Boeing, Boeing

So this happened:

SEATTLE (KING) – Boeing machinists have voted to approve Boeing’s latest eight-year contract proposal, securing assembly of the company’s new 777X airplane in Washington state.

Thousands of union members cast their ballots – some waiting in line for hours outside of the union hall in Everett – in Friday’s crucial vote.
— “Seattle machinists approve Boeing 777X production contract“, Ksdk.com

So Kshama Sawant must be spinning, she called for Boeing workers to “Take Over” their plant if Boeing left. Yeah, talking like a Batman villain makes all kinds of sense…

Boeing’s workers have working brains. Their Union doubled down and lost. Boeing could move to those “right to work” states. The voted to keep their jobs. Hopefully they will vote new union leadership.

“The worst argument in favor of the draft ever”

Dana Milbank beclowns himself in the never-ending leftie quest to call for a draft. While some in government cling to the lie that military pay will “destroy the DoD”. Milbank, Tom Ricks, disgraced former general Stanley McChrystal. All trying to make good and “help” America.

Well, if they though that the right and those of us in the military would join them they were wrong.  In fact many have begun to dogpile on this forward into the past approach to the so called “civil-military divide”.

Outsidethebeltway.com’s James Joyner has some choice words for them:

That few in Congress have served in the military is lamentable for many reasons, the most obvious of which is that it not only makes them less intimately familiar with the demands of combat but also tends to undermine civil-military relations by making our civilian leaders afraid to challenge our military brass. But the notion that having worn a military uniform somehow makes one immune from partisanship and foolishness is absurd.

Milbank provides no evidence for this assertion, by the way, other than the fact that Congress seems to be more dysfunctional that it used to be.

Jonn Lilyea pulls no punches in calling a draft a horrible idea. How will we get a spoiled rotten generation through boot camp? Can we punish the “gold sticker participation trophy” kids?

No. We’ll just end up with a repeat of McNamara’s 100,000. An ill fated attempt to “educate” the young (mostly men unless the left wants to re-write the law). And given that their time in service would be two years, not much will be gotten from draftees with no sense of commitment or pride in country. And as Lilyea points out, an education, sense of civic pride are the jobs of the public education system.  If that doesn’t work boot camp won’t save the little darlings.  In today’s military Forest Gump is roadkill.

Hot Air’s Jazz Shaw follows up:

But I’m equally positive that prior service not only doesn’t need to be a requirement, but that it shouldn’t be. We keep the leadership of the civilian and military worlds separate for a reason, and we keep a very close eye on the one place where they overlap. (That being the dual nature of the President of the United States also being the Commander in Chief of the armed forces.)

Some in the left are horrified that voluntary military service is a tradition. GASP! they say. Hogwash. Either we have a first class military and honor our promise to those in uniform or we surrender the US to being a 3rd world country.

I also think there are prices too high to pay to save the United States. Conscription is one of them. Conscription is slavery, and I don’t think that any people or nation has a right to save itself at the price of slavery for anyone, no matter what name it is called. We have had the draft for twenty years now; I think this is shameful. If a country can’t save itself through the volunteer service of its own free people, then I say : Let the damned thing go down the drain!

— Robert A. Heinlein Guest of Honor Speech at the 29th World Science Fiction Convention, Seattle, Washington (1961

Priorities

Here is the headline at CNN.COM right now:

And here is FOXNEWS.COM:

While a former heroine addict’s breasts are important to her drooling fanboys, the fact that the Department of Justice wiretapped reporters and the IRS audited and targeted political groups is more important.

Why does this seem familiar?

He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavoured to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, confidential information contained in income tax returns for purposed not authorized by law, and to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be intitiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.

Stay classy MSM, I’m some some celebrity will do something else for you to focus on instead of another DC scandal….

New GOP, old ideas?

After the beating the GOP took in November, PJ media offered some advice for the party leadership.

Here are two of their ideas and my comment on them:

4) Investigate the possibility of reducing American forces in Germany: While NATO served an honorable and crucial role in winning the Cold War, the chances of another war in Central Europe are currently very low. Drawing down American troops to a “trip-wire” force could save up to $20 billion [3].

5) Consolidate and eliminate departments: There is also precedent for this. In the 1950s and the 1990s, programs that were duplicative were combined to save money (both decades saw balanced budgets). One possible department to consolidate would be the Department of Energy (whose budget was $27 billion last year [4]). Many of this department’s functions can be handled by other cabinet agencies. For example, regulation of oil and gas drilling can be done by the Environmental Protection Agency. Grants in the alternative energy field can be processed by the Commerce Department. Drilling permits can be handled by the Department of the Interior. And so on.
…
8) Make sure your members speak the language of the national interest: The 2012 CNN exit poll showed that Democrats were 38% of the voters, Republicans 32%, and independents 29%. So, any policy that comes across as appealing only to the Republican base isn’t likely to rally the nation as a whole. The good thing about “reform” themes is that they cross party lines, and especially appeal to independents.

9) National Guard/FEMA upgrade: The nation has repeatedly been hit by natural (hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.) and man-made (9/11) disasters over the last generation. More extensive training for the National Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency would seem to be a wise investment.

Why are US forces still in Europe? And don’t say it’s because of the middle east. Pull our forces out of Europe and leave a skeleton force to keep bases in Germany maintained. PATRIOT missiles, tankers and support units could be left in Germany. Navy ships, an infantry brigade and other units could rotate out on an as needed basis. Move the dependents home would save a vast amount of money. Make Germany a one year unaccompanied tour for most service members. Consolidate all the commands into one Joint Service Command and retire all the field grades who just sit in an office and drink coffee.

The National Guard needs to stop being the red-headed stepchild of the DoD. Upgrade their equipment and training. As the Active Duty force draws down, offer incentives to servicemembers to join the Guard. Newer vehicles and aircraft would help the Guard because they have a state mission AND are the strategic reserve of the DoD. No Rachel Maddow, they are not the unit at sit in the armory until a disaster strikes. If we’re going to use them, treat them well.

The education department should go back under Health and Human Services.  The Department of Homeland Security should either go away or be reformed after a long hard look at how it does business.  The silly “firewall” between departments could get the once over.  The FBI and CIA should share data on terrorists.

The Democrats have set themselves up as the party of “free stuff”.  We need to point out that under all their horseshit there is no pony.  Hold the “reality based” community to reality.  Point out that California and Detroit are disasters.

We need to show off the GOP governors and the states they are running. Show that our glasses are clean before we point out the turds in the liberals punchbowl.

Hot Crew! : Carrie Fisher

Carrie Frances Fisher (born October 21, 1956) is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and performance artist. She is best known for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy and for voicing Angela in Family Guy. She is also known for her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge and screenplay for a film of the same name, and her autobiographical one-woman play, Wishful Drinking, and the non-fiction book she based on it.

Ah every geek remembers his first big nerd crush…

Bankrupt

First Detroit, then California, New York (almost) and now the party itself:

The official Federal Election Committee reports for September are out, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s DNC is a complete wreck. The Democrats ended September with cash on hand of $4.6 million, compared to the Republican National Committee’s $82.6 million.

That’s nearly an 18-to-1 cash advantage for Republicans.
— RNC Trounces DNC in Fundraising as Democrat Party Goes Bankrupt (theOtherMcCain.com)

It’s always someone else’s problem. New York was “ungovernable” in the 60’s, 70’s and the 80’s. Detroit lost the autoindustry etc. The common factor was liberals in charge.

Voters put them in office on a platform of “share the wealth” and “stick it to the rich/stand up for the little guy”. The truth is that liberals/Democrats don’t care about the little guy. Corporate cronyism (Like the Hollywood Tax Cuts and loans to failing “green” companies), bad regulations and high taxes drove many cities and now at least one state into a state of shock. It’s not surprising that the Democratic Party is in bad shape financially. You can’t party like a rock star and not pay for it.

If the left loses in November expect the usual suspects to get the blame. Oh the Tea Party and it’s billionaire friends (never mind that many billlionares sent money to the DNC). Foxnews manipulated the public (never mind that cable news and most traditional media’s veiewership is down). Somehow Bush will get some blame.

It’s telling that Newsweek magazine, who said “We’re all Socialists Now” will cease it’s print edition in the new year. The liberal mouthpiece is so unloved that it will share the internet with the very right wing blogs the MSM once derided.

In a perfect world the Democratic part would fade into history, replaced by some new party. They would join the Green Party, the American Communist Party and other groups on the fringe of American politics. That won’t happen for a long time, despite having the left wing lunatics running the asylum. But this should sober up many on the left. Their class warfare socialism message is for sale, but no one’s buying.

UPDATE: Thanks Mr. McCain!

The bursting of the college bubble.

It’s starting:

Who Needs College? The Swiss Opt for Vocational School (Time.com):
As young Americans contemplate the immense cost (and considerable indebtedness) involved in a college education, it may be worthwhile to consider the options available to the Swiss—and whether they are worth importing into the U.S. In Switzerland, even though university education is free, the vast majority of students opt for a vocational training instead.
—
The Parent Loan Trap
More than a decade after Aurora Almendral first set foot on her dream college campus, she and her mother still shoulder the cost of that choice.

Ah college, the high school after high school. A place of fun, drinking and lefty politics. To be young and without a care in the world…

Yeah right!

College used to be only for the rich. After World War II, the GI Bill put college in the hands of a generation that had adulthood delayed. That generation saw their children become adults in the background of yet another war. Those children went to college expecting it. When they had children, college was now just an extension of high school.

It’s now the norm for adults to dress like children, act like children and think like children well into their mid 20’s. That’s why many college students have tons of credit card debt and sign up for student loans that shadow them for the rest of their lives. The Occupy Movement was just the temper tantrum of a child who wants daddy to pay for more stuff.

The times are a’changing! Online learning, the post 9/11 GI bill and now the new interest in vocational school. Why is vocational school important? Simple:

1. Many “adults” just don’t have the maturity for college, others are mature enough to know that college isn’t for them.
2. Some would rather earn money now than take a gamble on a major that promises big but requires lots of upfront costs.
3. Teachers KNEW, knew that college isn’t for everyone, but our liberal overlords pimped college because that’s what the left wants.
4. Many young adults have plans for a family and don’t want to sit in a classroom

The left turned childhood into something that lasts until you turn 25. As our population ages and colleges keep feeding of students who can’t pay their loans, traditional colleges will die out. Now college students over the age of 25 were called “non-traditional students”. They will become the norm as more young people will have no choice but to forgo college. Others will go online as more and more colleges offer online courses.

All too often things like student life, football and leftist politics take over colleges. As the costs go up for traditional colleges, more young adults will go online or to vocational school. There are many good jobs out there for those without a 4 year degree. The lure of a job without crushing debt will burst the bubble. The left will howl in protest, expect an attack on vocational schools and online courses by traditional college faculty. And expect them to fail.

Just give it time.

Resign Holder

Fast and Furious back in headlines as Univision reportedly finds more victims
By Matthew Boyle

Spanish-language television network Univision plans to air a television special that it said reveals more violence than previously known, as well as the stories of how many more Operation Fast and Furious victims were killed, the network announced in a Friday release.

“The consequences of the controversial ‘Fast and Furious’ undercover operation put in place by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in 2009 have been deadlier than what has been made public to date,” the network said. “The exclusive, in-depth investigation by Univision News’ award-winning Investigative Unit — Univision Investiga — has found that the guns that crossed the border as part of Operation Fast and Furious caused dozens of deaths inside Mexico.”

Since when was this a good idea? This would be an act of war if it was done to us. Where is Code Pink? Where is the anti-war movement? We know that the media is in the tank for the Democrats.

RESIGN HOLDER

Dilbert on 6 Sigma

Dilbert.com, this strip says it all:

Hot Crew! : Emlia Clarke

Emilia Clarke (born c. 1987) is an English actress, who is best known for portraying Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO medieval-fantasy series, Game of Thrones.[1]

And she’s a good reason to tune in…