Economic heads up

Good morning, boys and girls, I'm the Freeholder and here is your Daily Dose of Doom. :-)

A few days ago I warned you not to mistake the current uptick in markets for the end of the bad times.

Patricia Chadwick warns that the financials are going to be hit hard by a rapid rise in credit card debt defaults. If you been reading Whiskey and Gunpowder or The Daily Reckoning, you already knew this, so take this as the "two minute warning".

The current rally is not occurring because investors are starting to buy again, but because of traders trading. This means that this market bounce can be canceled on a moment's notice--literally.

Folks, this isn't over--not by a long shot. There's no need to panic, but there's also no need to get sucked into a false recovery. Keep your wits about you and pay careful attention to the news.

And that's it for your Daily Dose of Doom.

Way to go NASA

Why didn't you just pick the name you wanted in the first place, rather than hosting a charade?

Filling the coffers

If you won't go out there and buy (generating sales taxes), or if you don't have a job (generating payroll taxes), the State of NC has another way of getting you to pay up.

Hell, this makes me more likely to vote for him (again)

"Tonight, I want you to go to the ATM machine, and I want you to draw out everything it will let you take. And I want you to tomorrow, and I want you to go Sunday,” he said, according to an account in the Hendersonville Times-News. “I was convinced on Friday night that if you put a plastic card in an ATM machine the last thing you were going to get was cash.”

Of course,the nutjobs think that this is terrible, just terrible. Why, how dare Sen. Burr have anything less than blind faith in the government's ability to deal with the situation.

The only negative thing I can say is that the Senator was a bit late in preparing for disaster. Senator, if you need some tips on how to start really preparing, get in touch. I'll be happy to hook you up.

Tea Party reporting

No, I didn't get to go to the party, which stinks. However, here's a roundup of news stories from the various local events:

• In Charlotte, protesters waved flags and signs – one read “Reduce Spending, Elect Drunken Sailors.”
• Greensboro and Eden drew crowds.
• In Winston Salem, Joy Fain carried a sign that read, "I'm Not Your ATM."
• The Raleigh News and Observer buries their Tea Party story off the front page of their web site. Well, color me shocked.
• And our last report, from the Blue Ridge Blog on the Boone Tea Party--What I saw was everyday Wataugans pretty darn irritated with what they consider irresponsible government spending from not only the current administration and congress, but from those that preceded it...

Does anyone think it odd that the one report from a "regular person" is the only one where the author obviously "gets it"? Thank you ma'am, for some intellectual honesty.

I don't care, Senator

Pat Toomey has decided that Senator Arlyn Specter could use some competition in the 2010 primaries. Senator Specter's spokesdroid is unimpressed:

Without Sen. Specter's seat in the Senate, which Mr. Toomey would certainly lose, there would no longer be 41 Republican senators to filibuster and stop the Democrats from passing card check, raising taxes, and implementing President Obama's massive spending plans.

Forgive me if I don't give a rat's posterior how many Republicrats or Democans are in the Senate. The only number I give a crap about any more is how many of them have conservative credentials. Toomey does, Specter doesn't.

If I were a Pennsylvania voter, that would tell me all I needed to know.

But he "meant no harm"

Alleged comedian Jamie Foxx (please don't tell me he was related to Redd Foxx, who was actually funny) is really, really sorry he told Miley Cyrus that she needed a gum transplant and to "make a sex tape and grow up".

Don't I remember another idiot with a talk show who said some untoward things about females of another color? Oh yeah, it was Don Imus talking about the Rutgers womens basketball team. As I recall, he lost his job.

Care to bet whether or not Jamie loses his? I thought not.

Why do liberals hate Tea Parties?

(Via stonerjesus240 on Twitter)

The easy answer to that question of course is that liberals hate, that's what they do. They hate anyone who disagrees with them. They try to debate, but soon are sputtering, changing the subject, and always come down to calling their political opponents some form of stupid. To them, name calling equals logical debate. They hate when that doesn't turn out to be true, and they look like a cry-baby, calling someone a moron instead of refuting their point.

And it keeps on going in that vein. Worth a read.

Look! Hillary is with us!

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is announcing new efforts to freeze pirate booty...

All right!

... part of a series of diplomatic steps by the Obama administration to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Aw, crap! I thought they were talking about taxes!

Obviously, you are confused

(Actually, this is cool...Twitter giving me things to blog about. :-) )

I've been watching the #teaparty tweets, and I'm amazed at the number of "Bush did this" and "Bush did that" tweets, trying to belittle the Tea Partiers.

Obviously, you are confusing "conservative" with "Republican". As recent history has shown, there is a difference.

You're welcome.

Noted on Twitter

I have a personal Twitter account, and I'm using TweetDeck software to follow the #teaparty posts, since I'm stuck at work and can't make it to a rally. They're coming in fast and furious--fast from attendees and supporters, furious from those who oppose their point of view. It's pretty amazing to see the level of vitriol that one can squeeze into 140 characters.

More tolerant liberals

(Via the Drudge Report)

Some of those "tolerant liberals" decided that Tom Tancredo should not be heard at a UNC-CH speech.

I'm beginning to think that "tolerant liberals" are as much a myth as the "gun show loophole".

Deputy Jack Weaver, RIP

I haven't been trolling through the blog list much of late, but where I've been I haven't noticed anyone remarking on the death of Los Angles County Deputy Jack Weaver at age 80.

Weaver was the originator of the "Weaver Stance", modifications of which are still in widespread use today. His contribution (using both hands to create an isometric tension that steadies the gun) lead to a quantum leap in pistol technique--so much so that Col. Jeff Cooper incorporated it into his Modern Technique of the Pistol.

We've lost another of our Elder Giants, folks.

Somali pirates

Despite appearances, I haven't forgotten about the piracy of the Maersk Alabama. I've just been watching, at turns appalled at The Obama's "actions" on the subject (Where is Jimmie Carter when you need him?) and jubilant when a SEAL team sent the pirates to their well-deserved rewards.

Now it seems that the pirates are pissed and are snatching ships left and right. Do you suppose those SEALs need some more target practice, or should we just take the munchkin wrangler's position instead?

I guess I'm a "right wing extremist" in addition to all of my other sins

Not that I actually care, you understand.

Curtis Lowe links us to Michelle Malkin on Homeland Security's hit piece on conservatives. I guess the specter of all those Tea Parties has Team O a trifle wiggly, don'tcha reckon?

Another voice on the Yadkin Lakes controversy

The High Rock Lake Association weighs in on our statist Legislature's plan to take over the Yadkin lakes...

The High Rock Lake Association Board of Directors unanimously approved a motion last week to take issue with North Carolina’s proposal to take over the Yadkin Project, Alcoa’s power generation facilities and reservoirs on the Yadkin River.

In a written review of the proposed Senate Bill 967, Larry Jones, president of HRLA, pointed out that there are several areas that demand explanations from legislators, including causing further delays in the license renewal process, lack of legal precedent, loss of county tax revenues, adding to North Carolina taxpayers’ burden, assuming responsibility for pollution abatement, destroying the “business friendly” reputation of the state and circumventing normal requirements of accountability and transparency in creating a new “authority.”

Cynic that I am, I have to suspect that this is happening simply because the monied owners of all those fancy water-front houses are worried about their property values and continued ability to use the lakes for boating. Then again, that's one of the big motivators in capitalism and free enterprise--enlightened self interest.

Thank you, HRLA, for joining the fight.

It's a start

It's small, but it's a noticeable start:

The number of illegal immigrants living in North Carolina has declined since 2005, according to a study released this morning by the Pew Hispanic Center.

The center says that North Carolina had about 350,000 illegal residents in 2008, compared with 375,000 in 2005. The study, which used U.S. Census data to estimate the number of illegal immigrants in each state, provides the first state-by-state snapshot since 2005.

While one can argue with the numbers (I would say that the number of illegal aliens ("residents" my butt) and the number who have self-deported are both far higher than the Pew numbers), it's a promising beginning.

They want the dams, but not the roads

Because roads don't generate revenue, no doubt.

The state has been responsible for secondary roads since the Great Depression, but that could soon change.

A proposed state Senate bill would transfer secondary roads from the state's responsibility to local counties. Under Senate Bill 758, local counties would be responsible for the construction and maintenance of secondary roads.

Oh, but wait, I'm wrong!

Sen. Bob Rucho, the primary sponsor of the bill, said the purpose of the bill is to make the N.C. Department of Transportation more efficient.

"The system we have is not functioning. It is in disrepair," he said.

I'm sure that couldn't have anything to do with the Legislature raiding the Highway Trust Fund.

Claire, is it time yet?

Statists just don't give up, do they?

Area legislators introduced a bill April 9 for the state to own and manage the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project.

Alcoa, which owns the project, has held a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license since 1958.

It's no wonder that North Carolina is getting the nickname of "California East". Here's a note for all you legislative sponsors and cosponsors of this insult to free enterprise: Not only will I never, ever, vote for your sorry ass again, but I will actively work against you in every campaign from here on out.

Yeah, I'm one of those evil one-issue voters--FREEDOM is my issue. You're stealing it, and that makes you my enemy.