"If you think you are rid of me in that respect, you are wrong." - James Dobson
Yesterday I went looking to buy the last copy of the Rocky Mountain News, but either I got up too late or they didn't distribute any here in Colorado Springs. The waitress at my nearby Village Inn said that the vendor only placed two in the machine that morning...
The venerable James Dobson announced that he is stepping down as patriarch of the Focus on the Family empire, letting the younger turks run the day to day operations and firing loyal workers. He will still perform his radio show and send out his newsletter as editor, but he also expressed that he wanted more time for being a grandfather. As we all know, grandparenting is more fulfilling than parenting, because you don't have to discipline them and you can send them back home when you get tired of them. Perhaps we can expect a new line of books?
Dobson has received most of his criticism for his forays into politics and trying to influence social policy, but he built his reputation on giving common sense secular advice to parents. He is a man full of contradictions and made enough money to explore each and every one, now feeling content that he can retire at the age of 72, instead of waiting until he is pulled off the public stage in a flurry of embarrassed apologies.
One of the most respected money men,Warren Buffet has put out his yearly state of the financial union in the form of a newsletter for Berkshire Hathaway, which is posting the worst losses in its history. If you are a financial wonk, it is must reading, otherwise the link I provided gives a good overview. He gives reasoning for his financial models in simple language that is fun to read: "Also blissfully ignored, he wrote, were the perils of relying on mathematical models devised without worst-case situations in mind. Too often, he wrote, Americans have been enamored of “a nerdy-sounding priesthood, using esoteric terms such as beta, gamma, sigma and the like.” Some skepticism about these models is overdue, he added.
“Our advice: Beware of geeks bearing formulas.” Solid advice anytime...
The CPAC conference in Washington has provided much fodder for the critics of the right wing wacko element of the GOP, which was well in attendance with folks like Michelle Bachman and Joe the Plumber. In contrast Mit Romney sounded moderate and well reasoned. I notice that Bobby Jindahl went to Disneyworld with his family instead...
The most curious is that Newt Gingrich is trying to resurrect his career, after being voted out by his fellow Republicans years ago. Instead of hypocritically espousing family values and creating illegal lobbying schemes to get Republican politicians rich, he is now trying to come across as the Wise Old Man of the Party. His pearls of wisdom so far have been Drill, Baby Drill, and the latest, that our problems come from a Bush-Obama economic spending policies.
Steve Benen, the Political Animal reports: "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich received a hero's welcome at the Conservative Political Action Conference in D.C. yesterday, and proceeded to blast "the Bush-Obama big spending program."
It's a phrase Gingrich is clearly very fond of. Indeed, the ethically-challenged former Speaker seems really intent on connecting President Obama's economic policies to George W. Bush's. Two weeks ago, Gingrich had an op-ed in the Washington Times in which he used the phrase "Bush-Obama" four times in four paragraphs.
And while the phrase hasn't caught on as a conservative talking point, ol' Newt isn't giving up on his argument.
...Mr. Gingrich gave voice to the lingering ire many conservatives still harbor over the fiscal policies of the President George W. Bush, tracing the lineage of Mr. Obama's stimulus package and budget back to what he stated flatly were a string of "failed" spending and bailout plans hatched during the final months of the Bush administration.
I understand the point he's trying to get across. Bush increased spending, Obama is increasing spending. Bush's policies were a disaster for the economy, so Obama's policies.... It has a certain child-like appeal, just so long as no one thinks about it too much.
But the reason this isn't a compelling argument -- aside from the fact that it has no relation to reality -- is that Gingrich's point undermines the other Republican talking points. The principal complaint from the right about Obama's spending plans is that they're "radical." The spending is "unprecedented." The agenda represents "socialism."
And despite all of this, Gingrich nevertheless argues that Obama's spending "is more of the Bush-Obama continuity and represents more of the same instead of 'change you can believe in." So now we can add the Bush socialistic economy to the conservative Taliban insurgency. I'm so glad that not that many of my brain cells died after I turned 40, unlike Mr gingrich and his ilk...
Steve Benen, the Political Animal reports: "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich received a hero's welcome at the Conservative Political Action Conference in D.C. yesterday, and proceeded to blast "the Bush-Obama big spending program."
It's a phrase Gingrich is clearly very fond of. Indeed, the ethically-challenged former Speaker seems really intent on connecting President Obama's economic policies to George W. Bush's. Two weeks ago, Gingrich had an op-ed in the Washington Times in which he used the phrase "Bush-Obama" four times in four paragraphs.
And while the phrase hasn't caught on as a conservative talking point, ol' Newt isn't giving up on his argument.
...Mr. Gingrich gave voice to the lingering ire many conservatives still harbor over the fiscal policies of the President George W. Bush, tracing the lineage of Mr. Obama's stimulus package and budget back to what he stated flatly were a string of "failed" spending and bailout plans hatched during the final months of the Bush administration.
I understand the point he's trying to get across. Bush increased spending, Obama is increasing spending. Bush's policies were a disaster for the economy, so Obama's policies.... It has a certain child-like appeal, just so long as no one thinks about it too much.
But the reason this isn't a compelling argument -- aside from the fact that it has no relation to reality -- is that Gingrich's point undermines the other Republican talking points. The principal complaint from the right about Obama's spending plans is that they're "radical." The spending is "unprecedented." The agenda represents "socialism."
And despite all of this, Gingrich nevertheless argues that Obama's spending "is more of the Bush-Obama continuity and represents more of the same instead of 'change you can believe in." So now we can add the Bush socialistic economy to the conservative Taliban insurgency. I'm so glad that not that many of my brain cells died after I turned 40, unlike Mr gingrich and his ilk...
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