Nader Is No Perot?

I didn't really like Ross Perot, but he made politics fun for a while. His "It's just this simple!" and graphs and charts just didn't cut it for me. He tried to bring his corporate America into the American political system; it was a good try, but not good enough.

Ralph Nader announced his entry into his 100th presidential race a while back. I don't know what this guy is thinking. His head must be as big as Ecuador.

Nevertheless, the next president has this fun to deal with:

Bush inherited a $236 billion surplus, while the next president will inherit a deficit likely to top $400 billion. Federal debt, which fell to 57 percent of gross domestic product during the Clinton administration, is back up to about 68 percent, the highest percentage since the 1950s. Interest on the federal debt tops $200 billion a year, so we have to move quickly to avoid losing ground. Moreover, deficits are increasingly being financed by other countries, making us increasingly vulnerable to their agendas.

Not only the deficit and debt, but also Social Security, Medicare, national defense, the Iraq quagmire, the Afghanistan "We'll get him dead or alive, or not" campaign to catch bin Laden.

Sheesh. It could make a girl cry. And maybe it will, though that would take a snowball surviving in hell first.

Alice M. Rivlin and Michael O'Hanlon - A Campaign In Need of A Perot - washingtonpost.com

Technorati Tags: national debt | 2008 presidential election | President Bush | John McCain | Barack Obama | Hillary Clinton

Rants -- May 25, 2008

Welcome to the May 25, 2008 edition of Rants. We had a lot of great submissions and I thank each and every one of you who posted.

Please be so kind as to link back to this post. I'd appreciate a little link love. :)

Edith presents Obama, Clinton and Web 2.0 posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act.

APH presents NY Gov. Patterson’s Rent-Stabilized Apartment in Harlem posted at Market Urbanism.

Chris presents Long Plea about Corruption, Freedom of Speech and Indonesia’s road towards ‘real’ Democracy posted at nomad4ever.

Adso of Melk presents The S Word posted at Lorem Ipsum, saying, "Adso wonders about the dreaded S word for homeschoolers: Socialization"

Jason Hughey presents Part 1: The Truth Behind Kosovo - Introduction posted at Logical Consistency, saying, "A lot hangs in the balance when government policy ignores hard questions and/or answers them with lies. It's time to revisit the United States involvement in the 1999 Kosovo intervention and find out what really happened."

Holly Ord presents Women in the Work Place: Ask a Working Woman posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Holly Ord presents PETA Uses Girls in Bikinis to Draw Attention to Their Cause posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Michael Bass presents The End of White Tyranny posted at Debt Prison, saying, "Though whites have the ability to create wonderful societies, we do not possess the cleverness to maintain them."

The BoBo presents What is a Conservative? posted at The BoBo Files, saying, "The Clown discusses his idea of what a Conservative is."

Michael Snyder presents Radical Depopulation Of The Earth - The Solution To Mankind's Problems? posted at Shattered Paradigm.

Ashok presents On the First Paragraph of Federalist 10: From Faction to Freedom to Property posted at Rethink..

Gerry Cueto presents What is Moral? posted at Finding a Meaningful Career, saying, "rant against the religious right"

Madeleine Begun Kane presents War, Inc. Interruptus posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Dear Supreme Sacrificer posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Holly Ord presents posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Megan presents Fatsteria: The Absurdity Crisis posted at FATSTERIA.

Holly Ord presents Welcome America, to the Second Vietnam posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Wenchypoo presents Taxing the Rich? Hell, You Can't Even SOAK 'Em! posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Ian Welsh presents Cutting Through Primary and Election Crap posted at The Agonist, saying, "If Democrats want to win the general, they need to let go of these 10 campaign season myths and start dealing with reality (for a change)."

NotYourDaddy presents Goldilocks Doesn't Vote posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "I picture McCain climbing a tree, reaching for an apple on the outermost branch, while the trunk bends and groans and finally splinters beneath the awkward distribution of weight. That’s what’s happening to the entire Republican Party. If it leans any further to the left, it’s going split its core right down the middle."

NotYourDaddy presents Obama's Unsavory Endorsements posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "Obama supporters have pointed out that Obama didn’t solicit the endorsement and, just because Hamas endorses Obama doesn’t mean Obama endorses Hamas. In fact, Senator Obama was just as quick to disassociate himself from the Hamas endorsement as he was earlier to disassociate himself from the Farrakhan endorsement. But the nagging question remains, why do such people and organizations endorse him?"

NotYourDaddy presents Dishonest Anti-McCain Ad posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "I know politics can be dirty, but I’m thoroughly disgusted that the Democrats would stoop so low."

NotYourDaddy presents Evil Oil Companies? posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "If oil companies are evil for pulling in billions of dollars a year in profits from the oil they produce, the government must be evil incarnate, because the federal and state governments make a lot more money off of gasoline taxes each year than the total profits of all the oil companies combined."

Steve Faber presents - Why Are Gas Prices So High? posted at DebtBlog.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:rants, blog carnival.

One Man's View on Ralph Nader and the Presidency

Fortunately for you, it's not my view. My view would contain R-rated material. I share the author's view of Nader, but my rendition of that view would be full of 4-letter words that rhymed with duck and may-hole.

By the way, look at the picture! Nader has a halo. Clearly the devil is involved. Nader is a bafoon, but a rich, special-interest-paid one.

Andrew Tobias: He's Back - Politics on The Huffington Post

Technorati Tags: Ralph Nader | Al Gore | George Bush | Andrew Tobias | Meet the Press

Rants -- May 18, 2008

Welcome to the May 18, 2008 edition of Rants.

Brent Diggs presents The Harsh Demands of Internet Explorer posted at The Ominous Comma, saying, "Humor"

Holly Ord presents Mother’s Day and the Release of No Trespassing posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Wenchypoo presents More on the Oil Front: Subsidization By Country posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Laslo Weger presents Assassination of D.C. Madam posted at Outsider's View, saying, "By now it is old news, but the question remains open."

Ashok presents Rethink.: Is Politics Reducible to Rhetoric? posted at Rethink., saying, "We hear tons from media types, including Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, about how government is nothing but spin. If that's true, then is government nothing more than rhetoric?"

Holly Ord presents The Anti-Choice Agenda Gets Even More Ridiculous posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents George Who??? posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Jose DeJesus MD presents Cash Before Treatment - The Crisis in Medical Care Funding posted at Physician Entrepreneur, saying, "Dr. Jose DeJesus discusses the unsustainable current arrangement where large payers, including government, insurance, and large employers have negotiated payment rates that do not reflect real healthcare costs. Those who have limited benefit or no health insurance face rates that often reflect distortions created by these large payers, and mandated but unfunded costs. Finally, Dr. DeJesus suggests some alternatives to the current situation."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:
rants, blog carnival.

SUVs for Business Are Big Tax Savers This Year - Kiplinger.com

Wow. We needed this. A redo of the 2001 (I think) tax break that phased out a few years ago, where people can almost fully write off the entire cost of their GI-MONGOUS SUV that they use "for business."

Gas at nearly $4 a gallon = Congress passes a law, that dumbass Bush signs, that encourages people to buy big, honkin' road hogs. Brilliant!

SUVs for Business Are Big Tax Savers This Year - Kiplinger.com

AC/DC: Bon Scott or Brian Johnson -- Who is Better?

Here's a link to a study done by economists that attempted to scientifically demonstrate through the use of an economics/statistical tool who was the better AC/DC singer: Bon Scott or Brian Johnson.

Let the comments begin. Take the poll in the upper right-hand corner of the home page.


(Hint: People chose Brian Johnson)
ACDC .com

Technorati Tags: AC/DC | Bon Scott | Brian Johnson

Greg Mankiw's Blog: McCain vs Obama: Carbon Auctions

Excerpted from Greg Mankiw's Blog: McCain vs Obama: Carbon Auctions:

In his speech yesterday, Senator McCain gave a nod to selling the carbon allowances:

Over time, an increasing fraction of permits for emissions could be supplied by auction, yielding federal revenues that can be put to good use.

Not bad, but the statement raises several questions. Why over time? Why not immediately? And how high would that fraction become?

Here was Senator Obama on this topic in a debate a few months ago:

I think cap-and-trade system makes more sense. That's why I proposed it because you can be very specific in terms of how we're going to reduce the greenhouse gases by a particular level. Now what you have to do is you have to combine it with a hundred percent auction.

The Pigou Club gives the edge to Obama.

Greg Mankiw's Blog: McCain vs Obama: Carbon Auctions

McCain Voting Record Contradicts Maverick Myth

John McCain is no maverick.

PERRspectives Blog: McCain Voting Record Contradicts Maverick Myth

More here and here and still MORE HERE. STILL MORE HERE!!!

Technorati Tags: John McCain | GOP | 2008 Presidential candidate

Rants -- May 11, 2008

Welcome to the May 11, 2008 edition of Rants.

AJ presents Why Every American Should Be Thinking About Reverend Jeremiah Wright posted at Reverend Wright . com.

Jeffrey Stingerstein presents When Is It Not the United States? Fault? posted at Disillusioned Words.

Dana presents Why do we care what Greg Laden has to say? posted at Principled Discovery.

Ashok presents Is Democracy Feasible? (Reflections on the Gettysburg Address) posted at Rethink., saying, "Discusses Jefferson's and Lincoln's views on equality, and how both figures grounded their arguments regarding its importance in American life."

Holly Ord presents The Abortion Superhero: NOT Funny posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Holly Ord presents Obama, The Radical Feminist posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Holly Ord presents WrongCards Aren't Only Wrong, They're Disgusting | Menstrual Poetry posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Middle Man presents The World Has Gone Mad! posted at Middle Man.

Archvillain presents California- It's a whole 'nuther Species posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "WTF is wrong with people in California?"

Holly Ord presents Don’t Even Think About Asking a Real Question at a Presidential Q&A posted at Menstrual Poetry.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:
rants, blog carnival.

Omaha man uses steak knife to perform self-tracheotomy - Yahoo! News

Wow.

Omaha man uses steak knife to perform self-tracheotomy - Yahoo! News

The Bush-McCain Challenge

The Bush-McCain Challenge -- courtesy of MoveOn.org.

Kinda funny. By the way, I missed most of the answers. So I guess I'm not a very good little conservative Republican after all. (Wait! I knew that!)

Technorati Tags: Bush | McCain | Republican | conservative | MoveOn.org | Democrat

Rants -- May 4, 2008

Welcome to the May 4, 2008 edition of Rants. This week's edition was all hosed up because the Blog Carnival site went down for untold hours. No explanation. No apology. I guess I got what I paid for (it's free). Sorry for being late on this one. Let's try harder next time :)

O. Daille Nation-Ashley presents Sick and Tired of Make Money Online Sites posted at CEOmum, saying, "Thanks for hosting."

Shan Siddiqi presents "Support our troops?" vs. 'Support the war" posted at Globally Rational, saying, "The troops in Iraq face rampant depression, abysmal suicide rates, and (recently) undernourishment. Maybe we should rethink the phrase 'support our troops.'"

webmaster presents Bill Moyers Turns to the Wright and Kisses-Ass posted at Truthful Times.

adso.of.melk1@gmail.com presents It's Not the Shoe, It's Not the Foot, It's Just the Fit posted at Lorem Ipsum, saying, "What the heck do you do with a first-grader who's ready for freshman English?"

Ashok presents Rethink.: How Should An Academic Regard Religion? On the First Chapter of Buckley's "God and Man at Yale" posted at Rethink., saying, "The title speaks for itself."

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ode To Pious John McCain posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

Mark Koester presents Vengeful Paths to Truth posted at The Mystic Atheist.

Holly Ord presents Anti-Choice Oklahoma posted at Menstrual Poetry.

billspaced presents Solving Illegal Immigration: US To Buy Mexico posted at Rants 'n Reviews: Observations from a real conservative OR Rubbing slightly more salt into the wound, saying, "A little tongue-in-cheek (but with some seriousness)."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Rants using our carnival submission form.

Please share the love and tell your readers about this carnival and about how you've become semi-famous for ranting on the web (a real rarity, of course)!

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:rants, blog carnival.