF]

Rick-

So after the equities rally burns itself out, everyone piles back into Treasuries then hides under their desk and doesn't answer the telephone. And the lucky few that have it timed prefectly make money on the bond rally and equity fall-good work if you can get it.

Also, I think the mystery of why a credit event wasn't triggered regarding Chrysler is that there were none written after they were taken private. GM appears to be a different story (as of the date of the article) and I'd think that the parts suppliers are going to be in for a world of hurt. Since the Big 3 are winding down for a pretty long shutdown, the drawdown of inventory is going to hit 2Q09 GPD pretty hard.

[clarice]

I think southern ladies are born with gardening shoes and straw hats.

[RichatUF]

Rick-

This second school would want to keep lowering benchmarks, declare victory at some stage and go home. Washington, DC, has cogent, persuasive voices from both sides. Sooner or later, Obama has to make his choice. He cannot spend four years walking the tightrope.

Yep.

Looks like Obama is losing in the World's Shortest Midget contest.

[Pofarmer]

I found an article on Obama on a blog called "Indonesia matters". Don't ask what I was looking for. But, it's interesting. The article itself is from before the election.

It's really frightening that the DNC has been left to police it's own henhouse, and the Supreme Court has essentially bowed out on a lot of matters.

[Rick Ballard]

It's sort of interesting (in a very pathetic way) to consider what the foreign intelligence dossiers on Obama might look like. Particularly the probably shared Israeli/Indian profiles but also those of Pakistan and Indonesia. I wonder if they all end in "Jello"? Aside from the Pakistai one with the list of "enemies of the state" to be killed by Predator on "Obama's" orders, of course.

[Ann]

JMH,

I have those same shoes. I bought them from a Martha Stewart Catalog ages ago in many colors and I absolutely love them.

I wear them everywhere in the spring and I can't tell you how many times I have been asked where I got them.

LOL...you fashion maven you!!! And if I remember correctly, they were under 40 dollars. They were "A good thing"!

[daddy]

Just some OT stuff since everybody's asleep:

The Japanese seem very serious about this H1N1 business. Everbody at the Airport is required to wear masks, multiple health questionaires have to be filled out in triplecate upon arrival, and temp screening is ongoing coming thru Customs.

China on the other hand seems to care less, nobody in masks, no screening or temp taking at all, and life is simply normal at the airports. Am in an internet cafe in Shanghai and 3 guys next to me have Laker's/Houston Rockets pulled up on the computer and are screaming bloody murder for Yao Ming and the boys. Very fun to watch.

Yippee! Anchorage elected Dan Sullivan, fiscal Conservative, as Mayor by 57 percent, in the face of a very dirty campaign. In such a small population state this is big news. The Tea Party sentiment seems to be ongoing, and I am heartened that we may actually have a new Conservative worth a darn on the political scene ready for bigger things.

[One week stay allowed for Americans, and six months for Indonesians.]

I'd bet that the Pakistani bureaucracy knows by what nationality a certain Occidental student applied for a visa under, when visiting his college pals over there. I was once given just a few days to get out through Peshawar, but I was coming from India just after one of their border faceoffs. And I was directly warned of ugly consequences if I didn't get out. They were not happy with me, and I obeyed. Afghanistan was a haven. Heh, heh, heh.

[Oh, to be young and crazy again.]

India did not much like me either. This was just after Nixon had sailed an American fleet up the Bay of Bengal in support of Pakistan. This was when India was an ally of the Soviet Union. I think I got a visa for a month, while non-Americans were getting six months.

[JM Hanes]

Ann ~

If I'd known they came in colors, I'd have bought the red clay version! You can't find them anywhere now (at least I couldn't), and I always wished I'd bought more than one pair. Considering how long I've had them, how much I've worn them, and all the shoveling I've done in them, it looks like one pair may be all l'll ever need. Probably jinxed it right there, didn't I?

[post rating service]

Great post, Daddy, glad that Alaskans have their heads screwed on straight, unlike Hawaii, which is celebrating Islam day in September. Happy National Prayer Day. Also it's my son's eleventh birthday. (his name is Philip.) Thanks also to the posters who warn about wearing crocs to airports. Air travel takes me out of my normal shoe game, since I wear something that can be easily slipped off for security.

[Jerry in Detroit]

The source of the disparity between the rich and the poor is the Democratically hallowed progressive income tax which taxes larger incomes at greater percentages. These are the business owners and senior management who are able to raise their compensation in answer to the higher tax percentages. In essence, the "rich" are being used as defacto tax collectors when we are all paying these taxes.

[Jane]

Daddy,

I'm constantly amazed with your ease of skipping to Japan and hopping over to China while the rest of us sleep. Tis very cool.

I'm really starting to believe that the hopes of the good guys are tied up in the tea party movement. It's an incredible way to bring people together and jump across party lines.

[verner]

Daddy, don't you luv Shanghai. We go there on business too. M on the Bund is the greatest. Love that balcony where you can watch the river.

[narciso]

Yep, I saw that Flynn, heard about that last minute campaign slam, where they tried to slam him, for a DUI that one of his servers had, Seems to be an improvement over Begich, who seems like the Klondike version of Blago. They do need a bigger bench to replace the likes of Stevens, who
was done wrong, but his time has passed, and Young. A newer younger generation spearheaded by well you know who. Hapy birthday for Phillip BTW

Islam day, in Hawaii, is this kind ofbelated
April Fools day thing. I still maintain that Obama's early contacts were with the left side of the Pakistani culture, the anti-Zia opposition, not the right, Think the Bilious Tariq Ali.But that doesn't really help because they equally had contempt of the middle class bazzaaris

[sbw]

JMH, your garden shoes are Dutch klompen with more flexibility. Same shape. Both are wonderful. I have yours as Wellies, for use down by the lake.

[Pofarmer]

Here's an LUN to the Indonesia Matters writeup. Musta had my head somewhere last night.

[Neo]

As far as Arlen Specter is concerned, it’s not about driving “moderates” from the Republican Party, it’s about the secret plan to send all imbeciles to the Democratic Party.

The downside of this plan is that the number of imbeciles was underestimated .. speaks volumes about the state of education.

Meanwhile, Arlen Specter has shown that his “imbecile” status is well deserved.

The upside for Republicans, given Specter’s treatment by the Democrats, is that it is now unlikely that any of the other “moderate” Republicans will bolt to the Democratic Party.

For this I give a big “thumbs up” to the Democrats. Good Job.

[Old Lurker]

"The upside for Republicans, given Specter’s treatment by the Democrats, is that it is now unlikely that any of the other “moderate” Republicans will bolt to the Democratic Party."

And that's a good thing?

[Pofarmer]

And that's a good thing?

I agree, if they won't go willingly, give em the boot.

[clarice]

James Lewis has a great article arguing (better that I did or could) that since we aren't going to be the world's cop, other countries will suit up--esp Israel vs. Iran where Israel is heading to no choice.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/why_attacking_iran_may_be_mora.html>Suit up

[Harun]

Technology also helps income inequality - just not on a national level.

So, due to the internet, software engineers in India can have incomes converge closer to those in the US.

[bad]

Thanks for that link, Clarice. I'm cool with Israel doing whatever it takes. Somebody has to have some balls. Waiting for O to grow some and Hillary's to enlarge takes more patience than I possess.

[Pofarmer]

The problem, as I see it, is that this administration will probably actually interfere with anybody else trying to be in the World Cop role.

[verner]

Clarice, why must these people constantly air private family business in public?

If Elizabeth Edwards had any class, she'd simply send him packing with divorce papers, and reply with "No comment, this is PRIVATE family business, and none of yours..."

Let the tart have him, she's better off without.

As it is, her children are going to have to live with this garbage.

[verner]

"I'm still puzzling over that Hindustan Times piece that Verner linked. It sure sounds like they've taken the President's measure. With a micrometer. I wonder how long it will take India to get to "If you won't, we will." wrt Pakistan?"

I think that's the not so subtle message Rick. Also note that yesterday's HT had several stories on the security of Pakistan's nukes.

I would imagine that the lines between the Tel Aviv-Delhi axis are buzzing right about now.

When there's a leadership vacuum, it will be filled.

[clarice]

Yes, verner--it's hard to tell who's more repellent--Elizabeth or John. Actually they really deserve eachother.

As for the Industan Times piece, don't miss James Lewis' in AT today on how the world will fill the power vacuum Obama's leaving.

[verner]

From the Lewis AT piece:

"This matter is slipping out of US hands. None of our allies are going to let themselves be raped by such as Iran, or in the case of Eastern Europe, by Putin's Russia. India is much more powerful and has much better intelligence about Pakistan and the Taliban than it normally reveals in public. China can't be thrilled with an out-of-control North Korea, where it may not be able to influence the succession to Kim-Jong Il. Everywhere in the world where rogue powers are developing nukes, surrounding sane nations are preparing their defenses."

Obama is such a complete idiot. His stupid peace posturing is going to lead to WWIII

[Neo]

Temple of Doom by Dr. James E. Hansen

My frustration arises from the huge gap between words of governments, worldwide, and their actions or planned actions. It is easy to speak of a planet in peril. It is quite another to level with the public about what is needed, even if the actions are in everybody’s long-term interest.

Instead governments are retreating to feckless “cap-and-trade”, a minor tweak to business-as-usual. Oil companies are so relieved to realize that they do not need to learn to be energy companies that they are decreasing their already trivial investments in renewable energy. They are using the money to buy greenwash advertisements. Perhaps if politicians and businesses paint each other green, it will not seem so bad when our forests burn.

Cap-and-trade is the temple of doom. It would lock in disasters for our children and grandchildren. Why do people continue to worship a disastrous approach? Its fecklessness was proven by the Kyoto Protocol. It took a decade to implement the treaty, as countries extracted concessions that weakened even mild goals. Most countries that claim to have met their obligations actually increased their emissions. Others found that even modest reductions of emissions were inconvenient, and thus they simply ignored their goals.

Why is this cap-and-trade temple of doom worshipped? The 648 page cap-and-trade monstrosity that is being foisted on the U.S. Congress provides the answer. Not a single Congressperson has read it. They don’t need to – they just need to add more paragraphs to support their own special interests. By the way, the Congress people do not write most of those paragraphs – they are “suggested” by people in alligator shoes.

The only defense of this monstrous absurdity that I have heard is “well, you are right, it’s no good, but the train has left the station”. If the train has left, it had better be derailed soon or the planet, and all of us, will be in deep do-do. People with the gumption to parse the 648-pages come out with estimates of a price impact on petrol between 12 and 20 cents per gallon. It has to be kept small and ineffectual, because they want to claim that it does not affect energy prices!

It seems they would not dream of being honest and admitting that an increased price for fossil fuels is essential to drive us to the world beyond fossil fuels. Of course, there are a huge number of industries and people who do not want us to move to the world beyond fossil fuels these are the biggest fans of cap-and-trade. Next are those who want the process mystified, so they can make millions trading, speculating, and gaming the system at public expense.