Potpourri: Comments on the passing scene

From the Aha department: Judicial Watch reports that Department of

Justice attorneys for the Internal Revenue Service told the organization
on Friday that Lois Lerners emails, indeed all government computer
records, are backed up by the federal government in case of a
government-wide catastrophe.

However, attorneys also said it would just be too dad-gummed hard to go
through the backup files to look for evidence of possible criminal
behavior. Imagine that: an emergency backup of the entire government,
so that if the entire government computer system were to be destroyed,
all the information is protected, but its so disorganized that you cant
easily find anything. Doesnt that make the backup essentially useless?
Was this system designed and built by the same people that gave us
healthcare.gov?

Do you suppose that none of the people at the IRS who claimed the
emails had been forever lost knew about this backup? Really?

*****

Raising the minimum wage by $2.85 an hour to $10.10 an hour
effectively imposes an unskilled labor tax on employers of $6,170 per
worker, according to the American Enterprise Institutes Mark J. Perry.
That includes not only the increase in wages, but also increases in FICA,
Medicare and unemployment taxes.

A survey of 400 U.S. Chief Financial Officers conducted by Duke
University finance professor Campbell Harvey shows that a substantial
increase in the minimum wage will, as so many have said for so long,
cost jobs, as well as reduce job benefits and increase outsourcing.

The survey showed that in response to a $10 per hour minimum wage:
Sixty percent of the firms said they would lay off employees.
Forty percent said they would slash benefits to employees.
Seventy percent said they would increase contracting, outsourcing,
or moving actual production outside the United States.

A report on the study by the National Center for Policy Analysis notes
that, Businesses will not simply absorb these costs; they will look for
ways to minimize the $6,000 tax by reducing the number of workers they
employ, cutting workers' hours, halting additional hiring or finding ways
to use automation to replace work done by employees. Employers may
also cut employees' non-monetary fringe benefits rather than eliminate
their positions.

*****

Since President Barack Obama ended the War on Terror, Americas new
efforts to combat, er fight, umm deal with terrorism has a new
name: comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy. This
strategy has already produced more than 150 airstrikes in Iraq that
killed ISIL/ISIS fighters, destroyed weapons, and allowed Iraqi and
Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory. Thank goodness we are not
involved in another war.

The president announced that with allies and Congress, America will
lead a broad coalition in a counter-terrorism strategy called Operation
Double Bogie to roll back this terrorist threat (from behind?).

*****

While drug smugglers and who knows what other filth sneak in and out
of the U.S. over the non-existent southern border, Border Patrol agents
busy themselves making birthday cakes for illegal aliens who have
crossed the border into the country.

This information comes via Pinal County, Ariz. Sheriff Paul Babeu, who
appeared on Neil Cavutos Your World program last Thursday on Fox
News Channel.

The sheriff said, I can give you a window into this administration
because just a month ago, while all this was going on, we heard, myself
and countless sheriffs in Fort Worth, Texas, heard how wonderful it
was these Border Patrol agents, federal law enforcement, had a birthday
cake for this 13-year-old Honduran, and hes never had a cake ... I called
him on that, and said, how on earth have we arrived at this point where
its become the job of our Border Patrol agents, who their sole purpose
should be to protect our country and secure our border, is to do what
you just said, to have a birthday cake for a 13-year-old Honduran?

*****

From the Nervous Hospital, Unhinged Ward: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.)
claims that Democrats are not fear-mongers; but said on Real Time
with Bill Maher, It would be very important for the Democrats to retain
control of the Senate, she warned. Civilization as we know it today
would be in jeopardy if the Republicans win the Senate.

*****

Earlier this year came news from Working Group II of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that we face increased risks
from human-induced climate change. These new risks are, of course, the
result of CO2 in the atmosphere, which now has more CO2 than it
previously had. Over the last 100 years the number of CO2 molecules in
a given quantity of air is up from 3 to 4.

No wonder they are concerned: that represents a 33 percent increase in
CO2!

That sounds like a really serious problem, until you realize that the
quantity of air in this equation is 10,000 molecules. We now have 4
molecules of CO2 per 10,000 air molecules, instead of 3. The amount of
CO2 in the air is now 4 ten-thousandths (.0004), up from 3 ten-
thousandths (.0003). Catastrophe has descended on us; we are surely
doomed.