Things I’d Like to Post About Today ….. (052008, Morning)
….. But I Don’t Have Time For:
- Pennsylvania is following the lead of Chicago and Indiana, and is close to a deal to lease its turnpike for $12.8 billion. And the reason Ohio won’t do this with its turnpike is …..?
- Uh oh — “Senate Strikes Housing Rescue Deal.” Frightening thought of the day: “Some are comparing the bill to the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act, enacted in response to Enron’s collapse and other corporate scandals.”
- Yet another reason why the “Mr. BOOHOO OUCH nickname (Barack O-bomba Overseas Hussein “Obambi†Obama - Objectively Unfit Coddler of Haters) for Barack Obama fits like a glove — “This speech reveals Obama to have no grasp of history, no grasp of strategic implications of a nuclear Iran, and no clue how to secure the nation and handle foreign policy.” Yet again — Obviously, Objectively, Unfit.
- This story goes with the BOOHOO part of Obama’s nickname — “Lay Off My Wife.” So she can run off her mouth, and we can’t say anything, because it will hurt your (or her) feeeeeeeewings? Wahhhhh. What horse manure.
- Oh, and about that crowd of 75,000 — I have confirmed, by consulting library resources and from information obtained from those involved with the event, that the crowd at George W. Bush’s appearance at Voice of America Park in West Chester, Ohio during the 2004 presidential campaign was between 50,000 and 60,000 — each of whom, unlike at the Obama event this past weekend, had to have a ticket or be an accompanying child to get in. Tens of thousands more would surely have attended had there not been a ticketing process. Press coverage of this Ohio record-setting event outside of Cincinnati was virtually zero. I specifically remember that the wire reports avoided mentioning the crowd’s size. Certainly no one wrote fawning coverage about a crowd that was “the size of a city.”
The kneepad press is really outdoing itself in advance of the near-certain pasting Obama is going to have administered to him tonight in Kentucky, aren’t they? I also suspect that Oregon will be closer than advertised. The “hell hath no fury” backlash to NARAL’s endorsement of Obama last week is an unquantifiable wild card. My guess, and it’s just a guess, is that it will be pretty influential tonight, and that a Clinton victory in the Beaver State is not out of the question.
Leasing the turnpike? What a nutjob! The people in Ohio didn’t want it therefore by definition it’s a crazy idea - like casinos, cheap energy, and jobs.
Comment by Joe C. — May 20, 2008 @ 9:34 am
You: “And the reason Ohio won’t do this with its turnpike is …..? ”
ME: …because it was Ken Blackwell’s idea…
Comment by Matt Hurley — May 20, 2008 @ 10:12 am
You: “And the reason Ohio won’t do this with its turnpike is …..? â€
IMH instinctive reaction: …because it’s just another one-time cash in-flow, so current politicians have a new slush fund to spend. See also the cigarette lawsuit.
(P.S. Yes, I’m giving myself an out on this by calling it a first glance reaction rather than the tradiation IMHO, an opinion. I’ve not studied the math or fiscal arguments enough. Is there an example that has been in existence multiple years, so we can now potentially say whether this selling of turnpike’s approach works long-term; e.g. the turnpike feels stay low; and both the turnpike and the adjacent roads stay maintained; and impact on the traffic on the turnpike vs adjacent roads, adjusted for population trends?)
Comment by Cornfed — May 20, 2008 @ 3:56 pm