Environmental Whacko?

Here is a funny 1990’s video clip of Jim Carrey playing the whacko, satirizing extreme environmentalism. Fifteen years later, he is not a whacko. Bad science is helping big government to take away our liberties and in the process, slowly strangling America’s economy. (more…)

Smile, You’re a Patriot!

An Arizona man attacks a freeway speed camera with a pick ax.

He was fined $3,500.

Speed-cams and red-light cams are used to meet budget shortfalls; not safety. They take a picture as you drive by and the next thing you know you have a ticket in the mail. It’s amazing to see all the ways we will be tracked and taxed in our cars.

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Robo Kill

Will robots be chasing us one day?

Yes, soon. Very soon.

The most recent movie that advanced this topic was iRobot starring Will Smith. The robots had brains and killing power. Then they got emotion and went out of control. See the trailer here.

Reported in AlertNet, Killer robots and a revolution in warfare, a whole host of machines have been used with great effect in IRAQ, primarily helping our soldiers as pack mules, doing recon and bomb diffusion. The are now being developed to kill.

Ground-based robots in Iraq have saved hundreds of lives in Iraq, defusing improvised explosive devices… The first armed robot was deployed in Iraq in 2007… . Its mounted M249 machine gun can hit a target more than 3,000 feet away with pin-point precision.

And, it won’t take long before they make their way into law enforcement here in the USA.

Robots will not have emotion any time soon, but the people who operate them do.

It’s sooner than you think.

Watch this video of BigDog and imagine being stalked through the woods. Creepy, especially when you consider where the technology will evolve to over the next 5 to 10 years…

Car of the Future Unveiled

At a press conference today at the G20 economic summit, world leaders unveiled the car of the future. Termed the “gCar” or Green Car, President Obama hailed the breakthrough as a major step forward in “making the United States independent from foreign oil and revitalizing our national auto industry”, fulfilling major promises of his 2008 political campaign. He also took the opportunity to announce a technology cooperative with Russia and China , saying…

This is proof that the socialist nations of the world have much to offer America in our time of need.

President Obama was also quick to extoll the technology breakthroughs of the gCar including the one horsepower engine, which promises near continuous energy for up to 10 hours at time. A “fuel collector” upgrade feature will be available, to remove the engine’s emissions for use in fertilization or the home compost pile. Fuel subsidies will be available from government distribution centers in the form of hay and oats.

America’s consumerist mentality…

When asked about advanced forms of the gCar technology, such as the two-horse model already in use in development by Mercedes and BMW, the President chastened the reporter, saying…

America must change its consumerist mentality. Government experts have determined the one-horse model is the ideal for our workers. Any more will overburden our delicate infrastructure. Let’s not forget we’re in a crisis here.

When asked about other possible drawbacks, including lack of top speed of the one-horse version, the President was quick to point out that speedy transportation is a classist tool that would no longer be used to oppress the poor.

I hope you all got a kick out of that — my attempt at an “Onion” style article. The best Onion articles are the ones that almost seem possible. We have so much absurdity in our culture, some harmless and some dangerous. And there is nothing more absurd than the fact half the population of America is looking to the government and its leaders to preserve a standard of living built with a free market.

I am not aware of a single example of a government program or initiative that has advanced our nation’s economy. Free markets have proven themselves over and over building a standard of living that has benefited hundred of millions of people throughout the world. Did the government mandate the phone, the lightbulb, the airplane, movies, the Mac? No. Capitalists did, motivated by personal gain. Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Louis B. Mayer, Steve Jobs were all motivated by the opportunity to profit in a free market. The great irony is, if they didn’t meet a need, they would not profit. Thus, the needs of the “people” drive innovation, not the dictates of a government planner. Who will buy the one-horse gCar, or its equivalent from Washington’s central planners? Nobody, unless they regulate out the good stuff. Ever see the cars from the Soviet Union?

Our hope should be in ourselves and God, not the government. It is not time to abandon  the great experiment that started in 1776.

A good question to ask yourself, “What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?” I doubt few will answer… “my government.”

“Nip it in the Bud!”

An irreversible crisis is usually preceded by a slow, accelerating decay with ever increasing signs of doom. Living in denial, we typically take the path of least resistance by making small changes. And doing this, we typically respond to where the problem was yesterday, not where it will be tomorrow. We end up chasing our tail in a death spiral to the very end. We finally wake up and will try anything, but then it’s too late. It’s really hard to have the guts to get out in front. The best advice I’ve ever heard comes from Barney Fife, when he says, “Nip it. Nip it in the bud!”

This seems to be what has gone on for years at General Motors (GM). Since the 1980s, they have been in a long death spiral. They have had the best and brightest talent, or as Rush would say, “the wizards of smart”. But GM was hamstrung by an inculcated, calcified culture trying to preserve the status quo (along with the slow strangulation of labor unions and government regulators). This is not a case of Monday morning quarterbacking. From way back when, many saw this coming. Now, GM has little time left. See the cartoon, “sixty days to evolve”, as Mike Luckovich so aptly cartoons.

A good question to ask in any crisis…

“If I were starting from scratch, is this the place I would work so hard to get to?”

If not yes, then make a change and make it fast and hard. Get out in front. Too far in front is better than not far enough. I do not think the wizards at GM would have started a car company in the 1990s with the dream of making indistinguishable cars across six divisions / brands. So, always try to approach you crisis or problem with the question, “If I were starting from scratch, would I…” and you will get a fresh perspective.