Still Whining After All These Years

Phil Gramm? I thought he retired to being hip deep in corporate largess with his corporate-friendly wife Wendy. I guess a political fossil needs another political fossil around for company now and then.

The younger readers here may not recall Gramm as being one of the mighty supply-side economists in the Senate some years back. He, along with fellow economist in the House Dick Armey, predicted hell would be paid if the budget balancing Clinton tax increases were to be put in place. It took a vote by then Vice President Al Gore to break the tie on that one in the Senate of 1993.

Of course, the economy went on a boom cycle and the national budget headed towards balancing out. I remember at least Armey sheepishly noting that he may have been somewhat off beam on his earlier prediction. I don't recall hearing anything similar from Gramm.

Gramm was such a whiner about federal taxes being so high that his fellow congress critters decided they'd terminate the big budget govmint-funded Super Collider project in Texas. Like the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it."

All this country needs is the one-two punch of Carly Fiorina and Phil Gramm with their hands on the national economy. One thinks it's not possible to have a worse economy than what we presently have but this duo has potential.

Gramm: We Need More Leadership, Less Whining - CNN - 10 Jul 08

"Phil Gramm, a top adviser to Sen. John McCain, on Thursday stood by his comment that the country is in a 'mental recession,' and said he was trying to say the nation's leaders, not its people, were 'whiners.'"

Fiorina Fights Critics on Campaign Trail - SF Chronicle - 10 July 08

"On economic issues, Fiorina was lambasted by Democratic leaders - and Time magazine's Swampland blog - after she said that if the Bush tax cuts are repealed, as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has proposed, '23 million small businesses will see their taxes raised.' That's because '23 million small businesses file their income tax as individuals. And so, when Barack Obama blithely says only the wealthiest are going to be taxed, he is ignoring the fact that 23 million small businesses file as individuals,' she said.

Swampland writer Jay Newton-Small called the statement 'terribly misleading.'

'In fact, 94.5 percent of all (self-employed) entities ... had receipts under $100,000 in 2007,' he wrote. 'When running HP, did 23 million equal a few hundred thousand? No wonder she got fired.'"

Still Whining After All These Years

Phil Gramm? I thought he retired to being hip deep in corporate largess with his corporate-friendly wife Wendy. I guess a political fossil needs another political fossil around for company now and then.

The younger readers here may not recall Gramm as being one of the mighty supply-side economists in the Senate some years back. He, along with fellow economist in the House Dick Armey, predicted hell would be paid if the budget balancing Clinton tax increases were to be put in place. It took a vote by then Vice President Al Gore to break the tie on that one in the Senate of 1993.

Of course, the economy went on a boom cycle and the national budget headed towards balancing out. I remember at least Armey sheepishly noting that he may have been somewhat off beam on his earlier prediction. I don't recall hearing anything similar from Gramm.

Gramm was such a whiner about federal taxes being so high that his fellow congress critters decided they'd terminate the big budget govmint-funded Super Collider project in Texas. Like the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it."

All this country needs is the one-two punch of Carly Fiorina and Phil Gramm with their hands on the national economy. One thinks it's not possible to have a worse economy than what we presently have but this duo has potential.

Gramm: We Need More Leadership, Less Whining - CNN - 10 Jul 08

"Phil Gramm, a top adviser to Sen. John McCain, on Thursday stood by his comment that the country is in a 'mental recession,' and said he was trying to say the nation's leaders, not its people, were 'whiners.'"

Fiorina Fights Critics on Campaign Trail - SF Chronicle - 10 July 08

"On economic issues, Fiorina was lambasted by Democratic leaders - and Time magazine's Swampland blog - after she said that if the Bush tax cuts are repealed, as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has proposed, '23 million small businesses will see their taxes raised.' That's because '23 million small businesses file their income tax as individuals. And so, when Barack Obama blithely says only the wealthiest are going to be taxed, he is ignoring the fact that 23 million small businesses file as individuals,' she said.

Swampland writer Jay Newton-Small called the statement 'terribly misleading.'

'In fact, 94.5 percent of all (self-employed) entities ... had receipts under $100,000 in 2007,' he wrote. 'When running HP, did 23 million equal a few hundred thousand? No wonder she got fired.'"

Pickens Says Use Natural Gas for Cars, Wind for Electricity

Famous oil guy and funder of right-wing politics, T. Boone Pickens says nukes can't do it but wind can. Shift the natural gas being used for electricity and use it for transportation. Have wind fill in the gap generated by the reduction of gas use.

Unfortunately, his analysis doesn't seem to consider the issue of baseload vs. peaking power concerns all that much and to that extent it seems flawed. Natural gas is often the curve following part of the supply system and can't just be swapped out by wind (or by nukes for that matter). Nifty video either way. :)

Pickens Plan - A Flash Video Ala Al Gore

Oilman Pickens Shifts Focus to Wind Energy - NPR - 08 Jul 08

"The federal government recently issued a report forecasting that 20 percent of U.S. power generation could come from wind energy by the year 2030. Pickens says that's too long from now — he'll be 102 years old.

'This has to happen quicker than that,' he says. 'We'll be broke if you wait for this to all take place by 2030.'"

Pickens Says Use Natural Gas for Cars, Wind for Electricity

Famous oil guy and funder of right-wing politics, T. Boone Pickens says nukes can't do it but wind can. Shift the natural gas being used for electricity and use it for transportation. Have wind fill in the gap generated by the reduction of gas use.

Unfortunately, his analysis doesn't seem to consider the issue of baseload vs. peaking power concerns all that much and to that extent it seems flawed. Natural gas is often the curve following part of the supply system and can't just be swapped out by wind (or by nukes for that matter). Nifty video either way. :)

Pickens Plan - A Flash Video Ala Al Gore

Oilman Pickens Shifts Focus to Wind Energy - NPR - 08 Jul 08

"The federal government recently issued a report forecasting that 20 percent of U.S. power generation could come from wind energy by the year 2030. Pickens says that's too long from now — he'll be 102 years old.

'This has to happen quicker than that,' he says. 'We'll be broke if you wait for this to all take place by 2030.'"