Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Letter to Schumer*



Dear Senator Schumer:

If John McCain were President--or George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, or JFK--there would be no doubt about America's position on the events in Iran, and we would be foursquare behind the people who are fighting for liberty against their tyrannical Islamo-fascist government.

But the position taken by President Jimmy Carter, Jr. (aka Barack Obama) can best be described as wishy-washy. Is the President afraid to offend the Persian Fuhrer Khamenei or his lackey Ahmadinejad?

I am particularly concerned by the President's behavior toward Iran because I am a Jew, and care deeply about the security of Israel. His wishy-washy appeasement of the Iranian tyrant has already emboldened said tyrant, and does not bode well for Israel.

I would like you, Senator Schumer, as a leader of your party, as a fellow Jew, and as someone with influence in the White House, to encourage the President to take a more courageous stand: WITH the forces of good and AGAINST the forces of evil in Iran.

Sincerely yours,

The staff of "Are You Smarter Than Congress"


*Photo of Chuck conserving CO2

Monday, June 22, 2009

Lessons Learned from Liners*



My swimming pool is a font of knowledge.   Just from taking care of this financial sink-hole in my back yard I am achieving greater and greater understanding of envirnonmentalism and what it is doing to us.   Perhaps you have read my blog "The True Cost of Global Warming," which explains the impact of the CO2 scare on our every day lives through the story of one small ingredient of pool water, namely, lithium hypochlorite.  

In this essay, I reveal the sheer stupidity of  envirofascist involvement in the vinyl liner industry.

This morning, I had a pool guy over to fix my filter, and fix it he did.   As he was leaving, I asked him for a quote on a new liner.  The existing liner is at least 20 years old, and is ready for hospice care.   He told me a standard liner would be around $3600.00,   and an extra thick liner around $4600.   "What's the benefit of the thicker liner?" I asked naively.

He replied, sagely, "When your liner was installed, the expected life span was around 20 years.  But since then, new regulations have outlawed used of certain anti-algae chemicals in the liner,  because the chemicals can get into the environment when the liner is discarded;  and there are all kinds of rules and regulations and red tape regarding removal and recycling of used liners.  The problem is," he continued, "that removing the chemicals reduces the life span to about 10 years.   So, you might want to consider getting the thicker [more expensive] liner."

What does this mean for me, and what does it mean for the environment?   For me, it means an extra thousand bucks.   Mucho dineros.  'Scarole.  10 Benjamins.  Cha-ching!   For the environment:   it means less algaecide, BUT TWICE AS MANY LINERS HAVE TO BE MANUFACTURED AND DISCARDED!   Do the math,  environmentalists.     

*Apologies for the title to Athol Fugard, author of "Lessons Learned from Aloes."

Monday, June 8, 2009

President Moses



It appears that Obama is going to be more aggressive about pushing for his version of health care reform.  According to the New York Times (Stolberg 1), "With Congress beginning a burst of work on [health care legislation], top advisers say, the president is determined to make certain the final bill bears his stamp."  

Stamp?  I do not think so.   Based on his first five months in office, President Obama is clearly not one for mere stamps of approval.   Buried deep in the Times article is the Biblical truth:  
Aides say he will not dictate the fine print. "It was never is intent to come to Congress with stone tablets," said his senior adviser, David Axelrod.  But he will increasingly make his preferences known. (Stolberg 20)

Previously, Obama has been compared  to JFK, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, Lincoln,  Warren Harding, Jefferson, Martin Luther King, and the Messiah, among others.   This is the first instance, to my knowledge, where he has been compared to Moses.

I wonder how the President's new muslim friends will react to this revelation.

Stolberg, Sheryl Gay.  Obama to Forge a Greater Role on Health Care. New York Times, 7 June 2009,   1, 20.