The Few, the Proud, the 3,111 Who Voted Against TSA Unionization

Posted on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

While it is no surprise that the majority of the TSA’s 44,000 airport screeners voted for unionization, it is worth noting that 3,111 brave souls voted against it.

Good for them.

My guess is that the majority of them are likely military veterans.

It is good to hear that some people still believe in personal accountability and responsibility. It is also noteworthy that some still resisted the yoke of union thuggery.

Alas, get ready for mind-numbing work stoppages and shift changes courtesy of your favorite government employee union.

Posted in Policy, Politics, Unions | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Let Us Not Forget What the Next Election Is Really About

Posted on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

While I have never attended a Tea Party rally, the movement has become many things to many people since it began with CNBC’s Rick Santelli’s February 2009 rant on CNBC.

As the 2012 election approaches, I thought it apt to remind folks what our next election is really about by posting Rick Santelli’s original rant. To put it bluntly, the next election is about whether one supports a government that gives Americans the freedom to take responsibility for their own actions, or a government that punishes success and rewards failure.

Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Decision 2012: War in the Fifth Domain

Posted on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

During the twentieth century, military strategists fought war in four domains: land, sea, air, and space. With the internet revolution of the late twentieth century, they faced war in a fifth domain: cyberspace.

Similarly, politicians campaigned in four domains: in person, in print, on the radio, and on television. Now, they must master the cyber domain, as political campaigners on both sides of the aisle gear up for another colossal contest over who will become America’s next president.

In the last such contest, the Democratic Party dominated the GOP in cyberspace.

However, the Republicans quickly bridged this gap in the 2010 Congressional elections. According to Pew, “among social networking site users, 40% of Republican voters and 38% of Democratic voters used [social networking sites] to get involved politically.” Additionally, Tea Party supporters were more likely than any other group “to friend a candidate or political group on a social networking site during the 2010 election.”

Pretty interesting for a group of people, whom the President believes “cling to guns or religion” because they are “bitter.”

In one of the initial salvos of his campaign, President Obama posted the following YouTube video to encourage supporters to view a livestream of his townhall visit to Facebook today at 4:45 pm EST.

Thus far, the response by his Facebook followers has been lackluster. As of Tuesday afternnon, out of President Obama’s 19.3 million Facebook fans, a little over 22,000 signed up to view the townhall meeting.

Either way, the technological arms race between the two political parties should prove interesting as the 2012 election campaign intensifies.

Posted in Business, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Poetic Justice: Obama Brings Tax Hike Plans to Silicon Valley

Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

For those who have been following this blog for any period of time, they know I despise taxation. However, I am a pragmatist and am willing to bite the bullet on some tax increases for those making over $1 million in exchange for deep cuts in government spending.

Tomorrow, the President is taking his plan to increase taxes on those making over $250,000 to Facebook executives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

S&P Lowers United States Debt Outlook to Negative

Posted on Monday, April 18, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Today,  Standard & Poor’s lowered its rating outlook for United States debt from stable to negative on the heels of the American government’s persistent dysfunction to reduce the deficit.

The market’s reaction has been slightly negative to this news, even though it should be no surprise that America’s debt situation is unsustainable.

Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, International Security, Investing, Policy, Politics, Predictions | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Obama Administration Continues Pursuit of Endgame for Libya

Posted on Sunday, April 17, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

In another sign that the Obama administration is moving toward an endgame in Libya, the United States is seeking a refuge for Qaddafi in the event of a settlement. The refuge will likely be in another African nation that has “not signed or ratified the Rome Statute, which requires nations to abide by commands from the international court.” Continue reading →

Posted in Defense, Energy Security, Finance and Economics, International Security, Middle East, Nuclear proliferation, Policy, Politics, War | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Your Airport Security Line is About to Get a Lot Longer

Posted on Saturday, April 16, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

Transportation Security Administration screeners will finish casting their votes on whether to unionize by next Tuesday. The smart money says that the majority of the 44,000 airport screeners will vote for unionization.

TSA unionization is a terrible idea for three reasons.

Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Defense, Humor, Policy, Politics, Unions | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Testosterone Deficit Disorder

Posted on Saturday, April 16, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

I found this video via Doubleplusgood Infotainment (DPGI) and frankly, I am still not sure if the video is serious or a joke.

Either way, after watching the video, I wanted to eat a raw cow, watch Monday Night Football, drive a tank, and fire a shotgun all whilst smoking a big, fat Cuban cigar.

What the heck is wrong with our culture?

Apologizing for masculinity — really?

Posted in Humor, Politics | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Movies Left and Right

Posted on Friday, April 15, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

There is a movie and a cable mini-series that I am looking forward to viewing in the near future. One is inspired by a diehard libertarian and the other by an unabashed liberal.

I cannot wait to see both.

Today, the first part of the popularized version of Atlas Shrugged hits theaters. As many of you know, Atlas Shrugged is based on Ayn Rand’s objectivist philosophy. This philosophy combines unapologetic views of free market capitalism and extreme social Darwinism, combined with atheistic religious and social views. It can sometimes be cold as it measures individuals almost exclusively by what they produce.

On Sunday, HBO will launch a mini-series of George R.R. Martin’s popular A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series. The first book of the series is A Game of Thrones. While I am a voracious reader of this series, I am frequently irritated by its author’s left wing politics. That said, the books are fantastic as is the first segment of the HBO series below (Warning: there are two decapitation scenes, so watch at your own peril).

Vodpod videos no longer available.

My personal view on both books is that Ayn Rand’s vision captures the way society works fairly accurately, but her characters tend to be wooden and idealized. The methods the book’s antagonists use to consolidate power chillingly remind me of the arguments many Democrats use to justify more entitlements and increased taxes. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Finance and Economics, Media, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

California Dreaming: Governor Moonbeam’s Taxation Nirvana

Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2011 by Sean Patrick Hazlett

“There is a certain amount of magical thinking going on under the Capitol dome. And the magical thinking is that the $13.5 billion can be conjured. Poof! Getting that $13.5 billion is going to take some taxes. And if it’s not going to be taxes, it’s going to take a radical restructuring of both public safety and public education. And if there’s a third way, I’d like to see it.”

— California Governor Jerry Brown

Well, governor, given the choice, I vote for a radical restructuring of both public safety and public education. On public safety, you can start with pension reform.

Governor Brown and California Democrats are offering California voters a “stark” choice between extending income, sales, and car registration surcharges or enduring “savage” cuts in spending.

For me, the choice is not stark. It is obvious. I vote for savage cuts of $13.5 billion in addition to the Legislature’s already approved cuts of $14 billion (which I haven’t even noticed).

California’s tax burden is already outrageous. According to the Tax Foundation, California has the second worst state business tax climate after New York for FY 2011. The state also had the sixth highest state and local tax burden in FY 2009, which was equivalent to 10.6% of the average Californian’s income.

Source: The Tax Foundation

Yet the services the state provides do not justify the level of expenditures they consume. For instance, according to the 2009 NAEP fourth grade math test, California ranks 46th in the nation. However, the average public school teacher’s salary in California was $64,424 in 2007-08 — the highest in the nation.

Then there are the pensions. In December 2010, a group of 36 employees making at least $245,000 per year threatened to sue the the University of California system if the state reduced their lavish, gold-plated pensions.

They may have an argument for breach of contract. However, my beef is with a state that allows its officials to receive such ridiculous contracts in the first place.

There are still plenty of cuts to be had in California’s budget. I would start first with cutting pension bloat.

I have had enough of California taxes.

Posted in Business, Education, Finance and Economics, Healthcare, Investing, Policy, Politics | Tagged | 5 Comments