An Ignorant Electorate

Kathleen Parker notes the results of a recent survey on basic civics knowledge among a cross-section of our voting population. The results are not encouraging.

Out of 2,500 American quiz-takers, including college students, elected officials and other randomly selected citizens, nearly 1,800 flunked a 33-question test on basic civics. In fact, elected officials scored slightly lower than the general public with an average score of 44 percent compared to 49 percent.

The cause is pretty obvious: Public education no longer promotes basic civics studies like they used to. So our pool of prospective voters (and public officials) is increasingly ignorant of the foundation principles upon which our nation is built. Instead, they base their political decisions on celebrity endorsements or populist rhetoric.

The result is exactly what the founders of our system of government sought to avoid: the rule of the mob.

The founding fathers . . . weren’t so enamored of The People, whom they distrusted. Hence a Republic, not a Democracy. They understood that an ignorant electorate was susceptible to emotional manipulation and feared the tyranny of the masses.

The Negative Wealth Effect

Robert Samuelson gives a simple explanation of why recessions happen — and how a recession can turn into a depression.

The “wealth effect” refers to the tendency of people to adjust their spending as their wealth — concentrated heavily in housing and stocks — changes. When wealth rises, spending strengthens; when wealth falls, spending weakens. For the past quarter-century, higher stock prices and home values propelled the economy forward by inducing Americans to spend more of their incomes and to borrow more. , , , ,

But now the wealth effect is reversing. As stock and home values drop, Americans are scrambling to increase savings and curb spending. . . . Everywhere, financial commentators urge “belt tightening” and more thrift. If the swing toward saving is too sharp, consumer spending wouldn’t just weaken; it would collapse.

But the solution is not a return to binge spending. We just need to be patient.

With time, economic slumps correct themselves as borrowers repay debts, surplus inventories are sold, industries consolidate and government policies promote recovery.

Why GM Is in Trouble

Alex Taylor III is a senior editor at Fortune Magazine, who has spent the better part of his career covering the automotive industry. Over the years he has seen a lot of changes at GM — but not the kind that were needed to save the company.

The story of General Motors since the 1960s is a tale of accelerating irrelevance. Customer preferences changed, competition tightened, technology made big leaps, and GM was always driving a lap behind.

Should the government bail GM out of its financial tailspin?

If Washington wants to bail out GM, it’s fine with me. A lot of short-term angst will be avoided, and taxpayer money has been spent for worse purposes. But you have to wonder whether the insular, self-absorbed culture that still dominates GM is up to the job of restructuring the company quickly enough to make it profitable and competitive again. GM has been on a downward path ever since I began covering it. What is going to make it different this time?

Going-Out-of-Business Sales Aren’t

This confirms what I always knew from personal experience: Those “slashed prices” at going-out-of-business sales are discounts from inflated prices, not the normal pre-sale prices. The “sale” price may not be any lower than what you can find elsewhere.

Going-out-of-business sales are more of a play upon human psychology. “Retail is all about excitement, to get people into a store and get them into a mood to spend money.” . . .

But it’s not necessarily a rip-off racket.

It’s not that you can’t get good deals at going-out-of-business sales. You can. Just don’t assume the prices are lower there. You need to shop around as you would with any other purchase.

But a Good Pick for Treasury?

Investor’s Business Daily applauds Obama’s pick of Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary. “Wall Street seems to think this was a smart pick. So do we.”

I sure hope so.

What Was Obama Thinking?

Obama insiders are worried that their grand poohbah has screwed up big-time by appointing Hillary as his Secretary of State. Columnist David Ignatius shares their fear:

The idea of subcontracting foreign policy to Clinton, a big, hungry, needy ego surrounded by a team that’s hungrier and needier still, strikes me as a mistake of potentially enormous proportions.

I agree. Everything the Clintons do is calculated to benefit themselves, not others. Appointing a former rival to a top cabinet post sounds very Lincolnesque, but I’m confident this won’t turn out the way Lincoln’s magnanimity paid off. Obama will eventually rue the day he came up with this idea.

Living on the Water

After the destruction of Hurricane Ike, why in the world would anyone choose to rebuild on the shores of Galveston Bay? One long-term resident explains why in this poignant WSJ video report from San Leon.

I have relatives who live nearby in Bacliff, so I understand fully the attraction to this region.

Argh! There Be Pirates!

But these are not the lovable Captain Jack Sparrow variety, unfortunately.

The Bones Speak

DNA testing on skeletons recently unearthed at a site in Germany reveal that human society hasn’t changed much in 4,600 years.

In one grave, a man, a woman, and two young children were buried together. DNA tests showed that the four were related, i.e., they were a traditional nuclear family unit. But the bones showed evidence that this family and the others at the site had all died violently, apparently in a village raid.

So take your pick on the primary history lesson: Here is evidence that the traditional family has always been the foundation of society. Or here is evidence that mankind has always been at war with itself.

Personally, I see a third lesson that tips the scales toward a more optimistic view of humanity: Apparently there were enough survivors from the raid that they took the time to honor their dead and bury the victims, many of them in an eternal embrace. Even in the midst of a violent world, people still have the capacity for love.

UPDATE: Read more details here and here.

USB 3.0

When the Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection interface standard was introduced in 1996, it ushered in a whole new way of interacting with our computers. It replaced a hodge-podge of cables and connectors with a single, simple connector that allowed us to plug in keyboards, mice, printers, and other peripheral devices with a minimum of bother. The USB standard was upgraded to a 2.0 version several years ago, allowing faster speeds.

Now, USB 3.0 is in development, scheduled for release late next year or early 2010. This next generation USB will offer even faster speeds, up to 4.8 Gbps. That’s a ten-fold increase over the current version.

Once USB 3.0 releases, it will likely spell the end of the IEEE 1394 connection interface, aka “FireWire.” Apple has recently replaced FireWire ports with USB on some of its products, and this new standard will render FireWire’s superior speed irrelevant.

Hindrance to Clinton Cabinet Post

That would be . . . Clinton.

Hillary Clinton is being considered for appointment as Obama’s Secretary of State, but Bill Clinton’s global escapades could derail that scenario.

His complicated global business interests could present future conflicts of interest that result in unneeded headaches for the incoming commander-in-chief. . . . .

A particular issue could be the donor list of Bill Clinton’s global foundation, which might show connections to international figures who push policies that might conflict with those of the new Obama administration.

After Bill’s numerous errant campaign performances during his wife’s presidential run, this latest development could be the last straw for Hillary. Now that she has proven she can run with the boys on her own, I wouldn’t be surprised if she decides he is a liability that she can live without. You know, I’m just sayin’ . . . . .

Global Warming Smoking Gun

NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) recently released a report stating that October was the hottest month on record. With all the local news stories of record cold spells and snowfalls during that month, several AGW skeptics smelled something fishy and investigated the data behind the report. They discovered that the GISS data included temps from some locations that were rolled forward from September, not October. So naturally, the October data appeared to be much higher. NASA finally admitted its error and revised the numbers.

I get so tired of hearing journalists blather on about the overwhelming consensus of scientists agreeing on the global warming threat, when it’s obvious from stories like this that the “science” is riddled with politically motivated bias. Sooner or later, science will recover from its current dabbling in political advocacy and return to its higher calling, but in the meantime I fear that humanity will pay a dear price for the experiment.

Jindal vs. Palin: A First Look

Peter Wehner compares governors Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin as possible future Presidential candidates. His conclusion:

My sense is the GOP needs what Bobby Jindal and a few others possess: a first-rate mind, a command of the issues, and the capacity to present them in a confident and appealing manner. . . . .

If the Republican party is going to become politically dominant again, it needs to extend its reach to those who have left the fold. I’m not at all confident Sarah Palin can do that.

A Bailout for Detroit?

Cal Thomas, on why a federal bailout for the big three automakers is a bad idea:

The argument made by those favoring a bailout of Detroit is that it will save more than 100,000 jobs in the auto and related industries. But what good does that do if people are not buying cars in sufficient numbers to allow the Big Three to make a profit? This becomes the kind of corporate welfare Democrats decry when it comes to Wall Street. But, then, Wall Street isn’t unionized and Democrats want and need the union vote.

A free market is a powerful shaper of ingenuity — if the government will get out of the way and let it operate.

The Governator’s Priorities

Four years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger challenged and replaced Gray Davis as California governor because of Davis’ abyssmal handling of the state’s finances. Today, California is in at least as bad a shape as it was under Davis. And what is the Governator doing about it? Why, hosting a conference on the evils of global warming, of course.

This follows Schwarzenegger’s earlier push for sweeping greenhouse emissions reduction legislation that is crippling the state.

The greenhouse gas limits approved by Schwarzenegger will cost California billions of dollars in lost output as businesses locate elsewhere and take jobs with them. The one-time Golden State is rapidly deteriorating from a cutting-edge, high-tech economy to the fiscal equivalent of a Third World nation.

“The (state global warming) programs are costly to consumers and will not have any impact on the environment,” the nonpartisan American Legislative Council concluded in a recent report.

This is what we have to look forward to nationwide, as Obama follows a similar strategy.

High Esteem — But No Clue

A new study suggests that the self-esteem movement may have gone too far in building self-confidence in kids.

Decades of relentless, uncritical boosterism by parents and school systems may be producing a generation of kids with expectations that are out of sync with the challenges of the real world.

In other words, self-esteem is not merely taught, it is developed through a pedagogy of discipline and challenge, reinforced by positive reward.

Just imagine how these out-of-touch, feel-good young adults will skew elections once they are old enough to vote. Oh, wait, . . . .

A Dem Defends Palin

Camille Paglia excoriates her fellow Democrats who treated Sarah Palin with such shameless brutality.

Liberal Democrats are going to wake up from their sadomasochistic, anti-Palin orgy with a very big hangover. The evil genie released during this sorry episode will not so easily go back into its bottle. A shocking level of irrational emotionalism and at times infantile rage was exposed at the heart of current Democratic ideology — contradicting Democratic core principles of compassion, tolerance and independent thought. One would have to look back to the Eisenhower 1950s for parallels to this grotesque lock-step parade of bourgeois provincialism, shallow groupthink and blind prejudice.

I like Sarah Palin, and I’ve heartily enjoyed her arrival on the national stage. As a career classroom teacher, I can see how smart she is — and quite frankly, I think the people who don’t see it are the stupid ones, wrapped in the fuzzy mummy-gauze of their own worn-out partisan dogma. So she doesn’t speak the King’s English — big whoop! There is a powerful clarity of consciousness in her eyes. She uses language with the jumps, breaks and rippling momentum of a be-bop saxophonist. I stand on what I said (as a staunch pro-choice advocate) in my last two columns — that Palin as a pro-life wife, mother and ambitious professional represents the next big shift in feminism. Pro-life women will save feminism by expanding it, particularly into the more traditional Third World.

Why “Spreading the Wealth Around” Won’t Work

Robert Samuelson, writing in Newsweek:

The redistributionist argument is at best a half-truth. The larger truth is that much of the income of the rich and well-to-do comes from what they do. If they stop doing it, then the income and wealth vanish. No one gets it. It can’t be redistributed because it doesn’t exist. Everyone’s poorer.

This isn’t just theory. Last week, New York Gov. David Paterson pleaded with Congress to provide emergency aid to states. Heavily dependent on Wall Street for taxes, he testified, New York faces a $12.5 billion budget deficit next year and expects joblessness to rise by 160,000. Wall Street bonuses will drop by 43 percent and capital gains income by 35 percent, he estimated. People in New York would be better off if the securities industry were still booming, even if there were more economic inequality.

The only thing that improves by “spreading the wealth around” is politicians’ vote totals, as they gin up envy against those evil fat cats. But when the fat cats get skinned, it’s the golden goose that gets killed. We’ll all suffer then.

So You’re a Journalism Major, Huh?

With newspapers laying off employees left and right, what kind of future do you have? For that matter, why do colleges even bother maintaining journalism schools?

To be sure, Journalism School teaches some general skills.  It used to be like an English degree with the possibility of employment.  Now both majors provide a four-year path to a career at Starbucks.

We are witnessing a major paradigm shift in how the public seeks information, and the daily paper is going the way of the buggy whip.

Why the Anti-Gay Marriage Proposition Won

Despite the leftward tilt in Tuesday’s election, voters in three large states — California, Arizona, and Florida — passed propositions defining marriage as heterosexual only. There are several reasons why these propositions passed, but one stands out as worthy of mention, at least regarding the California vote.

The pro-amendment forces were running a devastating ad showing a self-satisfied San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom shouting wild-eyed at a rally that same-sex marriage was inevitable “whether you like it or not.” The announcer then said darkly, “It’s no longer about tolerance. Acceptance of gay marriage is now mandatory.” Many fence sitters were turned off by Newsom’s arrogance.

It’s not just Newsom’s arrogance. The whole gay rights movement is increasingly dominated by shrill activists whose in-your-face tactics turn off straight people. Their behavior confirms the fears of many, that the gay rights issue is not about simple tolerance; it’s about defiance — brash, arrogant, fist-shaking, you’d-better-accept-this-or-else defiance. Normal people will react negatively to that kind of pushiness every time, regardless of the merits of the cause.

The Price of Denying AGW

British naturalist David Bellamy was once a popular figure on BBC nature programs. But that all changed once he came out in opposition to anthropogenic global warming scare mongering. Now he is a shunned man.

I’m still an environmentalist, I’m still a Green and I’m still campaigning to stop the destruction of the biodiversity of the world. But money will be wasted on trying to solve this global warming “problem” that I would much rather was used for looking after the people of the world.

The global warming scare is not about science, and never has been. It’s about political and economic power, using the noble mantle of science to hide the real objective. And those who refuse to drink the Kool-Aid are subjected to all the vicious tactics of any political war.

The Disgraceful Treatment of Bush

President Bush has been everyone’s favorite whipping boy the last several years. Every President makes an easy target, but the treatment given this one has been especially unfair, says Jeffery Scott Shapiro:

The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.

Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty — a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

I suspect that as the new President begins his own struggle with America’s problems, Bush will continue to get blamed for everything.

How Did It Come to This?

Six months ago, conservatives were rooting for Obama to win the Democratic primary, because he would be much easier to defeat in the general election than Hillary. But now the unthinkable has happened: Obama has beaten his Republican opponent, and will be the next President of the United States.

President Barack Obama.

How did it come to this? How could a candidate so empty and so far to the left of mainstream America fool the majority of the electorate into handing over the reins of power to him?

Conservative pundits will trot out a long list of co-conspirators to explain this loss. It was the media, openly and shamelessly shilling for the liberal candidate. It was the corrupt Democratic Congress who set up the financial markets to fail, then pinned the blame on the Republicans. It was the crooked Obama campaign machine itself, well-versed in the dirty tricks of Chicago politics, that evaded the rules and stole the election.

All quite true. But all completely missing the bigger lesson here.

Obama did not stage a coup and seize power. Whatever role the media, Congress, and his campaign machine may have played in tipping this election, the harsh truth is that Obama persuaded tens of millions of Americans that he was the best man for the job, that his policies really are what this country needs for the next four years, or longer.

The real story here is the changing character of the American people. Rush and Hannity frequently talk about the indominatable American spirit, the unquenchable desire for freedom and personal independence that inspires our people. But that lofty rhetoric no longer describes the majority of Americans. Instead, this election demonstrates that we have become a nation of underachievers, a motley collection of whiners, victims, and slobs who expect The Government to provide all our basic needs. We have taken John Kennedy’s noble challenge and turned it upside down, demanding that our country do for us what we choose not to do for ourselves.

Obama won because the majority of Americans agree with his vision for America. He promised to “spread the wealth around,” and instead of reacting with shock and outrage, Americans responded with, “where does the line start?” He expressed open disdain for the bitter rubes who cling to their guns and religion, knowing that the majority of Americans no longer cling to either. Instead, we cling to a nanny state that promises to punish a wealthy few on behalf of the huddling masses. That a majority of Americans would embrace such a message speaks volumes about America, not the candidate.

What kind of mark will an Obama Presidency make on America? I don’t know. But I am not half as concerned about what Obama will do to this country as I am in what tens of millions of my fellow Americans will do to it. No empire in history has ever surived its own moral implosion. And we are witnessing the beginning of our own national implosion.

A Glimmer of Hope

Even if Obama becomes President, there may be something to look forward to in four years, according to Hillary supporter Will Bower: “I see Barack Obama as essentially being the Democratic George Bush.”

Of course, unlike Bush, Obama’s defenders can always claim racism as the motive of his critics.

The Media and an Ignorant Electorate

Michael Ledeen, on the failure of the media to inform the public:

Never before has the ignorance of the electorate been so intensely cultivated as in this election.  We all know that major publications and broadcasters have simply refused to report news, and what they did report was spun politically. . . .

An ignorant electorate is a real threat to good government, and the whole point of the First Amendment is to create a wide-open national debate from which the truth might emerge.  The current behavior of the media–now totally politicized–makes it very hard to get to the truth.

And if a government wholly owned by the Democratic Party emerges from today’s election, there will be a determined push to further politicize journalism and squelch the remaining vestiges of dissent.

The Obama Presidency

Conrad Black wonders how a center-right country could elect a far-left President. Between a bungling McCain campaign and a complicated financial meltdown, it’s not hard to figure out. Mickey Mouse could have run on the Democratic ticket, and probably won. So America will have a leftist President — and will pay a steep price for our knee-jerk political instincts.

Obama will also promote unionization of the work force, thus advancing that retrograde and declining cause of the departure of much of U.S. manufacturing to cheap-labour countries in the first place. If Obama takes his economic advice from Warren Buffett and Paul Volcker, catastrophe will be avoided. If he actually carries out his program, he will be the worst president since Warren Harding, and the most (inadvertently) destructive since James Buchanan brought on the Civil War.

TV Sex Affects Teen Pregnancy Rate

Via FoxNews.com:

Groundbreaking research suggests that pregnancy rates are much higher among teens who watch a lot of TV with sexual dialogue and behavior than among those who have tamer viewing tastes. . . . Previous research by some of the same scientists had already found that watching lots of sex on TV can influence teens to have sex at earlier ages.

So popular culture influences impressionable young minds. Who would have known?

Iceman Was an Alien?

Well, sort of.

The 5,000-year-old corpse that was discovered high in the Alps a few years ago apparently is not related to modern Europeans, according to DNA tests.

The scientists found that the mummy’s DNA doesn’t match the DNA of modern Europeans. This suggests that while men and women shared the Iceman’s genetic heritage at some point in the past, they don’t have descendants in Europe now.

“Apparently, this genetic group is no longer present,” study co-author Franco Rollo, a researcher at Italy’s University of Camerino, said in a university news release. “We don’t know whether it is extinct or it has become extremely rare.”

The scientists were also able to determine that he was a murder victim, shot in the back with an arrow and struck in the face with a spiked club. Hmmm. Maybe this was a mob hit.

Mars Lander Going Into Hybernation

With the oncoming Martian winter reducing the amount of sunlight available for recharging its batteries, the Phoenix Mars Lander is having trouble phoning home.

But not to worry. As soon as Obama becomes President, the whole solar system will be bathed in perpetual sunlight, and all will be well.