Steve Prestegard.com: The Presteblog

Dependence Day

July 3, 2012

Tim Nerenz isn’t happy about the state of the United States of America one day before Independence Day. Nor should he (nor you) be:

Our elected officials all talk about “the American people” like we were undifferentiated; they would have us believe what is good for us is just one thing and they happen to know exactly what it is. They no longer make their laws conform to our liberty; they make our liberty conform to their laws.

This is exactly wrong; us having to conform to their laws is the same unbearable circumstance that led us to revolt in 1776, only now our tax burden is even higher.

It is easy to become confused and think that we and the government are inseparable. Our government has enacted public housing, public education, public health care, public libraries, public transportation, public debt; and we have been told all of those are “ours”.

We hear about the public good, the public interest, and the public trust so often we start to hallucinate and see the mirage ourselves; we begin to think there might actually be such things. We have been taught that we are dependent on government for our security and prosperity; many have come to believe that we cannot possibly exist independent from it.

With each generation we drift farther and farther away from the nation’s first principle – liberty. We have lost sight of what it means to be free and we have forgotten what it is that we are to be liberated from – namely, government. …

We have foolishly accepted the idea that government is our master and we must obey its commands. We view with suspicion those who demand that our Constitution be respected and that our individual liberties be restored; we fear the truly independent among us; we envy those who succeed on their own.

So let’s have some truth in advertising and celebrate Dependence Day this 4th of July. Let us marinate in our dull conformity and revel in our meek compliance.

Let’s all drive exactly the posted limit, don’t put any grams of CO2 in the air firing up those backyard grills, make sure the kids check with Bloomberg about how much pop they can have, and let’s allow MADD to ration the beer. No boats, jet skis, or water-skiing on Dependence Day either – you need a truck to pull that kind of gear and we are supposed to be Volt-dolts now, haven’t you heard? …

And put away all that red, white, and blue, because someone somewhere somehow will find a way to get themselves offended at the flags, and we can’t have that.

Speaking of offended, vegans don’t like you eating brats, either, so it’s going to be a broccoli day; and without our pets in public – PETA types don’t like pets or pet owners. Parades? I don’t think so. Somebody might sue us because they had to wait to cross their favorite street. Worse yet, they might need health care somewhere over there on the other side of the marching bands and horse clubs and politicians working the crowds.

So have a ball, all you dependents and collectivists who think the key to your happiness is compliance. Yes, have yourselves a fabulous Dependence Day, with your safe little sparklers and uncooked broccoli, and “Mandy” purring out at volume two in your Volts as you sip your O’Douls and 8 ounces of Coke and wait for your government to light off its fireworks (waivers, naturally) so you can thank your lucky stars we have statists who care about us enough to entertain us once a year.

Or here is a better idea: throw off your dependence and come and join us in the liberty movement. Take back your independence and live as a self-sovereign in a nation where government is limited and liberty is not. Play Manilow because you want to, not because you have to; wave your sparklers because it pleases you, not because it pleases some bureaucrat in a city far away. Liberty is the absence of government in choice; it is independence from government.

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Health care vs. ObamaCare

July 3, 2012

US business, US politics

My favorite economists, Brian Wesbury and Bob Stein:

Let’s be absolutely clear: the health care system in the United States is excellent…just inefficient. No one lacks care. Stories of people being kicked out in the street have proven to be fabrications. Nonetheless, the system is politically untenable. It’s a patchwork of third-party payers – both private and public – and the population is aging. The result is rapidly rising costs, surging anxiety, and a desire to do something. …

The magic of America, as seen by the Founders, was that we could try something new. The typical European way of dealing with problems – more government, more compulsion and more regulation – is a recipe for disaster, as European history continues to prove. The Founders believed, and fought for, freedom and free markets which as Larry Kudlow likes to say “are the best path to prosperity.” …

But, given human nature, government always tries to over-reach and involve itself in areas it shouldn’t. For health care, this began in the 1940s, when insurance became a deductible corporate expense. Then, in 1965, Medicare and Medicaid started. Since then, free markets have gradually receded, giving way to our current “third-way” health-care system.

The results were predictable. As Milton Friedman said, when government gets involved, costs rise and quality falls. We will add that happiness does, too. One reason this happens is that all that cost shifting we talked about a few paragraphs ago creates frictions and involves bureaucracy.

Which inevitably leads to where we are today. Politically, the nation must go one way or another, either toward a European system of more compulsion – attempts to fix the system with more rules and regulations – or, toward a more free market system built on the American way.

Last Thursday’s Supreme Court decision on health care reform was a punch in the gut to those hoping for a more free market approach. Essentially, Chief Justice Roberts took the position that the government cannot make you eat broccoli, but can tax you if you don’t eat enough of it.

He ruled that, as the law was written, it was unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause. Some conservatives think this was a victory. They believe limiting the use of the Commerce Clause is important over the long run. But then, Justice Roberts said that if it was really a “tax” and not a “penalty,” the law was just fine.

So, the US now faces a very important election season. Liberals want to “move on,” and if we believed the US should look like Europe we would want to move on too. Conservatives want to stand and fight.

This is one of the most important political battles of our lifetimes. With a presidential election later this year, there is a significant possibility of a shift in power toward those who support a more free market approach. If that side wins, the vast majority of what was enacted two years ago will likely be repealed and replaced through the budget reconciliation process in the Senate, where no filibuster would be possible and a simple majority would rule.

It is also important to recognize that even if the law is implemented, it is not going to accomplish the popular goals its supporters claim it will achieve. This means we will eventually go back to the drawing board anyhow. …

Although the law will expand insurance coverage (if we include insurance policies paid by the government), this will lead to an emphasis on cost control that threatens to stifle innovation, undermining health outcomes in the future. That doesn’t mean health care will get worse, it just means the pace of improvement will slow compared to where it would otherwise be. Other countries, which have had lower costs because they’ve been “drafting” behind the innovations developed in the US, will suffer as well. This also means economic activity, which is already subdued (the Plow Horse Economy) will remain that way.

The better approach, toward more free markets, would be to move away from an employer-based system, by treating health expenses the same regardless of who makes them. Back in World War II, allowing companies to deduct health benefits was a way of getting around wartime wage and price controls. Now, 70 years later, we’re still stuck with a system in which almost no one pays directly for their own health care or insurance. As a result, no one has an incentive to reject high cost “defensive medicine” and many are willing to use high cost procedures that generate little to no benefit.

The Court’s decision on Thursday makes these reforms tougher to achieve in the near term, but we remain confident that, in the end, markets will win out over government.

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An interesting anniversary considering what tomorrow is: Today in 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Federal Communications Commission ruling punishing WBAI radio in New York City for broadcasting George Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words. (If you click on the link, remember, you’ve been warned.)

Birthdays begin with Fontella Bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwt3kr0_l6I

Damon Harris of the Temptations:

The late Laura Brannigan:

Stephen Pearcy of Ratt:

Taylor Dayne:

(more…)

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A reminder from Mother Nature

July 2, 2012

weather

Rich Galen on Friday’s night’s severe weather from Indiana to Maryland:

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley pointed out correctly that this derecho did as much damage as a hurricane or a major snow storm but unlike those weather events there were not many days advance warning to pre-position repair equipment, but only a matter of a few hours. …

It also made me wonder about the future of the “smart grid” we are supposed to be so eagerly awaiting.

A fully integrated electrical grid will be vulnerable to computer hackers – private or government-sponsored. If losing power from a storm can be this disruptive to this many people, imagine what an organized attack would do to huge sections of the country. …

It was a good reminder that the distance between the 21st and 19th centuries is not nearly as far as we sometimes think it is.

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Video of the year

July 2, 2012

media, US business

To commemorate both June Dairy Month and July Beef Month:

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Presty the DJ for July 2

July 2, 2012

Music

Today in 1969, Leslie West and Felix Pappalardi created Mountain:

Birthdays today start with Paul Williams of the Temptations:

Roy Bittan of the E Street Band, which played mostly, but not exclusively, with Bruce Springsteen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-WAnC4UXEI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBMPWSNHMDA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zshUXe-PTeQ%5D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXuTD4vSF9E%5D

Joey Puerta of Ambrosia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=559JzBwgAC4

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Presty the DJ for July 1

July 1, 2012

Music

Today in 1963, the Beatles recorded “She Loves You,” yeah, yeah, yeah:

Four years later, the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” reached number one, and stayed there for 15 weeks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z69mUagp4gE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmOecBHVhLg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfrvY8zAL4A

Birthdays begin with Robert Byrd (no, not the older-than-dirt Ku Klux Klan member who became the senator from West Virginia), whom you may know better as Bobby Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmBmD3s-R9s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbqLhzE8tng

Delaney Bramlett, of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaVyZoRtVok

Deborah Harry of Blondie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZYgQDblVI4

Fred Schneider of the B-52s:

Evelyn “Champagne” King:

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Presty the DJ for June 30

June 30, 2012

Music

Here’s an odd anniversary: Four days after Cher divorced Sonny Bono, she married Gregg Allman. Come back to this blog in nine days to find out what happened next.

Birthdays start with Florence Ballard of the Supremes …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UulB1KOTwA

… born one year before Glenn Shorrock of the Little River Band:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY0ByK6JED8

Billy Brown, of Ray Goodman Brown:

Andrew Sweet, who is “Andy” in this famed ’70s song:

Hal Lindes of Dire Straits:

Adrian Wright of the Human League:

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The $60,000 (MSRP) Corvette

June 29, 2012

Wheels

Earlier this week an email arrived announcing a raffle for America’s Sports Car, the Corvette, at a Catholic school in Effingham, Ill.

The grand prize is a new Corvette coupe with a pricetag of up to $60,000 Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price, or $55,000 cash. Tickets are $100 each, with 1,500 tickets to be sold.

The grand prize (for which the winner need not be present) will be presented at Mid-America Motorworks in Effingham, one of the nation’s biggest Corvette accessories sellers and the creator of National Drive Your Corvette to Work Day, which is today. (It’s the last Friday in June because the first Corvette went on sale June 30, 1953.) I drove past Effingham, Ill., coming back from a wedding in 2011. I still kick myself that I didn’t stop at Mid-America Motorworks; no one else in the van wanted to stop after a night in a hotel that featured a fire alarm at 1:30 a.m.

The pricetag of the ticket means I’m probably not going to enter. Remember, I work in journalism. (The St. Anna Fire Department Corvette raffle, which the fire department’s website doesn’t mention yet, is much more affordable.)

It did make me wonder, on National Drive Your Corvette to Work Day, how much Corvette I can get for $60,000 MSRP. Nearly every new car sells for less than sticker price, but the raffle website does say $60,000 MSRP. The website specifies a coupe and not a convertible, and the $60,000 limit eliminates the ZO6 ($75,600) and the ZR1 ($111,600).

That leaves either the base model, at $49,600, or the Grand Sport coupe, at $56,000. Both have a 43o-horsepower V-8 that can propel my Corvette from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds and to a top speed of 190 mph, while getting 26 highway mpg. (Your mileage may vary if you keep stomping the loud pedal.)

I’m OK with the coupe over the convertible. The convertible theoretically has unlimited headroom, which is good for the tall driver, but taking off the roof panel accomplishes that too. The hatchback adds a handy amount of storage space that the convertible does not have.

The choice between the base model and the Grand Sport depends on what you get for that extra $6,400. Most of the difference appears to be in the Grand Sport’s Z52 Performance Package, which includes a dry-sump oil cooler and “differential color” for those who select the correct transmission, the six-speed manual The Grand Sport has aluminum wheels instead of chrome, Goodyear F1 Eagle supercar tires, upgraded brakes, and front-fender paint stripes.

Chevrolet adds another level of complexity with three option packages to add on. Package LT2 adds Bluetooth, a Bose audio system and navigation system, Heads Up Display so you can see in your windshield how fast you’re going (in case you can’t figure that out from how fast the terrain is going by), and a luggage shade and cargo net. (With 0–60 under four seconds, you can rearrange what’s in back pretty fast.) Package LT3 adds a Memory Package, heated sport seats with perforated leather surfaces, and power telescoping steering wheel. Package LT4 adds a Custom Leather Wrapped Interior Package, microfiber suede seat inserts, and a Carbon Gunmetal console trim plate.

Unfortunately, the last two packages take the Grand Sport’s MSRP over our $60,000 limit. Nothing in LT4 is particularly necessary, but LT3 would be useful. That limits our choice to the base coupe with the LT3 package, much as I’d like the upgraded brakes.

There’s little option wiggle room since we’re already at $56,570. We will not waste $1,250 by ordering the paddle-shift (damnable automatic) transmission. One important option to select is Corvette Museum Delivery, where you can pick up your Vette at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., where your Corvette is built, for $450. I also want the transparent roof panel ($750), because I like the sun coming in regardless of whether the top’s 0n or not.

That leaves enough money for one, but not both, of two high-cost options. I chose the The Magnetic Selective Ride Control (little magnets, believe it or not, in the shock absorbers improve handling and ride) for $1,995, instead of the dual-mode performance exhaust (six more horsepower, four more lb-ft of torque, and “a more aggressive exhaust sound”) for $1,195.

That takes us to $59,805. That also influences the color choice in taking out four alternatives, Crystal Red Tintcoat and Velocity Yellow Tintcoat ($850), and Inferno Orange Metallic and Supersonic Blue Metallic ($300). If this were a perfect world, the Donnybrooke Green of the first Corvette I remember seeing, a 1970 coupe down the street, would be available, but it isn’t. If I had more than $60,000 to spend, I’d pick Crystal Red, but for purposes of this I don’t.

A book about the creation of the C5 Corvette was called All Corvettes Are Red. They’re not all red, but even though I prefer the extra-cost red, we’ll go with the standard red, with a red interior too. And the result is …

… a car that would get me to stories and other appointments really, really quickly, you must admit.

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The right Mike

June 29, 2012

Packers

Since on a 90-plus-degree day every Wisconsinite thinks about the Packers, you cannot help but be impressed with this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel interview with Packers coach Mike McCarthy:

Q. Having won a Super Bowl, though, and going 15-1 last year, where do you set the bar?

A. I think I said it the first day I was here. It’s always about winning the world championship in Green Bay. I don’t think you ever settle for less than that. Just take a look at last year, 15-1 doesn’t cut it.

Q. So to you, 15-2 last year doesn’t cut it?

A. That’s not what I’m looking for, and it’s not what our players want and that’s really all that matters. If we can stay focused on what the group’s trying to accomplish and continue to do the things that are necessary. We have a blueprint of success for the way we train, but it’s a challenge every year. The team takes on a new face every year. There’s a path out there for us to get to New Orleans and win the championship. It’s our responsibility, and with a little touch of grace from the good Lord, we’ll be able to stay on that path. …

Q. At the 2011 NFL combine, you said one of your goals was to become the No. 1 offense in the NFL and then you went and scored 560 points, the second most in NFL history. What’s your level of pride in achieving that, and can this offense get better?

A. We felt we clearly left a lot of offense on the table (in 2010). There was actually a lot of offense we didn’t even use because of the injuries. That year was clearly the highest of all the years here where things we did in training camp we never even used during the season. So with that being said, I was very confident and I thought the offense was ready for Aaron (Rodgers). Aaron’s been ready for more responsibility, but it’s more is everybody else around him ready, too? And we felt Aaron was ready for more responsibility at the line, and I think it’s been very beneficial to our team. To me, last year was the standard. We set the standard on offense, and that’s what we’d like to hold ourselves to.

Q. So 35 points per game is now the standard?

A. Yep. I like that. …

Q. [Aaron] Rodgers is at almost the identical point in his career as Brett Favre was when you were his position coach here in 1999. Can you compare how it is to coach the two at this particular juncture of their careers?

A. I’m in a different job today, and frankly, I miss coaching quarterbacks. I just have too many responsibilities. The most important thing that I’ve done as far as the quarterback room is make sure the structure and the emphasis was put into place, and I did that my first year here. Tom (Clements) did a fantastic job of carrying that through and now he’s doing that with (new quarterbacks coach) Ben (McAdoo). The only thing is when I look at the quarterback room, I just want to walk over and be sure it’s continuing to be done the right way, because everybody has a certain way they’d like to see a quarterback trained. As far as coaching Brett, he was a lot more accomplished in the offense, so it was a transition. I’d say it’s a lot different. I look at Ben walking in the room now. Ben’s been here. Aaron knew Ben. I was the new guy coming in. I didn’t coach Brett until the first minicamp. To me, it’s a whole different off-season layout. Brett was a great player. He went through a bunch of injuries that year and did a remarkable job playing all 16 games that year.

Q. Have you ever had anybody quite like Jermichael Finley – on and off the field?

A. Oh yeah. He’s not that hard. I’ve had a lot more challenging situations. I think with Jermichael, people are on Jermichael a little bit too hard because he’s the only one that carries himself that way. The guy has a big heart and he means well. He’s extremely competitive and very talented. Everybody expresses themselves differently and obviously his style is very resourceful to the media, and that kind of takes on a different life. But I like him. I enjoy working with Jermichael. And if people didn’t enjoy working with Jermichael Finley, then he wouldn’t be here, and that’s not the case. We think he’s a young man that still has so much in front of him. The only thing I concern myself with Jermichael is I just want to see him stay healthy. But I’ve been around a lot more challenging people than Jermichael. …

Q. Do you ever want [Ted Thompson’s] job, here or somewhere else?

A. No. If I did that job I wouldn’t coach. I don’t think you can do two. I think it’s too much. I think you’d be robbing Peter to pay Paul. You can’t be in two places at one time. I’m a football coach, and I don’t see anything in the near future that’s going to change that. But I’ll also say this: I feel like I have something bigger in my life than being the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. I think there’s something out there for me to do after my time is up. I hope it’s not up for a long time because I enjoy it. But those questions are always answered by someone a lot bigger than you and I. But when that time comes, I do feel like there’s one more big challenge out there for myself professionally.

Q. Most people in this state don’t think there’s very much that’s bigger than where you’re sitting.

A. Well, it’s the best job I’ll ever have. I’ll never have a better one.

Q. You hint about that next challenge. Any idea what that is?

A. No I don’t. I’ll let the good Lord tell me what that is. …

Q. Once July 26 arrives, will you have any type of home / work balance over the ensuing seven or eight months?

A. How do you define balance?

Q. Let’s say seeing your family an hour, maybe two a day.

A. I like to think we have balance here as far as the coaching profession goes. We’re not going to have coaches sleeping here in the office. I can promise you that. I won’t allow that. I’ve done that. I know why it’s happened, but I’m very conscientious of the time management of our staff. I’ve done the sleep in the office thing, or two or three hours of sleep, but you’re not the same guy on the field. The thing I’ve noticed from the old way and the way we do it is I want the coaches fresh. I want them getting home, getting a good night sleep. The most important time you spend is with your players, in your meeting room, on the field and you need proper sleep to get that done. …

Q. You obviously learned something from the loss in 2007. What did you learn from last year’s loss?

A. Really, it takes you right back to the emphasis of the fundamentals. That’s something I feel we do every day, but maybe we had to take a look. Maybe I wasn’t doing it enough. We adjusted some practice things because of it.

Q. That was also one of the most unique weeks leading up to a football game that I’m sure you ever had [with the death of the son of Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin]. In retrospect, how much did that hurt you?

A. Unique is a kind word. I don’t know how you explain that week. It was like getting run over by a truck. That’s a better description. …

Q. What do you want your legacy to be here?

A. That he was a better person than a coach.

Q. In 2010, you went with the ‘Super Bowl or Bust’ theme. Will you do that again?

A. I just don’t believe in the crash and burn theory. I believe in winning and learning. I don’t believe in that other word. I don’t even like to say it. I believe you keep building and keep working at it, keep winning. And as long as they keep giving you opportunities, make the best of it. I’m not satisfied with coming close. I’m going to do everything I can to win the championship and that will never change. And when that does change, I probably need to step out and let someone else take a swing at it.

Wouldn’t you want to play for a coach like that?

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