Podcast 269

Torture. Budget. Washington struggles with the release of a damning Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, and democrats appear to be willing to shut the government down over language in the budget bill concerning Dodd/Frank. These issues show how the contours of ‘partisanship’ and the causes of ‘gridlock’ will change after the new congress is sworn in, in January 2015. The Senate Intelligence Committee investigation and report was conducted and written wholly by democrats, offers no suggestions on what to do about what it called torture in the future, or for curtailing the CIA when it runs amok, and none of the accused parties were interviewed for have had the chance to defend themselves. As former Democrat Senator and Senate Intelligence Committee member Bob Kerry suggests, this does not bode well for the objectivity of the report or win any friends at the CIA. Even President Obama has been put in a difficult situation, since current CIA Director Brennan is furious that the report paints a one sided picture of what happened at the agency after 9/11. Maybe it is a good thing this information is released now, maybe not. One thing is for sure, neither party has come up with a foreign policy that addresses asymmetric warfare going forward. Libertarian, Interventionist, Neoconservative, Neoliberal, or whatever you want to call them, these policies aren’t going to be effective in future conflicts where it is likely potential state enemies of the US will use asymmetric methods because they strike at our weaknesses. On the budget front, Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren threatens to block passage of the budget bill because of changes it makes in Dodd/Frank regarding how derivatives are regulated. Which party is ‘obstructionist’ now? What will the minority party do after Republicans take over the majority in Congress? Expect a return to ideas like increasing gas taxes and ‘rebuilding’ America’s ‘crumbling infrastructure’, and to the idea that – since we can’t prove ‘inequality’ hurts the economy – we now have to deal with the ’empathy gap’. This is the idea that the working poor are just unfortunate and that we have to have laws to make the economic system ‘fair’, since hard work and brains have nothing to do with success. The founding documents talk about being created equal and having unalienable rights to life and liberty … not a ‘fair’ economic system. What you do with your liberty is your choice, rich or poor. The good news? All of these stories will be swept from television screens because of the storm-of-the-century in California. Finally, out of nowhere a movement we can all get behind, or in front of. “Free The Nipple”. Sponsored by Baklund R&D. 

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Podcast 235

Walk and Talk. Review of last week’s Ebola and political news, on an evening neighborhood walk, during a perfect fall night in the Upper Midwest. What’s the first thing you thought about when you woke up today? How about the difference in being born during this time, or perhaps 1418? (Editor’s Note: Yes, this is the first thing I thought about when I woke up the day I did this podcast. Who knows where that came from!). The 1400’s? Probably not a great era to be born in no matter what your station in life; Peasant, or Royal. Life expectancy? Between 20 and 35 years. Probably the best place to live? A united China, at the dawn of the Ming Dynasty, in that era. 1400’s was also the peak of the North American Indians. While we can be concerned about the medieval things that happen in our time; Beheadings, the spread of Ebola and the fear associated with both, all other measurements of life these days compared to say, 1418 are much more desirable. Speaking of Ebola. At the suggestion of Republican Senator John McCain, President Obama has appointed an Ebola Czar. Now everyone is upset that the Ebola Czar isn’t a General. Really? How can moderate Republicans like McCain go around talking about ‘smaller government’ when their best suggestion on how to handle Ebola is more government? How did that work out with The Department of Homeland Security after 9/11. The President oversees the Defense Department, NIH, the CDC and has a Surgeon General. What about Obama being the Ebola Czar since he’s responsible. Minnesota’s Republican Senate Candidate Mike McFadden finally hits a home run by advocating a travel ban, while Senator Al Franken wants to think about it some more. Meanwhile, the President tells America not to ‘panic’. Who’s in charge? According to the New York Times, President Obama is privately ‘livid’ that apparently no one is. Message to the President: “Pssst…Sir…uh…You’re in charge!”. Additional thoughts on the President’s no drama process. Maybe he just doesn’t want to do what anyone else wants to do, and uses ‘process’ as an excuse. Philosophically, he doesn’t believe the US is exceptional, blames European Colonialism for the problems of the world, and hews pretty much to the progressive belief in expanding government … particularly the Federal Government, and actually the executive branch of the federal government. Houston, we have a problem. We have a bad president, and if we can make it to January 20th 2017, we’ll have a new one. Hopefully someone who has had executive experience as Governor and not another former Senator, and please no more community organizers! Finally, the political ‘moneyballers’ continue to predict a Republican Wave, for the election on November 4th, 2014 and then take back the prediction. What’s the difference between political scientists, television personalities and writers who know how to use excel? Political scientists concentrate on real voting data, historically, and use poll data sparingly. We won’t know what will happen in this election, until at least November 4th, 2014 — late into the evening. Sponsored by XGovernmentcars! 

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Podcast 233

Ebola. “Ebola”, a word that may soon become synonymous with “Government Failure”. Does the US Government’s response to two Dallas health care workers contracting the Ebola virus make you feel more, or less confident in government. Breaking news these days provokes questions on what heavily funded government agencies are doing with our tax dollars … because they sure don’t seem to be protecting us from Ebola. Turns out the second Dallas health care worker to be infected, Amber Vinson, told the CDC she had a slight fever before boarding a flight from Cleveland to Dallas, and the CDC said, ‘Yeah, go ahead’. Turns out the CDC procedures for containing the disease at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas were not only inadequate, according to Doctors Without Borders — the organization most experienced at containing the Ebola Virus — the CDC’s guidelines for containing Ebola are flat out wrong. What is CDC director Friedman’s response? In 20/20 hindsight, we could have done better. Huh? Meanwhile, President Obama’s Ebola conference went well into the evening, and something tells us they weren’t talking about the Phoenix Suns or the Lakers basketball teams. The president wants Governors to know they can call out the national guard, and that the federal government wants to help them. Is it Halloween yet? Because that is a pretty scary thought! Is this making you feel better about the government’s response to Ebola? By the way, suddenly, President Obama thinks appointing an Ebola Czar might be a good idea, and he isn’t philosophically ‘opposed’ to a travel ban, he was just advised not to order one. Wait, is that a bus coming? Because it sure looks like someone will be thrown under it soon. First name that pops up? CDC director Tom Freidmen. Meanwhile people from Ebola stricken countries in West Africa have just been told the President is considering a travel ban. Think they’ll jump on planes to get in before that ban goes into effect? Let’s get real; The President could order a travel ban instantly, with no warning, and he only needs his phone, not even the pen. Kenya and Nigeria, instituted travel bans weeks ago and credit those bans with saving their countries from infection, but somehow its not a good idea for the US. Meanwhile the CDC gets 7 Billion dollars a year from American taxpayers and at least 200 million from private donors in the Atlanta area. The agency spends millions trying to get states to pass mandatory motorcycle helmet laws, monitoring video game and TV ‘violence’, creating so called ‘injury centers’ that regulate – wait for it – playground equipment, lobbying for gun control efforts, and pushing ‘social norming’ in government schools. But, apparently not fighting Ebola or Enterovirus D68. Houston, we have a problem. Our government doesn’t work very well and its costing Americans an arm and a leg. What do we need to do to fix this mess and get the government out of people’s personal lives, and back to doing what it is constitutionally mandated to do. Sponsored by Sedation and Implant Dentistry of Saint Paul. 

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