The Life of Julia is a slideshow on the Obama Biden campaign site showing how a fictional composite woman is aided and protected by government programs at every step of her life. There could not be a clearer statement of how far the Democratic Party has come from the immortal words of John Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

You can sum the self-esteem movement as placing confidence ahead of competence.  The value of one’s opinion becomes unmoored from experience, knowledge or wisdom.  The proliferation of social media unfortunately feeds this behavior by giving everyone a microphone and an audience.  On the other hand the social media and blogosphere also gives writers and analysts a platform unrestricted by the bias of media executives and editors.  While the filtering process can be daunting, on balance I believe it is a great asset.

Elizabeth Warren in paleface attire

The ‘Elizabeth Warren as a Native American’ embarrassment is great fodder for political humor.  Witness the postings of Cher’s ‘Half Breed’ and Paul Revere’s ‘Cherokee Nation’ (Tips to Instapundit)  as potential campaign tools.  But the sadder reality is that we have become so enamored with sects and groups for political purposes that we no longer value the individual beyond their racial or ethnic classifications.

The price of gasoline is falling.  I would like to personally thank the speculators for making it so.  Over the last few years there is no surer sign of a top in the price of any commodity than the voices of the financially ignorant who blame speculators.  When the market adjusts, which it inevitably does because of the same market forces that drove the price up, the demonizations fall as silent as a lewd joke in a monastery.

Neckties are associated with professionalism and class, but are also now associated with germs. Think about it, what article of clothing in your closet is cleaned less often?  This may be particularly true for medical personnel who dangle it in from of multiple patients all day long.  I wish to also personally thank those who discovered another reason I should avoid wearing them.

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