Another Korean War?

The news seems to indicate that North Korea is agitated and shelled an island in the Yellow Sea along part of the disputed border on the peninsula.

So what had them agitated? Besides the fact that they are looking to make a transition from one psycho dictator to another, they seemed to want to send a message in response to another event.

The US and South Korea were doing their own military and naval exercises earlier hoping to send some sort of message. Now that the North has shelled a few houses we've responded by sending a aircraft carrier task force to the region.

I've said for years that if you want to find a war, send your navy out into the sea and they'll find one for you. Now as the situation remains tense, we're only one accident or misunderstanding from it escalating into a war on a small highly populated peninsula.

Of course we're told that we can't remain neutral because we have too much as stake. But somehow China has remained neutral despite being a neighbor to the region and would more than likely would be a host to millions of refugees if a war broke out. With more at stake they seem to understand that staying out of it may be a good idea.

South Korea has a GDP ten times that of North Korea. If they were able to defend themselves without our intervention, I would imagine that North Korea would never attack them for fear of being completely destroyed.

On the bright side it may spark a brand new M*A*S*H sitcom.

So, how did the election go?

I cast a vote on my ballot for only a single candidate and he's hanging on by a thread as more votes roll in. I'm sad to say that the returns indicated that my cat did not win a single race for which he was a write-in. Chairman Meow is already over it.

Prop 19 in California failed and this saddened me quite a bit. It's only a matter of time before it passes in some state.

In my state we seem to like state-run liquor stores. I voted to allow liquor to be sold in public schools and daycare centers but it failed.

My state elected a pro warfare/welfare senator (Patty Murray) who is just an embarrassment in so many ways. She ran against Dino Rossi who is a neocon flavored warfare/welfare candidate. I had nobody to vote for on this one and on many as my party is routinely shut out of ballots due to election laws in my state.

I voted against the introduction of an Income Tax in my state and it was soundly defeated. I'm against an income tax on principle. Taxing someone's productive effort to survive is immoral in my view. It was sold to voters as a tax on the rich (accurately) but as Washington State will no doubt suffer from more budget crises in the future, I can only imagine the eligible marginal rates dropping until I find myself paying both an income and sales tax.

Barney Frank was elected again and I couldn't be happier. He is the one Democrat not named Dennis Kucinich that will state very plainly where federal spending can be cut. The Pentagon may hate him but I'd vote for him.

Excise taxes on candy and soda were repealed in Washington state. I voted to repeal it though I had no passion about it. It's a fair tax probably.

Rand Paul won and he could be an interesting senator. Even many liberal blogs who spent the night and next day after the election whining could at least admit that Rand Paul's views on civil liberties, gay marriage, and the drug war could be a bright side. I hope Rand responds more like a libertarian than the paleo-conservative that won the election.

Oh, and while everyone is still talking about the election, the Federal Reserve introduced QE2 to centrally stimulate idle resources in the economic structure. I'd take bets with anyone who thinks the quantitative easing will amount to a lasting recovery, but you'll need to pony up with gold. Economic jokes are so lame.

I'm looking forward to the blessed gridlock that is sure to come. It worked for Clinton, and it will work for Obama too...prepare for the results from this last election to usher in the reelection of President Obama in 2012.