The NUGE

Ted Nugent, a heavy metal guitar legend and devoted (bow) hunter, was being interviewed by a French journalist.

Eventually, the conversation turned to his love of outdoor pursuits.

The French journalist asked, "What do you think the last thought is in the head of a deer before you shoot it? Is it, ‘Are you my friend?’ or maybe ‘Are you the one who killed my brother?’"

Nugent replied, "They aren't capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, 'What am I going to eat next? Who am I going to screw next? and, can I run fast enough to get away? They are very much like the French in that way."

Katrina: One Year Later

Below I've attempted to discern (as impartially as possible) the two opposing viewpoints on the fundamental causes (outside of the hurricane itself) of the Katrina disaster, and what should be done today in its aftermath.

Liberal view:

Katrina represented a failure of capitalism, as illustrated by the gross inequality in New Orleans. The poor had no resources to escape the city, and this helps illustrate why the government must intervene to fight poverty. Thus we need more federal spending on social programs, government schools, and we need to enact a "living wage" to help lift these people out of poverty. In rebuilding, the bureaucracy should spend whatever it takes to create lots of new jobs, and to carefully plan the city's reconstruction, and to do whatever necessary to make New Orleans "what it once was."

Conservative view:

Katrina represented a failure of the welfare state that keeps nearly 70% of New Orleans' residents trapped in poverty. Because of the countless inefficient, counterproductive social programs already in place, the poor have no incentive to leave the city and its public housing, to get jobs, and pursue their own interests. In short, they have been made slaves to government by paternalistic federal and state entitlement programs that treat them like irresponsible children, commanding them where to live and how much they can spend per week. If you treat people irresponsibly, they will act irresponsibly.

In rebuilding, we all know that "job creation" plans are a sham. Politicians don't create jobs, entrepreneurs do. If we want the area to truly be prosperous, we should abolish the Louisana state income tax, the minimum wage (which prices low-skilled black teenagers out of the job market), and most importantly the disasterous entitlement society that has kept so many of the city's people trapped in a black hole. We should also privitize the bloated, inefficient government monopoly that is the public school system and give the poor vouchers so they can be free to choose where they want their kids to go.

In essence, we should allow New Orleans to develop spontaneously, free from government red tape, bureacracy, and cumbersome planning. Private developers, not government planners, should lead the way. Profit-seeking, not public subsidies, will then unleash the dynamic forces of the market, creating wealth for both the rich and poor.

I, of course, tend to side with the latter view. I would add that I watched the New Orleans mayoral debates back in December and noticed that all candidates, Republican and Democrat, unfortunately seemed to embrace the first view instead of the second. The media, it seems, has also taken this side. All are calling for more government to solve problems that were created by too much government in the first place. And worst of all, it seems our so-called "conservative" president is a fan of this first view as well. And maybe you are too, and maybe I'm wrong. Or maybe I've spelled out these views wrong. Let me know what you think.

24

24 cleaned up at the Emmys last night, winning Best Director, Best Drama Series, and Best Leading Actor all for the first time in its five seasons on the air. For Pat and TC, the only smart people on this blog who watch the show, neither Logan nor Mrs. Logan won for their acting nominations.

And this whole frenzy about the plane crash spoof that Conan did at the beginning is pointless, since it was a previously taped parody of Lost. So everyone should get over it and go back to trying to get Survivor: Race Wars pulled off the air.

And Happy Game Week, everybody.

Question for Pat

Pat,

I've read that China, within the next few days, is going to obtain its trillionth US dollar. I know its bad for our economy and I've read it is bad for China's economy as well, but no one explains it in stupid people's terms that Ryan and myself could understand. Can you take a shot at it?

Thanks.

History of GT vs. ND

In preparation for the game this Saturday that I know a couple of you will be watching, here is a good write up by BlueGraySky, a Notre Dame blog. This series actually goes back further than some of you might think. Interesting read.

Vox Populi: Gems of the Week

Quite surprisingly, it was slim pickins this week. A few Vox contributors actually made decent points. Regardless, here are your Vox Populi Gems of the Week.

Honorable Mention:
"I've lived in Chatham County since 1942. Bring MLK back to what it was? I've seen it. It was just a dumpy street."

- I totally agree here. Well said, friend.

Third Runner-up:
"Why do you have to put vanilla wafers in banana pudding? Is there something else you can substitute?"

-You sure as hell can’t put Oreos in there. Save that for the chocolate pudding. Desserts should be separate but equal.

Second Runner-up:
"The price of gas should be raised to $5 a gallon for those who drive SUV road hogs."

- I think the price of gas should be raised to $10 a gallon for smug little hybrid-car driving hippies like you.

First Runner-up:
"Tuition up. Gas prices up. Taxes up. Looks like Isaac Newton was wrong."

- First off, that’s Sir Isaac Newton to you, punk. Second, he was not an economist, he was a scientist. He gave no opinion on the price trends of education, gasoline, or taxes. Of course, if you’re just reaching for a clever play on words, then you’re a giant douche.

And your Vox Populi Gem of the Week:
"Another year of youth football: time to teach the kids how to cheat and stack the rosters."

- Absolutely. Football is one of the few sacred places left in society where it’s not okay to be a loser. Should the government step in here and make sure every kid gets to touch the ball, score a touchdown, and win? You would like that, wouldn’t you?

Update

I just added some stuff about BC football on the wikipedia site. This is mostly stuff about the Brackett era, and I'm not sure if all the stats are correct, so if ya'll (and by ya'll, I mean Will) could just look over it and edit anything that's wrong or doesn't make sense, that would be great. Also, I would put some stuff up about the Walsh era, but I don't know much about it since most of that is before our time. I think Will and Stephen know more about that anyway.

Pooler Just Got A Little Cooler

Bush to campaign for Burns in Pooler.

President Bush will speak at a fundraising luncheon on Sept. 7 at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum. Word also has it that Bush will unveil a statue at the museum commemorating the time Pierce Cannon wore an orange tuxedo to SVA prom.













W ponders if it really is cooler in Pooler.

On Passing the CPA exam...

I would gladly appreciate if someone would buy this shirt for me. God knows I won't pay for it.

Survivor: Cook Islands

You're wondering who these people are. You notice the diversity in the group. Nothing special, yeah. Well it's the cast for the new season of Survivor. You want to pretend you're good at sarcasm by asking, "Survivor is still on? People still watch that?" Yes, people like me have watched every season.

But what is so different about the 13th season of Survivor?

The 20 people will be divided into four groups:
Whites, blacks, hispanics, and Asians.

That's right. They are making the teams compete against other races. And, of course, people are already offended by what should be considered the best twist ever on Survivor. You know you want to watch.

Clinton = Hitler

Sorry, Stew

The University of Georgia checks in at No. 8 in the latest poll of schools where students study the least, published annually by the Princeton Review.

These elitist, blue-blood, commie, pinko, bastards have obviously never met Stephen Leonard, the Bill Brasky of studying. Stephen buried himself in accounting textbooks 26 hours a day and 9 days a week in order to earn his bachelor's and master's degree in only three semesters. He had to walk 30 miles to and from class, barefoot, in the snow, with a monkey on his back. And it was uphill both ways. Stephen took tests that lasted weeks on end and still found time to study for his other classes, while at the same time writing a new tax code that allows students to deduct the purchase of rice and soup from their adjusted gross income.

Sadly, it seems that Stephen's efforts have been in vain since, according to the Princeton Review, a UGA degree is now worthless.

I Love People

I came across this gem from a socially conscious student in the Red and Black mailbox today:

On Saturday night, University students and faculty recieved an official email warning of a knife-wielding, “black male, 5’8” to 5”9” in height,medium build, in his mid 20s, with short hair in an afro style, mustache, goatee, and wearing dark shoes, a black shirt, baggy jeans and a silver chain.”

Using generic descriptive language to incite awareness resolves while simultaneously turning hundreds of local black males into suspects. Racial profiling continues to be a destructive form of discrimination perpetuating the social disadvantages facing minority citizens.

Irresponsible news continues to drive students and the black community apart, instead of bringing them together. This white male — 6’01” to 6’02” in height, with short brown hair, no beard, wearing sandals, blue jeans, and a collared shirt — would like to do something about it.

MATT WOOTEN
Senior, Clevland
Modern History & Politics

Welcome to Atlanta (Where the Playaz Play)

The boys over at EDSBS (a must read for every college football fan) have compiled a college football fan's guide to the ATL for those planning on attending the Georgia Tech/Notre Dame religious experience football game.



The site of the largest gathering of 1400+ SATs ever.

"Amazing" Students

Every month, UGA's website highlights what it percieves to be an "amazing student." Take Ms. Katie Griffith for example. These individuals (almost always members of the Young Democrats) are usually arrogant, self-righteous losers who spend time "volunteering" and participating in really complicated-sounding political programs like the "International Council for the Economic Development of Third World Brown Children," or some crap. Well good for them. Awesome. Let's give them a huge pat on the back. But wait...why should we? They aren't really helping anyone. I'm sure when these nieve, idealistic white college kids leave Uganda or wherever that the natives will remain in poverty.

The liberal paradox is that there must be some sort of personal sacrifice in order to do any real good for anyone. This is the root of the problem. Liberals just can't fathom the idea that the only real way to help people is by...not helping them, and by instead pursuing your own self-interest. The invisible hand that Adam Smith wrote about over 225 years ago can't function if people don't act selfishly. As a result, even with the best of intentions, government planning and altruism almost always makes everyone worse off than before. The reason why America is one of the richest countries on earth is because it allows its citizens, through the common law legal system, to pursue their own interests in a free market by seeking profits, accumulating wealth, and reinvesting that wealth into an ever growing and expanding economy, free from government control and excessive regulation. There's nothing "amazing" about not wanting to create wealth.

So anyway, in closing, here's how I wish this month's Amazing Student profile would read:

Meet Patrick Holland. Patrick is one of the most amazing students here at UGA because he cares only about one person in this world: himself. Throughout his life, Patrick has held a deep passion for not helping others (unless it pays well). Patrick spends his time free time volunteering at...nowhere, because he realizes that if something isn't profitable then it's not really benefiting anyone. He also realizes that the only way third-world countries will ever get out of the mess they're in is for counterproductive foreign aid organizations and governments to get out of the way and let commerce take root and flourish.

After graduating, Patrick has one goal in life: to make as much money as possible. By investing that money and supplying entreprenuers with the necessary capital to seek profits, create new jobs, expand research and development to create new technology, and to make the most efficient use of resources according to the price system, Patrick is helping to raise the standard of living of millions, while worthless WASP-like volunteer organizations continue to try and feel good about themselves by building little bamboo houses in Sri Lanka.

Vox Populi: Gems of the Week

In trying to find my niche here at BMBS, I’ve decided to give myself a weekly column: Vox Populi Gems of the Week. I aim to highlight the dumbest of the dumb things people say to Vox Populi. Now, for the pilot episode (if you will), here are your Gems of the Week.

Third Runner-up:
"Some cars are so small that I wonder where to put the quarter in to make it go."

- Aren’t you clever. I’ll bet that joke killed in the break room at WalMart.

Second Runner-up:
"With almost 6,000 people applying for Section 8 housing in Savannah, if they have three family members that would be 18,000 people needing government support. This is in addition to those already here. Who is going to pay for that?"

- Good question, concerned citizen. My answer? People who work. Also, your math sucks. If you have 6,000 people, each of whom have three family members, that would be 24,000 people needing government support. Stay with me here:
6,000 applying
3 * 6000 = 18,000
6,000 + 18,000 = 24,000
Dummy.

First Runner-up:
"If the men of Savannah would get out and be men, they could stop these punks from assaulting our women and children. We wouldn't even need police and they could go back to writing parking tickets."

- I don’t even know how to respond. You’re an idiot.

And the Gem of the Week:
"We went to the Sand Gnats game and the heat in the stadium was unbearable. Why can't they purchase a few industrial fans with the proceeds from the ridiculously overpriced concessions?"

- Wow. You must be from the north. You’re in an outdoor stadium, in Savannah, IN AUGUST. If you don’t like hot weather, stay home. And overpriced concessions? It’s a minor league ball park you cheap bastard. Spend a couple extra bucks. Consider it a complaint tax, yankee.

Kick-Ass Winston Churchill Quote #954

"The socialists claim it is a sin to make a profit. I think it's a sin not to."

This is total crap.

Expect your next toddy at the bar to take a bigger sip out of your wallet.

Last month, Chatham County Commissioners approved a 3% sales tax on mixed drinks poured in unincorporated Chatham County. In this case I'm ignorant and don't know what unincorporated means, but get this; the money will be used to fund the operating costs of the county's DUI court. The tax goes into effect September 1st.

Here's the article:
http://new.savannahnow.com/node/122606

Cease Fire

I'm really tired of hearing those two words on CNN and FOX. It is my opinion that in a few weeks, the Islamic terrorists, after being re-armed by Iran and Syria, will start the shooting all over again. And it is also my opinion that Israel lost. They were intimidated by the U.S. and E.U. and just gave up. I've also read part of this "cease fire" agreement is Hezbollah will be disarmed. And by who? The United Nations, A.K.A. "United Jew-haters."

I know Stephen has an opinion on this. Did anyone watch Mike Wallace's "60 Minutes" interview with Ahmenijohfgty@n on Sunday?

Lotion in the Basket

Creepiest front page photo ever.

In case you don't recognize him, this is the guy who admitted to killing JonBenet Ramsey. This picture makes me so uncomfortable.

Finish the Drill

I have a proposal: We ensure that there is a daily post on this blog. There are eight of us on here, and believe it or not, we are not the only ones who read this thing. Each of us probably knows at least a few of their friends or whoever who come here to pass 2 minutes of their boring day. I personally am asked on a frequent basis by different folks why there hasn't been a post in such a long time.

I think a big reason I don't post a lot is because, for some reason, I feel like my posts have to be these long, well-thought out, multi-layered novels. I'll get ideas for things or stories I want to write, but feel like it will take too long and I end up just putting it off. If you find yourself thinking similarly, let's try to break that habit. Our posts don't have to be 5 paragraphs; even one-liners are okay. I bet all eight of us come here at least once every day to see if there is a new post, only to proven correct, and not even make our own post.

Here's a question: What do y'all think of Joe Lieberman? Comment now.

Kick-Ass Winston Churchill Quote #643

"Some regard private enterprise as if it were a predatory tiger to be shot. Others look upon it as a cow that they can milk. Only a handful see it for what it really is - the strong horse that pulls the whole cart."

Tech to play Georgia Southern??

Apparently this is in the works. As UGA has found out, it's kind of a lose-lose situation, but would be fun.