NoCoPolitics.com

Good Points

Mark Steyn:

The media would like the American Right to be represented by the likes of Bob Dole and John McCain, decent old sticks who know how to give dignified concession speeches. Last time round, we went along with their recommendation. If you want to get rave reviews for losing gracefully, that's the way to go.

And here's Dan Riehl's response:

What the Left, along with the media, want and need are the apologists, the hand wringers and the back peddlers extraordinaire, those Republicans who would just as soon bash or purge one of their own for fear of some bad press. Of course, the bad press always comes anyway. It's not a winner's game they play. It's a losing gambit every time. Still they persist. Republicans need to learn this lesson quickly if they want to capitalize fully on the electoral possibilities presented by 2010.

People who look and sound like losers, or like they are running away, never win. That's true for any game, including politics. I'm not advocating going over the top, or being outrageous just to outrage. This is about standing up for and saying what you believe in and not wasting your time defending against partisan attacks by denying what you are not.

Geraghty on the 4th

He thinks it's going to be a good year:

There is a logjam in Colorado’s 4th District, where three strong Republicans have declared their interest in the seat: the popular and respected state representative Cory Gardner; Tom Lucero, a University of Colorado regent who led the fight against Ward Churchill; and Diggs Brown, a Green Beret major in the U.S. Army National Guard (Brown has not yet formally filed his candidacy because he’s currently deployed with the U.S. Army Special Forces). The good news for Republicans is that unless the primary gets nasty, they’ll have a strong candidate against the incumbent, Betsy Markey, who seemed strangely hesitant about town-hall meetings with constituents during the summer recess.

I'm supporting Diggs Brown (just in case that's news to you).

What's Next? How About Dumpster-Diving Eco-Nannies?

Local government hiring dumpster divers?

Is that any different than promoting see-through trash bags?

Worried residents thought their rubbish was being stolen when council 'spies' dressed in hoodies started rifling through their bins.

Concerned neighbours saw mysterious men emptying their bins into black sacks and loading them into an unmarked white van.

When homeowners questioned the official binmen an hour later they learned their council was conducting a survey of what was being thrown away.

(via Planet Gore)

"frank's out today" and Other Insightful Reporting from the AP

Oops.

UPDATE: Here it is with the full header:

Here's the story as it appeared about five minutes after I took this shot.

This Was (not) Predictable

I never thought I'd be looking into starting a black-market toilet paper cartel, but you never know...

"Environmentalists Seek to Wipe Out Plush Toilet Paper"

This Was Predictable (2)

California:

Concerned that the growing popularity of big-screen televisions could make it harder for California to keep pace with electricity demand, state energy regulators are poised to crack down on energy-guzzling sets despite opposition from a powerful electronics trade group.

When Government Picks the Winners...

... you don't always [usually/sometimes/ever] get the strongest, most viable companies.

Stephen Spruiell at NRO looks at the IPO of hybrid-car battery-maker A123 by comparing it to a similar recent IPO, VeraSun.  (VeraSun was in the ethanol business)

Both were highly-touted green energy companies.  I use the term "were" because VeraSun went bankrupt last fall:

Why did VeraSun fail? In short, the market changed in ways that Washington policies were not designed to take into account. The industry, built around legislative mandates rather than real economic demand, was not flexible enough to adjust, and collapsed.

The takeaway: Government-created markets for money-losing, uncompetitive green-energy companies are inherently unstable.

What makes politicians think they can do a better job picking the winners and losers in the economy?  Why do people assume that politicians have any skill at picking which companies should succeed and fail?

Coolio at the G-20 Protests

Coolio is the Arlo Guthrie for the new generation of anti-capitalist protesters?

Coolio???

That's right.  If you view the video that goes with this story, the protesters are clearly chanting along with Coolio's mid-90's hit: "1, 2, 3, 4 (sumpin' new)".

(about 32 seconds in...)

"Ain't no power like the power of the people 'cause the power of the people don't stop" sounds eerily like "ain't no party like a West Coast party 'cause a West Coast party don't stop". 

(about 2:30 in...)

Coolio - New Music - More Music Videos

[Oh, and Arlo Guthrie?  He's been a Republican for a few years now.]

Windmills, Windmills Everywhere

Is this what you want?

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recently announced plans to cover 1,000 square miles of land in Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah with solar collectors to generate electricity. He's also talking about generating 20% of our electricity from wind. This would require building about 186,000 50-story wind turbines that would cover an area the size of West Virginia—not to mention 19,000 new miles of high-voltage transmission lines.

Is the federal government showing any concern about this massive intrusion into the natural landscape? Not at all. I fear we are going to destroy the environment in the name of saving the environment.

This Was Predictable

San Francisco:

Calling soda the new tobacco, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will introduce legislation this fall that would charge a fee to retailers that sell sugary beverages.