tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40535852009-11-15T09:38:13.167-05:00The only conservative in Western Massachusetts - Email Eric Lindholm: ealindholm -at- msn -dot- comErichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11486910318208004303noreply@blogger.comBlogger5000125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-63249514614732721842009-11-14T21:50:00.003-05:002009-11-14T22:06:05.767-05:00

Not cutting costs - The Hill: "House health bill will hike costs $289B" That's what the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says.Plus, there's this from the WashPost: "Nonpartisan agency says House bill will reduce senior care." No wonder Nancy Pelosi pushed through that quick Saturday vote.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-52099880244862377942009-11-14T14:34:00.006-05:002009-11-14T15:03:03.401-05:00

The amateur-in-chiefForgetting that he's the President of the United States of America, Obama committed a breach of protocol and bowed deeply to Japan's emperor Akihito. The LA Times asked "How low will he go?" and Powerline queried "Why is this man bowing?" I think the answer can be found in this quote from "The Remains of the Day":Lewis: "You are, all of you, amateurs. And international affairs

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-1463744359649984772009-11-13T23:35:00.001-05:002009-11-13T23:36:59.861-05:00

Americans aren't buyin' it - Megan McArdle reveals that "the more we talk about health care reform, the less popular it gets."

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-5339891032852747912009-11-13T23:30:00.003-05:002009-11-13T23:32:34.827-05:00

Everything's bigger in Texas - Including the job market. According to Business Week, Texas is home to four out the the top five cities in America for job creation. The fifth is in Utah.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-77789587248118766382009-11-13T23:27:00.002-05:002009-11-13T23:29:24.184-05:00

Wanna get into Princeton? Move out of New Jersey - As you know, this move came too late for me, but colleges across the nation are giving special consideration to out-of-state students because they normally need to pay a higher tuition, which then subsidizes the in-state students.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-46294321178062495562009-11-13T23:14:00.001-05:002009-11-13T23:15:41.134-05:00

Freestyle - Just got back from my son's swim meet where he shaved three seconds off his 50m freestyle time, and a first place finish to boot. Nice.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-9972548731416086802009-11-12T21:41:00.002-05:002009-11-12T21:48:54.336-05:00

Constitution schmonstitution - Congress plans to mandate that Americans purchase health insurance and jail 'em if they don't. Any basis in law? Well there's that "general welfare" part of the Constitution which implies that the government can force you to eat spinach too.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-72452837274260224542009-11-12T21:27:00.001-05:002009-11-12T21:29:33.334-05:00

Holi-day wi-fi - PC World: "Thanks Google, but airport wi-fi should always be free." It should, since it's so critical to business, but airports can't resist sources of revenue.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-55665930433649418352009-11-11T22:31:00.002-05:002009-11-11T22:35:10.972-05:00

Veterans DayI miss my dog. When I picked her up from the kennel, she would cry and slobber all over my car on the ride home. And that was after only a week or so.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-66113414782712166272009-11-11T21:37:00.004-05:002009-11-11T23:05:39.172-05:00

Obama chooses not to decide - Fox News "Obama won't take any current war options": "President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday."I'm sure the boys in

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-58889432594321374432009-11-11T20:54:00.002-05:002009-11-11T20:58:18.213-05:00

Millions for Botox, but not one cent for flu shots - Real Clear Markets: "Health reform's moral hazard"

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-73974560493911066912009-11-11T20:24:00.002-05:002009-11-11T20:27:31.845-05:00

Best news today - CNN: "Police officer who shot Fort Hood suspect says she's 'doing well'" I had heard Officer Munley had lost a lot of blood after the shootout but now it looks like she's on the mend.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-42638854708980665122009-11-11T09:23:00.002-05:002009-11-11T09:28:02.944-05:00

Just makin' stuff up, Boston-style - Remember that stimulus package that was supposed to "create or save" jobs? Not so much. Boston Globe "Stimulus job boost in state exaggerated, review finds": "While Massachusetts recipients of federal stimulus money collectively report 12,374 jobs saved or created, a Globe review shows that number is wildly exaggerated."

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-81612201430242131982009-11-10T22:51:00.003-05:002009-11-10T23:17:21.856-05:00

The conspiracy to keep you poor and dependent - Government-run health care is an opportunity to make Americans more dependent on the government...and that helps the statist Democrats. At least one guy let the cat out of the bag: "Confessions of an ObamaCare backer."More - From Q&O.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-31267468494503170032009-11-09T19:33:00.003-05:002009-11-09T19:38:43.692-05:00

Twenty years ago - BBC News asks: "Where were you when the Berlin Wall came down?" Golly, since I was just starting my senior year at Rutgers, I was probably at the Ale & Wich with my roommates, sharing a $4 pitcher of Budweiser. If my usual jukebox selections were coming on then "I'll be Doggone" by Marvin Gaye would be playing.Somewhere, deep in my archives, I have a New York Times wrapped in

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-14435338656228749192009-11-08T22:37:00.004-05:002009-11-08T23:11:28.789-05:00

Once the foot is in the door, expansion foreverI’m back kinda late from New York, so I'll just borrow this thought from Mark Steyn on the passage of the health care bill:If "health care" were about health care, the devil would be in the details. But it's not about health or costs or coverage; it's about getting over the river and burning the bridge. It doesn't matter what form of governmentalized

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-88686295072541084152009-11-07T00:04:00.001-05:002009-11-07T00:04:53.752-05:00

See you soon - Goin' to see Ma this weekend.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-18435153095802461262009-11-06T23:14:00.001-05:002009-11-06T23:15:59.627-05:00

Stuff you didn't know - Slate has some background in a Fort Hood FAQ.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-69932422185305583522009-11-06T23:07:00.003-05:002009-11-06T23:09:12.787-05:00

$3.8 billion in sales, $5 at a time - Business Week has a great article about the genius of Subway's Five-dollar Footlong, both from a product and a marketing viewpoint. C'mon, admit it, you love that jingle.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-19355841807543048302009-11-05T22:07:00.004-05:002009-11-05T22:32:23.011-05:00

Fort Hood tragedy - Fox News: "Suspected gunman in custody after deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood." The news conference from Texas was delayed almost three hours before the shocking news, contradicting previous reports, that the shooter was alive and in custody. The female police officer who cut him down is also alive, thank heaven.Big roundup at Memorandum.Update - Profile in cowardice:

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-29679036423029517662009-11-04T20:00:00.000-05:002009-11-04T20:01:16.767-05:00

Yeah...we know - Real Clear Markets: "Why middle class tax hikes are coming"

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-25812006277211945582009-11-04T19:56:00.001-05:002009-11-04T19:58:38.698-05:00

I'm saved!Don Surber: "Obama saved 935 jobs at a place that employs 508 people"Take it away, Elvis:

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-80144656362878510472009-11-04T19:41:00.001-05:002009-11-04T19:43:31.763-05:00

Welcome back, old chap - I was going to write about last night's results but by the time I get home from work it's old news. So let's just welcome Atlantic Crossings to the blogroll, the rejuvenated site that used to be called Expat Yank.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-191141904056328502009-11-03T22:22:00.003-05:002009-11-04T19:40:41.438-05:00

Chris Christie gets the checkmark - New Jersey's largest newspaper, the Star-Ledger, declares a Republican win in the Garden State. Wow, and it wasn't even close: with 81% of the vote in, Christie still holds onto a 5% lead. Everybody thought this was going until morning.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4053585.post-45764284818092034922009-11-03T21:19:00.007-05:002009-11-03T22:02:02.360-05:00

Watching New Jersey - With almost half the vote counted (48% at 9:30pm EST) Christie is up 49-44% over Corzine.Update - 53% of the vote in, Christie up by 4%. Tight, tight, tight.More - Here's a good NJ map from the NY Times. With 58% in, it's a 6% lead for Christie. But something's wrong with Sussex County - no way that county went for Corzine.Told ya so - RCP blog: "A typo? In 2005, Corzine

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911276942829790135noreply@blogger.com0