April 16, 2007 by mr_flood.

Is here at Protein Wisdom

From the Kansas City Star’s Jason Whitlock, “Imus isn’t the real bad guy”:

Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.

You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.

You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.

Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.

Please read the rest.

Posted in Current Events | 1 Comment »

April 3, 2007 by mr_flood.

****bad language in here****

From a recent post at Protein Wisdom

So, to recap: chocolate Jesus giblets and stallion fucking = edgy, arty, and worthy of “thought experiments” that attempt to “revive the humanity” of their subjects; whereas “under God” in the Pledge = intrusive, while cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed? How dare you question the Otherness of the Other?

What more can be said over what Jeff says in his post?

I suppose I can add that no one has noticed how juvenile it all is. Here they are, grown up, so many years serperated from their parents, from the ’50’s, from any connection to religion at all and still they take so much pleasure, and devote so much effort, in being perceived as a rebel to all they’ve left behind. Look! Look at me everyone! I’m sticking it to Jesus and his whacko followers! How brave I am!

No, you’re just tired.

And old.

Posted in Current Events | 1 Comment »

April 2, 2007 by mr_flood.

In today’s Times we get an article decrying an inequality in the tax code. Capital gains is only taxed at 15% while the highest income tax is over twice that. I agree with the Times at this point, but of course it’s the solution to this inequality that highlights them as socialists

The deeper question in all this is whether capital gains — which are currently taxed at less than half the top rate of ordinary income — should continue to be so lavishly advantaged. The answer there is no. Today’s preferential rate for capital gains is excessive, with no mechanism in the tax code to ensure that it is not overused. Excessively favoring one form of income over another encourages wasteful gamesmanship, creates inequity and crowds out other ways to foster risk-taking. Tackling the too-easy tax terms for private equity is a good way for Congress to begin addressing that bigger issue.

Their solution is to, of course, raise the capital gains tax, why?

In general, when corporate executives get performance-based pay, like stock options, they don’t have to pay tax right away. That’s a big tax benefit, but it leaves the government no worse off because the corporation also delays taking a deduction for the payment. There is no such offset when private equity partners are paid by tax-exempt investors.

That’s right, when the Times discovers an inequality in the tax code it’s first interest is in making sure the government is taken care of. It’s practically the definition of socialist. It’s a mindset that just boggles me. The rights and interests of the people aren’t even a factor. The fact that the government can abscond with the income of it’s citizens, at any rate it chooses, is a violation of our rights of the highest order yet the Times wants to make sure the bureaucracy isn’t shorted.

To the Times I say: Piss off.

Posted in Current Events | 1 Comment »

April 2, 2007 by mr_flood.

In another of these studies that finds out what we all already knew or suspected, we turn to The Corner

According to Meyer’s findings, by the age of 12, children believe that earning praise from a teacher is not a sign you did well—it’s actually a sign you lack ability and the teacher thinks you need extra encouragement. And teens, Meyer found, discounted praise to such an extent that they believed it’s a teacher’s criticism—not praise at all—that really conveys a positive belief in a student’s aptitude.

In the opinion of cognitive scientist Daniel T. Willingham, a teacher who praises a child may be unwittingly sending the message that the student reached the limit of his innate ability, while a teacher who criticizes a pupil conveys the message that he can improve his performance even further.

Read the rest.

Posted in Current Events | 1 Comment »