Big Oil slaps back at the Government Pimp

Rendell's mission to be alienate everyone in PA continues.

Paradoxically, I think Ed Rendell would have been a fabulous businessman. I say this because he is so innately, reflexively acquisitive. From gambling to driving to Marcellus Shale, he has a keen eye for identifying captive consumers and bleeding their money. Such a talent is, if not the engine of capitalism, at least its transmission. The uniquely creative conceive the products that could change the world, but they are rarely the ones who figure out how to turn it into money. (For instance, the next thing Bill Gates invents will be the first.) Rendell is of the second sort; I imagine that as a child he squeezed blandest lemonade in Philadelphia but always set his stand up at the highest-traffic corner.

But that's the catch, and it's the point that the so-called "moderate Democrats" can't seem to grasp. Government is not a business. When business seeks to grow, expand or conquer new markets, it only succeeds by the consent of the populus, and so the populus benefits. When goverment seeks the same ends, it does so conscriptively, and the populus is deprived.

Moderate Dems earn their moderate cred by speaking the shibboleths of the free market. When they propose a grand government project, they don't speak of sentimental egalitarianism or elite aesthetics. Instead they advertise to us the lush revenues that the program will generate. Along the same lines, Rendell-style politicians tend to favor consumption taxes, and they justify them with the defense that, hey, if you don't want to pay it, don't buy into the program. I will concede that taxes levied upon consumption are incrementally pro-market than those levied upon wealth; the problem, though, is that government is only entrusted with the performance of irreducible tasks. If a state raises prices on something under its power, the consumer has no other choices (e.g. the Turnpike). Consumption taxes are consequently not only ill-advised but often immoral--or, in the case of Rendell's oil tax, just plain illegal.

The natural end of this brand of governance has just manifested itself in Pennsylvania. We are America's newest codependents to the demon of state-sanctioned gaming. Once you justify reckless government initiatives based on some accountants conjecture about the resulting revenue, habits that once appeared as vices begin to look like "emerging markets." I selected the term Government Pimp deliberately, and I mean it. If tomorrow Pennsylvanians stopped drinking, smoking and gambling, Harrisburg couldn't pay its electrical bill. Meanwhile, these taxes continue to attract less money than we were promised while politicians incur more debt than they projected. Is it so outlandish to picture Pennsylvania, a generation or two in the future, legalizing prostitution and several drugs on the theory that the tax revenue will finally allow us to pay our pensions?

And hey, if you don't want to pay it, don't buy the product.

Onorato's General Incompetence Making National News

It's not just for Pittsburgh Republicans anymore:

http://www.nationalreview.com/battle10/state/Pa.

Hat tip to Myself, since I was the one who sent the link to National Review.

Great Poll for Mike Kelly

http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot

I've known this guy all my life. I still get a kick out of seeing is name on national sites.

In the same survey, you can see the post-industrial region in general turning very, very red.

If Somone Gets me Decent Sledgehammer, I'll Take the Arena Down Myself.

There is an interesting tension, I think, between conservatives and liberals of a nostalgic bent. (E.g., the preservationists and the conservationists, with whom we share etymology. And come to think of it, if the word wasn't all ready taken, I might self-identify as a "preservative.") We would seem to have a lot in common. With our most fundmental instincts, we seek to maintain things. (Ooh! How about "maintenists?") We tend maintain values and institutions; they try to prevent change in the tactile things around us. For that reason, I don't object to preservation and conservation per se, which is why I'm all the more frustrated by institutional nostalgia when it insists on picking battles that are specious, obstructive and downright asinine.

Keep this in mind, please, as I begin to eviscerate the movement to save Mellon Arena, perhaps the ugliest sporting venue in North America. The call it the "igloo" because of its hemispheric shape, but that is being euphemistic. Igloos are natural, and the arena is the apotheosis of dehumanizing urbanism; igloos are colored a pure white, and the arena has deteriorated from a cold silver to a pathetic gray. And not only does this awkward monstrosity blight the cityscape like a lifeless urban pimple, it was designed and built so hastily and carelessly, that its ungainly location is often blamed for the decline of the Hill District, Pittsburgh's once-iconic black neighborhood (--although, as conservatives, we know that the New Deal, the Great Society and the cultural unraveling of the inner city are also major factors). Getting rid of the arena, and fast, would improve the aesthetics of the city, open up a chance at renewal for one of Pittsburgh's most desperate neighborhoods, invigorate the city and county coffers with a much needed multi-millon dollar transaction, and provide the region with a giant, wide open plot of city real estate for development. With these interests aligned, you would think the stupid thing would already be flattened.

Of course not! There are people in this town who actually want to save it. Apparently even the most politically sentimental among us don't have the nerve to suggest that a city of 300,000 people can sustain to two 16,000+ seat arenas, so the nostalgists have resorted to ridiculous suggestions like this. Some of the nostalgists suggest, correctly, that at its inception the "Civic" Arena was a major architectural achievement. Designed to house the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, it was the largest retratable-roof stadium ever conceived or built.

The problem with that argument is this: The symphony moved out after one year and the Pittsburgh Penguins moved in, and shortly thereafter the sporting world was introduced to the Jumbotron. Since the venue was not intended to preserve an ice rink, it was a terrible hockey venue with a terrible ice surface, especially when the Pens played hockey into the summer months. And since the Jumbotron was suspended from the ceiling, the roof never opened again. So, while it was hailed as a triumph on the day the ribbon was cut, history has shown it to be a short-sighted disaster like most of the other brave new venues of the era. (Remember this beautiful craphole?) In a world where Forbes Field can give way to (eventually) PNC Park, any movement to preserve this comparatively worthless arena amounts to either stubbornness or liberal self-promotion.

So what should we do with that real estate? I've got a novel idea: sell it. No meetings, no stipulations, no feasibility studies, no economic impact studies, no environmental impact studies, no community write-in contests. Just sell it to the highest bidder and bank the check. The thing about those heartless developers is that they're pretty good at developing. The person who pays the most for the land probably has the most lucrative idea. This open plot of land is a perfect opportunity to let these people do what they get paid to do for once.

But really, I don't care if they turn it into a park and it never throws off a dime of revenue. Or if they turn it into a parking garage and it's almost as ugly as the thing it replaced. Just lay off the phony sentimentalism; some things need to die in order for others to mature. Schumpeter called in "creative destruction." In the case of the Mellon/Civic Arena, I call it "mercy."

Amateur Hour with Dan Onorato

http://www.alleghenycounty.us/greenfestival/

Who better to tackle Pennsylvania's looming budget deficit than a guy who not only funds this sentimental nonsense, but actually thinks it's a reason to vote for him?

Seeing this guy's name in the national press reminds me of when the worst player on my little league team would get two singles (both of which were really errors) and the coach would put his name in the paper. Or when a twenty-six-year-old neophyte fell back-asswards into the mayor's office and ended up on Letterman.

Parked Revenue

The Boy King is finally starting to get his sea legs. I must say that I'm legitimately pleased with his parking lease plan. (Whoever is holding the crayon for him should be proud.)

Due respect to the small businesses yelping about the effect that higher parking rates will have on their income statements. I still love you guys, and I promise to make it up to you. But we need the money, folks. It's the fault of the Democrats, it's the fault of progressivism, and it's the fault of public-sector unionism. But those dice were cast long ago. Much like the entitlement crisis that the federal government faces, the longer we wait to take our medicine, the worse it's going to taste. To complain that it's not our fault is to give ourselves over to the same immature selfishness and the same zero-sum reasoning that enabled these swollen pensions in the first place.

There are no pleasant options here, and here's why the parking lease is my masochism-of-choice:

• It preserves, and in fact enhances, the free market. In this case, the intersection of supply and demand takes us to an unfortunate place, which is to say higher parking rates. But what kind of reason is that to justify socialized parking? Who are we, Democrats?
• It provides a lump-sum infusion of cash. This is useful, because it ensures the money will be put to its intended use--especially right now, when hostility to profligacy is running so hot. Whenever you promise beaureaucrats $10 million ;er year ad inifinitum, they spend $12 million and misappropriate $3 million.
• There's no one left downtown to punish! To state that higher parking rates will adversely impact retail stores, bars and restaurants in the Golden Triangle suggests that there are retail stores, bars and restaurants in the Golden Triangle. There is no discretionary spending downtown anymore; that's the problem, remember? Anybody who's paying to park downtown right now probably has no choice but to continue to do so. And if the increased rates inspire commuters to throw a few more bucks at the Port Authority, well, that's something we need also.

Of course, there's something conspicuously absent from the Mayor's plan. How does he intend to reform pensions so that we aren't leasing everything else that the City owns twenty years from now? It's not enough to break even now; the equation is intrinsically unbalanced. If Luke has the rocks to promote an answer to that question, Pittsburgh might have a real Mayor.

"Mickey Mouse Economy"

http://www.cnbc.com/id/38654017

And, you know what? This guy's absolutely right. One thing that conservatives and Rust Belt Democrats can lament upon together, I think, is that America doesn't "make" anything anymore. Wealth just sort of passes through us the way a worm enriches soil.

No state perceives this more starkly, of course, than Pennsylvania. (I know, Michigan, I know. Just let me make my point.) Where we differ is what to do next. The union-Democratic vision for America, to the extent that it differs from a ribald kleptocracy, is one in which the economic dynamics of the early 1960s are held frozen by legislative fiat. Americans would be able to carve out cozy middle-class lives for themselves performing useful but menial jobs and could not be fired. When the cost of living rises, wages would rise to cover it. And nobody would be fired. Nobody.

If you majored in Economics, or took Econ 101, or performed satisfactorily in high school algebra, or have ever balanced your checkbook, or run a lemonade stand, you know that's not possible. So what to do next, really? Well, we're sitting on enough coal and natural gas to make us the engine of the world economy for generations. How about we start there?

Today in Media Bias

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/40941.html

So here's my takeaway from the story: there were no special or primary elections held on Tuesday, so neither party won anything. A Democrat with somewhere in the 30's won his primary in a swing state, while a Republican with electability problems won a primary in one of American's bluest states.

And Politico calls that a good night? Hot damn, November 3rd is going to be one amusing morning!

Dan Onorato: Libertarian Crusader

At an appearance in Centre County today, Dan Onorato said this:

“I don’t think you, me or anyone at the local level should have to go and beg Harrisburg for permission to do something within your own county.”

As someone who voted for Senator Maverick, I suppose I can't eviscerate the poor guy for tacking toward the center when the public mood is against his party and he's getting sodomized in the polls. But this guy's killing me with this comment. For seven years he's been hoarding state funds for every single project in the county. And for the past two, he's been using stimulus funds for everything short of filling his gas tank.

The Headline Speaks for Itself

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/081010-panther-blames-fox-jews-for-vote-flap

It sure is hard to plumb the depths of a story when your subject secretes ideas like this from his own mouth.

But since I went to the trouble to post it, let me offer something. If you're having trouble parsing the legitimate black liberal intellectual movement from angry, half-educated, crypto-communist manchildren, here's a hint: look for the name Shabazz. If you click on that link, you also might be surprised to learn that the Nation of Islam has a "doctrine."

What's the difference between the Nation of Islam, Liberation Theology, Kwanzaa, The Church of Scientology and The Church of NO MA'AM? If fact, given their reliance on fake history, the better question is what is the difference between all of these pseudo-religious pyramid schemes and progressivism itself?

If the three controlling issues in the 2010 elections are jobs, immigration and gay marriage, whom does that benefit?

Do you know in horror movies, when one of the minor characters walks towards a door, and you know the murderer is on the other side of that door, and you yell, "Don't open the door! Don't open the door!" and then the character steps back from the door and you think she's going to be okay, but then at the last minute she turns back towards the door and opens it after all? Do you know how you feel when you watch that?

That's what it's like to watch liberals these days.

Inaugural post: Our Bad Ideas are Getting Noticed!

God has smiled on me:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pdf/201008/20100802report-summertimeblues.pdf

I start a new blog on a Sunday, and by the proceeding Tuesday, the Senate shines a national spotlight on one of my favorite causes. It seems that Pittsburgh's star-crossed North Shore Connector project has outgrown our pleasant little hamlet and is now not only a civic embarassment but a national one. Today, Tom Coburn and John McCain published "Summertime Blues," a report highlighting the most pathetic municipal boondoggles to receive money in the name of stimulus. On a list of 100 of the most wasteful, useless examples government graft and grade-school Keynesianism, the North Shore Connecter was discussed third. It's unclear whether or not Coburn and McCain consider this the third worst stimulus project in the country, but they certainly gave it some enviable real estate. Hardly anyone's going to read about the project listed 87th. I sure didn't.

A moment ago I used the term "star-crossed" to describe the North Shore Connector; I was only being coy. Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed. A crack baby is star-crossed. This big, stupid hole was a farce to anyone who was paying attention. And that's not just hindsight: five years ago, I recall passing emails back-and-forth with some friends of mine, probably nursing a hangover at the time, poking fun at what an aimless investment this was. Maybe me and my battle-tempered liver should have been County Commisioner instead of Dan Onorato.

At the time, I attributed the enthusiasm for the project to envy; it seemed that we wanted a quixotic government endeavor just like Boston and the other big cities. (I may have had a point, too, because when Ravenstahl the Boy King became Mayor, he chose to audit Boston's city government instead of, say, Charlotte or Nashville or Houston or some other city that's actually done well over the past decade.) The past few years have demonstrated, though, that the pathology runs much deeper--and much wider--than that.

The Infrastructure Insanity pervades almost every corner of the Democratic constituency, and regrettably, it has more traction in the Republican Party than it would appear now, at the crest of the Tea Party Era. The truth is, people love shiny new toys. They want to believe in shiny new toys. Costs get rounded down, benefits get rounded up (or sometimes conjured out of Keynesian alchemy), and pretty soon we're digging a hole under a river (and under three four-land bridges, no less) to connect one underoccupied area of the city to another.

As McCain and Coburn put it, this was all to shuffle people to the new casine and to the sports stadiums. From this perspective, the inanity of stimulus spending appears in stark relief. Downtown, there were no people; at PNC Park, there was no product; and somehow spending $500 million dollars to sew the two failed private enterprises together would cure both ailments. And, if you're not already aware, the Steelers haven't had a problem filling their seats since Richard Nixon was considered electable.

What "Summertime Blues" illustrates, and the "tragic mistake" of the North Shore Connector reinforces, is that the lure of the shiny new toys is all the more irresistible when we're splitting the bill with no one in particular.