Archive for May, 2011

Dan Calabrese

Did you notice that gas prices went down over the weekend after Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow held a press conference at a Birch Run, Michigan gas station “to combat high gas prices”?

Neither did I.

Of course, I never had any expectation that Stabenow’s press conference would make one whit of difference – and I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she really didn’t think so either. But what I suspect she does think is that every time something happens on the economic front – good news or bad – it has a political origin and a political solution.

It seems absurd to normal people that anyone would think to themselves – “What can be done about high gas prices?” – and would come up with the answer: “Hold a press conference!” But normal people do not live in the world inhabited by Debbie Stabenow, in which everything is caused by politics, everything is ruined by politics, and everything is fixed by politics.

Or at least, in her world, enough people look to politics for the explanations that their narrow-mindedness can be exploited to get crowds at press conferences and plenty of news coverage.

Stabenow does have a talking point to exploit in dog-and-pony shows like these. She is railing against “subsidies” (actually tax breaks) the oil companies receive, as do lots of other companies, and which Democrats denounce every time oil prices spike. As Stabenow disingenuously puts it: “We’re paying top prices at the pump. At the same time, out of the other pocket, we’re paying the oil companies.”

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Herman Cain

Ever since the South Carolina Republican presidential debate, reporters have continued to challenge me for not having a specific plan for our nation’s involvement in Afghanistan. They continue to think that if you are running for president then you must have an answer for everything. I don’t! A real leader has the right questions for everything.

When asked about what I would do about our involvement in the war in Afghanistan during the debate, I answered by asking the questions that should have been asked before we got involved many years ago. What is our mission? How does it serve our interest? Is there a path to victory? If not, then what is our exit strategy?

I ask these questions instead of “shooting from the lip” because there is obviously a lot of classified information to which I do not have access. There are dozens of experts and military leaders I would need advice from before I could make an informed decision about a real clear plan for the USA’s involvement in Afghanistan. Similarly, a real clear strategy for every country with which we have relationships would be developed, regardless of whether or not we are involved in a military conflict.

To be clear, I want to be out of Afghanistan and all war-torn countries as much as the next person. But I am not going to propose a half-baked plan based on half the information I would need to make the right decision, just to pretend I know everything.

On the other hand, I do know enough about our solid relationship with Israel from decades of observations that I would make it even stronger, which isn’t just about dollars. And, I would not be hesitant to let the rest of the world know that we will stand by and with our friends.

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Brett Noel

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Dan Calabrese

The federal government – which is $14.3 trillion in debt – has thrown $200 million at Michigan for the construction of high-speed rail between Dearborn and Kalamazoo. Among other supposed benefits, this new rail line is said to shave 50 minutes off the commute between Detroit and Chicago – down to a mere four hours.

I have a question: When you arrive in Chicago on the train, a blessed 50 minutes earlier than you once did, what sort of inconveniences will you face as a result of not having your car with you?

How far or close to your actual destination is the train station? Will you have to take the “L” to your meeting? Will you have to catch a cab? If you have to avail yourself of either of the two aforementioned options, how much time will this require and what will it cost you?

Or maybe you can walk. Can you walk to where you’re going in 50 minutes? I suppose it depends where it is. I hope you wore comfortable shoes.

Now, I don’t mean to suggest there are no advantages to taking the train. Assuming the train is equipped with onboard Wi-Fi – and for $200 million, it better be – many people can get a lot of work done during a four-hour train ride. And yes, I’m sure massive train ridership will cut down on fuel usage – although I’d be surprised if enough people ride the train to even make the tiniest dent.

But the point is that the people who tout the wondrous benefits of train ridership, or most other things the government throws money at, usually have only the shallowest understanding of the actual experience people will have when the patronize the government’s shiny new service.

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Brett Noel

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Herman Cain

“Fellow patriots of this exceptional nation, the United States of America, we need real economic growth. We need a real energy independence plan. We need real national security clarity. But most of all, we need real leadership, and not more political position-ship. God bless you, and God is blessing America.”

That was my 30-second closing statement at the South Carolina Republican presidential debate on May 5, 2011. Since we were only allowed 30 seconds to close, I was forced to severely narrow my usual seven critical issues down to three, which I consider co-critical number one issues that we must solve for the survival of this nation.

We must solve all of the issues, which I discuss in Common Sense Solutions at HermanCain.com, and we can solve them. But they all start with robust economic growth, energy policy, and a real, clear foreign policy.

If we do not stimulate this economy out of this anemic economic growth rate, then it will be nearly impossible to properly address the other issues. And this continued dependence on foreign oil is a national security crisis waiting to explode.

For example, as gasoline prices continue to climb past the tipping point of $4 a gallon, it starts to put downward pressure on what little economic growth we are maintaining. At an anemic 1.8 percent growth in GDP in the first quarter of 2011, as reported by the Commerce Department last week, we simply cannot afford to grow any slower. Other countries like China are gaining on us.

The Commerce Department also announced last week that the unemployment rate for April went back up to 9 percent. That number just represents the approximately 15 million people who are unemployed, but it does not include the nearly five million people who are “underemployed”. The increase in the unemployment rate was not a surprise to those of us who really understand how and why jobs are created.

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Jill Ciminillo

For me, Jaguar has always been an aspirational brand. So pretty, yet at price points that are so out of my reach. I can’t say that the 2011 Jaguar XF is any different with a base price of $56,500.

But boy is it an attractive, fun and fast car.

A couple years out of the stable, the XF isn’t the new kid on the block anymore, but it’s still a head turner. I had more than one driver do a circle around the car on the toll road from Chicago to Ohio, trying to check it out from all angles. It doesn’t look anything like the S-Type it replaced, and it also has more refined touch points, excellent lumbar support and reliability ratings that take a stab at old cliches.

According to JD Power, last year the 2010 XF scored 3 out of 5 in terms of predicted reliability, which is considered average. However, for 2011 the rating is beginning to creep up, and it’s now situated 3 1/2 out of 5, edging toward a full-fledged “better than most.” Jaguar as a brand is still struggling with “the rest” ratings that hover in the 2 range, but with their solid upward climb, I think it’s time to cut out all those old cracks about having a Jag and a spare.
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Liz Carter

For those who are celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden as an Obama victory: The victory belongs to the brave men and women who serve this country. Yes, I commend the Commander in Chief for approving the mission, but let me remind you that those who serve in the U.S. military are the heroes, the same ones that Obama just weeks ago attempted to use as pawns in budget negotiations. Don’t think for a minute that those soldiers did this for Obama.

They did it for the American people.

Obama missed his opportunity to celebrate the Unites States and claim victory when he turned the triumph of good over evil into a politically correct sideshow. Many who suffered through the tragedy of 9/11 had this victory turn bittersweet when Obama attempted to placate the Osama followers with claims of a “proper” burial.

Mr. President, how many Americans have been brutally murdered by individuals following Osama bin Laden, who you claimed to have given a “proper” burial?  Do you realize that the bodies of many were not even found? What about the people who have been beheaded, beaten and dragged through the streets by these terrorists?  Do you not think that it may be more of a disincentive to fanatical a religious terrorist to know they won’t receive a proper burial?

Mr. President, when will you publicly acknowledge that the information obtained to complete this mission was, in fact, obtained by acts and the location you publicly condemned? Your administration is still attempting to provide rights to terrorists that are and should be reserved to United States citizens. When you attempt to give our rights to those who seek to destroy our people and beliefs, you disrespect those who have given their lives fighting to protect them.

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Dan Calabrese

The once-a-decade ritual of legislative redistricting is one of those issues on which most people’s positions are entirely partisan. (Sort of like the way Democrats used to complain about the president’s usurpation of power, and Republicans complain about the same thing now.)

If you’re a Democrat in most places these days, you worry that the whole thing will be political. If you’re a Republican, you’re pretty pumped about the fact that your side won control of legislatures all across the country at just the right time, so they can manipulate the process – er, I mean, redraw the lines in a spirit of nonpartisan fairness.

Ha ha! You’re funny.

If one can peel away the partisan scales over their eyes, one would have to recognize that the process of redistricting is inherently corrupt regardless of who is in charge. You have elected representatives essentially choosing their voters, usually leaving the outcome a foregone conclusion when the voters get the chance to choose their representatives. If you can think of a more blatant conflict of interest, let me know.

If you’ve ever wondered how easy it would be to draw the district map – assuming you were just trying to draw a fair map and not try to manipulate it for your own political purposes – a new kind of competition has given residents in many states a chance to give it a shot.

For those of us who live in Michigan, this started yesterday.

The Michigan Citizens Redistricting Competition is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in politics in a long time. It gives Michigan residents a chance to go online at www.michiganredistricting.org, access software and essential information, and take their own shot at redrawing the districts for members of Congress, state senators and state representatives.

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Brett Noel

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