Speaking of cell phones, I spent over an hour worrying about the whereabouts of my cell phone. I didn't think I had left it on the table at a potluck last night. I couldn't find it in any of my pockets, pants, jacket, or shirt. It wasn't in the car. It wasn't on the dining room table or buried in the stack of newspapers. I couldn't find it on our dresser. I couldn't find it on my cluttered desk, even when I moved the clutter around.
I called my cell phone and received immediately the message: "Either my phone is turned off or I am driving. Please leave a message and I'll return your call as soon as possible." Because it answered immediately it was turned off.
OK, I guess I'll suspend service. I went to Verizon's website, signed in, and suspended the service.
For some reason I wondered about the charging unit for the phone. I looked at an outlet on my desk's backboard and saw the charger plugged in with the cord dangling down. At the end of the cord was my cell phone, hidden by one of the freestanding speakers for my computer.
I went to Verizon's website and restored service. I called our home phone with my cell phone and the former rang right away.
As my wife says often, "It's around here someplace."
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Is this the time for a new major party?
In 1854, Whigs who were not happy with the party's policies formed a new party, the Republican Party. Not until 1860 did the Republicans win a presidential election. That president, Abraham Lincoln, increased the involvement of the federal government into the affairs of the United States - Homestead Act of 1862 that gave low cost land to settlers, Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 the subsidized the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, and Morrill Act of 1862 that gave land for the land-grant colleges.
Now the Republican Party is dominated by people with a narrow understanding of the Constitution and a narrow understanding of how a vibrant economy works, an economy supported by government-provided infra-structures.
I doubt that a new party will be formed by grass-roots action, be it the Coffee Party or the Occupy Wall Street activists. I think a new party will only be formed by a dedicated group of professional politicians. I hope that there are enough "old-school, New England-type" Republicans, tired of being beholden to the corporate-sponsored Tea Party, who will form a new pragmatic party. There are plenty of Republicans who have a broader view of what needs to be done. Unfortunately, many were defeated by Tea Party candidates in 2010. These "losers" could provide a nucleus for such a party. They have small chances of fielding a popular candidate by November 2012, but who knows what could happen in 2014 and 2016.
Now the Republican Party is dominated by people with a narrow understanding of the Constitution and a narrow understanding of how a vibrant economy works, an economy supported by government-provided infra-structures.
I doubt that a new party will be formed by grass-roots action, be it the Coffee Party or the Occupy Wall Street activists. I think a new party will only be formed by a dedicated group of professional politicians. I hope that there are enough "old-school, New England-type" Republicans, tired of being beholden to the corporate-sponsored Tea Party, who will form a new pragmatic party. There are plenty of Republicans who have a broader view of what needs to be done. Unfortunately, many were defeated by Tea Party candidates in 2010. These "losers" could provide a nucleus for such a party. They have small chances of fielding a popular candidate by November 2012, but who knows what could happen in 2014 and 2016.
Founding optimists
"[The electors] will not be liable to be deceived by those brilliant appearances of genius and patriotism, which, like transient meteors, sometimes mislead as well as dazzle."
Federalist No. 64, "The Powers of the Senate", John Jay,New York Packet, 1788-03-07, on the age restrictions in the Constitution for the House of Representatives and for the Senate
Oh, how I wish that Jay had not deceived himself.
Federalist No. 64, "The Powers of the Senate", John Jay,New York Packet, 1788-03-07, on the age restrictions in the Constitution for the House of Representatives and for the Senate
Oh, how I wish that Jay had not deceived himself.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Computer translations
Some of you may have heard the joke about the first computer translation from English to Russian and back. Supposedly "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" came back as the "The vodka is good but the meat is rotten."
We have some Russian guests and one of them used www.translate.ru, which translates whole sentences rather than just words. Almost everything I asked it to translate into Russian I asked it to translate back into English. If I didn't like the result, I reworded the English and tried again.
When I tried "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." the back translation was weaker but still close: "The spirit wishes, but the flesh is weak."
Note: You don't have to read Russian to use this translator. Use http://www.online-translator.com/Default.aspx?prmtlang=en instead.
We have some Russian guests and one of them used www.translate.ru, which translates whole sentences rather than just words. Almost everything I asked it to translate into Russian I asked it to translate back into English. If I didn't like the result, I reworded the English and tried again.
When I tried "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." the back translation was weaker but still close: "The spirit wishes, but the flesh is weak."
Note: You don't have to read Russian to use this translator. Use http://www.online-translator.com/Default.aspx?prmtlang=en instead.
Libya - how to tell hot news topics
I've been watching Al Jazeera's Libya Blog for several weeks, always hoping that the end of Gaddafi was close. Sometimes the news has been sparse; sometimes the news comes flooding in. Sometimes I have gotten immediate access to the blog; sometimes I have to wait and wait for any items to even show in the window.
Today, after the death of Muammar Gaddafi, is one of those latter times. The little circle is going around and around in the corner of Firefox' window and the lower corner has "connecting to aljazeera.com…" I wrote the first paragraph and part of this before the loading of the page was complete.
I assume that aljazeera.net is so popular around the world, that its servers must be overloaded.
Whatever, let's hope for a long life for a free Libya.
P.S. A few hours after I wrote the above, access to Al-Jazeera is quicker. It must be because it is past midnight in that part of the world.
Today, after the death of Muammar Gaddafi, is one of those latter times. The little circle is going around and around in the corner of Firefox' window and the lower corner has "connecting to aljazeera.com…" I wrote the first paragraph and part of this before the loading of the page was complete.
I assume that aljazeera.net is so popular around the world, that its servers must be overloaded.
Whatever, let's hope for a long life for a free Libya.
P.S. A few hours after I wrote the above, access to Al-Jazeera is quicker. It must be because it is past midnight in that part of the world.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Another example of the lop-sided "free" market
I recently saw a letter to the editor or an online comment that an employer will pay you what your worth, implying take it or leave it.
But who is deciding "worth"? Is it an employer who has carefully considered the benefits of an employee and what the current market price is for said employee? Or is it a penny-pinching Scrooge who will pay as little as possible, regardless of how much benefit (and profit) the employee will bring to the employer?
If the labor market is truly free, both employer and employee will have sufficient information to judge what a "fair" wage is. If the labor market is truly free, potential employees should be free to enter or leave it. Too often, this is not the case, many potential employees are not free to leave the labor market, unless there is free food, shelter, and clothing for themselves and their families.
But who is deciding "worth"? Is it an employer who has carefully considered the benefits of an employee and what the current market price is for said employee? Or is it a penny-pinching Scrooge who will pay as little as possible, regardless of how much benefit (and profit) the employee will bring to the employer?
If the labor market is truly free, both employer and employee will have sufficient information to judge what a "fair" wage is. If the labor market is truly free, potential employees should be free to enter or leave it. Too often, this is not the case, many potential employees are not free to leave the labor market, unless there is free food, shelter, and clothing for themselves and their families.
The 1% earned their money?
Anybody who reads the news regularly knows that there is plenty of back-scratching in the executive suites and board rooms of large companies. Not only do they provide bribes, er, campaign contributions to OUR supposed representatives, but they reward each other handsomely with no justification other than some mumbo-jumbo about performance in the proxy statements.
There is little mention of all the people who are paid far, far, far less but made all this "performance" possible. It's a bit like d'Artagnan of Three Musketeers fame who kicked his servant Planchet for "poor performance" but the servant did almost all the work except the sword fighting.
For some examples of this over-compensations see "The Most Outrageous Acts of Corporate America", The Daily Ticker with Daniel Gross, 2011-10-20.
There is little mention of all the people who are paid far, far, far less but made all this "performance" possible. It's a bit like d'Artagnan of Three Musketeers fame who kicked his servant Planchet for "poor performance" but the servant did almost all the work except the sword fighting.
For some examples of this over-compensations see "The Most Outrageous Acts of Corporate America", The Daily Ticker with Daniel Gross, 2011-10-20.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Little bucks demonstrations vs. big bucks advertising
Mark Jeneson wrote "Make change with money, not protests" as a local view in today's Duluth News Tribune. Online it's titled "Create change through spending, not Wall Street protests".
Jeneson argues that taking all one's money out of the big banks will bring about more change than protests. However, these little private acts will only be known by a few people and may or may not spread. These little acts have a small chance of making major headlines.
To make headlines, most people need to demonstrate. They don't have the big bucks to advertise like the Koch brothers and their surrogates. Think of demonstrations as middle-class political advertising. If the cause is popular, more people will take part and more headlines about the cause will be made.
Jeneson argues that taking all one's money out of the big banks will bring about more change than protests. However, these little private acts will only be known by a few people and may or may not spread. These little acts have a small chance of making major headlines.
To make headlines, most people need to demonstrate. They don't have the big bucks to advertise like the Koch brothers and their surrogates. Think of demonstrations as middle-class political advertising. If the cause is popular, more people will take part and more headlines about the cause will be made.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Let's kick the Koch-Cain habit!
Who decides the government of the United States? We the People or they the money?
Who decides the government of the United States? A well-informed populace of high-turnout voters or a secretive group of manipulators who only want their "people" to vote?
I thought I had a new revelation of how manipulated we are when I read "Pizza Magnate Herman Cain Has Extensive Ties to Powerful Koch Group", Huffington Post, Ryan J. Foley, 2011-10-16. I started playing around with Koch being the start of Kochaine and then thought, oh, Koch-Cain.
Well, I was late to the party again. I found about 16,800 results for "Koch-Cain" as a single phrase. The first two were "Billionaire puppeteers at it again? Exploring the connection between Koch brothers and Herman Cain", and "Does GOP Cocaine = Koch-Cain? Are Koch bros Buying GOP Pres Nomination by Supporting Herman Cain?"
I haven't seen anyone writing this yet, but I have a feeling that besides Cain being a puppet of the Koch brothers, he is cynically being used as their "black candidate" against Barack Obama.
If you don't like this cynicism and manipulation, if you would rather have democracy than plutocracy, be sure to vote in every election, especially in November 2012. Please put in VOTE in capital letters on your calendar for November 6, 2012. Please ask all your friends and relatives to do so. To avoid any manipulation, be sure you have registered well before and have a valid ID.
Who decides the government of the United States? A well-informed populace of high-turnout voters or a secretive group of manipulators who only want their "people" to vote?
I thought I had a new revelation of how manipulated we are when I read "Pizza Magnate Herman Cain Has Extensive Ties to Powerful Koch Group", Huffington Post, Ryan J. Foley, 2011-10-16. I started playing around with Koch being the start of Kochaine and then thought, oh, Koch-Cain.
Well, I was late to the party again. I found about 16,800 results for "Koch-Cain" as a single phrase. The first two were "Billionaire puppeteers at it again? Exploring the connection between Koch brothers and Herman Cain", and "Does GOP Cocaine = Koch-Cain? Are Koch bros Buying GOP Pres Nomination by Supporting Herman Cain?"
I haven't seen anyone writing this yet, but I have a feeling that besides Cain being a puppet of the Koch brothers, he is cynically being used as their "black candidate" against Barack Obama.
If you don't like this cynicism and manipulation, if you would rather have democracy than plutocracy, be sure to vote in every election, especially in November 2012. Please put in VOTE in capital letters on your calendar for November 6, 2012. Please ask all your friends and relatives to do so. To avoid any manipulation, be sure you have registered well before and have a valid ID.
Suit with cigar, another update
Was the suit with the cigar at the Occupy Twin Ports demonstration a real counter-protester or was he a spoof? See "Occupy Twin Ports, 12 Oct. 2011" and "The suit with the cigar, an update".
One friend opined that he was a "Colbert", meaning that he was doing a Stephen Colbert skit.
Today another friend said she was sticking her sign in front to the suit whenever she could. She said that he said he had never smoked a cigar before. I guess that clinches that he was spoofing.
BTW, I looked up Stephen Colbert and went to http://www.colbertnation.com. There was a wonderful section with Harry Belafonte. The interview was a good mix of humor and seriousness.
One friend opined that he was a "Colbert", meaning that he was doing a Stephen Colbert skit.
Today another friend said she was sticking her sign in front to the suit whenever she could. She said that he said he had never smoked a cigar before. I guess that clinches that he was spoofing.
BTW, I looked up Stephen Colbert and went to http://www.colbertnation.com. There was a wonderful section with Harry Belafonte. The interview was a good mix of humor and seriousness.
Fable about a king's palace
A fabulously rich king decided to build a fabulously magnificent palace. He got his privy council to agree because he argued that doing this project would create many jobs for the five years it would take to build it and for the years beyond that to maintain the palace.
For starters, he took by eminent domain 10,000 acres of prime farmland by the river. People said it would reduce the food the country could grow to feed itself. The king replied that the project would create jobs.
He had 10,000 acres of prime forest cut down to supply the lumber for his palace. People said it would decrease wildlife habitat and increase flooding. The king replied that the project would create jobs.
He hired 1,000 workers to build his palace. People said it would decrease the number of workers to build and repair houses. The king replied that these workers would be paid high wages.
He had a million gallons of water per day diverted from the river to supply all the fountains, to water his extensive lawns, and many other uses. People said it would practically dry up the river reducing the water downstream for drinking, washing, and irrigation. The king replied that the project would create jobs.
He built no sewage treatment system to handle the garden runoff or the flushing of 1,000 toilets. He said it would cost too much money. People said sewage would make the river downstream unsuitable for drinking and washing, and irrigation. The king replied that the project would create jobs.
And so it came to pass that many people were hungry because there was insufficient farmland to feed them.
And so it came to pass that many people became homeless as the cost of existing houses skyrocketed because no new house were being built.
And so it came to pass that many people became sick because of the lack of clean drinking water.
And so it came to pass that many people migrated to lands where there was plenty of farmland and clean water.
And so it came to pass that tax revenues dwindled because there were fewer people to pay them.
And so it came to pass that the banks foreclosed on the king's palace because he couldn't pay back all the loans he had taken out to build the palace.
And so it came to pass that after an unusually heavy rain, a mudslide from the former forest buried the partially built palace.
What's the point of this fable? It can't happen here. Oh, but we are a nation populated by people who immigrated from lands that did not have good governance. Will we follow as we lack the foresight to rein in the indulgences of the wealthy as they create short-sighted projects using jobs as a justification without regard to all the other costs?
For starters, he took by eminent domain 10,000 acres of prime farmland by the river. People said it would reduce the food the country could grow to feed itself. The king replied that the project would create jobs.
He had 10,000 acres of prime forest cut down to supply the lumber for his palace. People said it would decrease wildlife habitat and increase flooding. The king replied that the project would create jobs.
He hired 1,000 workers to build his palace. People said it would decrease the number of workers to build and repair houses. The king replied that these workers would be paid high wages.
He had a million gallons of water per day diverted from the river to supply all the fountains, to water his extensive lawns, and many other uses. People said it would practically dry up the river reducing the water downstream for drinking, washing, and irrigation. The king replied that the project would create jobs.
He built no sewage treatment system to handle the garden runoff or the flushing of 1,000 toilets. He said it would cost too much money. People said sewage would make the river downstream unsuitable for drinking and washing, and irrigation. The king replied that the project would create jobs.
And so it came to pass that many people were hungry because there was insufficient farmland to feed them.
And so it came to pass that many people became homeless as the cost of existing houses skyrocketed because no new house were being built.
And so it came to pass that many people became sick because of the lack of clean drinking water.
And so it came to pass that many people migrated to lands where there was plenty of farmland and clean water.
And so it came to pass that tax revenues dwindled because there were fewer people to pay them.
And so it came to pass that the banks foreclosed on the king's palace because he couldn't pay back all the loans he had taken out to build the palace.
And so it came to pass that after an unusually heavy rain, a mudslide from the former forest buried the partially built palace.
What's the point of this fable? It can't happen here. Oh, but we are a nation populated by people who immigrated from lands that did not have good governance. Will we follow as we lack the foresight to rein in the indulgences of the wealthy as they create short-sighted projects using jobs as a justification without regard to all the other costs?
8 things a hand dryer can't do
Hand dryers are replacing paper towels in more and more restrooms. Managements often do this to avoid the litter of paper towels and the costs of refilling the dispensers and emptying the trash containers. However, like many cost savings, these savings can be a cost shift to others. Paper towels can do so much more for the users of restrooms than hand dryers can.
1. Dry hands in 30 seconds. I and many other men dry our hands on jeans rather than wait and wait for a hand dryer to do the job.
2. Dry hands quietly. The noise of some hand dryers probably exceeds healthy sound levels.
3. Wipe up spills on clothing.
4. Wipe a runny nose.
5. Wipe a sweaty brow.
6. Staunch bleeding from a minor cut.
7. Wipe excess water from a sink.
8. Dry hands when replacing a contact lens.
And I'm sure you can think of many more uses for paper towels that hand dryers are useless for.
1. Dry hands in 30 seconds. I and many other men dry our hands on jeans rather than wait and wait for a hand dryer to do the job.
2. Dry hands quietly. The noise of some hand dryers probably exceeds healthy sound levels.
3. Wipe up spills on clothing.
4. Wipe a runny nose.
5. Wipe a sweaty brow.
6. Staunch bleeding from a minor cut.
7. Wipe excess water from a sink.
8. Dry hands when replacing a contact lens.
And I'm sure you can think of many more uses for paper towels that hand dryers are useless for.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Quote of the day – money and Congress
"Money is not evil. Buying and selling Congress to protect Wall Street, is."
Sign carried by Sally Paulsen, Treasurer, Independence Party of Minnesota, at OccupyMN on 2011-10-07. See "IP impressions of OccupyMN".
Her colleague Ted C. Williams gave a more jaundiced view. He thought many of the demonstrators wanted to show they were mad but that they didn't have any answers. How many problems throughout our history have been pointed out by those who were mad before anything concrete was done? Taxation without representation, slavery, women's suffrage, alcohol abuse, labor laws, civil rights, wars…
Sign carried by Sally Paulsen, Treasurer, Independence Party of Minnesota, at OccupyMN on 2011-10-07. See "IP impressions of OccupyMN".
Her colleague Ted C. Williams gave a more jaundiced view. He thought many of the demonstrators wanted to show they were mad but that they didn't have any answers. How many problems throughout our history have been pointed out by those who were mad before anything concrete was done? Taxation without representation, slavery, women's suffrage, alcohol abuse, labor laws, civil rights, wars…
Business people are demonstrating against business?
I kid you not! "A suited protester from the Occupy London Stock Exchange holds a placard stating 'Time's Up!' whilst business people walk by as they continue their demonstration that started on Saturday outside St Paul's Cathedral, near the London Stock Exchange in London, Monday, Oct. 17, 2011." This was in the notes to photo 6 of 63 from "Occupy Wall Street: Images from the Front Lines", Yahoo Finance!, 2011-10-17.
I read this as "business people are demonstrating as they walk by." "Business people" is the first plural subject in the above paragraph.
I guess I can't complain too much. Today I found a "the the" in a blog entry I wrote five years ago.
I read this as "business people are demonstrating as they walk by." "Business people" is the first plural subject in the above paragraph.
I guess I can't complain too much. Today I found a "the the" in a blog entry I wrote five years ago.
The fallacy of ranking states by "tax burden"
It is quite the fashion to rank states by "tax burden" or how "business-friendly" they are. But are these the only criteria for determining where to live or headquarter a business?
CNN published several lists of the Fortune 500, and with a bit of wandering I found the number of Fortune 500 headquartered in each state. I used the "Pick a state" section of "Fortune 500 2011: States: California Companies".
I found tax rankings at "The Tax Foundation - Facts and Figures Handbook: How Does Your State Compare?".
I put this data in a spreadsheet and tried to figure out a correlation. I found this difficult because there is such a wide discrepancy between corporate headquarters and "low tax" states. For example, the Tax Foundation ranks New York third in "tax burden" but it has the headquarters of 57 of the Fortune 500 companies, and Texas is ranked 32nd with 51 companies. The external factors could be that New York is the "financial capital" of the U.S. and that Texas has the most oil and related companies.
I finally sorted them by "tax burden" and then summed the number of Fortune 500 companies per state for groups of 10. Starting with the "worst ten tax states", the totals were 208, 79, 96, 93, and 20.
Other external factors could include that Arkansas has four Fortune 500 companies because Sam Walton lived in Arkansas and the other three companies have a lot of business with Wal-Mart. I don't know. Or what influence do physical geography, economic geography (like rural vs. urban), social environment (cosmopolitan vs. distrust of "outsiders"), and historical factors have. It would take a few volumes to figure all of this out.
Oh, yes, how about a high "tax burden" making a state a better place to live - parks, schools, excellent infra-structure, transparent government, and on and on?
But the "bottom line" is that "tax burden" is only one factor of many in determining the success of businesses and the quality of life in any give state.
CNN published several lists of the Fortune 500, and with a bit of wandering I found the number of Fortune 500 headquartered in each state. I used the "Pick a state" section of "Fortune 500 2011: States: California Companies".
I found tax rankings at "The Tax Foundation - Facts and Figures Handbook: How Does Your State Compare?".
I put this data in a spreadsheet and tried to figure out a correlation. I found this difficult because there is such a wide discrepancy between corporate headquarters and "low tax" states. For example, the Tax Foundation ranks New York third in "tax burden" but it has the headquarters of 57 of the Fortune 500 companies, and Texas is ranked 32nd with 51 companies. The external factors could be that New York is the "financial capital" of the U.S. and that Texas has the most oil and related companies.
I finally sorted them by "tax burden" and then summed the number of Fortune 500 companies per state for groups of 10. Starting with the "worst ten tax states", the totals were 208, 79, 96, 93, and 20.
Other external factors could include that Arkansas has four Fortune 500 companies because Sam Walton lived in Arkansas and the other three companies have a lot of business with Wal-Mart. I don't know. Or what influence do physical geography, economic geography (like rural vs. urban), social environment (cosmopolitan vs. distrust of "outsiders"), and historical factors have. It would take a few volumes to figure all of this out.
Oh, yes, how about a high "tax burden" making a state a better place to live - parks, schools, excellent infra-structure, transparent government, and on and on?
But the "bottom line" is that "tax burden" is only one factor of many in determining the success of businesses and the quality of life in any give state.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Occupy movement shares a goal of the American Revolution
The Occupy movement is demonstrating against the power of large corporations that is backed by the power of the state. One of the complaints of the American Revolution was the power of a large corporation, The East India Company, backed by the power of the British state.
See "American Rebellions" by Thom Hartmann and "Boston Tea Party", Wikipedia.
You might say the modern Tea Party has taken on the wrong target, instead of limited government they should be seeking limited limited liability corporations.
See "American Rebellions" by Thom Hartmann and "Boston Tea Party", Wikipedia.
You might say the modern Tea Party has taken on the wrong target, instead of limited government they should be seeking limited limited liability corporations.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The fallacy of "right" and "left" – A must read
Robert Reich wrote a very interesting blog about his "counterpart" on the "right", David Frum, leaving public radio's Marketplace as a commentator for the "right". Frum didn't think he could "represent" the "right" anymore. Reich wrote that such labels don't lead to what's best for America.
See "The Triumph of Dogma", Robert Reich, 2011-10-14.
See "The Triumph of Dogma", Robert Reich, 2011-10-14.
The wonders of computers
Many of our computers nowadays will flag spelling and grammar errors. I've found that the Macintosh OS X operating system corrects French and Swedish spelling.
We will have a Russian guest later this month and I sent her a short welcome message, with a little bit of Russian. I was quite surprised to see some of the words underlined in red. For one of the words my computer gave some choices and I selected the one I thought was appropriate. The other I had to look up on Google to get the correct spelling.
Oh, for my Russian readers, the words were русский and извините in Извините! Не понимаю русский язик! (Excuse me! I don't understand the Russian language!) I had an й where I shouldn't and didn't have an й where I should.
We will have a Russian guest later this month and I sent her a short welcome message, with a little bit of Russian. I was quite surprised to see some of the words underlined in red. For one of the words my computer gave some choices and I selected the one I thought was appropriate. The other I had to look up on Google to get the correct spelling.
Oh, for my Russian readers, the words were русский and извините in Извините! Не понимаю русский язик! (Excuse me! I don't understand the Russian language!) I had an й where I shouldn't and didn't have an й where I should.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Some simple steps to end corruption
1. Show up and vote
2. Choose candidates you believe in, ignore what the polls say about the "front runners".
3. If you don't strongly believe in any, rank them according to campaign contributions. The order is up to you among corporate contributions, total contributions, individual contributions, and location of contributors.
4. Show up and vote
5. Choose the candidates who rank most favorably according to step 3.
6. If you find all the choices for an office equally "corrupt", then consider somebody who you think is not corrupt and write that person's name in.
7. Show up and vote
8. If you can't think of anybody in step 6, then consider "Wright In".
9. Show up and vote
10. The only "spoiler" vote is the vote not cast.
11. Show up and vote
12. If you don't like the outcome of the election and you didn't follow steps 1, 4, 7, 9, and 11, don't blame me. I will have showed up and voted.
2. Choose candidates you believe in, ignore what the polls say about the "front runners".
3. If you don't strongly believe in any, rank them according to campaign contributions. The order is up to you among corporate contributions, total contributions, individual contributions, and location of contributors.
4. Show up and vote
5. Choose the candidates who rank most favorably according to step 3.
6. If you find all the choices for an office equally "corrupt", then consider somebody who you think is not corrupt and write that person's name in.
7. Show up and vote
8. If you can't think of anybody in step 6, then consider "Wright In".
9. Show up and vote
10. The only "spoiler" vote is the vote not cast.
11. Show up and vote
12. If you don't like the outcome of the election and you didn't follow steps 1, 4, 7, 9, and 11, don't blame me. I will have showed up and voted.
Quote of the day - campaign contributions
"What's the difference between a bribe and a campaign contribution?"
- Richard Coates, mostly jobless construction worker who demonstrated outside Bank of America in Boston, quoted in "Can 'Occupy Wall Street' really get money out of politics?", Mark Trumbell, Christian Science Monitor, 2011-10-14.
- Richard Coates, mostly jobless construction worker who demonstrated outside Bank of America in Boston, quoted in "Can 'Occupy Wall Street' really get money out of politics?", Mark Trumbell, Christian Science Monitor, 2011-10-14.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Let's start our own mass movement
Here's something you can do to change the politics of the country without much time or any dimes.
Remind at least two people to vote and to be the dēmos in democracy. "dēmos" is Greek for people. Ask them to also remind at least two people to vote. Tell friends, send the link to others, write comments on forums, or send letters to the editor.
We will know that we're successful when others pass this message to us. And we will know that we're really successful when the worst turnout in any precinct, county, or state is 75 percent.
Remind at least two people to vote and to be the dēmos in democracy. "dēmos" is Greek for people. Ask them to also remind at least two people to vote. Tell friends, send the link to others, write comments on forums, or send letters to the editor.
We will know that we're successful when others pass this message to us. And we will know that we're really successful when the worst turnout in any precinct, county, or state is 75 percent.
Attacks against the "sacrilegious"
I never understand why those who profess a theistic religion feel compelled to attack those who they consider "sacrilegious" or "blasphemous". If their God is so all-powerful and all-knowing, cannot He do something about this problem. Cannot this God just boom down from Heaven to these blasphemers to shape up?
I think the attackers themselves are insecure in their own beliefs and are the "sacrilegious" or "blasphemous" ones. They think beliefs different from their own are threat to their beliefs. They have the hubris to think they know better than God.
They also are the greatest threat to their own beliefs. Why would peaceful people follow their beliefs? Or why should peaceful people of any belief respect and tolerate the beliefs of the attackers?
I think the attackers themselves are insecure in their own beliefs and are the "sacrilegious" or "blasphemous" ones. They think beliefs different from their own are threat to their beliefs. They have the hubris to think they know better than God.
They also are the greatest threat to their own beliefs. Why would peaceful people follow their beliefs? Or why should peaceful people of any belief respect and tolerate the beliefs of the attackers?
The suit with the cigar, an update
This morning's Duluth News Tribune had pictures of the Occupy Twin Ports demonstration. The guy with the suit and the cigar sign was "I support Wall Street!" And you can see the cigar in his mouth.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Occupy Twin Ports, 12 Oct. 2011
I spent about a half hour today at the Occupy Twin Ports in Duluth. My guess is that about a hundred people showed up, several with home-made signs. I knew about a dozen of the people attending. As far as "the media" ignoring it, there were several reporter/photographers and at least one TV crew. Many people beeped their horns as the drove by and some passengers hollered out encouraging remarks.
When I walked by before the official start, I think there was one police officer. When I participated I never saw a police officer.
There was a Tea Party demonstration on an opposite corner, but I couldn't read their signs.
On our side a suit was smoking a cigar right next to other people. I don't remember the sign he was holding, but if he was an anti-demonstrator, his smoking a cigar in a crowd was indicative of the disdain Wall St. holds for us 99%.
A downpour started about fifteen minutes after the start. Umbrellas came out and then the person with the bullhorn announced a Plan B and marched off toward the banks. After the rain dwindled they came marching back.
When I walked by before the official start, I think there was one police officer. When I participated I never saw a police officer.
There was a Tea Party demonstration on an opposite corner, but I couldn't read their signs.
On our side a suit was smoking a cigar right next to other people. I don't remember the sign he was holding, but if he was an anti-demonstrator, his smoking a cigar in a crowd was indicative of the disdain Wall St. holds for us 99%.
A downpour started about fifteen minutes after the start. Umbrellas came out and then the person with the bullhorn announced a Plan B and marched off toward the banks. After the rain dwindled they came marching back.
Efficiency vs. effectiveness, a simile
Many "limited government" or "low tax" proponents are calling for more efficiency in governments. Unfortunately, efficiency is not a poor metric for any job.
Consider that even with long lines at the post office, the clerks, at least in Minnesota, ask, "Anything else?" The "efficiency" proponents would demand quicker processing of each customer, but the effective clerks give better service to each customer and may sell more stamps and other things.
The "efficiency" proponents would probably buy a heating system that gave the lowest cost per Btu. However, that heating system may not put out enough Btus to effectively heat the building. And if that low cost heating system was in an office building, the office workers may be so uncomfortable that they are neither efficient nor effective.
Consider that even with long lines at the post office, the clerks, at least in Minnesota, ask, "Anything else?" The "efficiency" proponents would demand quicker processing of each customer, but the effective clerks give better service to each customer and may sell more stamps and other things.
The "efficiency" proponents would probably buy a heating system that gave the lowest cost per Btu. However, that heating system may not put out enough Btus to effectively heat the building. And if that low cost heating system was in an office building, the office workers may be so uncomfortable that they are neither efficient nor effective.
High and low tax states: All things considered, which is better?
Yahoo Finance often has articles about the taxation as a gauge of where to live, whether a place to work or a place to retire to. The latest was "The Most and Least Taxing States to Live and Retire In", Joel Stonington, Bloomberg, 2011-10-09.
http://finance.yahoo.com/retirement/article/113611/most-least-taxing-states-bloomberg
Many early commenters said they'd much rather live in the high tax states than the low tax states because the quality of life was better.
Articles like these never tout up the benefits received, better educated work force, better roads, better fire service, better police, better courts,… In other words, you get what you pay for.
Would you choose a hotel strictly on price? Gosh, for $10/night, you can get a tiny room with bedbugs, dirty sheets, broken springs, noisy neighbors, and no heat or air-conditioning. Or for $100/night you could get a spacious room with clean sheets, quiet neighbors, heat or air conditioning, and a "free" all-you-can eat breakfast.
http://finance.yahoo.com/retirement/article/113611/most-least-taxing-states-bloomberg
Many early commenters said they'd much rather live in the high tax states than the low tax states because the quality of life was better.
Articles like these never tout up the benefits received, better educated work force, better roads, better fire service, better police, better courts,… In other words, you get what you pay for.
Would you choose a hotel strictly on price? Gosh, for $10/night, you can get a tiny room with bedbugs, dirty sheets, broken springs, noisy neighbors, and no heat or air-conditioning. Or for $100/night you could get a spacious room with clean sheets, quiet neighbors, heat or air conditioning, and a "free" all-you-can eat breakfast.
Monday, October 10, 2011
A great tribute to Steve Jobs
Guy Kawasaki, one of the original Apple Evangelists, wrote a great tribute to Steve Jobs, "What I learned from Steve Jobs".
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Bear season: two shots missed
As I returned to Duluth from our cabin in Brimson, I saw a bear cross the road in front of me. I slowed down, tried to get my camera off my hip, and take a picture. I was too late, the bear had already disappeared into the brush.
A couple hundred yards farther along the road at an intersection, I saw a whole bunch of people on ATVs, some in blaze orange, some not. I don't know if they were a hunting group or just a social group. If the former, I wonder if they knew how close they had been to a bear.
A couple hundred yards farther along the road at an intersection, I saw a whole bunch of people on ATVs, some in blaze orange, some not. I don't know if they were a hunting group or just a social group. If the former, I wonder if they knew how close they had been to a bear.
Just what are high-rate balances
One of AT&T Universal Card account holders pages has a little ad: "'I'm finished with high-rate balances.' Consolidate you high-rate credit cards into one monthly payment and save money on interest."
My rate is now 20.030% APY. Gosh, what kind of "high-rates" are they talking of?
I wonder if I'm better off taking money out of a mutual fund to pay this high-rate balance and paying myself instead. But then I'll have to figure out the capital gains and report it on next year's taxes. And the price per share could go up getting me fewer shares when I put the money back. Or the reverse. Decisions, decisions!
My rate is now 20.030% APY. Gosh, what kind of "high-rates" are they talking of?
I wonder if I'm better off taking money out of a mutual fund to pay this high-rate balance and paying myself instead. But then I'll have to figure out the capital gains and report it on next year's taxes. And the price per share could go up getting me fewer shares when I put the money back. Or the reverse. Decisions, decisions!
Friday, October 07, 2011
"The media" and Occupy Wall St.
I was at a meeting about politics earlier this week, and some people who can be counted on to take a "strong left" opinion complained bitterly that "the media" had not covered the Occupy Wall St. demonstrations.
From the Coffee Party http://www.coffeepartyusa.com I knew that it was in the planning stages, and I knew when it began, and I knew when major newspapers started covering it.
But is every large newspaper or news network supposed to cover every demonstration anywhere in the U. S. when only a dozen or so people show up. It's sort of like people complaining that their event wasn't covered in the local newspaper. Did any of the event organizers let the newspaper know? What competing stories were covered at that time?
Now the Occupy Wall St. movement has gained critical mass and even editorials are being written about it. As opposed to the Tea Party complaint about "an excessively powerful federal government","an active and angry band of citizens is insisting that the concentrated power most Americans need to fear exists on Wall Street and in the financial system." - E. J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post, reprinted in the Star Tribune as "The conservative tide ebbs, the progressive tide flows", 2011-10-06.
From the Coffee Party http://www.coffeepartyusa.com I knew that it was in the planning stages, and I knew when it began, and I knew when major newspapers started covering it.
But is every large newspaper or news network supposed to cover every demonstration anywhere in the U. S. when only a dozen or so people show up. It's sort of like people complaining that their event wasn't covered in the local newspaper. Did any of the event organizers let the newspaper know? What competing stories were covered at that time?
Now the Occupy Wall St. movement has gained critical mass and even editorials are being written about it. As opposed to the Tea Party complaint about "an excessively powerful federal government","an active and angry band of citizens is insisting that the concentrated power most Americans need to fear exists on Wall Street and in the financial system." - E. J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post, reprinted in the Star Tribune as "The conservative tide ebbs, the progressive tide flows", 2011-10-06.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Reagan, Gorbachev, and the Berlin Wall
Many credit Ronald Reagan with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall, citing Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down the wall!" and other actions.
First, Gorbachev was no absolute dictator like Stalin. He had many constituencies to please, both hard-line and open-minded. Gorbachev knew the Soviet Union was not working, but he could not like Stalin or Mao simply declare a change of course. He had to move politically rather than autocratically.
Second, Gorbachev's predecessors had put the Soviet Union in a precarious financial position with an overabundance of subsidies. The only thing that propped up the finances of the Soviet Union was the export of oil at $70/barrel.
Then the price of oil collapsed to $10/barrel, and with it the Soviet Union.
The severe drop in the price of oil was caused by millions of consumers saving energy, something Reagan was not enthusiastic about.
Unfortunately, things have turned around and consumption has gone up, the price of oil has gone up, and petro-dictators have been propped up. But blame Americans only indirectly. Many people in the world want to live like us and now they are - in China, India, South America, and many other places. And to live like Americans, they drive cars, air-condition their houses, and power their proliferating gadgets.
See "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman
First, Gorbachev was no absolute dictator like Stalin. He had many constituencies to please, both hard-line and open-minded. Gorbachev knew the Soviet Union was not working, but he could not like Stalin or Mao simply declare a change of course. He had to move politically rather than autocratically.
Second, Gorbachev's predecessors had put the Soviet Union in a precarious financial position with an overabundance of subsidies. The only thing that propped up the finances of the Soviet Union was the export of oil at $70/barrel.
Then the price of oil collapsed to $10/barrel, and with it the Soviet Union.
The severe drop in the price of oil was caused by millions of consumers saving energy, something Reagan was not enthusiastic about.
Unfortunately, things have turned around and consumption has gone up, the price of oil has gone up, and petro-dictators have been propped up. But blame Americans only indirectly. Many people in the world want to live like us and now they are - in China, India, South America, and many other places. And to live like Americans, they drive cars, air-condition their houses, and power their proliferating gadgets.
See "Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman
Some simple lessons about climate change
One of the many things that climate change deniers don't understand is the non-linearity of climate. That is, as you change some of the factors that make climate warmer or colder, suddenly one factor has such influence on the other factors that the rate of change of the other factors suddenly increases or decreases.
Put some water in a pan with a lid. Turn the heat on high. As the water heats, vapor starts to come up around the lid. Nothing to worry about. Go into another room and forget about it. Suddenly you hear water splashing and hissing in the kitchen. The formation of steam within the water has gotten to the point where the water volume has increased beyond the volume of the pan. Oh, yes, your going into another room had nothing to do with the water boiling over. The water would have boiled over if you had stood daydreaming at the stove.
What will happen to our climate if the amount of CO2 released from the warming oceans reaches a "boiling point"?
Blow up a balloon so that the surface is very tight. Carefully and slowly push a nail against the surface of the balloon. The surface of the balloon will deform. Then you sneeze and push harder on the nail. Bang! Oh, yes, I forgot to remind you to wear safety glasses. Sorry! I originally thought of suggesting a pin, but depending on how full you blew up the balloon, the pin might burst the balloon as soon as you touch the balloon's surface.
At what point will we melt so many glaciers that the sun will heat ground that has not been heated in eons.
Put some water in a pan with a lid. Turn the heat on high. As the water heats, vapor starts to come up around the lid. Nothing to worry about. Go into another room and forget about it. Suddenly you hear water splashing and hissing in the kitchen. The formation of steam within the water has gotten to the point where the water volume has increased beyond the volume of the pan. Oh, yes, your going into another room had nothing to do with the water boiling over. The water would have boiled over if you had stood daydreaming at the stove.
What will happen to our climate if the amount of CO2 released from the warming oceans reaches a "boiling point"?
Blow up a balloon so that the surface is very tight. Carefully and slowly push a nail against the surface of the balloon. The surface of the balloon will deform. Then you sneeze and push harder on the nail. Bang! Oh, yes, I forgot to remind you to wear safety glasses. Sorry! I originally thought of suggesting a pin, but depending on how full you blew up the balloon, the pin might burst the balloon as soon as you touch the balloon's surface.
At what point will we melt so many glaciers that the sun will heat ground that has not been heated in eons.
Monday, October 03, 2011
The perfect political candidate
I have a perfect candidate for you to vote for.
He doesn't make long-winded speeches.
He tells no lies about himself or his opponents.
He makes no promises that he can't keep.
He solicits no campaign funds from corporations, PACs, or others that can't vote for him.
His name:
Wright In
He doesn't make long-winded speeches.
He tells no lies about himself or his opponents.
He makes no promises that he can't keep.
He solicits no campaign funds from corporations, PACs, or others that can't vote for him.
His name:
Wright In
Sunday, October 02, 2011
How do you pronounce two, too, and to?
If you say that all three are pronounced the same, you aren't listening.
More often than not, to is pronounced tuh. I've heard radio announcers, politicians, and ordinary people of all kinds pronounce to with a schwa (an unaccented vowel) rather than with the oo sound. I've even heard English people use tuh.
It sort of proves my point that there is no "correct" language, only "current" language that people actually speak.
More often than not, to is pronounced tuh. I've heard radio announcers, politicians, and ordinary people of all kinds pronounce to with a schwa (an unaccented vowel) rather than with the oo sound. I've even heard English people use tuh.
It sort of proves my point that there is no "correct" language, only "current" language that people actually speak.
On the consistency of English pronunciation
I ponder as I wander
That ponder rhymes not with wonder.
As through the path I wound
I noticed a tree with a wound.
I shed a tear
For it was a pear.
And, there was no damage to the aged garage after the rummage sale.
That ponder rhymes not with wonder.
As through the path I wound
I noticed a tree with a wound.
I shed a tear
For it was a pear.
And, there was no damage to the aged garage after the rummage sale.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Another reason for a third party
I leave notes to myself by one means or another all over the place. Some never resurface, some pop up but are no longer relevant, and some pop up that are still relevant months or even years later.
One such was a link to a Huffington Post article from mid-May about President Obama's supposed reset on Middle East policy: "Obama's Reset: Arab Spring or Same Old Thing?", Nick Turse, Huffington Post, 2011-05-17.
For all of Obama's talk about supporting the people in the efforts to free themselves of dictatorships and his condemnation against governments that use military force to thwart these efforts, his administration still supplies the tools of suppression - U.S.-made weaponry.
This is another instance of both parties being beholden to the corporatocracy of the U.S. instead of the people of the U.S. You can find a good definition of corporatocracy at Wikipedia.
Personally, I don't think we'll have any hope of world peace until the U.S. stops supporting dictatorships, cuts way back on its own military, and stops exporting so much military equipment. Are jobs here worth somebody dying in another country?
And I think the only way these will happen if a third party arises that really seeks to govern in the long-term interests of the American people instead of the short-term interests of a powerful few. Maybe such a party would take the advice of George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower in their farewell addresses, not as dogma, but as advice.
I'm sort of "ignorant of history" in that I have not read completely either of these. I did put versions of these addresses in my reading backlog file. My copy of Washington's address is from http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/farewell/text.html and Eisenhower's is from http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html. This latter site also includes the audio; you can find plenty of copies of the TV broadcast by a search for "eisenhower's farewell address".
One such was a link to a Huffington Post article from mid-May about President Obama's supposed reset on Middle East policy: "Obama's Reset: Arab Spring or Same Old Thing?", Nick Turse, Huffington Post, 2011-05-17.
For all of Obama's talk about supporting the people in the efforts to free themselves of dictatorships and his condemnation against governments that use military force to thwart these efforts, his administration still supplies the tools of suppression - U.S.-made weaponry.
This is another instance of both parties being beholden to the corporatocracy of the U.S. instead of the people of the U.S. You can find a good definition of corporatocracy at Wikipedia.
Personally, I don't think we'll have any hope of world peace until the U.S. stops supporting dictatorships, cuts way back on its own military, and stops exporting so much military equipment. Are jobs here worth somebody dying in another country?
And I think the only way these will happen if a third party arises that really seeks to govern in the long-term interests of the American people instead of the short-term interests of a powerful few. Maybe such a party would take the advice of George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower in their farewell addresses, not as dogma, but as advice.
I'm sort of "ignorant of history" in that I have not read completely either of these. I did put versions of these addresses in my reading backlog file. My copy of Washington's address is from http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/farewell/text.html and Eisenhower's is from http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/dwightdeisenhowerfarewell.html. This latter site also includes the audio; you can find plenty of copies of the TV broadcast by a search for "eisenhower's farewell address".
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
More examples of corporate inefficiency
A local writer wrote that we don't make anything in America anymore, look around. Actually he didn't look around very well; there are several manufacturers in Duluth, Minnesota, and the United States, many of them doing quite well.
Another thing that many people don't look around for is counter-examples to the idea that businesses are efficient and government is not. If you look around, you'll find plenty of examples of efficiency and inefficiency for both businesses and government. Being a contrary sort, I look around for government efficiencies and corporate inefficiencies. Today I found two examples of corporate inefficiency.
We have our house, cabin, and auto insurance with Western National. I paid the auto insurance last month and even have a confirmation number. When I checked today on the statements for the house and cabin insurance, I found that the statement for the auto insurance had a pay button next to it!!!
I sent email to Western National's contact address and received a reply within a few hours. Give one point to WN in the efficiency column and another for courtesy. However, the company is unable to remove the pay button as the online system is not interactive with its other system. Duh! I paid via the online system!! Give WN five points in the inefficiency column. Oh, the respondent did say that the pay button will eventually drop off.
That was a minor annoyance. Microsoft has given me, and probably hundreds of other users of Office 2011 for the Mac, a major time consuming headache.
Once again I find that I am getting duplicate events on my Outlook calendar. Before this was apparently caused by synchronization with Apple's iCal. I turned off synchronization before I spent days and days removing the duplicates. Today Outlook gave me the spinning and spinning beach ball, Force Quit said Outlook wasn't responding, and before I could click "Force Quit", the beach ball stopped. That long pause left me with duplicate items once again. At least at the moment, there are two to ten or so duplicates for each item, not hundreds like before.
I have some sympathy for Microsoft programmers and support personnel having spent a few decades debugging software, my own and that of others. But I find it annoying that such a wide variety of problems exist for years, especially when the producers tout how much productivity they give the users of their software. Efficiency is not passing problems off on customers, or is it?
Another thing that many people don't look around for is counter-examples to the idea that businesses are efficient and government is not. If you look around, you'll find plenty of examples of efficiency and inefficiency for both businesses and government. Being a contrary sort, I look around for government efficiencies and corporate inefficiencies. Today I found two examples of corporate inefficiency.
We have our house, cabin, and auto insurance with Western National. I paid the auto insurance last month and even have a confirmation number. When I checked today on the statements for the house and cabin insurance, I found that the statement for the auto insurance had a pay button next to it!!!
I sent email to Western National's contact address and received a reply within a few hours. Give one point to WN in the efficiency column and another for courtesy. However, the company is unable to remove the pay button as the online system is not interactive with its other system. Duh! I paid via the online system!! Give WN five points in the inefficiency column. Oh, the respondent did say that the pay button will eventually drop off.
That was a minor annoyance. Microsoft has given me, and probably hundreds of other users of Office 2011 for the Mac, a major time consuming headache.
Once again I find that I am getting duplicate events on my Outlook calendar. Before this was apparently caused by synchronization with Apple's iCal. I turned off synchronization before I spent days and days removing the duplicates. Today Outlook gave me the spinning and spinning beach ball, Force Quit said Outlook wasn't responding, and before I could click "Force Quit", the beach ball stopped. That long pause left me with duplicate items once again. At least at the moment, there are two to ten or so duplicates for each item, not hundreds like before.
I have some sympathy for Microsoft programmers and support personnel having spent a few decades debugging software, my own and that of others. But I find it annoying that such a wide variety of problems exist for years, especially when the producers tout how much productivity they give the users of their software. Efficiency is not passing problems off on customers, or is it?
A strange orange light in the woods
Shortly before seven Monday evening I was looking out the west window of our cabin and I saw a bright orange light through the trees. That can't be the sunset; the trees are too thick for the setting sun to penetrate.
I went out to our parking area for a better view. Was the light still or flickering? My imagination wanted to see the latter, but there really wasn't any flickering. I took a couple of pictures, and then the light started to dwindle as the sun set. (The best picture was too blurry to post.)
With the Pagami fire still going and the high fire danger, it is better to check phenomena like this out rather than ignore them.
I went out to our parking area for a better view. Was the light still or flickering? My imagination wanted to see the latter, but there really wasn't any flickering. I took a couple of pictures, and then the light started to dwindle as the sun set. (The best picture was too blurry to post.)
With the Pagami fire still going and the high fire danger, it is better to check phenomena like this out rather than ignore them.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Another corporation can't live within its means
This morning my wife went to the corner to buy the Duluth News Tribune and the Star Tribune. She put three quarters in the News Tribune machine and it wouldn't unlock. She was able to get the coins back. She put three quarters in the Star Tribune machine and was able to take out a paper.
I later bought a News Tribune at a gas station and was asked for one dollar. What? It's 75 cents. Nope, it went up this morning.
Can't Forum Communications, the publisher of the News Tribune live within its means? Can you imagine the editorials in some of its more conservative papers if any government raised taxes 33-1/3 percent?
I know many people in Duluth will not buy the News Tribune because they don't think it has much content, not even 75 cents worth. Will there be even more people who think the content is not worth one dollar?
Forum Communications may find itself in the situation many bus companies did. Costs went up and so service frequency went down. Service frequency went down, and so did ridership went down. Costs per rider went down and so service frequency went down…
By the way, the publisher of the Star Tribune is a paragon of efficiency:) Its machine at this particular corner still charges 75 cents even though the cost every where else is one dollar.
I later bought a News Tribune at a gas station and was asked for one dollar. What? It's 75 cents. Nope, it went up this morning.
Can't Forum Communications, the publisher of the News Tribune live within its means? Can you imagine the editorials in some of its more conservative papers if any government raised taxes 33-1/3 percent?
I know many people in Duluth will not buy the News Tribune because they don't think it has much content, not even 75 cents worth. Will there be even more people who think the content is not worth one dollar?
Forum Communications may find itself in the situation many bus companies did. Costs went up and so service frequency went down. Service frequency went down, and so did ridership went down. Costs per rider went down and so service frequency went down…
By the way, the publisher of the Star Tribune is a paragon of efficiency:) Its machine at this particular corner still charges 75 cents even though the cost every where else is one dollar.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Quote of the day - a new four letter word
I was chatting with Bill Bastian, a well-known Duluth tenor, at a fund raiser for the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra. When we touched on politics, he said that "corporation" has become a four-letter word to him.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Vote rigging - much ado about nothing?
See "How Republicans are rigging the next election", Harold Meyerson, Washington Post, published in the Star Tribune 2011-09-22.
Republicans are all aflutter about voter fraud. Democrats are all aflutter about "disenfranchising" poor and minority voters.
Republicans – your efforts will be meaningless if…
Democrats – you can make the Republican efforts meaningless by making a really serious effort to get out the vote.
Minnesota had the highest turnout in the nation in 2008 with 77 percent. Does that mean that 23 percent of the eligible voters were disenfranchised poor and minorities?
Wisconsin had 50.9 percent turnout in 2010, and the Republicans claimed a mandate as they took the governorship and control of both houses of the state legislature. Does that mean that 49.1 percent of the eligible voters were disenfranchised poor and minorities?
Come on, folks! Get real!
A too large percentage of eligible voters don't give a damn about either party. A too large percentage of "Democrats" get mad at the Democratic Party and don't show up at election time. Look what happened in New York's Ninth Congressional District. The no-shows gave the seat to the Republican candidate. Were all these no-shows disenfranchised poor and minorities?
Republicans – you're wasting time and money with your voter fraud campaign. In these "hard economic times", you're probably making local governments spend thousands of dollars for each suspected fraudulent voter. Is that efficient use of taxpayer dollars?
Democrats – you're wasting time and money fighting the wrong enemy. Your biggest enemy is voter apathy. Wouldn't a get-out-the-vote campaign be a more efficient use of party funds?
Republicans are all aflutter about voter fraud. Democrats are all aflutter about "disenfranchising" poor and minority voters.
Republicans – your efforts will be meaningless if…
Democrats – you can make the Republican efforts meaningless by making a really serious effort to get out the vote.
Minnesota had the highest turnout in the nation in 2008 with 77 percent. Does that mean that 23 percent of the eligible voters were disenfranchised poor and minorities?
Wisconsin had 50.9 percent turnout in 2010, and the Republicans claimed a mandate as they took the governorship and control of both houses of the state legislature. Does that mean that 49.1 percent of the eligible voters were disenfranchised poor and minorities?
Come on, folks! Get real!
A too large percentage of eligible voters don't give a damn about either party. A too large percentage of "Democrats" get mad at the Democratic Party and don't show up at election time. Look what happened in New York's Ninth Congressional District. The no-shows gave the seat to the Republican candidate. Were all these no-shows disenfranchised poor and minorities?
Republicans – you're wasting time and money with your voter fraud campaign. In these "hard economic times", you're probably making local governments spend thousands of dollars for each suspected fraudulent voter. Is that efficient use of taxpayer dollars?
Democrats – you're wasting time and money fighting the wrong enemy. Your biggest enemy is voter apathy. Wouldn't a get-out-the-vote campaign be a more efficient use of party funds?
More than you ever wanted to know about this blog
According to Alexa over 17 million blogs ranked higher than this blog. Alexa gives this blog's reputation as 7, that is seven sites link to my blog, probably my comments on other sites. I guess I never was any good at advertising.
Subscribers, after a dip of a few days, have gone up over twenty per day. I think a subscriber is a user who has a blog in his or her feed list, and, I think, has clicked on this blog in the list. However, reach runs between zero and six, meaning that someone looked at one of the items listed in the feed.
If you like this blog, I hope you'll tell others. If you like an entry and you're on Facebook, I hope you'll click on the like button that I started using.
In any case, thanks for reading this blog. I hope I can write things of interest to you for years to come.
Subscribers, after a dip of a few days, have gone up over twenty per day. I think a subscriber is a user who has a blog in his or her feed list, and, I think, has clicked on this blog in the list. However, reach runs between zero and six, meaning that someone looked at one of the items listed in the feed.
If you like this blog, I hope you'll tell others. If you like an entry and you're on Facebook, I hope you'll click on the like button that I started using.
In any case, thanks for reading this blog. I hope I can write things of interest to you for years to come.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Quote of the day - "single vote that matters"
"Eventually, the corruption in elections will get so bad that change will occur again and election reform will happen. The question is how long? Will it be this decade, the next decade or generations? I can only hope and believe that the government of the people, by the people, for the people will remember and believe it is their single vote that matters and not the money that makes a true democracy."
- John Cashon, "Government of the People, for the People, by the People", Coffee Party USA, 2011-09-05.
Cashon wrote quite a few more quotable paragraphs, for example, Theodore Roosevelt taking on J.P. Morgan.
- John Cashon, "Government of the People, for the People, by the People", Coffee Party USA, 2011-09-05.
Cashon wrote quite a few more quotable paragraphs, for example, Theodore Roosevelt taking on J.P. Morgan.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Stanley Lindholm (Dec. 9, 1926 - Sept. 14, 2011)
Ingen flicka,
Ingen snus,
Inga pengar,
What's the use?
This Swedish/English doggerel was a favorite of Stan. It means
No girl,
No snuff,
No money,
What's the use?
The use, Stan, was all the friends you made at Bixby's Coffee Shop in Duluth. Despite the setbacks you had in your life, you shared laughter with others. We missed you when you moved to Florida, and we miss you now that you've left this life.
Ingen snus,
Inga pengar,
What's the use?
This Swedish/English doggerel was a favorite of Stan. It means
No girl,
No snuff,
No money,
What's the use?
The use, Stan, was all the friends you made at Bixby's Coffee Shop in Duluth. Despite the setbacks you had in your life, you shared laughter with others. We missed you when you moved to Florida, and we miss you now that you've left this life.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Here we go again with "fair share" undefined
President Obama has been speaking of "fair share" with regard to taxes, but as many other proponents of "fair share" he does no more than talk about percentage of income paid in taxes.
But this is the wrong argument.
Suppose we have a small town with most people earning a decent income and one person earning over a million dollars a year. The town is small enough that it uses the county sheriff for law enforcement, the regional fire department for fires and first responders, the regional school system, and the county library. Its only major expenses are its streets and a city park. All of its revenues are paid by property taxes. The property taxes are based on market value.
So what is a fair share for everybody?
The millionaire lives in a house whose valuation is such that he pays five percent of the city budget. The town is large enough that most people pay one percent of their income in city property taxes. However, the millionaire only pays a half percent of his income.
Now let's assume that the millionaire earns all of his income investing online in national corporations. He doesn't use any of the city services more than anyone else and maybe even less. In this case, isn't his paying a larger portion of the city taxes a fair share irrelevant?
On the other hand, let's assume that the millionaire earns most of his income being the CEO of a large company in the state. What is his fair share of tax at the state and federal level? He is now using a long list of government services, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly. If he depends on moving goods from place to place, isn't his income dependent on a good road system? If he has many educated employees, isn't his income dependent on a good school system that will educate future employees? On and on it goes that this millionaire is dependent on a long list of government services to be successful, even some he doesn't like. For example, if he processes food the state or federal inspections may seem bothersome, but he also wins because his customers have more assurance of the safety of the food his company produces. Few have any idea what his "fair share" of state and federal taxes is.
It could be far less than some fixed percentage. It could be a far greater percentage than most people pay. Nobody knows for sure and very few are even considering the real meaning of "fair share".
But this is the wrong argument.
Suppose we have a small town with most people earning a decent income and one person earning over a million dollars a year. The town is small enough that it uses the county sheriff for law enforcement, the regional fire department for fires and first responders, the regional school system, and the county library. Its only major expenses are its streets and a city park. All of its revenues are paid by property taxes. The property taxes are based on market value.
So what is a fair share for everybody?
The millionaire lives in a house whose valuation is such that he pays five percent of the city budget. The town is large enough that most people pay one percent of their income in city property taxes. However, the millionaire only pays a half percent of his income.
Now let's assume that the millionaire earns all of his income investing online in national corporations. He doesn't use any of the city services more than anyone else and maybe even less. In this case, isn't his paying a larger portion of the city taxes a fair share irrelevant?
On the other hand, let's assume that the millionaire earns most of his income being the CEO of a large company in the state. What is his fair share of tax at the state and federal level? He is now using a long list of government services, sometimes directly and sometimes indirectly. If he depends on moving goods from place to place, isn't his income dependent on a good road system? If he has many educated employees, isn't his income dependent on a good school system that will educate future employees? On and on it goes that this millionaire is dependent on a long list of government services to be successful, even some he doesn't like. For example, if he processes food the state or federal inspections may seem bothersome, but he also wins because his customers have more assurance of the safety of the food his company produces. Few have any idea what his "fair share" of state and federal taxes is.
It could be far less than some fixed percentage. It could be a far greater percentage than most people pay. Nobody knows for sure and very few are even considering the real meaning of "fair share".
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Quote of the day – Moderation in politics
So numerous indeed and so powerful are the causes which serve to give a false bias to the judgment, that we, upon many occasions, see wise and good men on the wrong as well as on the right side of questions of the first magnitude to society. This circumstance, if duly attended to, would furnish a lesson of moderation to those who are ever so much persuaded of their being in the right in any controversy.
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 1
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Paper No. 1
Did you celebrate Constitution Day?
"Are you celebrating Constitution Day?" is the title of a Local View that I wrote and was published in the Duluth News Tribune on what else but Constitution Day, September 17. I can't post it here because of the exclusivity agreement the News Tribune requires for submissions, but you can click on the link above.
Because of the mixture of serious thought and flippancy, I thought it might go viral. Well, it has spread a tiny bit, Press Enterprise and Road Runner have linked back to it.
I did have over a dozen people comment on it at church this morning. One friend "complained" to my wife that my writings made her think. I was surprised that there was only one comment on the online version.
That writer stopped reading because he didn't like my introduction and claimed, "The author is completely ignorant of history." His comment received three likes and two dislikes, one of the latter mine.
I tried responding but I couldn't register with Area Voices, the comment service. I never received the email to complete registration. I did send a comment to the DNT web staff.
What I tried to respond was:
Because of the mixture of serious thought and flippancy, I thought it might go viral. Well, it has spread a tiny bit, Press Enterprise and Road Runner have linked back to it.
I did have over a dozen people comment on it at church this morning. One friend "complained" to my wife that my writings made her think. I was surprised that there was only one comment on the online version.
That writer stopped reading because he didn't like my introduction and claimed, "The author is completely ignorant of history." His comment received three likes and two dislikes, one of the latter mine.
I tried responding but I couldn't register with Area Voices, the comment service. I never received the email to complete registration. I did send a comment to the DNT web staff.
What I tried to respond was:
I read years ago in a biography of Benjamin Franklin that he wrote a letter from Paris to the Continental Congress asking for more money. Either his letter or the author of the biographry mentioned he needed it to keep his wine cellar well-stocked. Franklin did do a lot of entertaining (and womanizing).Is that enough sampling to not be ignorant of history?:)
I took "career politicians" from many sources. Many members of the Constitutional Convention had been active in the Continental Congress and/or state government. Also, many continued in politics, including the future presidents George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison. The authors of the Federalist Papers besides Madison who were members of the Convention were Alexander Hamilton, future Secretary of the Treasury, and John Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and then Governor of New York.
I took reasons for the convening of the Constitutional Convention from Gordon S. Wood's "The American Revolution". I also recommend reading his "The Radicalism of the American Revolution". I look forward to reading many more of his books on the American Revolution and the early history of the United States.
French toast – an anachronism in a classic of French literature
I've been reading "Les Trois Mousquetaires" by Alexandre Dumas. I've learned that I should read material in foreign languages by not worrying about the grammatical structure of sentences or the meaning of every word. I get most of the meaning by context. If I think that a word that I don't know is necessary for understanding, then I'll look it up.
This week I looked up an English word in "Les Trois Mousquetaires". Is "toast", as in a drink to the health of another, a French word? It is, but in the time of Louis XIII? I thought "toast" was a word from the Eighteenth Century. One source said "toast" was first used in 1700, but another said it was from the time of Charles II. Let's see, Louis XIII of France lived from 1601 to 1643; this is the time of "Les Trois Mousquetaires". Charles II of England lived from 1630 to 1685; he reigned from 1660 to 1685. I don't think the Three Musketeers would have even heard of it, but Dumas uses it at least three times in "Les Trois Mousquetaires".
This is a problem of writing novels about times before one's own. Think of Mark Twain's "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." How would a king speaking Celtic, Latin, or Anglo-Saxon understand someone speaking Nineteenth-Century American English? Of course, Twain gets around this by implying the whole adventure was a dream.
My own adventure was trying to find exactly where I had read "toast" in "Les Trois Mousquetaires". I read and reread the part where I thought it was, parts before, and parts after. I couldn't find it. Finally I downloaded a PDF file of "Les Trois Mousquetaires" and searched the file for "toast". That's how I know "toast" appeared three times. The other two occurrences I haven't gotten to yet.
So, now I knew that "toast" was first used in "Les Trois Mousquetaires" in the section where d'Artagnan went to find Porthos. How many times did I reread that section without seeing "toast"? D'Artagnan is softening up the inn-keeper by sharing a bottle and drinking to the prosperity of the inn. I can't translate very well d'Artagnan's reply to the innkeeper's thanks, but it is something like "there is more than you think "dans mon toast".
Knowing what the text surrounding "toast" was, I was able to quickly find it in my paperback copy. It was on the left of the page. I think my scan was down the center and to the right! The tricks our minds play.
This week I looked up an English word in "Les Trois Mousquetaires". Is "toast", as in a drink to the health of another, a French word? It is, but in the time of Louis XIII? I thought "toast" was a word from the Eighteenth Century. One source said "toast" was first used in 1700, but another said it was from the time of Charles II. Let's see, Louis XIII of France lived from 1601 to 1643; this is the time of "Les Trois Mousquetaires". Charles II of England lived from 1630 to 1685; he reigned from 1660 to 1685. I don't think the Three Musketeers would have even heard of it, but Dumas uses it at least three times in "Les Trois Mousquetaires".
This is a problem of writing novels about times before one's own. Think of Mark Twain's "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." How would a king speaking Celtic, Latin, or Anglo-Saxon understand someone speaking Nineteenth-Century American English? Of course, Twain gets around this by implying the whole adventure was a dream.
My own adventure was trying to find exactly where I had read "toast" in "Les Trois Mousquetaires". I read and reread the part where I thought it was, parts before, and parts after. I couldn't find it. Finally I downloaded a PDF file of "Les Trois Mousquetaires" and searched the file for "toast". That's how I know "toast" appeared three times. The other two occurrences I haven't gotten to yet.
So, now I knew that "toast" was first used in "Les Trois Mousquetaires" in the section where d'Artagnan went to find Porthos. How many times did I reread that section without seeing "toast"? D'Artagnan is softening up the inn-keeper by sharing a bottle and drinking to the prosperity of the inn. I can't translate very well d'Artagnan's reply to the innkeeper's thanks, but it is something like "there is more than you think "dans mon toast".
Knowing what the text surrounding "toast" was, I was able to quickly find it in my paperback copy. It was on the left of the page. I think my scan was down the center and to the right! The tricks our minds play.
If you believe in unfettered free markets…
I have some tulip bulbs for you.
If you believe in unfettered free markets, I have some mortgages to sell you. Trust me, they are all low risk.
If you believe in unfettered free markets, I plan to buy the lot next to your house and start a junk yard.
If you believe in unfettered free markets, I plan to buy the lot on the other side of your house and start raising pigs.
You say I can't do these. I can if I pay your neighbors enough for their houses and don't tell them my intent.
You say there are laws against my doing these things in residential neighborhoods. I thought you were for unfettered free markets. These laws are fetters on the free markets. Besides, if I make enough contributions to candidates that see things my way, then they'll change the laws in my favor.
Preposterous, you say. Not at all. It's happening with big corporations selling risky investments without giving you complete information (complete information being a requirement for a free market), putting up unsightly commercial buildings in residential neighborhoods, polluting our air and water, and making exorbitant contributions to candidates, parties, and "right"-minded think tanks.
If you believe in unfettered free markets, I have some mortgages to sell you. Trust me, they are all low risk.
If you believe in unfettered free markets, I plan to buy the lot next to your house and start a junk yard.
If you believe in unfettered free markets, I plan to buy the lot on the other side of your house and start raising pigs.
You say I can't do these. I can if I pay your neighbors enough for their houses and don't tell them my intent.
You say there are laws against my doing these things in residential neighborhoods. I thought you were for unfettered free markets. These laws are fetters on the free markets. Besides, if I make enough contributions to candidates that see things my way, then they'll change the laws in my favor.
Preposterous, you say. Not at all. It's happening with big corporations selling risky investments without giving you complete information (complete information being a requirement for a free market), putting up unsightly commercial buildings in residential neighborhoods, polluting our air and water, and making exorbitant contributions to candidates, parties, and "right"-minded think tanks.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Are our two "major" parties misnamed?
From what I see, the Republicans no longer believe in governing a republic, not in the sense that the writers of the Constitution envisioned. The Democrats don't get overwhelming support from people who call themselves Democrats; these people don't show up at elections. You can't have a democracy without the demos (Greek for people).
Maybe we should call them the Gung Ho Corporate Party and the Lukewarm Corporate Party. And maybe we should call the Tea Party the Kool-Aid Party because of the poison they are drinking given to them by the Koch brothers, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and other non-elected organizations sponsored by corporate interests.
Maybe we should call them the Gung Ho Corporate Party and the Lukewarm Corporate Party. And maybe we should call the Tea Party the Kool-Aid Party because of the poison they are drinking given to them by the Koch brothers, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and other non-elected organizations sponsored by corporate interests.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
So-called "Democrats" handed another U.S. House seat to the Republicans
Republican Bob Turner had "an upset win" over Democrat David I. Weprin in the Ninth Congressional District of New York. Many who call themselves Democrats just didn't show up! According to the Associated Press it was a "light-turnout election". I haven't seen any exact figures yet, but I would guess that it was way less than fifty percent. Yet here are three times as many registered Democrats as registered Republicans. Supposedly, many Democrats were dissatisfied with President Obama and didn't vote. Don't these people realize that a no-show is really a vote for the opposition?
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
"That used to be us, how America fell behind in the world"
This is a title of a new book by Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum. I think I'll buy it when my book budget shows a surplus.
You can read an excerpt at http://www.npr.org/books/titles/140211680/that-used-to-be-us-how-america-fell-behind-in-the-world-it-invented-and-how-we-c?tab=excerpt#excerpt. Our infra-structure is falling apart while China's is building up at great efficiency.
You can listen to an interview with Thomas Friedman at http://www.npr.org/2011/09/06/140214150/thomas-friedman-on-how-america-fell-behind.
All three copies in the Duluth MN Public Library are out.
You can read an excerpt at http://www.npr.org/books/titles/140211680/that-used-to-be-us-how-america-fell-behind-in-the-world-it-invented-and-how-we-c?tab=excerpt#excerpt. Our infra-structure is falling apart while China's is building up at great efficiency.
You can listen to an interview with Thomas Friedman at http://www.npr.org/2011/09/06/140214150/thomas-friedman-on-how-america-fell-behind.
All three copies in the Duluth MN Public Library are out.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Is this why large corporations don't like Federal healthcare?
How many employees of large companies would like to move to smaller companies or start their own businesses? How many don't because they don't want to lose their "benefits", that is, health care insurance?
What happens if more employees feel free to start their own companies. Would they be competitors of their former employers, either directly or indirectly? If indirectly, would that be doing something that outdates what their former employers did?
Maybe large corporations don't like Federal healthcare because of perceived tax costs or because of increased power of the Federal government, power which would compete with or restrict their ability to do damn well what they please.
In other words, anything that reduces corporate power reduces the power of the oligarchy, the oligarchy that Publius warned about in Federalist No. 57 (see "When did we go wrong").
What happens if more employees feel free to start their own companies. Would they be competitors of their former employers, either directly or indirectly? If indirectly, would that be doing something that outdates what their former employers did?
Maybe large corporations don't like Federal healthcare because of perceived tax costs or because of increased power of the Federal government, power which would compete with or restrict their ability to do damn well what they please.
In other words, anything that reduces corporate power reduces the power of the oligarchy, the oligarchy that Publius warned about in Federalist No. 57 (see "When did we go wrong").
When did we go wrong?
"THE THIRD charge against the House of Representatives is, that it will be taken from that class of citizens which will have least sympathy with the mass of the people, and be most likely to aim at an ambitious sacrifice of the many to the aggrandizement of the few. Of all the objections which have been framed against the federal Constitution, this is perhaps the most extraordinary. Whilst the objection itself is levelled against a pretended oligarchy, the principle of it strikes at the very root of republican government. The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust."
- Alexander Hamilton or James Madison, Federalist No. 57, "The Alleged Tendency of the New Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation", New York Packet, 1788-02-19
"Public good" or "common good" appear 26 times in the Federalist Papers. "Business" appears 26 times but almost always in the context of the business of government. "Corporation" appears seven times, but only twice in the sense of business. One is that the King of England has authority to establish corporations but the President of the United States does not. The other is how laws have not become perfect, including the law of corporations.
Now we have for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and the most virtue to pursue, the private good of corporations.
So much for following the intent of the "Founding Fathers".
- Alexander Hamilton or James Madison, Federalist No. 57, "The Alleged Tendency of the New Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation", New York Packet, 1788-02-19
"Public good" or "common good" appear 26 times in the Federalist Papers. "Business" appears 26 times but almost always in the context of the business of government. "Corporation" appears seven times, but only twice in the sense of business. One is that the King of England has authority to establish corporations but the President of the United States does not. The other is how laws have not become perfect, including the law of corporations.
Now we have for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and the most virtue to pursue, the private good of corporations.
So much for following the intent of the "Founding Fathers".
Paraphrase of the day – error
Chuck Frederick, the opinion page editor of the Duluth News Tribune, and I have been exchanging email with the ever-changing text of a Local View I submitted. I hope my latest email is the final version. I finished that message with:
"Who knows what [error] lurks in the [arts] of men. The Shadow knows."
"Who knows what [error] lurks in the [arts] of men. The Shadow knows."
Saturday, September 10, 2011
What 9/11 should have taught ALL of us
First, before the über patriots criticize me, let me question Al Qaeda.
What do you hope to gain? You are like flies or mosquitos in a house. You annoy many people, but many of you will get swatted without gaining anything meaningful. Sure you may bite a few people, but the people go on about their business. You think you speak for all Islam, but you speak for all Islam as much as the Ku Klux Klan or the Crusaders speak for all Christianity.
If you are so sure that you have Allah on your side, why do you say "Inshallah" ("God willing")? If you have doubt that Allah wants you to succeed, how can you be sure you are doing Allah's will in the first place? And if hundreds and thousands of imams and ayatollahs write volumes of commentary, often disputing each other, how can you be so certain?
If you're so interested in protecting Islam and Muslims, why do you kill those who disagree with you and why do you instigate others to blindly strike back at Muslim countries? You gain nothing but chaos, but doesn't your Allah want order and harmony?
Second, many of those who are justifiably disturbed by the attacks of 9/11 have reacted like somebody who is paranoid about flies in the house; they are willing to knock over furniture and break windows to kill a single fly. These people have reacted so wildly that they are ready to invade countries that have no connection with Al Qaeda or think that invading the base of "The Base" will eliminate it. Ten years later they have not succeeded in eliminating the threat; quite the contrary, they have increased the number of terrorist wannabes to levels where the costs are budget-breaking.
In invading other countries, these fly-swatters didn't learn from history. They sent into foreign countries armies that were not wanted, who didn't speak the language, and who didn't understand the culture. Have they forgotten their own history? Our predecessors disliked being governed by a country thousands of miles away, and that country shared our language and culture. Of course, that country made matters worse by sending mercenaries who didn't speak our language. Have they forgotten the French Resistance? At least many of the Germans spoke French. But as soon as the Germans killed or captured a leader of the Resistance, somebody took his or her place.
The intolerant among us are playing right into Al Qaeda's hands. By treating all Muslims as Al Qaeda they are indirectly recruiting more Al Qaeda sympathizers. Fortunately, like most Christians are not interested in going on a Crusade, most Muslims are not interested in going on an Al Qaeda-style jihad.
Many opportunities have been lost in neutralizing or marginalizing the likes of Al Qaeda. What if the State Department had one-tenth the military budget to train people in languages, cultures, and negotiation? Wouldn't this undercut support for Al Qaeda more than military action that "proves" Al Qaeda "right" in its criticism and rhetoric?
Mourn the Christians, Jews, Muslims, and non-believers who were in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2011, but also give serious thought to how we can bring about a world where nobody resorts to violence to bring about their wishes.
What do you hope to gain? You are like flies or mosquitos in a house. You annoy many people, but many of you will get swatted without gaining anything meaningful. Sure you may bite a few people, but the people go on about their business. You think you speak for all Islam, but you speak for all Islam as much as the Ku Klux Klan or the Crusaders speak for all Christianity.
If you are so sure that you have Allah on your side, why do you say "Inshallah" ("God willing")? If you have doubt that Allah wants you to succeed, how can you be sure you are doing Allah's will in the first place? And if hundreds and thousands of imams and ayatollahs write volumes of commentary, often disputing each other, how can you be so certain?
If you're so interested in protecting Islam and Muslims, why do you kill those who disagree with you and why do you instigate others to blindly strike back at Muslim countries? You gain nothing but chaos, but doesn't your Allah want order and harmony?
Second, many of those who are justifiably disturbed by the attacks of 9/11 have reacted like somebody who is paranoid about flies in the house; they are willing to knock over furniture and break windows to kill a single fly. These people have reacted so wildly that they are ready to invade countries that have no connection with Al Qaeda or think that invading the base of "The Base" will eliminate it. Ten years later they have not succeeded in eliminating the threat; quite the contrary, they have increased the number of terrorist wannabes to levels where the costs are budget-breaking.
In invading other countries, these fly-swatters didn't learn from history. They sent into foreign countries armies that were not wanted, who didn't speak the language, and who didn't understand the culture. Have they forgotten their own history? Our predecessors disliked being governed by a country thousands of miles away, and that country shared our language and culture. Of course, that country made matters worse by sending mercenaries who didn't speak our language. Have they forgotten the French Resistance? At least many of the Germans spoke French. But as soon as the Germans killed or captured a leader of the Resistance, somebody took his or her place.
The intolerant among us are playing right into Al Qaeda's hands. By treating all Muslims as Al Qaeda they are indirectly recruiting more Al Qaeda sympathizers. Fortunately, like most Christians are not interested in going on a Crusade, most Muslims are not interested in going on an Al Qaeda-style jihad.
Many opportunities have been lost in neutralizing or marginalizing the likes of Al Qaeda. What if the State Department had one-tenth the military budget to train people in languages, cultures, and negotiation? Wouldn't this undercut support for Al Qaeda more than military action that "proves" Al Qaeda "right" in its criticism and rhetoric?
Mourn the Christians, Jews, Muslims, and non-believers who were in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2011, but also give serious thought to how we can bring about a world where nobody resorts to violence to bring about their wishes.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Quote of the day - labor and capital
"Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
- Abraham Lincoln, annual message to Congress, Dec. 3, 1861
- Abraham Lincoln, annual message to Congress, Dec. 3, 1861
Is disaster relief tax and spend?
I've been wondering when one of the Republican governors who berates the size of the Federal government and decries the "tax and spend" policies of the Democrats, was going to call for Federal disaster relief. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas may not be the first, but he is the first that I read about. See "Texas Gov. Rick Perry Cut Fire Department Funding by 75%".
No wonder he can claim low taxes, but he gets high fire danger for it. He may have decried "taxes and spend" but now he's calling on the Federal government to "spend for Texas".
No wonder he can claim low taxes, but he gets high fire danger for it. He may have decried "taxes and spend" but now he's calling on the Federal government to "spend for Texas".
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Update: Animals: You bought it, you keep it
I called Animal Allies about my blog entry "Animals: You bought it, you keep it" and was referred to Wildwoods Rehabilitation. I sent an email to the organization with a reference to my blog entry.
Peggy Farr read it and thought that the rabbit was a snowshoe rabbit with its summer coat. She said it probably didn't run away because it was sick. She also wrote: "What you say about people releasing pets onto the wild is unfortunately too true and too common--we've seen rabbits, box turtles, snakes, ferrets, parakeets, cockatiels, and larger parrots, as well as many domestic ducks (rouens), a type that look like mallards but aren't, come to us in desperate condition. Their stories are heart-breaking."
Peggy Farr read it and thought that the rabbit was a snowshoe rabbit with its summer coat. She said it probably didn't run away because it was sick. She also wrote: "What you say about people releasing pets onto the wild is unfortunately too true and too common--we've seen rabbits, box turtles, snakes, ferrets, parakeets, cockatiels, and larger parrots, as well as many domestic ducks (rouens), a type that look like mallards but aren't, come to us in desperate condition. Their stories are heart-breaking."
Socialized or corporatized medicine, which would you prefer?
Serendipity strikes again! I was seeking information about Neuberger Berman High Yield Securities (NHS) and stumbled across a reference to Britain's National Health Service (NHS). Following that reference I found "An Eye Opening Adventure in Socialized Medicine" by Steve Silberman, an investigative reporter for Wired Magazine and others.
He awoke one night in London with eyes full of gunk. He recounts his interactions with his insurer (via a transatlantic one dollar per minute phone call) and with NHS, Britain's National Health Service. I recommend reading the full article.
I will add that there is an interesting comment on when and for whom health care is better - in Britain or the U.S. Hint: one size does not fit all.
He awoke one night in London with eyes full of gunk. He recounts his interactions with his insurer (via a transatlantic one dollar per minute phone call) and with NHS, Britain's National Health Service. I recommend reading the full article.
I will add that there is an interesting comment on when and for whom health care is better - in Britain or the U.S. Hint: one size does not fit all.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Ron Paul for President? Listen carefully
We heard an interview yesterday on NPR with Ron Paul, a libertarian candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination. He sounded very sincere and reasonable and made some important points contrary to current political "wisdom". But then I realized his underlying assumption, which makes him a bad choice for governing a complex nation.
He assumes that this country was founded to promote individual liberty. I think those who wrote the Constitution would disagree. Their idea was to have the liberty to govern ourselves rather than be governed by a foreign power. Personal liberties were an afterthought. Even then, many of these signers went on to curtail "personal liberties". Like George Washington leading the troops against a tax rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion. Like the "Alien and Sedition Act" signed by John Adams.
He assumes that this country was founded to promote individual liberty. I think those who wrote the Constitution would disagree. Their idea was to have the liberty to govern ourselves rather than be governed by a foreign power. Personal liberties were an afterthought. Even then, many of these signers went on to curtail "personal liberties". Like George Washington leading the troops against a tax rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion. Like the "Alien and Sedition Act" signed by John Adams.
Quote of the day – regulators and risk
"Isn't there something you can do to order us not to take all of these risks?"
- Chuck Prince, CEO of Citigroup, at a dinner of financial executives with Hank Paulson, Treasury Secretary, June 2007, quoted in "All the Devils Are Here", p. 344, Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera
If CEOs are asking for government intervention when corporations are getting over their head, why are so many Republicans complaining about excessive government regulation?
- Chuck Prince, CEO of Citigroup, at a dinner of financial executives with Hank Paulson, Treasury Secretary, June 2007, quoted in "All the Devils Are Here", p. 344, Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera
If CEOs are asking for government intervention when corporations are getting over their head, why are so many Republicans complaining about excessive government regulation?
Hard-earned dollars or cushy union jobs, make up your mind
Many politicians, Democrat, Republican, and others, laud the hard-earned dollars of workers and executives without regard to what they actually do. Many Republicans and conservative commentators imply that all union workers are over-paid. Excuse me, if all workers have hard-earned dollars, how can any be overpaid?
The latest claim of inefficient union workers is "Unions promote lower performance" by Nathan Jamail published in the Duluth News Tribune, 2011-09-04. Among his claims is that unions are responsible for the outsourcing of jobs. He hasn't read the About window for Adobe Photoshop Elements. All the programmers have Indian names. I didn't know that Adobe had union programmers. If they don't have union programmers, then why are they outsourcing programming in such a large scale to India?
He didn't mention all the overpaid financial wizards who got six figure bonuses for helping defraud widows on refinancing their homes. Nor did he mention the "unproductive" union firefighter who rescued a widow from her burning home.
If you want a kinder view of unions, read Phil Nast's "Denying their [unions] benefit denies history". I am a bit biased on this, Phil is a friend.
The latest claim of inefficient union workers is "Unions promote lower performance" by Nathan Jamail published in the Duluth News Tribune, 2011-09-04. Among his claims is that unions are responsible for the outsourcing of jobs. He hasn't read the About window for Adobe Photoshop Elements. All the programmers have Indian names. I didn't know that Adobe had union programmers. If they don't have union programmers, then why are they outsourcing programming in such a large scale to India?
He didn't mention all the overpaid financial wizards who got six figure bonuses for helping defraud widows on refinancing their homes. Nor did he mention the "unproductive" union firefighter who rescued a widow from her burning home.
If you want a kinder view of unions, read Phil Nast's "Denying their [unions] benefit denies history". I am a bit biased on this, Phil is a friend.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Animals: You bought it, you keep it
Last weekend I saw a brown rabbit at the side of a path. It didn't move as I approached. I bent down and took this picture.
As I stood up, it bounded away.
Was it "hiding" in plain sight? Was it tame and unafraid?
Given that the rabbit was brown rather than grey, a friend suggested that it was a descendant of a pet rabbit released in the wild. Considering its size, I would say it was born this spring. But, because it didn't run away as I approached, like the wild ones in our Duluth yard, I would say it had been owned by people who had held it and petted it.
If you buy an "easter bunny", please keep it and care for it for its lifetime. You aren't doing it any favors by releasing it in the countryside somewhere. This week I saw its corpse lying by the side of the path a few hundred feet from where I had seen it before. I didn't take a picture and I won't write a description of what I saw.
See an update at http://magree.blogspot.com/2011/09/update-animals-you-bought-it-you-keep.html.
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