Steven West, We Hardly Knew You

Following on a piece I wrote here a bit over 2 years ago, we really are at the end of an era.

Not only has the big "F"-shaped sign been denuded, but today it was announced that the abandoned Federal's department store building on Eight Mile in Hazel Park will be demolished.

Hard to imagine that after only 30+ years they've decided to knock down that "landmark," but that seems to be exactly what is about to happen.

If only Geraldo could come comb through the debris (before or after the demo) to explore what might still be there after all these years .... na.

As they say, Hail and Farewell!

NDP Visiting DC

So I read that Jack Layton of the NDP (New Democratic Party) in Canada is going to help president Obama design a health care system for us that resembles the socialized system of Canada.

I thought I'd share a bit of an email I received from Senator Debbie Stabenow regarding health care, and my response. Although I sent my response back on May 11, I have yet to hear from Sen. Stabenow - not that I'm surprised, mind you.

May 11, 2009
Charles Van Becelaere
Thank you . . .
. . for contacting me regarding your opposition to universal health care coverage. I understand your concerns.

When it comes to health care, our families and businesses are in a serious crisis. High health care costs are causing cuts in benefits and increases in premiums, adding to the ranks of the uninsured at alarming rates. But the impact of this problem goes beyond individual families. Skyrocketing health care costs make our businesses less competitive in the global marketplace and cost us good-paying jobs. We are already paying for the uninsured through overuse of the emergency room-the most inefficient and expensive way of providing care.

I believe that health care is a right, not a privilege. There is no doubt that the problems we face are complex, but there are real solutions. We can create a system that is uniquely American and shares the cost between the government, businesses, and individuals in a way that is fair and equitable. Now is the time to show the political will to tackle these issues because there is so much at stake. I am committed to working with both my Democratic and Republican colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee to find solutions to America's health care crisis.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please don't hesitate to do so again if my office can be of assistance to you or your family.

Sincerely,
Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator

Here's my reply, as noted above, I have yet to receive a response:

Senator Stabenow -

I thank you for contacting me on this extremely important issue. However, I find your comments very troubling, as I can't imagine where you find a right to health care. It's certainly not in the Constitution. Given that you swore to uphold that very Constitution when you took office, I would expect you to work to make sure that federal activities are those prescribed by it, and that the federal government doesn't overstep its bounds, taking rights and powers from the States and the people.

Another confusing thought is that costs would be shared by government, business, and individuals. There is no government money that doesn't come from taxing the latter two entities, and all business taxes are paid with funds received from consumers, so in fact, all the costs would be borne by the individuals, but none of the control would reside with those footing the bills for the care being doled out by the government.

I know you're a strong supporter of the right to choose, and I also expect that you would see that extends to my right to choose my health care options - not to force me and your other constituents into a government run system where my desires and choices are at best a secondary consideration to the overall "efficiency" of the system.

Given the sad experiences of every other nation which has nationalized its health care system, and the fact that we wouldn't have a free nation nearby where we could go to obtain necessary care which "couldn't" be provided by our socialized system, I find it not only surprising, but frightening that we would consider following down that clearly ill-advised path.

Sincerely,
Charles J. van Becelaere

grr

Coinage du Jour - 03 June 09

TRIZARRE - adj

def. - stranger than can be fully comprehended; the next step beyond bizarre.

sample - "As we attempted to follow the instructions for completing our tax return, things went beyond bizarre, beyond surreal - the whole experience was trizarre.

The Road to Search

Just wondering where Bill Gates & Steve Ballmer get their names for stuff.

Once, long ago, we had Microsoft's Bob - a wonderful help for anyone who really shouldn't have been using a computer in the first place.
Now we have Microsoft's Bing - not just a search engine, mind you, but a decision engine - or so they hope.

And that's where my wondering started off.
I'm sure few of you remember the big band era, but Bob Crosby led the band Bob Crosby and the Bobcats - a pretty decent, fun band. He described himself as "the Crosby without Hope."
Sadly, if you don't remember the big band era, you probably don't remember those great Road pictures either (as in "The Road to Morocco," which had a great line in the title song which went, "like Webster's dictionary, we're Morocco-bound.").
At any rate, Bob was the Crosby without Hope, Bing was the Crosby with Hope (Bob Hope, but let's ignore that for now).

So ... my assumption, based on vast amounts of pure speculation and nothing much more, is that after Bob was declared hopeless and consigned to the same bin that now holds Clippy (we can only hope neither ever will escape!) the namers at Microsoft decided to bring out the one with Hope - hence Bing.

or not.

A Good Read

I ran across this fine post by John Carney and thought you might enjoy it. At the very least, you ought to read it.

Driving-a-chrysler-down-the-road-to-serfdom

Empathy to the Devil

What are the most important qualities for a Supreme Court Justice? Clearly a powerful intellect and grasp of the law joined with an understanding of the limits of the judicial role (that judges interpret and apply laws, they don't make them) are paramount. At least that's what our fearless leader said - until he also mentioned that the life of the law is not logic, but rather experience (drawn from Oliver Wendell Holmes).
Ah, that's right, when the president told us how he was going to choose his nominee to replace the retiring Justice David Souter, he mentioned that one of the requirements was "empathy" - for aggrieved parties, one assumes.
This delicately worded "but" at the end of an otherwise-reasonable pronouncement simply vacates the initial premise: that judges don't make laws.

So, what the president told us he would do - and what he now has done - is to nominate to the Supreme Court a person who would be intentionally biased - both before hearing the facts and arguments of a case as well as after. What, after all, would empathy matter should the decisions be based merely on facts and law? Perhaps a decision might go something like, "I'm sorry we couldn't decide in your favor, but we have to actually base our decision on the merits of the case." That would be all well and good. Instead, it appears we will be treated to decisions more in the mold of, "While plaintiffs failed to prove their case or to even present credible evidence, we feel sorry for them, and thus decide in their favor."

My delight at Souter's retirement is already beginning to fade.

grr.

Coinage du Jour - 26 May 09

PUP TENET - n.

def. - strongly held beliefs, generally adopted in early to mid- adolescence, and left unexamined since.

sample: "It seems that the president holds fast to his pup tenets, even at an age where most men have grown enough to have embraced mature policy positions."