CO2 Emissions and global warming

A friend of mine sent this link.  It calls to mind the saying, “Numbers don’t lie, statisticians do.”

Don’t be fooled by the global warming hysteria.  We SHOULD be good stewards.  We should avoid waste.  We should conserve water, recycle when practical, reuse when possible.  But, we shouldn’t limit ourselves by perception.  I often say that a good engineer can draw a straight line with one data point . . . but he shouldn’t.

Make sure you question the data and recognize that there may be more than one explanation for any event.   AND always question the motives of the messenger – even me.

Something Duncan Hunter Said

In Hunter’s endorsement of Mike Huckabee, he mentioned, “China’s emergence as a military superpower that is taking large portions of America’s industrial base.”  I happen to think this is an important message.

During World War I and especially World War II, the United States manufacturing capability greatly contributed to saving the world from oppressive, murderous tyrants.  After WWII, we began exporting our expertise.  We’ve trained the world in Engineering, Computer Science, and business.

And now, the world uses it against us.  We have been sold that we need to encourage the free market economy.  That competition will drive prices lower.

THAT IS COMPLETELY TRUE AND WILL HELP US.  But, only if the free market is also a fair market.  When foreign governments subsidize manufacturing, it puts artificial pressure on American manufacturers.

We buy the low priced foreign goods.  The foreign government uses the money to buy more energy, raw materials, and build infrastructure to make it even easier for their businesses to defeat ours.

AT THE SAME TIME, our own government establishes trade agreements that do nothing about these supplements.  American manufacturing has evolved from serving the world, to serving our region.  ‘American’ companies are building plants in Asia and the Mid-East.  Often, these businesses are built in countries that haven’t supported us – Russia, China, Libya, et cetera.

So, what is wrong with a Republican politician recognizing that this is a problem?  What is wrong with recognizing that we are paying China to drive our standard of living down.  All the while, they are building an infrastructure that they can use to manufacture the wartime equipment that can be used to force us into subordination.

It is fortunate for America that we are still the most productive nation in the world.  But don’t rest, because China is gaining ground.

Remember – it’s not Free Trade we should be worried about.  It is FAIR TRADE.

My Lunch Companion and Hillary

I had lunch with a 50+ year old African American woman today. She recently moved to South Carolina. Since my wife had made phone calls for Huckabee just prior to the election, I brought up the subject. Now, admittedly, she is in sales and knows how to handle sensitive subjects.

We talked about many candidates, democrat and republican. Here are some of the interesting things from our conversation.

1. She was really interested in the demographics and how they predicted she would vote.
2. Her son (18 years old) was enamored with Barak Obama. Not really a surprise. But, his interest in Obama has intrigued her.  She is convinced that the under 30 crowd would decide this election and she was having a little trouble with it.
3. She initially said that she was put off by Edwards. She saw him introduced for a speech by the Mrs Edwards in 2004. She felt like he ’shooed’ her off the stage. That offended her. But, now, she is warming back up to him.
4. Most interesting to me . . . She is a offended by the assertion that Bill Clinton was the first Black President, that as an older black woman, she should be in the Clinton camp.  She also felt like it is contradictory that the press questions the morality of Giuliani, but not Bill Clinton.

I left not knowing who she supports (although I think she leans Obama).  She had some very complimentary things to say about Huckabee.  And, she recognizes flaws in all candidates.  A refreshing reminder that even though we differ somewhat politically and culturally, we have some common ground.