Regulating Sugar

CNN and CBS report on a push to regulate sugar like alcohol and tobacco.  From CBS:

Should the government regulate sugar, just like it regulates alcohol and tobacco?

A new commentary published online in the Feb. 1 issue of Nature says sugar is just as "toxic" for people as the other two, so the government should step in to curb its consumption.

The United Nations announced in September that chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes contribute to 35 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the commentary. The U.N. pegged tobacco, alcohol, and diet as big risk factors that contributed to this death rate.

Two of those are regulated by governments, "leaving one of the primary culprits behind this worldwide health crisis unchecked," the authors, Robert H. Lustig, Laura A. Schmidt and Claire D. Brindis, argued.

They said that over the past 50 years, sugar consumption has tripled worldwide. That's also helped contribute to the obesity epidemic - so much so that there are 30 percent more obese people in this world than there are malnourished people.

Author Robert Lustig is a YouTube hero for his long lecture on the evils of sugar.  Gary Taubes described Dr. Lustig's thinking in a NY Times magazine article, "Is Sugar Toxic?". The gist of the gist - fructose, half of the common sucrose molecule, is metabolized differently from glucose, the normal constituent of other starchy foods.  Our bodies just weren't designed to process the amounts of fructose people routinely consume these days, and the results are visible everywhere.

A bit of British history:

Britain's annual per capita consumption of sugar was 4lbs in 1704, 18lbs in 1800, 90lbs in 1901 - a 22-fold increase to the point where Britons had the highest sugar intake in Europe.

Here in the US we are up to about 150 lbs per person per year, up about 50% from 1950.  Set against that is the Australian Paradox - since 1980 obesity Down Under has tripled while sugar consumption has fallen (Or not - see "But Then Again" below].  Hmm... is anyone going to let a bit of science come between them and a new batch of regulations and taxes?

Around the country and the world we have governments looking for new revenue sources and new ways to control health care costs.  Can a tax on sugar be far away?

The New England Journal of Medicine took a look in 2009; they kept it simple by evaluating a tax on sugar-sweetened sodas.  First, the economic rationale:

Economists agree that government intervention in a market is warranted when there are “market failures” that result in less-than-optimal production and consumption.29,30 Several market failures exist with respect to sugar-sweetened beverages. First, because many persons do not fully appreciate the links between consumption of these beverages and health consequences, they make consumption decisions with imperfect information. These decisions are likely to be further distorted by the extensive marketing campaigns that advertise the benefits of consumption. A second failure results from time-inconsistent preferences (i.e., decisions that provide short-term gratification but long-term harm). This problem is exacerbated in the case of children and adolescents, who place a higher value on present satisfaction while more heavily discounting future consequences. Finally, financial “externalities” exist in the market for sugar-sweetened beverages in that consumers do not bear the full costs of their consumption decisions. Because of the contribution of the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages to obesity, as well as the health consequences that are independent of weight, the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages generates excess health care costs. Medical costs for overweight and obesity alone are estimated to be $147 billion — or 9.1% of U.S. health care expenditures — with half these costs paid for publicly through the Medicare and Medicaid programs.31

I like to consider myself a free markets/consumer sovereignty kind of guy, but with sugar the collective decision making seems to be deplorable. Let's note that sugar is arguably addictive, which boosts the rationale for regulation.  And with national health programs, we are all our brother's keeper or at least, bill-payer. If other people's illnesses are affecting my Medicare coverage and taxes, well, I have a right to squeak up, yes? This is just life on the slippery slope towards the socialization of everything.

On to the revenue potential, estimated at roughly $15 billion per year:

We propose an excise tax of 1 cent per ounce for beverages that have any added caloric sweetener.

...A tax of 1 cent per ounce of beverage would increase the cost of a 20-oz soft drink by 15 to 20%. The effect on consumption can be estimated through research on price elasticity (i.e., consumption shifts produced by price). The price elasticity for all soft drinks is in the range of −0.8 to −1.0.33 (Elasticity of −0.8 suggests that for every 10% increase in price, there would be a decrease in consumption of 8%, whereas elasticity of −1.0 suggests that for every 10% increase in price, there would be a decrease in consumption of 10%.) Even greater price effects are expected from taxing only sugar-sweetened beverages, since some consumers will switch to diet beverages. With the use of a conservative estimate that consumers would substitute calories in other forms for 25% of the reduced calorie consumption, an excise tax of 1 cent per ounce would lead to a minimum reduction of 10% in calorie consumption from sweetened beverages, or 20 kcal per person per day, a reduction that is sufficient for weight loss and reduction in risk (unpublished data). The benefit would be larger among consumers who consume higher volumes, since these consumers are more likely to be overweight and appear to be more responsive to prices.7 Higher taxes would have greater benefits.

The revenue generated from a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would be considerable and could be used to help support childhood nutrition programs, obesity-prevention programs, or health care for the uninsured or to help meet general revenue needs. A national tax of 1 cent per ounce on sugar-sweetened beverages would raise $14.9 billion in the first year alone.

This ship will sail, so let me restate my Bold Prediction from last April, made more apropos by the advent of Super Sunday:

BOLD PREDICTIONS:  Within fifty years Coca Cola and the NFL will be the fodder of campfire stories meant to scare excitable pre-teens.  It can't happen?  Sixty years ago Frank and Dean were the Kings of Cool, smoking cigarettes live on national television; now they would get busted and the President of the United States is heckled in his own home for being a smoker.

If high school football were invented today, any school board listening to the injury rate and equipment expense would laugh out loud.  It's days are numbered.

And Coke?  Sales will be regulated as cigarettes are today, and sales to minors won't be legal.  And someone somewhere will be charged with child abuse for giving a kid a Coke.  Really.

BUT THEN AGAIN:  This won't work Down Under, where the numbers are upside down [but vigorously disputed!]:

In Australia, the UK and USA, per capita consumption of refined sucrose decreased by 23%, 10% and 20% respectively from 1980 to 2003. When all sources of nutritive sweeteners, including high fructose corn syrups, were considered, per capita consumption decreased in Australia (−16%) and the UK (−5%), but increased in the USA (+23%). In Australia, there was a reduction in sales of nutritively sweetened beverages by 64 million liters from 2002 to 2006 and a reduction in percentage of children consuming sugar-sweetened beverages between 1995 and 2007. The findings confirm an ―Australian Paradox‖—a substantial decline in refined sugars intake over the same timeframe that obesity has increased. The implication is that efforts to reduce sugar intake may reduce consumption but may not reduce the prevalence of obesity.

Nutrients 2011, 3, 491-504; doi:10.3390/nu3040491

YOU DON'T KNOW JACK:  Let's flash back to Jack LaLanne making the case against "sugarholics", with the alcohol analogy.

AROUND THE HORN:  AllahP decries Big Government:

You would think that in an information age, as TVs and cell phones become ubiquitous even among the lower classes, nanny impulses would be channeled more frequently into public education campaigns than into regulation. Doesn’t feel that way, though, does it? You get the calorie counts on fast-food menus now, but you also get moronic attempts to ban Happy Meals in San Francisco. Maybe one begets the other — i.e. precisely because it’s easier to put the word out about food and nutrition, the nanny-minded become more aware of the dangers of certain substances and feel obliged to press harder for regulation. Or maybe it’s a simple matter of health warnings being drowned out by an expanding galaxy of ads for the dangerous products. I don’t quite buy that theory, though: Cigarettes haven’t enjoyed ubiquitous advertising and the actual packs have carried warnings for nearly 50 years, but somehow even that degree of informed consent is lately being deemed insufficient, thus requiring actual photos of people with tracheotomies on the packs — even though virtually everyone above grade school levels knows that smokes are a cancer risk. The more access to information you have, the dumber you supposedly are, and therefore the more your choices have to be made for you by your superiors. Isn’t the future glorious?

Rick Moran bashes ObamaCare:

Attention SCOTUS: Arguments against Obamacare start and end with the notion that if it becomes a permanent law, government will have license to meddle in American's daily lives beyond anything previously imagined.

It would be interesting to hear from Charles Murray, author of "Coming Apart". As I recall, obesity and smoking are inversely correlated with education and income.  One might argue that the unifying theme is impulse management and the ability to defer gratification.  People who can grasp the long-term benefits of sitting in boring classrooms and saying 'no' to doughnuts may have a general flair for better decision making.  Or, maybe fat drunk and stupid is a way to go through life...

Comments

[NK]

1.2 Million men and women DROPPED OUT of the labor force in January according to BLS. IF TRUE-- BLS sesonal adjustments are dubious guesses-- but IF TRUE wrap your head around that number-- 1.2 Americans gave up trying to work in ONE MONTH and now are loooking for government assistance of some kind: ADC, food stamps, Medicaid/Medicare whatever. This is like Britain in 1968-- this is unprecedented in America. Yes I agree, we are seeing the result of Obamaism; the job market is D-E-D dead and people are giving up.

[Neo]

31 Jan. 2012
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had increased in December, retreated in January. The Index now stands at 61.1 (1985=100), down from 64.8 in December. The Present Situation Index declined to 38.4 from 46.5. The Expectations Index edged down to 76.2 from 77.0 in December.

Don't say we didn't see this coming ...
3 Feb. 2012
... the people not in the labor force exploded by an unprecedented record 1.2 million. Which means that the civilian labor force tumbled to a fresh 30 year low of 63.7%

[Ranger]

Instapundit links to this list of questions:

If the economy is getting better, then why did new home sales in the United States hit a brand new all-time record low during 2011?

If the economy is getting better, then why are there 6 million less jobs in America today than there were before the recession started?

If the economy is getting better, then why is the average duration of unemployment in this country close to an all-time record high?

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of homeless female veterans more than doubled?

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans on food stamps increased by 3 million since this time last year and by more than 14 million since Barack Obama entered the White House?

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of children living in poverty in America risen for four years in a row?

If the economy is getting better, then why is the percentage of Americans living in "extreme poverty" at an all-time high?

If the economy is getting better, then why is the Federal Housing Administration on the verge of a financial collapse?

If the economy is getting better, then why do only 23 percent of American companies plan to hire more employees in 2012?

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of self-employed Americans fallen by more than 2 million since 2006?

If the economy is getting better, then why did an all-time record low percentage of U.S. teens have a job last summer?

If the economy is getting better, then why does median household income keep declining? Overall, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% since December 2007 once you account for inflation.

If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans living below the poverty line increased by 10 million since 2006?

If the economy is getting better, then why is the average age of a vehicle in America now sitting at an all-time high?

If the economy is getting better, then why are 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida currently sitting vacant?

If the economy is getting better, then why are 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 living with their parents?

If the economy is getting better, then why does the number of "long-term unemployed workers" stay so high? When Barack Obama first took office, the number of "long-term unemployed workers" in the United States was approximately 2.6 million. Today, that number is sitting at 5.6 million.

The guy does make one positive observation:

But there is some good news.

When Barack Obama first took office, an ounce of gold was going for about $850. Today, the price of an ounce of gold is over $1700.

If you click through to the site, I think the take is a little to pessimistic. But the questions themselves are a good way to respond to the LarryB's of the world.

[Captain Hate]

NK, I wouldn't say people are giving up so much as they just aren't being counted. You can be actively looking for work and if you aren't submitting unemployment claims, you aren't being counted. It's a very flawed measurement statistic.

[harleyrider1978]

Dont let the anti-obesity folks get wind of that one...........they just got billions to create junk science anti-obesity studies for michelle obamas new czarina roll as head public health policeman......the dems stole billions from food stamp programs to finance the war on obesity...

If you lose your job and you get a reduced food stamp amount blame it on the fraudulent obesity epidemic that was created like everything else to get public health laws enacted against us all!

http://easydiagnosis.com/secondopinio....

Diabetes:

Old Definition: Blood sugar > 140 mg/dl
People under old definition: 11.7 million
New Definition: Blood sugar > 126 mg/dl
People added under new definition: 1.7 million
Percent increase: 15%

The definition was changed in 1997 by the American Diabetes Association and WHO Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus.

Hypertension:

High blood pressure is reported as two numbers, systolic or peak pressure and diastolic pressure when heart is at rest) in mm Hg.

Old Definition: cutoff Blood Pressure > 160/100
People under old definition: 38.7 million
New Definition: Blood Pressure > 140/90
People added under new definition: 13.5 million
Percent Increase: 35%

The definition was changed in 1997 by U.S. Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

Prehypertension, a new category created in 2003: blood pressure from 120/80 to 138/89 includes 45 million additional people! If one includes this category, we have a grand total of 97.2 million total numbers of hypertensives and prehypertensives (whatever that is).

High (Total) Cholesterol:

Old Definition: Cholesterol > 240 mg/dl total cholesterol
People under old definition: 49.5 million
New Definition: Cholesterol > 200 mg/dl total cholesterol
People added under new definition: 42.6 million
Percent increase: 86%

The definition was changed in 1998 by U.S. Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study.

Overweight:

Body Mass Index (BMI) is defined as the ratio of weight (in kg) to height (in meters) squared and is an inexact measure of body fat, though it supposedly establishes cutoff points of normal weight, overweight, and obesity.

Old definition: BMI > 28 (men), BMI > 27 (women)
People under old definition: 70.6 million
New definition: BMI > 25
People added under new definition: 30.5 million
Percent Increase: 43%

The definition was changed in 1998 by U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

"The new definitions ultimately label 75 percent of the adult U.S. population as diseased," conclude the two researchers.
...

[NK]

CH-- the unemployment RATE is based on the household survey (rather than the payroll survey), and the household survey also determines the labor participation rate. I started following the differences between the two during the 2002-2003 'jobless recovery'. Household survey is a broader and less arbitrary measure of the labor market. This household survey labor participation rate is stunning-- and as of last month, the analysts I trust concluded it was NOT caused by demographics of an aging workforce, it was something else. I'd say 1.2 MILLION people dropping IN ONE MONTH out is not normal aging demographics. I believe the something else is -- giving up.

[Ranger]

Over at Hot Air, Capt. Ed is trying to sort out the numbers in an update at the bottom of this post:

Unemployment rate drops to 8.3%, 243K jobs added

It seems to be even worse than Zerohedge thinks:

I’m looking at the A-16 historical record (for people not in the labor force, not seasonally adjusted), and the number of people 16 years or older not in the work force changed from 87,212,000 in December 2011 to 88,784,000 in January — which is an increase of 1.572 million, not 1.2 million.

He also has a good rundown of the U-6 numbers.

[LarryB]

You all can keep spouting your fancy numbers like U-6 and A-16, all I know is the unemployment rate keeps dropping.

[Neo]

Ironically, we will know when the recovery starts, because the unemployment rate will first go up as those out of the labor force try to return.

[Captain Hate]

Thanks for the correction, NK. Sorry I was so behind the curve on that, which makes the statistic even more disturbing than I thought.

[Clarice]

At Daily Mail they note that Hillary is looking more and more like the old James Bond villain Rosa Klebb. And I think they're right.

[MarkO]

All well and good, but a great number of Americans will think the economy has vastly improved based on this report.

Expect nothing but fraud from Obama.

[Captain Hate]

Mark, you mean there are a lot of people as ignorant as LarryB? I blame public schools.

[MarkO]

I blame the Ivy League.

[Threadkiller]

I am holding out the possibility that LarryB is joking.

[Captain Hate]

TK's willingness to give the benefit of the doubt is admirable. Except in one extremely obsessive area.

[narciso]

Between this and Madonna for the half time show, they taste our intestinal fortitude;

http://www.jammiewf.com/2012/nbc-stars-now-fighting-over-who-gets-to-grovel-before-king-obama-during-super-bowl-pregame/

[Rick Ballard]

"All well and good, but a great number of Americans will think the economy has vastly improved based on this report."

Yep. There are plenty of people as stupid as LarryB. OTOH - those stupid people are going to plant a foot in the butts of the couch potatoes who have been living in basements in between refrigerator raids and that will send the UE rate through the roof next month.

The regime is going to lay the future increase in UE at the feet of the coming collapse in EUtopia, screaming "SEE! It's not our fault!!!"

It ain't gonna work.

[pagar]

I'm going back and read the Squaredance post.

I need some cheer after reading around the various blogs.

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/02/romneys-wife-had-3-million-in-ubs-unit-closed-for-helping-us-citizens-evade-taxes.html

If you had a lot of money, couldn't you hire people that would do a better job of keeping these embarrassing stories from happening?

[Ranger]

The regime is going to lay the future increase in UE at the feet of the coming collapse in EUtopia, screaming "SEE! It's not our fault!!!"

Yep, more of those headwinds.

[Threadkiller]

I am holding out the possibility that CH is joking.

[narciso]

Syme has a certain talent, to bad he will ultimately vaporized;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/president-obamas-claim-that-some-wanted-to-let-the-auto-industry-die/2012/02/02/gIQAsfwnlQ_blog.html

[Neo]

In a grammatically uneven fundraising email, Obama national finance director Rufus Gifford wrote, "Mitt Romney said just hours after winning the Florida GOP win [sic] primary this week that: 'We must not forget what this election is really about: defeating Barack Obama.'"

"Mitt's words weren't an accident," Gifford continued. "They're what he really believes."

[Extraneus]

Sheep herding Swedish bunny becomes online hit

[narciso]

Don't you know who I am,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/10/rufus-gifford-obama-fundraising_n_1086188.html

[narciso]

You know just regular folks like Skip and Tad;

http://articles.boston.com/2011-07-05/news/29739754_1_obama-campaign-headquarters-campaign-spending-chad-gifford/2

[Janet]

Interesting point in this Powerline post about Holder wanting respect.

"But where has Eric Holder been–where has any Democrat been?–when bankers, oil company executives and other private citizens have been hauled before Congressional committees and subjected to outrageously rude and unfair treatment?"

and Condoleezza Rice being attacked by Code Pink (which were given passes to attend by SOMEONE in Congress)

[Clarice]

So gifford suggests there's something wrong, wrong wrong about wanting to defeat Obama? Well, that carp worked on McCain, didn't it? Remember, his staff warned him they'd quit if he attacked the messiah, didn't they?

[Dave (in MA)]

Obama to announce Veterans Job Corps
Uh-oh.
They'd better load up TOTUS with phonetically-spelled words.

[narciso]

Well you don't speak against Pharaoh, Clarice,
remember what happened to Imhotep, yes that was another problem altogether,

[Jim Ryan]

The regime is going to lay the future increase in UE at the feet of the coming collapse in EUtopia

Rick, on NPR this morning an NPR economy reporter was asked by the moderator why businesses weren't hiring and why such high unemployment still, given the recovery we've been experiencing for several years now. The reporter replied that (a.) US businesses worry about the EU going into recession and are hesitant to hire (b.) government has been laying off workers, adding to the UE, and (c.) tech advances have made some firms able to do without hiring humans. And it was left at that. NPR didn't see any need to mention any other possible explanation to its audience.

[Janet]

Look at those lunatics attack Condi Rice at the short video at the link. It really is something how the MFM acts like any criticism or expected accountability for the Obama admin. is out of bounds after the hatred & ugliness shown to the W administration.

[Extraneus]

US fears Iran's links to Al Qaeda as officials believe country may have provided aid to terror group

What?

[Neo]

So the epic January number of 141.6 million employed, which rose by 847K at the headline level: only about 10 % of that was full time jobs.

[Thomas Collins]

See LUN for why I think Gregg Easterbrook has already sewed up the 2012 Masochistic Journalist of the Year award. Apparently, Easterbrook has spent the last several months poring over the NY Times' corrections columns. The LUN summarizes some of the hilarious results (or perhaps not so hilarious when one considers that a substantial portion of the Ruling Class takes the NY Times seriously).

[Clarice]

Can't be, ext.. Remember all those geniuses from DoS and CIA ranks who assured us the Shiites and Sunis could never work together.

Must be some mistake in that report.Or----maybe after Bush left office, they joined hands as part of the worldwide peace cloud that descended upon Obama's inauguration.

[Jim Ryan]

BRAINSTORMING SESSION AT NPR:

REPORTER 1: ...possibly have something to do with business uncertainty about the administration's handling of the economy, new costs associated with the new health care legislation, all the new regulations, and the president's call for higher taxes?

REPORTER 2: I just don't think any of that makes it past the basic believability threshold we've been upholding for the last few years. If anything, businesses have to see the new health care legislation and the presidents new regulation initiatives as helping them to control costs and increase certainty. Stan?

REPORTER 3: I completely agree, Susan. And the call to higher taxes has to make business owners feel better about the economy, that government is going to pay its way going forward. I mean, they have to. Does anyone know any businessmen? Sally?

REPORTER 1: No.

REPORTER 2: Well, I could get an intern to go out and meet some businessmen....

REPORTER 3: You've suggested that before, but we can just use the handful of businessmen we have in the Rolodex that we've been using.

REPORTER 2: Right, we met those at various Democratic Party events and they seem pretty reliable.

REPORTER 3: Right. Anyway, on to the global warming story. The polar bear is dying out due to....

[Captain Hate]

OMG TC; I doubt that I'll read anything funnier today than those howlers. I'm not sure which is the most ludicrous between

Said “millions of Americans” retire each week. At that pace the entire country would be retired by 2013.

or

In an article deep inside the paper, said a black hole named Sagittarius A* will swallow the entire Milky Way. A correction reported the black hole threatens only a distant gas cloud: “It is not the case that Sagittarius A* will consume everything in the galaxy.” If a black hole was in fact about to devour the galaxy, shouldn’t that have been on the front page?

[Ranger]

TC, and they look down on bloggers at the NYT for not having layers of editors and fact chekers?

[Threadkiller]

Will Stacey's family on Thursday found this "in case of death" letter he wrote:

"My death did not change the world; it may be tough for you to justify its meaning at all. But there is a greater meaning to it. Perhaps I did not change the world. Perhaps there is still injustice in the world. But there will be a child who will live because men left the security they enjoyed in their home country to come to his. And this child will learn in the new schools that have been built. He will walk his streets not worried about whether or not his leader's henchmen are going to come and kidnap him. He will grow into a fine man who will pursue every opportunity his heart could desire. He will have the gift of freedom, which I have enjoyed for so long. If my life buys the safety of a child who will one day change this world, then I know that it was all worth it.

Semper Fidelis means always faithful. Always faithful to God, Country and Corps. Always faithful to the principles and beliefs that guided me into the service. And on that day in October when I placed my hand on a bible and swore to defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, I meant it."

23 when he passed. God rest his soul.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/obituaries/2017398634_staceyobit02m.html

[narciso]

Since I read the thin gruel that was the Aug. 6, pdf and followed with the supposedly breathtaking Downing Street memo, I'm nonplussed.

http://intelligence.senate.gov/120131/clapper.pdf

[Ranger]

Well, it doesn't appear that all the GOP bloodletting has hurt Romney as much as was feared. This has been up on Drudge (without a link yet) all morning:

RASMUSSEN: Obama 45% Romney 45%...

One has to wonder when the true panic will set in with the Obama campaign.

[Threadkiller]

Sorry for the picture sizing

[Porchlight]

No apology necessary, TK. Thank you for posting that.

[centralcal]

Well, that is a really moving, Threadkiller.

[Janet]

REPORTER 3: You've suggested that before, but we can just use the handful of businessmen we have in the Rolodex that we've been using.

I think this is VERY true. I always bring up an old blogger named Penraker that followed a "citizen at the event" in the WaPo. This same lady was at protests, a visitor to Mt. Vernon commenting on the slave quarters, at a military funeral at Arlington Cemetery,...

She was probably a friend of the reporters...who knows if she even went to these events? A reliable friend that would lend a quote for whatever story had already been written?

[centralcal]

Now for some crying for a different reason, although you cannot help but laugh a little while you are doing so:

Where many of our trolls got their educational start - and probably our President*, too.

*57 states

[Captain Hate]

Nice find, TK

[Janet]

TK, Oh, that is lovely. Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting it.

[Threadkiller]

Sometimes I feel as though things in my life have caused me to shed my last tears. Today a local radio station read that letter and followed it with Taps. I had just dropped my kids off at school and was heading down the road.

I pulled over and wept.

[narciso]

We upbraid the Solon of Scranton, but seriously now, he's not that bad;

Austin, an intrepid young student-reporter, embarks on the noble mission of answering the question, “How much basic knowledge do American high school students really have?” The answer, however, may not be exactly what you want to hear.

“Do you know the vice president of the United States?” Austin asks.

“I don‘t know who it it’s, it’s, it’s somebody….Bin Ladin,” one student responds.

The video continues in similar fashion, asking everything from, “In what war did America gain independence?” (which no one answered correctly without a hint) to “What countries border America?”

[centralcal]

Another depressing bit of news:

BretBaier Bret Baier
RT @jdickerson RT @WayneSlater: Stunning reversal. Komen for Cure backs down. Will continue to fund Planned Parenthood

[centralcal]

Narciso - I posted a link to that video just above your comment and I do hope folks here take a moment to watch it.

I liked the question: Can you name a country that begins with the letter "U?"

[Captain Hate]

We're screwed cc. Nobody has the courage of their convictions to make a stand and withstand the inevitable shit-storm from losers. To hell with Komen.

[centralcal]

No kidding, Captain, and I think Jim Geraghty has it about right:

jimgeraghty jimgeraghty
Idea for scam: Declare myself aligned with one side of abortion conflict, collect donations; then reverse, collect more.

[Extraneus]

You have a flair for dialogue, Jim.

[NK]

Ex/Clarice-- Ex thanks for the link to Fox News about the Mullahs and AQ. I speculated here for months that IF -- a BIG IF-- the US is killing Iranian scientists and blowing up Iranian NUKE facilities -- again a big IF-- 'Bam is basing his POTUS Finding legal authority to act as CINC based on the 9/11 Resolution. YES the 9/11 Resolution NOT any current Congressional resolution about Iran. Don't have time to link to it now, but go and read the 9/11 Resolution, very short, very broad. Basically, wherever AQ is, whichever government is aiding/abetting AQ, the POTUS has authority the go get em'. 'Bam has undoubtably based Findings to off AQ in Yemen based on the 9/11 Resolution, and will use it for a hot war with the Mullahs. 'Bam will not go to Congress for further authority-- unlike Bush who 'made the case' in Congress for a specific Iraq Resolution-- 'Bam will just launch missles and aircraft against the Mullahs based on the 9/11 AQ resolution. This leak to FOX NEWS (FOX NEWS!!!!-- at least Plouffe/Axelrod have a sense of humor) is further evidence 'Bam is going to bomb the Mullahs -- My guess -- sooner rather than later.

[narciso]

I doubt that NK, you can't just launch a few sorties against Iran, because they will retaliate significantly, it's not like Sudan
or even Afghanistan in '98.

[narciso]

Whoever voted for her, deserves a huge Gibbs style Stooge Slap;

http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/3295.htm

[Ranger]

Well, if Obama is going to attack Iran, he is going to have to time it very carefully for political purposes. I would give him a boost with the independents on national security/rally round the flag grounds, but his hard left base will desert him in droves. Also, it would be an admission of failure on his part, as he spent the entire 2008 campaign convincing people he was the one who could reason with Iran, and McCain wanted to just "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran."

Though if the decision has already been made and it is getting close, it would explain why Hil looks like hell these days. That is a lot of stress for the person who will be sent out to try and clean up the mess to carry around.

[Jim Ryan]

Thanks, Ext. Actually, I'm just the typist. A lifetime of observing nincompoops has well equipped my muse to do all the writing.

[narciso]

Doggone it, you have admire this kind od dedication, sarc;

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/romney-a-wild-week/2012/02/02/gIQAvEualQ_blog.html

[Sue]

I have contributed for years to Komen because my daughter has been so passionate about it. She has walked those 60 miles for the last several years. She has never asked for a corporate donor, choosing instead to raise the funds on her own. And been turned down by people opposed to Komen contributing to PP. I'm through. Daughter or not. I will not give Komen another dime. Not because they gave to PP, I knew that and gave anyway, but because they backed down.

[Captain Hate]

Great job, Jim R; just because I don't respond to your dialogues doesn't mean I don't find them hilarious and spot on.

[Ignatz]

--Sometimes I feel as though things in my life have caused me to shed my last tears.--

Those appear to be the one thing of which there is an infinite supply, TK.

[Ranger]

Jim, I have heard it said over and over again that a good writer isn't nessesarally the smartest person in the room, just the most observant, which is a form of intellegance and talent all of its own.

[Captain Hate]

Laura Ingraham is blasting Komen for caving. They've like a corporate version of Lindsey Graham.

[Captain Hate]

They're

[Ranger]

Now, in that kids defense, Biden and Bin Laden do sound very similar.

And we all know what the results of this will be... Demands for more money for K-12 education.

[Rick Ballard]

"We're screwed cc."

Nope. I can write an alt-history vignette based on a Gore 2000 win that would wind up with Hillary as President today, extolling the virtue of St. Al as she announces increases in Air Taxes in order continue the never ending battle against the Skydragon followed by an announcement that the government has determined that drilling for oil by private concerns must be outlawed due to environmental concerns and henceforth only oil produced by government entities will be allowed to be sold at prices reflecting its increasing scarcity.

They're the ones that are screwed, CH. They've been done in by reality and they know it. The OPM crop has failed around the world and their current efforts are focused upon developing a fantasy explaining their defeat.

[Porchlight]

Komen caved? That is so disappointing.

[narciso]

Yes along with the false oracle of the lower
Greek budget deficit, what is real anymore

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/eurusd-tumbles-rumor-papademos-resignation-eurogroup-meeting-delay

[Captain Hate]

You paint a convincing picture, Rick. Nobody said it would be easy.

[narciso]

Govmo always requires a piece of the action;

http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/02/03/obama-wants-gm-and-george-soros-to-get-even-more-of-our-money/#comments

[A Casual Observation]

I always knew you were an Obama suppoter aco.

Posted by: Jane | February 03, 2012 at 04:19 AM

Don't you have some dumpster-diving to do, you retard?
Weren't you going to redecorate your trailer today? :)

[narciso]

Some factions and stories get almost unlimited
positive press;

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/02/2621667/defenders-seek-another-911-trial.html

[Ranger]

Don't you have some dumpster-diving to do, you retard?
Weren't you going to redecorate your trailer today? :)

Posted by: A Casual Observation | February 03, 2012 at 12:05 PM

Now you really have given yourself away. Only a true leftie has that kind of contept for those who are economicly disadvantaged.

[Barbara]

Thank you, TK. Thank you so much. The media talk in numbers. They tell us when we make a mistake, but they never give us so much as a glimpse of the goodness of our soldiers.

From my nephew:

"Today I saw an Afghani child reach up and hold the hand of an American soldier while they walked down the street. Bet you would never see that on the news."

[Jim Ryan]

Ranger, also practice helps. If one wants to go from poor writing ability to being able to hear a muse and type what it says, a decade or two of writing a lot can work. It did for me.

[narciso]

Frontline will be running a story on Haditha, on Tuesday, thankfully I'll be watching 'Justified' at that time, since I know the spin, they will be taking;

[C.R.]

Don't forget the contempt for the intellectually disadvantaged as well, Ranger. "Retard", indeed - how compassionate.

[Porchlight]

Thanks for posting that, Barbara. No, you would never see that on the news now. But once upon a time, you would. It is sad.

[Ranger]

Good point C.R.

[Porchlight]

ACO, for goodness' sake. I don't know what on earth you think you're accomplishing with these insults. Give it a rest or get lost.

[centralcal]

Clarice: You need to fix your Tatler link (it's broken!).

[A Casual Observation]

Porchlight, (_x_)

[Dave (in MA)]

This comes up when you do a Google image search for A Casual Observation, but what goes on in the privacy of one's own bedroom is their own business.

[narciso]

Seriously, Kim, this is why I've given up on
the Journal's weekly sum up;

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203889904577199203982513234.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

[centralcal]

A C(_x_)sual Observation.

[Stephanie]

ACO is in to self portraiture. Who'd a thunk it... a self absorbed prog. Redundant ain't it?

[Ranger]

One suspects that ACO's real purpose with these posts is to distract people from dicussion of the unemployment numbers adn what they really say about the economy.

[Thomas Collins]

See LUN for an update on the exploits of the Bay State's chief executive writer.

[Danube of Thought]

all I know is the unemployment rate keeps dropping

It shows.

[Danube of Thought]

Minus 15 at Raz today.

[narciso]

Well compared to Rick Sanchez's offering, that last was a bonanza, unfortunately they dump them in the public library.

[A Casual Observation]

Well, well, well, if it isn't centracal,
this site's resident silly scatterbrain.

[Danube of Thought]

Now for some unambiguously good news:

MADISON — If labor unions’ strength lies in numbers, a new report indicates unions’ most powerful days may be behind them.

Membership in organized labor unions dropped last year in Wisconsin by 16,000, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That left 13.3 percent of the employed population — 339,000 workers — represented by unions, down from 14.2 percent in 2010.
“I think at this point, we’ve gotten to the point where the unionization rates are so low that for many workers, they don’t have any exposure to unions and unions are not seen as a normal part of working lives,” said William Powell Jones, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor in history whose specialty is the history of the labor movement.

While labor unions gained members in 19 states last year, union membership nationally dropped from 11.9 percent of the employed population in 2010 to 11.8 percent in 2011, continuing a decades-long trend.

[A Casual Observation]

Our horny, petulant, little "Stephanie",
she wants me sooo bad, always acting up
to get my attention, sulking and having
hissy fits whenever she doesn't. Before
she saw my post, she was just on her way
out the door to buy new batteries for her
boyfriend there in her night table drawer.

[A Casual Observation]

It is not well known, but should be, that I once fellated the entire Republican Establishment at a single convention.
How ditzy is that?

[A Casual Observation]

HA HA HA When those slimy low-lifes steal and use your name, you know you're effective. What's the matter imbeciles? Am I getting to you?