Fortunately, We Aren’t Sacrificing Virgins To The Climate Gods

By William Teach August 26, 2014 – 10:12 am

Yet. Here’s Longboat Key News’ Tom Burgum

At least we don’t sacrifice virgins anymore

It was a belief in some ancient cultures temperature could be altered, draughts ended, the rise of oceans halted, merely by throwing a couple luckless virgins into a volcano. Some would think this makes the Incas and Mayans appear misogynistic but, it’s much more likely they didn’t think the gods were much interested in young boys. As I said, it was an ancient culture.

Before you smirk in condescension because these illiterate savages were not conversant with such natural phenomena as the Pacific decadal oscillation, you might look at today’s human folly where we in the United States propose to sacrifice a good bit of our economy in hopes of appeasing the global warming gods. Oh yes, there is not much difference in the religious fervor of the global warming, climate change or weather disruption crowd today and the Inca priests who thought their pathetic and cruel activities could influence the climate.

You have to look no further than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new proposed rules which will, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce, cost the American economy $51 billion, as well as 224,000 jobs, every year through 2030. The EPA has much lower estimates but the Government Accountability Office found that the EPA was using a study outdated by 20 years and even when new only took into account four industrial sectors.

According to a study by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), “The United States is already facing the loss of 60 gigawatts of power over the next three years, the result of older coal plants being forced to shut down because they cannot comply with the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxic Standards enacted in 2012.”

Make sure to read the rest. And ask Warmists what they themselves are personally sacrificing.

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Charles Krauthammer: Semi-Retired President Dithers Too Much

By William Teach August 26, 2014 – 7:10 am

Mr. Krauthammer had an interesting take on Obama and his administrations inability to get it together in terms of ISIS/ISIL

(Fox News) Last week, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said ISIS was an imminent threat, but Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said Monday that the group was not a direct threat to the U.S.

Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist and a Fox News contributor, questioned that discrepancy.

“You wonder…whether this administration, that can’t even get its story straight in one day, can conduct an operation of that delicacy and complexity, military, diplomatic and political, ” he said. “The president simply can’t decide. . I think this really ought to make us think twice about whether we can entrust a man of this lack of decisiveness.”

Is it dithering, indecisiveness, or simply that Obama doesn’t really care about doing the job? Is it that doing The Hard Things just bore the heck out of him? Whenever something difficult comes up, Obama just doesn’t seem to want to engage beyond some talking points. Then it’s off to golf, campaign appearances, and other fluff. Here’s Michael Gerson

As the president has vacationed, senior officials have talked of efforts to “stall,” “contain,” “degrade,” “defeat” and “destroy” the Islamic State. These words actually mean very different things, indicating either a major internal administration debate or utter confusion. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel describes the Islamic State as an “imminent threat to every interest we have.” But a senior defense official was recently quoted as saying, “There is no policy” to deal with this imminent threat.

In his public statements, Obama has carefully avoided resolving or clarifying his administration’s ultimate policy goal. He has consistently downplayed the United States’ incremental (but escalating) military actions. He has promised to be “relentless” toward some unspecified end. He has argued that the Islamic State has “no place in the 21st century” — as though the appeal of radical Islamism should have faded like bell bottoms and disco.

All this reinforces the notion that Obama likes to BE president, he doesn’t like to DO president. I don’t think he is lazy or detached: I just think his priorities lie in other directions, and those directions do not include doing the necessary hard work, and, being The Boss, this rolls down to those who work for him.

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Senator Sherrod Brown (D) Calls For Burger King Boycott Over Potential Tax Inversion Deal

By William Teach August 26, 2014 – 6:50 am

I mentioned the potential deal where Burger King would join forces with Canadian company Tim Hortons, which would mean the headquarters of the company would be in Canada and their corporate tax rate would be significantly lower than the US rate. Noah Rothman tongue in cheek referred to BK as an Enemy Of The State, and noted Joe Scarborough having a conniption fit over the news, saying he won’t go to BK anymore (if anyone still believes in Joe’s conservative cred, this should end the notion). But, of course, Joe isn’t a sitting US Senator

(Fox News) Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, released a statement Monday calling on consumers to boycott the home of the Whopper after Burger King announced late Sunday that it was in talks to buy Tim Hortons, creating the world’s third-largest fast-food company in the process. As part of the deal, Burger King would relocate its headquarters to Canada, a move that could lower its corporate taxes.

“Burger King’s decision to abandon the United States means consumers should turn to Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers or White Castle sliders,” Brown said. “Burger King has always said ‘Have it Your Way’; well my way is to support two Ohio companies that haven’t abandoned their country or customers.” Wendy’s is based in Dublin, Ohio, while White Castle is headquartered in Columbus.

Is it appropriate for a sitting US Senator to call for boycotting a company that is engaged in lawful activity? Where is the propriety of this conduct by Brown? Mika Brzezinski was the voice of reason on Scarborough’s show, suggesting that the corporate tax rate be lowered to compete. Perhaps Sherrod Brown should consider that before jumping on the boycott bandwagon.

https://twitter.com/humungoloid/status/503992282006421504

https://twitter.com/dredlockedrepub/status/504193690202828800

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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NY Times Has A Funny View On Michael Brown’s Strong Arm Robbery

By William Teach August 25, 2014 – 2:10 pm

In a long story about Michael Brown’s trials and tribulations, which include things like fights, drug and alcohol use, vulgar and violent rap lyrics, while attempting to paint a picture of just a typical good boy, we get

Michael Brown, 18, due to be buried on Monday, was no angel, with public records and interviews with friends and family revealing both problems and promise in his young life. Shortly before his encounter with Officer Wilson, the police say he was caught on a security camera stealing a box of cigars, pushing the clerk of a convenience store into a display case. He lived in a community that had rough patches, and he dabbled in drugs and alcohol. He had taken to rapping in recent months, producing lyrics that were by turns contemplative and vulgar. He got into at least one scuffle with a neighbor.

How’s that for honest journalism. “The police say..” If only we had it on video or something, so that it wasn’t just the police department’s word.

Meanhile, the insaniacs at Grist decided that Ferguson’s unrest was a good time to discuss “climate change”.

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If All You See…

By William Teach August 25, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is a lake that will disappear from too much CO2, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Right Wing News, with a post on Muslim outrage over a bacon sign.

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Washington Post Psyched To Be “Climate Change” Activists

By William Teach August 25, 2014 – 11:22 am

Hot off their refusal to refer to the Washington Redskins as the Redskins (despite the fact that the rest of the paper will, and why would the opinion pages discuss football in the first place?), the Editorial Board announces their climate activism

THE NATIONAL debate on climate change has devolved.

By the late 1990s, big U.S. businesses were beginning to accept that greenhouse gases must be wrung out of the economy. In the 2000s, prominent Republicans such as Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) proposed aggressive anti-
emissions policies. By 2008, the presidential candidates of both major parties favored strong national climate strategies. Regardless of who won that election, serious action seemed inevitable.

But Republicans later embraced a strategy of rote opposition to President Obama, and a faction that rejects the science of global warming dragged the GOP into irresponsible head-in-the-sand-ism. Democrats, meanwhile, proved unable to unite around a coherent, comprehensive climate strategy when they controlled Congress and the White House.

It could be that some of us have learned the reality of the “science”, and an almost 18 year pause and a failure of Warmist doom to appear highlights their failure. Opposition has nothing to do with Obama.

But there are reasons not to give up. The biggest is the urgency of action. As the U.S. debate has deteriorated, scientists’ warnings have become more dire. According to the authoritative Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , every region of the world faces serious risks , including sea-level rise or worsening heat waves, floods and wildfires — and those are consequences scientists can predict. Though poor nations along the equator may be hit hardest, U.S. analysts are beginning to quantify a variety of direct and negative effects climate change could have in our own country .

In other words, as their cult fails, their prognostications and talking points have become more hysterical and doomy.

All this explains why, understandable frustrations notwithstanding, the shape of the climate debate now and through the 2016 election is important. In the coming days we aim to contribute to that debate with a brief series of editorials. We will review the need to act; defend the EPA’s efforts but explain why they are not ideal; highlight several strategies that would work better; and show why it makes sense for the United States to take steps even though other nations have yet to do enough on climate change.

Will the Editorial Board allow all viewpoints? Doubtful. Warmist “science” cannot stand up to debate.

BTW, will the Editorial Board call for the dead tree editions to not include their opinions, since the papers are delivered using fossil fuels? Will they call for the A/C to be turned off in the Washington Post building?

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GoTopless San Antonio Went About As Ugly As You Would Expect

By William Teach August 25, 2014 – 7:13 am

I mentioned the coming “protest” Saturday, and here’s how it went

(My San Antonio) Roughly 30 people, including several nearly topless women, marched through downtown San Antonio on Sunday afternoon, demanding the right to bare their bosoms in public.

Yikes! Oh, wait, sorry, #BodyShaming. Except for the guy with the moobs. And in Austin

More than a dozen women and some men, in Austin protested outside the Capitol this afternoon as part of a national movement — for topless equality.

Holding signs and waving at cars as they drove by — protesters stood, topless, as people across the street seem pretty surprised and took pictures.

There’s seriously scary video at that Austin link. Especially since protesters protesting the right to, er, continue to be legally allowed to show their boobs…wait, they’re legally allowed? They should not be, based on the video. There’s also a shocking picture, sure to have you running to bleach your eyes.

And, for some added humor, SFWeekly says this is all about some bizarre PR stunt for Raelian UFO cult.

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Burger King Looks To Perform Tax Inversion With Tim Hortons Deal

By William Teach August 25, 2014 – 6:45 am

Yet another U.S. company looking to escape the high corporate tax rate

(Fox News) Burger King Worldwide Inc. is in talks to buy Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons Inc., a deal that would be structured as a so-called tax inversion and move the hamburger seller’s base to Canada.

The two sides are working on a deal that would create a new company, they said in a statement, confirming a report on the talks by The Wall Street Journal. The takeover would create the third-largest quick-service restaurant provider in the world, they said.

Inversion deals have been on the rise lately, and are facing stiff opposition in Washington given that they threaten to deplete U.S. government coffers. A move by Burger King to seal one is sure to intensify criticism of them, since it is such a well-known and distinctly American brand.

A person familiar with the matter said a deal between the two companies could be struck soon, though additional details on timing couldn’t be learned. Tim Hortons has a market value of about $8.4 billion, while Burger King’s is about $9.6 billion, so together the restaurant companies are currently worth about $18 billion.

Over to Forbes

Canada’s corporate tax rate in Ontario of 26.5% (the federal rate of 15% plus Ontario’s provincial corporate tax rate of 11.5%) is considerably favorable to the American corporate tax rate of 35% thanks in large part to the conservative Canadian government led by Stephen Harper. The Harper government lowered the federal tax rate to 15% in 2012 down originally from 28% since it took office in 2006.

In fact, a recent KPMG Report, Focus on Tax, ranked Canada number as the #1 country with the most business-friendly tax structure among developed countries when adding up a wide range of tax costs to businesses from statutory labor costs to harmonized sales tax. When comparing developed countries to what companies pay in the U.S.; Canada came in at 53.6%, the U.K. came in at 66.6%, and the Netherlands at 74.5% of the U.S. corporate tax burden.

The total corporate tax costs for Canada are 46.4% less than the U.S. rate. This should send Team Obama into apoplexy, seeing as he wants legislation that restricts inversions. Obviously, calling for a lower corporate tax rate would be silly.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Good Grief: Climate Change To Ruin Your Breakfast And Drown Atlanta From Sea Rise

By William Teach August 24, 2014 – 3:19 pm

Quite frankly, this sounds like deja vu. I’m sure I’ve seen this before. But, hey, like any good (and debunked) Warmist meme, it keeps coming back around

5 Ways Climate Change Is Ruining Your Breakfast

1. Rising cereal prices. Kix might be kid-tested and mother-approved, but have fun buying them in 2030, when their cost could be as much as 24 percent higher due to drought-stricken grain crops, according to an Oxfam International report. (And that doesn’t even account for inflation.) Lovers of Frosted Flakes and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes should also start stockpiling now—Oxfam predicts their respective prices will rise by 20 and 30 percent by 2030.

Aaaaaand, once again, corn crops are in record territory. In fact, the US crop is so big they don’t know what to do with it. But, hey, they give us a prediction of what might possibly kinda happen when they look in the crystal ball. And everyone has forgotten their prediction.

Number 2 is on the coming bacon shortage, even mentioning the debunked British scare-story. Three is on “bland-but-costly” coffee.  Because coffee growing areas can’t possibly ever be moved. What did they do during the warmer 1930’s? Or during cool periods?

4. Waffle woes. The nation had to collectively leggo its Eggos in November 2009, when record flooding in Atlanta stopped waffle production at the local Kellogg plant. Sure, this has happened once so far, but according to the Environmental Protection Agency, “projected sea level rise, increased hurricane intensity, and associated storm surge may lead to further erosion, flooding, and property damage in the Southeast.”

So, wait, Atlanta has to worry about flooding from sea rise? Are Warmists really this insane? It’s not like it’s 1,050 feet above sea level or something. As for hurricane intensity, where is it? The last major hurricane to hit the US mainland was in October 2005. We’ll break the record going back to the Civil War if there are no Category 3+ US landfalls through November.

As for #5, apparently, Climate Change ate it.

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If All You See…

By William Teach August 24, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is a lake that will disappear and leave ducks homeless, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Maggie’s Farm, with a post saying “don’t do this”

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