Missed Opportunity

Not surprisingly, Mitt Romney has the best prescription for what ails Detroit auto manufacturers, and similar businesses. It would obviously be hard, bitter medicine, but that is exactly what is needed. Unfortunately, you do not win elections telling voters they will have to sacrifice certain comforts in order for things to run correctly, honestly, and well. Now would certainly be a great time to have someone with Romney's business acumen heading to the White House. Oh well, I can still dream.

Perhaps Ignorance Is Bliss

This link confirms some of my worst fears (H/T Matt Lewis). The lesser of my fears has to do with the way the media protected Sen. Obama during the campaign, down-playing every story that had Sen. Obama in a negative light or may have hurt his campaign. My greater fear is the willful ignorance of so many people. I do not think these people are unintelligent, just uninformed and perhaps uninterested in finding both sides of the story. Sure the media plays a role in that, but if people demanded more facts and wanted to learn more information, they would find a way to do it and the media would respond. I think the proof of that is the incredible popularity of conservative talk radio, and correspondingly conservative television. Fox News is vilified by liberal outlets, but it is also the ratings leader.

Gov. Palin's Actual Record

This article from Matt Lewis reminds me of why I am so frustrated with everyone. I am frustrated with the media because they distorted things so badly in order to portray Gov. Palin as a social conservative, borderline fanatic. I am frustrated with Republicans because they did not combat that enough with the truth. I am frustrated with "experts" in the Republican and Democratic party that refuse to see the truth about why people supported Gov. Palin. She is a true fiscal conservative in a time when that seems non-existent.

Details on Bailout

Charles Krauthammer has an interesting article about some details of the bailout. I must admit that the more and more I hear about it, the less I like the bailout. Still, I am torn. Mr. Krauthammer's analogy that the finance sector is like a utility service makes some sense and I would still hesitantly support the bailout for the financial sector, however, I would definitely not be happy about a bailout for the auto industry or the airlines. I do think there has to be a point where you let businesses fail, even big businesses.

Pres. Bush Shows Class

I really enjoyed this article on many levels. The Associated Press has an article actually complimenting Pres. Bush on the transfer of power to Pres.-Elect Obama. I enjoyed this article because it does do a good job of pointing out the great lengths to which Pres. Bush is going in order to make the transition of power as smooth as possible. It even has some praise for Pres. Bush for making sure the transition is polite and effectual. Another part I love about the article is how the AP cannot just leave it at that. The AP makes a point of proclaiming that Pres. Bush's class and professionalism as an outgoing President will not help his "legacy." Pres. Bush is leaving office, never to return, and leaving with style and grace, but that is not good enough for the AP. They have to make sure his memory, his "legacy," is appropriately tarnished. Pres. Bush is setting the example, doing everything he can to be gracious and professional, and the AP has to make sure they get in a jab, a Parthian Shot of sorts.

The President-Elect's Stock Market

First of all, I have to admit that I am no economics expert and the stock market is a mystery to me. Having said that, I have been trying to watch for indications of how the market would react to the election. I would have to say the articles I have seen are mixed. This article from the Los Angeles Times says something very interesting.

Obama's decisive victory didn't play a part in the market's slide, because it
had long been expected, analysts said. However, the sell-off underscored the
scramble taking place across Wall Street as investors attempt to figure out how
his presidency would affect business and the economy.

So Sen. Obama's victory has nothing to do with the drop in the market, and investors do not know how his presidency will affect business. Could it be that investors are uncertain, or at least not optimistic, about Sen. Obama's presidency and are therefore staying out of the market? The Los Angeles Times would never admit to that.

Some Good News

This is why I love to read Victor Davis Hanson. Just reading his article lets you know that this is someone who knows what he is talking about. He is pragmatic and direct. And yes, we still live in the best country on the planet. I am even confident we will survive Pres. Obama.