Author:	Steve Erbach	Created:	Thursday, November 13, 2003 8:30 AM
Just shut yer yap, leave me alone, and stop raising my blankety-blank taxes!

Recent commentary: what does Scott Brown's win mean?

By Steve Erbach on Thursday, January 28, 2010 8:50 AM

How will Brown's win affect health reform? (How should we proceed from here?)

(published 1-Feb-2010, Appleton Post-Crescent)

Some say that Scott Brown's election makes President Obama a lame duck already. Obama even said to Diane Sawyer, “I’d rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president.” The Republican win in Massachusetts, while unusual for such a reliable blue state, is just another result of the electorate being pushed too far too fast. After Obama was elected, one got the impression that the Democrats said, "Oh boy! Now we can really go to town!" ... that is, "fix" everything.

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This is rich

By Steve Erbach on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 5:32 AM

In 1999 an Indian scientist (make that "little-known Indian scientist", according to the Times Online), speculated that the Himalayan glaciers in the central and eastern parts of that enormous mountain range would all be gone by 2035. It was just a guess, and he was the only one saying it. His remarks never appeared in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

New Scientist magazine interviewed the scientist, Syed Hasnain, by e-mail and reported his comments. Hasnain was at the time the chairman of the International Commission on Snow and Ice's working group on Himalayan glaciology.

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Recent commentary: a new way to catch drunks

By Steve Erbach on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 2:56 PM

Should Wisconsin legalize sobriety road checks?

(published 4-Jan-2010, Appleton Post-Crescent)

How about this instead? A new federal subsidy for all bars, restaurants, and nightclubs that serve alcohol to hire sobriety testers. These people would sit at all the exits and observe patrons as they leave. They would spot anyone exhibiting signs of drunkenness. Each drunk would be pulled aside and asked a battery of confusing questions. The tester would then use one of those newfangled passive alcohol sensors. Now here's the beauty part of my idea: If the drunk flunks, the tester would call a cab...and the cab fare would be subsidized, too! At a much reduced rate, of course, like Medicare payments to doctors. Isn't that brilliant? We'd probably pay as much for sobriety testers in bars as we ... Read More »

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Lawrence Academy of Music
Girl Choir Winter 2009 Concert

By Steve Erbach on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:04 AM

Spring 2009 Finale Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir

I attended both of the Girl Choir concerts last Saturday, December 12th. Both concerts were very fine. There weren't the spectacular highs in these performances as there were in the 2008 concerts, but the performances overall were on a higher plane. I think that the choir directors and the muscial director of the Girl Choir were striving for a more consistently thematic performance. They achieved it, in my opinion.

The theme of the concert was "To Music". All of the songs expressed love of music and appreciation for what it brings to the performers as well as to the listeners.

I told the director of the Intermezzo Choir, Amber Evey Schmidt, ... Read More »

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Recent commentary: getting the President to cool it on climate change

By Steve Erbach on Monday, December 07, 2009 7:26 PM

How big of a threat is climate change?

(published 14-Dec-2009, Appleton Post-Crescent)

Presidential Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel, had to gather input from noted American climatologists before the Copenhagen summit. I know nothing about hacking the White House computers, but, by golly, my name got on that list of scientists! I also obtained an advance copy of the President's speech he'll give on December 18th before 191 world leaders. After explaining the EPA's ruling regarding the deadly nature of CO2, his teleprompter will inexplicably say,

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Just a nice simple graph

By Steve Erbach on Wednesday, December 02, 2009 2:19 PM

The extent of sea ice over the past 8 years:

Nothing much to see here...which is the point. Seasonal sea ice isn't doing anything surprising, such as shrinking down to nothing as erstwhile Vice President Gore would have us believe.

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My kind of climate scientist!

By Steve Erbach on Wednesday, December 02, 2009 1:10 PM

It's interesting to see the ripples sent out in all directions centering on the recent flap over the University of East Anglia e-mails between climate scientists there. According to the Washington Post, Phil Jones, the director of the university's Climatic Research Unit, is stepping down. And, according to US News and World Report, Penn State professor, Michael Mann, is under the college administration's microscope. James Delingpole of the UK Telegraph has a nice list of ripple effects here. And lets not forget...

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Recent commentary: Make pot legal?

By Steve Erbach on Friday, November 20, 2009 1:04 PM

Should Wisconsin legalize marijuana for medical use?

(published 23-Nov-2009, Appleton Post-Crescent)

What's curious about this question is what about the Feds? There are a dozen states that have medical marijuana laws that permit its use in various scenarios; but federal anti-narcotics laws still hold sway. Federal agents can still bust a little home-grown pot patch in those states. The feds do recognize, however, that the enforcement issue is very real. The Marijuana Policy Project pretty much recommends that people living in those states where medical marijuana is legal not worry about arrest because, they say, only 1% of marijuana arrests nationwide are made by the feds. The odds are pretty good that you won't get busted if you're following state law. However, the feds do target medical marijuana "dispensaries", especially in California. I don't mind if Wisconsin passes ... Read More »

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I guess the Warmists
have nothing to say about this

By Steve Erbach on Tuesday, November 03, 2009 5:27 AM

Remember after Hurricane Katrina how much talk there was from the global warming johnnies that we could look forward to much more devastating hurricanes from now on? That Katrina was only a taste of what was in store for us?

This is the most up-to-date graph of activity for the present hurricane season from WeatherStreet.com:

That's two hurricanes as of Nov 1st. To be fair, there's still a chance for another one before the end of the hurricane season on Dec 1st. But you ... Read More »

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Zelaya to return to power -- for a while at least

By Steve Erbach on Friday, October 30, 2009 6:36 PM

I've followed the events subsequent to the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in June. Apparently, he is set to return as President and will participate in the end of November elections:

Honduran rivals clinch deal to end crisis

By Sean Mattson
Fri Oct 30, 4:52 pm ET

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Honduras is on the verge of ending a four-month political crisis after rival camps cut a deal that could return ousted President Manuel Zelaya to power and earn international support for a November 29 election.

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Recent commentary: how about that Hope and Change?

By Steve Erbach on Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:22 PM

How far have we come in the past year?

(published 2-Nov-2009, Appleton Post-Crescent)

Most folks that voted for "Hope and Change" were simply happy that a Democrat became President. The fact that he's African-American is just icing on the cake. It doesn't matter what he accomplishes; his most endearing feature is that he isn't George W. Bush. But the government has horned in on the financial services industry, the automobile industry, and is trying its darnedest to horn in on the health insurance industry. Some people aren't too happy that we're not out of Iraq or Afghanistan yet, unemployment still hovers near 10%, and inflation will kick in from the huge amounts of money pumped into the economy from government printing presses. Looks like SSDD to me: Same Stuff, Different Day. Dennis Miller put it very succinctly, as usual: it isn't that Empe ... Read More »

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Meat and the sun

By Steve Erbach on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 3:20 AM

I read a story in the London Times Online about Lord Stern and his contention that we should all stop eating meat in order to stop global warming. As I, a confirmed carnivore, was chuckling over Lord Stern's hand-wringing (“I am not sure that people fully understand what we are talking about or the kind of changes that will be necessary”), I read some of the comments to the story.

One chap had it very right, I think. He posted links to two photos of the sun. This one shows the sun in 1997:

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Recent commentary: my favorite conspiracy

By Steve Erbach on Friday, October 23, 2009 10:44 AM

What is your favorite conspiracy theory (either due to its sheer outlandishness or one that you think may have truth behind it)?

(published 26-Oct-2009, Appleton Post-Crescent)

Oh, boy! Conspiracies, man! Neil Armstrong did NOT walk on the moon -- it was all faked. Roosevelt knew beforehand about Pearl Harbor and said nothing. Auto companies have squelched fuel efficiency inventions for decades. Commies put fluoride in our water supplies. Bill Clinton rubbed out dozens of his political opponents. So many to choose from! My favorite conspiracy: it wasn't a Boeing 757 that destroyed part of the Pentagon on 9/11. It was ... wait for it! ... the government!

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Normal human reaction

By Steve Erbach on Friday, October 16, 2009 5:02 AM

One of my family's favorite movies is "How to Steal a Million" with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. It centers around the theft of a valuable statuette from a highly secure museum. O'Toole is the thief and Hepburn is his willing accomplice. The theft is pulled off in large part because of what O'Toole's character refers to as "normal human reaction".

For example:

If a highly valuable statuette is guarded by a seemingly impenetrable alarm system, watch what happens when the alarm is set off: the guards all leave their guard room and go scurrying about trying to catch the thief.
If a very important political person calls the head guard to complain about the noise the alarm makes, then the head guard becomes more concerned for his job if the ... Read More »

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Don't know much about history

By Steve Erbach on Sunday, October 11, 2009 10:55 AM

Never before in human history has a single generation been asked to make such difficult and consequential decisions.

That's from erstwhile Vice President Al Gore's press conference in Madison two days ago. To what is he referring? Political action on human-induced climate change, aka "global warming".

You've heard of the phrase, "tipping point"? The point at which overall climate changes irreversibly. Well, it ain't about actual climate changes anymore:

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Recent commentary: what keeps Wisconsin going?

By Steve Erbach on Monday, October 05, 2009 10:34 AM

What are our area's economic strengths?

(published 5-Oct-2009, Appleton Post-Crescent on-line)

No volcanos, typhoons, or global warming. No mountains, canyons, or deserts either. We DO deal with tornados, flooding, humidity in the summer, lake flies, mosquitoes, snow shoveling, salted streets, potholes, plow damage, and ice storms...and snow. Yeah, we get snow sometimes.

We don't go in too much for ostentation. About the biggest extravagances we indulge in are sports stadiums. We don't got no steenking Picasso Plazas in Wisconsin ... though we DO have that Hadzi ... thing ... monument ... sculpture ... whatchamacallit in Appleton.

Local and state governments can be as bone-headed here as anyplace else, and businesses can find friendlier tax rates in many other states, too. As a result, some businesses have moved their headquarters elsewhere. K-C comes to mind. ... Read More »

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Global warming johnnies have to get their act together

By Steve Erbach on Thursday, October 01, 2009 9:00 AM

Early last year, in March, I think, I joined an Amazon discussion group on global climate change. I threw in my two cents worth from time to time and watched what others posted to get a feel for how serious was the belief that we were all going to perish from an excess of human-induced global warming.

The group is still going almost 400 posts and a year-and-a-half later. But two of the most recent posts (yesterday, as a matter of fact) showed me again that it's hard to take the global warming johnnies (GWJs) seriously.

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xkcd and Bizarro

By Steve Erbach on Thursday, October 01, 2009 8:14 AM

Today's xkcd.com cartoon reminded me of an old one by Bizarro (Dan Piraro). Here's the xkcd.com cartoon for today, October 1st:

Then there's this old Bizarro cartoon:

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Just having fun with my Packer backer friends

By Steve Erbach on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 6:28 AM

Brett Favre is featured in a banner ad for the "Sears Blue Electronics Crew" on the Drudge Report today:

Drudge Report banner ad

If you follow the link you can find an extended version of the recent Sears TV ad:

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Health Care Follies, III

By Steve Erbach on Monday, September 28, 2009 6:24 PM

Correct me if I err, but the Canadian health care system is usually lauded to the skies by the proponents of NAtionalized HEalth CAre administration (I'm going to call it NAHECA for short) in these United States. The Los Angeles Times posted an article on Sunday dealing with a possible move towards partial privatization in Canada! What on earth could be wrong with those people?

In Canada, a move toward a private healthcare option

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Who thinks these things up?

By Steve Erbach on Friday, September 25, 2009 5:09 AM

On Facebook I generally make a daily post about some odd "holiday" or observance celebrated each day of the year. There are all kinds of them. From Teddy Bear Day to National Beheading Day...those are just this month.

But September 25th marks something different that made me take notice: Earth Overshoot Day. According to the web site:

Earth Overshoot Day marks an unfortunate milestone: the day when humanity begins living beyond its ecological means. Beyond that day, we move into the ecological equivalent of deficit spending, utilizing resources at a rate faster than what the planet can regenerate in a calendar year.

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Recent commentary: how safe are we?

By Steve Erbach on Thursday, September 24, 2009 9:14 AM

How safe do you think we are from another terrorist attack?

(published 28-Sep-2009, Appleton Post-Crescent)

Weakening the economy by injecting a trillion dollars of a sadly debased currency; dismantling portions of the counter-terrorism apparatus; releasing prisoners from Guantanamo; changing security signals with our allies in Europe and the Middle East; the monomaniacal push for national health insurance; taking over a huge portion of the auto, banking, and insurance industries ... any kind of policy focus has been lost by trying to do everything at once. It all adds up to being less secure than we were under President Bush. In addition, the conciliatory and apologetic attitude in overseas visits to Arab magnat ... Read More »

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Who has the power?

By Steve Erbach on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 8:44 AM

I've been following the developments in Honduras with some interest. Not that I've read everything there is to read about it, but I think I've got the main points.

The story today about ousted President Zelaya's stealthy return to Honduras and holing up in the Brazilian embassy puts a new spin on the saga:

Thousands of Zelaya supporters defied a curfew and spent the night surrounding Brazil's embassy, where the leader remained holed up Tuesday, a day after slipping back into the country. In exile since June 28, Zelaya said he had traveled for 15 hours overland in a series of vehicles to pull off the stealth homecoming.

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Further commentary on honor rolls

By Steve Erbach on Monday, September 21, 2009 8:46 AM

I commented earlier about the A and B Honor Rolls at Neenah middle schools. That comment was published on the Appleton Post-Crescent site. Another reader wondered about my figures, saying,

If this is the case, why is the national average of high school drop outs so high. The city of Milwaukee is one of the leading cities for drop outs. Something doesn't add up.

My reply:

You're right. In 2000 I researched A and B Honor Rolls in Neenah middle schools, Shattuck and Horace Mann.

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But, but...the Sun has nothing to do with global warming!

By Steve Erbach on Monday, September 21, 2009 7:55 AM

Read it and weep, you global warming johnnies:

Earth approaching sunspot records

BY COREY JONES
Updated September 21, 2009 at 12:50am

The average person may not associate coolness with the sun.

The sun releases energy through deep nuclear fusion reactions in its core and has surface temperatures as hot as 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NASA's Web site.

Not cool at all.

But the sun's recent activity, or lack thereof, may be linked to the pleasant summer temperatures the midwest has enjoyed this year, said Charlie Perry, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Lawrence.

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Recent commentary: teachers and evals

By Steve Erbach on Monday, September 21, 2009 7:35 AM

Should teacher reviews be tied to test scores?

(published on-line 21-Sep-2009: Appleton Post-Crescent)

Why, if that'll get those test scores up there, you bet! Give all the teachers glowing evals. Every kid ought to get at least a 'B' that way!

Of course, most kids in the public schools get A's and B's anyway. As an exercise for the student, first look at the published Honor Roll lists next time. You'll see the 'A' Honor Roll and the 'B' Honor Roll by grade. I'll bet you dollars to donuts that the 'A' list has more names than the 'B' list...and it doesn't matter which school you look at.

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Contraception and climate change

By Steve Erbach on Friday, September 18, 2009 2:44 PM

This is a follow-on to a story I linked to the other day dealing with population control being one way to control climate change; that is, fewer people, less warming.

This video was made at the end of July this year. It's an interview with a mucky-muck from the Optimum Population Trust, Roger Martin:

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I couldn't resist

By Steve Erbach on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 1:36 PM

From the Onion News Network, this still is from its story, "U.S. Condemned for Pre-emptive Use of Hillary Clinton Against Pakistan":

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Singing to stop global warming...that'll work!

By Steve Erbach on Monday, September 14, 2009 10:53 AM

Well, I guess there is some precedent for it: native American rain dances, for instance. But sheesh! Another insipid song written by committee to "draw attention to the global warming crisis". It ought to be just as effective as World Jump Day.

World celebrities sing to stop global warming

GENEVA (AFP) — British rock group Duran Duran and heavy metal band Scorpions are among 55 world celebrities who have joined in recording a song to draw attention to the global warming crisis, organisers said on Monday.

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