Facts Are Stubborn Things - II

For some years, the New York Police Department has used a computer system called CompStat to record and analyze violent crimes so as to determine where in the City crime is increasing. Resources are then focused in those areas to prevent more crimes from happening. Seems like a good idea; few have alleged it to be ineffective.

Among the results of CompStat's use is an array of stats that are inarguable: they are historical records of what happened in NYC for whatever period is being reported. Here are some reported facts for 2009:

1. Blacks committed 66% of all violent crimes reported; non-Hispanic whites committed less than 5% of all the reported violent crimes;

2. Blacks committed 80% of all reported shootings; non-
Hispanic whites committed 1.4% of all shootings;

3. Blacks committed 71% of all reported robberies; non-
Hispanic whites committed less than 5% of all reported
robberies;

4. Blacks and Hispanics combined committed 98% of all
reported assaults involving guns;

5. The vast majority of victims were racial minorities.

There are groups in New York which have filed suit against the NYPD for racial discrimination alleging the above facts demonstrate discrimination as they are unrepresentative of the statistical description of the City which is 23% black and 35% white.

It is at best difficult to take such groups and their members seriously. It is even more difficult to understand why minorities, the bulk of these crime's victims, are equally supportive of notions of discrimination based on these facts. But they do to the detriment of all.

Niles Township Community High School District

Ever hear of Niles Township Community High School District? Neither had I. It's somewhere in Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It is, however, the best place in America to be a teacher or school administrator.

The top dog in Niles Township is a man named Neil Codell. His annual salary is: $885,327. That's NOT a typo. His salary is almost a million a year to manage a high school district. Yup; poor, under-paid teachers and all that.

Oh yes. When Mr. Codell retires, his 1st year's retirement pay will be $601,798; it is never less. And that's not a typo either. His pension is valued at over $26 million payable to him in retirement.

How can that be you ask? Keep voting for liberals who are funded by teacher's and government worker's unions and there will be more and more of that. And less and less for you.

E Pluribus Unum

A multicultural nation is a contradiction of terms; a logically repugnant notion. There are no multicultural nations, only diverse ones, like the United States. Some - academics, democrats, race hustlers - preach the gospel of multiculturalism despite the balkanizing effect on America and Americans. The promotion of ancestral roots values over American values is both divisive and destructive. It is not for nothing that E Pluribus Unum is the motto of the Great Seal of the United States, carried on high in the American Eagle's beak. The Founders, those dead, white, Christian men, knew precisely what they were about.

It is obvious we are diverse; more so than any other country I can think of. It is more than unfortunate many cannot see the dangerous difference between diversity and multiculturalism.

"Sarah Palin Is Dumb." Really?

That Sarah Palin is dumb is accepted wisdom on the left. Some on the right preached that same Gospel though, after the recent primary, perhaps no more. Consider.

Last July, Mrs. Palin resigned as Alaska's governor which pundits alleged marked the end of her political career. Since then, personally she has earned millions with her book, appearances and television contract thus insulating her from having to worry about the mortgage. Next, she made several endorsements of primary candidiates, most of whom won, and each of whom is in an important presidential primary and electoral state. (E.g., Terry Branstad in Iowa; Nikki Haley in South Carolina; Rand Paul in Kentucky; Rick Perry in Texas.) She demonstrated real loyalty by endorsing McCain in Arizona and double smarts by endorsing Carly Fiorina in California which will get her a filthy rich Senator supporter or a filthy rich supporter in future Palin campaigns. In all, the last 11 months have been pretty good for her. She's made millions, improved her political heft, remains a popular feminine icon and has been a consistent winner in politics and business.

Maybe Sarah Palin is dumb. Maybe not.

Whites Only

There's a columnist named Reuben Navarette whose main claim to fame is that he's Mexican. He recently posted a column that asked which party should Mexicans support using as his criterion which party had done more for Mexicans. By the way, he always says "Latinos" but he always means Mexicans.

Interesting idea that. Maybe white people in America should decide to vote for the party which does the most for white people. When I say white people, I specifically mean non-Latinos, non-Mexicans and non-illegal immigrants. Let's say white people decided to all vote for the Libertarian candidate and all the Mexicans voted for the Mexican party.

Who would win? We would.

Navarette ought to re-think his notion unless, of course, it's racist for white people to do exactly the same as he urges Mexicans do. Which I'm sure he does. I told you his main claim to fame is that he's a Mexican. I never said he was bright. Or fair.

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.