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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
May 5, 2005
/ 26 Nissan, 5765
I Love the Obvious
By
Michael Long
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I could barely find a parking place at the mall yesterday. And it was in the middle of the afternoon, weeks removed from any gift-giving holiday. Yet the place was packed.
And therein lies a lesson about politics and the value of common sense.
The crowded, middle-of-the-day mall parking lot says to me that consumers are spending. Therefore they are confident, probably not in scary debt, mostly employed, and prosperous enough to afford to have at least some members of the family age 16 and older not employed nine-to-five.
A little common sense goes a long way. Documented behavior is a far more reliable indicator of economic health than any statistic. Take a look at your checkbook. Consider your pay stub. Check out the lines for summer concerts. And, like I do, see how crowded the malls and Wal-Mart are. That's where the immediate education on this topic can be found.
The range of normal for most statistics is so broad that the numbers get used to support pretty much every position. For instance, real disposable income for the month of March was unchanged from April.
Republican conclusion: Americans' income is holding steady. Yea for President Bush!
Democratic conclusion: Americans' income is stagnant. President Bush can't do anything right.
What it really means… Well, search me. Who knows? But what's obvious? I don't get a raise every month, so if income is holding steady then this statistic is probably okay news. But do not doubt that there is a pundit / economist / partisan / fatalist out there who has already written a thousand words about why this news is somewhere between apocalyptic and clinically depressing.
Philosophers and scientists like to work from first principles the simplest basis of truth in any subject. So let's go back to first principles.
Take social security. Checks that go out to retirees today are repackaged paychecks from workers working today. The per-person cost of social security is, roughly, the amount of money going to those retirees divided by the number of workers there are to pay the bill. The number of retirees is growing quickly while the number of workers is not that's the result of the Baby Boom. Therefore, the per-taxpayer cost of social security is going up.
Want to bring it down? Lower benefits, raise the retirement age, or hike taxes. Take your pick that's all there is.
So there really is a serious problem with social security, contrary to recent Democratic amnesia that they used to say the same thing.
How about liberal media bias? The left says there is no such thing, but let's take a look.
Nearly every major editorial page in America opposed the attack to depose Saddam Hussein. The news pages featured prominent stories questioning the motives of the administration. President Bush was portrayed as in "a rush to war," though he sought counsel and support from the United Nations, Congress, and the governments of the world for well over a yearand a dozen years after Saddam was ordered to destroy his weapons of mass destruction yet refused to produce their remains.
There's more. Polls consistently show that an overwhelming majority of reporters are self-described liberals. The volume of coverage for mistakes at Abu Ghraib overwhelmed reports of Saddam's decades of torture of his own citizens, his rape of the environment, the race-based murders he ordered, his quashing of the most basic human rights, his financial support for terrorists and the list goes on.
So the media do have a liberal slant unless you believe America is the world's chief exporter of oppression, in which case I do see how a story documenting the damage of Middle Eastern fascism can look like a conservative plot to landmine the road to utopia.
Whatever problems we have would be solved quicker if both sides accepted a range of obvious truths: American healthcare is wildly expensive but our quality of life is amazingly good. The poor here live better than the middle class in many other countries. When your enemies understand that you will kill them, they are less likely to fly airplanes into your buildings. And if people check out at the grocery store with bottled water they could get from the tap for freewater still more expensive than our $2.50 a gallon gasolinethen, as I noted where this essay began, the economy can't be all that bad.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
WR contributor Michael Long is a a director of the White House Writers Group. Comment by clicking here.
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