State-owned

The wonderful thing about the internet is the ability to have a peek at the unfettered and unfiltered nature of the truly bizarre machinations of unreconstructed statists. Feral leftists if you will. By all means go bow and scrape before our collective betters and justify your existence:

There is no campaign against the super rich: there is a campaign that they justify their pay and make their appropriate contribution to society, which is something quite different.

The hard-core Left: never about lifting up, only about dragging down.

Prague Spring, Part Deux

Let's hope the upcoming Czech turn at the EU Presidency (the Rota) is indeed as refreshing as they are planning:

Of course, per the DW article linked above, there will be critics:

The clip, airing on nationwide television since Thursday, says nothing about Prague's agenda for the 27-nation bloc.

Instead, critics argue, it's a rebellious yet toothless jab at Brussels that gives a telling glimpse into a small nation's insecurities.

No doubt the un-named critics are the very same types whose are so secure in the current state of the EU that they would heartily welcome a referendum on Lisbon in every member state.

Of course watch for Bruxelles to pull the rug out from underneath the Czech's at every turn next year. Always note, in the zero-sum mindset of large bureaucracies it is not success (writ large) which is the over-riding goal. The goal of a bureaucrat is making sure that the other guy does not get success (writ small) no matter how deserving.

N-ice!

Under the Radar

While the rest of the world is pre-occupied with the US presidential elections, the Party of European Socialists is quietly gearing up for the European Parliment elections next summer. Below are some of the key party ideas being work-shopped recently before a focus group:

Bug or Feature?

A interesting quick search of that paper of record the New York Times.

Search 1
Search term: "red meat"
Search period: 24 August 2008 to 30 August 2008
Significance of search period: Democratic Convention
Number of results: 0

Search 2
Search term: "red meat"
Search period: 31 August 2008 to 06 September 2008
Significance of search period: Republican Convention
Number of results: 7

Running into an old friend

Are you lonely? Nobody to talk to? Ran into an old friend recently, he/she is always willing to have a chat:



As an added bonus, if the cableTV is out our old/new friend is just like watching any number of people on MSNBC in the US.

Being there

Can this just not go the way of the Stability and Growth Pact or the Lisbon Agenda? You know, one of those things that people pretend exists but is just quietly ignored:

The French EU Presidency will this week attempt to clinch a deal on sustainability criteria for biofuels in order to ensure that the Union's goal of increasing their share to 10% of transport fuels by 2020 does not provoke major negative environmental side-effects.

...

In accordance with earlier EurActiv reports, the deal would centre on a two-phased approach, under which only biofuels delivering life-cycle CO2 savings of at least 35% compared to fossil fuels would count towards the 10% target. This figure would then be scaled up to 50% as of 2017 – subject to an in-depth policy review in 2014.

According to diplomatic sources, national experts also agree on the need to monitor the indirect effects of changes of land use, including deforestation (indirectly increasing CO2 output) and food price hikes caused as land traditionally used for food production is shifted to biofuel production.

On the other hand, producers cultivating biofuel crops on 'degraded land' could be entitled to pollute more, receiving CO2 'bonuses' of up to 29 grammes – although no consensus has been reached on this figure as yet.

Sources say the agreement would also require biofuel production to respect binding environmental criteria as regards the protection of biodiversity and areas with high carbon stocks, such as wetland or forest areas.

Promising everything, delivering nothing.

Shirking their 'duty' to society?

Individuals are endlessly showered by hard-left statists about the "need" for ever more taxation and ever more government spending, all in the name of the vaguely defined nothingness of "social justice".

For a moment put yourself in the heavily-soiled Birkenstocks of our hard-left statist brothers and sisters. It is quite easy to do: turn off your rationality, your individuality, your thought processes, and become a sheep capable only of bleating emotive-based slogans which are devoid of logic and thought. One of your absolute key bleats will be about the "need" for "social justice". Central to his particular bleat:

"Everybody should contribute (ie. pay taxes) their fair share to ensure a just and civil society!" - Repeat ad nauseus.

Now, slowly ease out of the Birkenstocks and return to being a rational individual. As touched upon here and pointed out specifically today in the WSJ:

About 38% of U.S. households pay no income tax today.

The stat is indeed true and if memory serves correctly the next 12% in the food-chain "contributes" approximately 3% in income taxes to the "betterment" of society. The hardcore-leftists are always banging on about the "rich not paying their fair share in taxes". By "rich" of course the statists are bleating about those individuals who already pay millions/billions in to the coffers of government.

Something of a clue for the leftists when looking for those individuals not "paying their fair share for a just and civil society", start at the bottom and work your way up. Once you get the free-riders at the bottom "contributing" anything then we can talk about those already paying through the nose for the socialistic playthings "provided" to us all by your church, government.

Some individuals believe the movie Midnight Express is a love story.

I do not happen to be one of those individuals.

Certainly there will be changes to this exquisite bit coming out of Bruxelles, if not, good night and good luck:

British citizens could be convicted in their absence by foreign courts for traffic, credit card or other criminal offences under plans approved in principle by the European Parliament.

The proposals would allow citizens to be extradited automatically under fast-track procedures at the request of another European Union country on the basis of a decision by the foreign court.

Tim Worstall rather gets to the point on the matter:

Tried witout a jury, tried without defense. And all so that we can stop Germany from invading France again.

Not really all that good a deal really, is it?

Gosh, exactly why will the British government not hold a referendum on Lisbon? One would think the above would be a sure-fire vote getter.