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An unidentified white male butts President Barack H. Obama while on TV.

Good gracious y'all!! Thank you so much for your response to the One Room Challenge. Not only am I grateful for all of you, but I had such a great time looking thru all of the fabulous rooms of the other ladies as well as all the amazing linking party participants.  There is some serious talent out there, and I was thrilled to be apart of it. I'll be back on Wednesday with details and sources on the room.

And if you follow me on Instagram (which you totally should by the way) then you know on top of the ORC excitement, I had some other big stuff going on as well. More on that as soon as I can share.

So all of this action has left me exhausted and hankering for a trip somewhere. I was raised a traveler. I've been to each of the lower 48, all by car thank you very much, so I've gotten to see so many great places. And maybe it is coming down from a stressful few weeks, or the fact that winter is approaching and I'm getting ready to hibernate, but I want to hit the road.

Maine

Charleston, SC

California Redwoods

Breckenridge, CO

my girls on the beach in Sarasota

Where do you want to go? Where is your favorite place to travel? Who wants to go on a road trip?

On Monday, Randy Stewart, 18, was arrested and processed by the Harris County Sheriff's Office and charged with felony deadly aggravated assault in connection with a double homicide and 18 victims being injured by gunfire. Stewart's bail was set at $250,000 and remains in custody. Multiple charges are pending against Stewart. He could face life in prison or the death penalty.

Christie the Dem's Choice for GOP Presidential Candidate
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
***************

There are lots of things that are sure and certain like:  death, taxes, and democrats will cheat during elections.  Now we can add another to the ever growing list.  The Dems want Chris Christie, of New Jersey, to be the the GOP candidate for President in 2016.

The Mainstream Media, which is the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party, has already begun its less than subtle campaign to secure that position for Christie. 
The President's plan to utterly destroy the GOP is on the cusp of total success and having Christie as the 2016 GOP candidate for President would be the cherry on top.

Look.  Christie is, at best, a moderate to liberal, progressive republican.  This is the wing of the republican party that relegated the party to the wilderness for 40 years and is, in fact, doing it again -- even as we write this piece.

 I am convinced that Christie's wing of the GOP doesn't want to lead.  They are happiest when the democrats lead and they can stand back and take high sounding pot shots while becoming the perpetual loyal opposition.

Conservative republicans interested in leadership and especially in leading the country out of its malaise and back to world leadership had better get out of the GOP --  right now -- and form another party -- a party that will aggressively challenge the democrats who are quickly sewing up the political scene in America for at least a generation.

The leftist American press is assuring Americans that Christie is among the most electable GOP candidates in the running today.  What they fail to tell the American readership is this:  There are NO electable GOP candidates running today for President of the US.  NONE!

Look.  The 2016 presidential election is already lost to the Democrats.  The Dems already have the electoral college vote wrapped up. 

Consider this from an article by Myra Adams at The Daily Beast:   "After totaling the electoral votes in all the terminally blue states, an inconvenient math emerges, providing even a below average Democrat presidential candidate a potential starting advantage of 246. Here are the states and their votes:

CA (55), NY (29), PA (20), IL (20), MI (16), NJ (14), WA (12), MA (11), MN (10), WI (10), MD (10), CT (7), OR (7), HI (4), ME (4), NH (4), RT (4), VT (3), DE (3), DC (3).

Let me repeat, if only for the shock value: 246 votes out of 270 is 91 percent. That means the Democrat candidate needs to win only 24 more votes out of the remaining 292. (There are a total of 538 electoral votes.)  (Emphasis by underlining mine.)  SOURCE:  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/18/can-a-republican-win-270-electoral-votes-in-2016-or-ever.html

I am a life-long conservative and, until this time last year, I was a registered republican.  So, it gives me no pleasure, whatsoever, to make the prediction that Hillary has 2016 wrapped up.  In fact it tends to induce a potent bout of nausea.  But -- there it is.

Should Christie win the GOP nomination, the "stay at home" factor will rule the day on election day 2016.  If you think conservatives stayed at home when Romney was the candidate, in the words of Al Jolson: "You ain't seen nothing yet."   As likable as Christie is -- he is still seen as a northeastern moderate/liberal  candidate unacceptable to southern conservatives -- under any conditions.

But the leftist propaganda mill has already begun to grind out the puff pieces and PR pieces on Christie in an attempt to convince the republican electorate to support the ONLY candidate with any chance of winning against Hillary -- Chris Christie.  It is one of the oldest electioneering tricks in the book.   It is tried and true having worked many times in the past.

For more on the southern conservative feelings about Chris Christie we suggest you visit the Texas Fred Blog and read "Chris Christie Inducted into CAIR’s ‘Best List’ for Fighting ‘Islamophobia’."  You will find it at:  http://www.texasfred.net/archives/22310

This is NOT a new problem or a problem just surfacing for Christie.  An article by Daniel Pipes & Steve Emerson entitled:  "Chris Christie’s Islam Problem"  published at National Review Online in May of 2012 REALLY lifts the skirt on Christie's history of cozzying up to the Muslim community.  It is disturbing to say the very least.  You'll find the article at:   http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/297322/chris-christie-s-islam-problem-daniel-pipes

Probably the most important thing to remember about Chris Christie is this ... he is a republican elected in a solid, I mean SOLID, democrat state.  Conservatives simply do not get elected to the post of governor in New Jersey.  But a RINO (Republican In Name Only) obviously can be -- and has been.

Remember that.

J. D. Longstreet

The following chart shows the two year moving average of the percentage of the unemployed (25+ years of age) who have bachelor's degrees and higher.


Click to enlarge.

May 23, 2012
The Globalist: Moving Toward a Smarter World


The data certainly gushes. I'll give him that.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

 Today I have for you a classic approach with a modern, demanding allure.
It is well known that I love classic looks/ pieces but sometimes I love adding a "breath fresh of air" to my outfits. What I mean by that is adding my own signature to a look or wearing an unexpected item. Even though these days nothing probably surprise you (in fashion) I like trying different styles in one outfit. That being said: a long coat and espadrilles is my last experiment and I totally love it. Of course I will try a long coat and heels but I will never say no to a casual take, like this one!




                                                                    Coat: vintage/ a few great options Here, Here and Here
                                                                    Turtleneck lambswool sweater: Borelli Collection/ similar Here and Here 
                                                                    Pants: Tommy Hilfiger/ Here
                                                                    Espadrilles: Celine/ affordable versions Here and Here
                                                                    Bag: Lancaster Paris c/o Caro Marketing/ option Here and  Here  
                                                                    Bangle bracelets: vintage and monogramed Gorjana /Here 
                                                                    Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren

Click to enlarge.

As seen in the chart above, retail trade, leisure, and hospitality production and nonsupervisory employment has been growing faster than employment overall. This is clearly not a recent development.


Click to enlarge.

Not only do these jobs not pay well, but in inflation adjusted terms they pay roughly one-third less than they did in the early 1970s.

The future's so bright I gotta wear lampshades.

Source Data:
BLS: Employment
St. Louis Fed: CPI

Click to enlarge.

September 3, 2013
After a Recent Upswing, College Enrollment Declines, Census Bureau Reports


The math suggests that we are going to have some seriously well educated retail, leisure, and hospitality workers in the future.

Some people probably wonder why I'm still a permabear. Go figure.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty - vs- Tyranny

I found the following article by Ann Althouse interesting. More than just interesting really. Refreshing and honest as well.

In yesterday's interview with Chuck Todd, Obama said:

"You know, one of the lessons -- learned from this whole process on the website -- is that probably the biggest gap between the private sector and the federal government is when it comes to I.T. ...

Well, the reason is is that when it comes to my campaign, I'm not constrained by a bunch of federal procurement rules, right?"

That is, many have pointed out that his campaign website was really good, so why didn't that mean that he'd be good at setting up a health insurance website? The answer is that the government is bad because the government is hampered by... government!

"And how we write -- specifications and -- and how the -- the whole things gets built out. So part of what I'm gonna be looking at is how do we across the board, across the federal government, leap into the 21st century."

I love the combination of: 1. Barely able to articulate what the hell happens inside these computer systems, and 2. Wanting to leap!

"Because when it comes to medical records for veterans, it's still done in paper. Medicaid is still largely done on paper.

When we buy I.T. services generally, it is so bureaucratic and so cumbersome that a whole bunch of it doesn't work or it ends up being way over cost."

This should have made him sympathetic to the way government burdens private enterprise, but he's focused on liberating government to take over more of what has been done privately. And yet there's no plan, no idea about what would suddenly enable government to displace private businesses competing to offer a product people want to buy.

Instead, we've been told we must buy a product, and things have been set up so we can only go through the government's market (the "exchange"), and the government has already demonstrated that its market doesn't work. But you can't walk away, you're forced to buy, and there's nowhere else to go. And yet, he wants us to feel bad about the cumbersome bureaucracy the government encountered trying to procure the wherewithal to set up the market it had already decided we would all need to use. {Read More}

Indeed Ann, indeed.

Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

I am a fiscal conservative, a social libertarian, not a democrat, not a republican... I am an American and I vote, like millions of other Americans do. Although the total turnout is shameful to say the least. That is, however a story for another day.

In reading THE WEEK I admit to being a bit puzzled. The week is a conservative leaning publication so it is natural they would pitch the party line that republicans need to attract people from the traditional conservative strongholds. In other words white males over 30, married women (presumably with children), and the fundie right Christians.

The only problem with this recipe is there are increasingly less people in the demographic group this publication is suggesting republicans target. Ultimately it is a losing strategy and will insure 50 years (or more) of democratic rule. Period.

The real answer is to create a much bigger tent by adopting a socially libertarian viewpoint on individual preference, whether it be sexual orientation, reproductive rights (women's rights), marijuana use, and the complete host of other individual liberties. At the same time republicans need to enunciate how and why fiscally responsible conservatism is the road to national economic stability and a successful middle class. Being forthright and acknowledging it is time to tame the MIC Leviathan and our nation's role as the policeman of the world will be paramount if the republicans party is to survive. Simply put... whether a conservative or a liberal the majority think the people (all of them) are more important that the state retaining unchecked power and influence worldwide.

From THE WEEK:

If demography is destiny, Republicans can't win the presidency by acting more like Democrats. The GOP's best shot in 2016 is not to nominate a moderate. They must nominate a conservative who can attract more conservative voters to the polls, just like President Obama built his own coalition and increased the relative electoral power of each constituent part. Not that it will be easy.

As long as the GOP nominates someone plausible, they start off with 46 percent of the vote and a large chunk of the electoral college. Getting to 270 + 1 electoral votes and then to 50 percent of the popular balloting requires trade-offs and choices.

Where Obama drew in younger voters, unmarried women, black voters, and Latinos, Republicans would be wise to focus, in the short term, on raising turnout among married women, white men over 30, and self-described evangelical Christians.

Skip

Of course, overall demographic trends tilt the balance away from Republicans. The uphill climb begins with an awareness that Democrats will have somewhere between 200 and 250 electoral votes banked by Election Day. I'll start with 226, which leaves Pennsylvania (20 electoral votes) and 30 other states for Republicans to pick up. A lot of states, yes, but the most populous ones are already true blue, and there are fewer large states where Republicans can meaningfully turn out their demographic tranches relative to whatever a strong Democratic presidential candidate might do.

Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Iowa are pretty much the only states where there's enough give for Republicans. If the 2016 nominee wins those states, he or she will need at least eight more electoral votes...

Skip

What Republicans really can't do is nominate someone who would try to eat into Democratic percentages among younger voters and Latino voters. It's a much taller order to take votes away, and there aren't many states where, unless Democrats massively lose face among these groups, a Republican can take them over. (I see just two: Colorado and Florida.)

So to those who say: The GOP will ONLY win the presidency if it moderates its tone on social issues, I say: not with the electorate as currently constituted. It might be useful, but it is neither necessary or sufficient.

All in all the recipe presented by THE WEEK is more of the same short sighted view that cost republicans in 2008 and 2012. It is fairly oblivious (or at least t should be) that some conservatives and republicans just don't get bit. Probably they never will.

Via: Memeorandum

Click to enlarge.

You can disregard the blue point due to the government shutdown if you like. As for the trend in red, a good pair of rose-colored glasses will make it virtually invisible!

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Custom Chart

Carolyn C. Alcala and Anthony J. Judd

Kathryn Stalbaum

 I told you that you don't have to wait too much for seeing another outfit ( with a good dose of color this time) combined with those Zara boots that are becoming lately my everyday shoes :)

Those not in the labor force have grown nearly 3.2 million over the past year, with nearly 1 million in just the past month.


Click to enlarge.

There was a major long-term trend shift starting in 2000. The Fed didn't like the old normal in red so it offered us up a housing bubble and in its aftermath a new normal in blue. It's a bit hard to tell the two normals apart in the chart. Well, you kind of can. The new normal is a bit steeper. It's probably trying to make up for lost can kicking ground. Oh the futility! Unintended consequences for the win!


Click to enlarge.

Note that the Great Recession also created a major long-term trend shift in those dropping out of the labor force permanently more than likely. One wonders if there will be more employment mass extinction events in the not too distant future. One especially wonders that if all this current can kicking is no more permanent than the last time.

Source Data:
St. Louis Fed: Not in Labor Force per Capita
St. Louis Fed: Real Social Security Benefits per Capita

by: Les Carpenter Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Polls are admittedly mere indicators of the political pulse of the public. It is true arguments can be made that depending on the political preference(s), or leanings of the particular organization responsible for any specific poll that the poll may be manipulated through specific wording of poll questions. Questions intentionally designed to generate the response desired by the pollster. Few thinking individual would disagree.

President Obama's job approval ratings have been steadily declining and almost all polls reflect this decline. After considering multiple sources of information over a two week period Pew Research, Center for the People the Press seemed to be the most nonpartisan and thus reflective of the public's general sentiments.

A quick summary:

• Overall job approval rating  41%
• Americans disapprove of the way Obama is handling four of five major issues. Terrorism being the lone exception.
• Only 31% of Americans approve of the way Obama has handled the economy, 65% disapprove.
• 21% of independents give Obama positive marks on the economy, 65% of democrats approve. (No surprise there)
• Obama health care rating is a net negtive. 37% approve, 59% didapprove.
• Only 32% of the public aprove of the job Obama s doing on the immigration issue. 53% of democrats approve and  42% disapprove.
• Obama's job approval ratings have declined from 515 in May this year to 46% in July, 43% in October, and 41% now.
• Obama's 12-point difference between disapproval (53%) and approval (41%) over the last month is the largest of his presidency.
• Over the past year Obama's job approval ratings among his core supportyers has dropped from 88% to 78%. Republican aproval ratings have remained at just 12% over the sae time period.

Partisan democrats while showing a decline in support for the president his core constituency remains solidly behind him. Republican support remains, as expected, at near sub zero temperatures.

The Charts:

It is clear that partisanship remains a factor in the public's perception of the President's performance and effectiveness. It is equally as clear that those who typically are less or non partisan are souring on the President's performance. These are the swing voters who may very well affect the outcome of the 2014 and 2016 elections. If the trend continues it may be a steep uphill battle for the democrats to even retain control of the senate.

Via: Memeorandum

Photos: Facebook

The following chart shows motor vehicle loans as a percentage of annual wage and salary accruals.


Click to enlarge.

How much debt is too much? We'll find out someday if we keep hugging the bottom of that trend channel.

October 28, 2013
More new-car buyers opt for 7-year loans


Source Data:
FRB: Historical Motor Vehicle Loans
St. Louis Fed: Compensation of Employees: Wages & Salary Accruals