Free Frank Warner

On Thursday, a massacre in the name of Islam; on Friday, a massacre for professional pride. It’s Saturday

Two days ago, we’re told, U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, because he believed the U.S. Army was his enemy for fighting Muslim extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yesterday, we’re told, engineer Jason Rodriguez killed one man and wounded five other people at his old Orlando, Florida, engineering firm because he believed the firm had left him “to rot” when it fired him two years ago.

Someone got a problem today?

Frank Warner

Robert Reich: Jobs first, health care later

Robert Reich, Democrat, is on the money more often than he is not. He can be partisan, but he also is willing to tell the obvious truth, as he does here:

I sincerely hope America gets genuine health reform and I hope it's stronger than what's emerging in the Senate. (Whoever voted for Joe Lieberman last time around ought to pray for continued good health.) ... Obama's focus on health care rather than jobs, when the economy is still so fragile and unemployment moving toward double digits, could make it appear that the administration has its priorities confused. While affordable health care is critically important to Americans, making a living is more urgent. Yet the administration's efforts to date on this more basic concern have been neither particularly visible nor coherent.

'Stimulus' without power. A job-creation plan takes thoughtful consideration. Especially because it depends on hundreds of billions of borrowed dollars, it must be wisely targeted and, as Reich says, "coherent."

I shake my head with wonder at the money we've tossed to the wind this year for pet projects and favored special interests. Just $400 billion of that could have built 100 nuclear power plants. That would be lots of jobs for 10 years and lots of energy for another generation.

Instead, we have 10.2 percent unemployment, our trade deficit mounts on imports of foreign oil, and nothing practical is being done to solve the most pressing problem of jobs.

Frank Warner

GOP health plan: $61 billion cost, $68 billion savings over 10 years

Congressman John Boener has submitted a House Republican health-care plan that, he says, would cut deficits by $68 billion over the next 10 years by limiting lawsuits, simplifying paperwork and encouraging small businesses to pool insurance risks.

The plan's $61 billion price tag is about 6 percent of the Democrats' $1 trillion cost. If it's workable, it's an example of thinking hard to do good things cheaper.

The Congressional Budget Office has evaluated the Boener plan and makes these observations:

* Tort reform -- lawsuit limits -- would save $41 billion over 10 years.

* Administrative simplification would save $6 billion over 10 years.

* A state innovations program would cost $32 billion over 10 years.

* Reinsurance and high-risk pools would cost $24 billion over 10 years.

First, do no harm. Though overall it cuts costs, the plan does not seem to vastly increase the percent of Americans with health insurance. Perhaps 3 million more needy Americans would have insurance. Democrats say their plan would cover 30 million more.

For the Republicans, cutting costs seems to be a first step. Covering a larger portion of the nation seems a secondary priority. In a deep and shaky recession, with only tentative signs of recovery, this makes some sense.

The Democrats ought to take a close look at this.

Frank Warner

White House removes fake art from East Wing

The painting by Alma Thomas, who obviously stole every shape from Henri Matisse's "The Snail," has been removed from the East Wing of the White House.

I doubt anyone will ask for Matisse's original. Just have Malia and Sasha toss pieces of construction paper at random. Something better will show.

Frank Warner

Republican Congress members take corrupt earmarks

In case anyone was wondering if the government corruption was limited to the Democrats in power, note that most Republicans on the GOP's own select committee for earmark reform are themselves seeking the corrupt earmarks.

Politico reports:

Among the committee’s members, only [Jeff] Flake [R-Ariz.] and [Jeb] Hensarling [R-Texas] have refrained from seeking earmarks this year. The other eight members — [Cathy] Rodgers [R-Wash. state], [Doc] Hastings [R-Wash. state] and Reps. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Randy Forbes (R-Va.), John Mica (R-Fla.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) — have all requested earmarks.

Secret bribes. I'll re-emphasize an old point: The worst problem with secret earmarked spending items is not that they pay for bad projects. (Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't.)

The real problem is that, because the full Congress intentionally doesn't know what all these items are before it votes, many millions of dollars become, in effect, personal income to each Congress member -- money each member can use to pay off lobbyists who pay the congressman back with "donations."

Frank Warner

Capitalism and socialism, as applied to baseball

Laissez-Faire Capitalist Baseball League: The team in the largest media market is allowed to use its corner on cash to hire the top players, even those who used steroids to bulk up without effort.

Free Market Baseball League: Every team has the same reasonable salary cap and the same chance to pick the top players. With pride and merchandising profits at stake, teams work hard to improve.

Socialist Baseball League: Every player is paid equally and every game ends in a tie. With no incentive to play better, players grow fat and listless, and prolong games with frequent doughnut breaks.

Communist Baseball League: Every player is paid equally, but every team except the capital city’s must wear chains. Anyone who complains about the shackles is shot.

Take me out to the free and fair ballgame.

Frank Warner (Phillies fan)

Triumph of money over virtue

The New York Yankees, with a $208 million payroll, have defeated the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, who have a $111 million payroll, in the 2009 World Series.

It's not so bad that the Yankees paid out the most of any Major League Baseball team. That's normal, and steroids are expensive. What is most disappointing is that they took the championship from the most virtuous of fans -- us, fans of the Philadelphia Phillies.

It's been a virtuoso two years, Phillies. I'm proud of you's guys.

Frank Warner

Democrats rejected in New Jersey and Virginia

Nov. 3 election returns.

For New Jersey governor:
Chris Christie (Republican): 49 percent.
Jon Corzine (Democrat, incumbent): 44 percent.

For Virginia governor:
Bob McDonnell (Republican): 59 percent.
R. Creigh Deeds (Democrat): 41 percent.

For New York City mayor:
Michael Bloomberg (Independent, former Republican, incumbent): 51 percent.
William Thompson (Democrat): 46 percent.

President Obama could claim victories in New York and Maine.

In New York’s 23rd congressional district:
Bill Owens (Democrat): 49 percent.
Douglas Hoffman (Conservative): 45 percent.
Dede Scozzafava (Republican, who withdrew): 6 percent.

For repeal of Maine gay-marriage law:
Repeal gay marriage: 53 percent.
Keep gay marriage: 47 percent.

Elections coming in 2010: 39 governors’ seats, 38 U.S. Senate seats and the entire U.S. House.

Frank Warner

Despite al-Qaida link, Large Hadron Collider to let particles collide again

Last year, some scientists worried that the Large Hadron Collider in France and Switzerland could suck human civilization down a micro black hole. Now the collider is ready to roll again, but with new anxieties:

What is even scarier about the Large Hadron Collider, however, is that one of the CERN physicists working on the project (his name has not been released) was arrested Oct. 12 on suspicion of having Al Qaeda connections.

Couldn’t we at least know who this suspect is before these European researchers restart their proton and ion pinball machine?

Frank Warner

Phillies hang in, Lee sparkles, Utley ties record

There will be a Game 6 in the 2009 World Series. The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies fought off elimination last night, defeating the New York Yankees 8-6.

The Yankees now have won three games, the Phillies two. Whoever wins four games first wins the championship title. The next baseball game is tomorrow.

Last night, Phillies second-baseman Chase Utley smacked two more home runs, tying Reggie Jackson’s record for the most home runs -- five -- hit in a World Series. Utley is Mr. November.

‘I don’t get sore.’ We Phillies fans wish Cliff Lee could pitch every game. He now has won Games 1 and 5. Reporters asked him whether his arm would be too sore in three days to pitch in a possible Game 7.

“Sore?” Lee said. “I don’t get sore.”

That’s the spirit that wins championships.

Frank Warner