November 20th, 2009, 2:07 pm by Mark Landsbaum
We noted yesterday that the cat’s outta the bag, the curtain’s drawn to reveal the wizard pulling the levers. The jig is up. A flood of e-mails, data and other information hacked from a UK climate research facility is being examined worldwide, and the fraud behind alarmism may be finally revealed.
At the least, say those who have begun reading the stuff, it probably indicates a willingness by scientists to distort the data to make warming trends seem more clear and convincing. Gee, why would they want to do that? (Duh, control and $$$$)
The worst case scenario? “A scandal that is one of the greatest in modern science,” says Andrew Bolt of the Australian Herald’s Sun.
It appears the e-mails expose a conspiracy that was intended to hide detrimental information from the public that argues against global warming.
This stuff will be dissected and commented on for a long time. It’ll be interesting to see how much attention it will get from - and how long it takes to get the attention of - the mainstream media, which for so long has bought into the hype of global warming.
Go here for some of the good stuff, and here, and here. Then you might want to let Al Gore know how you feel about him becoming a billionaire as a result of this. Wasn’t the science settle? Where, oh where, are the professors and lawyers when you need them?
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Posted in: Environment • Global Warming | Post a Comment »
November 20th, 2009, 1:47 pm by Mark Landsbaum
As we noted today, California’s nannies have ordered us no longer to buy and sell TVs they don’t like, even if we do like them and don’t mind paying to run them. Thanks so much Big Brothers, and you know who you are.
Well, despite the fearful likelihood that this may mean similar unnecessary, freedom-denying, cost-increasing mandates may spread from coast to coast, California’s small business owners have urged other states and the federal government not to copy California’s Draconian television regulations.
Californians for Smart Energy, growing coalition of consumers, small businesses, trade groups and associations dedicated to smart energy policy that won’t harm the economy or destroy jobs, made the plea.
“This is not a debate over philosophy - we all support energy efficiency,” said Pam Crane, Ken Crane’s Big Screen Headquarters in Los Angeles. “This is a debate over process. The CEC’s regulations are based on old data, math errors, and a total disregard for Energy Star or how the consumer electronics industry operates.”
What do you think the chances of this deterring know-it-all, power-grabbing, unelected bureaucrats from further dictating what you can and cannot buy with your own money?
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Posted in: California • Economy • Freedom and liberty | Post a Comment »
November 20th, 2009, 11:49 am by Mark Landsbaum
Have we heard this before? Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - the enabler of last January’s historic tax increase - says now he is opposed to tax increases to close the state’s (latest) budget deficit.
Memo to the governor: Where was that conviction a few months ago?
Reuters news agency reported that in Milan, Spain, the governor told reporters: “I think it’s important not to raise revenues, not to raise taxes. We have to live within our means.”
It seems to us that living within our means would have been getting by on at least $24 billion less than the Legislature budgeted and the governor signed into law last summer. That’s the size of the current deficit, which follows last year’s deficit, which followed the deficit from the year before.
Some how we’re not real confident that we’ve heard the last flip-flop from this governor, who alternately and seemingly perpetually calls for belt-tightening and tax-raising.
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Posted in: Budget • California • Policy | 2 Comments »
November 19th, 2009, 3:21 pm by Mark Landsbaum
We don’t know what to make of this quite yet, but it sounds like it is the germ of something big. Could it be the Mother of all Global Warming Oops Moments?
According to a post at the Watts Up With That? blog, a hacker apparently got into the United Kingdom’’s Hadley Climate Research Unit and acquired hundreds of files - 61 megabytes worth - that he’s placed on a Russian FTP server for others to download.
Quoting from Anthony Watts’ blog:
It contained data, code, and emails from Phil Jones at CRU to and from many people.
I’ve seen the file, it appears to be genuine and from CRU. Others who have seen it concur- it appears genuine. There are so many files it appears unlikely that it is a hoax. The effort would be too great.
Here is some of the emails just posted at Climate Audit on this thread:
http://www.climateaudit.org/?p=7801#comments
Hm. If the science is settled, it’ll be interesting to have a look at this stuff, no? Shouldn’t it uniformly point to the undeniable conclusion that global warming is on pace to kill us and that mankind is to blame?
Or maybe there’s something else in those 61 megabytes. And why is it copies of this stuff haven’t always been publicly available to view, inspect, challenge and test? Hm?
Stay tuned…
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Posted in: Environment • Global Warming | 3 Comments »
November 19th, 2009, 2:19 pm by by Alan Bock, Register editorial writer
Responding to Obama’s Asian trip Doug Bandow did a piece consistent with what he’s been saying a long time (he did a book advocating military withdrawal from Korea in 1996) on what kinds of policy changes might ensue if we really rethought our policies in line with changed circumstances. He argues that WW II is long past and the Cold War is over, so there’s really no need to keep U.S. troops in Japan or South Korea. We should have an open economic relationship with China (which should give China incentives to keep North Korea in line) but a de-emphasis on military engagement and commitment of U.S. troops.
Posted in: International • Obama administration • Doug Bandow • Obama Asia trip | 7 Comments »
November 19th, 2009, 2:17 pm by Brian Calle
Just a few minutes ago, at the University of California Board of Regents meeting being held today at UCLA, the board formally approved a 32% fee hike for students in the UC System. The Regents claim they have no other choice because the state is facing huge budget shortfalls next year (yet again) and higher education in the state is likely to be cut substantially more. This is all probably true, and the UC has to find a way to balance its books–though there is undoubtedly some excess fat they could cut in administration and faculty budgets.
During the Regent’s meeting hundreds of students protested the goings on. And even inside the meeting students and union members made outbursts to show their general dissatisfaction with the decision.
Posted in: Uncategorized | 22 Comments »
November 19th, 2009, 12:45 pm by Mark Landsbaum
Some days the good news just keeps comin’. Attorney General (soon to be governor?) Jerry Brown says the state Constitution permits the California Citizens Compensation Commission to reduce legislators and other elected officials’ salaries in the middle of their terms.
All together now: Hallelujah!
Legislative leaders resisted the Commission’s contention that it could reduce their salaries by 18 percent. In the grand scheme of things, this is tiny relief for a mamoth state spending problem, but we’re just delighted to know these do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do budget cutters will share the pain. About time. In fact, way past time.
Brown said when voters approved 1990’s Proposition 112 requiring the Commission to “adjust the annual salaries of state officers” each year, it gave the Commission’s authority to reduce salaries. Brown says Prop. 112 contradicts but supercedes a previous ballot measure in 1972 that prohibited mid-term salary reductions.
Small victories. But we’ll take them. Now about those pay cuts…
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Posted in: Budget • California • Policy | Post a Comment »
November 19th, 2009, 11:45 am by Mark Landsbaum
Occasionally we get good news from the state’s capital and today is one of those days. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he won’t run for another political office.
We can all breath a sigh of relief. The Terminator has presided over arguably the largest increase in state taxes in history, the deepest budget deficits in history and the most dramatic swelling of the public payroll in history. He nearly terminated California. A truly historic stewardship, indeed.
But it’s an era coming to an end - at least his part of it when his term runs out in the coming year. And if we can believe him (anyone have trouble with that?), we’re done with him in elected office. Let the harm end here.
Now that we’ve breathed that sigh of relief, it’s time to take another deep breath. Jerry Brown, whom we remember most as former Gov. Moonbeam, is the likely successor.
Can’t we get a break here?
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Posted in: California • Schwarzenegger | 3 Comments »
November 18th, 2009, 4:49 pm by Mark Landsbaum
If you need examples of why giving people power over other people is more problematic than beneficial, consider this item out of Palm Beach, Fla.
“An overgrown lawn could cost a homeowner $1,000 a day,” reports the Palm Beach Post.
The city’s considering quadrupling its fine for long grass in private lawns. Repeat violations would increase to $5,000 a day, up from the present measley $500.
“Code enforcement needs a large hammer,” insists a city councilman, whom we won’t dignify by giving his name.
Big hammer indeed. Dare we suggest small, limited government as an alternative to the big-hammer variety? Long grass, for pete’s sake. What next? No, forget we asked. Don’t give them any ideas.
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Posted in: Freedom and liberty • National • Policy | 2 Comments »
November 18th, 2009, 4:17 pm by Mark Landsbaum
We’ve noted repeatedly that one of the budgetary fallacies in Sacramento that’s repeated year-in, year-out is the unrealistic, ever-too-optimistic projection of how much of your money they will be raking in. They don’t seem to learn this lesson. Every year they project the budget will be just peachy because they bank on banking more of your bucks than they end up getting.
Well, we probably shouldn’t be surprised, but that same overly optimistic forecasting seems to have caught on at the Legislative Analyst’s Office. He’s the guy ostensibly independent of the Legislature and governor, on whom we can rely for fiscal realism. Must be drinking the same Kool-Aid.
Get this: the Legislative Analyst has projected the state will have nearly a $21 billion deficit over the next year and a half, and scolds the Legislature for its smoke-and-mirrors approach to budgeting.
Then he admits that his own projection is based on government employees not getting cost-of-living raises in the coming years. Yeah, that’s likely to happen. Ha! Imagine how much worse it’ll be in reality.
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Posted in: Budget • California • Policy | 7 Comments »
