Thankful!

I'm thankful to the Lord for so much. Most recently this little guy.

Gratitude is the bedrock of a happy life. G. K. Chesterton wrote: "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. " (Short History of England, chapter 6)

Happy Halloween!

Oregonian Sees 13% Circulation Slide

[2020 paid circulation information is here.]

 

 

Taken from Statement of Ownership information. Most recent publication Friday, October 13, 2017, and Sunday, October 15, 2017, in the Oregonian.

 

 

 

Oregonian paid circulation dropped 12,700 from September, 2016 (93,232), to September, 2017 (80,463). That's a 13% drop in a year. 

It's unclear if the Statement of Ownership contains digital circulation* numbers as well as print. So, the Oregonian may not have suffered an actual 12,700 circulation drop since 2016. However, it is clear that since 2012 circulation has dropped off considerably--as much as 63%. So has the physical size of the product itself, its first-hand reporting content and physical delivery to subscribers (only four days a week).

This may be why Pamplin Media Group is expanding its free newspaper delivery with local newspapers (Portland SE, SW, Gresham, etc.) as well as the free Portland Tribune (free at lots of pick up points). The Oregonian's decline is leaving a big news circulation hole to be filled in the Portland area and beyond.

See previous posts for 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2012 Oregonian circulation information.
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*In 2012 the Oregonian's digital circulation was 17,300. That is the last clear figure available for digital circulation.

Sunspot Today

Was fooling around today with my new solar filter. Originally bought for my telescope but I can also hang it on my superzoom camera. It's just a flexible filter material like on the solar eclipse glasses but mounted in a round cardboard holder. Cost $20.

I went online and found a photo from the Royal Observatory of Belgium today which had the same little sunspot that showed up in my photo (on the right). Not bad. I'm hoping some day to catch a solar flare.

Oregon Supreme Court Rules Portland Arts Tax Legal

The Oregon Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the Portland Arts Tax is legal.

The justices considered that the exclusion of taxing those making under $1,000, low income families, and Social Security, federal pension benefits and PERS income means that income is taken into account.

Based on the foregoing analysis, we conclude that a “poll or head tax” within the meaning of Article IX, section 1a, is one that applies uniformly on a per capita basis, but does not take income, property, or resources into account in any way. In this case, the city’s arts tax takes income and household resources into account in at least three ways. 

First, the arts tax does not apply to individuals earning income of less than $1,000 per year. 

Second, certain types of income do not count in determining an individual’s income for the purpose of in defining who is and who is not subject to the tax. For example, Social Security benefits, federal pension benefits, and state Public Employee Retirement System benefits are not counted. 

Third, the tax does not apply if an individual resides in a household with resources lower than federal poverty guidelines. Those federal poverty guidelines, in turn, are graduated according to the size of the household. As a result, the household income threshold below which the arts tax will not be owed increases with the size of the household.

Plaintiff insists that, notwithstanding the income-based exclusions, the city’s arts tax does not really take income, property, or other resources into account in setting the tax. In plaintiff’s view, to avoid being classified as a poll or head tax, a tax must take income into account in assessing the amount of the tax itself, not just in defining exclusions from the tax. According to plaintiff, an exclusion provides for a tax of zero dollars, which is not an amount of tax at all; it simply does not count in determining whether the arts tax is a prohibited “poll or head tax.” Plaintiff agrees that, if the city had adopted a two-tiered tax that required persons below a set income to pay one penny and all others $35, such a tax would not be a prohibited “poll or head tax” within the meaning of Article IX, section 1a, because a penny is an amount of tax. The city’s arts tax, he argues, is different, because its two-tiered scheme requires persons below the income threshold to pay nothing. As plaintiff puts it, “0 is zero - nothing. $35 is the only amount of the Arts Tax.” 

The premise of that argument is that a tax of zero is not an “amount” of tax. It is a flawed premise for at least two reasons. First, it is contrary to the historical evidence that we have cited above—evidence that suggests that, at least by the early twentieth century, considering income, property, or other resources in establishing exemptions made a tax something other than a poll or head tax. 

Second, and aside from that, plaintiff’s assumption that zero is not an amount is plainly contrary to ordinary usage. It is fairly common, for example, to refer to a determination that the amount of damages in a given case is zero. (pp.883-884)

In this opinion the Court has gutted the idea of fair taxation based on a person's ability to pay. The justices have found it right to tax a person making less than $100/month the same amount as millionaires and billionaires.

And nobody is holding the City accountable for following regulations in how the money is spent.

City officials have also overspent on collections, the report found. They exceeded a voter-mandated 5 percent cap on administrative expenses, diverting almost $1 million more from arts grants than they should have from 2012 to 2015, the report said.

Well, Portland deserves what it gets.  Especially those who regularly vote for "the rich" to pay more taxes and now have mandated that they themselves have to pay the same tax as multi-millionaires.

Fire Truck Pulls Into Gas Station

I don't know what was happening here, but it was an interesting scene of the fire truck overwhelming the gas station with the ambulance sitting quietly at the side.

Solar Eclipse at 99%

My best shot at 99% of totality. Amazing how much light there still is with 1% of the sun uncovered.

The Lord was gracious to give us a clear sky.

I did a run through with cloudy morning sky yesterday, and the settings were very different.

I set up another camera just to film the backyard, but it didn't get much. I couldn't set it to manual so it kept changing the settings automatically and there is no clear darkening on the video as there was in person.

Shame on Jeff Sessions for Increasing Government Use of Asset Forfeiture

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

In a terrible move for justice and individual rights against government overreach, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the federal government will increase the use of asset forfeiture. 

"Speaking at a National District Attorneys Association conference in Minneapolis Monday, Sessions said state and local law enforcement could expect changes from U.S. Attorneys in several areas: increased prosecution of gun crimes, immigration offenses, gang activity, and prescription drug abuse, as well as increased asset seizure by the federal government. 

"'[W]e hope to issue this week a new directive on asset forfeiture—especially for drug traffickers,' Sessions said. 'With care and professionalism, we plan to develop policies to increase forfeitures. No criminal should be allowed to keep the proceeds of their crime. Adoptive forfeitures are appropriate as is sharing with our partners.'"

What Sessions is promoting and expanding is the program that allows federal law enforcement officers or their local and state police partners to seize any property or monies they think might be involved in illegal activity. The person whose funds/property have been seized has to go to court to prove innocence. And the funds or proceeds from property seized goes into the pocket of the agency doing the seizing.  So, the incentive for law enforcement to anticipate that money or property is involved in illegal activity and seize it is high.

Senator Mike Lee

On the other hand, Senator Mike Lee, a principled conservative, still condemns the governmental abuses the asset forfeiture program allows.

"Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a consistent Republican advocate for reforming asset forfeiture laws, said in a statement to Reason Monday: 'As Justice Thomas has previously said, there are serious constitutional concerns regarding modern civil asset forfeiture practices. The Department has an obligation to consider due process constraints in crafting its civil asset forfeiture policies.'

Lee was referring to conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' notable dissent* in an asset forfeiture case this June. Thomas wrote that forfeiture operations "frequently target the poor and other groups least able to defend their interests in forfeiture proceedings."

Justice Clarence Thomas

Unfortunately, Jeff Sessions continues to show his bankruptcy on conservative and limited government issues as he did on this issue while still a senator.

_____

*"As Thomas explained in Leonard v. Texas, 'this system—where police can seize property with limited judicial oversight and retain it for their own use—has led to egregious and well-chronicled abuses.' For one thing, 'because the law enforcement entity responsible for seizing the property often keeps it, these entities have strong incentives to pursue forfeiture.' For another, this sort of police abuse disproportionately harms disadvantaged groups. 'These forfeiture operations frequently target the poor and other groups least able to defend their interests in forfeiture proceedings,' he observed. 'Perversely, these same groups are often the most burdened by forfeiture. They are more likely to use cash than alternative forms of payment, like credit cards, which may be less susceptible to forfeiture. And they are more likely to suffer in their daily lives while they litigate for the return of a critical item of property, such as a car or a home.'"

Link to Leonard v. Texas opinion.

H/T John Fund

Homelessness in Portland

I've noticed more individual family homeless setups as I'm driving around.

One was very neat and tidy. (photo to the right)

Another was a makeshift affair that didn't last more than a day because it was on business property that had a reasonable amount of traffic. (photos below)

I'm conflicted on this. My heart goes out to those who are mentally ill but have been "freed" by the state of Oregon to live on the streets. And to those caught in personal circumstances (even of their own disfunctional making) that have alienated them from family and friends. And then there are those caught in the web of alcoholism or drug addiction who are too often a menace to those around them.

I have a younger friend in none of the above categories who has lived out of his car for three to four years now. He had a small reseller business for awhile that he had office space for and has done heavy day labor work. But, neither of them gave him the sort of income that could pay the high rent of a place to live in Portland thanks to Portland governmental policies that have vastly driven up the cost of housing. On the other hand, business space rent is low in comparison to living space. Actually, he could have lived very nicely in his business space (about $250/month).

I don't know what the answer is besides the government getting out of the way of housing/shelter construction. But, I personally like and support outreaches like Portland Rescue Mission and Union Gospel Mission. I wish more churches and Christians gave to expand those sorts of ministries.

My friend keeps neat and clean through places that allow him to use their showers and has found outreaches that provide meals when he needs them. The winter time is worst. I was out driving on one of the cold nights last winter, and my car heater didn't heat up warmer than lukewarm during a 40 minute freeway drive. So, a car provides some relief, but not a lot.

I was glad some churches opened their facilities on some of the colder nights and appalled that Multnomah County hasn't used the Wapato Jail facility for that sort of help or donated it to an organization that would use it to help the homeless. Instead Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury tweets out praise for organizations that actually do open their facilities though she let her facilities like Wapato sit vacant.

So many organizations have opened their doors to shelter our neighbors during this severe weather. Thx to St. Francis Dining Hall, @ugmpdx

— Deborah Kafoury (@dkafoury) January 11, 2017

Time to Buy a U S Parks Senior Pass

If you are 62 or over and don't have a national parks senior pass, you should consider getting one.

It costs $10 and is good for your lifetime and allows you and up to three other adults (children under 16 always free) in your vehicle into national parks for free.

The price is going up to $80 sometime this year. A friend told me the hike will be beginning in July, but what I could find online just says sometime in 2017.

Here's a link to what it does: About the Senior Pass

Here's a list of sites that issue the pass for $10.00.

If you don't want to go out to get it, you can order it online at the usgs.gov store for $20.00 ($15.00 for the packet and $5.00 shipping).

You have to provide ID that you are 62 or over. You can upload a copy of your passport or driver's license on a link they provide.

Media Research Center Takes the One Step Forward Two Steps Back Approach

I usually think Brent Bozell is a good thinker even when I don't agree with him. But, his Media Research Center (MRC--which runs Newsbusters on my sidebar) stepped in it this time.

Bozell was upset because USAA stopped advertising on the Sean Hannity show. So, MRC mobilized people to complain to USAA.

Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center, said he wasn’t surprised by USAA’s decision, “given the avalanche” of protests. His group was behind mobilizing that backlash, and said its members generated more than 1,600 phone calls to USAA within 48 hours.

“They did the right think in going back on that show,” he said, “and so long as the other side isn’t participating in personal smears, they should participate on those shows, too.”

Only he and MRC didn't investigate USAA's reasoning. USAA wanted to stay away from "opinion-based programs". So, they pulled advertising from Hannity but also Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews and Jake Tapper.

As some of you may know, we have recently come under scrutiny for pulling ads from “Hannity” on Fox News and other opinion-based programs, including: “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “Hardball with Chris Matthews” on MSNBC and “The Lead” with Jake Tapper on CNN. Our long-standing advertising policy has been not to advertise on opinion-based shows to avoid any suggestion of bias or support for one set of views over another. [from USAA 5/30/17 email]

Now, interestingly enough, though Bozell said USAA should participate in the other shows too, MRC recently launched an initiative to harass sponsors of shows specifically including those of Maddow and Chris Matthews.

"Today we are putting ten shows, and their major corporate sponsors on notice that we are watching their every move. Additionally, we will be publicly listing the advertisers of these programs and asking them to defend their decision to continue airing ads on these shows. Every time one of their on-air personalities go beyond political commentary and engage in smear and hate, we are going to unleash an army of activists to contact these advertisers by phone and through social media to ask them why they are advertising on programs that are so biased, repulsive and morally bankrupt." [emphasis added]

So, MRC's pressure resulted in renewed advertising for Hannity but also for Maddow and Chris Matthews. One step forward, two steps back. Not the smartest MRC strategy.

Good for President Trump Leaving the Paris Climate Accord!

Transcript here.

Prince Rupert's Drop

A friend of mine posted a picture of a Prince Rupert's Drop on Instagram with the caption: "took science 400 years to discern its mystery." Not knowing anything about it or why it was a mystery I went to youtube and found this:

   

I watched a couple more of his videos and found I kind of like the guy, how his mind operates and his desire to figure things out.

Seth Benardete on the Importance of the Family vs the State

but the family cannot exist in all its dignity if it is subordinate to the city.

2/2

— Seth Benardete (@seth_benardete) March 31, 2017

I audited one of Benardete's courses on Plato's Republic. It was undoubtedly the best class I ever attended in graduate school.

As a side note, I learned the importance of smoking a pipe while teaching. Whenever Benardete needed a pause to think he would puff on his pipe. At the time it seemed an elegant way to gain time.

Inadequate Voter ID Brings Complaints from California Democrats

Heh. Imagine Democrats being concerned about lax voter ID enforcement.

Ellis, the former director of Emerge America, a women’s political organization, lost the election by a narrow margin of 62 votes out of 3,000 cast. Her loss immediately set off protests from hundreds of her backers, many of whom charged that there were irregularities that included allowing voters to cast proxy ballots without proper ID. [emphasis added]

If only there were some sort of policy out there that could have avoided this situation. https://t.co/t8nkVcAS9D

— Jeff B/DDHQ (@EsotericCD) May 23, 2017

Sarah Palin Going Squishy on Israel Because Trump

Sarah Palin's Twitter page photo

This is one for the history books!! https://t.co/zJMSD27kGg

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) May 22, 2017

Certainly is historic. The first time a U.S. President has refused to meet with an Israeli Prime Minister while visiting the Western Wall in the country's capital, Jerusalem.

And not a word from Governor Palin about Trump's Secretary of State refusing to say the Western Wall (and East Jerusalem) is a part of Israel. Not to mention Secretary Tillerson saying Tel Aviv was the home of Judaism!

When Palin visited Jerusalem and the Western Wall in 2011, she seemed to think it was in Israel.

"Israel is absolutely beautiful and it is overwhelming to see and touch the cornerstone of our faith and I am so grateful to get to be here," Palin told reporters.

Now under President Trump, apparently the U.S. position on whether East Jerusalem is a part of Israel is not important to her. Trump refused to meet Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Western Wall because, according to the "US delegation", it was a "private" visit and a "senior American offical" said what happened when Trump was there wasn't Israeli business because the Western Wall isn't part of Israel's territory. It's a part of the West Bank.

The US delegation reportedly rejected the request for Netanyahu to join the visit, saying it would be “a private visit” by the president and that he would go on his own. The Israelis then asked whether a TV crew providing live coverage of the Trump visit could at least continue to film here there.

At this point, the TV report said, a senior American official rudely responded: “What are you talking about? It’s none of your business. It’s not even part of your responsibility. It’s not your territory. It’s part of the West Bank.”

One assumes in light of Secretary Tillerson's comments that the "American official" wasn't "going rogue". One would think in view of Palin's past very public support for Israel that she would call for Tillerson's chastisement. But, no. For Palin if Obama and his secretary of state say such things they are bad. If Trump and his secretary of state say the same things they are okay. No news here. Just walk on by.

Poor Netanyahu can't say anything negative about Trump or Tillerson just as he couldn't about Obama, Clinton and Kerry because of all the U.S. defense help for Israel that the President can impede. May the Lord see and repay.

[Note: I try not to blog about Palin because her positions change depending on whether her candidate does it or someone she opposes politically does it. But, some things are just too hard to ignore.]

Is Sheriff David Clarke's Plagiarism Worse than Letting a Prisoner Die of Thirst?

If plagiarizing ends up sinking Clarke instead of the fact his office let prisoners die of thirst, we might be irredeemable indeed.

— Nathan Wurtzel (@NathanWurtzel) May 21, 2017

United Airlines Is Acting Wisely

Just received this in my email box.

Though the passenger acted like a fool, he wasn't a danger to anyone, already was seated, had legally paid for the flight, and was being removed to help United meet their employee transportation needs. That isn't normally part of the implied buyer/seller contract for goods and services.

I buy a ticket and expect that the carrier will carry through on providing transportation if they physically can. I've made plans based on that and usually laid out money based on that. To know I'm being kicked off because they didn't plan ahead well enough to get their employees to needed locations doesn't sit well. Why shouldn't the employees ride the bus instead of me?

Thus, I think this is a good move for United even though the roughing up of the passenger was the result of law enforcement activity and not United's personnel.

Which leads me to the horrible story that apparently a mentally unstable man died from dehydration under Sheriff David Clarke's watch. This is sickening police behavior. God help it be because of police idiocy and not knowingly as happened with Terri Schiavo. Law enforcement bad behavior when there is no imminent danger to the officers or other people needs to be taken very seriously and punished.

I should make clear that even if it is due to idiocy, it needs to be treated at least as involuntary manslaughter and maybe more because Terrill Thomas was completely under their control with no way to meet his own needs. People in that position are rightly held to a much higher behavior standard. And David Clarke should be tearing his department apart about this, but isn't. Says something very sad about him.

Some 1989 Magazine Ads

I came across an old 1989 magazine and thought some of the ads interesting in what has changed and what hasn't.

Looks Like Federal Government Control of Healthcare Is Here to Stay

I'm glad people who understand legalese have figured out what the new Republican healthcare bill says.

The federal government still mandates what your policy will include.

While some of the regulations are tweaked with more flexibility, the 800-pound gorilla in the room — guaranteed issue mixed with community rating* (which is responsible for almost all of the premium hikes) — is left in place. Nor does this bill repeal the mandated essential benefits, which require insurers to cover a specific number of people and sex change operations, maternity care for men, etc.

And even the repeal of actuarial value “metal” requirements (platinum, gold, silver, bronze) — the most positive of the outlined changes — would not take place until the 2020 plans. 

Instead of penalty money going to the government, your healthcare insurer will be required to charge you 30% more for your coverage (Sec. 2711).  This will undoubtedly be just as effective as the Democratic penalties were in forcing young, healthy people to pay sky high prices for medical coverage.

By maintaining guaranteed issue, healthy individuals will just go without insurance, and then if they get sick, anyone can still demand a policy. It’s worth taking the risk of paying an extra 30 percent when you really need it in exchange for avoiding paying the equivalent of another monthly mortgage for nothing when healthy.

Moreover, the new premium penalty for those gaming the system won’t begin until 2019, but the individual and employer mandates will be repealed immediately. This will further hurt the solvency because, again, the bill would maintain the exchanges and the regulations. Therefore, higher prices mixed with fewer people paying into the system will result in a nightmare scenario.

I'm not sure that mandate will meet Justice Roberts requirement that it's only constitutional if it's a tax. Not too many taxes go directly to private businesses. Wouldn't it be ironic if Obamacare was constitutional but Trumpcare is not?

Lots of money will be lobbed at the states for Medicaid expansion.

As for Medicaid, the draft plan grandfathers in the entirety of the Obamacare expansion. Worse, it doesn’t freeze future enrollment for another two years, which will incentivize states to massively expand Medicaid before 2020. It also throws another $10 billion to states that never expanded Medicaid.

Federal taxpayer subsidies to health insurance buyers will continue in a fire hose manner.

. . . this House bill replaces the income-based subsidies with age-based subsidies – ranging from $2,000 for younger people to $4,000 a year for older enrollees, and as much as $14,000 for a family. It is a massive new entitlement for middle-income and lower-income Americans. It would apply in full for families earning up to $150,000, and then phased out $100 per thousand dollars earned over that threshold. Thus, a family could theoretically get some sort of subsidy well into the $200,000-plus income level. [emphasis added]

Does anyone think this will bring down healthcare costs? Or that limited healthcare insurance options will increase? Or that people angry about Obamacare will be happy about Trumpcare?

The key takeaway is that there is to be no repeal of the essential idea of Obamacare that the federal government should regulate how healthcare functions in the United States. Both parties and their leaders now agree with this. If the Democrats are smart, they will vote for this and then tweak it back to Obamacare when they get in power.

The only hope, and it is mighty slim, is voter anger. Rising healthcare insurance costs and dwindling choice of healthcare providers may keep that anger strong. But where is an angry voter to go?
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*Community Rating: "A rule that prevents health insurers from varying premiums within a geographic area based on age, gender, health status or other factors."

Cruz and Pelosi Agree U.S. Debt Problem Not Too Much Spending But Too Little Revenue

Heh. You can't make these things up.

Here's Ted Cruz right after President Trump's speech on Tuesday:


Here's Nancy Pelosi four years ago:

Sorry, I Am Still Against Big Government and for the Tenth Amendment

Though there are a number of things I like about the Trump agenda, I am alarmed by his policies expanding federal power and increasing the national debt. And dismayed by the cheering for this coming from Republicans and those who formerly were conservative.

From President Trump's speech last night:

To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion dollar investment in the infrastructure of the United States - financed through both public and private capital - creating millions of new jobs.

I am still against federal trillion dollar spending projects other than on national defense or truly federal constitutional duties. (Shoot, I would grumble but could only complain moderately were the trillion to go for post offices and postal roads since that's an enumerated constitutional duty. Article I, section 8, clause 7.

FDR's attempts at creating millions of new jobs didn't create anything long term. All such government attempts have been a disaster because the government, unlike an actual owner, doesn't have its well being tied to whether the venture continues on. What we need is not six month or year jobs, but ongoing jobs funded not by taxpayers but by people who voluntarily buy goods and services provided by businesses. The government isn't smart enough or flexible enough to do that.

Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and railways gleaming across our beautiful land.

. . .

Another Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, initiated the last truly great national infrastructure program - the building of the interstate highway system.

I also don't believe the federal government has any business being involved with local and state infrastructure projects. Interstate? Okay. That's what Eisenhower did. On federal property? Okay. But, not hospitals, schools, or state and local bridges, tunnels, airports or other projects. Federal money corrupts those processes and leads to huge boondoggles if not downright foolishness. As for railways, private investment created the great railways. Public investment has created money losers like Amtrak or Portland's own Max light rail which requires payroll taxes and federal, state and local grants to fund the vast majority (69% in 2015) of its budget needs.

We shouldn't be spending money on new federal projects when we are trillions in debt. I say that to the younger ones in the family too. You don't spend what you don't have. Running up the national debt is stealing from our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and who knows how many generations after that. We're already nearly $20 trillion in debt. So, let's add another trillion? How about if we can come up with a trillion let's pay off a trillion of the debt instead. (Here's where I grind my teeth at people like Sarah Palin and the Tea Party who were so opposed to the rising national debt under Obama but are fine with it under Trump. They are either hypocrites or unable to think through the implications of their principles.)

The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we are going to do.

. . .
Fourth, we should implement legal reforms that protect patients and doctors from unnecessary costs that drive up the price of insurance -- and work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs, and bring them down immediately. 

It's not the federal government's business to raise or lower the cost of anything (unless there is a monopoly involved, and then the job is to break up the monopoly). If they can do it with health insurance, they can do it with everything else in our life. It's called wage and price controls. Never works. Just makes a big mess and creates shortages of goods and services.

My administration wants to work with members in both parties to make childcare accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents have Paid Family Leave, to invest in women's health, and to promote clean air and clear water, and to rebuild our military and our infrastructure.

How about mandating paid family leave? Portland and then Oregon have mandated paid sick leave. Now Republicans want to add a national mandate for family leave. Please remind me of why Republicans were so against taxpayers funding birth control materials to such as Ms. Fluke? (Besides those who oppose birth control for religious reasons.) And like all such mandates on business this is going to result in businesses closing down because they can't afford that perk.

Education is the civil rights issue of our time.

 I am calling upon members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children.

I also reject the notion that education is the new "civil rights" issue. Education is a family or local government responsibility not a federal government responsibility. I don't even think it's well done as a state responsibility except as a local community is devastated through natural disaster and needs temporary help. Where the federal government or state sets standards usually the graduation rate plummets and children come out knowing only what's politically correct rather than anything useful. Education becomes a political act tied to federal funds rather than an educational act purely for the benefit of the child.

I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American victims.

The office is called VOICE - Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement.

We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests.

Why should victims of immigrants (no mention whether legal or illegal) get special treatment over victims of any other kind of violence or economic damage? And how would setting up an office to "serve" them help? This is just adding another layer to government which will be used politically by whatever administration is in power. How about setting up a system for any American to sue federal, state and local governments for damages caused by malfeasance in carrying out their duties?

But to accomplish our goals at home and abroad, we must restart the engine of the American Economy - making it easier for companies to do business in the United States, and much harder for companies to leave.

Except in time of war for the defense of the nation, I don't believe federal or state government has any right to tell businesses how to run their business and where to locate. Or to stop individuals or businesses from leaving the country. An economic Berlin wall is not quite as despicable as the "we'll shoot you down" Berlin wall, but despicable none the less. Threatening to punish someone economically if they leave your country is only a hop and skip away from threatening to make leaving a crime.

This is big government on steroids again. Just has an R after the President's name. Phooey!

Diversity! in Multnomah County

This is what passes for "diversity" in Multnomah County. And notice the slightly slanted colored letters (all of the same font and same size) that cleverly make the point.

So, sex doesn't count as diversity. Age doesn't matter in diversity. Political view isn't important in diversity. Only race.

Guess all the men in Multnomah County and the older people in Multnomah County don't count.

Alas, this is what passes for "journalism" in Multnomah County.

Fixing the 1:55 Video Error

I have converted many vhs videos to dvds. Unfortunately some of them have the 1:55 error which means the vob file may be 20 minutes or more long but registers as 1 minute 55 seconds long. This makes editing the file impossible in many editing programs. The way around it that I have found is to import the files into WinX Free VOB to MP4 Converter and convert them to mp4 files. Then I can edit them.

As the name implies they have a free version which works great. However, for me they deserve the $$$ because they have saved a number of my files. So, I have upgraded to the paid version. (If you order from the trial version, you get a discount off ordering from the web site.)

Does the Executive Branch Have the Right to Say Who Comes Into the Country and Who Doesn't?

Update: good analysis by the Cato Institute

I feel it is only fair that I weigh in on this issue because I published three posts (1, 2, 3) that indicated I agreed with Judge Andrew Hanen in United States v. Texas that the Executive Branch does not have an unfettered right to say who enters or does not enter the country. Judge Hanen issued an injunction on February 16, 2015, blocking Obama administration policies directed at allowing 108,000 illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. and be issued work permits.

My discussion here is not on the merits of whether the Obama administration's policies and Trump's executive order do actually stop immigration practices that would be detrimental to the U.S. Rather it is based on the issue of whether the Executive Branch has the sole right to determine what is in the national interest.

The Constitution gives the Executive Branch no powers in this area. The only mention of immigration is via naturalization which is given to the Legislative Branch (Article I, Section 8).

True, the President is the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy (Article II, Section 2), but only Congress has the right to declare war (Article I, Section 8). So, Commander in Chief is not as powerful as it may seem since he can't use the armed forces for even a defensive war unless Congress allows it.

Patterico gives an excellent overview of the problem with President Trump's executive order. And with the discrimination aspect in particular. Congress has given the Executive Branch authority over immigration but with certain provisos under the Nationality Act of 1965. Under Section 1152 of the U.S. Code.

Except as specifically provided in paragraph (2) and in sections 1101(a)(27), 1151(b)(2)(A)(i), and 1153 of this title, no person shall receive any preference or priority or be discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person’s race, sex, nationality, place of birth, or place of residence.

National defense (U.S.C. 1182 f*) is not cited in any of the sections mentioned above.

Further, if the assertion of something being "detrimental to the interests of the United States" would allow a president to allow people in or not, Judge Andrew Hanen could not have imposed an injunction on the Obama administration allowing 108,000 illegal aliens to stay and be issued work permits. Patterico:

Indeed, Obama tried to justify DAPA, his sweeping unconstitutional amnesty, in terms of our national security. In the United States’s brief in United States v. Texas, at pages 11-12, the Solicitor General wrote:

Deferring action for these individuals, the Secretary continued, would support “this Nation’s security and economic interests and make[s] common sense, because [it] encourage[s] these people to come out of the shadows, submit to background checks, pay fees, apply for work authorization (which by separate authority I may grant), and be counted.”

See what I mean? Presidents cite national security for literally everything. If you let them, they will run completely amok — and tell you they have to, so you can be safe.

A second issue is whether Washington state has standing to bring the case. Certainly if Texas did in United States v. Texas, Washington state does too. One of the key injuries Texas asserted was that it would have to subsidize driver's licenses issued to illegal immigrants. (I'm not kidding.) From Judge Hanen's opinion:

1. Article III Standing
a. Injury
The States allege that the DHS Directive will directly cause significant economic injury
to their fiscal interests. Specifically, Texas argues that the DHS Directive will create a new class of individuals eligible to apply for driver’s licenses,14 the processing of which will impose substantial costs on its budget. Plaintiffs rely on Texas’ driver’s license program to demonstrate how the costs associated with processing a wave of additional driver’s licenses will impact a state’s budget. Texas’ undocumented population is approximately 1.6 million, and Plaintiffs’ evidence suggests that at least 500,000 of these individuals will be eligible for deferred action through DAPA. Doc. No. 64, Pl. Ex. 14 ¶ 33; Pl. Ex. 24 ¶ 6. Under current Texas law, applicants pay $24.00 to obtain a driver’s license, leaving any remaining costs to be absorbed by the state. See Tex. Transp. Code Ann. § 521.421. If the majority of DAPA beneficiaries currently residing in Texas apply for a driver’s license, it will cost the state $198.73 to process and issue each license, for a net loss of $174.73 per license. Doc. No. 64, Pl. Ex. 24 ¶ 8. Even if only 25,000 of these individuals apply for a driver’s license—approximately 5% of the population estimated to benefit from the DHS Directive in Texas—Texas will still bear a net loss of $130.89 per license, with total losses in excess of several million dollars. Id.

Okay, so if driver's license subsidies (which a state does not have to give) afford standing to ask for an injunction, pretty much anything that proves probable loss of income or probable need for more spending will do.

My bet is that if the case goes to the Supreme Court, the same thing will happen as with United States v. Texas. The Court will split 4-4, and the lower court judgment will stand as happened to Judge Hanen's injunction (which was upheld by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals).
_____

*U.S.C. 1182(f) Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by President

Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate. Whenever the Attorney General finds that a commercial airline has failed to comply with regulations of the Attorney General relating to requirements of airlines for the detection of fraudulent documents used by passengers traveling to the United States (including the training of personnel in such detection), the Attorney General may suspend the entry of some or all aliens transported to the United States by such airline.

Trump Joins the American Government "Killers" He Censured?

You throw mud, you lose ground. President Trump's own "apology tour" is having unintended consequences.

 

In the first place, someone who doesn't understand the difference between U.S. wars in which we don't "invade" other countries to take them over like Putin's invasions (Georgia, Ukraine) has no understanding of basic morality.

Second, someone who doesn't understand the difference between willful policy to kill and a "mistake" in policy does not have adult intelligence.

So, according to President Trump the U.S. and its leaders are just as bad as Putin and other leaders (ISIS?) who murder people who oppose them because of the fatalities in the U.S. war in Iraq (which Trump opposed). Who was the main American leader in the Iraq War?  President George W. Bush.

As absurd as President Obama's claims of American failures were, he never implied George W. Bush was a "killer". The far left did, but Obama didn't. Now Trump has clearly joined the far left critique. Code Pink should be ecstatic.

Where are the conservatives who are outraged? There are only a few. Most have stomped on their principles because Trump isn't Hillary. Pathetic.

Well, let's take the Trump critique and apply it to Trump too.

Trump's first ordered military raid resulted in civilians and children killed and a Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William Owens as well as three U.S. commandos wounded. So, does that make Trump a "killer" like Putin and ISIS, or to reach back into history a bit, Hitler and Stalin?

No. At least not for anyone who understands that purposeful killing is different than killing by "mistake".

But, there still are policy consequences. Because of Trump's military mistake, Yemen has now "withdrawn permission for the United States to run Special Operations ground missions against suspected terrorist groups in [Yemen]".  So, expect more people to be "killed" as terrorist groups have more freedom to recruit, train and attack because of this "mistake".

It seems President Trump has now joined his own list of American government "killers".

Army Office of the Provost General Shafts Soldiers by Giving Their Service Dogs to For-Profit Contractor

The Army's Office of the Provost General didn't follow regulations which required that retired service dogs be offered for adoption to their soldier handlers first.

Abby is one of 13 dogs the Army gave to Soliden Technologies LLC, in contravention of procedures stating that the dogs' former handlers should have the first opportunity to adopt them. Instead of being reunited with the veterans with whom they had served overseas, the dogs became pawns in a complicated and ultimately failed scheme to sell them for more work overseas. When the plan to sell the dogs fell through, their caretaker at the time says he was told to "dispose" of them.

Abby with handler/partner Jake in Afghanistan

Here's how Army personnel responded:

The same day, in emails seen by the Free Beacon, Meredith turned to Army officials Richard Vargus and Robert Squires on the recommendation of an employee at K2.

“I need help Sir and the sooner the better,” Meredith wrote to Vargus. “My heart is heavy knowing that this group has even more dogs to be abandoned and abused. Thank you for speaking with me and any help will be most appreciated. I am out of money and out of time.”

“I know there are some former handlers that will be ecstatic and more than willing to adopt their former wartime companion,” responded Squires, who worked with Vargus on the TEDD program. “Once I receive the list of dogs from you, I will get the dogs adopted out as fast as I can. I appreciate you reaching out to us and looking out for these combat vets!”

But Meredith said shortly afterward he received a call with a dramatically different message.

“Squires told me I had two options,” he said. “One, turn over the dogs to him because they were still [Defense Department] property or, two, he would come take them by force.”

The phone call from Squires was not the only threat Meredith claims he received. On June 22, 2015, a man named Jerry Avery showed up unannounced at Mount Hope looking for Abby.

“[Avery] wanted to buy Abby from me,” Meredith said. “He had $5,000 in cash in his hand and I told him the dog wasn’t for sale. That’s when they started threatening me that they were going to come take them all by force and if they didn’t they were going to get a group of lawyers to put me out of business.”

Squires denies he threatened to take the dogs from Meredith by force. In an email to the Free Beacon, he said the Army was willing to help him reunite the dogs with their handlers, but that any compensation for the dogs’ care was a private matter between Meredith and Soliden.

He also said the Army has no say over what happens to TEDD dogs once they are adopted.

“Once Soliden Technology adopted the dogs, it’s on them on what happens with the dogs,” Squires said in a separate phone conversation with the Free Beacon. “The government no longer has any say-so with the dogs once they’re adopted.”

Squires became agitated as the interview continued, saying the handlers needed to “put their big boy pants on” and “grow up.”

“It’s not against the law to adopt the dogs to whoever the hell the government wants to,” Squires said. “It’s the government’s dogs, it’s not the damn handler’s dogs. Do you understand that? It belongs to the Department of Defense; it does not belong to those individual handlers.”

“Don’t call me again, fucker, you understand me?” Squires said.

Vargus referred all questions to Army Public Affairs when contacted by the Free Beacon.

The Department of Defense is investigating to see what went wrong. What do you want to bet there are no consequences for anyone--except the dogs, their soldier handlers and people trying to help them like Greg Meredith?

H/T Stephen Gutowski

Sarah PAC Is Dead

Sarah Palin managed to trash her reputation and her PAC. It just filed its termination report.

It had $100,000 on hand as of November 29, 2016, and spent it all by the end of December. Major outlays:

$20,000 - for Sarah PAC administrator Timothy Crawford
$40,000 - legal counsel
$18,000 - political consultants
$9,000 - part time clerical
$3,500 - website management
$4,500 - buying and mailing (Sarah's?) books

Sarah PAC ran from 2009 to 2016.

Really a sad, throw-the-money-at-administration-costs end for a PAC that had promise.

Sarah is moving on to giving daily devotionals and facebook-like political comments. No real devotionals. No real commentary. Just splashes.

Judging from the number of shares (as of today not much more than two shares for each devotional and commentary posted clear back into December), she's not doing so well.

And apparently she's hoping to raise lots of money from advertising including ads with sound that play automatically. I hate sites that do that. A slide into the tacky.

Too bad she didn't go out gracefully.

Granddad's and Dad's Tools

nail puller

I was going through some of my dad's tools and found some neat ones I needed an explanation on. He got two from my grandfather. First a nailpuller. They're still making copies of this in China, but the metal isn't long lasting like this one made in the 1930s or 40s.

The extended part slightly angled at the top is used as a hammer to drive the pincher down under the nail. The "toe" next to the pincher opens and closes the pincher. Collapsing the upper part down gives a firm prying bar. A great tool when made with good quality metal. My granddad used it as did my dad not only on their own homes/garages/projects but in carpentry jobs for house builders.

heavy duty jack

Then there is a jack that's heavy duty enough to lift up a corner of a house.

Next comes a vise which Dad himself got with two nice size drill bits at 90 degree angles and a long metal pole. My dad can't remember what he used that for, and I can't find anything like it in my online search attempts. Any of you know what it was used for and what the long metal pole is for?

vise with two drill bits

Finally a little gizmo we've heard about for decades in my dad's stories. When he was in high school, he and his friends would go to sporting events in his Model B Ford. He built this little box to hook up to his car, and it was easy to ground in his Ford. He and his buddies would start beating on a drum. When some big guy(s) from the other school came over to complain, Dad would turn it on and when a guy touched their car he would get a shock. Then they would turn it off. Naturally, they didn't get bothered much after that. He said it also worked well in touching the bumper of another car, then turning it off so that when the guy reached to get into his car the second time everything was okay. They couldn't figure out what happened. But my dad didn't do that very often. Mostly used it on aggressive guys from other schools who wanted to teach him and his friends a lesson. You can see where I get my rabble rouser streak.

vise with 2 drill bits

shocker

Avoiding Squirrel Suet "Candy"

Discovered a small way to limit squirrel poaching.

I had been putting out Peanut Delight Suet because it has the highest protein content: 10% vs. 4% for the other types of suet. I figured more protein would be good for the birds.

Well, the squirrels think it is candy. So, I've switched to the other "flavors".  Instead of having to replace a suet cake every three or four days, they now last a week or two.

Slow learner here.

Thank you, President Obama! May the Lord Help President Trump.

In 2009 I started my blog tradition of thanking the outdoing president. Unfortunately, I didn't wish God's help for the incoming president (Obama). I'm remedying that now.

I noted at the time that there were clear failures in George W. Bush's presidency, but this was not a time to dwell on them. So, here goes for President Obama.

Thank you, President Obama, for an economy that is markedly better than when you took over. My investments are worth significantly more and I am economically much better off than on the day you were inaugurated.

Maybe due to lack of insight, I'm sorry I can't think of anything else that's significantly better, except the death rate of U.S. soldiers has decreased as well.

Thank you for being a good father and husband and setting a terrific example of that for the nation. And for publicly showing the struggle of quitting smoking and working at that.

Most importantly, thank you for serving your nation for eight years in the toughest job it has to offer.

For incoming President Trump, I pray that the Lord will lead you and that you will turn the nation to good values and good policies and, most important, a true humility before God and asking for His guidance and help. 

Here are links to good counsel about how Christians should pray for presidents whether they are good or bad: Russell Moore and John Piper.

Sarah Palin's PAC Practically Defunct

Sarah Palin has trashed her brand to the point that she is now taking in less than $10,000 per month for Sarah PAC.

In two months (October 1-19 and October 20-November 28) she raised only $17,241. In the same period she spent $72,536, including $8,942 on direct mailing costs which were unproductive. (Guess that's why I haven't received any fancy priority mailer requests for awhile.)

Then there's the $10,000 per month for Sarah PAC administrator, Timothy Crawford, the $9,000 per month to a consulting firm (there's only so much help they can give when you knee cap yourself) and $3,000 per month for part time clerical help. With only $99,000 of cash on hand, things don't look too good for the practical continuation of Sarah PAC.

As someone who is sorry they gave her and her PAC more than a couple thousand dollars, I'm not sorry to see it crashing. Though I am sorry to see Sarah Palin crashing. She had so much potential as well as a past track record in which she actually accomplished something.

But, she has not only become shrill, but now lies when changing her political position. Though, at least she doesn't scrub her past posts so you can't check her hypocrisy like Laura Ingraham does.

lol pic.twitter.com/GSkwX0rp8G

— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) January 16, 2017

Unhappily Palin did just criticize Obama for pardoning the guy who made Julian Assange and Wikileaks big stuff. Palin apparently has no ability to see the hypocrisy of praising Assange who published Manning's top secret material that put "troops in danger". Stealing the secrets hurt no one. Publishing them did the damage. Palin has cracked mentally.

Unbelievable. He put fellow troops in danger; Obama pardons him anyway. Unbelievable. https://t.co/ObMyeTrj7P

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) January 18, 2017

To Julian Assange: I apologize.

Please watch Sean Hannity's interview with Julian Assange (Wikileaks).... https://t.co/UZpt4MMX2J

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) January 4, 2017

Automation: Hindrance or Help?

James Pethokoukis has a couple of interesting articles on the role of automation in maintaining our economy and current per capita wealth (let alone increasing them). 

First, he makes the point that a major drag on economic growth is lack of workers. In the past economic growth has come both from employment growth and higher productivity. He cites a McKinsey Global Institute study.

GDP growth was exceptionally brisk over the past half century, driven by the twin engines of employment growth and rising productivity. However, declining birthrates and the trend toward aging in many advanced and some emerging economies mean that peak employment will occur in most countries within 50 years. The workforce in Japan is already shrinking in size, and the total number of workers in China will start to decline within a decade. This expected decline in the share of working-age population will place the onus for future economic growth far more heavily on productivity gains. (emphasis added)

Take one of those legs away by lack of employment growth because of no population growth and it's going to be hard to walk, let alone run.

But automation can give employment growth without rising population and could at least keep GDP per capita stable.

Our analysis of the automation adoption scenarios suggests that automation could help bridge the projected growth gap caused by a deficit of full-time equivalents worldwide. Automation alone will not be sufficient to achieve long-term target growth across the world, given the decline in the working-age population and the need for high productivity to achieve that target. Especially in fast-growing countries, other measures to boost productivity will be needed. However, notably, the productivity gains from automation could suffice to at least maintain today’s GDP per capita.

The McKinsey Global Institute study rates robots on a level with the steam engine in increasing productivity.

For example, between 1850 and 1910, the steam engine has been estimated to have enabled productivity growth of 0.3 percent per annum. Analyses of the introduction of robots in manufacturing and IT estimate that they have accounted for annual productivity increases of 0.4 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

Second, the big question is what to do with displaced workers who have medium or low skills that don't fit into the new economic format.

Though less than 5% of jobs can be 100% automated, 60% of jobs can have 30% of what they do automated.

The knee jerk reaction is to protect workers by hindering automation. But, that will neither protect jobs long term or help economic growth. Imagine the U.S. with all farming still being done on small family farms without automation. First, we couldn't compete with other nations. Second, even if we could, the cost of food would be in the range of four times higher than it is now. We would be spending 40% of our income on food rather than the current 10%. And with a lot less choice.

from The Atlantic

from NPR

The NPR piece points out that even with the automation of the 1960's, we are spending a little more than half as much as our grandparents spent on food. That's probably due to free trade policies as well as increased automation and more productive seeds, cultivation methods and animal husbandry in the last 55 years.

So, what to do? There's no magic bullet. Encouraging people to have more children won't work. And we have had too many problems with raising the workforce via immigration because most of those who come are low skilled.

That leaves trying to train a workforce that is more productive or can fill in the gaps where automation isn't feasible. That would mean better retraining of current workers and proactively encouraging young people to prepare for an increasingly mechanized work force.

Easier said than done. But, this seems to be the only option when the work force population is stagnant or decreasing and increasing productivity is the only workable tool to maintaining or increasing per capita wealth.