The Open Road Blues in G Minor

I remember when taking the bus was a quiet experience where a young Marine could sleep off a hangover on the way back to Camp Lejeune from Chapel Hill. Carolina college girls used to love Marines figuratively and literally; maybe they still do.

I have ridden a few gray dogs in my life for various reasons with mixed results some I don’t want o talk about. But, as airplane travel became more affordable, I and most other folks switched to the friendly skies and thus travel by bus dropped in quality of service and the social status of the majority of its passengers.

Used to be you rode the bus because it was a safe and affordable option; today you ride the bus if you can’t afford anything else. It is now the travel medium on the working poor and the dregs of society.

That’s too bad because with the rise in resistance to ridiculous TSA screening methods in airports (coming soon to a train depot near you), Bus travel is at a Y in the road that could mean resurgence in bus travel or the final death blow to an American industry.

I recently had an adult daughter take a trip on Greyhound, and to be honest, it wasn’t the best experience in her young life. While nothing terrible happened to her the company did leave her stranded in Columbus SC with less than an hours ride left on her trip, telling she would have to wait six hours for another bus.

It did not matter that she was late and missed her connection due to their incompetence and it did not matter that she was young and traveling alone. In fact nothing much mattered to them, as they told my wife, “Nothing is guaranteed.”

Ahh, service after the sale, an American tradition.

No, these knuckle-heads know that the people riding the dog are only doing it out of necessity and so they can treat them like crap and get away with it.

What they could do, if they had any business sense is to go about an entire rebranding of their services. Make it safe again, make it clean and reliable; just doing this, they would see an increase in travel by people who don’t want to deal with the hassles of air travel anymore, but don’t want to drive.

Short trips to see family, vacations, not to mention business communing could all be part of the return to financial stability in a harsh competitive economy.

Right now every politician and celebrity with a cause is doing a “bus tour.” While they think it makes them look in touch with the people it only makes them look like they are stooping to touch the unwashed masses. And I guarantee that neither Barack Obama nor Sarah Palin would plop their gold plated asses down on your average Greyhound bus if you had a gun pointed at them; less chance of succumbing to the gunshot than of catching something nasty you know.

Myself I will not fly again until the TSA ceases to exist, but I can’t get on another bus either. That leaves passenger trains until the TSA is dug in there too, and then I guess I’ll just have to hop freight trains and start singing Woody Guthrie songs.

After all, this land was made for you and me.

Mars, Brought to you by Virgin Galactic

With the launch of the final shuttle mission from NASA Friday, I started feeling an old recurring pain in the ass. What I’m ticked about is all the promise and hope that We the People had back during the Apollo missions, when we all knew we would be in deep space soon, being left deflated like a morning after party balloon.
Granted my childhood hopes were fueled by Star Trek – the original please, (nobody Captains like Kirk) along with Star Wars, the writings of Isaac Asimov and all the other science-fiction, and fact, media that told us how great it was gonna’ be when we conquered the stars and how soon it would come to pass.
Well, what the hell happened to the conquering part?
Is it just me who remembers, or weren’t we supposed to be living on and operating deep space exploration bases from the moon by now? I’m just sure that according to the normal evolution of technology that we should be near faster-than-light engines now since we went to the moon 40+ years ago with computers that would barely power a preschooler’s toy laptop today.
I think that one of the sorriest collective mistakes repeated by the past few administrations is that the White House hasn’t put us to the challenge to shoot for the stars Kennedy-like, with a target date included and adequate funding.
Yes, I know before you say it that G.W. Bush sort of backed a Mars mission, but it was more along the lines of him saying, “Ya’ll go on to Mars, when you get a chance.” There was no “Get it done,” from the leader of the free world. And Obama I’m not sure knows NASA exists as anything more than a talking point.
The space program has, so far, brought significant strides in many science disciplines that have saved lives and improved our general way of life not to mention giving us Velcro and Tang, but it seems like we just decided after going to the moon and abandoning SkyLab (that was our first space station for you kids going to public schools) that we were good. So they developed the worlds most expensive and high-tech delivery service possible and called it a day.
I mean really, since the space station got on line all the heavy duty science has been done there. The astronauts do some experiments on the shuttles but not much anymore and not at all after this week. The shuttle has really just been UPS-Space Division for a while now. Not that many people noticed.
People need something exciting, that they can understand without an advanced degree, to get behind. When we were in the space race with the Soviet Union (our arch enemy for most of the 20th century for you kids going to public schools) everybody was behind it and when Neil Armstrong put the first footprints on the moon, they were American made. But today, most people don’t even know when a shuttle takes off or returns, unless something goes wrong.
I believe that the seeds of apathy over space were planted by NASA. They wanted us to see space travel as routine and nothing that special as we spread out across the stars and they succeeded to the degree in that it’s accepted as so routine, only we old Sci-Fi geeks bother to keep up much. So, nobody really noticed that we seem to again be chained to earth’s orbit, just like a Mercury Astronaut. (Project Mercury was America's first human spaceflight program and the first major undertaking of the newly created NASA. It proved that human spaceflight was possible, for you kids going to public schools).
I want to be clear, it’s not the fault of the astronauts or the support teams or the scientists that we are losing space, it’s the fault of NASA’s leadership for not convincing the feds that we need to be in space exploring, not for aliens, not for God, but simply because it’s there and we are here.
No matter whether you believe in a higher power or just good old fashioned Darwinism, man is an explorer at the core, a migratory animal that has to find new frontiers to conquer. We are not meant to stay put. Otherwise, we’d still be in the garden or swinging in the trees.
Also, I have to admit it chafes me a bit that our folks are going to have to hitch rides up to the station with the Russians for a while.
Still, there may be hope for us, even if it is a more distasteful sort of hope. They say that we might be heading in the direction of private space companies building the ships and taking over the missions in a competitive manner. Maybe that will be for the best, maybe not. The government is well known for going with the lowest bidder and you get what you pay for.
I see little chance that the days of NASA will be unnumbered and then international, corporate moguls will take control of what should be our national program. So in the end I guess I’m disappointed that when the first flag gets planted on Mars, it will be embossed with a corporate logo instead of being Old Glory. Mars, Brought to you by Virgin Galactic.

McChrystal Absolved After Magazine Flap

McChrystal Absolved After Magazine Flap
That's right folks -- the man that was so unceremoniously kicked to the curb has been vindicated. They wanted to make the point that the civilian leadership could keep the military in line. All they did was to prove that civilians have no clue how the military works. Commander-n-Chief? No, I don't think so.

Secret memo shows JFK demanded UFO files 10 days before assassination | Mail Online

Secret memo shows JFK demanded UFO files 10 days before assassination | Mail Online
Damn you London Daily Mail! Now that the truth is out the mother ship will surely leave us.

Charles Manson breaks 20-year silence on 40th anniversary of gruesome Sharon Tate murders | Mail Online

Charles Manson breaks 20-year silence on 40th anniversary of gruesome Sharon Tate murders | Mail Online

Really Chuck? You couldn't find it in yourself to just keep you freaking trap shut a few more years? I mean you gotta' die sooner or later, right?

Not 2 Be Missed | Presidential dream: long walk in the park | The Columbus Dispatch

Not 2 Be Missed | Presidential dream: long walk in the park | The Columbus Dispatch

I know how to fix that for you Barry.

Associated Press

Associated Press

Newspapers, GOP call for congressman to resign


Okay, I know we all think that the government is full of nuts but this is just scary!

Poll: Majority of Republicans Doubt Obama's Birthplace : Roll Call

Poll: Majority of Republicans Doubt Obama's Birthplace : Roll Call

Just like Gore supporters in 2000, the birthers just can't come to grips with the fact that their guy lost. Look, the guy is president and he's going to remain president for the next year and some odd months. If he did pull a fast one on us and isn't a citizen, it will make a great Jeopardy question someday but for usefulness it's as dead an issue as hanging chads in Florida. How about putting all those wasted hours crying that he's a foreigner or a Muslim and attack his polices to get him voted out in 2012. Just please, make sure you have a viable candidate. If you run Palin or Gingritch you are giving him a second term on a silver plattter. - RF

Right On, Governor, But ...

By John Hood
February 16, 2011

RALEIGH – When Gov. Bev Perdue is right, she’s very right.

During her State of the State address Monday night, the governor called for a fundamental reorganization of state government, privatization, regulatory reform, educational innovations such as virtual schools, the closure of many state boards and commissions, and reductions in both the size of the public-sector workforce and the state’s high and self-defeating tax rate on corporate income.

Check, check, check, check. Good to see that the governor’s office is still on the John Locke Foundation’s mailing list and making productive use of the material.

Unfortunately, Perdue’s speech wasn’t limited to pitching these ideas. The governor also gave clear signals that her forthcoming budget would avoid necessary economies in education, extend the 2009 increases in sales and income taxes, and rely on gimmicks to balance the budget rather than laying the foundation for sustained growth and job creation by cutting North Carolina’s government to an affordable size.

The problem was that the governor spent too much time pandering to spending lobbies and special interests.

For example, while embracing the necessity of cutting marginal tax rates on corporations large and small, she also defended selective breaks and subsidies for big business. These two policies are in tension, if not in contradiction. Cutting marginal tax rates means getting the government out of the business of trying to pick and determine which firms will succeed or fail. Making incentive deals means keeping the government in that very business.

Perdue also continued to pander to the Blarney Tradition within the state’s political class by claiming that, thanks to “public investment” in bigger government, North Carolina is on the leading edge of economic recovery. That’s false. Unfortunately, North Carolina has lagged the rest of the region and nation in economic performance for years. We are still lagging.

Taxing and spending more than our competitors on subsidies of business and higher education didn’t make North Carolina more competitive. It made us less competitive, as evidenced by the fact that most of these states have posted stronger economic performance than North Carolina has posted since the mid-1990s.

We need to change course, not stay the course. Our ship of state is in the shoals, not the open sea.

The good news is that much of Perdue’s address can still be read as endorsing fiscal conservatism and opening the door to an agreement with House and Senate Republicans on how to move North Carolina forward in these challenging times. Here are the broad outlines of such a deal:

• Fashion a General Fund budget that spends about $18.7 billion next year – slightly less than the currently forecast $18.8 billion in General Fund revenue, and about 13 percent less than the $21.6 billion baseline that assumes no change in current programs and spending promises.

• Accomplish this 13 percent reduction off the baseline not by across-the-board whacking but by judicious application of sound budgeting principles and firm fiscal priorities. Under JLF’s forthcoming budget plan, for example, the primary function of state government – public safety – would experience a 3 percent cut. Budget savings in public schools and community colleges would be about 10 percent. Cuts to business subsidies, politically connected nonprofits, agency administration, and other low-priority programs would range from 40 percent to 100 percent.

• Significantly reduce the number of state agencies, departments, and commissions. While the budget savings, though welcome, would be relatively modest, cleaning up the state’s organizational chart would have other operational benefits.

• Advance the ball on state tax reform by broadening tax bases while reducing marginal tax rates. We suggest that North Carolina cut its corporate tax rate to 4 percent by 2013 and its top income tax rate to 6 percent by 2015. This truly will make our state’s economy more competitive in the international market for capital, highly productive labor, and technological innovation.

• Further strengthen the state’s competitive position through regulatory reforms that submit government rules to rigorous tests of legal authority and net benefit.

Gov. Perdue has a great opportunity to transform both the state and her own political fortunes. I sincerely hope she takes it.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation.

Letter from NAACP'S Nantambu lashes out at some blacks - CharlotteObserver.com

Letter from NAACP'S Nantambu lashes out at some blacks - CharlotteObserver.com

Maybe Mr.Nantambu has forgotten that Dr. King was also about equal and adequate education. While I think the man would probably have been humble about a day in his honor, I think he would have also thought that no day honoring any man or woman is important enough for children to miss school. Especially when they have missed so many due to bad weather. Maybe we should spend a little more time in school educating our children about the struggles Dr. King and others went through rather than bitching about them having to go on government designated holidays. - RF

John Wiley Price Tells Citizens To “Go To Hell” « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

John Wiley Price Tells Citizens To “Go To Hell” « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

You just have to question whether this is just one very loose cannon or a microcosm for the truly broken state of our political system.
You could easily have some white chairperson screaming "Go to Hell" to a group of minorities, but then that would be a much bigger story wouldn't it? Especially if that person was was a Republican. - RF

Lara Logan becomes the news on CBS Evening News - TVNewser

Lara Logan becomes the news on CBS Evening News - TVNewser

People always want to put media types down or lump us all together. This highlights the dangers of the job abroad. - RF

The O'Donnell Factor: A Hill Hack Goes Prime-Time Wacko | The New York Observer

The O'Donnell Factor: A Hill Hack Goes Prime-Time Wacko | The New York Observer


What bothers me the most about this story isn’t Ms. Tkacik’s obvious suggestion that Lawrence O’Donnell is another hack hired by the Peacock to spew anti-right rhetoric. That is, after all, his job and what people who are used to tuning in for Keith Olbermann are looking for. Rather my problem is comparing this raving maniac to a legend like Edward R. Morrow.
You know, the guy who took on McCarthyism.
“No guest is too benign or inconsequential to serve as Joe McCarthy to Mr. O'Donnell's eager inner Edward R. Murrow, and, more important, no argument is too sound if Mr. O'Donnell is in the mood for a bout of self-righteous condemnation.”
While she gets it right that O’Donnell is eager to badger his guests to death with pointless questioning, she smears the reputation of a legend in our industry.
A more apt comparison statement might have been that no guest is too benign or inconsequential to serve as The Kurds to Mr. O'Donnell's eager inner Sadam Hussein. - RF