Well, It is Friday...

I could have used this as a kid when I used to try and read magazines while simultaneously trying to go to the bathroom. Inevitably, the magazine wound up wet.

This thing would have held mt attention, of course it would have led to competitive pissing...is that bad?



Thanks Gizmodo!

PSA: Fish Tank for Sale

This may be a little tacky but I figured since it's there, I might as well let people know in as many ways as possible. I'm selling a real nice plexiglass fish tank over at eBay. If anyone is in the market, check it out.


Now forget that I am such a shill and thanks for your time.

Once Again, the Laffer Curve is Working

Larry Kudlow over at RCP. It's really fantastic commentary.

have long believed that stock indexes reflect the health, wealth, and security of individual nations. That explains why stock markets are standing tough in the face of al Qaeda’s latest attack. Worldwide investors are telling the enemy they have long-term confidence that the war on terror will be won, just as they believe in the resiliency and flexibility of free-market economies and the outlook for pro-growth policies, which are in action across nations.

Ben Bernanke, the former Fed governor and new chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, told a Washington group that “We are in the midst of a healthy and sustainable economic expansion.” He’s got that dead right. Besides rising share prices, appreciating real estate and declining unemployment are boosting family wealth and incomes, allowing consumers to withstand higher energy prices. Meanwhile, sales at stores open at least a year are surging at better than 5 percent; corporate profits, which are the lifeblood of business expansion and investor class wealth, have soared to record shares of gross domestic product; and recent surveys by the Institute for Supply Management show both the manufacturing and service economies to be strong.

Though President Bush’s critics will never admit it, his supply-side tax reforms of two years ago are working brilliantly. With new incentives to work and invest, the economy is expanding, the income base is widening, and businesses and individuals are producing an unprecedented surge of tax collections. All this is occurring at lower marginal tax rates. Once again, the Laffer curve is working.

The budget deficit is shrinking to roughly 2.5 percent of GDP in line with the average of the past four decades. As for the claim that trade deficits are bad for U.S. workers, consider this thought from Café Hayek blogger Russell Roberts, a professor at George Mason University: “The U.S. has run a merchandise trade deficit for every year since 1976, trillions of dollars of deficits. And since 1976, the U.S. economy has created over 50 million jobs.”

Round of Applause: Greg Oberdorf

Pertaining to the proposed smoking ban in Milwaukee, the problem I see is: How are the police going to enforce this law? As it is, they can't handle the current laws. How many more murders will Milwaukee have this year? What about illegal guns and gangs?

The police can't control the smoking of crack, use of other drugs, crime, prostitution, murder, robbery, rape. Or the simple things like litter, jaywalking, unlicensed dogs, street bums panhandling, unsafe and unlicensed vehicles, domestic problems.

Now the police could be using that time going into bars and giving tickets to law-abiding citizens doing nothing wrong but enjoying a cold drink and a cigarette after a hard day's work so they can pay their taxes.

Greg Oberdorf
Milwaukee

The Urinal Exposes the Tactics of a Nanny State

The Urinal editorial board has exposed the tactics that it hopes to employ in order to dominate our everyday choices.

From a practical standpoint, that's the problem. Davis has the right idea, but he's trying to do too much too fast, especially when it comes to banning smoking in taverns in a city in which neighborhood bars have long been a part of the social fabric.

A more incremental approach, banning smoking in restaurants to begin with and later expanding it to other public places, such as bars, would give Milwaukee bar owners and those who smoke more time to adjust to a total ban.

More important, it would also have a far better chance of being approved.

What is the next step after banning smoking in public? Banning smoking around family? Outlawing smoking? Incrementalism is the key. They accepted banning smoking in bars? shit, lets expand it. They accepted banning smoking in all public places? Shit, lets keep pushing...

Then what, once smoking is abolished, what is next? Cheeseburgers? After all, we allowed them to dictate our personal choices on "health reasons" in regards to smoking. Overindulgence in cheeseburgers can be bad. Are we going to give vouchers for burger purchases, so we can regulate how many a person can eat in a week? How about some sort of bracelet that tracks calories so the government can stop us from overeating?

Based on the health of not just yourself, but of others around you, I think it is imperative we next ban cell phone use in public. After all, there are one or two studies that show cell phones cause cancer. Is it possible they cause second-hand cancer by walking near a cell phone user? I don't know, but I'm sure Rob Reiner can pay a scientist to whip up a "study" proving it.

As a matter of fact, we should all be assigned out own personal watchdog, paid for by the state of course, to make sure that we aren't doing anything to endanger ourselves or those around us.

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the world of the future. The only things you may ingest are dry salad and filtered water. Driving and bike riding are illegal, as is walking without the proper body armor. We will all ride ultra armored public transportation to and from low-stress, government approved jobs. A permission slip from the State is required for sexual intercourse, and is only approved for reasons of reproduction, which labs hope to eliminate the need for altogether soon. We will sleep strapped to our beds in padded rooms surrounded by rounded and padded furniture so as to not stub a toe or bang a shin. Glass, stoves, microwaves, and knives have been outlawed.

Enjoy your day, but not too much since it might lead to adrenaline, which can lead to stress, which may lead to heart failure.

We won't live longer, we won't be happy, but shit, at least the overprotective asshole left-coasters won't have anything left to bitch about.

WSOP Day 5

For those who care, the $10,000 no-limit hold 'em championship (the Big One) is going on day 5 today.There are 185 players left, and it is probable that today will be the last day befre the final table.

Greg Raymer, the much maligned winner of last years tournament, is currently the chip leader with 1,064,000 chips and is playing well it seems. Some other notable include Phil Ivey in 7th, Howard Lederer in 31st, Mike Matusow in 39th, John Juanda in 59th, JC Tran in 93rd, Dutch Boyd in 165th, and Paul Darden in 179th.

Over at Tao of Poker he is running fantastic updates live. Check it out if you care.

TheWisconsinSportsBar

I have a new place to post my anger and jubilation about the one and only Crew. GBfan has set up a new blog to discuss Wisconsin sports. I am hoping to post my thoughts after every game, especially ones I got to.

Should be fun, stop by and check it out.

(By the way, by blogrolling thing isn't working, hence the dearth of updated links to the left. Hopefully I will get this kinked out soon)

WHACK (McCain)

via Drudge

Who is this man, and when did he become a Republican?

Sen. John McCain [R-AZ] Strong Words On Surpeme Court Nomination At Dallas Fundraiser: 'During the campaign, President Bush said he will appoint judges who will strictly interpret the constitution...thinking anything else is either amnesia or ignorance...elections have consequences....whomever he nominates deserves an up or down vote and no filibuster....and an up or down vote is what we will have'...

Damn right John, better round up that motley crew of 14 and whip em into shape.

Laurie David is hyperventilating

If we do not sign the Kyoto Treaty we will be udner constant threat of "Non-stop flooding, killer heat waves, energy and food shortages." What's more "millions of people [will be] displaced from coastal cities..."

She goes on to make an extraordinary link.

Munich Re, the worlds largest reinsurer, recently said that the frequency of weather disasters has tripled since the 1960s and insured losses have risen ten-fold. WeÂ’re talking hundreds of billions of dollars -- soon to be trillions of dollars -- and thatÂ’s a bill that gets handed right back to the American people in the form of higher premiums. In other words, weÂ’re already paying the price for global warming.

Without any proof or attempt at forming a logical and provable link, Laurie David says conclusively that every weather disaster since 1960 is caused by global warming.

How did a guy like Larry David get mixed up with a nutter like this?