Free kibbles

SOCIALISM:

Germans angry GM won't sell Opel. Because GM is owned by the government, its actions are now government level problems demanding more government interference all over the world. This illustrates another way that government interference in the economy is divisive and harmful.

ECONOMY:

Top 20 signs our economy stinks (humor).

FEDERAL RESERVE:

In essay defining money and the money supply, author gives us some insight into how much inflation we're suffering right now:

"Given the currently observed decline in commercial-bank lending, it is quite likely that commercial bank lending out of thin air has also fallen. However, even if we accept that this is the case, the fact that the money supply's rate of growth is still a positive figure implies that we still have inflation and not deflation.

In fact, in August this year the yearly rate of growth of the money supply stood at 14.7% against 1.8% in August last year. The main reason for this increase in the money supply despite banks' curtailment of credit out of thin air is the massive pumping of money by the Fed."

Ouch.

Fed promises to continue explosive inflation for extended period. As a result, gold hit a new record.

POLITICS:

Republicans win governor's offices in New Jersey and Virginia, but Conservative looses close congressional race in upstate New York. Democrats have earned our antipathy, and their oppressive agenda is working against them. The problem is, Republicans haven't changed anything yet, so we're likely to get the same bad government we had from them when they take back power.

FOREIGN POLICY:

Israel seizes ship laden with Iranian arms destined for Hezbollah. Revelation after revelation is just destroying Obama's anti-Israeli, pro-Iranian government foreign policy. Put this down on the Obama is dumb side of the is Obama dumb or evil ledger. I guess it could go on both, actually.

Italian court convicts CIA agents in absentia for kidnapping in rendition. Wow. Last I heard, this case had been dropped. I guess it got picked back up again. This is what we should expect for renditions. They're illegal. But on the flip-side, the CIA will never work with Italy again. This is a bad deal all around.

LOCAL:

Challenger Gary Leitzell in surprise upset over incumbent Rhine McLin by three percent. Turnout in his home districts beat turnout in McLin's home districts.

Casino amendment passes in Ohio. This just goes to show that if you can buy enough votes, you can get the people to give you whatever you want no matter how much it will harm them in the end. Like having casino tax money given to our local politicians will help us, not hurt us. I'm sure the billionaires will enjoy their constitutionally protected monopoly. Surprise, surprise. The counties which get the casinos, the biggest counties in Ohio, carried the casino issue to victory. Montgomery County voted against it, barely.

MISC:

Why would you reduce a murderer's sentence because he has genes that promote aggression? Doesn't that make him more likely to kill again? This shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the purpose of incarceration.