Learning Economics by Trial and Error

Austin Hill

From Townhall.com by Austin Hill - We could call it President Obama’s “mission accomplished” moment. After less than two years in office, Barack Obama has successfully forced his way into the position of “de facto CEO” over huge chunks of the economy. Car companies, lending institutions, insurance companies and healthcare providers – he has spoken, and they are reacting. Yet after having achieved his goal, the President seems unhappy. And the American people are most certainly unhappy with him. Why? Read here: 

Learning Economics by Trial and Error

Progressive: Republican Win Bad for the "World"

From Progressive.org - The Republican electoral victory bodes ill for the world. It will further diminish the chances of anything constructive happening in the international arena. The Senate is the chamber that has more control over foreign policy, famously through its power of “advise and consent.” This is manifested through Senate approval of treaties and appointments. With the truncated Democratic majority, whatever little momentum that existed for arms control or global warming agreements has been further decreased. The new nuclear-arms reduction treaty with Russia faces uncertain prospects. If the Obama Administration feels inclined to arrive at a binding agreement to limit planetary greenhouse gas emissions, the chances of the Senate ratifying it are close to zero. And other multilateral compacts the Obama Administration was diffidently inching toward, such as the International Criminal Court, are now doomed. Read here:

Progressive: Republican Win Bad for the "World"

Progressive Calls for Olbermann's Return

The bosses over at MSNBC have blundered badly by suspending Keith Olbermann indefinitely, without pay, for contributing to Democratic candidates. And they’ve done so because they worship the false idol of “objective” journalism.

Keith Olbermann

There is no such thing as “objective” journalism. Every journalist carries along his or her own set of beliefs, biases, likes and dislikes. It’s actually unhealthy for society when journalists and their bosses pretend otherwise or try to mask these preferences. And it’s grossly unfair to the journalists to strip them of their citizenship rights. Some journalists, like Jim Lehrer, are so concerned about having their “objectivity” called into question that they don’t even vote! Read here:

Progressive Calls for Olbermann's Return

Aggie Volleyball Defeats San Jose State 3-1

bleedCrimson.net Report
The Aggie volleyball team overcame a sluggish performance to defeat San Jose State on Saturday night winning 3-1. Kayleigh Giddens recorded her eighth 20-plus kill match of the season finishing with 22 kills. After losing the first set the Aggies won the final three sets 25-19, 25-17 and 25-20.

The Aggies dropped the first set 29-27. The Aggies trailed much of the early part of the set before tying the set at 12-12. The Spartans would take a 17-15 lead in the set but a 5-1 run would give the Aggies a 20-18 lead. The Spartans would take a 22-21 lead in the set but the Aggies would have set point at 24-23 after a service error by the Spartans' Katie Turner. The Aggies would be unable to end the set as Kayleigh Giddens' hitting error tied the set at 24. The Aggies would have another set point up 25-24, again at 26-25 and once again at 27-26, however, the Spartans would get a kill from Hanah Blume to tie the set at 27-27 and and attack error from Ellen Miks and a block an attack attempt by Whitney Woods would give the Spartans the first set 29-27.

The Aggies would jump to a quick 15-7 lead in the second set but San Jose State would go on a 9-0 run to take a 16-15 lead forcing an Aggie timeout. Out of the timeout the Aggies would retake the lead going up 20-17. The Spartans would cut the lead to two points at 20-18 but the Aggies would score five of the final six points to take the set 25-19.

The Aggies would dominate the third set jumping out to a quick 8-1 lead. The Aggies would extend their lead to nine points at 12-3. The Aggies would continue to hold a comfortable cushion as their lead would grow to 11 points at 17-6. The Aggies would go up 22-11 forcing another San Jose State timeout and out of the timeout the Spartans would outscore the Aggies 6-2 to cut the Aggies' lead to 24-17 before New Mexico State finished off the set 25-17 on a kill by Kayleigh Giddens.
The Spartans would not go quietly in the fourth set jumping out to an 8-3 lead and forcing an Aggie timeout. The Aggies would still trail 10-7 after a kill by the Spartans' Alex Akana but the Aggies would get a kill by Kelsey Brennan and a block by Brennan and Kayleigh Giddens to cut the deficit to one at 10-9. The Aggies would take their first lead at 12-11 on a double block by Michelle Kuester and Kayleigh Giddens on an attack by Alex Akana. The Aggies would get a solo block by Kayleigh Giddens to go ahead 13-11 but the Spartans would come back to tie the set at 13-13. The Aggies would go on a 3-0 run to take a 16-13 lead forcing a timeout by the Spartans. The Aggies would extend the lead to 19-15 and go up 22-17 forcing another timeout by the Spartans. The Aggies would close out the set winning 25-20.

The victory improves the Aggies' record to 17-10 overall and 11-2 in WAC play.

Aggie Volleyball Defeats San Jose State 3-1

Aggie Football Falls 27-22 At Utah State

bleedCrimson.net Report
The Aggies have had some long kickoff returns this season but it was a pair of long kickoff returns against them that did them in as they lost 27-22 to Utah State in Logan on Saturday afternoon after leading 17-10 at halftime. The Aggies out-gained Utah State 346-296, had more first downs 22 to 17, won the turnover battle 1-0 and won the time of possession battle 34:13 to 25:47 but came out on the short end of the scoreboard due in large part to kickoff returns of 84 yards and 68 yards by Utah State's Kerwynn Williams.

The Aggie defense held Diondre Borel to 11-of-22 passing for 110 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Borel ran for 30 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown. Derrvin Speight rushed for 114 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown.

New Mexico State quarterback Matt Christian finished the day 17-of-34 for 191 yards and a touchdown. Kenny Turner rushed for 68 yards on 17 carries and also caught seven passes for 64 yards. Todd Lee had two receptions for 37 yards including a 32-yard touchdown reception.

Tyler Stampler finished with a pair of field goals including a career-long 48 yard attempt.

Taveon Rogers had six kickoff returns for 102 yards but was outperformed by Utah State's Kerwynn Williams who had five kickoff returns for 201 yards and averaged 40.2 yards per return and had returns of 84 and 68 yards.

The Aggies fall to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in WAC play. Utah State improves to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in conference play.

Aggie Football Falls 27-22 At Utah State

Martinez Team Taking Shape

Susana Martinez

According to reports in the Albuquerque Journal, the Susana Martinez transition team is continuing to take shape. Before throwing out the football at last night's LCHS - Mayfield game, the Martinez team announced that several members of her campaign staff would take jobs in the new administration. Along with former Rep. Heather Wilson, who will lead the transition team, former state house member Brian Moore of Clayton, was named the director of policy planning for Martinez's transition. Earlier this year Moore was unsuccesful in his bid for the Republican lieutenant governor nomination. Others Martinez transition team members include: Campaign manager Ryan Cangiolosi, Lawyer Paul Kennedy, Pollster and Consultant Nicole McCleskey, Former RNC spokesman Danny Diaz, and Campaign Operations Deputies Matt Kennicott and Matt Stackpole. Outgoing governor Bill Richardson pledged earlier in the week to cooperate fully with the transition process at the Round House.

Martinez Team Taking Shape

Zuckerman: America's Love Affair With Obama Is Over

Mort Zuckerman

From U.S. News and World Report - It was the worst of times for the Democrats and the best of times for the Republicans—almost. The GOP did not succeed in capturing the Senate, or dethroning the Democratic leader, but with an energy boost from the Tea Party movement it certainly reflected the anger and dismay of voters who see their country foundering at home and abroad. The results represent a sharp rebuke to President Obama, who interpreted his 2008 "vote for change" as a mandate for changing everything and all at once. Right from the start, he got his priorities badly wrong, sacrificing the need to help create jobs in favor of his determination to pass Obamacare. It was the state of the economy that demanded genius and concentration, and it just did not get it.

The president will now have to respond to public anger, not with anger management and, not, please God, with still more rhetoric. The unusually revealing exit polls spell it all out—how he re-energized the Republican Party, lost the independent center, and failed to overcome the widespread sense that the country is heading in the wrong direction. The exit polls conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool show that the economy was the dominant issue, rated at 62 percent, while healthcare was only at 18 percent. Minority voters remained loyal (9 in 10 blacks and 2 in 3 among Hispanics), but everywhere else Obama was deserted. Independents and women fled the Democrats; among white women, no less than 57 percent chose the GOP. There are some surprises for the conventional wisdom. The case for creating more jobs by government spending was rated within a hair's breadth of reducing the deficit (37 percent to 39 percent) and opinion was evenly divided (33 to 33) on whether the stimulus had hurt or helped the economy. Voters registered their disapproval of Democratic control of Congress and of what the White House promised but failed to deliver. It is apparent that Obama didn't seem to have understood the problems of the average American. Read here:

Zuckerman: America's Love Affair With Obama Is Over

Keith Olbermann is Suspended by MSNBC

Keith Olbermann

(CNN) - Keith Olbermann, MSNBC's primetime firebrand host, has been suspended indefinitely for violating the ethics policies of his employer earlier this year when he donated to three Democrats seeking federal office, MSNBC announced Friday. "I became aware of Keith's political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay," MSNBC President Phil Griffin said in a statement. First reported by Politico and confirmed by Federal Election Commission filings, the primetime television host gave $2,400 – the maximum individual amount allowed – to each of the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway, and Arizona Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. (View PDF's of FEC filings for Conway, Grijalva, and Giffords). Conway lost his bid to Republican Rand Paul while Grijalva eked out a win over Tea Party-backed candidate Ruth McClung for a fifth term. Grijalva found himself in an increasingly competitive race after he announced his support of a boycott of Arizona businesses in response to the state's controversial new immigration law and often appeared on Olbermann's show where he found a sympathetic audience. CNN, meanwhile, has yet to declare a winner in Giffords' race, but the Democrat currently holds about a 3,000-vote lead with all precincts reporting. Read here:

Keith Olbermann is Suspended by MSNBC

Baum: Quantitative Easing II

Caroline Baum

How will we know if it’s working? The Federal Reserve surprised no one yesterday when it announced it would purchase $600 billion of long-term Treasuries, concentrated in 2 1/2- to 10-year maturities, by the end of the second quarter of next year. The move was about as well-advertised as it gets. Now comes the hard part. The Fed’s goal for quantitative easing, part II, is to lower other long-term rates, making it cheaper to buy homes and finance factories. With both ends of the yield curve now under the influence of the central bank, policy makers will lose one of the more important signaling measures they have. Read here:

Baum: Quantitative Easing II

Pelosi Wants to Manage What Is Left of the House Dems

Nancy Pelosi

From Bloomberg - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would seek to remain leader of the chamber’s Democrats, rejecting calls to step aside after her party lost at least 60 seats and its House majority in midterm elections. Pelosi’s announcement came in a letter yesterday to all House Democrats and a Twitter message to other followers. “Our work is far from finished,” Pelosi said in the letter. Read here:

Pelosi Wants to Manage What Is Left of the House Dems