Walter Russell Mead on the coming higher education bubble:

More generally, the upper middle class benefited over the last generation from a rising difference between the living standards of professional and blue collar American workers.  This is likely to change; from civil service jobs in government to university professors, lawyers, health care personnel, middle and upper middle management in the private sector, the upper-middle class is going to face a much harsher environment going forward.  Automation, outsourcing and unremitting pressures to control costs are going to squeeze upper middle class incomes.  What blue collar workers faced in the last thirty years is coming to the white collar workforce now.
Yet as their financial prospects darken, students’ educational costs are exploding.  Like the health care system, the educational system is being overwhelmed by rising costs and rising demand.  And as misguided government policies contributed to the real estate bubble by artificially inflating demand, government programs are burdening students with unpayable loans and contributing to relentless and unsustainable inflation in school costs.
And so, dear students, welcome back!  Your generation is going to have dig its own way out of the hole my generation has dug for you (thanks for the Medicare, kids, and sorry about the deficit!), but here are a few tips that may help you get the best out of your college years.

Mead has much more advice. Read all of it. 

Daily Caller: Wall Street donors are deserting Obama. The big question: Why did they donate to him in the first place?

If you are in the market for a new car these days, it's a no deal situation.

Jonah Goldberg notes that health care reform is hurting Democrats despite the media's attempts to ignore it and just talk about the economy.

Talk Business: Mike Ross has an 18-point lead in his race against Beth Ann Rankin in Arkansas' 4th District.

The Denver Post has posted a collection of color photos from 1939 to 1943. I may have linked to them before, but they are definitely worth another look.

A photograph is historical evidence, which like any evidence, is subject to selection and arrangement. The photographers were looking for something, and they found it. This is not a random selection of American scenes.

Jason Tolbert comments that a sure sign that Blanche Lincoln is in trouble is that she is complaining about needing more debates with John Boozman. Bill Halter had the same complaint about her when he was running against her in the primary.

PC World: Google maps misplaces the Lincoln memorial, confusing it with the FDR memorial about a half mile away.

Tunku Varadarqian: The GOP should embrace Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement.

The ADG this morning has a story on how cell phones make polling more difficult. But what interested me was the information that Arkansas ranks third in households that have no landlines. Ahead of us are Utah and Nebraska.

Should women go topless? The comments are interesting.

James Taranto on why the liberal elite find Americas revolting. They have undisguised contempt for us.

Lou Dolinar on what the media missed in its Katrina coverage five years ago.

Public Policy Polling: Louisianans give Bush higher marks on Katrina than they give Obama on the oil spill.

Economist: Our present economic crisis originated with misguided attempts to use credit to reduce inequality. It's the old law of unintended consequences.

This does not strike me as a story about how income inequality caused the financial crisis. Rather, this is a story about how policies intended to reduce inequality had the unintended consequence of precipitating America's worst economic slump since the Depression. It's very important that we're straight on what the story is, since different stories may have very different implications for policy. If the story is that the level of inequality itself—and not our ideas about or political reactions to it—indirectly caused the crisis, then we may think that narrowing the gap is a matter of urgent necessity. But if the story is that an ill-conceived political attempt to reduce inequality—and not the fact of inequality itself—led to apocalyptic economic devastation, then we may well conclude that it is better to refrain from equalising initiatives unless we are quite certain they will not backfire. At any rate, this is the lesson I would draw from the story Mr Rajan is telling. Now, this call for prudent restraint may not turn out to be very limiting. The upshot may be no more than the recognition that government intervention in credit markets is a particularly stupid way to try reduce inequality. Whatever the upshot turns out to be, the idea that we must be alert to the unintended consequences of policies meant to reduce inequality is rather different, and rather more helpful, than the idea that inequality as such threatens the stability of the economy.

Ann Althouse discusses dirty words starting with tit and going on from there.

AP: The U.S. birth rate is down for the second consecutive year. The 2009 birth rate is the lowest in a century. Births fell 2.7 percent. The birth rate dropped from from 14.3 births per 1,000 people to 13.5.

It may be the recession.

I was watching A Face in the Crowd last evening, and noted how much Patricia Neal looked like Blanche Lincoln.

AP: Toyota is recalling 1.33 million Corollas and Matrixes.

People magazine on Tiger and Elin's divorce.

Why does Hollywood love Democrats? This may be the answer:

Hollywood stars hence feel that there is something arbitrary about their success — that their personal merit does not warrant their revered status. While they may be pleased at this outcome, they can’t help but feel that the system is unjust because their status is undeserved. They watch people in the lower rungs of society struggle and become overcome by a deep sense of guilt for holding the winning ticket in the lottery of life. They distrust capitalism for the seemingly unfair inequality it produces and thus favor redistribution.

You knew this would happen. Elin Nordegren talked to People magazine. She said she's "been through hell," but she never hit him. She never suspected anything.

Jason Tolbert: Chad Causey, Democrat candidate for Congress, is distancing himself from Obama.

Amazon: 101Ways to Save Money on Health Care.

The mid-term 2010 elections are just 70 days away. Here's a look.

Rasmussen: 48 percent of voters say Obama's view are extreme, while 51 percent say Hillary is mainstream.

We have some interesting primaries to watch this evening in Arizona, Alaska, and Florida.

AP: Toyota will sell an electronic humming device for the Prius because of complaints about the silence of the car at low speeds. The cost is $148 plus installation, and it's not clear whether it will be available in the United States. I will not be buying one in any case.

Byron York (via Instapundit) says voters are not buying Democrats' rosy picture of health-care reform.

The Arkansas Times has an article on Robert Maranto, a Fayetteville professor who is a moderate Republican. That makes him unique. He is the co-author of a new book, The Politically Correct University: Problems, Scope and Reforms.

I don't believe most people realize how rampant political correctness is in higher education. In history, literature, and the social sciences, it is a roadblock to free speech and free thought. Most of what students listen to in classes, even on small, supposedly conservative campuses, is far left wing. They only hear half of the story, but they hear it all the time, and none of the other half.

Surely you realize that the Arkansas Times is a left wing publication itself. See their cover story on health care.

Sun: Based on DNA samples, Adolf Hitler may have had black and Jewish ancestors.

AP: Tiger Woods' divorce is final today. Now maybe he can concentrate on playing golf.

Michael Barone: The stimulus bill and the health-care reform are not pluses for Democrats.

Thomas Sowell has a new book, Dismantling America.

Jason Tolbert: Governor Beebe has the worse job creation record of any Arkansas governor since the Great Depression.

WSJ: "If you have a child in college, or are planning to send one there soon, Craig Brandon has a message for you: Be afraid. Be very afraid."

This article is based on a book by Craig Brandon called The Five-Year Party: How Colleges Have Given up on Educating Your Child and What You Can Do About It.

Megan McArdle: Nearly a quarter of Fidelity's 401(k)s have loans against them. That can't be good.

Talk Business: Cal Kellogg of Arkansas Blue Cross, Blue Shield made some comments about the new health care law.

Rasmussen: Blanche Lincoln trails John Boozman 27 to 65 percent in the Senate race. Rasmussen adds,

Lincoln was reelected to a second Senate term in 2004 with 56% of the vote, but her political fortunes in the state have plummeted since she cast a procedural vote late last year to keep President Obama’s national health care bill alive. Opposition to that bill in Arkansas has been even higher than it is nationally.

Lincoln is viewed as a liberal by 55% of Arkansas voters, while 74% regard Boozman as a conservative.

TaxProf: The top 10 highest state income taxes are found in Obama blue states. Well?

What will the future of reading be? Digital books or paper books? I would not bet against paper yet. On the other hand I'm using Stanza to read books on my new iPhone and like it. I've downloaded some older, classics for free.

Contrary to the government, the oil in the Gulf has not gone away. It remains in a huge oil plume far below the surface, and it's breaking down very slowly, so it will be around for months or -- who knows?

Jason Tolbert reports that Tim Griffin has a commanding lead over Joyce Elliott for Congress.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette this morning reports that no one in Arkansas has signed on to the Bill Gates/ Warren Buffett pledge to give most of their wealth to charity. Among those who have declined are Warren Stephens, an investment banker, and Madison Murphy, son of the founder of Murphy Oil. They both note that Gates and Buffett support keeping the death tax high. And Murphy says, "I don't need governmental or social pressure to be philanthropic..." Also critical of the plan was Johnelle Hunt, widow of trucking magnate J.B. Hunt. The Waltons did not comment. These are all very generous people, and we are indebted to them here in Arkansas.

In fact only 40 individuals or couples have signed the pledge nationwide. Their critics assert that they are just trying to avoid the death tax. I find that argument very persuasive.

The death tax, which goes into effect again in 2011, imposes a rate of 55 percent on estates valued at more than $1 million.

AP: The last last U.S. combat brigade leaves Iraq. For more see here.

What's this? Oral sex is no more consequential than a goodnight kiss?

Glenn Reynolds has done some recent posts about printers. He comments about HP printers and others. I've been thinking about upgrading my printer, and while in Staples recently I notice how cheap most printers were.

Bobby Thomson, whose "shot heard 'round the world" in 1951 was one of the greatest home runs ever hit in baseball history, has died at age 86. I saw a fascinating program about this Giants-Dodgers series some months ago.

Ann Althouse quotes CNN on the proposition that Obama's message is becoming incoherent.

Want to know the truth about Social Security, it's trust fund, and long-term solvency? See here.

AP: People are increasingly using their DVRs to control their TV schedule. Except for sports and local news and weather, I don't watch TV much anymore. I use my DVR to record older moves that I like and try to keep them so I can watch my favorite scenes over and over.

For more on the Dustin Johnson penalty at the PGA Championship, see here, which includes a video. Or see the video below:

What's wrong with Tiger Woods?

The PGA Championship yesterday ended with controversy that will be remembered longer than the winners. I fail to see the point in a course with a thousand or more bunkers that the crowd walks through to see the action.

National Journal: Democrats are threatened by a storm of discontent among small-government voters. And it won't be the last such surge. 

Byron York listened to Obama's speech on the Ground Zero mosque, and he read the speech. His advice: "From now on, with Obama, as it was with Clinton, the rule is: Don't listen to the speech. Read the words very carefully."

See also JustOneMinute. 

John Brummett comments on the on-going conflicts in the Little Rock educational system. Despite all the feel-good celebration of 1957, the system is faced with serious conflicts. You have the business community, the educational establishment, the teachers' union, white parents, black parents, magnet schools, charter schools, etc.

And a new website has sprung up: speakuplittlerock. One of their recent posts is titled "Little Rock School District: A Wasted Investment."

Ann Althouse comments on the Mosque controversy. It's not simply about freedom of religion. One of her commenter asks, would a Islamic country allow a Christian church to be located on a similar site?

FoxNews: Obama says he favors building a mosque near ground-zero.

Conservative bloggers select the 25 worst figures in American history.

Jason Tolbert reports that Bill Clinton made the following comment in a speech at Springdale recently:

“Since we are on the dole, we can’t enforce our own trade agreements,” Clinton said.  He stressed that Washington needs to focus on corporate treasuries and banks. Corporations need to invest more and banks need to loan more money to small businesses and individuals to stimulate the economy.
“We need to figure out whatever is needed to get that done,” he said. “What would make bankers feel good? Until that happens we aren’t going back” to a balanced and thriving economy.

Two things about this statement standout to me.  First, if this had been a prominent Republican in the state appearing with Rep. John Boozman, then that quote would be appearing in the press releases from the DSCC or the Lincoln campaign as another example of the Republicans supporting the fat cat bankers.
Second, if the goal for stimulating the economy is to make bankers “feel good” and make more loans to small businesses, then the recently passed Financial Reform Bill – which was heavily supported by Sen. Lincoln – needs to be scraped.  There was a universal groan from the banking community when that was passed and a general consensus that this would tighten up their ability to make more loans.

A study says that you don't need to lift heavy weights to build muscle, just lots of repetitions.

Looks like Wal-Mart is raising prices.

Like Google Street View? See this.

John McWhorter comments on Amy Wax's Race, Wrongs, and Remedies: Group Justice in the 21st Century. He says, "To the extent that our ideology on race is more about studied radicalism than about a healthy brand of what Wax calls an internal locus of control, her book provokes, at least in this reader, a certain hopelessness. If she is right, then the bulk of today’s discussion of black America is performance art. Tragically, and for the most part, she is right."

This Washington Examiner editorial is their most read ever: "Time to admit Obamanomics has failed."

We have been away on a trip to Colorado for about the past week, so that's the reason for no blogging. Now we're back.

Tiger Woods shoots four-over-par 74 at Firestone.

Science Daily: Ovulating women unconsciously buy sexier clothing. Unconsciously?

Portland inspector to a 7-year-old girl running a lemonade stand, Do you have a license?

Ron Radosh: The FBI has released Howard Zinn's files. He was the radical historian. Should be very interesting reading.

Michael Barone examines recent election results in Michigan and Missouri, and concludes: "All in all, these are dreadful results for the Obama Democrats."

American Spectator: Social Security will start running an annual deficit this year and continue at least through 2011. Thia news comes at the same time as a AP report that health-care reform has extended the Medicare Hospital fund for 12 years. But the report leaves the door wide open for future deficits.

Mark Tapscott on the widening gulf between our political class and most Americans. They agree on nothing!

Glenn Reynolds has more on the higher ed bubble. "A lot of students/parents are now looking at getting core classes done at the relatively inexpensive local college and then transferring to a school where one can do the remaining work towards a very specific goal." Sounds good to me. Get in and get out as quickly as possible. Don't take any useless shit.

According to the ADG, Connie Hamzy has filed for a position on the board of City Directors in Little Rock. She is described as a rock groupie from the 1970s. If you Google her you get this list. Wikipedia has an article on her. Linda Caillouet had this column on her in 2006. Should be interesting.

Jay Cost surveys American presidential politics from 1932 to 2008 and asks what went wrong with Obama?

Glenn Reynolds, among others, asks is a college education worth the money. The tuition costs are built on debt that students acquire in their student loans. This system is probably unsustainable, like the housing crisis.

Over 70 percent of Missouri voters reject Obamacare.

Blake's Think Tank: Blanche Lincoln and John Boozman will meet in a debate on August 13 in Hot Springs.

Rich Lowry surveys the current political scene.

Dick Stanley's new novel Knoxville 1863 sounds like a good read.

Mitch Miller is dead at 99. I remember him well and loved his sing-a-long show. See here also. 

City Journal: What does social science know? Answer: not much. It is full of left-wing bias.

Powerline reproduces some color photographs taken between 1939 and 1943. We see the past as different because photographs show it in black and white. Of course the world has always been in color, lol.

For this wonderful collection see here. 

According to a study in a British newspaper, women see modesty in men as a sign of weakness.

Financial Times describes the problems of America's middle class.

FoxNews: Gov. Bill Richardson wants to pardon Billy the Kid. LOL.

Glenn Reynolds on the JournoList scandal. The media bias is true.

Let this be a warning to those who forget that in today's digital world, the only way to have a private thought is not to write it down. You'd think that journalists, of all people, would have figured that out by now.

Obama Cook Out: (See here.)

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters may drive Congressional approval to the lowest point ever. See here.