This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Hondo

  • Yet Another ObamaCare “Success” . . .

    . . . this time, courtesy of the CBO.

    The CBO has analyzed the economic impact of ObamaCare over the next decade. And the results are in.

    Obviously, it’s a rousing success.

    I mean, we all know just how “overheated” the economy has been the past few years, right?  Isn’t pretty much every employer out there attempting to hire more employees – and failing because they can’t find them?  Isn’t the US civilian labor participation rate at an all-time high?  Isn’t underemployment virtually unknown?   Isn’t inflation threatening to spiral out of control?

    But it’s ObamaCare to the rescue!  By 2025, the effects of ObamaCare are projected to remove the equivalent of 2 million jobs from the US economy!   That will certainly cool things down,won’t it? Hurrah! We’re saved.

    Yes, the above was sarcasm.  All of it is bullsh!t.

    Well, all of it was bullsh!t except the “remove the equivalent of 2 million jobs” part.  Because that’s exactly what the CBO is now projecting ObamaCare will do by 2025 – remove the equivalent in labor hours of 2 million jobs from the US workforce.

    It’s pretty much what everyone with two or three working brain cells predicted a priori.  The law gives employers a disincentive to hire full-time workers; ObamaCare subsidies gives people an incentive to quit working or reduce their hours.  The results are entirely predictable – and were indeed predicted ahead of time by many.

    And for that “wonderful” outcome, we can thank the       clueless fools and tools running the show in DC in 2009       majority in Congress and the Administration in power in 2009.  Anyone remember who those were?

  • Another San Bernardino Update

    Well, we now know a bit more about what’s going on with Enrique Martinez – the guy who bought some of the weapons used by the two terrorist bastard murders who killed 14 and wounded 20+ in San Bernardino.

    Specifically, we know that he and the deceased male terrorist bastard apparently discussed perpetrating an attack in the LA area back in 2012.  They backed out when another unrelated group of four got busted for a similar reason nearby.

    I’m guessing that means that the deceased female terrorist bastard didn’t have to do much to radicalize her deceased husband.  But maybe I’m wrong.

    We also know that Martinez either had converted or was in the process of converting to Islam.  Can’t say I’m surprised to hear that, either.

    Finally, we now know that Martinez is cooperating with investigators, but is also expected to face charges in this case.  Both of those are IMO “good things”.

    Personally, I hope he ends up facing capital charges – and since people were killed by the guns he allegedly supplied, gets the needle if convicted.  But maybe that’s just me.

  • Scratch One Career

    The armed services have been trying to discourage alcohol use for at least the past 20 years, if not longer. In truth, sometimes I think they go to far in that respect.

    Regardless, it’s policy – and excessive alcohol consumption isn’t generally a behavior that should be encouraged.  But there are still people out there who don’t seem to “get the word”.

    Unfortunately, sometimes those folks are relatively senior. Like the former 20th Air Force Commander, for example.

    And, it turns out, like the Director for Strategy, Policy, Capabilities, and Logistics at TRANSCOM – RADM David Baucom. Apparently he was removed from his position in October for what amounts to “drunk and disorderly” while TDY on the night of 7-8 April of this year.

    I’m not going to go into the details of the “drunk and disorderly” here.  This Navy Times article on the subject does so; read it if you’re interested.  Suffice it to say that the details are rather . . . unusual.

    RADM Baucom has issued a statement blaming his conduct on a medical condition occurring on “the evening of April 8th which caused lightheadedness, disorientation, dizziness and confusion.” Other indications are he may have mixed prescription medicine with drinking.

    However, a Navy investigation found that RADM Baucom had consumed all or part of at least 8 drinks that evening. It seems to me that, according to this blood alcohol concentration (BAC) chart, that would yield a BAC of 0.11 in a 180-lb man four hours after he’d begun drinking (0.17 – 6 x 0.01). If he drank more than 8 drinks, that would have yielded an even higher BAC.

    Sorry, RADM; I can’t say I have very much sympathy.  A drink or 3 at an official function or conference is one thing; eight or more seems rather excessive.  Someone of your seniority should know that.  Ditto for knowing that mixing prescription drugs and alcohol is a fool’s game.  Either way, you should damn well have known better.

    At least you’ll get to keep your retirement.  It could have been worse.

  • “Your Tax Dollars At Work”

    Some in Congress do seem to care about our taxes being wasted. This year, a number of US Senators have documented ways in which the US government wastes our tax revenues. Two of them are Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona and James Lankford of Oklahoma.

    Senators Flake and Lansford have each published lists showing how the US government wastes money out the wazoo. Each list documents approximately 100 real “winners” funded by the Federal government.

    Some examples?

    • Organizing craft festivals in Russia.

    • Handing out “tailgating” packages before the Nebraska-Wisconsin football game.

    • A different “DRC” – the DARPA Robotics Challenge – that absolutely cratered. (This quote from Senator Flake’s blurb about the event should raise a chuckle from TAH readers: “If the DRC hadn’t been so rife with slapstick, it would have put everyone to sleep.”)

    • Funding the construction of a building at a cosmetology college.

    • Producing and distributing bar coasters.

    • DoD’s adventures with gas stations and empty buildings in Afghanistan.

    These are just a few of the 100 “winners” listed by Senator Flake.  Some are repeated in Senator Lankford’s list; but the overlap between the two lists doesn’t seem to be total.

    Yeah, this is funny – in a “laughing to keep from crying” kinda way. It’s our freaking tax money being wasted.

    Senator Flake documents around $133.6 BILLION  in apparent waste. (It wasn’t as easy to extract costs from Senator Lankford’s list, so I passed on trying to do that.) That’s approaching the budget of the entire Department of Veterans Affairs.

    As the late Senator Everett Dirksen reputedly said: “A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon, you’re talking real money.” And since Uncle Sam’s as broke as an E3 with 3 kids and a stay-at-home spouse a week after payday, well . . . every dollar counts.

    Senator Flake’s list can be found here; Senator Lankford’s can be found here. If you have the time reading them is worth your while – for as long as you can stand to read either.

    But maybe give them a pass if you’re having a bad day, or are having blood pressure issues. Punching a wall or computer screen kinda smarts, and raising your blood pressure too high can be bad news indeed.

  • And In Other San Bernardino News . . . .

    Jonn’s already provided today’s financial update on the terrorists, so I’ll stick to info concerning events the day those two radical terrorist bastards murdered 14 innocent people and wounded 20+ others.

    Remember those pipe bombs the terrorist bastards left in the facility they shot up? You know, the ones they left behind rigged for remote detonation which (thankfully) didn’t go off?

    Well, authorities think they know why the bombs were left behind.  Investigators now  believe those bombs were intended to target first responders.  Had the bombs gone off as designed, the death toll could have been higher – much higher.

    Investigators are unsure why the bombs didn’t go off as planned.  Facility sprinklers and a problem with the remote to be used to detonate them are the current theories.

    Anyone still believe this was “workplace violence”?  Or doubt it was a deliberate terrorist attack?

  • “Contained”, Eh? Intel Community Says, “Um, no.”

    Remember when the       current Occupant, 1600 Penn Ave, Wash DC       POTUS proclaimed that Da’esh (AKA “ISIS”) had been “contained”?  You know, that proclamation that occurred shortly before the Paris terrorist attacks that killed 130 and wounded hundreds more?

    Remember when the CJCS flatly contradicted the POTUS’s assessment about Da’esh being “contained”?

    Well, among those in a position to know apparently it isn’t just the CJCS that disagrees with the POTUS.  Apparently, the US Intelligence Community also disagrees.  An IC report recently ordered by the White House “says that the ISIS terror group will grow in numbers and territory unless it suffers significant losses in Iraq and Syria.”

    Contained?  Yeah right.  Sounds to me like the report says they’re getting stronger.  Maybe “contained” is simply this Administration’s Doublespeak for “an enemy getting stronger”.

    For some reason, the acronym “SCoaMF” comes to mind.  And  not when I think of Da’esh.

  • I Half Suspected This

    Yep, looks like I might have called it.   It appears the San Bernardino shooter may well have brought home a terrorist operative as his wife.

    SoCal jihadist wife pledged allegiance to ISIS
    before massacre, Fox News confirms

  • Rest In Peace, Soldiers

    Two Army aviators have been killed in a military training accident.

    The two lost their lives yesterday near Fort Campbell, KY.  They were killed when their AH-64D attack helicopter crashed during a training accident.

    The deceased were assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.  Names have been withheld pending notification of next of kin.

    No job in the military is risk free.  Even routine peacetime training involves risk.

    Rest in peace, brothers-in-arms.  May God comfort your surviving friends and family.