The All Too Visible Hand of Wisconsin Government.

Lately, every day in the media, there is a story about the rising price of gasoline, and the poor effects on the poor common people who have to fill up their gas guzzling [and carbon emitting! -ed] vehicles. All due to those greedy oil companies.

So imagine my surprise, when St. Wendeler sent me an IM with the following AP story.

Gas station owner told to raise prices

Wed May 9, 6:05 AM ET

MERRILL, Wis. [Lincoln county, Bush -51%] - A service station that offered discounted gas to senior citizens and people supporting youth sports has been ordered by the state to raise its prices.

Center City BP owner Raj Bhandari has been offering senior citizens a 2 cent per gallon price break and discount cards that let sports boosters pay 3 cents less per gallon.

But the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection [Dane county - Kerry 66%] those deals violate Wisconsin's Unfair Sales Act, which requires stations to sell gas for about 9.2 percent more than the wholesale price.

Bhandari said he received a letter from the state auditor last month saying the state would sue him if he did not raise his prices. The state could penalize him for each discounted gallon he sold, with the fine determined by a judge.

Bhandari, who bought the station a year ago, said he worries customers will think he stopped the discounts because he wants to make more money. About 10 percent of his customers had used the discount cards.

Dale Van Camp said he bought a $50 card to support the local youth hockey program. It would have saved him about $100 per year on gas, he said.

So much for the youth hockey program. Sorry guys, can't have people buying gas at cheaper prices. Poor Mr. Bhandari, who probably thought he was buying a business instead of just part of the Wisconsin distribution system of gasoline.

Your Co-Conspirator,
ARC: Brian

China our economic enemy?

Russell Roberts gave a speech at Stanford recently and posted it to Cafe Hayek. He makes an excellent point that I tend to use in my discussions with people when they mention China investing a lot in US treasuries. Namely, China investing in the US market does not mean that they can one day come to the US and demand the money come due. It's not like some landlord threating to evict us and move someone else in.

The speech can be listened to here. If you click on "Open Tools" and select China you can jump right to the China part.

Your Co-Conspirator,
ARC: Brian

Giuliani - Toast

Ummmm, regardless of how "tough" he sounds on Islamofascists, he won't get the nomination:

Giuliani gave to Planned Parenthood
By: Jonathan Martin
May 7, 2007 06:58 PM EST

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani in his campaign appearances this year has stated that he personally abhors abortion, even though he supports keeping a legal right to choose. But records show that in the '90s he contributed money at least six times to Planned Parenthood, one of the country's leading abortion rights groups and its top provider of abortions.

Federal tax returns made public by the former New York mayor show that he and his then-wife, Donna Hanover, made personal donations to national, state and city chapters of Planned Parenthood totaling $900 in 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999.

The returns have been on the public record for years, but the detail about Giuliani's support for Planned Parenthood -- along with e-mailed copies of the returns -- was provided to The Politico by aides to a rival campaign, who insisted on not being identified.

Giuliani's old contributions could echo throughout the 2008 GOP nomination battle, as he seeks to lessen the political impact of his support for abortion rights -- an unpopular position among the social conservatives who in recent elections have weighed decisively in the primaries and caucuses. The issue was raised anew at last week's debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, when Giuliani gave a noncommittal answer to the question of whether it would be a good day for the country if Roe v. Wade were overturned.
[...]>

Because, let's be honest - whoever the GOP nominee is (unless it's panzy-boy Hagel) will take the "tough on terror" line and mean it (unlike the Dem nominee, who'll take the "tough on terror as long as it's only terror committed by Christo-fascists who won't let Rosie adopt"). Giuliani just has too much baggage when it comes to the other 75% of what we expect a GOP president to do, such as nominate Supreme Court nominees.

My rankings for the nominees today: Thompson, Romney, Gingrich, Giuliani.

Your Co-Conspirator,
ARC: St Wendeler

France - a Step in the Right Direction

Congratulations to Nicolas Sarkozy, who overcame the will of the French media to prevail against Sergo. Some in the moonbat-o-sphere are saying "No big deal," even as they post and comment on how this is a setback for them. OliverWillis even attempts to claim that Sarkozy would be to the left of a US Democrat and therefore, this still is the victory for the Left.

Of course, it's difficult to imagine that the Left here in the US would propose to end many of the policy prescriptions which they're advocating for the US. Remember all of the favorable press that the 35 hour work week received here in the US? Here are some of the policies that he's looking to enact in France (from a very biased article in Agence-France Presse

PARIS (AFP) - A day after triumphing in the French presidential election, right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy went into isolation Monday as the country braced for his radical reforms.
[...]
Sarkozy scored an emphatic 53-47 percent victory over Royal, winning an unambiguous mandate for his programme of tax cuts, work incentives and curbs on union powers.
[...]
Tens of thousands of supporters celebrated into the early hours in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, where Sarkozy issued a ringing appeal for unity.
[...]
Sarkozy was expected to move fast to press his reforms. He wants a clear majority for his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party in legislative elections in June, after which he has to call a special National Assembly session to vote through his first reforms.

These include the abolition of tax on overtime, swingeing cuts in inheritance tax, a law guaranteeing minimum service in transport strikes, and rules to oblige the unemployed to take up offered work.

On the social front he has pledged minimum jail terms for serial offenders and tougher rules to make it harder for immigrants to bring extended families to France.

Not exactly out of the left-wing playbook.

Perhaps most troubling to the moonbat-o-sphere is the news that the US will now have more friendly relations with a country that has sought to block our efforts in the War On Terror:

Sarkozy's victory will improve France-US ties: Downer

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer says Nicolas Sarkozy's victory in the French presidential election will improve the relationship between France and the United States.

Mr Sarkozy used his victory speech to pledge that France would be a good friend to the US.

Mr Downer has congratulated Mr Sarkozy and welcomed his plan to build stronger ties across the Atlantic.

Of course, all of these domestic and foreign policy changes will help France to become a more influential country in the 21st century.

And as far as the moonbat-o-sphere is concerned, there's no question that if the socialist Sergo would've won, they'd be claiming victory for one of their comrades.

Your Co-Conspirator,
ARC: St Wendeler