Fairy Tales Can Come True, It Could Happen to You!

Quote du jour

"We could use up all of the proven reserves of oil in the entire world by the end of the next decade."

-Former President Jimmy Carter


Of course, he predicted this in 1977...

Quote du jour

"On the world stage, I think [Obama's accomplishments] have been minimal. I think he has done some good things domestically, like health reform and so forth. But on the world stage, just to be objective about it, I can't think of many nations in the world where we have a better relationship now than when he took over."

-James Earl Carter

Jimmy Carter's Cardigan

Remember the seventies? Remember the energy crisis of the seventies, with its long gas lines and high prices?



Remember the picture of Carter, sitting in the Oval Office in a cardigan sweater, telling us to turn down our thermostats to conserve energy?

Carter claimed to the press that he was saving energy by having solar panels installed on the roof of the White House to heat hot water. "It would not generate enough hot water to run the dishwasher in the staff mess," a White House staffperson says. "It was a fiasco. The staff mess had to go out and buy new equipment to keep the water hot enough. That blew any savings."

Carter did not manage to broker an adequate energy policy. He tried to promote conservation by example, turning down the thermostats at the White House and in other government buildings, wearing cardigan sweaters, and installing solar panels and a woodstove at the White House. He also deregulated energy prices, launched a program to develop synthetic fuels, and successfully legislated fuel-efficiency standards. But in an era of soaring oil prices and long lines at the gas pumps, it did not add up to a policy.

I thought about our friend Jimmah today, when I heard yet another variation of "I'll start getting serious about global warming, just as soon as its proponents do". You have to hand it to Carter, that at least he made a show of turning down the thermostat* and wearing the Charlie Brown sweater, and installing the not-ready-for-primetime solar panels** on the White House roof.

In an age when public shame is practically unheard of, except for when you violate political correctness, there seem to be no excesses to which the global warmists will go, oblivious to the enormity of their own carbon footprints. Al Gore flies all over the world in a private jet, infamously having his limo drivers keeping the motors running in his limos while he delivers his phoney baloney message on global warming, so that he doesn't experience even any momentary discomfort between his plane and the air conditioned lecture halls.

Remember that Live Earth concert recently? They had to fly bands, and even the audience to Antarctica, just so that they could say they covered all seven continents. How large a carbon footprint did that require? For a mere symbolic gesture. I'm sure the penguins appreciated it! If the threat of catastrophe caused by man made global warming were real, don't you think that even one of these Apostles of Apocalypse might alter his life style accordingly?

Obama takes a gas guzzling, carbon spewing 747 from Andrews AFB to the swampland of Florida, so that he can address literally dozens of people on the perils of global warming. Haven't these people ever heard of Skype? Conference calls?? Go to meeting???

All of the scare mongering of the seventies and eighties that foretold the oceans dying, oceans rising, millions starving, ice caps melting, and after all the increases in manufacturing and farming and population increase over the last half century, the temperature needle barely wavered. Ted Danson was very specific. He said we only had ten years to save the oceans...about forty years ago now.
How'd that work out for us, Ted? And the scientists whose funding is directed to locate global warming, find it only with the help of forged and faked data.

The extent that global warming did not occur forced its ardent disciples to try to change the name of the movement. Same doom and gloom, but now any "change" in the climate indicates the need for a Marxist curtailment of all capitalistic human activity. Record heat? Global warming, er, "climate change"! Record cold? Record snowfall? "Climate change"!

I guess the closest nod to some sort of show of modest travel by this president, is when he loads his Canadian built, campaign bus on a plane, along with his staff, Secret service and multiple car entourage and flies them to some location to where he can roll out the bus and show the peasants his humble roots. Because nothing says 'I'm saving energy' like flying your bus to meet you at a campaign stop.

Since Obama is taking the mantle of "Worst President Ever" from Jimmy Carter, couldn't he get the cardigan to go with it?



*As opposed to Barack Obama, who reportedly kicks up the thermostat somewhere between "toasty" and "parboiled"!
**As I have said elsewhere., I'm not opposed to solar energy where it is feasible.  My own solar panels generate more energy than I use, nearly every single day.

Garden Theory of Rescuing Hostages

Garden Theory of Rescuing Hostages:

Jimmy Carter: Rose Garden

You may remember that Carter hunkered down in the Rose Garden, apparently doing nothing to free the Iranian hostages, but was able to hide safely from a primary challenge from Teddy Kennedy. (Thank God for roses!)

Barack Obama: Broccoli Garden

Michelle's Veggie Garden must be the place where Obama hangs out, apparently doing nothing to free the Egyptian hostages, but he has no need to hide out, because the MSM is pretty much ignoring the hostage situation or Barry's inability to bring it to an end.

Joe Biden: Olive Garden

Count Joey in for the all-you-can-eat breadsticks.

Any questions?

Obama Could Learn a Thing or Two From Jimmy Carter

Remember Jimmy Carter? 39th President. Billy Beer. Lust in his heart. Killer rabbits. That Jimmy Carter? Obama could learn a thing or two from Jimmy. Remember the energy crisis of 1977? I know! There have been so many oil embargoes and crises, and still the government continues to hamstring energy producers. But, in 1977, President Carter took to the airwaves to rally the American people to conserve energy, "the moral equivalent of war". Anyone here old enough to remember that speech? He sat there, looking into the camera sincerely, wearing a cardigan sweater, presumably, because he had turned down the thermostat in the White House to conserve energy. (As opposed to the current resident of the White House, who is known to keep his office quite toasty!) President Carter, long before Bill Clinton ever patented the line, was trying to communicate that he felt our pain, that he willingly shared in the sacrifice he was calling upon everyone to make. Now, it is possible that, after the cameras were turned off, he fired up the thermostat and ran around the Oval Office in his skivvies. (Sorry for the image!) But, at least Carter put up the appearance of empathizing with the people he was elected to lead. Compare and contrast with a president who surrounds himself with all the trappings of power. Someone who doesn't deny himself a thing, but lives like a king or the dictator of some banana republic, throwing lavish parties for himself, hobnobbing with the rich and famous while the peasants beg for crusts of bread. Think about it...other than his annoyance over not everyone doing what he wants them to do, have you seen any evidence at all in the last two and a half years, that Barack Obama is not really enjoying himself heartily? Parties, golf, lavish vacations, world travel, deluxe transportation, gourmet meals, (with chefs flown in from Chicago and Hawaii), people to wait upon his every whim, at his beck and call. Meanwhile, the country goes to Hades in a handbasket. Obama talks the talk about 'shared sacrifice", but by that he means that others should share the sacrifice, not him personally. He doesn't walk the walk. He says his favorite Bible verse is Matthew 25:40 -

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

(Think millions of dollars in book royalties and a half brother who lives in a hut for $12 a year.) No one begrudges protecting the president. Some think a fleet of million dollar "rock star" buses was over the top. No one begrudges the President in taking time off to be with his family. Spending millions of tax dollars to do so is over the top. Say what you will about Jimmy Carter, he was either smart enough and humble enough not to rub people's noses in his good fortune while the rest of the country suffered, or at least he gave that appearance. Little Lord Barackleroy and his wife, spend the nation's money like drunken Congressmen and don't seem to be the tiniest bit embarrassed in flaunting and wasting the wealth and power entrusted to them by their fellow citizens. Some presidents lead by example. Others show great moral courage and integrity. And then, there's Barack...

New York Times Links to Proof Positive

They linked to the picture of the National Review cover of James Earl Carter I posted: Hope 1.0



New York Times: Comparisons in Chief

Inflation Actually Near 10% Using Older Measure

Welcome Back, Carter!

John Melloy in CNBC's Fast Money:

After former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker was appointed in 1979, the consumer price index surged into the double digits, causing the now revered Fed Chief to double the benchmark interest rate in order to break the back of inflation. Using the methodology in place at that time puts the CPI back near those levels.

Inflation, using the reporting methodologies in place before 1980, hit an annual rate of 9.6 percent in February, according to the Shadow Government Statistics newsletter.

Since 1980, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has changed the way it calculates the CPI in order to account for the substitution of products, improvements in quality (i.e. iPad 2 costing the same as original iPad) and other things.

Backing out more methods implemented in 1990 by the BLS still puts inflation at a 5.5 percent rate and getting worse...

If the Misery Index = Unemployment rate + Inflation rate, then, with 10% inflation and unemployment over 9% (17 if you figure in those who have quit working, are underemployed or ran out of benefits) , then Obama's is close to, if not higher than Jimmy Carter's 19.72!

H/T Memeorandum

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Former President Jimmy Carter Stricken with Air Sickness

Former President Jimmy Carter (I love saying that!) heading over "flyover country" on a commercial flight to Cleveland for a book signing was hospitalized for a bout of "air sickness" on his flight in. Air sickness, as you know, is typically accompanied with the extreme desire to vomit.

Having had you as president, Mr. Carter. I know we can all sympathize. Think of it as the country "returning the favor".

HOPE 1.0

You should go out and buy the October 4th issue of National Review for the cover art alone!


Update: Welcome visitors from the NYT!

Obama Channels Jimmy Carter

As a matter of fact, their policies are almost word for word.


Thanks again to Hot Air and Ed Morrisey

Cross posted at Say Anything