Illegal Immigrants - VII

Somebody named John Morton works for the immigration bureau in Washington; I think ICE but it doesn't matter. The Latino Caucus and other traitorous types who promote (mostly) Mexican interests over American interests has persuaded Morton to beautify detention centers where Mexican criminals are held prior to deportation back to Mexico, that sinkhole slum to the South. Morton has decided to add art and cooking classes to the curriculum of deportees, to provide green-space, computer classes, 24-hour internet access, new matresses and all the comforts of an American, but not a Mexican, home.

Why?

God only knows why any sane person would promote such stuff. It makes no sense at all and why should we pay for those amenities for criminal deportees?

Again I ask: Why? It must be that Morton is insane.

Taliban = Sons of Bitches

I just read a wire story about the Taliban hanging a 7-year old boy because he was "spy".

Do you have children?

Can you imagine the intentional hanging of a 7-year old child? A friend of your son or daughter perhaps; a grandchild?

The Taliban are filthy, rotten sons of bitches.

Facts Are Stubborn Things

Our headline is a favorite quotation, used often in blog posts. Here are a few more for your digestion.

California's population grew by 4 million from 2000 to 2008.

California had 500,000 fewer white people in 2008 than in 2000.

California's Hispanic population grew from 32% to 37% from 2000 to 2008.

California's white population declined from 47% to 40% from 2000 to 2008.

In the Dallas Texas public school system, <5% of the students are white.

In the Houston public school system, 8% of the students are white.

What do these stats mean?

Illegal Immigrants - VI

Jorge Dominguez is an illegal alien, living in Wisconsin. Since 2008, he has been in and out of the Racine County jail for battery, cocaine possession and more. The other day, while driving drunk, he slammed his car into the Glogovsky family car, injuring the three occupants. Mrs. Glogovsky later died at the hospital; her husband and 13-year old son survived.

While in prior custody, not one government authority notified ICE about Dominguez's illegal status so that he could have been taken into federal custody for deportation.

I Love Baseball

As Armando Galarraga and James Joyce recently demonstrated, there's no game like baseball for building character. It's a tough game to play at the professional level. Hitting a baseball is probably the toughest thing to do in professional sports. The greatest hitters have rarely averaged more than one hit out of three tries over a career. And the greatest,Ty Cobb, had the highest lifetime average of 36.7 hits for every 100 times at bat. A .300 hitter earns millions and accolades forever. That's three hits out of ten tries. Imagine returning 3 serves out of 10 at Wimbledon. Or completing 3 passes out of 10 in even a high school football game? So, while it's slow and is without a timeclock or a shotclock, baseball requires an enormous amount of many skills.

Most of you are aware of the recent "perfect-game" lost by Galarraga due to Joyce's missed call on the game's putative final out. And most are aware of the two men's acceptance of responsibility and demonstration of true graciousness. Further, the baseball Commissioner did not yield to the demands of some for "fairness", i.e., overturning the bad call to allow Galarraga to be credited with his perfect game.

All involved were a credit to the game they, I and tens of millions of people love.

It does not get more perfect than that.

Zev Yaraslovsky

The uniquely named politician is one of 5 supervisors of Los Angels County. Prior to that, he was a Los Angeles City Councilman and, before that, he was a teenager. The man has lived on tax dollars his entire life. Short, fat and rumpled, he is a caricature of the local politico. Zev is well-known though for championing the low-flush toilet, an achievement of sorts.

Recently, he has been featured in a political commercial promoting more funding for UCLA which just happens to be in Zev's old councilmanic district and is in his present supervisorial area. The commercial's punch line is something like this: If we fail to fund UCLA and produce all those smart graduates, wait until you see what mediocrity looks like.

Now that Zev knows something about.

The Dismal Art

Were economics truly a science, the world would not be in its present economic straits and your mortgage would not be underwater. There would be more principles on which people could rely; e.g., if your temperature is 98.6 you are a) alive and b) you do not have a fever. Greece would still be a nice place for holiday and California yet the Golden State. Thus, when I tell you that the present is but a taste of that which is to come, I have no offer of proof on which you may rely or take rational notice. Neither does Roubini. In fact, financial wizards are usually created out of one well-timed, fortunate prediction. No seer does it twice. Cf. Alan Greenspan.

Nevertheless, some principles are in focus. First, credit, as Americans have known it for the last 40 years, is dead, finished. People are far more cautious and credit-based businesses are slowly winding down. There will continue to be credit cards as they are very useful in purchasing. The change in the credit world will be that fewer people will have more controlled access to far less credit. Gone is having $250,000 in credit availability supported on a gross income of $100,000. Figure on $10,000 to $15,000 if you have a sterling record and a >720 FICO. Imagine the effect that has on retail purchases or deluxe vacations.

Second, renting will lose the stigma of being for losers as so many more Americans will rent rather than buy. They will have to rent as jobs will grow more scarce even as salaries and wages fall relatively lower. Mortgage credit will be available only through limited federal support and to the "rich" who, Biblically, are always with us. What will make this a bit more palatable is that asset deflation and federal subsidies of food, clothing and utilities will increase the purchasing power of money for the working class.

And this means what?

The "go-go" days are over. Growth should be slower but steady. The billionaire's ranks are unlikely to grow rapidly but the typical American should do better if (s)he simply realizes getting rich quick is less likely. Get rich slowly is the new paradigm.

That's my prediction for which I may or may not become famous.