Miscellaneous Musings:

Just a few quick bits as time is short...

--I must admit that I like the proactive approach that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is taking towards the economy. The three quarter point cut in the funds rate done earlier in the week (and a week in advance of the Fed's director meeting for the month of January) is the largest single cut since President Reagan's first term. At that time, the large Fed cut was to facilitate the economic recovery picking up steam (which certainly happened) and this time it is to approach the matter when the status is uncertain rather than waiting until it is.

--Rumour has it that there may be another cut in the funds rate at the Fed's rate at the meeting. I for one cannot say I would have a problem with it -this kind of approach could make the oft-asserted "recession"{1} a very mild one if at all. Certainly it will help in keeping interest rates low and that is not in and of itself a bad thing for a whole host of reasons.

--I am disappointed in both Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter. In the case of the former, for dropping out prior to Super Tuesday and the latter for endorsing Mike Huckabee. I do not want to reiterate what I wrote recently on the subject of Huckabee and the stupidity of the pro life lobby{2} but in Hunter's case, that is what I see happening. Since Thompson has dropped out, the smartest thing he could do now is not endorse anybody. We shall see in time if that approach is taken or not.

--Much as I have been critical of the absurdities of Ron Paul already{3} and plan to again at least indirectly in an upcoming thread already written{4} but in need of final review (as of this writing). I do want to note that I am glad he is in the Republican race. Some of the issues he is talking about need to be talked about and for that reason alone, he is worth having in there for the duration of the campaign.

--With Mike Holmgren being back for a final season in Seattle, I am finally comfortable putting together my prognosis on what the Hawks need to do in order to get to and win the Superbowl next season. And no folks, my sports diagnosis is not as bad as my sports prognosticating -in the former I actually do pretty well overall. And unlike with the Mariners{5} I actually am optimistic that the Hawks will be able to do what they need to do next year to have a good shot at it.

Notes:

{1} I for one am not convinced there is an actual recession -it looks to me like a market correction more than anything.

{2} On the Candidacy of Mike Huckabee and the Political Stupidity of Pro-Lifers (circa January 9, 2008)

{3} On the Constitutional Standing of Wars Undertaken Without a Formal "Declaration of War (circa December 26, 2007)

{4} A thread first mentioned on this weblog last April and which has been mentioned or alluded to on a few occasions since -including in the excerpts from the archives posted below:

I am not sure when I first mentioned it on the weblog but I believe it was in this posting from April of 2007 which was written as a prelude to it. The idea had been in my mind for quite some time prior to that posting though -the seeds of which were in retrospect planted when I was publicly noting my views on the need for a third party in the United States. (As noted in a pair of postings from 2002, a pair of postings from 2004, and a couple of posts from early 2006 prior to the elections.) Perhaps the time it would take to make the vision as I outlined it occur coupled with the intuition I have had for years that serious fixes are needed and needed now facilitated this approach to the issue in question. Anyway, it has been in the works for some time and hopefully I can put the finished product into the arena of ideas for criticism and/or interaction with soon. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa September 25, 2007)]

It was noted last month that your host planned to write on the Founding Fathers, some of the principles and systems that shaped their outlook, and also to point out what he believes is a serious problem of imbalance in the modern political climate.[...] That intention is being worked through bit by bit as we have both time to and also are in the mood to write on that subject. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa May 15, 2007)]

{5} For the Mariners to get a similar vote of optimism from me (in light of their history of messing these things up) they would need to sign a top rank ace for the staff to go along with Felix Hernandez. In a word, they would need to sign Eric Bedard but I am not too optimistic about that happening.

In perusing the drafts folder at this humble weblog in late 2007, I realized there are 505 unfinished drafts there with the oldest ones going back about three years. Now many of them are earlier versions of stuff which was eventually finished and blogged but some of them were pieces which were not blogged for a variety of reasons -either because they are not finished yet or once they were finished the circumstances which originated their composition were too particular and not combining of the same degree of general principles and specific applications that I like to utilize when blogging most of the time.

Sometime soon, a compilation thread will be posted to this weblog containing notification of the various projects from that which I have decided in light of the recently-enunciated-but-long-pondered change in direction that this weblog has officially taken as of recently. The other projects will either be retained for completion at some distant future date or rejected altogether -with my defacto approach being towards the latter for various and sundry reasons. Housecleaning of the drafts folder -a project long in need of being undertaken here at Rerum Novarum- will little by little be done as time or circumstance allows for it.

Part of the reason so much accumulated was the limits of time and the recognition on my part that sometimes things take longer to complete than would be ideal and/or a change in my mood made shelving the project until I wanted to discuss it again happened. But as we noted with implementing such principles as Pareto's Principle, this kind of approach has to be set aside if we are to give primary focus to the areas where we intend to focus the lions share of our efforts and energies.

More on this will be noted as time, circumstances, and the mood to discuss them present themselves but that is all for now.

Points to Ponder:

Acts are truth, but facts are not truth unless you have all the facts. [Dr. James J. Walsh]