Odds and ends, 11/19/08

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Oil prices slipped further Wednesday, dipping below $54 on fears of global economic weakness that have sent crude down more than 60 percent in four months.

But analysts suggested that prices might be bottoming out as they moved closer to the psychologically significant $50 mark.

There was a story in this morning's paper that a Norwegian company had directed its supertankers to sail around Africa rather than use the Suez Canal in light of the hijacking by pirates this week. If more shippers do that, or if they hire armed protection, it will have to raise the price of oil somewhat.

Anyway, I bought gas just outside Huntington last night for $2.049. That's less than half of what the high price was this year: $4.199 in May, right before Memorial Day.

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Mitt Romney says no to an auto industry bailout.

I don't get out as much as I should, but I'm waiting for someone not from Michigan or maybe Ohio to come out in favor of a bailout. More people want the industry to restructure.

People don't like the arrogance of management, and they don't like the sweet contract the UAW has. In other words, there's no one to like in this thing -- no one you would want to give money to.

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Here are the first couple of paragraphs of a news release that came in today:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, and the support of the massive bailouts by Republican members of Congress, the Libertarian Party says it has replaced the GOP as the party of free market advocates.

"The Republican Party no longer represents advocates of capitalism and the free market," says Libertarian Party Director of Communications Andrew Davis. "The GOP's mindless support of regulatory economic policy indicates it no longer has any philosophical or pragmatic opposition to government intervention in the marketplace. This abandonment of free market principles makes the Republican Party no more opposed to big government than their Democratic counterparts."

George W. Bush's compassionate conservatism might have been compassionate, but it wasn't conservatism. No Child Left Behind settled that.

The Libertarian Party might be able to pick off some socially conservative Republicans if it weren't for one thing: abortion.

Here is the statement regarding abortion from the party platform: "Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration."

People looking for another party won't be able to accept that. Many anti-abortion people cling to the GOP because it at least pays lip service to the idea that abortion is wrong. People that I know who are strongly anti-abortion feel they have no place in the Democratic Party, so the GOP is their only alternative.

Sarah Palin's stand on abortion made her the star of the Republican Party among the pro-life faithful.

To such people, the right to life comes before enjoying liberty. If the Libertarian Party could modify its stance, it might be able to pluck away enough Republicans to make a difference. As things are now, though, Libertarians have an uphill battle with the pro-life forces, no matter how appealing their platform is on other issues and no matter how the party platform can be interpreted by people on either side of the abortion divide.

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The new bridge over the Ohio River between Pomeroy, Ohio, and Mason, W.Va., has a name: the Medal of Honor Bridge, according to an article in the Gallipolis Daily Tribune.