tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post7442316915807898636..comments2023-10-31T03:18:26.963-07:00Comments on Great Guys Weblog: Media DivergenceBrethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15063508651955739056noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-28531968928280429962012-11-19T13:13:10.766-08:002012-11-19T13:13:10.766-08:00The genius of the market has covered the nation in...<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/science/earth/as-coasts-rebuild-and-us-pays-again-critics-stop-to-ask-why.html?smid=tw-share" rel="nofollow">The genius of the market has covered the nation in subdivisions that our more nature-attuned forebears knew better than to live in.</a><br /><br />Bollocks.Hey Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10798930502187234974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-9962223253482819652012-11-17T19:46:34.471-08:002012-11-17T19:46:34.471-08:00Harry, I'm still waiting to hear about how Oba...Harry, I'm still waiting to hear about how <i>Obama is sure getting the once-over on FEMA performance now. </i><br /><br />Something. Anything.Hey Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10798930502187234974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-54427298969075672242012-11-17T18:15:21.088-08:002012-11-17T18:15:21.088-08:00"So how do you justify Romney's public su..."So how do you justify Romney's public subsidy for his dancing horse?"<br /><br />I don't. I think the legislators who wrote up the legislation, and the President who signed it in to law should be horsewhipped. It's clearly not Romney's fault.Susan's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862667802025231163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-4034083186783738922012-11-17T18:00:22.769-08:002012-11-17T18:00:22.769-08:00Huckabee? Justify? Harry, you've outdone y...Huckabee? Justify? Harry, you've outdone yourself. erphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09826044412670324694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-14028459406066455522012-11-17T17:50:54.280-08:002012-11-17T17:50:54.280-08:00You should hear what Mike Huckabee says about Romn...You should hear what Mike Huckabee says about Romney.<br /><br />So how do you justify Romney's public subsidy for his dancing horse?Harry Eagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196202758858876402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-51994040850623188662012-11-17T16:08:55.534-08:002012-11-17T16:08:55.534-08:00By the way, Obama is sure getting the once-over on...By the way, <i>Obama is sure getting the once-over on FEMA performance now, if you read newspapers. </i><br /><br />Oh, really.<br /><br />Well, as I said above, I do, and they don't, or at least not to speak of.<br /><br />This is from the <a href="" rel="nofollow">Washington <i>Times <b>blog</b></i></a> of two days ago:<br /><br /><i>New York City Councilman James Sanders represents the Rockaways. His chief of staff Donovan Richards told Here & Now his district was abandoned when Sandy hit.<br /><br />“FEMA did not arrive in a timely fashion, nor did the Red Cross,” Richards said. “If it wasn’t for everyday citizens coming out and giving us a hand, the Rockaways would be in a shape that is unfathomable.”<br /><br />Richards said that FEMA didn’t arrive until last Thursday, and he says the agency initially set up in an area that was inaccessible to poorer residents.<br />“Every 24 hours that goes by, we get into a more desperate situation so FEMA has to respond quicker. I know we have a billion things to do but in a low-income area with 30 percent of the people on some sort of income subsidy we need them to move fast and move now,” Richards said.</i><br /><br />From the blinkered MSM, not even a whisper. <br /><br />How does that compare with post-Katrina?<br />Hey Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10798930502187234974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-44533690517917425272012-11-17T13:31:57.574-08:002012-11-17T13:31:57.574-08:00yep.yep.erphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09826044412670324694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-75297576967186788052012-11-17T11:45:42.807-08:002012-11-17T11:45:42.807-08:00erp;
Eagar's view of Romney is entirely contr...erp;<br /><br />Eagar's view of Romney is entirely controlled by the politics - Romney was a good guy until he ran against The Won. That made him evil. Just like McCain. Romney's worse though because he actually <em>campaigned</em> against The Won. Nothing you can say will change that fact, which makes Romney's statements, character, and actions irrelevant.Susan's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862667802025231163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-81698997795126566512012-11-17T11:34:07.217-08:002012-11-17T11:34:07.217-08:00... this from a guy who's given many multiple ...... this from a guy who's given many multiple millions to charity. stop beating this horse. romney is a very good guy. problem is he's not conservative.erphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09826044412670324694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-27747222632148147062012-11-17T09:58:26.866-08:002012-11-17T09:58:26.866-08:00New Orleans is where it is because it is the highe...New Orleans is where it is because it is the highest place around.<br /><br />Dakota Dunes was an annually flooded wasteland until tax-dodging racists spotted it as a place to avoid living next to Mexicans.<br /><br />Romney's core belief is that people without great wealth are moochers and irresponsible. This from a man who takes a $77,000 annual government payout to subsidize a dancing horse.Harry Eagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196202758858876402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-24527063249358197602012-11-16T15:40:06.446-08:002012-11-16T15:40:06.446-08:00[Harry:] Obama is sure getting the once-over on FE...<i>[Harry:] Obama is sure getting the once-over on FEMA performance now, if you read newspapers. </i><br /><br />I subscribe to both the NYT and the WSJ. If there has been any rubbishing of Obama over FEMA performance, never mind rising to the hysterical pitch after Katrina, than the failure to notice it is mine. I am sure you have a link or two to set me straight.<br /><br />Having gotten by that, though, the question that absolutely begs asking is why FEMA continues to perform so shabbily. Could it be — rash, I know — because it is doing the right things badly, or the wrong things, or should it be called, and doing, something else entirely?<br /><br />Yet the MSM, as incurious as ever, is no place to go for the obvious.<br /><br /><i>The 47% remark expressed Romney's core beliefs -- to the extent he has any -- and couple distastefully with Ryan's attack on 'urban' voters. </i> <br /><br />How about telling us precisely, with direct quotes as required, precisely what Romney's core beliefs are. And, while you are at it, exactly what Ryan's attack on 'urban' voters was. I have a sneaking suspicion you will be as on target as criticism of Limbaugh was following the Flukerfuffle.<br /><br /><i>The genius of the market has covered the nation in subdivisions that our more nature-attuned forebears knew better than to live in </i> <br /><br />Ever hear of New Orleans? I've heard it's a bit flood prone. Been around for awhile, too, if I recall correctly. <br /><br />And I'm sure you've heard of the Army Corps of Engineers, or government subsidized flood insurance programs.<br /><br />All part of the genius of the market, I'm sure.Hey Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10798930502187234974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-29310214612466743312012-11-16T11:34:21.009-08:002012-11-16T11:34:21.009-08:00"When, if ever, was Romney going to explain t..."When, if ever, was Romney going to explain to voters why they didn't need FEMA?"<br /><br />After the election, just like Obama and all the bad economic news.<br /><br />So, my "secret sources" turned out to be correct after you were so dismissive of them? How "unexpected".Susan's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862667802025231163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-86807793248128558992012-11-16T11:22:40.813-08:002012-11-16T11:22:40.813-08:00Obama is sure getting the once-over on FEMA perfor...Obama is sure getting the once-over on FEMA performance now, if you read newspapers.<br /><br />When, if ever, was Romney going to explain to voters why they didn't need FEMA?<br /><br />The 47% remark expressed Romney's core beliefs -- to the extent he has any -- and couple distastefully with Ryan's attack on 'urban' voters.<br /><br />As a WaPo reporter got a Republican to volunteer yesterday, it doesn't square with Romney losses in rural, white states like Iowa and N. Hampshire.<br /><br />I can well imagine that FEMA responds to more calls today. The first time I went to west Palm Beach, Pratt & Whitney owned 5,000 acres of test facilities without a single resident. By the time Andrew arrived, P&W was gone and the swamps were full of houses.<br /><br />Outer Banks of N.C., same way. Dakota Dunes, same way.<br /><br />the genius of the market has covered the nation in subdivisions that our more nature-attuned forebears knew better than to live inHarry Eagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196202758858876402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-31040522583861392722012-11-15T13:54:58.103-08:002012-11-15T13:54:58.103-08:00And now he re-owns '47%.'
What is the de...<i>And now he re-owns '47%.' </i><br /><br />What is the definition of a political mistake? Unintentional candor.<br /><br />He was on to something, which the blinkered MSM completely failed to twig: dependency, in all its manifestations. Apparently, people voted for Obama to raise taxes on the rich, all the while ignoring that taxing the rich at a 1200% marginal rate isn't enough to put things right. The MSM, incurious as ever, let that completely slide while, without a hint of irony, slammed Romney and Ryan for failing to provide specifics on their budget and tax plans. <br /><br />Dependency (see Knik River whiners, et al) has gotten to the point where no amount of redistribution can pay for it.<br /><br />Yeah, I can see how Romney is evil for pointing that out.<br /><br /><i>LIPA isn't the grid operator,Skipper. That was offshored. </i><br /><br />First off, the grid operations were privatized, not offshored (how could that happen, anyway?). Second, LIPA had an executive role to play, at which they utterly failed. Which, staffed as it was with place holders, ignorants, and incompetents, should come as no surprise.<br /><br />LIPA <i>could</i> have done meaningful work in specifying network resilience in the face of foreseeable disasters, and it <i>could</i> have planned recovery operations. <br /><br />No, wait. "Could" is the wrong word. I need something more along the lines of "were professionally obligated to a task so obvious that even my dog would have sensed its presence". Hey Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10798930502187234974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-56327084306546081722012-11-15T13:54:34.015-08:002012-11-15T13:54:34.015-08:00[Harry:] It hasn't been 3 weeks, skipper. the ...<i>[Harry:] It hasn't been 3 weeks, skipper. the scale destruction is an order of magnitude greater than the '85 storm which hit rural areas. </i><br /><br />Wait, what? That can't possibly be right. Warmenists assure us that there was no such thing as extreme weather before Sandy.<br /><br />But more to the point at hand. With regard to abolishing FEMA, the questions are fundamentally two: are FEMA's goals suitable, and, to what extent is FEMA correctly constituted to accomplish those goals that are suitable?<br /><br />I have no good idea what either answers are, but I guarantee two things. First, visiting the FEMA website is no help. And, more importantly, the MSM has been utterly incompetent at addressing any of that, even in the most superficial way. So Romney was completely justified in ignoring the reporters on the subject — the setting was wrong, and the guaranteed result would be a festival of MSM navel gazing on the subject, starting with the reporters, and picking up speed and mass until it reached the NYT Op Ed page, the Fort Knox of unexamined ideas.<br /><br />And you sort of typify the whole non-conspiratorial but wholly blinkered MSM process. You know in advance there is no possible answer that isn't an evil dismemberment of government, without considering the possibilities that FEMA has metastasized beyond recognition, or that FEMA's useful goals could be more effectively accomplished in other ways.<br /><br />As for the former, I read yesterday that FEMA responds to something like six times as many events as it did in the 1980s. That should raise an eyebrow. Then, wholly by coincidence, came a local news report last night that should yank the other one skyward. <br /><br />The Knik River, about 30 miles north of where I live, is a primarily glacial fed braided river. Which means the river flows on a wide (6-ish miles, this case), flat plain through meandering channels. Last summer, the river decided to meander itself into some new channels that happened to be where people, quite stupidly, built stuff. The story wasn't the completely natural behavior of the river, but rather that an application for FEMA assistance was sitting on the President's desk, awaiting approval.<br /><br />If he does approve, then Federal money will be directed to help. <br /><br />At this point, you must see that there are some problems here. The term "Federal money" should be one red flag: it is the collectivist synonym for "free". Striking both from the collectivist vocabulary would no doubt violate the First Amendment, but it would have the benefit of perhaps forcing some rigor upon what passes for collectivist analysis.<br /><br />Which raises the follow-on problem: by centralizing authority, not only does accountability go by the wayside, but, what's worse, other people's money will serve to enable the very same stupidity that was the real problem in the first place.<br /><br />Okay, I admit, I'm not a reporter, so obviously the preceding argument is both so simple that Romney should have been able to present it in a soundbite, and so manifestly wrong that he would be evil for advocating it.<br /><br />Right?<br /><br />And then flipping that coin over, to what extent was Obama called out on justifying FEMA's performance, or asked whether it should be doing what it's doing? <br /><br />There is your blinkered MSM right there. Not conspiratorial, but rather complacent, navel-gazing, rut-dwelling, curiously incurious, incompetents.Hey Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10798930502187234974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-8339080799382750302012-11-15T13:23:14.293-08:002012-11-15T13:23:14.293-08:00Now you're just gibbering. I'll wait till ...Now you're just gibbering. I'll wait till you write something at least semi-coherent. You could start by pointing out where I imputed a motive, and second by actually stating what your point is.Susan's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862667802025231163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-23750451473436240142012-11-15T11:44:16.965-08:002012-11-15T11:44:16.965-08:00He didn't say that, you know. Alexander Graham...He didn't say that, you know. Alexander Graham Bell used to say, never impute motives. He had his chance.<br /><br />And now he re-owns '47%.' It turns out that he was completely wrong when he said that was 'completely wrong.' The guy is funnier than Sarah Palin.<br /><br />LIPA isn't the grid operator,Skipper. That was offshored.<br /><br />What could possibly go wrong?Harry Eagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196202758858876402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-66565273241372225422012-11-15T11:44:10.451-08:002012-11-15T11:44:10.451-08:00He didn't say that, you know. Alexander Graham...He didn't say that, you know. Alexander Graham Bell used to say, never impute motives. He had his chance.<br /><br />And now he re-owns '47%.' It turns out that he was completely wrong when he said that was 'completely wrong.' The guy is funnier than Sarah Palin.<br /><br />LIPA isn't the grid operator,Skipper. That was offshored.<br /><br />What could possibly go wrong?Harry Eagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196202758858876402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-37071639323413646192012-11-15T06:06:04.878-08:002012-11-15T06:06:04.878-08:00Ok, Romney owns the idea that FEMA is a net waste ...Ok, Romney owns the idea that FEMA is a net waste of money and we'd be better off delegating disaster relief to state and local elements. Certainly that makes me glad I voted for him.Susan's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862667802025231163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-45624773332586123952012-11-14T22:14:00.893-08:002012-11-14T22:14:00.893-08:00It hasn't been 3 weeks, skipper. the scale des...It hasn't been 3 weeks, skipper. the scale destruction is an order of magnitude greater than the '85 storm whict rural areas.<br /><br />When did the Hudson River tunnels flood before?<br /><br />FEMA and the Guard work together. You think the Guard wants to hand out housing slips?<br /><br />You can't get Romney off the FEMA. He brought it up in a debate. He owns itHarry Eagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196202758858876402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-55053227940823586752012-11-14T16:16:42.486-08:002012-11-14T16:16:42.486-08:00[Harry:] "[you] surmise [...] that any explan...<i>[Harry:] "[you] surmise [...] that any explanation Romney would be likely to give would not withstand much scrutiny"<br /><br />[AOG:] I surmise no such thing. I claim, on the contrary, that no scrutiny would be given at all, only biased sneers.</i><br /><br />I second the lack of surmisal. There are plenty of reasons to wonder whether FEMA is effective, and a whole lot more to wonder if its notion of efficiency to use furnaces highly rated by Consumers' Union to set fire to giant piles of money.<br /><br />Not one MSM journalist, SFAIK, has even thought to ask, never mind answer, the obvious questions I posed above. Yet without even a moment's reflection, everyone of them would have jumped all over any proposal Romney might make, with every bit of the same devotion to critical analysis that shines forth from the NYT editorial page.<br /><br />After a disaster such as Sandy, what is needed mostest, firstest: potable water; equipment to clear roads; crews to rebuild power lines; and industrial sized generators to restore power as soon as sections of the power distribution can be put together. <br /><br />Why FEMA, and not the National Guard?<br /><br />(BTW, in a previous life, I had to deal with similar disaster planning, and even had a chance to see that plan put into action.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>[Harry:] As it happens, I was in Long Island and Connecticut and New York City when a big storm hit during the Reagan administration.<br /><br />Eastern L.I. caught most of it. Power was not restored for 3 weeks, and not for months in some places. </i><br /><br />As it happens, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/nyregion/long-island-power-authoritys-flaws-hindered-recovery-efforts.html?pagewanted=2&nl=afternoonupdate&emc=edit_au_20121114" rel="nofollow">thousands of Long Island residents are still without power</a>:<br /><br /><i>While [Long Island Power Authority] oversight has drifted, politicians have installed relatives and friends in executive positions at the authority, turning it into a rich source of patronage jobs, according to interviews and a review of state records.<br /><br />These positions have an average salary of $110,000, the records show.<br /><br />“There are many, many people who have been placed at LIPA during my tenure here who have no utility experience or training in the job that they have been placed in,” said Tracy Burgess-Levy, the authority’s director of community relations. </i><br /><br />I'm sure FEMA is all over this. Right?Hey Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10798930502187234974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-41198856459147576182012-11-14T15:22:18.700-08:002012-11-14T15:22:18.700-08:00Better be quick about 'tho, I'm afraid it ...Better be quick about 'tho, I'm afraid it (the internet) will disappear into the ether where we cogs can't see it.erphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09826044412670324694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-61757903573894867282012-11-14T14:59:31.224-08:002012-11-14T14:59:31.224-08:00"I fail to remember any conservatives calling..."I fail to remember any conservatives calling for the end of FEMA then"<br /><br />And so ...? I don't think we had communicated at that point.<br /><br />"It was his top-of-mind item on cutting government"<br /><br />I doubt it was the top of his actual priority list, once again demonstrating how the mendacity of the press shows why Romney was smart to not answer further questions.<br /><br />"[you] surmise [...] that any explanation Romney would be likely to give would not withstand much scrutiny"<br /><br />I surmise no such thing. I claim, on the contrary, that no scrutiny would be given at all, only biased sneers.<br /><br />"if you don't believe the national government can adequately respond to emergencies"<br /><br />Ah, that same Old Media mendacity in operation once again - truly, you are an insider. No one here has written or claimed any such thing. We have talked about large scale disasters, which are quite a different thing.<br /><br />"He must have some secret source of information."<br /><br />It's called "The Internet". It may go public soon. Keep an eye out for it.Susan's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862667802025231163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-24661476194365557982012-11-14T14:00:46.543-08:002012-11-14T14:00:46.543-08:00As it happens, I was in Long Island and Connecticu...As it happens, I was in Long Island and Connecticut and New York City when a big storm hit during the Reagan administration.<br /><br />Eastern L.I. caught most of it. Power was not restored for 3 weeks, and not for months in some places.<br /><br />I fail to remember any conservatives calling for the end of FEMA then.<br /><br />It wasn't the press that brought up FEMA. It was Romney. It was his top-of-mind item on cutting government.<br /><br />He could have taken as much time as he felt he needed to discuss why he was campaigning against FEMa><br /><br />Guy and Skipper surmise -- correctly, I'm sure -- that any explanation Romney would be likely to give would not withstand much scrutiny.<br /><br />Maybe Romney should have pulled a Perry and disremembered some other agency. <br /><br />Anyhow, if you don't believe the national government can adequately respond to emergencies, next time your yacht is sinking, skip the Coast Guard and call the tea party or something.<br /><br />(Guy has now stated twice that FEMA is failing in NY. He must have some secret source of information.)Harry Eagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196202758858876402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806884.post-36239363645725342382012-11-13T18:14:34.236-08:002012-11-13T18:14:34.236-08:00And the FEMA failure goes on and on yet where is t...And the <a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2012/11/13/sandy-katrina-on-the-hudson/" rel="nofollow">FEMA failure goes on and on</a> yet where is the outrage from Old Media? The discussion about whether FEMA helps or not? About why it isn't being managed well? Could it possibly, just maybe, be caused by the party of President and not any facts relating to FEMA or disaster recovery? No, it simply cannot be, journalists are clearly <em>desperate</em> to cover such a major story.Susan's Husbandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02862667802025231163noreply@blogger.com