By 2050 Mexico had restored much of the area of Aztec and Mayan control, from the Rio Grande to the Panama Canal. In 2050 Mexico saw its chance to expand its control. The U.S. was now bogged down in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Korea. In the name of the freedom of Latinos in the Southwest U.S., Mexico invaded California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
After pushing the overburdened U.S. Army out and quelling the Tea Party Patriots, Mexican forces met resistance from Los Insurgentes, a loose confederation of Apache, Hopi, Navaho, and descendants of immigrants from Mexico.
Losses for the Mexican army are now over 15,000. Five thousand of those were killed when Los Insurgentes lured the Mexican Army into the Grand Canyon and then blew up the Glen Canyon Dam.
The fiercest fighting has been in East Los Angeles where many of the gangs have ambushed Mexican patrols. The gangs have used the sewer system to great effect to move around the city. The Mexican army has tried booby traps, tear gas, and other means to hinder the Los Insurgents; but Los Insurgents often seem to be able to turn these back on the Mexican Army.
Mexico City itself had been filled with demonstrations in support of the troops and demonstrations protesting the war. One of the biggest scandals was the discovery that the government had hired drug lords as contractors to quell the violence in the American cities. The actions of the contractors have further alienated the residents and all but eliminated any cooperation with the Mexican Army.
Although President Volpe was re-elected in a landslide because he played on the patriotism of the Mexican people, the cost of the war in its tenth year is draining his support rapidly. People complain that taxes are too high and that the government has done little to alleviate the three-year-long recession.
This just in! President Volpe has appointed Pedro Santos as Generalissimo of La Reconquista. President Volpe said that Generalissimo Santos has a plan to bring the war to a close in two years. An editorial in La Jornada pointed out that Generalissimo Santos' predecessor said the same thing two years ago.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
More missed wildlife photo ops
This past weekend was really the weekend for wildlife and other natural phenomena. And, of course, I missed the optimal times to record what I saw or heard.
Saturday we looked out our cabin window about 6:30 in the evening and saw a very large deer. I quick took a picture but I had the flash on, giving me a great shot of the screen. I would have tried to intercept the deer by going a different way, but I didn't have my shoes on.
Given its size, we think it might have been a buck whose antlers had not yet started for the year.
After I went to bed, I was wakened a pitiful bellow or two, then a wolf howl, another bellow, more howls and even barking. I thought of grabbing my camera to record the sounds, but I was sure they would stop before I had the camera even on. All was quiet for a bit, then we heard on more bellow and that was it.
We think a wolf pack took down a moose calf. I considered going out in that direction in the morning, but it has been weeks since I had cut that trail and I didn't want to rouse any bugs.
My last chance to get something interesting was on Sunday. My wife said that she heard fir cones dropping continuously like rain. When I was by the fir stand, I heard nothing. Later I was out there and I heard them, at least one ever five or six seconds. I pulled out my camera to take a panorama. Of course, as soon I did that, the cones stopped falling!!
Saturday we looked out our cabin window about 6:30 in the evening and saw a very large deer. I quick took a picture but I had the flash on, giving me a great shot of the screen. I would have tried to intercept the deer by going a different way, but I didn't have my shoes on.
Given its size, we think it might have been a buck whose antlers had not yet started for the year.
After I went to bed, I was wakened a pitiful bellow or two, then a wolf howl, another bellow, more howls and even barking. I thought of grabbing my camera to record the sounds, but I was sure they would stop before I had the camera even on. All was quiet for a bit, then we heard on more bellow and that was it.
We think a wolf pack took down a moose calf. I considered going out in that direction in the morning, but it has been weeks since I had cut that trail and I didn't want to rouse any bugs.
My last chance to get something interesting was on Sunday. My wife said that she heard fir cones dropping continuously like rain. When I was by the fir stand, I heard nothing. Later I was out there and I heard them, at least one ever five or six seconds. I pulled out my camera to take a panorama. Of course, as soon I did that, the cones stopped falling!!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Why are you reading this blog?
Probably the majority of the 15-20 of you who read this blog are a friend or relative and like the personal stuff I write. The rest of you are probably really turned off by the stringent ideology of the so-called right and skeptical about some of the alarmist thinking of many on the so-called left.
For all of you who want to get some more substance about the issues of the day, I suggest you take a look at the Liberal Curmudgeon.
I stumbled on his blog through the New York Times. He wrote an analysis of the locavore movement, essentially debunking the argument about the cost of the energy to transmit food a thousand miles or more. BTW, he lives on a small farm and looks forward to the produce from his garden.
He had several interesting entries following the locavore one, but, as usual, I don't remember them. And since I am at our cabin, I'm not going to spend fifteen minutes at 24kbps to find out more.
If you visit the Liberal Curmudgeon and see me, please let me know what you think.
For all of you who want to get some more substance about the issues of the day, I suggest you take a look at the Liberal Curmudgeon.
I stumbled on his blog through the New York Times. He wrote an analysis of the locavore movement, essentially debunking the argument about the cost of the energy to transmit food a thousand miles or more. BTW, he lives on a small farm and looks forward to the produce from his garden.
He had several interesting entries following the locavore one, but, as usual, I don't remember them. And since I am at our cabin, I'm not going to spend fifteen minutes at 24kbps to find out more.
If you visit the Liberal Curmudgeon and see me, please let me know what you think.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Two missed wildlife photo ops
As we drove to our cabin today, I saw a large bird at the side of the road. At first I thought it was a turkey and I slowed down. As we got nearer, I saw that it was a raptor and was standing on a weasel or rodent. I got my camera out just as it struggled to take off.
It started flying down the road with its prey in front of us about eight feet off the ground. The wing span was at least as wide as our Trailblazer. It wasn't an eagle because it was a mottled gray. Later we guessed it was an osprey.
It moved more to the side of the road and then I lost it. I should have stopped the car, gotten out, and started taking pictures before I got too close. Oh, well, I probably won't learn for the next time.
When we pulled into our cabin drive, we saw a doe and two fawns in the meadow at the end of the drive. I stopped the car, got out my camera, and took a picture through the window.
I got a picture, but I was too slow. The doe had moved off behind some trees, but one fawn was scratching its ear with its hind leg. Of course, the picture was a bit blurry. It still is somewhat satisfying after cropping and blowing up, especially with the nonchalant fawn.
It started flying down the road with its prey in front of us about eight feet off the ground. The wing span was at least as wide as our Trailblazer. It wasn't an eagle because it was a mottled gray. Later we guessed it was an osprey.
It moved more to the side of the road and then I lost it. I should have stopped the car, gotten out, and started taking pictures before I got too close. Oh, well, I probably won't learn for the next time.
When we pulled into our cabin drive, we saw a doe and two fawns in the meadow at the end of the drive. I stopped the car, got out my camera, and took a picture through the window.
I got a picture, but I was too slow. The doe had moved off behind some trees, but one fawn was scratching its ear with its hind leg. Of course, the picture was a bit blurry. It still is somewhat satisfying after cropping and blowing up, especially with the nonchalant fawn.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Solidarity: An Overused Word
How many times have you heard some people talk of their solidarity with some distant group? A solidarity that they cannot act on because they really aren't in the distant group's circumstances.
The latest overuse I heard was in a speech in Pakistan by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. He expressed his sympathy for and solidarity with the victims of the flooding.
Excuse me, how can one have solidarity with people in a disaster area when one can easily fly in and then easily fly out again? Maybe he would be in solidarity with the victims if he waded through waist-deep water with supplies on his head.
Of course, we do need the people who can fly in and fly out so they can let the rest of us know how desperate the situation is, especially photographers.
The rest of us may not act in solidarity with the victims but we can be more than just sympathetic. We can donate to aid agencies who are trying to bring supplies to the victims. One agency to consider is the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Visit http://www.unhcr.org to learn some of the problems and to donate what you can.
The latest overuse I heard was in a speech in Pakistan by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. He expressed his sympathy for and solidarity with the victims of the flooding.
Excuse me, how can one have solidarity with people in a disaster area when one can easily fly in and then easily fly out again? Maybe he would be in solidarity with the victims if he waded through waist-deep water with supplies on his head.
Of course, we do need the people who can fly in and fly out so they can let the rest of us know how desperate the situation is, especially photographers.
The rest of us may not act in solidarity with the victims but we can be more than just sympathetic. We can donate to aid agencies who are trying to bring supplies to the victims. One agency to consider is the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Visit http://www.unhcr.org to learn some of the problems and to donate what you can.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Forgetfulness leads to rude awakenings
Sunday night at our cabin I managed to go to sleep reasonably soon and was dreaming. Suddenly, I was bolt awake. Did I put away "the saw"?
"The saw" is a nice, sharp pruning draw saw that our son gave me one Christmas. It also has a nice thick leather scabbard that one can strap to the leg. It is the middle way between nippers and a chain saw. My wife and I have both left it out overnight or longer.
I looked in the corner where we usually keep it. I no see the saw:( Nippers, yes, but no saw.
I put on a rain jacket and rubber boots. Of course it's raining when something gets left out. I took a flashlight and looked at several likely spots, including the cart by chipper where I had last used it. I came back discouraged.
By now my wife was fully awake and suggested I use a big flashlight from our car. She also said that I didn't have it in my hand when I greeted Kevin. Kevin plows our drive in the winter, does heavy equipment work for us, and has cut down some really big trees. The current job is replacing a rusty culvert along the road.
Now memories of the day came back. I was just finishing up with the chipper when I heard a heavy truck maneuvering on the road. I picked up my saw and went down the path. As I got to our parking area I saw a dump truck backing down the driveway. Why is Kevin bringing us gravel now? Kevin stepped down from the truck and greeted me. I greeted him back and we shook hands; I remembered taking off my glove. He said he came for his Lo-Boy to move a skidder for another job.
We chatted about a few things, looked at the work he had done and he told me what he still planned to do. We discussed a few other odds and ends. He hooked up his trailer and left. My wife and I went on about our evening.
With these thoughts in my head I went out again in the drizzle. I got the big flashlight out of the back of the SUV and started walking toward the chipper. Oh, wait! If I was walking toward the backing truck with the saw in my hand, could I have put it down on the hood of the SUV? I turned around and went to the front of the SUV. Sure enough, there it was on the hood with a soaked scabbard.
When I got back in the cabin I pulled out the saw and found that it was still reasonably dry. I set it aside and hung up the scabbard to dry. With a few kicks to my own butt, I was able to get back to sleep soon enough.
The story doesn't end there. The next day I noticed a chewed place on the scabbard. It might have been chewed before and I hadn't noticed. More likely a squirrel hopped up on the hood and had a small feast of protein.
Hey, Darryl! Despite our careless handling of your gift, we really do appreciate it.
"The saw" is a nice, sharp pruning draw saw that our son gave me one Christmas. It also has a nice thick leather scabbard that one can strap to the leg. It is the middle way between nippers and a chain saw. My wife and I have both left it out overnight or longer.
I looked in the corner where we usually keep it. I no see the saw:( Nippers, yes, but no saw.
I put on a rain jacket and rubber boots. Of course it's raining when something gets left out. I took a flashlight and looked at several likely spots, including the cart by chipper where I had last used it. I came back discouraged.
By now my wife was fully awake and suggested I use a big flashlight from our car. She also said that I didn't have it in my hand when I greeted Kevin. Kevin plows our drive in the winter, does heavy equipment work for us, and has cut down some really big trees. The current job is replacing a rusty culvert along the road.
Now memories of the day came back. I was just finishing up with the chipper when I heard a heavy truck maneuvering on the road. I picked up my saw and went down the path. As I got to our parking area I saw a dump truck backing down the driveway. Why is Kevin bringing us gravel now? Kevin stepped down from the truck and greeted me. I greeted him back and we shook hands; I remembered taking off my glove. He said he came for his Lo-Boy to move a skidder for another job.
We chatted about a few things, looked at the work he had done and he told me what he still planned to do. We discussed a few other odds and ends. He hooked up his trailer and left. My wife and I went on about our evening.
With these thoughts in my head I went out again in the drizzle. I got the big flashlight out of the back of the SUV and started walking toward the chipper. Oh, wait! If I was walking toward the backing truck with the saw in my hand, could I have put it down on the hood of the SUV? I turned around and went to the front of the SUV. Sure enough, there it was on the hood with a soaked scabbard.
When I got back in the cabin I pulled out the saw and found that it was still reasonably dry. I set it aside and hung up the scabbard to dry. With a few kicks to my own butt, I was able to get back to sleep soon enough.
The story doesn't end there. The next day I noticed a chewed place on the scabbard. It might have been chewed before and I hadn't noticed. More likely a squirrel hopped up on the hood and had a small feast of protein.
Hey, Darryl! Despite our careless handling of your gift, we really do appreciate it.
Health Insurers Save by Stealth
Suppose you got your annual physical exam today, August 17, 2010. When will you be able to get your next physical exam? Depends. Partly on whether your insurer states once a year or one year apart.
But it really doesn't matter. Health care providers, to protect their own financial interests, will use the latter. At least in a larger corporate system where the clerks rarely see the medical staff. That means that the earliest you can have your next physical exam is August 18, 2011.
More than likely, by the time you call for an appointment, August 18, 2011 will no longer be available. You probably won't be able to get in for at least three days after that, if not three weeks.
So, instead of paying for physical exams on average every 365 days, health insurers are paying for them on average every 370 day or even more. That works out to a better than one percent savings on annual physical exams.
Can I pay my premiums every 31 days?
But it really doesn't matter. Health care providers, to protect their own financial interests, will use the latter. At least in a larger corporate system where the clerks rarely see the medical staff. That means that the earliest you can have your next physical exam is August 18, 2011.
More than likely, by the time you call for an appointment, August 18, 2011 will no longer be available. You probably won't be able to get in for at least three days after that, if not three weeks.
So, instead of paying for physical exams on average every 365 days, health insurers are paying for them on average every 370 day or even more. That works out to a better than one percent savings on annual physical exams.
Can I pay my premiums every 31 days?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Fair share of taxes, what's that?
Charges go back and forth about taxes. Some say the rich should pay their fair share of taxes; others say that taxes hinder entrepreneurship. As usual, the extreme positions miss the truth by a couple miles or a hundred.
First, what is a fair share? Is it the same percentage as everybody else? Is it a progressive rate without a lot of gimmicks to reduce taxes. Or is it a share commensurate with the benefits received?
Second, how many rich people are really entrepreneurs? Few of us really know. Some have inherited their wealth and are just "clipping coupons", an old phrase for getting the interest payment on bonds. Some have invested in stocks, but how many were original investors? Aren't many "investors" really traders trying to take advantage of the variations of stock prices? About the only social benefit traders provide is liquidity. Some rich people are executives of companies that they didn't create, but have managed by one means or another to gain control, sometimes with disastrous results for the shareholders, employees, and society.
Let's look at the hypothetical entrepreneur to determine what his "fair share" of taxes should be.
Bugs Bunner has forty acres in which he has planted carrots. He starts by plowing his fields all day in the early spring. Then he uses a planter to put in rows and rows of carrot seeds. He spends many a day cutting the weeds down and keeping the deer and rabbits out. Come fall he takes his carrots to market and hopes to cover his costs and make a profit.
One year he finds a carrot variety that keeps well and tastes great even after a year of cold storage. Grocers all over the state seek his carrots out.
Now we get into the first problem of being a self-sufficient entrepreneur. How do his carrots get into the stores? On public roads. How do the roads get paid for? By taxes. What is Bugs Bunner's fair share of the cost of the roads? Is it a share of his income? Is it the cost of his use of the roads? If everything was truly free market, he would pay the owner of the roads a toll for every use of the roads.
Bugs Bunner's carrots are so popular that he buys more land and plants even more carrots. His plantings get so extensive that he can no longer do all the work himself. He has to hire farm laborers. How much will he pay them? It partly depends on the supply of labor - low supply, high wages; high supply, low wages. Let's suppose there is a high supply of labor and he pays low wages.
Will he pay enough for decent housing, for health care, adequate food, and so on? If not, who pays for making sure the needs of his work force are met. Would that be called welfare? Welfare is often paid for by taxes. How much of these taxes should Bugs Bunner pay?
If he requires literacy in his laborers, who pays for them to learn to read? Their parents? But if the next generation of his laborers are the children of his current laborers, can the parents afford to pay for their children's schooling? If the parents can't afford to pay for schools, then the government will have to pay for the schools. Guess what? This requires taxes. What is Bugs Bunner's fair share of these taxes?
On and on it goes. Until we recognize that "no man is an island unto itself", we will continue to argue what a fair share of taxes is.
First, what is a fair share? Is it the same percentage as everybody else? Is it a progressive rate without a lot of gimmicks to reduce taxes. Or is it a share commensurate with the benefits received?
Second, how many rich people are really entrepreneurs? Few of us really know. Some have inherited their wealth and are just "clipping coupons", an old phrase for getting the interest payment on bonds. Some have invested in stocks, but how many were original investors? Aren't many "investors" really traders trying to take advantage of the variations of stock prices? About the only social benefit traders provide is liquidity. Some rich people are executives of companies that they didn't create, but have managed by one means or another to gain control, sometimes with disastrous results for the shareholders, employees, and society.
Let's look at the hypothetical entrepreneur to determine what his "fair share" of taxes should be.
Bugs Bunner has forty acres in which he has planted carrots. He starts by plowing his fields all day in the early spring. Then he uses a planter to put in rows and rows of carrot seeds. He spends many a day cutting the weeds down and keeping the deer and rabbits out. Come fall he takes his carrots to market and hopes to cover his costs and make a profit.
One year he finds a carrot variety that keeps well and tastes great even after a year of cold storage. Grocers all over the state seek his carrots out.
Now we get into the first problem of being a self-sufficient entrepreneur. How do his carrots get into the stores? On public roads. How do the roads get paid for? By taxes. What is Bugs Bunner's fair share of the cost of the roads? Is it a share of his income? Is it the cost of his use of the roads? If everything was truly free market, he would pay the owner of the roads a toll for every use of the roads.
Bugs Bunner's carrots are so popular that he buys more land and plants even more carrots. His plantings get so extensive that he can no longer do all the work himself. He has to hire farm laborers. How much will he pay them? It partly depends on the supply of labor - low supply, high wages; high supply, low wages. Let's suppose there is a high supply of labor and he pays low wages.
Will he pay enough for decent housing, for health care, adequate food, and so on? If not, who pays for making sure the needs of his work force are met. Would that be called welfare? Welfare is often paid for by taxes. How much of these taxes should Bugs Bunner pay?
If he requires literacy in his laborers, who pays for them to learn to read? Their parents? But if the next generation of his laborers are the children of his current laborers, can the parents afford to pay for their children's schooling? If the parents can't afford to pay for schools, then the government will have to pay for the schools. Guess what? This requires taxes. What is Bugs Bunner's fair share of these taxes?
On and on it goes. Until we recognize that "no man is an island unto itself", we will continue to argue what a fair share of taxes is.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Best politicians money can buy?
Not always, three cheers!
In the DFL (Democratic) Gubernatorial Primary in Minnesota, two of the three candidates were millionaires and spent like their pockets were bottomless. Mark Dayton got the most votes, and Matt Entenza got the least. In fact, Entenza who had ads everywhere – door hangers, stickers on newspapers, Web ads for anybody with a Minnesota URL - came in a distant third. So distant that he conceded 90 minutes after the polls closed. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the endorsed candidate, spent far less than the other two candidates and came in a close second to Dayton. Close enough that she waited until the middle of the day after to concede.
As obscene amounts of money are spent by candidates and special interest groups, one wonders how anybody can even listen to all the campaign drivel. But listen people do, and often uncritically. Missile gap, anyone?
If you don't like the amount of money being spent, you can look up various races at http://www.opensecrets.org. You can see how much was raised from donors and from what kind of industries. Armed with this information, you can judge how much a candidate may follow your interests or be supported by people who do not share your interests. For example, if a candidate gets lots of money from trial lawyers, you may be happy because you think corporations have too much edge over individuals in courts. If a candidate is supported by labor unions, you may be unhappy because you don't like unions. The kinds of donors a candidate has may speak more loudly and accurately than any speech or ad. Similarly, those funding ads in support of or opposition to a candidate may speak volumes about that candidate.
Of course, surprises can be in store. Much was written about Tea Party support for Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts. From what I've read he looks more moderate than many would expect.
And the last piece of good news is in a blog Andrew Kreighbaum wrote for Open Secrets; the title that includes "Voters Reject Wealthy Candidates". He wrote, "As the Center for Responsive Politics has found, self-funded candidates, even with their wealth, typically lose when running for federal-office.
In the DFL (Democratic) Gubernatorial Primary in Minnesota, two of the three candidates were millionaires and spent like their pockets were bottomless. Mark Dayton got the most votes, and Matt Entenza got the least. In fact, Entenza who had ads everywhere – door hangers, stickers on newspapers, Web ads for anybody with a Minnesota URL - came in a distant third. So distant that he conceded 90 minutes after the polls closed. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the endorsed candidate, spent far less than the other two candidates and came in a close second to Dayton. Close enough that she waited until the middle of the day after to concede.
As obscene amounts of money are spent by candidates and special interest groups, one wonders how anybody can even listen to all the campaign drivel. But listen people do, and often uncritically. Missile gap, anyone?
If you don't like the amount of money being spent, you can look up various races at http://www.opensecrets.org. You can see how much was raised from donors and from what kind of industries. Armed with this information, you can judge how much a candidate may follow your interests or be supported by people who do not share your interests. For example, if a candidate gets lots of money from trial lawyers, you may be happy because you think corporations have too much edge over individuals in courts. If a candidate is supported by labor unions, you may be unhappy because you don't like unions. The kinds of donors a candidate has may speak more loudly and accurately than any speech or ad. Similarly, those funding ads in support of or opposition to a candidate may speak volumes about that candidate.
Of course, surprises can be in store. Much was written about Tea Party support for Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts. From what I've read he looks more moderate than many would expect.
And the last piece of good news is in a blog Andrew Kreighbaum wrote for Open Secrets; the title that includes "Voters Reject Wealthy Candidates". He wrote, "As the Center for Responsive Politics has found, self-funded candidates, even with their wealth, typically lose when running for federal-office.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Take this job and …
If you sympathize with Steve Slater, Jet Blue Flight Attendant, then you might want to get a "Quit your Job with Style" T-shirt from
http://www.donkeyts.com/design/1021+Quit+your+Job+with+Style+Steven+Slater+T+shir
http://www.donkeyts.com/design/1021+Quit+your+Job+with+Style+Steven+Slater+T+shir
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
If you really want to create jobs…
The President claims the stimulus created x jobs. Republicans claim tax cuts will create y jobs. Developers claim waiving the zoning rules for their mega-projects will create z jobs.
They all miss the point. Many jobs are gone forever because of productivity gains, automation, and changing product and service mix. A stimulus is not going to reverse productivity gains. Tax cuts may only decrease jobs because of investment in productivity. Mega-projects may create jobs for a year or two, but then there will have to be another controversial mega-project to hire those laid off after the previous mega-project.
If you want to create jobs in the short term, here's what you'll have to do. And few will be happy about it.
Take out all self-service machines. More bank teller jobs will be needed without ATMs. More pump-jockey jobs will be needed without self-serve pumps. More elevator operators will be needed without automatic elevators. Take out all drink and food dispensing machines. Replace them with staffed snack bars. Cut off direct dial calls. Operators will be needed to place calls outside the immediate area. Ban email and online payment. Mail carriers have delivered letters, bills, and payments successfully for decades.
We will all lose a lot of convenience and pay more for goods and services. But, what the hey! We won't have to pay the taxes for unemployment benefits.
But if we keep the taxes the same, maybe we can use the savings to create even more jobs. Let's run all bus routes ten minutes apart from five in the morning until one the next morning, seven days a week. That will save us the costs of a car. Let's give 24-hour service on pothole repair. That should also save us a lot on auto repair. Let's increase traffic enforcement. The increase in enforcement will save us on insurance, generate some funds to pay for the enforcement, and save on health costs with reduced road rage.
I think only two systemic changes are going to bring about real job growth – free quality health care and free quality education from pre-school to university.
Our health care expectations give a double whammy to job creation. First, employees expect health care insurance and employers need to provide health care insurance to attract employees. This increased cost reduces employers willingness to hire. Second, people who want to quit their jobs and start a new business are reluctant to do so because they will lose their health care insurance. It would be interesting to see what percentage of entrepreneurs have a spouse with a job with health care insurance. And if an entrepreneur needs employees…
Many jobs are going begging because there are not enough qualified people to fill them. These jobs often require education well beyond high school. But the rising costs of college education discourage many from even considering college. Ironically, those who think tax cuts will create jobs don't consider that tax cuts reduce the future number of job creators.
A quality education from pre-school through university can produce creative people who will create a dynamic economy in the future. Creative people are not created through standardized tests; they are created by active stimulation of their imaginations. This means they have to have teachers who can personally interact frequently with each student; they have to access to books, labs, and workshops to gain and try a wide variety of ideas. Those who have difficulties may need social workers who have the time and resources to understand and ameliorate those difficulties. Laying off teachers and others is only eating our seed corn.
Until we have a majority of politicians who fully understand that lack of these two basic needs is standing in the way of job creation, we are going to have one half-baked solution after another offered up, sometimes from the so-called liberals and sometimes from the so-called conservatives.
Until we can break out of the habit of having to vote for one or the other "major" party, we are going to be stuck with polarized politics. We need some leaders with the courage to take us in a new direction. We aren't going to get those leaders until they feel they have a good chance of being elected under a new banner.
They all miss the point. Many jobs are gone forever because of productivity gains, automation, and changing product and service mix. A stimulus is not going to reverse productivity gains. Tax cuts may only decrease jobs because of investment in productivity. Mega-projects may create jobs for a year or two, but then there will have to be another controversial mega-project to hire those laid off after the previous mega-project.
If you want to create jobs in the short term, here's what you'll have to do. And few will be happy about it.
Take out all self-service machines. More bank teller jobs will be needed without ATMs. More pump-jockey jobs will be needed without self-serve pumps. More elevator operators will be needed without automatic elevators. Take out all drink and food dispensing machines. Replace them with staffed snack bars. Cut off direct dial calls. Operators will be needed to place calls outside the immediate area. Ban email and online payment. Mail carriers have delivered letters, bills, and payments successfully for decades.
We will all lose a lot of convenience and pay more for goods and services. But, what the hey! We won't have to pay the taxes for unemployment benefits.
But if we keep the taxes the same, maybe we can use the savings to create even more jobs. Let's run all bus routes ten minutes apart from five in the morning until one the next morning, seven days a week. That will save us the costs of a car. Let's give 24-hour service on pothole repair. That should also save us a lot on auto repair. Let's increase traffic enforcement. The increase in enforcement will save us on insurance, generate some funds to pay for the enforcement, and save on health costs with reduced road rage.
I think only two systemic changes are going to bring about real job growth – free quality health care and free quality education from pre-school to university.
Our health care expectations give a double whammy to job creation. First, employees expect health care insurance and employers need to provide health care insurance to attract employees. This increased cost reduces employers willingness to hire. Second, people who want to quit their jobs and start a new business are reluctant to do so because they will lose their health care insurance. It would be interesting to see what percentage of entrepreneurs have a spouse with a job with health care insurance. And if an entrepreneur needs employees…
Many jobs are going begging because there are not enough qualified people to fill them. These jobs often require education well beyond high school. But the rising costs of college education discourage many from even considering college. Ironically, those who think tax cuts will create jobs don't consider that tax cuts reduce the future number of job creators.
A quality education from pre-school through university can produce creative people who will create a dynamic economy in the future. Creative people are not created through standardized tests; they are created by active stimulation of their imaginations. This means they have to have teachers who can personally interact frequently with each student; they have to access to books, labs, and workshops to gain and try a wide variety of ideas. Those who have difficulties may need social workers who have the time and resources to understand and ameliorate those difficulties. Laying off teachers and others is only eating our seed corn.
Until we have a majority of politicians who fully understand that lack of these two basic needs is standing in the way of job creation, we are going to have one half-baked solution after another offered up, sometimes from the so-called liberals and sometimes from the so-called conservatives.
Until we can break out of the habit of having to vote for one or the other "major" party, we are going to be stuck with polarized politics. We need some leaders with the courage to take us in a new direction. We aren't going to get those leaders until they feel they have a good chance of being elected under a new banner.
If you live in Minnesota and haven't…
...voted yet today, please do. Polls close at 8:00 p.m.
You don't like any of the candidates on the ballot? Then be doubly sure to vote by casting a blank ballot.
Just think, if, in any of the Presidential elections in recent memory, all those who stayed away had cast a blank ballot, then the so-called winner would have come in second to none of the above.
If you stay away your choices are not counted. If you show up and cast a blank ballot your choices are counted.
We usually see headlines like:
Jane Doe wins in a landslide with 58.3 percent of the votes cast; Joe Blow came in second with 41.7 of the votes cast. The turnout was 60 percent.
Wouldn't it be great if the headlines read:
Jane Doe wins with 35 percent of the votes cast; Joe Blow came in second with 25 percent; but 40 percent of the votes cast were blank.
That sure is more representative of what people think than the first headline. And it would surely stifle any boast of a "mandate".
You don't like any of the candidates on the ballot? Then be doubly sure to vote by casting a blank ballot.
Just think, if, in any of the Presidential elections in recent memory, all those who stayed away had cast a blank ballot, then the so-called winner would have come in second to none of the above.
If you stay away your choices are not counted. If you show up and cast a blank ballot your choices are counted.
We usually see headlines like:
Jane Doe wins in a landslide with 58.3 percent of the votes cast; Joe Blow came in second with 41.7 of the votes cast. The turnout was 60 percent.
Wouldn't it be great if the headlines read:
Jane Doe wins with 35 percent of the votes cast; Joe Blow came in second with 25 percent; but 40 percent of the votes cast were blank.
That sure is more representative of what people think than the first headline. And it would surely stifle any boast of a "mandate".
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Taxes might have saved the rich from the guillotine
In 18th Century France, the church and the nobility were not taxed. The burden of taxation was on the bourgeoisie, the laborers, and the small farmers. As the court became more extravagant and the government more costly, the taxpayers became more dissatisfied. Eventually the anger grew to the point of revolution, a revolution that often was mob rule*. Mob rule led to false accusations, and heads rolled.
Even the Tea Partiers of the day, like Robespierre, were not immune to the anger of the mob and to infighting among those who assumed control of the government.
We may see a parallel in the flood-ravaged parts of Pakistan. The government is not very effective in bringing relief, partly because of so much posturing for power and partly because there is not enough money to do much of what needs to be done. Oh yes, many of the rich in Pakistan pay little or no taxes.
This situation is providing a huge opening to the Taliban, which is providing relief in some areas. How much this will increase the overall power of the Taliban remains to be seen. Remember though, many revolutions were started by small bands, Mao Tse Tung or Fidel Castro.
* Mob rule was one of the things that Founders of the United States feared greatly. Their distaste for mob rule led them to distrust French innovations, such as the metric system.
Even the Tea Partiers of the day, like Robespierre, were not immune to the anger of the mob and to infighting among those who assumed control of the government.
We may see a parallel in the flood-ravaged parts of Pakistan. The government is not very effective in bringing relief, partly because of so much posturing for power and partly because there is not enough money to do much of what needs to be done. Oh yes, many of the rich in Pakistan pay little or no taxes.
This situation is providing a huge opening to the Taliban, which is providing relief in some areas. How much this will increase the overall power of the Taliban remains to be seen. Remember though, many revolutions were started by small bands, Mao Tse Tung or Fidel Castro.
* Mob rule was one of the things that Founders of the United States feared greatly. Their distaste for mob rule led them to distrust French innovations, such as the metric system.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Often you really can't go home
"There's no place like home" and "Who say's you can't go home" are popular sayings, but for many people these don't apply because the home of their childhood is gone.
Even if a child's home life was good and the family never broke up, there are many instances where the only place to go back home is in one's memory.
This was "brought home" to me last night as I wandered around Ancestry.com.
I looked up my mother's father and found out that he had to register for the draft twice, once for World War I and again for World War II. In the first case, he had a wife and a young child; in the second he was 55.
This second registration brought back memories for me. He gave his address as E. 152nd St. in Cleveland, Ohio and his employer as Cardinal Drug. I had been wondering about the name of that drugstore a couple of times last month. Before my father built the house in Bainbridge Twp., we had lived above Cardinal Drug. Some of my earliest memories are from that apartment: the first time that I poured milk myself and having a tank that gave off sparks as I pushed it.
I looked up the address on Google Maps and asked for the street view. It was a parking lot! OK, is the firehouse across the street still there? I turned the "camera" around, and sure enough it was. I don't think it is used as a firehouse anymore. The doors are too small for modern fire trucks and there were no signs on the building.
This is not the only home I can't go back to.
Years ago I tried to take a picture of the house on Detroit Ave. that I lived in when I was 9 to 12. I remember our ballgames in the tiny backyard and climbing the tree that was smack up against the garage. In fact, I think I have a picture somewhere of my brother in that tree. When I got back to Minnesota I discovered I had had no film in the camera. On another trip it was gone. The last time I visited Cleveland four years ago, there was only one house left of the group of five in a row.
I think it was last year that I looked on Google Maps for the apartment building that we lived in after the Detroit Ave. house. It had been next to a vacant lot owned by the transit system. We used the lot as a playground. We had many a pickup baseball game in that playground. Then the transit system expanded its bus lot and fenced in our old playground. When I looked on Google Maps, even the apartment building was gone.
The house that my father built? I only lived in it a year or two. I remember the sledding ramp that my father built us one winter and my brother and I pulling each other around in an oil drum in a wagon. The wagon tipped and I had to get stitches in my forehead. My parents split and my mother moved us out and stayed with her aunt and uncle until we moved to the apartment building. My father's house is still there with some extensions and my stepmother still lives there. Some of my half-siblings say they will tear the house down and sell the property when she dies. They will probably sell the 10 or 20 acres for somebody to build a McMansion.
Even if a child's home life was good and the family never broke up, there are many instances where the only place to go back home is in one's memory.
This was "brought home" to me last night as I wandered around Ancestry.com.
I looked up my mother's father and found out that he had to register for the draft twice, once for World War I and again for World War II. In the first case, he had a wife and a young child; in the second he was 55.
This second registration brought back memories for me. He gave his address as E. 152nd St. in Cleveland, Ohio and his employer as Cardinal Drug. I had been wondering about the name of that drugstore a couple of times last month. Before my father built the house in Bainbridge Twp., we had lived above Cardinal Drug. Some of my earliest memories are from that apartment: the first time that I poured milk myself and having a tank that gave off sparks as I pushed it.
I looked up the address on Google Maps and asked for the street view. It was a parking lot! OK, is the firehouse across the street still there? I turned the "camera" around, and sure enough it was. I don't think it is used as a firehouse anymore. The doors are too small for modern fire trucks and there were no signs on the building.
This is not the only home I can't go back to.
Years ago I tried to take a picture of the house on Detroit Ave. that I lived in when I was 9 to 12. I remember our ballgames in the tiny backyard and climbing the tree that was smack up against the garage. In fact, I think I have a picture somewhere of my brother in that tree. When I got back to Minnesota I discovered I had had no film in the camera. On another trip it was gone. The last time I visited Cleveland four years ago, there was only one house left of the group of five in a row.
I think it was last year that I looked on Google Maps for the apartment building that we lived in after the Detroit Ave. house. It had been next to a vacant lot owned by the transit system. We used the lot as a playground. We had many a pickup baseball game in that playground. Then the transit system expanded its bus lot and fenced in our old playground. When I looked on Google Maps, even the apartment building was gone.
The house that my father built? I only lived in it a year or two. I remember the sledding ramp that my father built us one winter and my brother and I pulling each other around in an oil drum in a wagon. The wagon tipped and I had to get stitches in my forehead. My parents split and my mother moved us out and stayed with her aunt and uncle until we moved to the apartment building. My father's house is still there with some extensions and my stepmother still lives there. Some of my half-siblings say they will tear the house down and sell the property when she dies. They will probably sell the 10 or 20 acres for somebody to build a McMansion.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
GM buys into a good idea
GM has bought a minority stake in Bright Automotive, an electric vehicle start-up, "GM invests in electric vehicle start-up Bright", cnet news, 2010-08-03.
Bright has a prototype van that can run on plug-in electric or gasoline. The name of the van is Idea.
Why did it take me half the afternoon to realize that GM bought into the Bright Idea?
Bright has a prototype van that can run on plug-in electric or gasoline. The name of the van is Idea.
Why did it take me half the afternoon to realize that GM bought into the Bright Idea?
Monday, August 02, 2010
Repeal the 14th amendment? Careful what you ask for!
"Jon Kyl Backs Republican 14th-Amendment Repeal Effort To Deny Citizenship To Immigrants' Children", Huffington Post, 2010-08-02.
Before anybody repeals the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, they should read it carefully in its entirety.
Those who are upset about "illegal" immigrants are upset about the part of the 14th Amendment that states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
Those who want to repeal this Amendment should also consider that it states, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive a person of life, liberty, and property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Does this mean if the 14th Amendment is repealed that the citizens of a state that did not ratify the repeal then have the right to deprive repeal supporters of life, liberty, and property without even a hearing?
Supporters of repeal should also be careful that nobody slips into their amendment a repeal of the statement in Article I, Section 7, that "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed." "Ex post facto" means "after the fact"; that is, if somebody does something Congress doesn't like but is not illegal, then Congress cannot pass a law that makes that past action illegal and punishable now.
If the "ex post facto" provision were removed, then somebody might slip in a rider on some bill that to be a citizen a person had to prove that all of their ancestors were legal immigrants, right back to the Mayflower. Gosh! Was there even agreement among the pre-Mayflower residents as to who was a legal immigrant and who was most unwelcome?
You think that's impossible. Would all Senators and Representatives who read every word of every bill please raise their hands? Hm? Would somebody check the cloak room to see if any have raised their hands?
An important afterthought: has anybody considered that the 14th Amendment was proposed by a Republican Congress?
Before anybody repeals the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, they should read it carefully in its entirety.
Those who are upset about "illegal" immigrants are upset about the part of the 14th Amendment that states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
Those who want to repeal this Amendment should also consider that it states, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive a person of life, liberty, and property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Does this mean if the 14th Amendment is repealed that the citizens of a state that did not ratify the repeal then have the right to deprive repeal supporters of life, liberty, and property without even a hearing?
Supporters of repeal should also be careful that nobody slips into their amendment a repeal of the statement in Article I, Section 7, that "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed." "Ex post facto" means "after the fact"; that is, if somebody does something Congress doesn't like but is not illegal, then Congress cannot pass a law that makes that past action illegal and punishable now.
If the "ex post facto" provision were removed, then somebody might slip in a rider on some bill that to be a citizen a person had to prove that all of their ancestors were legal immigrants, right back to the Mayflower. Gosh! Was there even agreement among the pre-Mayflower residents as to who was a legal immigrant and who was most unwelcome?
You think that's impossible. Would all Senators and Representatives who read every word of every bill please raise their hands? Hm? Would somebody check the cloak room to see if any have raised their hands?
An important afterthought: has anybody considered that the 14th Amendment was proposed by a Republican Congress?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Lino Lakes "English-only" ordinance explained
I figured out why Lino Lakes passed its "English-only" ordinance. It has no sister city. I went to its web site, http://www.ci.lino-lakes.mn.us, and searched for "sister city" and "sister cities". No find.
If they had a sister city or two, they probably wouldn't improve their language skills any more than a few have in Duluth (with Växjö, Sweden; Petrozavodsk, Russia; Ohara-Isumi City, Japan; and Thunder Bay, Ontario). But at least they might have increased their tolerance for people speaking other languages.
If they had a sister city or two, they probably wouldn't improve their language skills any more than a few have in Duluth (with Växjö, Sweden; Petrozavodsk, Russia; Ohara-Isumi City, Japan; and Thunder Bay, Ontario). But at least they might have increased their tolerance for people speaking other languages.
"A Grand Unified Theory of the Jobless Recovery"
The Atlantic Monthly published an article with the above title by Derek Thompson on 2010-07-26.
He gave some explanations that I was only vaguely aware of. One of course was high executive salaries, fewer employees, more money for the honchos. Thompson added that the pay in stock options increases the executive incentive to keep the price of the stock high, the less money going out to employees the happier stock traders will be (my spin about stock traders).
Quite a discussion follows.
One point was that "Reaganomics fostered the entrepreneurial activity that made the technology revolutions of the PC, cell phone, and internet happen." Let's see, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak established Apple Computer on 1976-04-01 before Jimmy Carter was even elected. A whole bunch of other computer manufacturers sprung up about the same time. The IBM PC was introduced on 1981-08-12, about seven months after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. That probably means that the plan to create and sell the IBM PC was well underway before Reagan was elected. Maybe we should credit Jimmy Carter with the IBM PC:)
What people who credit a president with the success or lack of success of the economy fail to recognize is that many creative people are going to go ahead with their ideas regardless of who is president and what the "economy" is like. Look at the success of the iPad and iPhone in this "slow economy".
He gave some explanations that I was only vaguely aware of. One of course was high executive salaries, fewer employees, more money for the honchos. Thompson added that the pay in stock options increases the executive incentive to keep the price of the stock high, the less money going out to employees the happier stock traders will be (my spin about stock traders).
Quite a discussion follows.
One point was that "Reaganomics fostered the entrepreneurial activity that made the technology revolutions of the PC, cell phone, and internet happen." Let's see, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak established Apple Computer on 1976-04-01 before Jimmy Carter was even elected. A whole bunch of other computer manufacturers sprung up about the same time. The IBM PC was introduced on 1981-08-12, about seven months after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. That probably means that the plan to create and sell the IBM PC was well underway before Reagan was elected. Maybe we should credit Jimmy Carter with the IBM PC:)
What people who credit a president with the success or lack of success of the economy fail to recognize is that many creative people are going to go ahead with their ideas regardless of who is president and what the "economy" is like. Look at the success of the iPad and iPhone in this "slow economy".
A putdown of an unsolicited political phone call
A few minutes ago I received a phone call in which there was a pause after I said, "Hello." I wasn't fast enough to hang up before somebody said, "Is this Melvyn?" I answered, "yes". The person proceeded with something like, "This is so and so, and I'm calling for the Matt Entenza campaign." I replied, "We are not interested in someone who spends so much money." Then I hung up.
For readers not familiar with Minnesota politics, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) race for governor has two non-endorsed candidates, Matt Entenza and Mark Dayton, who are spending a spouse's or their own fortunes on the primary campaign. The endorsed candidate, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, has spent far less, but still over a million dollars. I was disappointed that one-fifth of her contributions come from lobbyists and PACs (Star Tribune, 2010-07-26).
I think about leaving the governor race blank on the ballot. The Republican candidate, Tom Emmer, has serious foot-in-mouth disease. I like the idea of the Independence Party attempting to be a viable party, but its website's message doesn't resonate with me.
The only candidate that I have any enthusiasm for is Kelliher's running mate, John Gunyou. He was the Finance Commissioner for the last good Republican governor of Minnesota, Arne Carlson, and he is the city manager of Minnetonka. Every few months he has submitted an op-ed article on good governance. I have emailed him from time to time and he has responded graciously. I once wrote him that I was looking for the Governance Party instead of the Groveling Party and the Grumbling Party.
For readers not familiar with Minnesota politics, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) race for governor has two non-endorsed candidates, Matt Entenza and Mark Dayton, who are spending a spouse's or their own fortunes on the primary campaign. The endorsed candidate, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, has spent far less, but still over a million dollars. I was disappointed that one-fifth of her contributions come from lobbyists and PACs (Star Tribune, 2010-07-26).
I think about leaving the governor race blank on the ballot. The Republican candidate, Tom Emmer, has serious foot-in-mouth disease. I like the idea of the Independence Party attempting to be a viable party, but its website's message doesn't resonate with me.
The only candidate that I have any enthusiasm for is Kelliher's running mate, John Gunyou. He was the Finance Commissioner for the last good Republican governor of Minnesota, Arne Carlson, and he is the city manager of Minnetonka. Every few months he has submitted an op-ed article on good governance. I have emailed him from time to time and he has responded graciously. I once wrote him that I was looking for the Governance Party instead of the Groveling Party and the Grumbling Party.
The heavens have opened up, build your ark!
Finally, finally, we have gotten one of the oft-promised thunderstorms. It has been raining hard off and on for at least the last two hours.
Except for some erosion on newly seeded slopes, I think this is great. We have had very little rain for a few years. Our cabin well is dry as dry as can be, paths that have had puddles in the past have been dry, and the berries have been very small.
The downside is on the downside of our front lawn in Duluth. We had more dirt put in the trench where we had sewer work done, and my wife has planted grass seed there. The grass looks like a buzz cut on a sparse head of hair and won't be holding the water back very well.
Oh, well, there are good things and bad things to almost every natural event. Oh, no! The mosquito will be hatching in the millions!
Except for some erosion on newly seeded slopes, I think this is great. We have had very little rain for a few years. Our cabin well is dry as dry as can be, paths that have had puddles in the past have been dry, and the berries have been very small.
The downside is on the downside of our front lawn in Duluth. We had more dirt put in the trench where we had sewer work done, and my wife has planted grass seed there. The grass looks like a buzz cut on a sparse head of hair and won't be holding the water back very well.
Oh, well, there are good things and bad things to almost every natural event. Oh, no! The mosquito will be hatching in the millions!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Afganistan - When will they ever learn?
Corruption in a client government!
Hubris in an imperial government!
Wikileaks of a bleak situation!
Reading "The limits of power" by Andrew J. Bacevich
History of the French Resistance
American colonial history
English only in the Lino Lakes government
Cutting foreign languages in schools
It all really ties together, sadly.
Let's start with American colonial history. The colonists did not like being occupied by a foreign army. They started fighting back. They didn't follow the rules of engagement and fought from concealment. George the Third had many derogatory things to say about those rebels. Many Afghanis (and Iraqis) don't like being occupied by a foreign army. They started fighting back. They don't follow the rules of engagement and fight from concealment. George the Bush had many derogatory things to say about those insurgents.
Many French did not like the German occupation. They fought back, often from concealment. Instead of roadside bombs, they threw train switches the wrong way. Some Germans took bribes to look the other way. Some Vichy police were very hard on the resistance. Other Vichy police called resistance leaders to warn them of a planned raid. See "Occupation déja vu". Oh, yes! The Germans in France had an advantage that the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan don't have; a large number of them spoke the local language.
We are running up huge deficits to fight these wars and don't have money for education in our own country. In fact, we are cutting back on the teaching of foreign languages. If our soldiers and diplomats are not linguistically proficient, can we expect them to communicate with people who speak other languages with little or no proficiency in English?
Many states and localities want to put into law English-only for government business, the latest being Lino Lakes, Minnesota (Star Tribune 2010-07-26). What if other countries did the same, including at immigration and customs control at the airport? If the U.S. is English only, shouldn't Japan be Japanese only? If so, they should remove the Romaji from all the train station signs and leave only the Kanji and Hiragana. Ah, so! You didn't get off at せんだい? So sorry, you missed Sendai.
Which gets us back to imperial hubris. If we think we know what's best for other countries, how can we even know what's best for them if we don't speak their language, much less understand many of their customs? Insurgency will surely follow. Knowing the culture, the language, and the landscape better than any foreigners, the insurgents have an immense tactical and strategic advantage.
When will they ever learn?
Hubris in an imperial government!
Wikileaks of a bleak situation!
Reading "The limits of power" by Andrew J. Bacevich
History of the French Resistance
American colonial history
English only in the Lino Lakes government
Cutting foreign languages in schools
It all really ties together, sadly.
Let's start with American colonial history. The colonists did not like being occupied by a foreign army. They started fighting back. They didn't follow the rules of engagement and fought from concealment. George the Third had many derogatory things to say about those rebels. Many Afghanis (and Iraqis) don't like being occupied by a foreign army. They started fighting back. They don't follow the rules of engagement and fight from concealment. George the Bush had many derogatory things to say about those insurgents.
Many French did not like the German occupation. They fought back, often from concealment. Instead of roadside bombs, they threw train switches the wrong way. Some Germans took bribes to look the other way. Some Vichy police were very hard on the resistance. Other Vichy police called resistance leaders to warn them of a planned raid. See "Occupation déja vu". Oh, yes! The Germans in France had an advantage that the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan don't have; a large number of them spoke the local language.
We are running up huge deficits to fight these wars and don't have money for education in our own country. In fact, we are cutting back on the teaching of foreign languages. If our soldiers and diplomats are not linguistically proficient, can we expect them to communicate with people who speak other languages with little or no proficiency in English?
Many states and localities want to put into law English-only for government business, the latest being Lino Lakes, Minnesota (Star Tribune 2010-07-26). What if other countries did the same, including at immigration and customs control at the airport? If the U.S. is English only, shouldn't Japan be Japanese only? If so, they should remove the Romaji from all the train station signs and leave only the Kanji and Hiragana. Ah, so! You didn't get off at せんだい? So sorry, you missed Sendai.
Which gets us back to imperial hubris. If we think we know what's best for other countries, how can we even know what's best for them if we don't speak their language, much less understand many of their customs? Insurgency will surely follow. Knowing the culture, the language, and the landscape better than any foreigners, the insurgents have an immense tactical and strategic advantage.
When will they ever learn?
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A good workman never blames his tools. Oh?
This old saw probably comes from someone blaming the saw for a crooked cut. A good workman should be able to cut straight no matter how crooked the saw.
Oh, yeah!
What is often not considered is that a good workman has all the tools needed to do any job he expects to do. He won't use a flat blade screwdriver on a Philips screw or a hexagonal wrench on a square nut.
I had another lesson on having the right tools for the job at hand. We bought a humongous DR chipper with the slogan on the cover, "Professional power for the homeowner".
Sorry, but to do routine maintenance on this chipper requires tools many homeowners don't usually have. My socket wrenches do not reach the nuts holding the blade in place and my L-shaped Allen wrenches do not reach the screw heads. Well, they do reach but the angle does not permit either a good purchase or sufficient swing room.
So, I went to the hardware store to buy "non-standard" accessories for my tools. I bought three-inch extenders for my half-inch and three-eighths-inch socket wrenches. I do have a six-inch extender for the latter, but that length gives less purchase on really tight nuts. I also bought a 7/32-inch Allen insert for a socket wrench. Unfortunately, the hardware store only had this size inserts for quarter-inch wrenches. So, I had to buy an adapter also.
All homeowners who have all these tools in their toolboxes please raise their hands. I thought so. Of the twenty or so people who read this blog I don't see any hands raised.
The good news is that I have changed blades on the chipper. It did take a few grimacing pushes on the wrenches to get the nuts loose, but I did within a few minutes. The last time the blade needed changing, I had to tow the chipper back to the equipment store, a 40+ mile drive at 45 mph.
The next thing to do is to check the wear plate against the sharper blade. It looks like it will be fun doing so. The bolts holding the plate have slotted heads and are in a position that there is no way to get any purchase with a standard six-inch screwdriver.
Well, I did check the wear plate and it took me the rest of the afternoon.
First, the bolt heads are not slotted at all. They are carriage bolts with a square shaft just below the head to fit into the square holes in the wear plate.
I loosened all three bolts so that I could wiggle them, which meant that I should be able to wiggle the wear plate. No such luck. It was glued to the throat of the chipper by dried sap and so forth. I had to stick wood between the flywheel and the wear plate. I had to use a tack puller for leverage. I did this and that for a very long time.
Then when the wear plate was finally loose, it was too loose. Using the template for judging the gap, I would get one side at the right gap and the other side would be too tight. Back and forth. Tighten the nuts to make the plate slide a bit more slowly. One side would be proper; the other side would stop the blade.
On and on. Finally I had the plate so it didn't hit the blade. But the gap was a bit too big. Oh, well! It didn't look as wide as when I started.
I won't bore you with all the details of getting the chipper back together, but back together it is. I also cranked it up and chipped a small pile. For the most part, it just sucked stuff in. Definitely better than when I started.
The big question is are we better off with this high volume chipper with its high maintenance than we were with a low volume chipper that jammed frequently and sometimes didn't even start. I would say yes, but I will keep wondering every time I have to loosen all those bolts for some simple maintenance.
Oh, yeah!
What is often not considered is that a good workman has all the tools needed to do any job he expects to do. He won't use a flat blade screwdriver on a Philips screw or a hexagonal wrench on a square nut.
I had another lesson on having the right tools for the job at hand. We bought a humongous DR chipper with the slogan on the cover, "Professional power for the homeowner".
Sorry, but to do routine maintenance on this chipper requires tools many homeowners don't usually have. My socket wrenches do not reach the nuts holding the blade in place and my L-shaped Allen wrenches do not reach the screw heads. Well, they do reach but the angle does not permit either a good purchase or sufficient swing room.
So, I went to the hardware store to buy "non-standard" accessories for my tools. I bought three-inch extenders for my half-inch and three-eighths-inch socket wrenches. I do have a six-inch extender for the latter, but that length gives less purchase on really tight nuts. I also bought a 7/32-inch Allen insert for a socket wrench. Unfortunately, the hardware store only had this size inserts for quarter-inch wrenches. So, I had to buy an adapter also.
All homeowners who have all these tools in their toolboxes please raise their hands. I thought so. Of the twenty or so people who read this blog I don't see any hands raised.
The good news is that I have changed blades on the chipper. It did take a few grimacing pushes on the wrenches to get the nuts loose, but I did within a few minutes. The last time the blade needed changing, I had to tow the chipper back to the equipment store, a 40+ mile drive at 45 mph.
The next thing to do is to check the wear plate against the sharper blade. It looks like it will be fun doing so. The bolts holding the plate have slotted heads and are in a position that there is no way to get any purchase with a standard six-inch screwdriver.
Well, I did check the wear plate and it took me the rest of the afternoon.
First, the bolt heads are not slotted at all. They are carriage bolts with a square shaft just below the head to fit into the square holes in the wear plate.
I loosened all three bolts so that I could wiggle them, which meant that I should be able to wiggle the wear plate. No such luck. It was glued to the throat of the chipper by dried sap and so forth. I had to stick wood between the flywheel and the wear plate. I had to use a tack puller for leverage. I did this and that for a very long time.
Then when the wear plate was finally loose, it was too loose. Using the template for judging the gap, I would get one side at the right gap and the other side would be too tight. Back and forth. Tighten the nuts to make the plate slide a bit more slowly. One side would be proper; the other side would stop the blade.
On and on. Finally I had the plate so it didn't hit the blade. But the gap was a bit too big. Oh, well! It didn't look as wide as when I started.
I won't bore you with all the details of getting the chipper back together, but back together it is. I also cranked it up and chipped a small pile. For the most part, it just sucked stuff in. Definitely better than when I started.
The big question is are we better off with this high volume chipper with its high maintenance than we were with a low volume chipper that jammed frequently and sometimes didn't even start. I would say yes, but I will keep wondering every time I have to loosen all those bolts for some simple maintenance.
Monday, July 19, 2010
To support the troops, don't support the wars
The Duluth News Tribune, 2010-07-18, had two somewhat opposing views about "Support the Troops".
David McGrath wrote "Empty gestures often equal hollow support". He is concerned that "Support our troops" is sending a contradictory message to young people "between embracing soldiers and embracing wars."
The Duluth News Tribune disagrees in "Support the troops? Absolutely". Children can tell the difference between "paying tribute to military members… isn't the same as endorsing war." But, the writer then qualifies that with "as long as parents and other adults take the time to explain."
Unfortunately, too many adults aren't making the distinction, or at least aren't making it clear, in their own behavior. When they use phrases such as "defending our freedom" and "serving our country" to describe military members, they shut off any discussion of how our freedom is being defended and what service is really being done for our country. And this is the discussion that a democracy really needs.
We too often, as citizens and as writers, do not strongly question our leaders' motivations in waging war. We take without qualification their definition of "the enemy" and "protecting our country". One of the greatest smoke screens was to rename the Department of War as the Department of Defense. Have any of the wars waged since World War II really been against an enemy that had any serious chance of invading the United States? Or have these wars been grand geopolitical games played by "leaders" who really didn't know much about the countries and the people involved?
Coincidently, before I read these articles I had borrowed from the library "The Limits of Power, The End of American Exceptionalism" by Andrew J. Bacevich. I had only gotten through the first chapter Saturday night, but almost every page had insightful and powerful statements about the American follies and hubris in its recent wars. After a description of Reinhold Niebuhr's prescience about the current world situation, Bacevich writes, "Realism in this sense implies an obligation to see the world as it actually is, not as we might like it to be. The enemy of realism is hubris, which in Niebuhr's day, and in our own, finds expression in an outsized confidence in the efficacy of American power as an instrument to reshape the global order." (p. 7)
Before you jump to the conclusion that this is another "liberal rant", the jacket describes Bacevich as a "conservative historian and former military officer". See Wikipedia for more details. He also writes for The American Conservative, his latest article being "Will Iraq be forgotten as well?"
I am with McGrath that we should provide veterans with "a good job…, tuition for college, financial credit…, and the very best health care for veterans."
David McGrath wrote "Empty gestures often equal hollow support". He is concerned that "Support our troops" is sending a contradictory message to young people "between embracing soldiers and embracing wars."
The Duluth News Tribune disagrees in "Support the troops? Absolutely". Children can tell the difference between "paying tribute to military members… isn't the same as endorsing war." But, the writer then qualifies that with "as long as parents and other adults take the time to explain."
Unfortunately, too many adults aren't making the distinction, or at least aren't making it clear, in their own behavior. When they use phrases such as "defending our freedom" and "serving our country" to describe military members, they shut off any discussion of how our freedom is being defended and what service is really being done for our country. And this is the discussion that a democracy really needs.
We too often, as citizens and as writers, do not strongly question our leaders' motivations in waging war. We take without qualification their definition of "the enemy" and "protecting our country". One of the greatest smoke screens was to rename the Department of War as the Department of Defense. Have any of the wars waged since World War II really been against an enemy that had any serious chance of invading the United States? Or have these wars been grand geopolitical games played by "leaders" who really didn't know much about the countries and the people involved?
Coincidently, before I read these articles I had borrowed from the library "The Limits of Power, The End of American Exceptionalism" by Andrew J. Bacevich. I had only gotten through the first chapter Saturday night, but almost every page had insightful and powerful statements about the American follies and hubris in its recent wars. After a description of Reinhold Niebuhr's prescience about the current world situation, Bacevich writes, "Realism in this sense implies an obligation to see the world as it actually is, not as we might like it to be. The enemy of realism is hubris, which in Niebuhr's day, and in our own, finds expression in an outsized confidence in the efficacy of American power as an instrument to reshape the global order." (p. 7)
Before you jump to the conclusion that this is another "liberal rant", the jacket describes Bacevich as a "conservative historian and former military officer". See Wikipedia for more details. He also writes for The American Conservative, his latest article being "Will Iraq be forgotten as well?"
I am with McGrath that we should provide veterans with "a good job…, tuition for college, financial credit…, and the very best health care for veterans."
Friday, July 16, 2010
Putting science over corporate interest
Here's a refreshing bit of news. Omega Protein Corp. declined to participate in a panel on the status of menhaden in Chesapeake Bay. Menhaden is an oily fish that is used for pet food and for omega-3 fish oil supplements. Omega Protein catches 109,020 metric tons of menhaden from Chesapeake Bay.
"A spokesman for Omega said the company was concerned that science would be pushed aside by members who have 'preconceived notions about this fishery and the health of menhaden.'" - "Menhaden fish panel meets in Va. for the first time", Yahoo Finance, 2010-07-16.
Too many companies try to override scientific decisions for their short-term interest. I think here Omega Protein knows that scientific management of the fish stock is in its long-term interest.
Disclosure: we own shares in Omega Protein.
"A spokesman for Omega said the company was concerned that science would be pushed aside by members who have 'preconceived notions about this fishery and the health of menhaden.'" - "Menhaden fish panel meets in Va. for the first time", Yahoo Finance, 2010-07-16.
Too many companies try to override scientific decisions for their short-term interest. I think here Omega Protein knows that scientific management of the fish stock is in its long-term interest.
Disclosure: we own shares in Omega Protein.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A must-read on counter-terrorism
I've been toying with ideas about using non-lethal means to counter terrorism, including bombing insurgent hideouts with honey, out-Koraning the jihadists, and making the whole movement foolish in the eyes of its potential supporters.
The last idea is already well underway. See "Countering Terrorism With Mockery", Robert Mackey, New York Times, 2010-07-15.
It includes some clips from two movies that show wannabe jihadists as incompetent.
But one does have to be careful, those who feel insecure can lash out at those who reinforce their insecurity. Pakistan has banned "Tere Bin Laden", a mock interview with a Bin Laden impersonator, because of concerns of a revenge attack.
The last idea is already well underway. See "Countering Terrorism With Mockery", Robert Mackey, New York Times, 2010-07-15.
It includes some clips from two movies that show wannabe jihadists as incompetent.
But one does have to be careful, those who feel insecure can lash out at those who reinforce their insecurity. Pakistan has banned "Tere Bin Laden", a mock interview with a Bin Laden impersonator, because of concerns of a revenge attack.
If the Minnesota GOP wants reduced taxes…
Why are they calling on county attorneys to check their charges about felons voting? Won't that cost money, money that has to come from taxes? Won't that take resources from prosecuting current felons?
Ah! If county attorneys have fewer resources to prosecute current felons, then the GOP can accuse them of being soft on crime. Since more county attorneys are Democrats rather than Republicans…
Ah! If county attorneys have fewer resources to prosecute current felons, then the GOP can accuse them of being soft on crime. Since more county attorneys are Democrats rather than Republicans…
So-called costs can be investments
Too many people look at many expenditures as costs as if reducing costs was always a good thing. On the other hand, many expenditures are really investments that lead to greater income in the future.
A case in point is the reduced rent that the owner of Local D'Lish, a unique grocery store in Minneapolis, receives from her landlord*. Rather than charge her for the total benefit that she receives from her space, he looks on reduced rent as an enhancement for his property. He receives the benefit of an attraction for his other tenants, an attraction that will keep his building more occupied and probably even give him an ability to charge higher rent to them.
But too many employers, especially governments, look upon employees as a cost and not an investment. If an organization cuts employees, then there is less buying power in the community. Less buying power means less sales. Less sales means less jobs. Less jobs means less taxes. Less taxes means less government employees. Where it ends nobody knows.
When Grover Norquist drowns government in his bathtub, will he have enough water to put out the fire in his kitchen?
* "Grocer specializes in stocking small-town flavor in the big city", Dick Youngblood, Star Tribune, 2010-07-15
A case in point is the reduced rent that the owner of Local D'Lish, a unique grocery store in Minneapolis, receives from her landlord*. Rather than charge her for the total benefit that she receives from her space, he looks on reduced rent as an enhancement for his property. He receives the benefit of an attraction for his other tenants, an attraction that will keep his building more occupied and probably even give him an ability to charge higher rent to them.
But too many employers, especially governments, look upon employees as a cost and not an investment. If an organization cuts employees, then there is less buying power in the community. Less buying power means less sales. Less sales means less jobs. Less jobs means less taxes. Less taxes means less government employees. Where it ends nobody knows.
When Grover Norquist drowns government in his bathtub, will he have enough water to put out the fire in his kitchen?
* "Grocer specializes in stocking small-town flavor in the big city", Dick Youngblood, Star Tribune, 2010-07-15
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Big bills cost more
That is, the longer and more complex a Congressional bill is, the more it will cost in proportion to the benefit it will give.
Michael Lind wrote an article for the Washington Post, "Comprehensive reform is overrated. For real change, Washington must think small", 2010-07-11 and reprinted in the Star Tribune as "Not every problem calls for a sledgehammer", 2010-07-14.
He argues that large bills try to solve too many things at once and gives too many lobbyists too many openings to make it even more complex. And I would say counterproductive. Some bills have gotten so large that few in Congress read them in their entirety. Somebody challenged Senators to read the complete, original Patriot Act before voting. One Senator did and he voted against it. Michele Bachmann couldn't have read the energy bill that she claims bans incandescent bulbs; it only sets energy standards.
One could say that large bills are cases of too many cooks spoiling the broth and too many fingers in the pie.
My own notion is that no bill before Congress should be larger than the original U.S. Constitution. Maybe we should even have a Constitutional amendment on that.
Michael Lind wrote an article for the Washington Post, "Comprehensive reform is overrated. For real change, Washington must think small", 2010-07-11 and reprinted in the Star Tribune as "Not every problem calls for a sledgehammer", 2010-07-14.
He argues that large bills try to solve too many things at once and gives too many lobbyists too many openings to make it even more complex. And I would say counterproductive. Some bills have gotten so large that few in Congress read them in their entirety. Somebody challenged Senators to read the complete, original Patriot Act before voting. One Senator did and he voted against it. Michele Bachmann couldn't have read the energy bill that she claims bans incandescent bulbs; it only sets energy standards.
One could say that large bills are cases of too many cooks spoiling the broth and too many fingers in the pie.
My own notion is that no bill before Congress should be larger than the original U.S. Constitution. Maybe we should even have a Constitutional amendment on that.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Quote of the day: On Flexibility
"Those who stay flexible and realize the world is dynamic are better judges than those who pretend it's built on certainties."
- Morgan Housel, The Motley Fool, "How to Know When a Talking Head is Full of Hot Air"
Although Housel is writing in the context of those making stock market predictions, it can apply to many other situations. Just think of all those who think tax-cuts will solve all of our problems and of all those who think that more stimulus will solve all of our problems. The real fix is probably some combination of the two applied in the proper areas and at the proper time.
He recommends "Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?" by Philip Tetlock. Read Housel's article for a quick summary of Tetlock's reasoning.
Neither the Duluth Public Library nor the UMD Library have this book, but the UMD Library has three political psychology books of which Tetlock is a contributor or an editor.
- Morgan Housel, The Motley Fool, "How to Know When a Talking Head is Full of Hot Air"
Although Housel is writing in the context of those making stock market predictions, it can apply to many other situations. Just think of all those who think tax-cuts will solve all of our problems and of all those who think that more stimulus will solve all of our problems. The real fix is probably some combination of the two applied in the proper areas and at the proper time.
He recommends "Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?" by Philip Tetlock. Read Housel's article for a quick summary of Tetlock's reasoning.
Neither the Duluth Public Library nor the UMD Library have this book, but the UMD Library has three political psychology books of which Tetlock is a contributor or an editor.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Gun rights vs. community rights
The Coffee Party web site has an interesting blog "Personal Rights vs. Community Rights".
One of the interesting statements is "I do not carry a loaded weapon in a crowded area because of what that gun could do to innocent lives if it were accidentally to go off."
Have those who exercise their "right" to bear arms by carrying a loaded pistol in stores, churches, and other public places considered the number of police officers who have been killed with their own guns? Police officers receive extensive fire arms training and practice. If a crazy can grab a gun from a well-trained police officer, cannot a crazy grab a gun from a less well-trained person? Especially in a public place where people are in close proximity to each other. Shane had the benefit of wide open spaces and carefully choosing where he sat. Other gun-carriers are not living in the Old West, but in crowded cities.
One of the interesting statements is "I do not carry a loaded weapon in a crowded area because of what that gun could do to innocent lives if it were accidentally to go off."
Have those who exercise their "right" to bear arms by carrying a loaded pistol in stores, churches, and other public places considered the number of police officers who have been killed with their own guns? Police officers receive extensive fire arms training and practice. If a crazy can grab a gun from a well-trained police officer, cannot a crazy grab a gun from a less well-trained person? Especially in a public place where people are in close proximity to each other. Shane had the benefit of wide open spaces and carefully choosing where he sat. Other gun-carriers are not living in the Old West, but in crowded cities.
Don't knock government workers
A favorite stereotype of cartoonists and anti-government types is the city worker leaning on a shovel doing nothing.
As I type this, two men are in our neighbors' yard "doing nothing", sitting in or leaning against an idle backhoe. They work for a private contractor who is installing new sewer pipe. Why are they doing nothing? They have just filled a dump truck with dirt and it has gone off to put it someplace else and probably bring back gravel for the bottom of the trench. Meanwhile there is nothing to do for them but wait.
Should they get paid while waiting? Would you like to be required to be somewhere with nothing to do and not get paid for your time? I bet not.
Next time you see city workers doing nothing, carefully observe the situation. They may be waiting because they are waiting for more equipment or material. They may be waiting for advice on how to get around a problem. They may be waiting for supervisors to make a decision. I bet in most cases they would be working if they had all they needed to do the job.
As I type this, two men are in our neighbors' yard "doing nothing", sitting in or leaning against an idle backhoe. They work for a private contractor who is installing new sewer pipe. Why are they doing nothing? They have just filled a dump truck with dirt and it has gone off to put it someplace else and probably bring back gravel for the bottom of the trench. Meanwhile there is nothing to do for them but wait.
Should they get paid while waiting? Would you like to be required to be somewhere with nothing to do and not get paid for your time? I bet not.
Next time you see city workers doing nothing, carefully observe the situation. They may be waiting because they are waiting for more equipment or material. They may be waiting for advice on how to get around a problem. They may be waiting for supervisors to make a decision. I bet in most cases they would be working if they had all they needed to do the job.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Have good-paying jobs really been exported?
The mantra of "good-paying manufacturing jobs going overseas" never seems to be questioned. But I wonder if this "common wisdom" is really true.
There's no question that many hire-and-train jobs are now done in other countries. Simple assembly, clothes manufacture, operation of simple automatic machines, and on and on. But have all the jobs of skilled machinists gone overseas, have all the jobs of process designers gone overseas.
I think not. What has happened is that the skills required for these jobs have become more demanding and the productivity of people performing these jobs has skyrocketed. Higher productivity leads to a lot fewer people needed to produce the same number of goods.
My father's grandfather was a machinist and my mother's uncle was a machinist. I doubt that either could get a machinist job now with the skills they had then. It takes a good eye and a steady hand to produce parts exact to the thousandths of an inch. But now manufacturers have numerically-controlled tools that can do the same thing time after time. The operator sets the job up and may be free to work on something else.
Once upon a time a teen-ager with a tool box could be an auto mechanic. Now auto mechanics use a wide array of electronic gadgets to check and adjust many systems in a car.
My father was a dental prosthetic technician with his own business specializing in crowns. He could afford a lot of big boy toys, bowling, golfing, and betting on the ponies. I have a folder full of testimonials from dentists praising the skill and timeliness of his work. Now dentists design a crown while you watch, push a button, chat with you for a few minutes, go downstairs to pick up the crown, and put it in your mouth with a nearly perfect fit.
And even if these old style jobs were still available, would anybody hire a kid off the street, train him in the basics, give him some simple jobs, and guide him in the development of a higher skill level. I doubt it. Many companies want new employees with experience. And often quite specific experience. If you know all about the model 21 machine, but a company has model 22 machines, fuhgedaboudit!
If any state or national government wants to solve the "jobs" problem, they should stop trying to create the unneeded jobs and start training people for the needed jobs. And even if they do that, will the needed jobs of today become the unneeded jobs of tomorrow?
There's no question that many hire-and-train jobs are now done in other countries. Simple assembly, clothes manufacture, operation of simple automatic machines, and on and on. But have all the jobs of skilled machinists gone overseas, have all the jobs of process designers gone overseas.
I think not. What has happened is that the skills required for these jobs have become more demanding and the productivity of people performing these jobs has skyrocketed. Higher productivity leads to a lot fewer people needed to produce the same number of goods.
My father's grandfather was a machinist and my mother's uncle was a machinist. I doubt that either could get a machinist job now with the skills they had then. It takes a good eye and a steady hand to produce parts exact to the thousandths of an inch. But now manufacturers have numerically-controlled tools that can do the same thing time after time. The operator sets the job up and may be free to work on something else.
Once upon a time a teen-ager with a tool box could be an auto mechanic. Now auto mechanics use a wide array of electronic gadgets to check and adjust many systems in a car.
My father was a dental prosthetic technician with his own business specializing in crowns. He could afford a lot of big boy toys, bowling, golfing, and betting on the ponies. I have a folder full of testimonials from dentists praising the skill and timeliness of his work. Now dentists design a crown while you watch, push a button, chat with you for a few minutes, go downstairs to pick up the crown, and put it in your mouth with a nearly perfect fit.
And even if these old style jobs were still available, would anybody hire a kid off the street, train him in the basics, give him some simple jobs, and guide him in the development of a higher skill level. I doubt it. Many companies want new employees with experience. And often quite specific experience. If you know all about the model 21 machine, but a company has model 22 machines, fuhgedaboudit!
If any state or national government wants to solve the "jobs" problem, they should stop trying to create the unneeded jobs and start training people for the needed jobs. And even if they do that, will the needed jobs of today become the unneeded jobs of tomorrow?
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
A tip for Tom Emmer on wait staff pay
Tom Emmer, Republican candidate for Minnesota Governor, wants the minimum wage lowered for service workers who get lots of tips. See "Emmer: Lower wages for tipped workers", Jackie Crosby, Star Tribune, 2010-07-06. He says that the extra wages are taking money from customers. Is he also calling for CEOs with large bonuses to get a lower base pay? After all, these CEOs are also taking money from customers.
His arguments are also weak on other points.
He uses as an example the Eagle Street Grill in downtown St. Paul where "three servers take home over $100,000 a year, including tips."
Do each of the servers take home $100,000 a year or do three servers take home $100,000 a year among them. In the latter case, $33,000 may be a good income for many servers, but many others would like to get that much. If a server receives lots of tips, doesn't that mean they are providing good service to their customers. If they are providing good service to their customers, aren't many of these repeat customers and probably even buying a lot of food and drink. If the customers are buying a lot, the restaurant owners should be very happy to have highly-paid servers.
How many times have you gone into a restaurant where the server has not asked if you want drinks before dinner, has not asked if you want wine with dinner, and has given you a bill without even asking if you want coffee or dessert? Even if the answer will be no, a good server always asks these questions. The server who does will generate more revenue for the restaurant and will get a bigger tip. Oh, but that is taking money from the customers.
If you want to see more realistic figures, see "Tom Emmer goes after food server wages", Rachel Hutton, City Pages, 2010-07-06. She blows lots of the "facts" that Emmer states out of the water. An even better analysis is "Servers, wait staff unlikely to make $100,000", Annie Baxter, Minnesota Public Radio, 2010-07-06, 2010-07-06.
I could go on and on picking apart the arguments of the likes of Tom Emmer, but I'll end with just two.
One was mentioned in Baxter's argument comparing wait staff during slow times to that of sales persons. Many sales persons still get a base pay for getting out there and trying. Do CEOs get a lower base salary when sales are low?
Remember Circuit City. It laid off its highest paid sales staff and went downhill from there. It was the highest paid sales staff that people went to for answers. If they got good answers, they bought. The lower paid staff didn't always have the answers and so fewer people bought stuff from Circuit City. The high-paid servers are generating a lot of sales for their restaurants. Don't knock them!
Other references:
"Circuit City cost cutting madness", Andrew Weir
"How the Mighty Fall", Jim Collins. It is ironic that he mentioned Circuit City in his previous book, "Good to Great". Is there a lesson for Minnesota here?
His arguments are also weak on other points.
He uses as an example the Eagle Street Grill in downtown St. Paul where "three servers take home over $100,000 a year, including tips."
Do each of the servers take home $100,000 a year or do three servers take home $100,000 a year among them. In the latter case, $33,000 may be a good income for many servers, but many others would like to get that much. If a server receives lots of tips, doesn't that mean they are providing good service to their customers. If they are providing good service to their customers, aren't many of these repeat customers and probably even buying a lot of food and drink. If the customers are buying a lot, the restaurant owners should be very happy to have highly-paid servers.
How many times have you gone into a restaurant where the server has not asked if you want drinks before dinner, has not asked if you want wine with dinner, and has given you a bill without even asking if you want coffee or dessert? Even if the answer will be no, a good server always asks these questions. The server who does will generate more revenue for the restaurant and will get a bigger tip. Oh, but that is taking money from the customers.
If you want to see more realistic figures, see "Tom Emmer goes after food server wages", Rachel Hutton, City Pages, 2010-07-06. She blows lots of the "facts" that Emmer states out of the water. An even better analysis is "Servers, wait staff unlikely to make $100,000", Annie Baxter, Minnesota Public Radio, 2010-07-06, 2010-07-06.
I could go on and on picking apart the arguments of the likes of Tom Emmer, but I'll end with just two.
One was mentioned in Baxter's argument comparing wait staff during slow times to that of sales persons. Many sales persons still get a base pay for getting out there and trying. Do CEOs get a lower base salary when sales are low?
Remember Circuit City. It laid off its highest paid sales staff and went downhill from there. It was the highest paid sales staff that people went to for answers. If they got good answers, they bought. The lower paid staff didn't always have the answers and so fewer people bought stuff from Circuit City. The high-paid servers are generating a lot of sales for their restaurants. Don't knock them!
Other references:
"Circuit City cost cutting madness", Andrew Weir
"How the Mighty Fall", Jim Collins. It is ironic that he mentioned Circuit City in his previous book, "Good to Great". Is there a lesson for Minnesota here?
Monday, July 05, 2010
2904 miles and I can't stop driving
Yesterday we returned from a 12-day trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake ON, West Chester PA, and Silver Spring MD with overnight stops at Sault Ste. Marie MI, Richmond IN, and Madison WI. That's almost like driving coast-to-coast. The purpose was a reunion of my wife's sisters and cousins to celebrate our 50th anniversary and that of one of her cousins.
We drank and talked and ate and talked and we walked and we went on a jet boat ride and drank and talked and ate and talked. We took many pictures and movies and we gave impromptu speeches. As part of my speech I sang some song fragments with two duets with my wife. The best part was when my wife's youngest sister, who had had opera training, complimented me on my singing.
We stopped in West Chester to visit a high school and Scout friend and his wife. Although we took a walk in town and went out to a restaurant, we mostly sat in their gazebo, talked, read, and watched TV. It was also a bit of a nostalgia trip in that we haven't been in the area since we lived there in 1974-1977. It is something to drive twisty roads where the trees are right next to the road.
We stopped in Silver Spring to visit a possible third cousin of mine. Her ancestors were from Baltimore and my great-grandfather gave his father's birthplace as Maryland. Since John C. Magree was a ship's master born in Baltimore and dismissed from the U.S. Navy in 1862, I suspect he is our common ancestor. Now to find the right records. For him they are very sparse: I have found only one transcribed record of his bringing a ship of immigrants from Liverpool to New York. That was in December 1851. Since my great-grandfather was born in Brooklyn in December 1850, could John C. Magree have had two families, one in each U.S. port?
It was something to go from the hills of Appalachia to the Great Plains. In the morning we were going up and down and around and in the afternoon we were driving into the horizon. I took a picture of one gap and the valley behind us, but I never noted what the rest stop was. I suppose I could figure it out with the camera time stamp and a map. As we drove through West Virginia, we certainly understood the feeling of the song, "Country Roads".
I also understood the psychology of "keeping up with traffic". I've divided drivers into lone wolves, the wolf pack, and law-abiding individuals.
The lone wolves are the drivers who drive fifteen or more miles-per-hour over the speed limit. They are also the drivers who will weave in and out of traffic to get to an exit one minute before other drivers. They also arrive in the left lane at about the time another driver is ready to pass a vehicle in the right lane. That driver has the choice of being tailgated by the lone wolf or slowing down to avoid a collision with the slower vehicle in the right lane.
The wolf pack consists of those who drive five to ten miles over the limit. It is amusing to watch them drive. They are in a group of five to ten cars in both lanes. As they come to a slower vehicle they merge into the left lane, getting closer and closer to each other, sometimes less than a car length apart. When they get through the "choke point", the first driver will pull right in front of the lead car in the right lane, often at a distance closer than the following car was in the left lane. Then the second car pulls in front of the first, the third in front of the second, and so on, with a lone wolf bringing up the rear.
The law-abiding drivers are driving within five miles per hour of the posted limit. They rarely see each other because they are spaced some distance apart. This gives them the illusion that they are all alone in driving at the speed limit.
When one of these drivers passes a similar driver, the lone wolves and the wolf packs accuse them of holding up traffic. Isn't it the other way around? The lone wolves and the wolf packs are pushing traffic.
I think I've had enough of driving for a while. The one hour to our cabin is enough, and we may be passed only twice, if at all.
Besides, we have to pay all our credit card bills. Other than all the good visits, the next best thing was that our 2002 Prius got 48.0 miles per gallon in that 2904 miles.
We drank and talked and ate and talked and we walked and we went on a jet boat ride and drank and talked and ate and talked. We took many pictures and movies and we gave impromptu speeches. As part of my speech I sang some song fragments with two duets with my wife. The best part was when my wife's youngest sister, who had had opera training, complimented me on my singing.
We stopped in West Chester to visit a high school and Scout friend and his wife. Although we took a walk in town and went out to a restaurant, we mostly sat in their gazebo, talked, read, and watched TV. It was also a bit of a nostalgia trip in that we haven't been in the area since we lived there in 1974-1977. It is something to drive twisty roads where the trees are right next to the road.
We stopped in Silver Spring to visit a possible third cousin of mine. Her ancestors were from Baltimore and my great-grandfather gave his father's birthplace as Maryland. Since John C. Magree was a ship's master born in Baltimore and dismissed from the U.S. Navy in 1862, I suspect he is our common ancestor. Now to find the right records. For him they are very sparse: I have found only one transcribed record of his bringing a ship of immigrants from Liverpool to New York. That was in December 1851. Since my great-grandfather was born in Brooklyn in December 1850, could John C. Magree have had two families, one in each U.S. port?
It was something to go from the hills of Appalachia to the Great Plains. In the morning we were going up and down and around and in the afternoon we were driving into the horizon. I took a picture of one gap and the valley behind us, but I never noted what the rest stop was. I suppose I could figure it out with the camera time stamp and a map. As we drove through West Virginia, we certainly understood the feeling of the song, "Country Roads".
I also understood the psychology of "keeping up with traffic". I've divided drivers into lone wolves, the wolf pack, and law-abiding individuals.
The lone wolves are the drivers who drive fifteen or more miles-per-hour over the speed limit. They are also the drivers who will weave in and out of traffic to get to an exit one minute before other drivers. They also arrive in the left lane at about the time another driver is ready to pass a vehicle in the right lane. That driver has the choice of being tailgated by the lone wolf or slowing down to avoid a collision with the slower vehicle in the right lane.
The wolf pack consists of those who drive five to ten miles over the limit. It is amusing to watch them drive. They are in a group of five to ten cars in both lanes. As they come to a slower vehicle they merge into the left lane, getting closer and closer to each other, sometimes less than a car length apart. When they get through the "choke point", the first driver will pull right in front of the lead car in the right lane, often at a distance closer than the following car was in the left lane. Then the second car pulls in front of the first, the third in front of the second, and so on, with a lone wolf bringing up the rear.
The law-abiding drivers are driving within five miles per hour of the posted limit. They rarely see each other because they are spaced some distance apart. This gives them the illusion that they are all alone in driving at the speed limit.
When one of these drivers passes a similar driver, the lone wolves and the wolf packs accuse them of holding up traffic. Isn't it the other way around? The lone wolves and the wolf packs are pushing traffic.
I think I've had enough of driving for a while. The one hour to our cabin is enough, and we may be passed only twice, if at all.
Besides, we have to pay all our credit card bills. Other than all the good visits, the next best thing was that our 2002 Prius got 48.0 miles per gallon in that 2904 miles.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Afghanistan - Doing too much for too little?
Fareed Zakaria thinks that the fight against the Taliban is overreach with little result. He likens it to fighting Italy after Germany has been defeated. See "Fareed Zakaria Criticizes 'Disproportionate' Afghanistan War on CNN".
We should also look at the reverse situation. How many Americans would fight a foreign invader? Suppose there was an Anti-China League that started hitting Chinese targets. The Chinese, tired of the "American" terrorism, would invade the U.S. with overwhelming force. Many Americans would resist, even if they did not like the Anti-China League.
For what many call a "Christian" nation, we seem incapable of following the second greatest commandment - do unto others what you would have them do unto you.
Also, why does the Afghan army need so much training when the Taliban has such minimal training? If the U.S. can't beat the Taliban with all of its sophisticated training and weapons, will an Afghan army beat the Taliban with the same sophisticated training and weapons? Either a sufficient number of Afghans are opposed to the Taliban to fight the Taliban on similar terms or too few Afghans are willing to risk their lives against the Taliban.
We should also look at the reverse situation. How many Americans would fight a foreign invader? Suppose there was an Anti-China League that started hitting Chinese targets. The Chinese, tired of the "American" terrorism, would invade the U.S. with overwhelming force. Many Americans would resist, even if they did not like the Anti-China League.
For what many call a "Christian" nation, we seem incapable of following the second greatest commandment - do unto others what you would have them do unto you.
Also, why does the Afghan army need so much training when the Taliban has such minimal training? If the U.S. can't beat the Taliban with all of its sophisticated training and weapons, will an Afghan army beat the Taliban with the same sophisticated training and weapons? Either a sufficient number of Afghans are opposed to the Taliban to fight the Taliban on similar terms or too few Afghans are willing to risk their lives against the Taliban.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Make up your mind: Is the government incompetent or not?
There are many who think no government can do anything right, from building roads to managing health care. They say, "Private enterprise can do things cheaper and better than government can."
However, some of these same people think the government is always right when it comes to war or crime. "The president knows more than we do about …" The people who warned the president that wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would be difficult and nearly intractable seemed to have known more than the president.
"Everybody knows they are guilty." Many authors have made a bundle on novels about falsely accused suspects. At least one organization has freed prisoners falsely accused of capital crimes. Now we have the government as being very competent to know who a terrorist is. Worse yet, many accused of terrorism or being suspected of being a likely terrorist are having difficulty defending themselves. See "Too Scary to Fly, Not Scary Enough to Arrest", David Kravets, Wired, 2010-06-30.
Some of these same people who think government is incompetent think the Constitution should be "strictly interpreted." If so, then isn't putting someone on a no-fly list depriving that person of liberty "without due process of law"? (Amendment V of the U.S. Constitution)
However, some of these same people think the government is always right when it comes to war or crime. "The president knows more than we do about …" The people who warned the president that wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would be difficult and nearly intractable seemed to have known more than the president.
"Everybody knows they are guilty." Many authors have made a bundle on novels about falsely accused suspects. At least one organization has freed prisoners falsely accused of capital crimes. Now we have the government as being very competent to know who a terrorist is. Worse yet, many accused of terrorism or being suspected of being a likely terrorist are having difficulty defending themselves. See "Too Scary to Fly, Not Scary Enough to Arrest", David Kravets, Wired, 2010-06-30.
Some of these same people who think government is incompetent think the Constitution should be "strictly interpreted." If so, then isn't putting someone on a no-fly list depriving that person of liberty "without due process of law"? (Amendment V of the U.S. Constitution)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Fiscal responsibility is irresponsible
The great hue and cry is that government should be fiscally responsible, live within its means, and pay as it goes. Oh, yes, and government should not raise taxes; in fact in these times of an economic downturn, government should lower taxes to stimulate business.
Let's see, your kitchen caught fire. Luckily for you, the fire department arrived quickly and limited the damage to the kitchen. But you forgot to pay your fire insurance premium and the insurance was canceled.
You could eat out more often, but that would cost you more money than preparing food at home. For some budgets, that might be fiscally irresponsible.
Your next recourse is to take out an equity loan on your home to pay for the repairs. That certainly isn't pay as you go on home improvement.
Many people don't realize that we have something similar in government expenses. Suppose in this time of fiscal austerity that the city didn't have the money to replace its aging fire hoses. Then when the fire department came to your house some of those aging hoses burst and your whole house burned down.
What about sewer repairs? Suppose in this time of fiscal austerity that the city didn't replace some of its aging sewers. As the fire truck drove to your house it was the "last straw" for a big sewer pipe and it collapsed. Your house burned down, the city lost a fire truck, and the city has a major, major sewer and street repair project on its hands.
Do you think we can count on free will donations to pay for all of this today? The banks certainly won't be any of these donors. They will want interest on the loans they make to the city.
Let's see, your kitchen caught fire. Luckily for you, the fire department arrived quickly and limited the damage to the kitchen. But you forgot to pay your fire insurance premium and the insurance was canceled.
You could eat out more often, but that would cost you more money than preparing food at home. For some budgets, that might be fiscally irresponsible.
Your next recourse is to take out an equity loan on your home to pay for the repairs. That certainly isn't pay as you go on home improvement.
Many people don't realize that we have something similar in government expenses. Suppose in this time of fiscal austerity that the city didn't have the money to replace its aging fire hoses. Then when the fire department came to your house some of those aging hoses burst and your whole house burned down.
What about sewer repairs? Suppose in this time of fiscal austerity that the city didn't replace some of its aging sewers. As the fire truck drove to your house it was the "last straw" for a big sewer pipe and it collapsed. Your house burned down, the city lost a fire truck, and the city has a major, major sewer and street repair project on its hands.
Do you think we can count on free will donations to pay for all of this today? The banks certainly won't be any of these donors. They will want interest on the loans they make to the city.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Let's solve illegal immigration for once and for all!!
Illegal immigration has been a problem in America (and many other countries) for centuries. In what is now called the United States let's solve it by sending the children of illegal immigrants and the children's children, yea unto to the sixteenth generation, back where they came from. Let's start with sending all the Mayflower descendants back to England!
Did they really get permission from all the governments of the people already living here to stay put and to take resources from the then current occupants? Did they learn the customs and the languages of the people already living here? No, they insisted on following their Old World customs and speaking their Old World language. Even that language was a mishmash of the language of illegal immigrants from another part of the Old World.
Then let's send back all the children of the Southern planters and the children of their children. They grabbed great swaths of land from those already reaping the bounty of the land, they cleared the land of those pesky forests that produced an abundance of food, and they pushed those who already lived on the land farther and farther from the coasts.
And on and on it went, decade after decade, farther and farther west. Now the true illegal immigrants want to push out the descendants of the Anasazi, the Aztecs, the Toltecs, and the Mayans from land they had occupied for millennia until the real illegal immigrants arrived.
And we should send the Ojibwe out of the territory they took from the Dakota. And we should send the Lenni Lenape out of the territory they took from others as they pushed east to the Great Salt Sea (see James Fenimore Cooper).
If we all stayed put in the land of our fathers and their fathers, just think of how we could reduce the problem of illegal immigration!! Of course, if we all did that, we would still be peasants working from dawn to dusk, suffering cold and heat according to the season, and wondering when a drought or the foreign overlords would wipe us out.
We really should follow the advice of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?" That means we have to absorb people moving in and we have to be sensitive when we move into others' territory. And next year we will have world peace.
Did they really get permission from all the governments of the people already living here to stay put and to take resources from the then current occupants? Did they learn the customs and the languages of the people already living here? No, they insisted on following their Old World customs and speaking their Old World language. Even that language was a mishmash of the language of illegal immigrants from another part of the Old World.
Then let's send back all the children of the Southern planters and the children of their children. They grabbed great swaths of land from those already reaping the bounty of the land, they cleared the land of those pesky forests that produced an abundance of food, and they pushed those who already lived on the land farther and farther from the coasts.
And on and on it went, decade after decade, farther and farther west. Now the true illegal immigrants want to push out the descendants of the Anasazi, the Aztecs, the Toltecs, and the Mayans from land they had occupied for millennia until the real illegal immigrants arrived.
And we should send the Ojibwe out of the territory they took from the Dakota. And we should send the Lenni Lenape out of the territory they took from others as they pushed east to the Great Salt Sea (see James Fenimore Cooper).
If we all stayed put in the land of our fathers and their fathers, just think of how we could reduce the problem of illegal immigration!! Of course, if we all did that, we would still be peasants working from dawn to dusk, suffering cold and heat according to the season, and wondering when a drought or the foreign overlords would wipe us out.
We really should follow the advice of Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?" That means we have to absorb people moving in and we have to be sensitive when we move into others' territory. And next year we will have world peace.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Duluth has become more international
I find it amusing that so many small cities call their airports International, as in Duluth International Airport. Unfortunately, there are few, if any, flights from some "International" airports to cities in other countries.
For example, to fly from Duluth MN to Winnipeg, Manitoba, one has to go first to Minneapolis-St. Paul or Chicago. Today's flights from Duluth International Airport are to Minneapolis, Detroit, Chicago, and Orlando. It could be that freight or private planes fly in and out of Duluth directly to Canada, Asia, or Europe.
Another "requirement" for an "International" airport is currency exchange. I've never seen any currency exchange at the Duluth airport.
Even currency exchange anywhere in Duluth has been difficult. A local bank had to get the money from a correspondent bank. On the other hand, I could go into a bank in a small town in Ontario and exchange U.S. travelers cheques for Canadian dollars. Today I told a teller that I had taken my nasty pills and asked if she could give me Canadian money. She replied, "Yes."
She couldn't give me the exact equivalent because she didn't have small change, but that is to be expected almost anywhere. So, I asked for Canadian dollars in an even amount, and she was able to give me change in U.S. money.
On top of that, I can bring back any left over Canadian money and exchange it for U.S. dollars. Except for small change, like everywhere else.
Will yen and euros be far behind?
For example, to fly from Duluth MN to Winnipeg, Manitoba, one has to go first to Minneapolis-St. Paul or Chicago. Today's flights from Duluth International Airport are to Minneapolis, Detroit, Chicago, and Orlando. It could be that freight or private planes fly in and out of Duluth directly to Canada, Asia, or Europe.
Another "requirement" for an "International" airport is currency exchange. I've never seen any currency exchange at the Duluth airport.
Even currency exchange anywhere in Duluth has been difficult. A local bank had to get the money from a correspondent bank. On the other hand, I could go into a bank in a small town in Ontario and exchange U.S. travelers cheques for Canadian dollars. Today I told a teller that I had taken my nasty pills and asked if she could give me Canadian money. She replied, "Yes."
She couldn't give me the exact equivalent because she didn't have small change, but that is to be expected almost anywhere. So, I asked for Canadian dollars in an even amount, and she was able to give me change in U.S. money.
On top of that, I can bring back any left over Canadian money and exchange it for U.S. dollars. Except for small change, like everywhere else.
Will yen and euros be far behind?
Monday, June 21, 2010
Quote of the day, make longer plans
The other day my wife was wondering with a cousin on how old their grandfather was when he died. He was Dr. Frederick L. Smith of the Mayo Clinic; I should be able to find something with Google. As it was, very little and no obituary. But I did find quite a few other Fred Smiths. This one was in "Christianity Today" by a Fred Smith who was dying and ready for it.
"I used to lecture with a psychiatrist. He was at our home on my 50th birthday and said, 'Now that you're 50, make longer plans.' I said, 'Now I know why you're a psychiatrist, you're nuts.' He said, 'No, when you start making shorter plans, your subconscious is telling you to die.' "
Now I know why I want to cut down trees and plant trees, clear paths and lay down chips, and many other projects in Brimson. I probably wouldn't get done all of what I dream if I live twice my current age (72).
"I used to lecture with a psychiatrist. He was at our home on my 50th birthday and said, 'Now that you're 50, make longer plans.' I said, 'Now I know why you're a psychiatrist, you're nuts.' He said, 'No, when you start making shorter plans, your subconscious is telling you to die.' "
Now I know why I want to cut down trees and plant trees, clear paths and lay down chips, and many other projects in Brimson. I probably wouldn't get done all of what I dream if I live twice my current age (72).
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Do, teach, or legislate?
Today the Duluth News Tribune published a short letter of mine involving the three words in the title. Since I promised, according to the DNT guidelines, that I have not had it published elsewhere, I'll give you a hint: the core of my letter begins, "Those who can, do."
You have until next weekend to look at it free. After that, it will cost you $2.95. When are newspapers going to learn Apple's 99 cents model.
You have until next weekend to look at it free. After that, it will cost you $2.95. When are newspapers going to learn Apple's 99 cents model.
Second Amendment and Insurrection
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
- Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
Many people are using this amendment to justify carrying guns to defend themselves against what they believe is the tyranny of the state. But the amendment doesn't mention the security of the "people"; it says that a militia is necessary for the security of the state.
Moreover, Article I, Section 8, enumerating the powers of Congress states that it shall have the power
"To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;"
Some of the people who want to be armed against a tyrannical state give a broad definition of the Militia, citing some law defining the Militia, that the Militia includes most adult males.
So, if those arming themselves against a tyrannical state rise up against a state they judge tyrannical, then they should obey Congress when they are called upon to put down their own insurrection.
Oh, well! As I read somewhere lately, the Constitution is not a coherent philosophical document, but a political document full of compromises and sometimes inconsistencies. Too many people are making it a philosophical document, selecting only those clauses that support their political beliefs.
- Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
Many people are using this amendment to justify carrying guns to defend themselves against what they believe is the tyranny of the state. But the amendment doesn't mention the security of the "people"; it says that a militia is necessary for the security of the state.
Moreover, Article I, Section 8, enumerating the powers of Congress states that it shall have the power
"To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;"
Some of the people who want to be armed against a tyrannical state give a broad definition of the Militia, citing some law defining the Militia, that the Militia includes most adult males.
So, if those arming themselves against a tyrannical state rise up against a state they judge tyrannical, then they should obey Congress when they are called upon to put down their own insurrection.
Oh, well! As I read somewhere lately, the Constitution is not a coherent philosophical document, but a political document full of compromises and sometimes inconsistencies. Too many people are making it a philosophical document, selecting only those clauses that support their political beliefs.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Whatever happened to "The computer for the rest of us"?
Remember way back in 1984 when the Macintosh came out. "The computer for the rest of us" was Apple's primary slogan. The interface was intuitive and almost every thing worked right out of the box. No messy commands to remember. Typing was only for when you had something to write, otherwise it was point and click.
In fact, a joke for a long time and still valid in many situations was "Macintosh users never read the manual."
For many people, Macs are a joy to use right out of the box and many still don't read the manual. Updates often come automagically and when they have been downloaded, the user goes to the Apple menu and clicks on restart.
But then Apple and other vendors forget to co-ordinate their updates. Or one doesn't provide certain features in all circumstances.
One that happened to us was that we could no longer scan with our HP 3310 All-n-One when we reconfigured the AIO to be a wireless printer for two computers.
I've been looking for a solution every so often for a couple of years. I've been to apple.com forums, HP forums, and independent forums. And support articles. Dozens and dozens of people have complained about this problem, but I never found a clear solution.
This week I tried sending a webform to Hewlett-Packard.
Chris of HP Total Care responded. His suggestions might have worked but he only wrote about connections through Ethernet or USB. I wrote back that I wanted wireless.
Michael responded. I tried his suggestions and I noted all the things that didn't work as stated. Still scanning didn't work. I wrote back with these problems.
Priscilla responded. She gave five pages of instructions. I started working through them one-by-one. One of the steps was to download software from Apple. That page was down for a good part of the afternoon. When I finally got the download and installed it, one part of the installation ran over five minutes with "Install time remaining: About a minute"!!!!
Then I had to download some HP software. That process was a bit more automatic than Priscilla described, but the installation began. At one point I was sent to System Preferences to do some selection or other. When I clicked on Scan another window opened. It said "Press scan to start". So I pressed the scan button on the AIO. That gave weird results I won't go into. Aha! I have to CLICK the SCAN button in the window.
Away the scan went, wirelessly, scanning a piece of paper I had on the scanner bed. Whoopee! The first scan in over two years!
OK, let's try a slide. I put in a favorite from Sweden of a big, white ferry dwarfing some apartment buildings on a bluff behind it. It scanned and scanned. But like years ago, the scanned photo had a blue wash over it. I got a better and faster result taking a picture of the slide shown through a table-top viewer. WYSIWYG is really WYSAWYG! "What you see is what you get" has become "What you see ain't what you get!"
Oh, well! At least I'll be able to scan all those pieces of paper that I don't want to file or that I want to email copies of to others.
And finally, despite all these complaints, I'll keep buying the "latest, greatest" Mac every few years. They are still easier to use than the competition.
In fact, a joke for a long time and still valid in many situations was "Macintosh users never read the manual."
For many people, Macs are a joy to use right out of the box and many still don't read the manual. Updates often come automagically and when they have been downloaded, the user goes to the Apple menu and clicks on restart.
But then Apple and other vendors forget to co-ordinate their updates. Or one doesn't provide certain features in all circumstances.
One that happened to us was that we could no longer scan with our HP 3310 All-n-One when we reconfigured the AIO to be a wireless printer for two computers.
I've been looking for a solution every so often for a couple of years. I've been to apple.com forums, HP forums, and independent forums. And support articles. Dozens and dozens of people have complained about this problem, but I never found a clear solution.
This week I tried sending a webform to Hewlett-Packard.
Chris of HP Total Care responded. His suggestions might have worked but he only wrote about connections through Ethernet or USB. I wrote back that I wanted wireless.
Michael responded. I tried his suggestions and I noted all the things that didn't work as stated. Still scanning didn't work. I wrote back with these problems.
Priscilla responded. She gave five pages of instructions. I started working through them one-by-one. One of the steps was to download software from Apple. That page was down for a good part of the afternoon. When I finally got the download and installed it, one part of the installation ran over five minutes with "Install time remaining: About a minute"!!!!
Then I had to download some HP software. That process was a bit more automatic than Priscilla described, but the installation began. At one point I was sent to System Preferences to do some selection or other. When I clicked on Scan another window opened. It said "Press scan to start". So I pressed the scan button on the AIO. That gave weird results I won't go into. Aha! I have to CLICK the SCAN button in the window.
Away the scan went, wirelessly, scanning a piece of paper I had on the scanner bed. Whoopee! The first scan in over two years!
OK, let's try a slide. I put in a favorite from Sweden of a big, white ferry dwarfing some apartment buildings on a bluff behind it. It scanned and scanned. But like years ago, the scanned photo had a blue wash over it. I got a better and faster result taking a picture of the slide shown through a table-top viewer. WYSIWYG is really WYSAWYG! "What you see is what you get" has become "What you see ain't what you get!"
Oh, well! At least I'll be able to scan all those pieces of paper that I don't want to file or that I want to email copies of to others.
And finally, despite all these complaints, I'll keep buying the "latest, greatest" Mac every few years. They are still easier to use than the competition.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Critical thinking about pricing disparities
Many students have complained about the high cost of books, especially at university bookstores. I recently found out how great the disparity was between bookstore prices and online prices.
I keep telling myself to take Critical Thinking in the Philosophy Department at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. I even got my wife to consider taking it also.
Today, I looked it up in the UMD catalog. For the fall semester the class is full and even the waiting list is full. Besides, I looked at the costs and it would be about $1,000 apiece to take the class, if I read the fee schedule correctly.
OK, what's the text, maybe I'll just read that. I clicked on the bookstore link and Moore and Parker's "Critical Thinking" is $111 new and $83.25 used. What does Abe Books charge, a consortium of used booksellers across the country? Would you believe $1.00? With shipping less than $4.00?
As always, there is a caveat. Although the books may be in fair or good condition, these super-low prices are for editions from the 1990's. If you want an edition in 2004 or 2005, then the prices with shipping are about $35.00. If you want the latest edition (2009), then it will cost you less than $70.00. Three were available new and one used. That still beats $83.25.
The advantage to the newer editions may that they use examples from current events. I would think the pre-2000 editions wouldn't have much about global warming or wars of choice.
Now to figure out when I want to read "Critical Thinking". I think I have over 200 books on my to read list:)
I keep telling myself to take Critical Thinking in the Philosophy Department at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. I even got my wife to consider taking it also.
Today, I looked it up in the UMD catalog. For the fall semester the class is full and even the waiting list is full. Besides, I looked at the costs and it would be about $1,000 apiece to take the class, if I read the fee schedule correctly.
OK, what's the text, maybe I'll just read that. I clicked on the bookstore link and Moore and Parker's "Critical Thinking" is $111 new and $83.25 used. What does Abe Books charge, a consortium of used booksellers across the country? Would you believe $1.00? With shipping less than $4.00?
As always, there is a caveat. Although the books may be in fair or good condition, these super-low prices are for editions from the 1990's. If you want an edition in 2004 or 2005, then the prices with shipping are about $35.00. If you want the latest edition (2009), then it will cost you less than $70.00. Three were available new and one used. That still beats $83.25.
The advantage to the newer editions may that they use examples from current events. I would think the pre-2000 editions wouldn't have much about global warming or wars of choice.
Now to figure out when I want to read "Critical Thinking". I think I have over 200 books on my to read list:)
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
To get out of Afghanistan, invite the Chinese in
Actually, the Chinese are already in Afghanistan. The Chinese won a bid for a copper mine in Logar province, but according to a recent U.S. survey, there are over a trillion dollars worth of metals and minerals in Afganistan, "U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan", James Riesen, New York Times, 2010-06-13.
What if the U.S. gets China more involved in extracting resources from Afghanistan? Would the Chinese have to bring in their own military to protect their interests? As the Chinese got more and more involved in mining, would they have to bring in more troops? They've managed to take over Tibet; would they be able to take over Afghanistan? Then the Taliban would be direct their ire against these new invaders and the U.S. could slip out.
There are a couple of caveats about this.
First, Logar was the province where several Afghani groups destroyed a 350-vehicle convoy, including tanks? Would the Chinese fare any better? Would they want to take on that kind of risk?
Second, if China takes over Afghanistan, they might lock out others from access to the mineral riches of Afghanistan. This could put U.S. companies at a big disadvantage.
A better way would be to promote the mineral wealth as a means for co-operation among all interested parties: large companies that want access, Afghanis that want jobs, Afghanis that want peace, and Afghanis that want political power. It really comes down to would you rather fight and keep Afghanis poor or would you rather find out ways to benefit all interested parties.
What if the U.S. gets China more involved in extracting resources from Afghanistan? Would the Chinese have to bring in their own military to protect their interests? As the Chinese got more and more involved in mining, would they have to bring in more troops? They've managed to take over Tibet; would they be able to take over Afghanistan? Then the Taliban would be direct their ire against these new invaders and the U.S. could slip out.
There are a couple of caveats about this.
First, Logar was the province where several Afghani groups destroyed a 350-vehicle convoy, including tanks? Would the Chinese fare any better? Would they want to take on that kind of risk?
Second, if China takes over Afghanistan, they might lock out others from access to the mineral riches of Afghanistan. This could put U.S. companies at a big disadvantage.
A better way would be to promote the mineral wealth as a means for co-operation among all interested parties: large companies that want access, Afghanis that want jobs, Afghanis that want peace, and Afghanis that want political power. It really comes down to would you rather fight and keep Afghanis poor or would you rather find out ways to benefit all interested parties.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Broadband gets broader
I went to an informational meeting put on by the Forest Service in the Brimson-Toimi area this afternoon. While chatting with other attendees I learned that broadband has become more widely available in Brimson. It is now within walking distance of our cabin.
But is it pricey!! Starting at $49.99 or something like that for up to 6Mbps for existing customers. Notice the "starting at" and "for up to". It is not exactly clear that you can get 6Mbps service for $49.99. Frontier's web site does not provide more details unless you click on "Buy now". Otherwise you have to talk to a representative to get more details. Why does one have to talk to a representative? Probably because one would be more likely to buy while talking to a representative.
I should state that there are other offers, say for $24.99 for up to 3Mbps for the first year and $34.99 the second year. There is also a $4.50/month equipment rental. And of course, "taxes, surcharges, and USF charges".
And the offers conflict. Existing customers can get this through Dec. 31 according to one page. Nation-wide the offer is available through Jun. 30.
Frontier is not alone in this. Look at the cell phone plans. Look at other phone companies offers. It's mind boggling. I just want simple tables:
x benefit y dollars
z benefit w dollars
Dream on!
But is it pricey!! Starting at $49.99 or something like that for up to 6Mbps for existing customers. Notice the "starting at" and "for up to". It is not exactly clear that you can get 6Mbps service for $49.99. Frontier's web site does not provide more details unless you click on "Buy now". Otherwise you have to talk to a representative to get more details. Why does one have to talk to a representative? Probably because one would be more likely to buy while talking to a representative.
I should state that there are other offers, say for $24.99 for up to 3Mbps for the first year and $34.99 the second year. There is also a $4.50/month equipment rental. And of course, "taxes, surcharges, and USF charges".
And the offers conflict. Existing customers can get this through Dec. 31 according to one page. Nation-wide the offer is available through Jun. 30.
Frontier is not alone in this. Look at the cell phone plans. Look at other phone companies offers. It's mind boggling. I just want simple tables:
x benefit y dollars
z benefit w dollars
Dream on!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
It's time for a little levity
Enough with oil spills, storms, demonstrations in Iran, and all the turmoil in the world. Let's take a moment to laugh a little.
One of our coffee group is very good with quips. The trouble is that we often forget them even though we laugh and laugh at the time he comes out with them. He often forgets them himself.
One that we forgot but he didn't was "If bubble wrap is used for Petri dishes, is that pop culture?"
He wore shorts earlier this week and when I said he had declared it's summer, he responded, "Summery judgment."
I had two I came up with this week, but I didn't write them down, now each of them is a lost word. That weak pun made me think of another pun.
Did you hear about the lumber truck driver who didn't know that he dropped part of his load? It was a lost cord.
Not remembering quips or not writing them down, reminds me of a saying of my favorite English teacher, Miss Palmer. She defined wit as "That which you have on the way home that someone else had at the party."
One of our coffee group is very good with quips. The trouble is that we often forget them even though we laugh and laugh at the time he comes out with them. He often forgets them himself.
One that we forgot but he didn't was "If bubble wrap is used for Petri dishes, is that pop culture?"
He wore shorts earlier this week and when I said he had declared it's summer, he responded, "Summery judgment."
I had two I came up with this week, but I didn't write them down, now each of them is a lost word. That weak pun made me think of another pun.
Did you hear about the lumber truck driver who didn't know that he dropped part of his load? It was a lost cord.
Not remembering quips or not writing them down, reminds me of a saying of my favorite English teacher, Miss Palmer. She defined wit as "That which you have on the way home that someone else had at the party."
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Coffee Party on Corporate Personhood
The Coffee Party has started a National Summit on Corporate Personhood. If you are interested in engaging others on discussing this, see http://coffeepartyusa.com/content/national-summit-corporate-personhood-0.
If you are interested in joining a Café Call on Money and Politics, see http://coffeepartyusa.com/content/join-coffee-party-“café-call”-money-and-politics.
The Coffee Party was organized to promote civil discourse on political issues. From a sampling of messages on one of the forums of the Coffee Party, I would say that the discourse is argumentative but civil. Responders may call into question an idea, but they don't seem to call into question the character of a writer.
If you are interested in joining a Café Call on Money and Politics, see http://coffeepartyusa.com/content/join-coffee-party-“café-call”-money-and-politics.
The Coffee Party was organized to promote civil discourse on political issues. From a sampling of messages on one of the forums of the Coffee Party, I would say that the discourse is argumentative but civil. Responders may call into question an idea, but they don't seem to call into question the character of a writer.
Was BP rewarded for risky behavior?
Drilling in deeper water carries more risks, but why drill in deep water if it is so risky? Some say it is because environmentalists prevent drilling closer in. Some say we need domestic sources of oil for energy independence. And some say that deep drilling is subsidized but shallow drilling is not.
On the latter, the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act exempted oil companies from paying a 12 percent royalty in the deeper water. When crude was cheap the royalty was not an issue but as the price of oil climbed, it made more sense to drill in royalty-free deep water than in royalty-required shallow water.
For more, see "Why was BP Drilling in 5,000 Feet of Water Anyway?", Justin Sharon, Minyanville (via Yahoo Finance), 2010-06-11.
On the latter, the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act exempted oil companies from paying a 12 percent royalty in the deeper water. When crude was cheap the royalty was not an issue but as the price of oil climbed, it made more sense to drill in royalty-free deep water than in royalty-required shallow water.
For more, see "Why was BP Drilling in 5,000 Feet of Water Anyway?", Justin Sharon, Minyanville (via Yahoo Finance), 2010-06-11.
Friday, June 11, 2010
If corporations are persons then…
Let's not only give them some of the "rights of persons" like "free speech", let's give them some of the responsibilities and consequences of being persons.
If corporations are persons then shouldn't they pay personal income tax? Many argue that corporate taxes are taking away from shareholders or are being passed on to customers. Well, aren't exorbitant executive salaries being decided by a self-selected board of directors taking away from shareholders also? Aren't the taxes being paid by my plumber or my barber being passed on to me? So, what's so different about corporations if they are considered persons?
If corporations are persons then shouldn't they be restricted severely for pollution? If I burn trash in my backyard or have a faulty furnace that is sending soot all over the neighborhood, won't I be called to account for it by my neighbors and the city? If I dump poisonous chemicals in my sink, won't I be called to account for it? If corporations are persons then shouldn't they be held to the same standards as physical persons?
If corporations are persons then shouldn't they suffer the same consequences for capital crimes? If a corporation commits such malfeasance that people die then shouldn't it go to prison? Prison in this case could be putting all its assets in escrow for the equivalent prison time. If a corporation willfully murders people and if the jurisdiction executes murderers then shouldn't the corporation be liquidated? Blackwater employees willfully shot Iraqis. The only consequence was the loss of some contracts and the company reorganized under a different name. Do you think that you or I could publicly change our name and address to escape punishment for any crime?
Remember the old adage: be careful what you ask for, you may get it.
If corporations are persons then shouldn't they pay personal income tax? Many argue that corporate taxes are taking away from shareholders or are being passed on to customers. Well, aren't exorbitant executive salaries being decided by a self-selected board of directors taking away from shareholders also? Aren't the taxes being paid by my plumber or my barber being passed on to me? So, what's so different about corporations if they are considered persons?
If corporations are persons then shouldn't they be restricted severely for pollution? If I burn trash in my backyard or have a faulty furnace that is sending soot all over the neighborhood, won't I be called to account for it by my neighbors and the city? If I dump poisonous chemicals in my sink, won't I be called to account for it? If corporations are persons then shouldn't they be held to the same standards as physical persons?
If corporations are persons then shouldn't they suffer the same consequences for capital crimes? If a corporation commits such malfeasance that people die then shouldn't it go to prison? Prison in this case could be putting all its assets in escrow for the equivalent prison time. If a corporation willfully murders people and if the jurisdiction executes murderers then shouldn't the corporation be liquidated? Blackwater employees willfully shot Iraqis. The only consequence was the loss of some contracts and the company reorganized under a different name. Do you think that you or I could publicly change our name and address to escape punishment for any crime?
Remember the old adage: be careful what you ask for, you may get it.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"We all know that schools can be more efficient…"
Arne Duncan, U.S. Education Secretary, sent an op-ed piece to newspapers across the country about the financial crisis of the schools. The Star Tribune published it
2010-06-09, others as early as 2010-06-06. I tried finding a master at ed.gov but couldn't. He wrote that help may be on the way in the form of $23 billion dollars in emergency funding.
In the midst of all his exhortations on the importance of schools he wrote, "We all know that schools can be more efficient…" Oh! We all know? For a contrary view on that see "Arne Duncan's History Lesson to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)". It is a radical voice on how schools were designed to turn out factory workers. There is some truth in this diatribe. It does give some insight in this call for "efficiencies" in schools and government and where the call is coming from.
Efficiency means doing more with less resources. An efficient engine uses less gas. An efficient widget factory uses less material and energy to produce more widgets.
But you can't move a busload of people in a Prius; that many people would make a Prius very inefficient.
And you can't treat a classroom of children like widgets. Especially if your only measure of success is standardized tests. Children are individuals with varying levels of preparation and interest. Some will sit quietly and absorb knowledge like a sponge; others will fidget, disrupt, fall asleep, and get very little knowledge. It takes a lot of skill and a a lot of teachers to deal with such variety.
Using standardized tests for judging students and schools is like expecting a blue-grass musician to pass a written test on playing Beethoven. Let's put it another way. One student passes an English test of spelling and grammar, but writes very dully. Another student struggles through the same test, but writes prose that draws the reader in. Whose book would you rather read? Or manual? Or business plan?
Maybe the best means to efficient schools is to require parents to have a degree in early childhood development before they have any children.
2010-06-09, others as early as 2010-06-06. I tried finding a master at ed.gov but couldn't. He wrote that help may be on the way in the form of $23 billion dollars in emergency funding.
In the midst of all his exhortations on the importance of schools he wrote, "We all know that schools can be more efficient…" Oh! We all know? For a contrary view on that see "Arne Duncan's History Lesson to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)". It is a radical voice on how schools were designed to turn out factory workers. There is some truth in this diatribe. It does give some insight in this call for "efficiencies" in schools and government and where the call is coming from.
Efficiency means doing more with less resources. An efficient engine uses less gas. An efficient widget factory uses less material and energy to produce more widgets.
But you can't move a busload of people in a Prius; that many people would make a Prius very inefficient.
And you can't treat a classroom of children like widgets. Especially if your only measure of success is standardized tests. Children are individuals with varying levels of preparation and interest. Some will sit quietly and absorb knowledge like a sponge; others will fidget, disrupt, fall asleep, and get very little knowledge. It takes a lot of skill and a a lot of teachers to deal with such variety.
Using standardized tests for judging students and schools is like expecting a blue-grass musician to pass a written test on playing Beethoven. Let's put it another way. One student passes an English test of spelling and grammar, but writes very dully. Another student struggles through the same test, but writes prose that draws the reader in. Whose book would you rather read? Or manual? Or business plan?
Maybe the best means to efficient schools is to require parents to have a degree in early childhood development before they have any children.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Let's stop letting ideologues drive the debate
Two of the great mantras of our time are the need to improve test scores and the need for performance pay to satisfy the first.
One article that seemed to make sense was "The Uncertain Impact of Merit Pay for Teachers", Edwin Glaeser, New York Times, 2010-06-08. Even though some studies were not solid on merit pay, Prof. Glaeser still supported merit pay for teachers.
In trying to retrieve this article, I stumbled on "Let's Have Merit Pay for Economists Who Muck Around in Education Issues", Jim Horn, School Matters, 2010-06-08. Horn counters with other studies that showed performance pay doesn't work, including a study presented at the conference that Glaeser wrote about.
See also Horn's "More Research on Teacher Performance Pay for Duncan to Ignore".
What all this clamor for performance pay misses is that schools aren't really about test taking and getting good scores. They are about learning to learn and learning to be creative. I read that East Asian kids may be much better at passing tests than American kids, but they don't seem to have the innovative skills that are far more abundant in the U.S.
A refreshing antidote is "History for Dollars", David Brooks, New York Times, 2010-06-07. He wrote that many students are opting for college degrees in "practical matters" like accounting and that the portion of humanities majors has dropped as much as 50 percent in a generation. He argues that humanities gives communication skills, "a wealth of analogies", and the ability to think in different ways.
Ah! Think in different ways! That certainly beats thinking in differing ways.
One article that seemed to make sense was "The Uncertain Impact of Merit Pay for Teachers", Edwin Glaeser, New York Times, 2010-06-08. Even though some studies were not solid on merit pay, Prof. Glaeser still supported merit pay for teachers.
In trying to retrieve this article, I stumbled on "Let's Have Merit Pay for Economists Who Muck Around in Education Issues", Jim Horn, School Matters, 2010-06-08. Horn counters with other studies that showed performance pay doesn't work, including a study presented at the conference that Glaeser wrote about.
See also Horn's "More Research on Teacher Performance Pay for Duncan to Ignore".
What all this clamor for performance pay misses is that schools aren't really about test taking and getting good scores. They are about learning to learn and learning to be creative. I read that East Asian kids may be much better at passing tests than American kids, but they don't seem to have the innovative skills that are far more abundant in the U.S.
A refreshing antidote is "History for Dollars", David Brooks, New York Times, 2010-06-07. He wrote that many students are opting for college degrees in "practical matters" like accounting and that the portion of humanities majors has dropped as much as 50 percent in a generation. He argues that humanities gives communication skills, "a wealth of analogies", and the ability to think in different ways.
Ah! Think in different ways! That certainly beats thinking in differing ways.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Blogger was down
I tried posting the Carly Fiorina update on Sunday night, but when I signed on to Google's Blogger I was given a notice that "Blogger is unavailable". I tried again this morning and afternoon with the same result. This afternoon there was a status report:
"We're aware of isolated access issues in certain regions within the US. We're investigating this now and will follow-up as soon as we have more information to share
Thanks for your patience in the meantime."
Source for Carly Fiorina and the "real world"
The article I referenced in "Carly Fiorina, get real!" was the Huffington Post, "Carly Fiorina Gets the Demon Sheep Treatment From DSCC, California Democrats", Sam Stein, 2010-05-06.
She ran a "Demon Sheep" spot against her opponent in the Republican Senate primary for California, Tom Campbell. Campbell was the architect of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget.
I got it backwards that she was running for the Governor of California; she's running to oust Democrat Barbara Boxer from the Senate. Meg Whitman, another über-rich former CEO (EBay) is running for Governor of California.
The Democrats produced their own campaign video, "Demon Sheep II". In it, they have have a clip of Carly Fiorina saying, "Those of us who do live in the real world…" See "Demon Sheep II" in Sam Stein's article above.
Many of us may be envious of her "real world" with millions of dollars in the bank and the power she had as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, but I think most of us prefer our own "hum-drum" "real world".
She ran a "Demon Sheep" spot against her opponent in the Republican Senate primary for California, Tom Campbell. Campbell was the architect of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget.
I got it backwards that she was running for the Governor of California; she's running to oust Democrat Barbara Boxer from the Senate. Meg Whitman, another über-rich former CEO (EBay) is running for Governor of California.
The Democrats produced their own campaign video, "Demon Sheep II". In it, they have have a clip of Carly Fiorina saying, "Those of us who do live in the real world…" See "Demon Sheep II" in Sam Stein's article above.
Many of us may be envious of her "real world" with millions of dollars in the bank and the power she had as CEO of Hewlett-Packard, but I think most of us prefer our own "hum-drum" "real world".
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Carly Fiorina, get real!
Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is running for governor of California. I saw a snippet of one of her ads, on The Huffington Post, I think. In it, she says something like politicians should join the real world.
Come on, Carly, when were you last part of the real world? Your first year at HP you had compensation of over 69 million dollars. Is that a real-world salary? That's over a thousand times what many people wish they could make in a year.
A few years later, you were fired from HP with a severance pay of 22 million dollars. A lot of people in the real world aren't making one thousandth of that every year and when they get laid off they get zilch.
Now you're trying to buy your way into being the CEO of California. Are you going to arrange to buy Nevada like you bought Compaq?
Sadly, the so-called capitalist system as run by CEOs and their crony boards is getting worse than what I wrote about ten years ago in "Talk about Boards with Conflicts of Interest", Reader Weekly, 2000-04-26. One thousand teachers in Duluth were trying to get a two-year raise that was one-tenth for all of them of what you got in a single-year.
Come on, Carly, when were you last part of the real world? Your first year at HP you had compensation of over 69 million dollars. Is that a real-world salary? That's over a thousand times what many people wish they could make in a year.
A few years later, you were fired from HP with a severance pay of 22 million dollars. A lot of people in the real world aren't making one thousandth of that every year and when they get laid off they get zilch.
Now you're trying to buy your way into being the CEO of California. Are you going to arrange to buy Nevada like you bought Compaq?
Sadly, the so-called capitalist system as run by CEOs and their crony boards is getting worse than what I wrote about ten years ago in "Talk about Boards with Conflicts of Interest", Reader Weekly, 2000-04-26. One thousand teachers in Duluth were trying to get a two-year raise that was one-tenth for all of them of what you got in a single-year.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
On freedom of the speech: Do I have a better memory than the Internet?
The Huffington Post reported that a newspaper was told by a court that it must reveal the name of an anonymous contributor to the comment section of an online story. The plaintiffs in the case complained that the comment was libelous. See "Illinois Newspaper Forced To Disclose Names of Anonymous Commenters", Huffington Post, 2010-06-03.
This made me think of a quote that I remember as this: "The antidote to too much freedom of speech (or the press) is more freedom of speech (or the press)." I thought Winston Churchill made it. I can't find it in Bartlett's Quotations, George Seldes' "Famous Quotations", in Wikiquotes, or with a Google Search.
I did find a whole bunch of interesting quotes relating to freedom of speech and of the press under Censorship in Wikiquotes. Two that seem to fit the above case are:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania (1759)
"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." - Thomas Jefferson
I did find a good quote by Winston Churchill in the Censorship section:
"You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police. Yet in their hearts there is unspoken - unspeakable! - fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts! Words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home, all the more powerful because they are forbidden. These terrify them. A little mouse - a little tiny mouse! -of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic."
I am sure you can think of quite a few dictators or terrorists who fit this quote today.
This made me think of a quote that I remember as this: "The antidote to too much freedom of speech (or the press) is more freedom of speech (or the press)." I thought Winston Churchill made it. I can't find it in Bartlett's Quotations, George Seldes' "Famous Quotations", in Wikiquotes, or with a Google Search.
I did find a whole bunch of interesting quotes relating to freedom of speech and of the press under Censorship in Wikiquotes. Two that seem to fit the above case are:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania (1759)
"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." - Thomas Jefferson
I did find a good quote by Winston Churchill in the Censorship section:
"You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police. Yet in their hearts there is unspoken - unspeakable! - fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts! Words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home, all the more powerful because they are forbidden. These terrify them. A little mouse - a little tiny mouse! -of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic."
I am sure you can think of quite a few dictators or terrorists who fit this quote today.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
"Revolutionary" ideas
I serendipitously picked up “The Case for Big Government” by Jeff Madrick.
One of my favorite quotes is “If high taxes allegedly reduce efforts, surely unfair compensation should do the same. Fair compensation should improve effort.”
I have several other quotes that I may post from time to time.
If you would like to read a description of the book and some reviews, visit the Hennepin County Public Library catalog https://catalog.hclib.org and enter its title in the search box.
Health was worse in the cities than in the country because of sanitation. Government provided sewer systems and the health improved. Government also mandated certain vaccinations and funded the development of many vaccines.
Bumper sticker: if you don’t have smallpox, thank the government.
One of my favorite quotes is “If high taxes allegedly reduce efforts, surely unfair compensation should do the same. Fair compensation should improve effort.”
I have several other quotes that I may post from time to time.
If you would like to read a description of the book and some reviews, visit the Hennepin County Public Library catalog https://catalog.hclib.org and enter its title in the search box.
Health was worse in the cities than in the country because of sanitation. Government provided sewer systems and the health improved. Government also mandated certain vaccinations and funded the development of many vaccines.
Bumper sticker: if you don’t have smallpox, thank the government.
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