Charlie Rangel: Poster Boy for Government Corruption?

I think that Congressman Charlie Rangel has crawled into a hole he will never be able to extricate himself from.

Rangel under-reported his income by as much as 1.7 million dollars, and then blamed his accountants for the error. Now there's a surprise, who would have guessed that Rangel would blame someone besides himself.

What makes this revelation so damning is that Rangel is the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is responsible for writing the very tax law that Rangel seems to disregard.

This isn't Rangel's first attempt at evading paying his fair share of taxes. He was caught not reporting income of $75,000 from a rental villa he owns in the Dominican Republic. Rangel was forced to pay the taxes, but only after he denied that the error was his fault. A few weeks later it was discovered that he had under-valued one of his properties by as much as $500,000 dollars.

According to CBS News one year ago, “Rangel, the head of the committee that not only writes the tax code but also oversees the budget, now admits his own tax records are in such disarray, he's had to bring in a forensic accountant to find out just what he owes on items like unreported income on the building he and his wife once owned. Then there is the possible ethical lapses in perhaps getting a favor to combine three condos into one, below-market apartment. Or explaining just how another Dominican condo was financed.”

So, Rangel's major tax problems are not new, nor are they unusual.

Yesterday, the Washington Post, a liberal newspaper if there ever was one, suggested for the second time that Rangel resign his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee.

“We called on Mr. Rangel to resign his coveted post last November while the House ethics committee probed his contact with a potential donor to a pet project who also had business before the committee. Mind you, that committee already was looking into his using official stationery to raise funds for that pet project, paying below-market rents on four Harlem apartments, failing to report income from a Florida condominium sale and failing to pay taxes on a home in the Dominican Republic. There's another subcommittee investigation into lobbyist-paid trips by Mr. Rangel and four other members of Congress.”

Another shocking disclosure was released after the Post hit the streets.

After the House Ethics Committee began its investigation of Rangel, he (Rangel) has made large cash contributions to campaign funds of three of the Democratic Congressmen doing the investigation. One of the Democrats returned the $20,000 to Rangel, but there's no report that the other two who received contributions have done likewise.

Has Rangel graduated from tax evasion to thinly masked bribery? It seems that way on the surface, which falls under the adage, “where's there's smoke, there is invariably fire.”

If Rangel does not resign his chairmanship very soon, Pelosi should remove him. Rangel is a prime example of what is wrong with politics these days, particularly within the Democratic Party controlled Congress. However, with Pelosi's credibility being as low as it is, she may not feel that there is anything to lose by not yanking Rangel off of the committee.

Nonetheless, Rangel hurts the Democrats every day he remains in power, even in office. He undermines the Democratic Party's ability to be taken at its word.

Let's be frank, censure and maybe even impeachment hearings should be immediately considered for Rangel. He needs to disappear and do so quickly.

Donkey-Care: Federal Health Care for Fat Asses

While doing my morning reading of the news, I stumbled upon an AP story that brought me endless amusement. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists visit an old gold mining town in north-western Arizona. Oatman is a miniscule western town with but one street. In its heyday, it was a booming community of miners and businesses that catered to the mining companies and their employees. Today, it is one of many destinations of visitors touring the “old west”. Oatman was where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard honeymooned in 1939.

Perhaps, Oatman’s biggest attraction these days are the wild Donkeys that live in the surrounding land and often wander through the town looking for food. Descended from Donkeys released into the wild by miners, they have flourished over the years. The many tourists are happy to feed the Burros carrots, apples, “Burro chow” and just about anything else as these Donkeys are not very particular about what they wolf down. Virtually every store in Oatman sells Ass snacks. They also sell snacks for Burros too….

Apparently, these animals are so well fed that many no longer forage for food in the countryside. Indeed, they have become rather bothersome in the town, begging like Beagles for their chow.

AP Story: Click here.

These wild Donkeys are under the protection of the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of the Interior. Herein lies the problem. BLM is very concerned that the animals have become overweight.

I spend a great deal of time tracking the goings on within the Federal Government. Yet, I never realized that there was a Federal agency responsible for managing the health of fat Jackasses.

Can the Jacks and Jennys opt out of the Government program? Is their apparent obesity raising the health care costs of healthy Jackasses? Perhaps the Feds should offer discount gym memberships. ”Dollars for Donkeys”, public assistance in getting the fat off of the Asses.

It does seem ironic that a Federal agency that oversees the well being of fat Asses would not be doing so within the city limits of Washington, DC.

Attention Department of the Interior; your most needy constituency is just a short walk up Constitution Avenue.

Within the context of the current debate on Government run health care, does it not seem reasonable that the Democrats might want to examine the Department of the Interior's program to protect the health of the common equus asinus?

Another thing that I find disturbing is that the Donkeys are in good conformance with the USDA food pyramid. They eat a low fat, high carbohydrate diet with lots of fruit, vegetables and grains. Yet, they are getting ever more fat. A perfect reflection of American society. If the USDA doesn't get a grip on what really makes people obese, than perhaps the Oatman Jackasses will testify to the error of their thinking. At least the Feds can easily relate to the study patients...

USDA Dietary Guidelines

Ted's Dead: What next for the Democrats?

Like that of other famous political families, the Kennedy era is now completely over. The death of Ted Kennedy marks the end of 50 years of family members being significant factors in the Democratic party and in American politics in general. John F. Kennedy Jr’s tragic loss sealed the future of the family, with Ted’s passing marking the closing of the book. There is no obvious heir apparent.

Senator Kennedy will be lionized for his dedication to his liberal principles and to his constituents. Even those who were at the opposite end of the political spectrum found Ted to be a charming, outgoing and generous man. Nonetheless, Kennedy could be as ruthless as they come when he believed that the liberal ideology was in jeopardy. I give you the political lynching of Judge Bork as a typical example of Kennedy’s “gloves off” politics of questionable ethics. No holds were barred when he felt his ideals were being threatened. There is no doubt that Ted Kennedy possessed a complex and sometimes contradictory personality. In spite of that, he was truly sympathetic to the common man.

Senator Kennedy demonstrated his willingness to break with traditional Democratic politics, when he threw his considerable influence behind a party upstart, future President Obama. To say that the Clintons were annoyed would be a gross understatement of the true anger and feeling of betrayal that actually existed. Kennedy was astute enough to recognize that the Clinton years were over and it was time to realign himself. It was his last significant act before his brain cancer limited his participation in the election of 2008.

There can be no doubt that Senator Kennedy’s absence hurt the Democrats during the debate on socialized healthcare. Without Ted’s ability to negotiate, the Democrats were considerably weakened. Conservatives could well argue that Kennedy’s illness may have saved the country from the socio-political nightmare of a Government run, single payer healthcare system.

Given that the Feds just demonstrated their utter inability to manage the ill-conceived “cash for clunkers” program; any thought of them trying to manage the healthcare of 300 million Americans should send a chill up your spine.

Yet, it is apparent that the Democratic Party leadership is now attempting to use Kennedy’s death as a rally point to shove through a non-partisan healthcare bill. It won’t work. It will fail because the American people didn’t view Kennedy in the same light as his Democratic colleagues in Washington. Ted’s scandals and rumored appetite for booze and questionable private behavior have not endeared him to a sizable portion of the American electorate.

Ted’s dead, and Democrat politicians are suffering just as much wrath at town hall meetings as before. If the public sees that the left wing will attempt to use Kennedy’s death as a catalyst to jam their Socialist program down their throats, the din will only get more deafening. The insane deficits resulting from the hijacked stimulus program has already badly damaged the nation’s financial future. Adding the massive tax burden, typical Government waste and mismanagement of Fed run healthcare will truly break the taxpayer’s back. The concentration of power in Washington, and in particular, the Whitehouse, is unprecedented. Few want this, except for the socialist state advocates, and the Whitehouse is, for now, their domain. One of Obama’s healthcare advisors is a proponent of limiting healthcare expenditure on the elderly and disabled. Another advisor is a previously avowed communist and anti-capitalist. Anyone recognize a trend here?

As I have stated many times, don’t look to what a politician says to understand their ideology, but rather examine the ideology of their friends and advisors. As the saying goes, “an apple won’t fall far from its tree”.

It appears obvious that the liberal left are slow learners. If Obama does not move to the political center very soon, he will become yet another Jimmy Carter type failure; four downs and give up the ball.

As it stands now, Harry Reid, the Senate’s majority leader, is trailing badly in polls in economically battered Nevada. It is reasonable to believe that he will not win another term. Several other Democratic Senators are suddenly at risk as well. As many as 30 Democratic House seats are in danger for the mid-term election of 2010. Large Republican gains are more than just possible. The only element missing is a genuine charismatic figure to ascend to party leadership.

If the Democratic Party does not veer away from their leftist, socialist agenda in the immediate future, Obama may be facing the second half of his term without control of the Senate, and only a razor thin majority in the House.

Let’s hope the Democrats stay their self-destructive course… Republicans and Conservatives could not ask for a better opportunity.

Three Lefts Don't Always Make a Right

I never presume to speak for others, but I have no doubt that many people will agree with me that writer/director Michael Moore marches to a different drummer. In fact, I’d say that he may have his own band.

His disassembly of Detroit’s business-as-usual mindset in “Roger & Me” was an instant classic. Brutally honest and funny at the same time, Moore hit America’s auto makers right between the eyes.

It is unfortunate that Moore’s subsequent films wandered away from the intellectual honesty that made “Roger & Me” so good. “Bowling for Columbine”, “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Sicko” presented something else. One could easily and accurately state that Moore’s follow-on films had digressed to little more that political propaganda for an extreme leftist point of view. Moore was accused of creative editing to make his subjects appear to make statements that they had not made. His blatant political statements at the Oscar ceremony was not less than outrageous.

Would it be far from reality to state that Moore has climbed the leftist ladder to a place not unlike that of Joseph Goebbels, Fritz Hippler and Eberhard Taubert all rolled into one oversized personality? Like these German propagandists, his films are done in the style of a documentary. Moore knows that for some viewers, this adds a air of authority. His soon to be released film, "Capitalism: A Love Story”, is expected to be a new benchmark in Moore’s continued pounding on all things not aligned with his socialist (nearly Marxist) political agenda.

Moore has expressed his support for Obama’s government run health care bill, even if it did lead to health care rationing. I don’t believe that Moore would find himself at odds with the Obama administration unless, perhaps, they rationed cannolies…

This reminds me to make a simple point. If you really want to know the politics of any President, simply take note of their strongest supporters. What they say is less important than who their friends and supporters are.

Moore appears to be a victim of disorganized reasoning. This is a common malady that afflicts many, otherwise highly intelligent people. He can look right past facts and formulate opinions based upon nothing but self-created fantasy.

In a recent interview, Moore lashed out once again at George Bush. When asked what Bush’s worst legacy would be, Moore replied, “That he has yet to be arrested for committing the worst crime the leader of a nation can commit: lie to the people and convince them to invade another country and kill its people with absolutely no provocation.”

Moore wants Dubya arrested for lying to the people. Well, I’m not convinced he lied at all. Moreover, if lying by a politician was a crime requiring arrest, we would have to build more prisons immediately. If the extreme left really believed that lying is criminal, why haven’t they called for the arrest of Rep. Barney Frank? You know Frank, the guy who pressured and coerced banks to make mortgage loans to people who did not have the means to pay them. Frank, the guy who suddenly became stupid when he was fingered as possibly being the person most responsible for the mortgage meltdown. We should not overlook Frank’s partner in this, Sen. Christopher Dodd.

Mr. Moore goes on to say that we invaded and killed Iraqis without provocation. You’re kidding, right Michael? Repeated violations of the cease fire agreement doesn’t constitute provocation? Murdering thousands of innocent Kurds with nerve agents or poison gas does not constitute provocation? Failure to comply with UN weapon inspections isn’t a provocation? Slaughtering thousands of Shiites does not equate to provocation? If not, what does?

If you want to argue whether or not the invasion of Iraq was a good idea, you could make a strong argument for not invading. However, to state that there was no provocation is being obtuse on an epic scale.

If Bush was anything, he was naïve to believe that right and might can change hearts, minds and cultures. Naïveté is not a crime.

Neither is being an world class bullshit artist, because if it was, Michael Moore could be facing 20 to life with no chance of parole or cannolies.

Liberal Outrage Over Guns in National Parks

There appears to be a rather loud outcry from some anti-gun groups over allowing firearms into Nation Parks.

It’s only natural that anti-gun right advocates would howl about firearms being permitted anywhere they were not previously allowed. I don’t believe that anyone would have expected otherwise. Nonetheless, this issue has already been decided at a level above that which can be overturned.

In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that individual ownership of firearms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Thus, denying citizens their right to keep and bear arms would be a clear Constitutional violation. Especially on Government owned land. Our current National Park System was the handiwork of President Theodore Roosevelt. TR was an avid hunter and conservationist. Not being permitted to maintain a loaded firearm in the parks he created would elicit his full and not inconsiderable fury. Previously, guns had to be unloaded and locked up.

For many years, the National Park Service strictly limited private firearms in the parks; unconstitutionally it turns out. As a result, these parks were an ideal environment for thieves and others of the criminal element, who were well aware that those few park goers who had a gun could not access their firearms on short notice. Let’s face facts: Criminals by definition disobey the law. You can bet that many criminals would being carrying loaded “heat” in the National Parks.

In recent weeks, we have seen the liberal left attempt to squelch free speech by classifying health care bill opposition as ignorant and un-American. The radical left believes in freedom, but only as they define it. If it were left to them, your rights would only be those that they find to be politically correct.

Jonathan Dorn, editor-in-chief of Backpacker Magazine was quoted by the AP as stating, "That one just felt like a very political decision that was maybe more about politics than about maybe paying attention to the preferences of the vast majority of people who are frequent park users."

Dorn doesn't realize that all it would take is a suit in Federal Court to force the Parks Department to lift restrictions anyway. Current rules signed by Obama look to the various States for guidelines. If the State permits loaded firearms in their parks, then they are permitted in Federal parks within that State.

As of now, the single biggest whining is coming from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Years ago, this organization went by the name Handgun Control Inc, until their contribution to the backlash that gained the Republicans control of the House and Senate. I guess it was time for a name change, eh?

The facts remains that the Brady group is loaded with myopic hoplophobes who can only react with a knee-jerk.

My view is that if you don't like guns, don't own one. If you don't like guns in National Parks, leave yours at home. You don't own one? Well then, that makes it easy for you.

It's about time that law abiding citizens can fully exercise their constitutional rights on Government land.

Cash for Clunkers: Another Example of Discriminatory Government.

I know a fellow who drives a late 1990s Honda Civic. Even with 193,000 miles on the odometer, his little Honda gets 35 mpg on the highway and 28 mpg around town. It still passes emission testing at levels comparable to when it was new.

For more than a decade, this gentleman has been driving “green”, conserving resources and polluting less than the average car owner.

Despite 11 years of stalwart service, the Honda is growing very weary. It needs struts and new tires. Its radiator has been repaired several times, and the hoses are old and showing signs of cracking. There’s too much play in the steering and the stereo quit working almost a year ago. It’s time to put the faithful Civic out to pasture.

My friend wants to buy a new Civic. Unlike those driving old gas guzzlers, he won’t get any help from the government. Indeed, “green” car owners get nothing should they desire to purchase a new fuel efficient car to replace a like vehicle.

Rather than reward those who have been conserving resources, the Congress and Senate have decided to reward those who have consumed far greater amounts of fuel and generate more pollution.

Why does this not surprise me? There’s nothing unusual in government getting it ass-backwards.

What upsets many is that the feds are taking up to 3 billion of our tax dollars and passing them along to a select class of citizen. It is abundantly clear that the government is discriminating against those citizens who attempted to conserve fuel and reduce pollution by already driving “greener” vehicles. The program is purely arbitrary.

I know of one driver who was turned down for the rebate because his rusty old car was rated 1 mpg too high.

Adding to the silliness of the Cash for Clunkers program is the fact that many of the cars and trucks being traded in are destined for the junk yard in the very near future anyway.

There is a better and very simple solution.

Rather than discriminate against the bulk of the driving population, why not make every taxpayer eligible?

First, allow for a tax deduction of state and local sales taxes on all new vehicle sales. This will stimulate the auto industry and help family budgets.

Second, offer rebates of $1,000 towards the purchase of any new vehicle. If the new vehicle happens to get 5 mpg more than the old one, double the rebate. 10 mpg better? Triple the rebate. Now everyone (consumers and the auto industry) can reap the benefit and tax dollars will be evenly and fairly distributed. Everyone will have an opportunity to use the program. Many will not, because they don’t want or need a new car. Perhaps they don't want to spend money on a new car in the current economy. At least they have an option to exercise. As it works now, the vast majority of taxpayers have no option whatsoever.

What about those “clunkers”? They will be sold or traded in. In a few years, most will find their way to being junked for scrap, and at no taxpayer cost.

So, Now Political Speech is Un-American?

Since when is expressing your view at a town hall meeting become un-American? If you bother to pay attention to Pelosi and Reid, speaking out against the collection of half-assed Healthcare reform bills is just that.

Perhaps, the Democrats in power have lost touch with their past. For generations, the Democrats proclaimed that they were the party of new ideas, the party of the people. God forbid that you disagree with them today, you will be pilloried for the effort.

Lately, Pelosi has come across just short of a raving lunatic. Her outrageous assertions that the CIA lied to her is ridiculous and flies in the face of overwhelming evidence. Her continued public rants are undermining CIA morale.

In recent days, she has attacked ordinary citizens for voicing their constitutionally protected right to free political speech. She has classified these citizens as hooligans and un-American. That is amazing, especially coming as the leader of Congressional Democrats. Outspoken protest has been a cornerstone of societal and political change in American since the middle 18^th Century. Indeed, Pelosi and Reid are sounding very much like King George III’s denunciation of American Colonial protest over heavy-handed English rule. I wonder if the correlation goes as far as the King’s recognized mental illness?

Both Reid and Pelosi are doing their party a great disservice with their assault on ordinary Americans. They are now alienating influential Democrats with some having openly stated that Pelosi should step down as Speaker of the House. There is no doubt in my mind that Pelosi would never relinquish power. It’s not in her nature to surrender authority.

With that in mind, Democrats are beginning to worry about the 2010 mid-term election. All of the gains from the 2008 election could be erased, and even greater damage may result if the party leadership doesn’t recognize that they are not the elite class they seem to believe they have become. Isn’t it trouble enough that Obama’s polling numbers are dropping faster than Joey Buttafuoco’s brain cell count? As it is, both the House and Senate are about as popular as a dead skunk, and a hell of a lot tougher to get rid of.

If the Democrats plan to salvage the 2010 elections, Pelosi and Reid have to go.

In the meanwhile, all current healthcare bills should be withdrawn and a bipartisan committee organized to draft a bill that reflects the will of the people. Moreover, the bill must not give the federal government any bureaucratic authority beyond oversight. All government endorsed health insurance programs must run by public, not for profit companies that can better manage costs. This will force the existing insurance companies to be competitive, both in price and services. Competition always drives down cost and price.

Healthcare reform is only one note of the chord. Without tort reform, cost reduction will be limited. The feds need to examine the Texas model of tort reform that limits punitive awards. It works and it is already driving down medical costs in that state.

Continental Express: Incompetent? Liars? Both?

One of this week’s biggest news stories has been the ordeal of 47 passengers forced to remain on a Continental Express jet for 9 hours overnight. No food, no fresh water and no functioning toilet. Of greater importance, there is no valid excuse.

You may already know this story. Diverted to Rochester due to severe thunderstorms, the Continental Express jet sat on the tarmac for 9 hours. Offers by other airlines to assist in moving the passengers to secure gate area in the terminal were turned down by Continental.

This nightmare scenario could only occur if Continental Express management is myopic , incompetent or uncaring in the extreme. It’s obvious to me that their management is over-qualified in at least one of these areas of expertise.

Continental Express lied when they stated that passengers could not be offloaded as there was no security personnel to re-screen the passengers. I recognized this a pure rubbish. Gate areas of terminals are secured. There is no reason to re-screen passengers who do not venture outside of the designated security area. Every airport has signs warning passengers not to leave the secured gate area or they will have to pass through security a second time. Passengers could have been unloaded at the gate and instructed to remain there. For some unfathomable reason, Continental Express declined to do that, even when Delta offered their bus to transport the 47 passengers. Later, the airport manager confirmed that Continental was not telling the truth. Passengers could have been debarked and reboarded without requiring re-screening by TSA.

Under most circumstances, detaining citizens against their will is a crime. Apparently not in the commercial air transport industry. Airlines can put people at risk to their health; deny them the basics of food, water and sanitation and suffer no consequences other than bad publicity. Federal Prisons can’t get away with this, so how does the airline industry avoid the crushing penalties they deserve? Other than typical politics as usual and a general lack of concern by self-absorbed elected officials, there is really no valid reason.

I think we have come to expect stupidity from airlines. We tolerate it far too much. Those 47 passengers could have gotten off that airplane anytime they decided to. Simply agree among themselves to do so, then inform the flight crew that they “have 30 minutes to get the passengers off of this aircraft. If that is not accomplished, the passengers will open the doors, deploy the emergency slides and get off on their own”.

Believe me, this would have motivated the airline to resolve the issue immediately in some manner. If not, open the doors and get off. This will be a lesson that the airline industry will remember. The cost associated with getting the slides recertified will be very high, and ultimately, needless.

There’s only one real problem with this scenario. Some of the passengers will lack the courage to take a stand against the airline. Of course, these are often the passengers who are first in line to cry to reporters about their ordeal… Go figure.

Ultimately, the 47 passengers, including babies, were kept on the plane simply because no one at Continental Express was willing to make a decision or assume the responsibility for these people. It was simply easier to lock them up on the plane.

This is a failure at the top levels of the company, and there is no excuse for its disregard for the people who keep them in business.

You can bet a wad of cash that one of the corrective actions to be instituted by Continental will be to “retrain personnel.” You can also bet that no one will be retrained. This is a commonly used ploy in many industries for the purpose of creating a false sense that the same error will not happen again. The only way that it won’t happen again is to lop off the head or heads of those who decided to imprison these passengers, rather than offload them. If someone of consequence is not immediately fired, you’ll know that Continental is merely trying to build a smokescreen. You know, ignore the problem and maybe it will go away.

My advice…. Fly some other airline until Continental comes completely clean and makes a serious effort to change their middle management’s mentality.

Texting at the wheel: Extreme risk

On my way home tonight, I stopped at a stop sign and prepared to make a left turn. About 75 yards up the road, a silver Toyota Corolla was approaching the intersection. I noticed that the driver was not slowing for the all-way stop sign. I halted my turn and could clearly see that the 20-something female driver was looking down rather than where she was going. At about 40 mph, she drove right through the stop sign, not even cognizant that there even was a stop sign.

As her Corolla passed in front of my angled Jeep Wrangler, I leaned on the horn.

Startled, eyes wide, she looked up at the towering Wrangler. In her hands she was holding a slide-open cell phone.

This young lady was texting and completely failed to see the stop sign. Had I not anticipated what she was doing and turned, she would have plowed into the side of my Jeep.

I was nothing less than furious. This young lady should consider herself very fortunate to have escaped with a scathing lecture, rather than a wrecked car and a ride to the emergency room.

There is sufficient evidence that texting at the wheel of a car is a high risk task. Several studies and tests have been performed that show texting while driving is far more dangerous than driving with .08 blood alcohol level. Yet, many people, especially younger drivers, think nothing of it. Frankly, it is remarkable.

Nationwide, states and counties need to address this issue immediately. The problem is, until some politicians lose family members to texting related accidents, nothing of consequence will occur. No one in politics ever closes the barn door while the horse is still in it.

Penalties should be no less than for driving while intoxicated. At the minimum, a conviction should require a mandatory license suspension, fine and safety course. Should an accident occur as a result, license revocation and a massive fine should be imposed. Should anyone be injured or killed, the charge should be felony depraved indifference.

The only way to prevent the associated carnage of texting while driving is to make the penalty so severe that normal people will be terrified of the possibility of being caught; or worse, suffering a crash.

Local politicans must address this issue as it is the single greatest risk to road and highway safety that we currently face. Far more people are texting behind the wheel than are driving drunk.

Is Iran at the Brink?

As events unfold in Tehran, the world watches as Iran goes through an upheaval that the government and clerics did not anticipate.

Was the election "stolen"?

In all probability, it was.

Consider that voter turnout was extremely high, extraordinary in fact. Ballots are paper, not electronic. Thus, when the Ayatollah congratulated I'm-a-ring-ding (Ahmadinejad) just four hours after the polls closed, the world knew it was a rigged election. How is it possible to count millions of paper ballots in a largely rural country and reach a conclusion in less than four hours? Here in the U.S., where the vast bulk of voting is done by machine or electronically, it can take 24 hours to declare a winner.

Presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has argued that the election should be thrown out and a new election scheduled immediately. Mousavi claimed that some ballot boxes had been sealed before voting began, that thousands of his representatives had been expelled from many polling stations and mobile polling stations had ballot boxes filled with fake ballots.

I see no reason not to believe Mousavi and every reason to think that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had handpicked Ahmadinejad for another term.

So, how will this end? The internal politics of Iran are as convoluted as a "Slinky". One of the wildcards is former president Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has supported Mousavi during the campaign. Some hope that Rafsanjani will demand that the election be nullified. However, there is reason to think that this will not happen.

Yesterday, Ayatollah Khamenei praised Rafsanjani, stating that he was one of the revolution's architects and a valuable political leader. He went on to say that the two have "many differences of opinion." The second part is much more significant than the first. Khamenei also stated that Ahmadinejad was his preference and that the President's views were closer to his own. It is quite obvious that Rafsanjani has a strong dislike for Ahmadinejad, but may not have the political capital to support a new election without facing major repurcussions.

As it stands, the protests do not have enough political power to change the outcome of the phoney election. Ultimate power resides with the clerics and the leaders of Revolutionary Guards.

This does not mean that the protests will not have an influence, they will. What it means is that Iran will remain in political turmoil for the foreseeable future and that undermines Ahmadinejad and makes him appear weakened.

Therefore, you can expect even greater blather and defiance towards the west as Ahmadinejad attempts to reestablish his percieved power. Ahmadinejad's problem is that he will now lead a polarized nation with a seething hatred for the clerics and the President, and that will be a major distraction. It's now only a matter of time before this rotting house collapses from its own weight. Yet, it will take years to eat away the foundation.

How to stop Somali Pirates

Earlier this evening, I read the piracy policy proposed by Hillary Clinton. She stated that the State Department will work with shippers and insurers to bolster their defenses against pirates, part of a diplomatic initiative to thwart attacks on commercial ships off the Somali coast. She even suggested that there might be raids on pirate strongholds.

I see this as being an ineffective solution. These thugs are not so easily dissuaded.

As it stands now, more and more Somalis are participating because the risk is low and they know that the ship owners or their insurance companies will eventually pay off.

If you truly want to stop a behavior, there must be enough fear to provide the needed motivation.

So, how do you create the necessary fear?

Use the resources we already have.

Spy satellites. Use our ability to read license plates from space to observe and track the pirates. Once identified, and having sailed out into international waters towing their smaller boat.... Sink them without warning. Keep the ops covert.

When the "motherships" begin to disappear, word will get around the pirate gangs very quickly.

To do this, the Navy needs to deploy a carrier to the western Indian Ocean. At least one F/A-18 should be airborne, armed with air to surface missiles. When a pirate vessel is identified, direct the aircraft to attack and destroy the ship. No warning, just a brief second of recognition of their impending doom.... Then, kaboom! No more mothership.

Take out enough of these vessels and the pirates will quickly reconsider their racket. Facing the reality that venturing out to sea armed to the teeth will invite attack, nerves will be tingling. A sea skimming missile won't be spotted until it is right on top of them, assuming they are looking in that direction. Likewise, a Maverick gives little warning. Few things would be more terrifying.

A Tragic Loss

Last evening, I received the terrible news that a locally owned Curtiss P-40 had crashed in the ocean just off the beach at Smith’s Point park. Its pilot, Robert Baranaskas, was killed.

I met Bob Baranaskas and his son Chris back in October of 2007 at a local air show. Bob owned several World War II aircraft, a North American AT-6 Advanced Trainer, a beautiful North American P-51D Mustang, and a recently restored Curtiss P-40. Bob kept his aircraft at the Brookhaven airport (where the air show took place). Typically, Bob would fly the P-40 and Chris piloted the P-51 during flight demonstrations.

My conversations with Bob were brief, focused on his aircraft. He was an affable gentleman, showing a great love for these vintage fighters, which he restored and maintained at great personal expense. I had the opportunity to shoot many photos of Bob’s fighters thanks to having good access to them. Both the P-40 and P-51 were maintained in perfect condition. Bob’s death was a shock. He was a careful and smart pilot. Several years ago, he safely landed his P-40 in a cornfield when he found his controls jammed. A combination of skill and luck prevented injury and damage.

Details of what happened yesterday are in short supply. The NTSB is scheduled to begin an investigation today. Chris was on the beach spotting for his father, in radio contact. He watched the P-40 crash into the sea. I cannot image his horror. Witnesses said the P-40 climbed vertically, then snapped over into a spiral, corkscrewing down into the ocean. I’m certain that further details will be released as the investigation develops. At this point, this is all I know about the accident.

There is much that I do know about the Curtiss P-40 aircraft. I will not go into the history of the aircraft in any depth, as this can be found on the web. I will tell you that the P-40 was a development of the pre-war P-36. Curtiss replaced the air-cooled radial engine of the P-36 with an Allison V-1710 V12 engine and the resulting aircraft was designated the XP-40 by the Army Air Corps (the Air Force didn’t have independent status from the Army until September of 1947).

Many versions of the fighter were produced until manufacturing ceased in 1944. It was not a world class fighter when the U.S. entered the war in December of 1941, but is was adequate. It saw extensive combat in every theater of the war. An export version of the early P-40 (named the Tomahawk) equipped the famous Flying Tigers, who battled the Japanese while flying for Nationalist China. A significant number were sent via Lend Lease to the Soviet Union, where the need for fighters was desperate in the fight to stop the German advance.

P-40s and P-39s held the line against the enemy through the autumn of 1942, when they began to be supplemented by increasing numbers of newer and more capable fighters. Even after it was obvious that the P-40 was well past its prime, the were used effectively as tactical fighters. In this capacity, they soldiered on for another two years, leaving the air combat role to the new machines.

There were more than a few fighter pilots who were not pleased to turn in their rugged and reliable P-40s for the new, higher performance fighters that were arriving overseas in vast quantities.

Bob’s Curtiss was a P-40E model. This model began entering service prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Bob's P-40E was painted in the correct color scheme and national markings for that time period.

P-40s were well liked because they had no serious vices under most flight conditions. Early short fuselage models were prone to ground looping (basically, a spin-out on the ground), so pilots had to be quick on the rudder pedals and most would hold the tail wheel off the runway for as long as possible. Stall behavior was considered benign in simple stalls. Accelerated stalls and nose high stalls revealed a vicious departure into a violent spin.

Before his death several years ago, I was a friend of Erik Shilling. Erik was one of the Flying Tigers (AVG, American Volunteer Group) and an Army Test Pilot at Langley Field in the years immediately preceding WWII. Few pilots had more experience flying the P-40, and even fewer had Shilling’s piloting skill level. Erik wrote about the P-40’s departure characteristics.

“Spin recovery for the P-36 was the standard NACA recovery. Flat spin recovery was pro spin: full aileron into the spin, stick full back, and rudder into the spin. When the nose dropped and normal spin developed, standard NACA recovery was used.

However, the P-40 had a vicious tumble if a stall was entered into at a nose high position of about 60 degrees above the horizon. To recover from the tumble you reduced power and went along for the ride with all controls in neutral. After about 12,000 feet the nose settled into a vertical dive from which recovery was normal.”

In a conversation with Erik in 1997, he described the P-40’s accelerated stall behavior.

“One thing you never wanted to do was push the P-40 into an accelerated stall below 10,000 feet. I learned this the hard way. I was flying near 8,000 feet and rolled into a hard left turn. I pulled too much elevator and the P-40 abruptly snap-rolled into an oscillating nose high, nose low departure. Any attempted to counter the oscillation only increased its violence. Realizing that I was only making the situation worse, I pulled off the power, centered the stick and rudder and let the P-40 find its own balance. After what seemed like minutes, the oscillation self-damped and the P-40 settled into a left-hand spin. I countered the spin, adding in right rudder to stop the rotation. Once stabilized, I pulled out barely 100 feet above the ground.”

Based upon the reports of witnesses to Bob’s crash, it seems that on the face of it, he may have stalled his P-40 with the nose well above the horizon. At typical air show altitude, there simply will not be enough height above the ground to recover in time.

This is really speculation. If he did stall, why? Did he lose power while nose high? Was there some other yet undefined malfunction? Was there a sudden, serious medical issue that prevented Bob from flying the airplane? I can’t answer those questions and will have to wait until the NTSB releases some preliminary findings. If Bob was in radio contact with Chris immediately before the accident, Chris may have insight into what went wrong.

In the interim, there is nothing anyone can do but mourn Bob’s death and offer prayers of support for his family.

Bob will be missed here, he was well known and well liked. God speed Bob, God speed.

The Great Corolla Blight

How many times have you been driving down a two-lane road stuck behind a slow moving line of traffic? If you are a typical driver, this is a daily experience. While traffic may be crawling along due to a large truck, or a slow moving construction vehicle; in many instances it is a passenger car that’s clogging the neck of the funnel. Too often that passenger car is a Toyota Corolla.

Corollas are very popular with the driving public. This is predictable when one considers that these cars offer superior build quality, excellent reliability and have very good resale value. If those are your primary motivations for purchasing a car, then the Corolla may be your gold standard. However, those same motivations usually exclude factors such as “fun to drive”. I have never found the Corolla to be a “fun” car. Competent and reliable, but a long way from being fun. Nonetheless, this piece is not about the car itself. It's about the people who drive it.

My observation is that Corolla owners shop for transportation like you might shop for a refrigerator. They want to take it home, plug it in and never think about it thereafter. In general terms, this segment of the driving population seldom drives for pleasure, but out of necessity. My experience tells me that people who do not enjoy a task do not perform it well. They will, however, purchase a car that makes their driving experience as painless as possible.

Before I go much further, I should state that I view the Corolla as a frequent stepping-stone to the ultimate boring ride; the Toyota Camry. Archeologists have found 100,000 year-old flint knives that had more edge than the Camry. Nonetheless, dull is hip among the masses who believe “Everybody Loves Raymond” represents their concept of highbrow, hoity-toity entertainment. Of course, the masses’ previous fascination with Seinfeld only proves that dull and wussified can be immensely profitable.

So, who buys the Corolla, what is the demographic? Well, you don’t need a Madison Avenue type to determine this; simply look in the cars and observe who is behind the wheel. Women seem to constitute the bulk of Corolla drivers, with perhaps 60% of the drivers being female.

Men drive the Corolla too, and unlike the ladies; many men feel the need to disguise this fact by adding over-the-top after-market items, like ultra-low profile tires and ridiculously large wings. I recently observed a new Corolla with a wing so large that its drag certainly reduced the car’s already tepid performance. Driving this horror was a bookish looking fellow who gave me the impression that he couldn’t buy a clue if he had Bill Gates’ fortune.

My thought is that if you want a sports car, buy one. No amount of after-market doohickeys can disguise the fact that they are driving one of the preeminent poop-mobiles on the road today.

That said, if one wants a sports car, Toyota does not offer one these days. They offer nothing that could be classified as fun or entertaining. I look at Toyota as the Japanese Buick.

At one time, Toyota offered several sports cars, such as the Supra and the MR2. The Supra disappeared after the 1998 model year. They discontinued the MR2 two years ago due to poor sales. You can blame that on Toyota's failure to upgrade horsepower and no attempt to market the car. It was a marvelous little car, with great handling, reliability and huge fun factor.

Visit your local Toyota dealer today, and what do you find? You find a selection of vehicles that are competent, reliable and utterly uninspiring. Yet, this is a certain recipe for success based upon the average driver.

Look at the Prius as the perfect example. Touted as a "green" alternative, the Prius must be driven for at least eight years at 12,000 miles per year to break even on its high initial price, and that's based upon $3.50 gasoline. Over six years, the Honda Fit or Mini Cooper are less expensive to operate. How many people keep a car longer than six years these days? Moreover, the Fit and Mini are far better cars in terms of driving dynamics, performance and fun. A majority of those who buy a Prius do so under the illusion that they will save money. The sad fact is that they will not save a dime, especially when gas prices hover around $2.00 per gallon.

Toyota has become a paragon of quality. Yet, their cars lack personality and soul. Without these two intangibles, their vehicles have become the automotive equivalent of Cultural Revolution's unisex gray suit. Ideal for the masses, but not for me.

It's a Jeep Thing

Over the past 100 years, few vehicles have spawned a sub-culture the like of which Jeep has. To be specific, the Jeep CJ series and its descendants, called the Wrangler today. Wranglers are simply the most capable off road vehicles you can buy out of a new car dealer showroom. From the mighty Rubicon, to the more street oriented Sahara, to the base X model (that can be optioned to near Rubicon capability), Wranglers are all about going anywhere, anytime.

Other manufacturers have attempted to compete with the Wrangler. Hummer, Nissan and Toyota all offer vehicles that very capable on less than severe trails. Nonetheless, the vast majority of those who buy these SUVs will never use them to their full capability. This is in stark contrast to Wrangler owners. At least, it was.

In 2007, Jeep introduced the first four-door Wrangler. Previously considered impractical for families in its two-door guise, the 4-door suddenly changed the basic demographic of Wrangler drivers. People completely new to the Wrangler are often ignorant of the culture. They don't understand that Wrangler drivers always wave to other Wrangler drivers. They don't realize that getting the Jeep muddy is a rite of passage. Not venturing off road is almost sinful.

Wranglers have always been a lifestyle statement. The desired image is often that of rugged individualists who want to the world to recognize that they will not conform to society's norms. The new reality is that this often not the case. More so now since the 4-door was introduced.

Wrangler owners have always been scornful of the so-called Hummer “mall crawlers”. So the sudden influx of generation X and Y moms driving around in Wranglers comes as a shock to the deep rooted traditional Jeep social structure. Go back just three years and you'll find that many women who owned Wrangler, took them off road. Even if this was limited to a beach or mild trail, most of the ladies used the vehicle's capability. With the growing number of female Wrangler Unlimited drivers, the percentage of ladies hitting the trails is dropping relative to the total population of female owners. It's now common to see one or more child safety seats strapped into the back of four door Wranglers.

Indeed, the ultimate horror for a Wrangler owner is to have some ignorant person state that “your Jeep looks a lot like a Hummer”. I had this happen in the dealership parking lot. A thirty-something female in a minivan made that exact comment.

“You’re joking, right?”, I asked.

“No”, says the lady. “They look alike”, she replied.

“In what ways?”

Looking perplexed, she says, “I don’t know, they just do.”

“I see, four wheels, four fenders, four doors and big tires…. Would it matter to you if I said that the Jeep was around for nearly 60 years before the Hummer?”

“That Jeep is not 60 years old.”, the lady replied.

It was clear that she wasn’t going to get it if Fed-Ex dropped it off. Climbing into the Wrangler, I wondered how Darwin missed this one.

Jeeps evoke various reactions from people. A Wrangler is a completely masculine vehicle, and that intimidates some people, while others admire its "in your face" demeanor. Sitting alongside a Rav4 at a traffic light, it's like Clint Eastwood sharing a table with Don Knotts.

One afternoon, I spot late model Vette owner walking around my Jeep in a parking lot as I approached.

"Nice Jeep", he stated, "I like the color."

"Thanks, the color is red rock crystal."

"How does it drive?"

"It drives like a Jeep. Better than the previous model, but it's still an off road vehicle."

"Yeah,", he said, "the Vette spoiled me."

I smiled, "I'm sure it has. Wranglers are on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Corvette. Tall, rough ride, not much in the handling department."

He understood the point. "Not really very good road manners, I guess."

"True", I agreed, "but you don't buy a Wrangler for its road manners anymore that you buy a Corvette for its luggage capacity. Different purposes, completely different vehicles. Both are great fun in their own niche."

He was in agreement. I unlocked the door and held out the keys to him.

"Want to give a try"?

His initial reaction was hesitation.

"Go ahead, you might find it better than you think."

"Alright", he said. I climbed into the passenger seat.

After about a 15 minute drive around town, we pulled back into the parking lot. I had learned that his name was Bill, he was married with seven year-old twin sons. His wife drives a Honda minivan, and he drives a 2004 Trailblazer to and from work.

Bill was very impressed with the Wrangler. It was simply fun to drive. He was very surprised at the quality and layout of the cabin, as well as the relative quiet.

Before we went on our separate ways, we exchanged business cards.

About two months later, I get a call at work from Bill. He had traded his Trailblazer in on a new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) with dual tops (hard and soft). He said that his wife and boys absolutely loved it. So, Bill now has both ends of the car spectrum covered, with a minivan filling the middle. He said that they were all looking forward to driving up to Cape Cod with the top down. I know that they will have a blast.

It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand....

Did you meet the Mayor of Stupidville today?

Finding Stupidville is an easy task. You don’t need a GPS. Your car’s navigation system isn’t required. Leave the road map in the glove box. No need to ask directions at a gas station. You already live there and the city limits are infinite.

Stupidville is as intangible as the emerald city of Oz. Yet, it’s real and it’s everywhere. Stupidville is as omnipresent as air. Most people are unwitting residents. There are good odds are that you have already met the Mayor. Maybe it was in a convenience store, perhaps on line at the local Lowes. The Mayor doesn't wear a badge, or hand out business cards, but is known to everyone who has ever ventured outside of their home.

Not long ago, I met the Mayor of Stupidville when I stopped at the 7-11 store for a newspaper. He was buying $60 in lottery tickets while his pre-school age daughter stood alongside in filthy clothes and matted hair. I leaned over and said, “you know, you’re a shoe-in for re-election.”

He only frowned in reply. Mayors are not always happy to talk politics with constituents.

I met the Mayor of Stupidville on Valentine’s day, in the parking lot of a strip mall. He wheeled his Lexus SUV into a handicapped parking space and hooked a disabled driver parking pass onto his mirror. Leaping from Lexus, the Mayor sprinted towards a greeting card store.

“Hello Mayor!”, I shouted.

Without even a glance my way, he burst through the door. I suppose that Mayors are often too busy being socially conscious to remember Valentine’s day.

Just last week I saw the Mayor on the highway. She was driving in the passing lane with a cell phone pressed to her ear. Her other hand showed a pinky and ring finger curled around the steering wheel of her BMW, while a lit cigarette was clamped between the middle and index fingers.

As the BMW drifted into the center lane, I offered her a friendly toot of the horn in recognition. In return, I received a gracious one finger wave in reply. I see another Mayoral term in her future.

This very morning, I met the Mayor yet again. Being a civil servant, Mayors are often called upon to help their local community. She was driving a mini-bus today, no doubt giving the regular driver a well-earned day off. Slowing as she signaled a right turn, the Mayor made a left turn as traffic began passing on her left. It was fortunate that one of the other drivers recognized the Mayor, and avoided a collision by driving over a curb. With the busy schedule that goes with the job, the Mayor didn't have time to stop and check on the woman, whose car now had a bent wheel and a flat tire. The Mayor had to get those children to school on time, you know.

While public service is a wonderful goal, I think I’m going to pass on running for office in Stupidville. There are more than enough candidates.

What a way to run a recession.

Times are tough, and there's every reason to believe it will get even tougher before the economy begins to restrengthen.

Families are facing loss of income, loss of health insurance and an uncertain short-term future.

Despite the economic mess we've been handed, it appears that our politicians are not capable of grasping the severity of the situation. That does not surprise me, as I don't believe the present reality is something they understand.

Here in New York State, delusional thinking reigns in Albany. Instead of a spending decrease, our brilliant politicians have elected to increase the state budget from by between 9% and 13%. That is no less than startling.

Led by the Governor, who is blind to the difficulties of his constituents, the state government has elected to cancel the STAR rebate program. This program is of vital importance to low and fixed income homeowners who were already struggling to keep their homes. Now, they must face a significant increase in their annual cost of living. Middle income families will feel this pinch as well. This reduction of their discretionary capital will not stimulate the growth needed to kick the economy up a gear.

Thanks for the help Albany, we'll remember your consideration over the coming elections.

No one should be shocked that new taxes will slam every citizen of the New York. Let's not be fooled. Nearly everything you do or want to do will have a price tag attached by a state government that will not consider its own waste and mismanagement. Lean thinking is the antithesis of government. Doing more with less is what private business must do to survive these times. Government, on the other hand, will always find a way to do less with more.

Does anyone really think that these taxes will be repealed when the economy turns around?

Too many Americans look to government for solutions to problems invariably created by government mismanagement. The federal government pushed balloon mortgages for low income buyers, even when auditors raised the red flag that this was a recipe for a gigantic mess. Banks that balked at these loans were threatened with penalties (the handiwork of "don't blame me" Barney Frank).

Let's face the reality that the best and brightest don't go into government. These people go into the private sector where excellence is rewarded and incompetence is weeded out. Once again we stumble upon the antithesis of government, where incompetence is accepted and allowed to thrive.

Until we decide that we will no longer tolerate the abject incompetence and detached reasoning of government, we will be at the mercy of small-minded bureaucrats. Most bureaucrats, as individuals, could not hope to compete in the private sector, where continuous improvement is mandated for success.

Call your State and Federal representatives. Raise hell. Bury them in e-mails. Call their offices, as often as you can. Do not surrender your financial future to these dull witted nincompoops.