Central Sanity

"So long, and thanks for all the fish."

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 22:51:00 +0000

-- last message of the dolphins to mankind according to Douglas Adams' Hitchiker Trillogy

Many thanks to those of you who have read Central Sanity, and especially to those of you who have had kind words to say about us. We are truly grateful for you as readers, and hope you will drop in on each of us as we move on.

As for myself, You will still find the bulk of my writing at ShortWoman.com, my musings on real estate and local interest issues at BridgetMagnus.com, and now selected posts on The Moderate Voice

I've had a great time writing here, and am proud to have worked with each of my co-bloggers.

Now It's Time To Say Goodbye

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Edaburn) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Well not really goodbye as we will all be out there blogging away. I think some of us may stop back here from time to time to let you know where we all are. As for myself, I will be doing most of my posting on Election Views.

Please stop on by anytime to check us out.

As my fellow bloggers have observed, we will all still be out there, just in different places. I would like to take time to thank Pete for bringing me on board here and for all of my co-bloggers for just being excellent. And of course, a big thank you to all of our readers.

No Goodbyes

noreply@blogger.com (Dyre42) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 06:20:00 +0000

I was a reader here long before I ever started posting. I really came to appreciate how the authors on this blog were able to cut to the chase and say in a few paragraphs what it took other bloggers an essay to say. Hence when I was asked to contribute here I jumped at the chance. Central Sanity, I think, became a blogger's blog. So while it never had the readership of The Moderate Voice it became a place that many bloggers visited to test the metal of their opinions. So while some of the authors here have stopped contributing due to real life a number of authors here have moved on to bigger and more influential blogs in the centrosphere.

So ultimately what made Central Sanity great also in part lead to the circumstances that are causing it close. Central Sanity has effectively acted as a springboard to many of its contributors. So while we won't be contributing here any longer you can still read our opinions at blogs like The Moderate Voice, Donklephan t, and The PoliGazette. I also occasionally post at PoliticalGrind and everything I write (most of which I don't post elsewhere) is of course available at Dyre Portents. So for the reasons I've listed I'm not going to say goodbye but instead say,"See you around."

Farewell from Carrie

noreply@blogger.com (Citizen Carrie) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:16:00 +0000

Well, this will be my last post for Central Sanity. Although I was not on board for very long, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. There were many posts left unwritten, but, like Bridget says, it's time to close up shop.

I for one am happy to see the Republican Party take an admittedly slight shift towards the center, although I would be happier if they picked up the pace a bit. I am still optimistic, though, as I'm finally seeing that issues regarding the economy and other middle-class concerns are finally being addressed.

Come out and visit me at Carrie's Nation, where, almost by accident, I seem to be focuing a lot on my concerns regarding our jobs being offshored or taken over by persons with H-1B and L-1 visas. These articles are also cross-posted to Jill's Brilliant at Breakfast site. Although Jill is a died-in-the-wool Democrat to my moderate Republican label, it only proves there will always be issues that provide common ground for people from both parties. I also post articles regarding the state of Michigan, the auto industry, education, and anything else that gets my blood going. All from the viewpoint of an average person off the street, of course.

Please also visit our other Central Sanity contributors at their websites. I look forward to seeing what they'll be up to.

Good luck to everyone throughout the 2008 Presidential campaign. Although it is a daunting task to try to wade through all of the candidates and come up with a favorite, we are fortunate to live in a free country that allows us the opportunity to make this choice. We have a tremendous responsibility to choose not only a President who leads the United States, but also a President who wields an enormous amount of influence on the free world. Let your conscience be your guide in the voting booth.

Finally, thanks to Pete Abel and Bridget Magnus for bringing me over to Central Sanity. Thanks also to the other contributors for their support over the last few months. And let's not forget my thanks to our readers for their comments to our posts.

Final Curtain

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:26:00 +0000

Today I must bring you an announcement that is both joyous and sad all at once.

Joe Gandelman has invited me to contribute to The Moderate Voice, a site that I have known and respected for some years. In asking, he wrote that he liked my writing both here and at ShortWoman; he furthermore added "I'm five foot one and I am biased and MUST invite a short woman." TMV is a huge site with readership that dwarfs mine -- no pun intended -- and I would be foolish to pass up this opportunity.

However, there are only so many hours in a day, and something has to give.

Central Sanity has been a great little site, but we have had our share of troubles. We have lost several major contributors during my time here. Some have felt the need to focus on work or study or family or their home sites. One of our more notable losses was former Editor-in-Chief Pete Abel. Pete started this site and built it from nothing to what it is today. It just isn't the same without him.

It is with sadness that I announce this weekend will mark the final fresh posts for Central Sanity. I have invited each of our contributors to share their final thoughts, and let you know where they will be hanging their blogging hats.

Thank you all for reading.

Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Edaburn) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:15:00 +0000

A judge has rejected a lawsuit by supporters of Hilary Clinton to block the establishment of special voting locations at a variety of hotels in the Las Vegas area. The argument (which I tend to agree with) had been that allowing some people the ability to vote at work while denying it to others was unfair.

Time has an interesting article on the breakdown of the black votes (in particular the black female vote) in South Carolina.

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I've got another post over at Moderate Voice

Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:10:00 +0000

Today, "greater than expected" has a much more grim meaning on Wall Street: not only did international banking giant Merrill Lynch report greater than expected write-downs for a multi-billion dollar loss in 2007 (following in Citigroup's footsteps), but housing starts had a greater than expected decline and reached a 16 year low. It's enough to make some analysts say we shouldn't worry about inflation, as it will be crushed by the banking crisis. I politely disagree with this sentiment.

State led mandatory health insurance laws are being challenged in court under a Federal statute (ERISA) that governs employer-provided benefits. The Massachusetts plan and others like it may well end up being scrutinized by the Supreme Court.

The United Nations has said that the United States needs to do more for Katrina victims, many of whom are still displaced and/or effectively homeless.

Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:29:00 +0000

The winner of yesterday's GOP primary in Michigan is Mitt Romney, showing that at this point, the nomination could go to almost anyone. Meanwhile, the top three Democratic contenders had a debate in Las Vegas, the transcript of which can be found here. Some consider this event to have been a win for Hillary Clinton.

Things in Iraq are, well, lousy. Not only has the GAO determined that rosy economic forecasts "cannot be substantiated" or are flatly "wrong", Iraq's own defense minister said they "would not be able to take full responsibility for its internal security until 2012, nor be able on its own to defend Iraq’s borders from external threat until at least 2018."

And on a much less serious note, Giant Rodents of the Amazon! "Scientists have discovered the remains of a rodent the size of a small car which used to forage the South American continent. The 1-ton creature is believed to have been about 3 meters in length and 1.5 meters tall." And it's not April 1.

Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:53:00 +0000

The risk of a recession is growing, spurred by no only the subprime crisis -- Merrill Lynch and Citigroup are taking "drastic" steps -- but also inflation levels at a 26 year high. American stocks are down on the news. The IHT helpfully reports that Presidential front-runners differ in responses to prospect of U.S. recession. More on that topic from Mr. Krugman.

Speaking of which, Michigan primaries are today. Nevertheless, many minds have already turned to the Nevada caucuses this Saturday and the democratic debates to be held tonight. The slate of actual attendees is in flux, as a federal judge will be deciding whether NBC has the right to "disinvite" Dennis Kucinich.

Investigators are reporting that the tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis last August was not due to deferred maintenance, but rather to a design flaw. If so, there are "465 similarly designed steel truss bridges across the country" that may theoretically be at risk.

Don't Forget

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:02:00 +0000

As Carrie pointed out last night, tomorrow is the primary in Michigan. Being a more-or-less regular election, Michigan voters will do their business at their local polling place.

The Nevada caucuses are this coming Saturday. Not being a regular election, they will not be held at polling places. The Republican locations can be found here and the Democratic locations can be found here.

Get out there and make your voice heard. In several key respects, the selection of candidates is even more important than the election in November.

A Pollster's Worst Nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (Citizen Carrie) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 02:05:00 +0000

I came home from somewhere yesterday and found that Tom Monaghan, the founder of the Domino's Pizza empire, had left a message on our phone urging us to vote for Mitt Romney in Tuesday's presidential primary in Michigan. OF COURSE Tom was not sitting at his desk with an open phonebook in front of him while he called. OF COURSE it was one of those hated robocalls, which featured an even more distasteful fembot starting out the message by exhorting me to please hold while Monaghan takes the line. I guess even Robots have Secretaries these days.

There's been a lot of chatter about how the pollsters were unable to predict the outcomes of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries. Here in Michigan, I've been reading conflicting reports on whether John McCain is ahead of Mitt Romney in the Republican primary, while everyone is showing that Mike Huckabee is running a respectable third. Hillary Clinton leads by a comfortable margin, which is understandable seeing as how she's the only serious Democratic candidate to throw her hat into our state.

This is the most wide-open presidential race that I can remember. I don't like having such an early primary in Michigan because I like to wait until a lot more candidates have dropped out before I have to cast any ballots. Since all of this homework is giving me a headache, I decided to use one of those presidential calculators at http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html. I'm sure it did a wonderful job of matching me up with a candidate, but it was not much of a practical help since it picked out Senator Joe Biden as my top choice, followed by four other Democrats. So much for my Moderate Republican label.

No wonder pollsters are having such problems picking out the primary winners. If every voter was like me, they'd have to qualify all of their poll results with a margin of error of plus or minus 50 percentage points! I hope I'm a typical voter, but I have no way of knowing. For better or worse, this is how I pick my candidates.

First, I focus on my personal hot-button issues. (I recognize that what is important to me might not be the most important issue facing the nation, but I figure what I feel in my heart should count for at least a little something.) After I identify my hot-button issues, I identify the candidates who agree with my positions, then find out these people are total crooks whom I would not even vote into office as city dogcatchers. Then I have to leave my heart behind and identify what I think are the most important issues facing our nation. When I find the candidates who share my views on these important issues, I find that I cannot picture them on the world scene, or I cannot imagine them being able to lead the nation during any sort of time of crisis.

My next elimination round leaves me trying to match myself with a candidate who even agrees with me on what constitutes an important issue. It's too bad that by this time I've found a candidate in whom I disagree with about 85% of his or her beliefs.

Finally, I have to evaluate if I'm voting FOR a candidate or voting AGAINST a candidate. I don't like to play games like this, and I think it's unpatriotic to do something like purposefully vote for a bad candidate just to mess up the other political party. When the time comes, we need to search our consciences and vote for whoever we believe is the best person for the job.

Any pollster who contacts me will have no way of knowing where I'm at in this candidate-picking process. I shudder to think that whatever ephemeral thought I'm thinking at a particular moment supposedly represents a thousand other voters. As I'm typing this, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee representatives robocalled me and asked me who I was voting for in the primaries. Being annoyed, since A) I hate robocalls and B) I especially hate being interrupted by robots three times during a 30-minute period, I chose the two lamest candidates I could think of as my top presidential choices.

I'm afraid I will not divulge who I'm leaning towards right now. Tuesday is still a long ways off, and I can change my mind a million times before then. But I will say that if even a fraction of the voters have the same doubts I have, no one could possibly predict a primary winner until the exit polls begin.

Word of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Dyre42) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 07:07:00 +0000

Hubris
Overbearing pride or presumption.

For example:

"If you have a social need, you're with Hillary. If you want Obama to be your imaginary hip black friend and you're young and you have no social needs, then he's cool," - a "Clinton adviser" to Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland.

x-posted

Bank of America To Buy Countrywide

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Edaburn) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:17:00 +0000

In the ongoing home mortgage saga it has been announced than Bank of America will buy Countrywide mortgage for $ 4 billion. B of A had previously invested another $ 2 billion and got the right of first refusal in a buyout for their money.

It will be interesting to see how B of A changes things, if at all, in terms of operations and attitudes on foreclosure. As a bankruptcy attorney I have seen Countrywide on a lot of my filings and often have wondered why they would not want to work out a deal with customers.

If the client goes Chapter 7 all they get is another house to try and sell. If they work out a deal and lower rates, they at least have a chance to get most of their money back.

But I long ago gave up trying to understand how banks/credit card companies/etc think.

Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Edaburn) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:00:00 +0000

As I previously noted we had a few political announcements come down yesterday. Bill Richardson announced he is dropping his big for the Democratic nomination. He did not endorse anyone. I am sorry to see him go as he was a pretty good candidate. Also corrupt congressman John Doolittle retired, much to the relief of the GOP.

President Bush is in the Middle East and while many remain skeptical we can all hope that he will find some success. Obviously it is tough to avoid politics in an election year and certainly Bush is working for a legacy, it is still a good goal. We can hope that the Bush haters will try to look for the best.

Finally, the man who conquered Mt. Everest has died as has skater Christopher Bowman.

Doolittle To Retire !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Edaburn) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:51:00 +0000

Perhaps this is a case of local issues but I am thrilled to report that one of the most corrupt members of Congress has decided to retire.

John Doolittle says he is leaving Congress because he 'grew tired' of the job but the reality is he was a probable primary or general election loser. The issue now is if this crook avoids a future court date.

In the interests of disclosure I did work for Mr. Doolittle as an intern when he was in the California legislature. He was a crook then too.

Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:02:00 +0000

There will be one less Democratic presidential candidate soon, as Gov. Bill Richardson is dropping out of the race.

President Bush continues his Middle East trip, where he predicts a peace treaty before he leaves office. Meanwhile, he calls Iran a threat to world peace, the outskirts of Baghdad are being bombed, and there are yet more questions about Blackwater operations in Iraq.

Finally, in a sad story that I for one hope has a happy ending, a pregnant Marine is missing from Camp Lejeune. She was scheduled to testify about an "on-base incident" in which she was a crime victim.

Tossing the Anchor with the Bathwater

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:36:00 +0000

Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee has officially gone on record as saying he "wants to amend the Constitution to prevent children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens from automatically becoming American citizens...." In short, he wants to put an end to the so-called "anchor babies," a loaded term used to describe children born in the United States to illegal immigrants who many say are nothing more than a pawn in a game to try and earn legal status.

Now, I think you folks have been reading my opinions long enough to know that I am no supporter of illegal immigration. Nor am I a supporter of "guest worker" programs or any other related nonsense. But this is a Bad Idea. Let me explain why.

Like many Americans, you need go no further back in my family tree than the last hundred years to find forebears who came to this country from foreign lands. They worked hard, they learned to speak and read English, they raised families, they became citizens. Saying that just because someone was born in this country is not enough to make them a citizen is a dangerous precedent. If "they" can say that some theoretical Jose or Yuen is not a citizen of the land where they were born -- the only land they have ever known -- what is to say that "they" can't decide my Grandfather wasn't a citizen? What is to say "they" can't decide you or I are not American enough?

Most countries gave up punishing babies for things their parents did centuries if not millenia ago.

I'll say it again: the way to solve the illegal immigrant problem is to crack down on the businesses that would rather hire cheap, exploitable illegal workers instead of honest, hard-working Americans who merely demand an adequate wage and decent working conditions. Watch a few episodes of Dirty Jobs; I dare you to say there is such a thing as "jobs Americans won't do."

Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:15:00 +0000

President Bush has arrived in Israel to begin a week-long tour of the Middle East. His goal is to promote peace talks between Palestine and Israel. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Iranian officials have denounced the footage of American warships being harassed and threatened by small Iranian military vessels as "fabricated."

A combination of fog and smoke from a nearby brush fire has contributed to a 50 car pileup in Florida on Interstate 4. Three people died in the crash.

In 2006, health care spending in the United States exceeded $2 trillion ($2 million million) for the first time.

New Hampshire Primary

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Edaburn) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:15:00 +0000

The networks have all called it for John McCain with Mitt Romney in second. Romney may be in real trouble now with two losses in a row.

I will be tracking the Democratic race at Election Views.

Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:37:00 +0000

The New Hampshire primaries are today. Vote counting is already underway, with Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain as the early leaders. Some say these two share nothing but youth appeal. Mr. Huckabee continues to campaign with Chuck Norris.

Several small military vessels from Iran have allegedly been trying to provoke American warships in the Persian Gulf. A Pentagon official described the incident as "perplexing" and "cause for real concern."

Jose Padilla finally faces sentencing this week after being convicted last year of "conspiracy and terrorism material support charges." He has already been in custody over 5 years, most of it in military custody.

"What is a Moderate to Do?" at The Moderate Voice

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Don't forget to wander over to The Moderate Voice to read what our own Patrick Edaburn has to say about the various presidential candidates from the standpoint of a true moderate. Part one is about the Republican field; I'm looking forward to seeing what he has to say about the Democratic contenders too!

"Is America Ready for a Woman President?"

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:02:00 +0000

Please, do not mistake any of what I am about to say for any sort of endorsement of Hillary Clinton whatsoever. This is not about Hillary. The question of whether Hillary Clinton or Elizabeth Dole or Nancy Pelosi is prepared to be our "Iron Lady of Politics" is another issue altogether.

You'll hear it at parties, you'll see it alluded to in blog posts and political cartoons. Everybody suspects it is something the political strategists ask themselves behind closed doors. It's only happened on television. The question is "Is America Ready for a Woman President?"

I don't like that question. I don't like it any more than I like the assumption that a woman candidate would automatically get some substantial percentage of women's votes. It's shallow, sexist, and insulting.

If America is not ready for a woman to be our head of state, that means we are less modern than Great Britain.

If America is not ready for a woman to be our head of state, we are less progressive than Israel.

If America is not ready for a woman to be our head of state, that means we are more sexist than India, an ancient culture where it is still perfectly acceptable to light your wife or daughter on fire.

If America is not ready for a woman to be our head of state, that puts us behind Pakistan and Sri Lanka and Argentina, Bolivia, Germany, Yugoslavia, Haiti, Ireland, Bangladesh, France, Poland, Canada, Bulgaria, Liberia, Ecuador, New Zealand, Norway, Latvia, Panama, Finland, San Marino, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Serbia, Peru, Austria, the Ukraine, and Mongolia. Among others.

For that matter, if America is not ready for a woman to be our head of state, we are behind ancient Egypt.

Is that the nation I live in? I sure as hell hope not.

Cross-posted at ShortWoman.com

Iowa Daily Three

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Edaburn) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:01:00 +0000

Rather than the traditional daily three I will be posting some of the Iowa results.

On the GOP side, Mike Huckabee has come in first at 34%, Romney is second with about 26% and McCain/Thompson are tied for 3rd at around 13%

On the Democratic side it's a close race with Obama at 38% and Clinton/Edwards tied for 2/3 at around 30%, though it looks like Edwards will edge Clinton.

This outcome is going to provide a lot of talk about a shakeup in both races, though it is worth considering that the winners of the Iowa caucuses often do not win the nomination.

Headlines for the New Year Meme

noreply@blogger.com (Bridget Magnus) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:37:00 +0000

I got tagged.

The ArchCrone has asked me to submit my own Headlines for the New Year. The idea is from David Cohen. So here goes!

Headline I’m most fearful of seeing in 2008: (at the risk of riffing on ArchCrone's theme) In wake of tragic attack on President Bush, President Cheney declares martial law, delays elections indefinitely.

Headline I most want to see in 2008: Congress overrides vetoes; SCHIP expanded to all children and orderly withdrawal of both troops and security contractors from Iraq begins.

Headline I most expect to see in 2008: Wages fail to keep pace with inflation for the 4th straight year.

Headline I least expect to see in 2008: Both parties realize election cycle too long; primary season designated as the April before a November election; campaigning prior to New Years Day prohibited.

So, who wants to add their own headlines? Don't be shy, step on up!

Cross-posted at ShortWoman.

Central Sanity

"So long, and thanks for all the fish."

Now It's Time To Say Goodbye

No Goodbyes

Farewell from Carrie

Final Curtain

Daily Three

Recommended Reading

Daily Three

Daily Three

Daily Three

Don't Forget

A Pollster's Worst Nightmare

Word of the Day

Bank of America To Buy Countrywide

Daily Three

Doolittle To Retire !!!

Daily Three

Tossing the Anchor with the Bathwater

Daily Three

New Hampshire Primary

Daily Three

"What is a Moderate to Do?" at The Moderate Voice

"Is America Ready for a Woman President?"

Iowa Daily Three

Headlines for the New Year Meme