Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.
The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded.
Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific technological elite.
It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system — ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.
– Military-Industrial Complex Speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961

. . . understandable for someone whose only talent is non-stop campaigning in all 57 states…

There must be some reason our “fearless leader” hides his Harvard grades & writings. The word “clueless” comes to mind. When I consider how this administration was going to be transparent and open–and juxtaposition it against the lengthy list of nominees who have been tax cheats or clearly have a conflict of interest–the “What if Bush did this?” game is rife with hypocrisy. So–let me get this straight, if you are liberal–or in this case, Marxist–you can do anything you like without scrutiny from the media? Do all these folks waiting for a government hand-out know that they are trading liberty & the American dream for socialism? Or are they also “clueless”??

Matthew Kaminiski’s well written article traces the decline of the state. In summary:

In the last three decades, California expanded the public sector and regulation to Europe-like dimensions. Schools, state employees, health care, even dog kennels, benefited from largesse in flush times. Government workers got 16 official holidays, everyone else six. The state dabbled with universal health care and adopted strict environmental standards. In short, California went where our new president and Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco want America to go.

Good food for thought. Read the whole thing.

Jammie Wearing Fool plugs NC Cop for the AMW All-Stars award.

JWF beat out ST for the 2008 Best Large Blog award this year, and if my favorite blog had to lose to anyone, his is the one I’d want to win. Proves not all of us in NJ are moonbats.

Oh yeah, if you haven’t done so already, you still have three days to vote for NC Cop here. Although I’d feel more confident if he hired ACORN to handle the get-out-the-vote campaign.

Time to play our new favorite game! Let’s play “What if Bush did this?”

In a speech before the Canadian Parliament, Obama confused Iowa and Ottawa, Canada. But I guess that’s understandable for someone whose only talent is non-stop campaigning in all 57 states…

The Obama administration is seriously thinking about participating in a new UN-sponsored Israel-bashing conference. The last time the UN did this, the Bush administration did the right thing and refused to get involved.

But this one goes beyond just anti-Semitism. Here’s what else it wants:

The draft also calls “on states to develop, and where appropriate to incorporate, permissible limitations on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression into national legislation.”

Read that one again, real slow.

The UN mob is bent on supressing free speech. Since the usual UN cast of characters is involved, that means no criticizing islamofascists. And the Obama administration has not said this is unacceptable.

The future does not look bright.