February
1st 2009
Seven Presidents of Note

Posted under History & Musings

I read this little post over at AutoBlog about the restoration of Ronald Reagan’s 1978 Subaru Brat and it made me a little nostalgic for the Gipper. Now that was a president with style and class. So in that vain I thought that I might post up a quick list of President’s that I think have made huge differences in the direction of our country. Now being a historian, this list could go on forever, but I will limit it to seven (in no particular order) with just one big reason why I feel that way.

1. Thomas Jefferson
Louisiana Purchase.
Yes, yes he was a man of many talents and guided this country during its infancy, but one of the most important things that the third president of the United States did was help fund Napoleons quest for European dominance by buying the Louisiana Territory from France.

2. James Polk
Manifest Destiny.
Well, OK, not manifest destiny as we know and love it, but Polk negotiated the expansion of the US to the Pacific. By securing the northwest through the Oregon Territory and the Southwest through Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Gadsden Purchase following the Mexican-American War. Polk has been accused of being a warmonger in modern times because he sought a conflict with Mexico in order to expand US territory. I rather like to look at him in the light of the times. Here was this massive track of land that was already largely populated by American settlers and completely unused by the government that claimed it. Rather than attempt to purchase it at a highly inflated price, he decided to take it by force. Sometimes the best way to negotiate is at the barrel of a gun.

3. Abraham Lincoln
Dividing the Union to save the Union.
Lincoln knew that if he was elected the United States would split, but he ran anyway and won. So the union divided and Lincoln waged a war to bring it back together. It wasn’t a war about slavery; it was a war about states rights versus federal rights. Lincoln knew that if the South were allowed to keep shirking federal policy then the US would fall apart on its own sooner or later. By forcing the issue many things were brought to the fore, and though it cost tens of thousands of lives, it created a stronger nation in the end.

4. Theodore Roosevelt
Activism.
T.R. is one of my personal favorite Presidents. Maybe it’s from growing up watching The Wind and the Lion, or maybe it’s that his personality is so relatable. This is the man who revolutionized the view of the US in the world, and the Presidency.
Roosevelt was an activist president. He took personal interest in almost every aspect of his presidency. It seems that almost through will alone he turned the 20th Century into the ‘American Century’. He broke trusts that he felt were unfairly monopolizing industry, he oversaw the creation of the Panama Canal to allow for easier transit of American goods. His foreign policy of ‘Walk softly and carry a big stick’ showed the world that we, as a country, were going to be a force to be reckoned with. He sent the ‘Great White Fleet’ around the globe to highlight American naval power. He was a conversationalist in the truest sense, creating the Antiquities Act and the first National Park at Yosemite (so he would always have a place to hunt!).

5. Dwight Eisenhower
National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.
Lets face it; the nation that we live in today would be drastically different without the Interstate system. A network of high-speed roads that connects all of the major cities in the country. They can be used to move good, military equipment or facilitate mass evacuations. Though I long to travel the country on the old highway system like John Steinbeck did in Travels with Charley, the system that Eisenhower commissioned makes all of our lives easier.

6. Richard Nixon
Preserving the Union. Twice.
Bet you didn’t see this one coming, did you? Nixon may go down in history as one of greatest patriots in American history. The reason for this is that twice he gave up the presidency to preserve the Union. The first time was during the 1960 election. It was fairly clear that he had won the election in several states, especially Illinois, where vote fraud was rampant. But instead of seeking a recount and putting our political system in turmoil, he conceded.
The second time was after the Watergate scandal. Nixon got caught doing something that every President had done before and most likely has done since. So what did he do? He accepted responsibility and stepped down rather than let the scandal destroy the office. He allowed the American people to still have respect for the office of the President, even if they had lost respect for him.

7. Ronald Reagan
Ending the Cold War.
In addition to driving wicked cool vehicles on his ranch, Reagan was an accomplished internationalist. He vehemently sought the collapse of Soviet control of Easter Europe. From the beginning of his first term he embarked upon a massive campaign to restore the image and power that our military had lost after Vietnam. He knew that a massive military buildup was one of the only ways to force the Soviets to their knees. They would be obliged to match the West, and they couldn’t afford it. He worked at strengthening ties with our Allies and further encircle the Soviets with pro US states.
Additionally, through numerous treaties aimed at limiting nuclear weapons, one of the Soviets major foreign policy tools, and using a massive feign called Star Wars the Iron Curtin began to rust and finally gave way.

Now these are very quick overviews of the reasons why I like these Presidents, and yes I’m sure that the details could be filled in much more. If that’s what you want, feel free to e-mail me for the complete text.
Also, many will point out that there are some noticeable gaps in the list. The biggest is probably Franklin Roosevelt. Let me explain. I think that FDR was a great President, and certainly deserving of praise. But I also believe that in many ways the situations surrounding him formed his greatness, not so much his own policies. It took a strong man to lead the country through the Depression and the Second World War, but those were events that would have most likely happened regardless of who was holding office.

I’m sure people will disagree with this little list, oh well. Its my opinions and I hope that you at least find it interesting.

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January
31st 2009
Airfoil is Cool

Posted under Computer

I grabbed Airfoil from RougeAmoeba the other day and managed to try it out today with Pandora. Seriously sweet and seriously easy! I’ve got it streaming on my computer speakers and to my AirPort Express in the living room. Its swell!

1 Comment »

January
27th 2009
And people say I’m paranoid.

Posted under Musings

I’ve had numerous people tell me that I’m paranoid regarding the massive government ’stimulus’ in North America and Europe. They have told me that my prediction that this will eventually lead to trade wars, increased tariffs and nationalized industries is just silly.
Well, now the Director General of the World Trade Organization agrees with me. Lets call him paranoid too!

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January
26th 2009
The Obamanauts come marching in…

Posted under Musings

In six days Obama and his Obamanauts have managed to disrupt free markets, create a MASSIVE bureaucratic nightmare and set up the national economy for huge kick to the crotch.

Obama To Let California Determine National Fuel Economy Standards

Those are all things that President Bush didn’t manage to do in eight years! For all of you who voted for this nincompoop, this is the change you where hoping for. Congratulations.
For those that voted for some real return on their dollars, vendetta politics are upon us. Put your tray tables and seat backs in their full and upright positions, ’cause this plane is heading right for the Hudson.

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December
11th 2008
Over the top car review

Posted under Musings

Just the way I like it!

1 Comment »

December
7th 2008
Remembrance

Posted under Musings

May we never forget those that lost their lives on December 7th, 1941.

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November
19th 2008
What Could Have Been

Posted under Musings

*sigh*
This was the kind of change I was hoping for.
Mitt Romney’s take on the current state of the US auto industry
After reading that it makes our current state of affairs just that much more painful.

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November
13th 2008
Tom Evslin is an Idiot

Posted under Musings

I was going to write a response to Tom Evslin’s idea for saving the US auto manufacturing But my good friend ,and prior contributor here on Overdrive Blog, Eric Hill has done it for me:
_____________
Dear Mr. Evslin,

Sounds like a plan for energy independence! There are a couple of details to take care of first.

What about:

- The absence of a localized natural gas distribution system?
- The absence of a power grid sufficient to handle an influx of plug-in hybrids?
- The reduced availability of auto loans?
- The spectacularly high production cost of plug-in hybrids?
- The lack of consumer demand per slow economic conditions?
- The lack of consumer demand per low fuel prices?
- The projected increase in the cost of lithium for making lithium ion batteries?
- The absence of disposal or recycling facilities for vehicle batteries at the end of their lifetimes?
- The political backlash from killing domestic parts suppliers specializing in ICE components?
- The economic backlash from killing domestic parts suppliers specializing in ICE components?
- The fact that employee benefits represent the single largest line item cost in manufacturing a domestic automobile?
- The fact that pending vehicle roof strength standards may increase the weight of new vehicles, thereby reducing fuel efficiency - plug in or not?
- The fact that these new standards will almost certainly add to the skyrocketing materials costs automakers face?
- The complete absence of product development capital that the big three face?
- The fact that Japanese automakers enjoy a competitive advantage in some states since they employ non-UAW employees to build cars and trucks in Tennessee and Kentucky for about half the pay the Big Three pay UAW (UAW - $34-45 per hour, Non-UAW $20-30 per hour.)
- NHTSA bumper standards that forbid certain bumper materials, making our current US cars heavier and less fuel efficient than those available overseas, and also create to extra costs for global automakers because they have to retrofit models for US sale that otherwise could be sold across global markets at a reduced cost?
- How do we deal with consumers who have specialized needs that extend beyond the plug-in hybrid’s capabilities? Consumers won’t buy cars that don’t meet their individual needs. This is a country that prizes vehicle capability above all else - examine the success of the F150. While a spike in gas prices certainly suggests consumers want capability in a more fuel-efficient package, are you sure they will completely abandon capability for very expensive plug-in vehicles? (Truck buyers aren’t all urban cowboys. 70% of F150 owners tow or haul with their vehicles on a regular basis.)
- The jalopy-effect? If car prices skyrocket and capability decreases, consumer simply won’t buy cars. They don’t have to. With regular maintenance cars can go on indefinitely - think Cuba.
- If consumers, who don’t have the money or incentive to buy these very expensive cars which have a fraction of the capability of the models they already own, don’t buy them, how will the government make its money back? Might there be political, social, and economic consequences for plunging the nation even further into debt to subsidize an industry that produces products that have no market while simultaneously terminating ICE parts supplier industries and thousands of jobs?

Just get these cleared up and I’ll be on board. I don’t mean to be sarcastic, but instead of your idea, I think the world would really be a better place if fucking douchebags like you analyzed the problems of industry in the real world, instead of hiding behind the computer spouting the “Fractals of Change” and giving naive idealistic college students ammunition to continue spewing counterproductive “green economy” fantasies with no footing in reality whatsoever. Are you really so completely ignorant to all of these issues to believe that writing a government check will solve all these problems?

Eric

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November
8th 2008
Uncle Barack, Unplugged!

Posted under Musings

*SIGH* The only government option that is going to save GM and Chrysler (Ford will probably make it on its own) is to nationalize them. With GM’s announcement yesterday, they will be out of cash by Jan. 1st, and we already know that Chrysler is toast before then. $25 billion isn’t going to do anything and nationalizing it, well lets face it thats contradictory to everything that America stands for. This is just another example that Uncle Barack and his staff are out of touch and unprepared for what lies ahead.
It was entertaining to watch him look nervous and unsure of himself, though. I guess it kinda sucks when you actually have to talk about policy and not just regurgitate hyperbole like he did all the way through the campaign. I was pretty sure that he would drop a, “Yes we can!” in there just out of habit. Or perhaps he is just shaken by the fact that the DOW has dropped faster and harder than after any Presidential election in history.
But to end on an up note, assault weapon sales are through the roof!

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November
4th 2008
01/20/13

Posted under Musings

We can hope for real change then…

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