Points to Ponder:
(On the So-Called "Recession" and Common Sense Economic Stimulation)

If we are headed into a recession, these proposed stimulus packages will make little difference. Previous experiences have shown that (1) it takes a long time to enact tax law, making it too late to prevent a recession, and (2) many people save a large portion of any tax rebate. A far more important measure that Congress can take towards a healthy economy is to insure that the 2003 tax cuts don't expire in 2010 as scheduled. If not, there are 15 separate taxes scheduled to rise in 2010, costing Americans $200 billion a year in increased taxes. Adding to the economic effects of that tax increase are the disincentive effects of the measures that Americans will take between now and then in anticipation of those tax increases. According to economists Tracy Foertsch and Ralph Rector, making the 2003 tax cuts permanent will annually add $76 billion to the GDP, create 709,000 jobs and add $200 billion to personal income. [Walter E. Williams (circa January 30, 2008)]

Walter E. Williams is on target overall (as usual) with his analysis of the subprime bailout

Some Florida Post-Primary Prognosticating:
(With Kevin Tierney)

This discussion took place on the night of the primary. Kevin's words will be in dark green font.

McCain has been declared the winner in Florida with 65% of precincts reporting 35% to 31%

I know [your] the optimist, but Romney is now [toast]

Romney is on the ropes that is true. McCain did in one primary what Romney did in several delegate wise. Rudy is now out{1} as is Edwards.

Huck will compete in the south, McCain is gonna win the NE and Cali. Romney has very little he can do

If somehow Huck can be persuaded to drop out, it would help. Paul is a nonfactor but it is shaping up to be McCain-Clinton: not a paring I like contemplating. I do think we would have a Republican congress two years after a [Hillary] win...not sure that would happen with McCain.

There's still a chance of a murder suicide in the dems primary

You mean of Obama??? Endorsements by JFK's bro and daughter being motivation or whatever?

Even if they make it through triumphant in 08, the dems are in trouble, their identity politics chickens are coming home to roost.

I think this may be the election that carves off a good chunk of black voters for the GOP more than 15%. The treatment of [Obama] by the Clintons has been nausiating.

Though right now, the party of Reagan may have to sit on the sidelines, unless Mccain recognizes he needs conservatives.

There is one factor no one is considering and it is this: McCain made a lot of his deals in a situation where one tries via politics to achieve the art of the possible. (In other words, working with less than ideal circumstances.) It is possible as president that he would be more conservative governing overall than it would appear on the surface to us now and his time in Washington making him less likely to be taken in by the system than others. It is possible so if it happens, you heard it here first.

Note:

{1} For this reason, I have removed the Catholics Against Rudy banner from the side margin of this weblog.

McCain Beats Romney in Florida GOP Race (Breitbart.com)

I will adjust the official delegate counts later on when there is time but it is roughly a tossup now heading into Super Tuesday. And this is probably the end of Guiliani's campaign considering how much he put into this contest. More on this later when I have time to talk about it further.

Clinton's Risky Gamble (Robert Novak)

Miscellaneous Musings:

In light of the news that is in the headlines with regards to the Mariners, it seems appropriate to note something I said on Friday:

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. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa January 25, 2008)]

I heard about this yesterday afternoon and was in shock folks. Literally. This sort of gutsy move is so unlike the Mariners that I almost was more bold in my phrasing than the text that I went with in claiming it would not happen. Lucky for me, the usual sense of proportion kicked in on even what I thought was a "slam dunk"; otherwise, should this happen{1} I would have another thread to tag with the "mea culpa" tagline and that is a (thankfully) rare categorization indeed on this humble weblog aparts from sports predictions.{2}

McCain in SC (Curt Schilling)

One of my favourite pitchers in baseball has a blog and the above thread is his take on John McCain. Whatever else one thinks of what he wrote, this part (among others) is spot on:

I have stated many times before in this blog I want our men and woman to come home, but not until the people in charge of the military forces believe there is enough stability in the Middle east for us to leave and not have to come back. Do you not honestly believe that every time some wing nut like Nancy Pelosi spews about the past mistakes of the Bush administration, the horrific lies told to us at the start of the war about our intents and purpose, there aren’t tens of thousands, if not millions, of hard core fanatical extremists saying “Just a little longer, if we can hang on just a little longer the Americans will leave, and we’ll turn this country back into what we need it to be to allow us to thrive once again".

What I like about Schilling more than his ability to dominate a game with his pitching{3} is the way he speaks his mind even when I do not agree with him. (In this case, I agree with him though.) While more could be noted, this is all I have time for at the present time.

Notes:

{1} I still say "should" because years of disappointment with the Mariners have taught me to be pessimistic about them on these matters.

{2} There is a difference between sports predictions and sports prognosticating -I am good at the latter and horrible at the former.

{3} I know Schilling does not dominate games as consistently as he used to as a result of his age (41 is not old ordinarily but in sports it is) lest anyone wonder.