Take Me In Your Arms

A few weeks ago, I was riding in the car and absentmindedly, recognized lyrics to a song without ever having heard the version.

The Doobie Brothers it turned out were doing a cover of a Motown song written by Holland-Dozier-Holland. I think I like the Doobies version better but the contrast is interesting.

Wikipedia has a quote from Jeff Baxter

"That song was like a dream come true for us. Every musician I've ever known has at some point wanted to achieve Motown's technically slick soul sound - it's so dynamic. We sat down to try to duplicate it, and to see if our version could emerge as a successful single."

When I saw the Doobie Brothers in the 1976 Black Water tour, Baxter never got out of his chair while he played.
Enjoy

Tow Headed

Kenneth Shupe is a tow truck driver who was called by the driver of a disabled car in Asheville, North Carolina. On arrival, he found that the disabled car was decorated with Bernie Sanders presidential campaign stickers. Being a Trump supporter, he elected not to help the female driver and suggested she get the government to come and give her a tow. He then left the scene of the automobile accident.

Trump-loving tow truck driver says God told him to leave disabled Bernie Sanders supporter stranded

Shupe asserts that he has had two recent customers with similar decorations on their car skip on payment. On learning that the woman was disabled he said would have stayed until another wrecker arrived if he had understood her condition. Video of the woman does not reveal a disability.

To me this is a similar issue to the the cases of bakers refusing to service gay marriages. Business owners take on the financial risk of self employment largely in part so that they can choose who they will work with, be their own boss.  For the individual self-employed, each client is buying a service, for which they will obtain skilled labor intent of fulfilling a need. If the self-employed has learned that a certain type of customer fails to complete payment, he has to right to refuse service. This is no different than cab drivers in New York refusing to pick up black and Hispanic fares.

Rode my motorcycle near Asheville this weekend, it is beautiful mountain country in the spring.

A New Waffle House Song

Colbert is a funny man, pretty much a flaming liberal that has crushed what little was left of David Letterman's faithful, but a funny man.

Liberal Blindness

Ripped off from my favorite site.
http://grouchyoldcripple.com
Hypocrisy is most easily seen by those with different perspectives. Lately  it not the message of liberals that bothers me so much, but the enormous quantity of illogical whining.
Raise the minimum wage: while experience tells us that businesses will seek alternatives when faced with increasing  cost.
Black Lives Matter: All lives matter, even those if racist blacks.
Transgender bathroom access:  discarding any premise social standards, for a mentaly disturbed miniscule fraction of the population.
War on Women: Sponsored by the wife of a serial philanderer, and accused rapist.

How Are You Going to Protect the Women Who Don't Go to College in Connecticut?

Tell me that.
University of Connecticut gets sued for not addressing complaints and the legislature responds by passing a law that is a well meaning, worthless pile of poo.
Connecticut's new "No Way Dude" law.
I see this law a feminist tool for bringing charges, after an unsatisfactory event.
And like mentioned in the title, if the pupose is to protect women, why is it restricted to college campus

Who Can Blame Them

The words of a Canadian Arab.
A succinct semi-self appraisal.
Arabs' Real Grievance against the Jews
In the end a summary, the Arabs' complaint with those of the Jewish faith, is that they exist.

Me and Mrs. Jones

It saddened me to learn this evening that Billy Paul, the R&B singer known best for the song "Me and Mrs. Jones" died from cancer on April 24th.
The song "Me and Mrs. Jones" was popular when I was an adolescent. The content of the song was beyond my understanding at that age. Regardless the deep soulfulness of the song made a lasting impression on me.
Enjoy

Rest in peace Billy Paul, and thank you.

Foolish Consistency is the Hobgoblin of Little Minds

Hobgoblin is a word I've seen before and understood in context, the quotation used by Alan Dershowitz, attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson is in the title of this post.

Wikipedia says this about the definition of the word hobgoblin.

Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales to describe a mischievous spirit. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as a hobgoblin.

further along Wikipedia say

Hobgoblins seem to be small, hairy little men who—like their close relative, brownies—are often found within human dwellings, doing odd jobs around the house while the family is lost in sleep. Such chores are typically small deeds, like dusting and ironing. Often, the only compensation necessary in return for these is food.

While brownies are more peaceful creatures, hobgoblins are more fond of practical jokes. They also seem to be able to shape-shift, as seen in one of Puck's monologues in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Robin Goodfellow is perhaps the most mischievous and most infamous of all his kind, but many are less antagonizing. Like all of the fae folk, hobgoblins are easily annoyed. They can be mischievous, frightening, and even dangerous. Attempts to give them clothing will often banish them forever, though whether they take offense to such gifts or are simply too proud to work in new clothes differs from teller to teller.

Now, I seriously doubt that Mr. Dershowitz had the term "brownie" in mind when he was describing the President. Enough about about that.

His point basically is that President Obama is inconsistent; compare the way he criticizes foreign leaders for expressing their opinions on the internal matters of other countries, to the manner in which he preaches to the citizens of other countries to do what he thinks is correct for their rights. All the while, bear in mind probable, yet unsaid, positions of our President:

1. The UK as a former colonial power that should be punished for misdeeds
2. If remaining in the EU leads to a dissolution of the UK into a greater socialist government so be it, let England disappear.
3. He has shown and exhibited a willingness to subordinate American sovereignty to global governance. 

Obama's Double Standard Toward Netanyahu

My own opinion is that the UK should step away from the European Union, and toward sovereignty.  That said whatever they choose, they have the right.
Thank heavens President Obama will not be in office long enough to punish the British for whatever they choose.

House IRS Bills

Congress.org presents MEGAVOTE for April 25, 2016 and Georgia's 13th Congressional District.
Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Passage
• Senate: Energy Policy Passage
• Senate: Fiscal 2017 Energy-Water Appropriations Eliminate Funding for Various Commissions
• Senate: Fiscal 2017 Energy-Water Appropriations Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program
• House: IRS Hiring Passage
• House: IRS Oversight and User Fees - Passage
• House: Bar IRS from Rehiring Certain Employees Passage

Upcoming Congressional Bills

• Senate: Fiscal 2017 Energy-Water Appropriations
• House: Private Market Investors
• House: Washington D.C. School Vouchers
• House: Block Fiduciary Rule

Recent Senate Votes:
Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Passage Vote Passed (95-3, 2 Not Voting)
The Senate passed a measure which authorizes $33.1 billion in funding for FAA programs through fiscal 2017, including those related to unmanned aircraft, equipment certification, and aircraft control system technology.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted YES
You should hear the stories that the kid telling me about the FAA and the way it handles people and money. One thing is for sure, budget or not, the program marches forward. Government closure or not, every person and business gets paid. Reauthorization is a formality that even the Senate cannot control, contracts and unions control the costs of the FAA.

Energy Policy Passage Vote Passed (85-12, 3 Not Voting)
The chamber passed a bill which streamlines the permitting for liquefied natural gas exports, mandates improvements to the electric grid's reliability and security, raises energy efficiency standards for commercial and federal buildings, and permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted NO
For industry I am all for simplification of permit processes. Why the Georgia Senators are split on the subject seems peculiar. Another peculiar wording in this description is the term "permanently reauthorizes", we all know that a government, any government is temporary, this government in particular considers permanence and anathema. One parties policy and cornerstone is the target of the other party's  derision and subject to being torn down.

Fiscal 2017 Energy-Water Appropriations Eliminate Funding for Various Commissions Vote Rejected (25-71, 4 Not Voting)
The chamber rejected an amendment by Joni Ernst, R-Neb., that would have cut $200 million from a number of joint state-federal commissions that promote economic development, infrastructure improvements and job training across four regions of the country.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
Sen. David Perdue voted NO
Our shit stain Senators fighting for the pork they and their friends have carved out. Protect your colleagues crap and he will protect yours.

Fiscal 2017 Energy-Water Appropriations Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program Vote Rejected (48-49, 3 Not Voting)
The Senate rejected an amendment by Dan Coats, R-Ind., that would have limited the use of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program. The vote was subject to a 60-vote threshold.
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Sen. David Perdue voted YES
This smells like more protection of pork, a Senator sees something wrong, tries to make it right and gets bitch slapped in the process.

Recent House Votes:
IRS Hiring Passage Vote Passed (254-170, 9 Not Voting)
The chamber passed a measure which prohibits the IRS from hiring any new employees until the Treasury Department certifies that no IRS worker has serious tax delinquencies. The measure defines such delinquency as an outstanding debt under the Internal Revenue Code for which a notice of lien has been filed in public records.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
David Scott loves the IRS, most of the rest of the country, politicians excluded, want to see it erased from existence. This thing won't get passed.  would not be surprised if the Senate tables it. For sure the President kills it, after all the IRS helped him get re-elected.

IRS Oversight and User Fees - Passage Vote Passed (245-179, 9 Not Voting)
The House passed a bill which makes Internal Revenue Service spending of the user fees it collects subject to the annual appropriations process, thereby blocking the IRS from spending collected user fees unless Congress provides for such spending in appropriations acts. This restriction would apply to all IRS user fees collected after the date of enactment.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
More of the same, my congressman protect the government tax men's right to spend the money they steal from citizens for having the resources to steal from more citizens. 

Bar IRS from Rehiring Certain Employees Passage Vote Passed (260-158, 15 Not Voting)
The House passed a measure which prohibits the IRS from rehiring former employees who were previously removed or terminated for misconduct. It would apply with respect to any IRS employee removed at any time (before, on or after the date of enactment.)
Rep. David Scott voted NO
Tell me why in the hell would a person vote against a bill such as this. When most folks are dismissed, their friends on the company cannot get away with rehiring the person. It is too damned hard to dismiss a Federal employee, maintaining the agency right to turn around and rehire the person is wrong.

Upcoming Votes:
Fiscal 2017 Energy-Water Appropriations - HR2028 
The measure would provide $37.5 billion in fiscal 2017 for various items including $6 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, $5.4 billion for Department of Energy science research and $12.9 billion for the Department’s nuclear security programs.
Do it.

Private Market Investors - HR4498
The bill would expand the circumstances under which events where businesses offer unregistered securities in the private market would not be considered "general solicitations" that otherwise require the issuer to verify that the individuals attending the events are accredited investors.
The government is not able to legislate the manner in which people throw their money away. If folks want to risk money on unsecured investments, they cannot be stopped.

Washington D.C. School Vouchers - HR4901
The bill would reauthorize for five years, through fiscal 2021, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results program, under which federal funding is provided to eligible students in Washington, D.C., to allow them to attend private schools, and modify the program to provide for greater student participation and to mandate greater accountability by the private schools that participate in the program.
You can bet your ass that the Democrats will be uniformly against this. The NEA  must be protected, no matter how illogical the reasoning. Will pass the House anyway, because, while the Democrats get a chance to bitch about it, they really know that private schools are generally better.

Block Fiduciary Rule - HJRes88
The joint resolution would disapprove the rule issued by the Labor Department on April 8, 2016, commonly known as the fiduciary rule on retirement investment advice, that subjects broker-dealers who oversee such investments to the fiduciary standard and stipulates what types of activities and communications would give rise to fiduciary investment advice responsibilities.
Most Republicans, and the Chamber of Commerce are against the DOL expanding oversight. It will be blocked. This looks like a government intrusion directly into where there have been rumblings it wants to go. This may be and early salvo of a long  battle to bring retirement plan control under the domain of the Federal government.

MegaVote is powered by the CQ-Roll Call Group
Copyright (c) 2016.

Cafe Hayek on the Minimum Wage

I believe that the last sentence of this quotation is accurate. We as an American people have lived for 100 years with a government that wrote for itself, the Sixteenth Amendment,  a means to take whatever share of our income that it chooses. That coupled with SCOTUS that waves the white flag at any legislation that infringes on personal rights; assigning the government rights to such things as the "Commerce Clause". True individual economic freedom only exists outside of the law.

The pet Democrat cause of the minimum wage, is in reality, a manner taxing businesses, with the proceeds benefiting low income people. It is evident that some of the new new minimum wage rates have outstripped the value of unskilled labor in relation to the value of the product. When this proportional inversion occurs, businesses search for cost reduction, alternative means of service delivery, to minimize the number of wage hours required.

One thing that frightens me in this scenario is the government, in seeing the business adjust to the illegitimate labor rate, will seek to regulate business staff sizes.

When that happens we will all work for the government.

Cafe Hayek — where orders emerge: where orders emerge

If we are not physically overrun by barbarians, what will destroy us?  Not learned quibbles on the nuances of what the Founding Fathers really meant.  Rather, we will ruin ourselves with minimum wage and comparable worth laws; with controls on prices of goods, apartments, and loans; with erratic changes in the price level; with government domination through the budget, environmental regulation, and antitrust intrusions; with progressive attenuation of property rights; with subsidization of inefficiency and sloth and divisiveness….

Free men require free markets.  If we lose the battle of economic freedom, we lose the entire war.

 William Allen

Economist

The Midnight Economist