If we want 1940 government budget levels, then we will have to give up many government services that we take for granted. Let's start with our well-equipped, modern police forces and consider what they would have in 1940.
First, we have to get rid of the computers and all the services that they provide. If we start with patrol cars and assume a department has 20 cars, that is easily 60 thousand dollars saved.
Next, we have to toss out the radios and go back to call boxes.
Modern cars have many costly features that were only luxury add-ons in the 1940. We should revert to manual transmissions, take away power steering and power brakes, remove air conditioning, windshield washers, side view mirrors, turn signals, backup lights, electronic locks, air bags, and seat belts. I must have missed a few other things that were only wished for in 1940 that are standard in any car now.
We could also reduce the number of police cars and put more officers on foot patrol.
My gosh, these "efficiencies" could save hundreds of thousands of dollars for any medium size city.
The downside is that police departments effectiveness would go down because they lack many of the modern tools.
But, the great upside is that our taxes would go way down. Now, if we could only get insurance companies to charge us 1940 premiums for theft insurance.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Limited choices for DVD rentals
Over two years ago I wrote "Netflix busts Blockbuster, or the Changing Economy". Over a year ago I wrote "Little box vs. BIG BOX (Videos)". I meant to write some follow-on articles about little boxes vs BIG boxes, such as drug stores, hardware stores, book stores, camera stores, and others. But I never did. Now about the only little boxes left are hair salons and restaurants. And the individual entrepreneurs in these have to compete with big chains.
I was also remiss in noting that almost every movie rental store in Duluth has closed. The last convenient movie rental, Mr. Movies, closed because they could not renew their lease on their terms. For me this was unfortunate because Mr. Movies had a good selection of foreign films, including some classics.
Now our choices for movies are DVD by mail or DVD by download. I shied away from Netflix because I didn't see paying ten bucks for one or two movies a month.
I did try downloading from iTunes and some other sources, but that is a two-hour wait at a nominal 7Mbps rate (more like 4Mbps actual). But at least twice, iTunes just hung up with 30 minutes or so left to download. I could restart the download and it would pick up at the hang-up point, but one shouldn't have to babysit a download.
Oh, yes, iTunes movies have subtitles that can't be turned off. Subtitles make it very hard to listen to the words being spoken.
We could stream DVDs, but that can be a jerky experience. And we can't stream at all at our cabin which has only 24Kbps. Even accessing the web has become a hassle at that speed.
We finally opted for Netflix, starting with the one DVD at a time program. The service has been excellent; I wrote about it in "Why do people pick on the Post Office?"
My latest choice is "The Hunger Games", which was released Saturday. I moved it to the top of our queue Sunday after I put the previous DVD in a mail box. Netflix told me "The Hunger Games" has been shipped and I should be receiving it tomorrow. That sure beats babysitting a download.
We do have a small problem. My wife doesn't care for movies with any violence, including murder mysteries. I wonder if she'll watch Miss Marple. So, I have to schedule watching such movies when she is gone or I'll be at the cabin alone. This, in turn, limits our shared watching. That sucked me into upping our Netflix account to two DVDs at a time. At about $12 a month, that beats one visit to a movie theater for both of us, or getting five DVDs a month from a store.
Has inflation changed the expression "nickel and dimed to death" to "ten dollared to death"?
I just hope this increased viewing doesn't reduce my book reading.
I was also remiss in noting that almost every movie rental store in Duluth has closed. The last convenient movie rental, Mr. Movies, closed because they could not renew their lease on their terms. For me this was unfortunate because Mr. Movies had a good selection of foreign films, including some classics.
Now our choices for movies are DVD by mail or DVD by download. I shied away from Netflix because I didn't see paying ten bucks for one or two movies a month.
I did try downloading from iTunes and some other sources, but that is a two-hour wait at a nominal 7Mbps rate (more like 4Mbps actual). But at least twice, iTunes just hung up with 30 minutes or so left to download. I could restart the download and it would pick up at the hang-up point, but one shouldn't have to babysit a download.
Oh, yes, iTunes movies have subtitles that can't be turned off. Subtitles make it very hard to listen to the words being spoken.
We could stream DVDs, but that can be a jerky experience. And we can't stream at all at our cabin which has only 24Kbps. Even accessing the web has become a hassle at that speed.
We finally opted for Netflix, starting with the one DVD at a time program. The service has been excellent; I wrote about it in "Why do people pick on the Post Office?"
My latest choice is "The Hunger Games", which was released Saturday. I moved it to the top of our queue Sunday after I put the previous DVD in a mail box. Netflix told me "The Hunger Games" has been shipped and I should be receiving it tomorrow. That sure beats babysitting a download.
We do have a small problem. My wife doesn't care for movies with any violence, including murder mysteries. I wonder if she'll watch Miss Marple. So, I have to schedule watching such movies when she is gone or I'll be at the cabin alone. This, in turn, limits our shared watching. That sucked me into upping our Netflix account to two DVDs at a time. At about $12 a month, that beats one visit to a movie theater for both of us, or getting five DVDs a month from a store.
Has inflation changed the expression "nickel and dimed to death" to "ten dollared to death"?
I just hope this increased viewing doesn't reduce my book reading.
Monday, August 20, 2012
The political spectrum – from wrong to wronger
The conventional idea of the political spectrum from left to right is as if one adapts different ideas as one moves smoothly from one side to the other. But people aren't so easily graded as eggs. Some people are for ideas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and other are against all six. Some people are for ideas 1, 2, and 3, and against ideas 4, 5, and 6. Others are for ideas 1, 3, and 6 and against 2, 4, and 5. And so on.
But a group of activists or diehard or hard-nosed have determined that if you are for ideas 1, 2, and 3 and against ideas 4, 5, and 6, then you are a conservative. If you are against ideas 1, 2, and 3 and for ideas 4, 5, and 6, then it is obvious that you are a liberal.
Even the labels conservative and liberal are misnomers. If you are for liberal extraction of resources then you are a conservative. If you are for conservative extraction of resources you are a liberal. If you are liberal in what powers should be given to corporations you are a conservative. If you are conservative in what powers should be given to corporations you are a liberal.
About the only thing conservative about conservatives is keeping privileges and powers to themselves. About the only thing liberal about liberals is spreading privileges and powers to larger and larger numbers of people.
So, Mel, what about your title "from wrong to wronger"?
That was a bit of whimsy based on my dissatisfaction with political discussions, mostly spectrum categorizations.
Many of the "liberal" causes don't excite me. Sure, two people who share some property should have rights of inheritance. I have many gay and lesbian friends, but I don't get excited about celebrating their status. I buy as much as I can locally, but on the other hand I'm not going to give up bananas and coffee because they are transported so far.
Most of the way "conservative" causes are presented excites me even less. Many regulations may be hard to fathom, but let's not get rid of all regulations. Do we want unsafe trucks on the highways and tainted food? Freedom is a nice idea, but "freedom" doesn't mean free to do whatever one damn well pleases. Abortions may be something to avoid if possible, but bombs cause lots of abortions without the mother even having a choice.
It is tough to be a thoughtful voter nowadays. Even if you like idea A of the conservatives and idea B of the liberal, they all muddy the waters so much that I'm afraid too many people are going to stay home on election day. As for me, I'll vote for wrong over wronger.
But a group of activists or diehard or hard-nosed have determined that if you are for ideas 1, 2, and 3 and against ideas 4, 5, and 6, then you are a conservative. If you are against ideas 1, 2, and 3 and for ideas 4, 5, and 6, then it is obvious that you are a liberal.
Even the labels conservative and liberal are misnomers. If you are for liberal extraction of resources then you are a conservative. If you are for conservative extraction of resources you are a liberal. If you are liberal in what powers should be given to corporations you are a conservative. If you are conservative in what powers should be given to corporations you are a liberal.
About the only thing conservative about conservatives is keeping privileges and powers to themselves. About the only thing liberal about liberals is spreading privileges and powers to larger and larger numbers of people.
So, Mel, what about your title "from wrong to wronger"?
That was a bit of whimsy based on my dissatisfaction with political discussions, mostly spectrum categorizations.
Many of the "liberal" causes don't excite me. Sure, two people who share some property should have rights of inheritance. I have many gay and lesbian friends, but I don't get excited about celebrating their status. I buy as much as I can locally, but on the other hand I'm not going to give up bananas and coffee because they are transported so far.
Most of the way "conservative" causes are presented excites me even less. Many regulations may be hard to fathom, but let's not get rid of all regulations. Do we want unsafe trucks on the highways and tainted food? Freedom is a nice idea, but "freedom" doesn't mean free to do whatever one damn well pleases. Abortions may be something to avoid if possible, but bombs cause lots of abortions without the mother even having a choice.
It is tough to be a thoughtful voter nowadays. Even if you like idea A of the conservatives and idea B of the liberal, they all muddy the waters so much that I'm afraid too many people are going to stay home on election day. As for me, I'll vote for wrong over wronger.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
If corporations are persons, why aren't they taxed like persons?
The right wants to get rid of corporate taxes but wants corporation to be treated as persons with regards to "free speech" and political contributions. If corporations are persons, why aren't they taxed like persons? That is, their tax rates should be the same as individual tax rates. If an individual is taxed on worldwide income, shouldn't corporations be taxed on worldwide income? Currently, they are only taxed on "repatriated" income.
I lived in Europe from 1968 to 1974. I've long thrown away my tax returns for those years, and so I can't verify my memory. I do know that I had to file U. S. income tax and pay any due amount after any foreign tax credit. When I worked in Italy, the tax rate was lower than it was in the U.S. And so, I had to pay to the U.S. Treasury the difference. When I worked in Sweden, the tax rate was higher than it was in the U.S. And so, I did not have to pay any money to the U.S. Treasury.
As an ex-pat employee of an international company, I did get reimbursed for the difference. And I had to report that income on the next year's U.S. income tax forms.
So, if corporations are persons, shouldn't U.S. corporations pay U.S. taxes on all their net income? With credit for foreign taxes, of course.
I lived in Europe from 1968 to 1974. I've long thrown away my tax returns for those years, and so I can't verify my memory. I do know that I had to file U. S. income tax and pay any due amount after any foreign tax credit. When I worked in Italy, the tax rate was lower than it was in the U.S. And so, I had to pay to the U.S. Treasury the difference. When I worked in Sweden, the tax rate was higher than it was in the U.S. And so, I did not have to pay any money to the U.S. Treasury.
As an ex-pat employee of an international company, I did get reimbursed for the difference. And I had to report that income on the next year's U.S. income tax forms.
So, if corporations are persons, shouldn't U.S. corporations pay U.S. taxes on all their net income? With credit for foreign taxes, of course.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Solyndra loan, just the facts, ma'am
The Republicans have been jumping all over the Obama administration for the collapse of Solyndra; Paul Ryan accusing the Obama administration of "crony capitalism". Guess which administration actually approved the loan? The Bush administration! The loan was not actually made until Obama was in office. See "Clean Energy: Obama Says It's the Future, Paul Ryan Calls It a Fad", Stacy Curtin, Daily Ticker, 2012-08-16.
Meanwhile, the Republicans don't seem to notice the subsidies to oil, gas, coal, and nuclear.
Ryan also said, "We want to get Washington out of the business of picking winners and losers." He seems to forget that the last great Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, was very much in the business of picking winners and losers and providing subsidies. What would this country be like if he hadn't pushed the Transcontinental Railroad with "subsidies" of bonds and free land?
BTW: one of the commenters asked where Paul Ryan called clean energy a fad. Given how quotes of any kind get distorted and go viral, it is hard to find sources for a supposed quote. What Ryan said was "fads like Solyndra" on "60 minutes" with Bob Schieffer. I can't find a direct quote from 60 minutes, but dozens of repeats by many sites, each with its own particular bias.
Whatever, the fact is the Bush administration approved the loan. Now the Republican Party has morphed to promote only fossil fuels and nuclear energy and to disparage any alternate sources of energy.
Meanwhile, the Republicans don't seem to notice the subsidies to oil, gas, coal, and nuclear.
Ryan also said, "We want to get Washington out of the business of picking winners and losers." He seems to forget that the last great Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, was very much in the business of picking winners and losers and providing subsidies. What would this country be like if he hadn't pushed the Transcontinental Railroad with "subsidies" of bonds and free land?
BTW: one of the commenters asked where Paul Ryan called clean energy a fad. Given how quotes of any kind get distorted and go viral, it is hard to find sources for a supposed quote. What Ryan said was "fads like Solyndra" on "60 minutes" with Bob Schieffer. I can't find a direct quote from 60 minutes, but dozens of repeats by many sites, each with its own particular bias.
Whatever, the fact is the Bush administration approved the loan. Now the Republican Party has morphed to promote only fossil fuels and nuclear energy and to disparage any alternate sources of energy.
Why do people pick on the Post Office?
For some time it has seemed the fashion to claim the United States Post Office is a bad example of government services, that it is run by the greedy mail carriers' union, and that it should pay its own way.
From my experience, the United States Post Office has been run effectively, provided friendly and courteous service, and provided an essential public good.
I have often found that mail deposited one day is often delivered the next day within the state and often delivered within three days within the lower 48. It almost always arrives in the same condition as it was deposited.
A case in point is the delivery of DVDs from Netflix. I put a DVD in a box on Sunday, next scheduled pickup was 12:30 on Monday, at 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday Netflix sent me email that it had received my DVD, and on Wednesday around 10:00 a.m. I had my next selection.
Granted the return address for Netflix is Duluth. But what would happen if the processing center was closed in Duluth and all local mail had to first make a 300-mile round-trip to the Twin Cities?
If the Post Office is so inefficient, why does UPS use USPS for the last-mile delivery of small packages? Several times I've gotten small orders delivered by our mail carrier, but the shipper had originally given the order to UPS. This hand-off happens because it is inefficient for UPS to deliver such small packages door-to-door.
Some have complained about surly counter service at the Post Office. My general experience is that counter personnel treat every customer as the only customer. They give alternative shipping costs and conditions and always ask "Anything else?"
The Postal Service seems to be the only government agency that Congress expects to pay its own way. Is Congress going to insist that every Interstate highway be a toll road? Is Congress going to insist that every homeowner whose house has been saved by U.S. Forest Service firefighters pay a fee?
The U.S. Constitution states: "Congress shall have the power … to establish Post Offices and post Roads." The Constitution mentions nothing about how post offices and post roads should be paid for. In fact, in recognition that newspapers were important for an informed populace, an early Congress determined that newspapers should be sent at a lower rate than letters.
The benefits and the costs of the Postal Service should not be examined as a direct cost/benefit problem but as a system cost/benefit problem. It is not a question if the revenue of the Postal Services is meeting its costs, but it is a question of what benefits would not be realized if postal service were cut back. For example, if all Duluth mail had to go to the Twin Cities to be processed, would the Netflix office in Duluth close, putting some local people out of work?
From my experience, the United States Post Office has been run effectively, provided friendly and courteous service, and provided an essential public good.
I have often found that mail deposited one day is often delivered the next day within the state and often delivered within three days within the lower 48. It almost always arrives in the same condition as it was deposited.
A case in point is the delivery of DVDs from Netflix. I put a DVD in a box on Sunday, next scheduled pickup was 12:30 on Monday, at 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday Netflix sent me email that it had received my DVD, and on Wednesday around 10:00 a.m. I had my next selection.
Granted the return address for Netflix is Duluth. But what would happen if the processing center was closed in Duluth and all local mail had to first make a 300-mile round-trip to the Twin Cities?
If the Post Office is so inefficient, why does UPS use USPS for the last-mile delivery of small packages? Several times I've gotten small orders delivered by our mail carrier, but the shipper had originally given the order to UPS. This hand-off happens because it is inefficient for UPS to deliver such small packages door-to-door.
Some have complained about surly counter service at the Post Office. My general experience is that counter personnel treat every customer as the only customer. They give alternative shipping costs and conditions and always ask "Anything else?"
The Postal Service seems to be the only government agency that Congress expects to pay its own way. Is Congress going to insist that every Interstate highway be a toll road? Is Congress going to insist that every homeowner whose house has been saved by U.S. Forest Service firefighters pay a fee?
The U.S. Constitution states: "Congress shall have the power … to establish Post Offices and post Roads." The Constitution mentions nothing about how post offices and post roads should be paid for. In fact, in recognition that newspapers were important for an informed populace, an early Congress determined that newspapers should be sent at a lower rate than letters.
The benefits and the costs of the Postal Service should not be examined as a direct cost/benefit problem but as a system cost/benefit problem. It is not a question if the revenue of the Postal Services is meeting its costs, but it is a question of what benefits would not be realized if postal service were cut back. For example, if all Duluth mail had to go to the Twin Cities to be processed, would the Netflix office in Duluth close, putting some local people out of work?
What does a teacher make? Surprise answer!
If you're tired of the bashing of teachers, tired of the complaints of their performance, and tired of the charges of "greedy" teacher unions", you'll enjoy this bit of stand-up ire by Taylor Mali.
You can find his biography at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Mali. His website is at http://www.taylormali.com/.
You can find his biography at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Mali. His website is at http://www.taylormali.com/.
A "real" Republican stands up
David Stockman was director of the Office of Management and Budget during Ronald Reagan's first term. He wrote a sharp criticism of current Republican thinking in "Paul Ryan's Fairy-Tale Budget Plan", New York Times, 2012-08-13.
Among other things Stockman points out that for all the budget cutting in "entitlements", Ryan wants to fund the "warfare state" with a budget twice what Eisenhower thought was sufficient to contain the Soviet threat, adjusted for inflation. Stockman writes that we have no real credible threat from any "advanced industrial state" and that Iran is benighted but irrelevant.
You might not agree with everything Stockman wrote, but you'll find his thinking is more in tune with reality than what currently passes for conservatism, that is, conserve the entitlements of large corporations and their "right" to raid the Treasury and the pockets of savers.
Among other things Stockman points out that for all the budget cutting in "entitlements", Ryan wants to fund the "warfare state" with a budget twice what Eisenhower thought was sufficient to contain the Soviet threat, adjusted for inflation. Stockman writes that we have no real credible threat from any "advanced industrial state" and that Iran is benighted but irrelevant.
You might not agree with everything Stockman wrote, but you'll find his thinking is more in tune with reality than what currently passes for conservatism, that is, conserve the entitlements of large corporations and their "right" to raid the Treasury and the pockets of savers.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Which set of no-shows will give the election away?
I started this entry as a Quote of the Day entitled "Something very disgusting". It was from hearing a radio interview with a man who called himself a Democrat. He wouldn't vote for any Republican but he was unhappy with Obama. He said, "I think I'll sit this election out." Effectively, he's helping the party he doesn't want elected. It's happened over and over again with Democratic voters, even when in a large majority, staying home on election day and "giving" the election to the Republicans. I've never heard of major no-shows by Republicans.
With Mitt Romney's selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, there may be many Republicans who stay home on election day. These would be some of the mainline Republicans who consider the Tea Party as too doctrinaire. These would also be the RINOs who have been unhappy with the Republican move to more uncompromising stances on many issues.
I think the Democrats will "win" the no-show battle thus losing the election to the Republicans.
Why? Because the Republicans have more "true believers" who feel the issues personally. They "don't want our guns taken away", they "want government off our backs", they "know better how to spend our own money", and on and on.
The "true believers" among the Democrats are more empathetic to other people. Their issues are helping the poor, protecting wetlands, reducing emissions, and so on. They might not even experience any of these problems directly. Because many people who lean Democratic don't feel as strongly on these issues, they are more likely to not show up at elections than the "true believers"
In other words, lukewarm Democrats far outnumber lukewarm Republicans, putting Democrats at a disadvantage when voters stay home.
Whatever your political leanings are, don't give elections away. Show up and vote!
With Mitt Romney's selection of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, there may be many Republicans who stay home on election day. These would be some of the mainline Republicans who consider the Tea Party as too doctrinaire. These would also be the RINOs who have been unhappy with the Republican move to more uncompromising stances on many issues.
I think the Democrats will "win" the no-show battle thus losing the election to the Republicans.
Why? Because the Republicans have more "true believers" who feel the issues personally. They "don't want our guns taken away", they "want government off our backs", they "know better how to spend our own money", and on and on.
The "true believers" among the Democrats are more empathetic to other people. Their issues are helping the poor, protecting wetlands, reducing emissions, and so on. They might not even experience any of these problems directly. Because many people who lean Democratic don't feel as strongly on these issues, they are more likely to not show up at elections than the "true believers"
In other words, lukewarm Democrats far outnumber lukewarm Republicans, putting Democrats at a disadvantage when voters stay home.
Whatever your political leanings are, don't give elections away. Show up and vote!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Why I don't believe polls
I've long been suspicious of polls, especially political polls. I also dislike polls because they turn elections into horse races rather than thoughtful consideration of candidates and because they reinforce the myth of "the two-party system".
The first question is who is asking what questions of who.
Who are the pollsters? Are they completely neutral or are they hired by a party or a candidate?
What are the questions and what order were they made? Were the questions framed to get a desired response? Were questions asked in an order to set up the responder for a desired answer?
Who responded to the poll? Was it only people who happened to be at home? Was it only people who always answer the phone and politely enter into a dialog? How many people screen their calls and won't respond to pollsters or other solicitation calls? How many people who did answer hung up right away? What about people who only have cell phones? Even if cell phones are called by pollsters, do the phone owners screen their calls and don't respond to unknown callers?
For some of these difficulties facing pollsters, see "Pollsters struggle to find the right sample of voters", John Harwood, Star Tribune, 2012-08-06.
Polls also can be very far off. One iconic picture is Harry Truman holding up a newspaper in November 1948, "Dewey Wins". Harry Truman didn't even stay up for the results, but the polls were way off. It was one of the first telephone polls, but nobody seemed to think that many Democratic voters didn't have telephones.
More recently, the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial polls predicted Hubert Humphrey III (DFL), Norm Coleman (Rep), and Jesse Ventura (Reform Party) in that order. The result was just the opposite with Ventura winning with 36.99 percent of the votes. The turnout was 60 percent, and so Ventura came in second to none of the above. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_gubernatorial_election,_1998.
I wonder if anyone bothered taking a poll of the 40 percent who didn't show up. What fraction were Democrats who didn't feel Humphrey would do "enough", what fraction were ex-Republicans who didn't like the direction the party was taking even then, and what fraction were people who just didn't give a damn about getting good governance?
The first question is who is asking what questions of who.
Who are the pollsters? Are they completely neutral or are they hired by a party or a candidate?
What are the questions and what order were they made? Were the questions framed to get a desired response? Were questions asked in an order to set up the responder for a desired answer?
Who responded to the poll? Was it only people who happened to be at home? Was it only people who always answer the phone and politely enter into a dialog? How many people screen their calls and won't respond to pollsters or other solicitation calls? How many people who did answer hung up right away? What about people who only have cell phones? Even if cell phones are called by pollsters, do the phone owners screen their calls and don't respond to unknown callers?
For some of these difficulties facing pollsters, see "Pollsters struggle to find the right sample of voters", John Harwood, Star Tribune, 2012-08-06.
Polls also can be very far off. One iconic picture is Harry Truman holding up a newspaper in November 1948, "Dewey Wins". Harry Truman didn't even stay up for the results, but the polls were way off. It was one of the first telephone polls, but nobody seemed to think that many Democratic voters didn't have telephones.
More recently, the 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial polls predicted Hubert Humphrey III (DFL), Norm Coleman (Rep), and Jesse Ventura (Reform Party) in that order. The result was just the opposite with Ventura winning with 36.99 percent of the votes. The turnout was 60 percent, and so Ventura came in second to none of the above. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_gubernatorial_election,_1998.
I wonder if anyone bothered taking a poll of the 40 percent who didn't show up. What fraction were Democrats who didn't feel Humphrey would do "enough", what fraction were ex-Republicans who didn't like the direction the party was taking even then, and what fraction were people who just didn't give a damn about getting good governance?
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Rossini, the Lone Ranger, and dating oneself
I was listening to Public Radio when a familiar theme came on - "out of yesteryear", "thundering hooves", and "from WXYZ, Detroit". It was the "William Tell Overture" performed last week as part of the Minnesota Symphony's Sommerfest. I didn't hear any shouts of "Hi Ho, Silver" at the end, but the announcer, Allison Young, remarked some in the audience had shouted that. She also mentioned the familiar TV show. Wait a minute, young lady, it was a radio show!
Monday, August 06, 2012
How to stop political ads
Well, not quite stop them, but here are two ways to avoid them.
1) Don't watch TV. Read lots of newspapers and magazines instead.
2) OK, you don't want to give up sports, reality shows, and Comedy Central. Then try these simple steps each time a political ad comes on the screen.
a) Close your eyes
b) Put your hands over your ears
c) Count to 60
With these three simple steps you won't have missed anything meaningful.
Remember also that political ads are designed not to get you to vote for a candidate, but to get you discouraged about the other candidate and not even vote. It seemed to work very well in New York's Ninth Congressional District in 2011. The Republican candidate won despite a 3 to 1 Democratic registration.
So, get even yourself and be sure to vote. Remember that the biggest spender is not always the winner. Think Meg Whitman who outspent Jerry Brown by a wide margin for governor of California and lost by a wide margin.
1) Don't watch TV. Read lots of newspapers and magazines instead.
2) OK, you don't want to give up sports, reality shows, and Comedy Central. Then try these simple steps each time a political ad comes on the screen.
a) Close your eyes
b) Put your hands over your ears
c) Count to 60
With these three simple steps you won't have missed anything meaningful.
Remember also that political ads are designed not to get you to vote for a candidate, but to get you discouraged about the other candidate and not even vote. It seemed to work very well in New York's Ninth Congressional District in 2011. The Republican candidate won despite a 3 to 1 Democratic registration.
So, get even yourself and be sure to vote. Remember that the biggest spender is not always the winner. Think Meg Whitman who outspent Jerry Brown by a wide margin for governor of California and lost by a wide margin.
Quote of the day – Republicans crazy, Democrats useless, and we're shafted
The full quote is the book title: "The Party is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted" by Mike Lofgren, a former Republican staffer.
You can read a short interview with Mike Lofgren at http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/former-congressional-staffer-how-money-divides-politics.
You can read a short interview with Mike Lofgren at http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/former-congressional-staffer-how-money-divides-politics.
I was lost in the woods three times in two days
At our cabin we have a triangular trail about a mile long. Its base is near the south property line and its apex is near our cabin. We have a bunch of cut brush on the east leg, but the chipper is on the west leg. We don't want to haul the brush up one leg and down the other, a total of 660 feet extra. We can use a cross path that parallels the boundary between an alder/balsam stand and a much bigger aspen stand.
The problem is that we have not maintained that path, a deer trail, since some brush was bent over by a heavy snow.
I had cleared in a few feet from each end of the cross path and had been working to reopen the path. However, in the eight or so years since the path was blocked, a lot of stuff has gotten bigger, way bigger.
Saturday, to get some idea where I should cut, I just pushed and ducked my way from west to east. I came across an old pit I'd never seen before, an old well maybe. I didn't see any of my old yellow flagging tapes. I saw something familiar in a clearing ahead. It was the remains of fox cages from the thirties. We had never gotten rid of all the chicken wire fencing. I tried stepping over it carefully, but I tripped on the last roll, nearly jabbing my gut with the handles of the nippers I was carrying. This spot was about 60 feet north of where I intended to be.
I went to the east end of the path and plunged into the thicket again. I never recognized anything except the old pit. I eventually came out where we had planted red oaks 19 years ago. The last died out about 14 years ago. This spot was also about 60 feet north of where I intended to be. At least I don't have a left or right bias. I think I misjudged the sun's position relative to where I wanted to be.
Then on Sunday, I worked on clearing some of the west end of the path. I flagged ahead where I thought I should clear the next time I work on this path. I turned around to go back to where I had left the cart. I couldn't see it, and I couldn't see where I had flagged. I went in what I thought was the easiest way. When I finally saw the cart again, you guessed it, I was somewhat north of it.
When I got back to Duluth and a half-way decent internet connection, I checked the length of the cross path - about 320 feet in a straight line!
So, I'm clearing 320 feet so we don't have to haul a few cartloads of brush an extra 340 feet!
Oh, well, I enjoy clearing and chipping brush, and I do like having that cross path open just for the variety.
Besides, if I clear enough brush maybe I'll be qualified to be President:)
The problem is that we have not maintained that path, a deer trail, since some brush was bent over by a heavy snow.
I had cleared in a few feet from each end of the cross path and had been working to reopen the path. However, in the eight or so years since the path was blocked, a lot of stuff has gotten bigger, way bigger.
Saturday, to get some idea where I should cut, I just pushed and ducked my way from west to east. I came across an old pit I'd never seen before, an old well maybe. I didn't see any of my old yellow flagging tapes. I saw something familiar in a clearing ahead. It was the remains of fox cages from the thirties. We had never gotten rid of all the chicken wire fencing. I tried stepping over it carefully, but I tripped on the last roll, nearly jabbing my gut with the handles of the nippers I was carrying. This spot was about 60 feet north of where I intended to be.
I went to the east end of the path and plunged into the thicket again. I never recognized anything except the old pit. I eventually came out where we had planted red oaks 19 years ago. The last died out about 14 years ago. This spot was also about 60 feet north of where I intended to be. At least I don't have a left or right bias. I think I misjudged the sun's position relative to where I wanted to be.
Then on Sunday, I worked on clearing some of the west end of the path. I flagged ahead where I thought I should clear the next time I work on this path. I turned around to go back to where I had left the cart. I couldn't see it, and I couldn't see where I had flagged. I went in what I thought was the easiest way. When I finally saw the cart again, you guessed it, I was somewhat north of it.
When I got back to Duluth and a half-way decent internet connection, I checked the length of the cross path - about 320 feet in a straight line!
So, I'm clearing 320 feet so we don't have to haul a few cartloads of brush an extra 340 feet!
Oh, well, I enjoy clearing and chipping brush, and I do like having that cross path open just for the variety.
Besides, if I clear enough brush maybe I'll be qualified to be President:)
Saturday, August 04, 2012
A modern parable of the Good Samaritan
man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead late one evening in a downtown.
A conservative drove by in his SUV, rolled down the window, and shouted, "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!"
A liberal drove by in his Prius, rolled down the window, and shouted, "The government will by soon to help you."
A homeless man walked by and asked, "Can I help?" The beaten man could barely whisper, "Please!" The homeless man, seeing all the cuts and bruises, said, "I'll be right back!"
He went to a public restroom to get some paper towels. The restroom only had hand dryers. The homeless man tried a second and then a third public restroom. The third had paper towels. He grabbed a couple dozen, moistened half of them, and ran back to the beaten man.
The homeless man used the wet paper towels to wipe away the blood and to soothe the bruises. He used the rest of the paper towels to dry the man up.
The homeless man tried to help the beaten man up, but the man couldn't stand. The homeless man knelt down, put the beaten man's arms around his neck, and stood up. He carried the beaten man on his back nearly a mile to the nearest hospital.
The homeless man deposited the beaten man at the emergency room, explained what he had found, what he did, and walked out the door.
One nurse asked another who the man was who brought the beaten man in. The other replied, "I don't know, but the beaten man is City Councilor Tightwad. He voted last year to cut the city's shelter, police, and fire budgets in half."
A conservative drove by in his SUV, rolled down the window, and shouted, "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!"
A liberal drove by in his Prius, rolled down the window, and shouted, "The government will by soon to help you."
A homeless man walked by and asked, "Can I help?" The beaten man could barely whisper, "Please!" The homeless man, seeing all the cuts and bruises, said, "I'll be right back!"
He went to a public restroom to get some paper towels. The restroom only had hand dryers. The homeless man tried a second and then a third public restroom. The third had paper towels. He grabbed a couple dozen, moistened half of them, and ran back to the beaten man.
The homeless man used the wet paper towels to wipe away the blood and to soothe the bruises. He used the rest of the paper towels to dry the man up.
The homeless man tried to help the beaten man up, but the man couldn't stand. The homeless man knelt down, put the beaten man's arms around his neck, and stood up. He carried the beaten man on his back nearly a mile to the nearest hospital.
The homeless man deposited the beaten man at the emergency room, explained what he had found, what he did, and walked out the door.
One nurse asked another who the man was who brought the beaten man in. The other replied, "I don't know, but the beaten man is City Councilor Tightwad. He voted last year to cut the city's shelter, police, and fire budgets in half."
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Traditional marriages! What are they?
I submitted the following to the Star Tribune over five weeks ago. I think I can assume it will not be published. It was my response to the ongoing heated exchange about the "Marriage Amendment" that will be on this fall's ballot in November.
I don’t know what all the fuss is about protecting marriage. About the only protection marriage needs is from two people who can’t get along together. And that has been happening for centuries.
My parents were married in September 1937 and I was born in March 1938, supposedly six weeks premature, at 8+ pounds! They were divorced when I was five.
My father’s parents took a ferry from Chicago in 1905 to St. Joseph, Michigan, the Cupid Capitol, were married, had lunch, came back and told their parents. At least my father, their eldest, had the decency to wait about four years to be born.
My father’s grandfather abandoned his wife and six children in Illinois and lived with another woman in Indiana for the rest of his long life.
His father, a sailor and ship’s master, married a woman in England and had a son there. He brought them to New York and then abandoned them there. He later had a son with another woman in Baltimore.
As for me, I’ve been married 52 years. My brother has been married nearly fifty years. My daughter has been married 25 years. Given the above history, I guess the six of us just don’t have traditional marriages.
I don’t know what all the fuss is about protecting marriage. About the only protection marriage needs is from two people who can’t get along together. And that has been happening for centuries.
My parents were married in September 1937 and I was born in March 1938, supposedly six weeks premature, at 8+ pounds! They were divorced when I was five.
My father’s parents took a ferry from Chicago in 1905 to St. Joseph, Michigan, the Cupid Capitol, were married, had lunch, came back and told their parents. At least my father, their eldest, had the decency to wait about four years to be born.
My father’s grandfather abandoned his wife and six children in Illinois and lived with another woman in Indiana for the rest of his long life.
His father, a sailor and ship’s master, married a woman in England and had a son there. He brought them to New York and then abandoned them there. He later had a son with another woman in Baltimore.
As for me, I’ve been married 52 years. My brother has been married nearly fifty years. My daughter has been married 25 years. Given the above history, I guess the six of us just don’t have traditional marriages.
Always throw away unidentified mail?
Last week we received a letter that only had my name and address and something like "Important Update Inside" on the envelope. Normally such mail goes straight to the recycle box. But my curiosity got the best of me.
It was from a regional manager of Frontier Communications, the telephone company for our cabin. It was about a recent 13 hour outage because a fiber optic cable was cut in Duluth. The cable was not Frontier's but supplied lots of its traffic.
The letter said that Frontier was working on (or had installed) a second fiber optic cable to provide redundancy.
Well, that was nice to know. I sympathize with Frontier with a problem outside its control and that it has taken steps to reduce the possibility of future outages.
The letter did have the name and email of the manager, and I did send him something about identifying mail.
This really comes under the third point of a free market - complete information (see "GMO producers don't want free markets"). Was Frontier trying to hide something by not identifying itself on the envelope? Was it outsourcing the mail to a firm that used a standard envelope for "hidden purpose" mass mailings? I'll probably never know because the Frontier manager never responded. We do know that this is another example of corporate "efficiency" at the expense of effectiveness.
It was from a regional manager of Frontier Communications, the telephone company for our cabin. It was about a recent 13 hour outage because a fiber optic cable was cut in Duluth. The cable was not Frontier's but supplied lots of its traffic.
The letter said that Frontier was working on (or had installed) a second fiber optic cable to provide redundancy.
Well, that was nice to know. I sympathize with Frontier with a problem outside its control and that it has taken steps to reduce the possibility of future outages.
The letter did have the name and email of the manager, and I did send him something about identifying mail.
This really comes under the third point of a free market - complete information (see "GMO producers don't want free markets"). Was Frontier trying to hide something by not identifying itself on the envelope? Was it outsourcing the mail to a firm that used a standard envelope for "hidden purpose" mass mailings? I'll probably never know because the Frontier manager never responded. We do know that this is another example of corporate "efficiency" at the expense of effectiveness.
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
How do you pronounce fir, fur, and for?
You think the first two rhyme and the third rhymes with a number, then listen to several speakers. Just as "to" has morphed into "tuh", "for" has morphed into "fer", rhyming with the first two words. See "How do you pronounce two, too, and to?"
I was reminded of this when my son, a manager in a large company, recently said "fer" for "for" in casual conversation.
I have begun saying that there is no "correct" language, only that which people use. We constantly see words or expressions that were once "unacceptable" have become commonplace. When I was in grade school, teachers reminded us that "kid" was a baby goat, not a young person. Now teachers talk about their students as their kids.
We don't need a tower of Babel to create different languages. We do it all by ourselves, both in the short term as above but in the long term such as the various Romance languages or the divergence (and melding) of American and British English.
I was reminded of this when my son, a manager in a large company, recently said "fer" for "for" in casual conversation.
I have begun saying that there is no "correct" language, only that which people use. We constantly see words or expressions that were once "unacceptable" have become commonplace. When I was in grade school, teachers reminded us that "kid" was a baby goat, not a young person. Now teachers talk about their students as their kids.
We don't need a tower of Babel to create different languages. We do it all by ourselves, both in the short term as above but in the long term such as the various Romance languages or the divergence (and melding) of American and British English.
GMO producers don't want free markets
Susan K. Finston has written an op-ed piece on GMO products and labeling in many places, including the Fresno Bee, "FDA shouldn't order costly GMO labels". I read it in the Duluth News Tribune was part of one the DNT's Pro and Con pairings. See https://secure.forumcomm.com/?publisher_ID=36&article_id=236256. It was published in many newspapers across the country on 2012-07-07. The DNT published only two letters on her article, both in opposition. One was mine that was titled by the editor as "Lack of information spells doom for free markets – and possibly people". See https://secure.forumcomm.com/?publisher_ID=36&article_id=237319. The text is :
Free markets are disappearing, and it is free-market proponents who are taking them away.
The classic definition of a free market is:
Many buyers and many sellers.
Both buyers and sellers are free to enter and leave the market.
Both buyers and sellers have all the information they need to make an advantageous transaction.
All costs are covered in the transaction; that is, there are no externalities.
In this letter I want to cover a third point: all the information needed. This was ignored by Susan K. Finston in her Pro/Con commentary, “FDA shouldn’t order costly GMO labels just to satisfy scientific illiterates,” which was published in the News Tribune on July 7.
The top story on an online search for “GMO deaths” is about sudden cattle deaths at a small ranch in Texas. However, it was hybrid grass that produced cyanide after a couple of drought years that caused the deaths. If a hybrid grass can do this, how do we know that a GMO grass won’t do the same?
As to be expected, most of the hits led to “sensationalist” sites, those with a cause; they only repeated stories from elsewhere. I added, “Union of Concerned Scientists” to my search and found a much more credible report: “Environmental Effects of Genetically Modified Food Crops — Recent Experiences,” by Margaret Mellon and Jane Rissler, writing for the Union of Concerned Scientists website.
“No major human health problems have emerged in connection with genetically modified food products,” Mellon and Rissler reported. But a company put a Brazil nut gene into soybeans to increase the latter’s nutritional quality. Experiments showed that people allergic to Brazil nuts were also allergic to the altered soybeans.
Some allergic reactions are fatal. Would you rather eat foods you know don’t give you a reaction? Or would you like being surprised by a fatal ingredient? Labeling is important!
Free markets are disappearing, and it is free-market proponents who are taking them away.
The classic definition of a free market is:
Many buyers and many sellers.
Both buyers and sellers are free to enter and leave the market.
Both buyers and sellers have all the information they need to make an advantageous transaction.
All costs are covered in the transaction; that is, there are no externalities.
In this letter I want to cover a third point: all the information needed. This was ignored by Susan K. Finston in her Pro/Con commentary, “FDA shouldn’t order costly GMO labels just to satisfy scientific illiterates,” which was published in the News Tribune on July 7.
The top story on an online search for “GMO deaths” is about sudden cattle deaths at a small ranch in Texas. However, it was hybrid grass that produced cyanide after a couple of drought years that caused the deaths. If a hybrid grass can do this, how do we know that a GMO grass won’t do the same?
As to be expected, most of the hits led to “sensationalist” sites, those with a cause; they only repeated stories from elsewhere. I added, “Union of Concerned Scientists” to my search and found a much more credible report: “Environmental Effects of Genetically Modified Food Crops — Recent Experiences,” by Margaret Mellon and Jane Rissler, writing for the Union of Concerned Scientists website.
“No major human health problems have emerged in connection with genetically modified food products,” Mellon and Rissler reported. But a company put a Brazil nut gene into soybeans to increase the latter’s nutritional quality. Experiments showed that people allergic to Brazil nuts were also allergic to the altered soybeans.
Some allergic reactions are fatal. Would you rather eat foods you know don’t give you a reaction? Or would you like being surprised by a fatal ingredient? Labeling is important!
Global warming – how to lose your case
The Coffee Party's Facebook page has a link to "In case you missed it, Greenland just melted".
One of the color-coded pictures shows Greenland with mostly white, the other with mostly pink or dark pink. If you read the text though, 97% of the surface ice on Greenland is melting. Quite a bit different than all the ice melting. The question is how normal is this summer melt compared with previous summer melts.
A few of the commenters pointed this out. Some leapt on the article as a chance to claim global warming doesn't exist. And many leapt on the article with an alarmist view.
For more, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_ice_sheet.
One of the color-coded pictures shows Greenland with mostly white, the other with mostly pink or dark pink. If you read the text though, 97% of the surface ice on Greenland is melting. Quite a bit different than all the ice melting. The question is how normal is this summer melt compared with previous summer melts.
A few of the commenters pointed this out. Some leapt on the article as a chance to claim global warming doesn't exist. And many leapt on the article with an alarmist view.
For more, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_ice_sheet.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Quote of the day: Corporations are governments, not persons
I am slowly working my way through George Lakoff's "Whose Freedom? The Battle over America's Most Important Idea". He looks at how and why conservatives and progressive frame the issues. A section that really hit home on the mythical framing of the "free market" was "Corporations are governments, not persons" under the section "The Truths Hidden by the Economic Liberty Myth".
You can find the section here as well as some reviews.
You can find the section here as well as some reviews.
Is voting a privilege or a right?
In response to challenges to voter-ID laws, some letter writers in the Duluth News Tribune and Star Tribune have recently asserted that voting is a privilege, not a right.
Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Zellers said in a radio show that voting is a privilege, not a right: Eric Roper, Hot Dish Politics, Star Tribune, 2011-04-21. Roper pointed out that several amendments to the Constitution refer to voting as a right. Roper also pointed out that Zellers did later take back his remarks and state that voting is a right. Unfortunately, over a year later many of his co-religionists (oops, I mean fellow travelers) still hold to his remarks.
On the other hand, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that voting is a right: "What we're talking here is a constitutional right. This is not a privilege. The right to vote is something that fundamentally defines who we are as Americans." See http://www.rippdemup.com/2012/03/eric-holder-on-voter-id-laws-voting-is-a-constitutional-right-and-not-a-privilege/ which also has a link to an interview with Holder on NBC Nightly News.
What many supporters of voter ID laws ignore is that the American Revolution was mainly about the right to govern ourselves. "Ourselves" was originally defined as white, male, property owners, but has slowly expanded to include all adult citizens. If we can't vote, how do we govern ourselves? Will we revert to the paternalistic idea of the Federalists that disinterested aristocrats would be the governing elite? Will we become a country governed by the self-interested large corporations, the funders of much of the push for the "conservative" agenda?
If voting is a privilege, who is granting that privilege? Currently it is the government that organizes voting. If this organization creates the privilege, then does government give the privilege only to those who support it? It seems to me that the only thing "conservative" about "conservatives" is conserving their power over the rest of us.
Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Zellers said in a radio show that voting is a privilege, not a right: Eric Roper, Hot Dish Politics, Star Tribune, 2011-04-21. Roper pointed out that several amendments to the Constitution refer to voting as a right. Roper also pointed out that Zellers did later take back his remarks and state that voting is a right. Unfortunately, over a year later many of his co-religionists (oops, I mean fellow travelers) still hold to his remarks.
On the other hand, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that voting is a right: "What we're talking here is a constitutional right. This is not a privilege. The right to vote is something that fundamentally defines who we are as Americans." See http://www.rippdemup.com/2012/03/eric-holder-on-voter-id-laws-voting-is-a-constitutional-right-and-not-a-privilege/ which also has a link to an interview with Holder on NBC Nightly News.
What many supporters of voter ID laws ignore is that the American Revolution was mainly about the right to govern ourselves. "Ourselves" was originally defined as white, male, property owners, but has slowly expanded to include all adult citizens. If we can't vote, how do we govern ourselves? Will we revert to the paternalistic idea of the Federalists that disinterested aristocrats would be the governing elite? Will we become a country governed by the self-interested large corporations, the funders of much of the push for the "conservative" agenda?
If voting is a privilege, who is granting that privilege? Currently it is the government that organizes voting. If this organization creates the privilege, then does government give the privilege only to those who support it? It seems to me that the only thing "conservative" about "conservatives" is conserving their power over the rest of us.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tort reform: for whom?
One of the big pushes for "conservatives" is tort reform, but it seems they are only concerned with individuals suing large corporations and winning seven figure judgments (millions). Have you noticed these same critics rarely call for tort reform of one corporation against another? Or multiple corporations judgments won by multiple corporations? On the order of ten figures (billions)?
This is the judgment that was made against Visa, MasterCard, and several banks in favor of many merchants. The judgment: 7.25 billion dollars! See "Visa, MasterCard, banks in $7.25 billion retails settlement", Reuters via Yahoo! Finance, 2012-07-13. Where is the cry for tort reform in this case? But if that is not enough, Target and Wal-Mart have chimed in that the judgment is too lenient! It is not changing a "broken" system. See "Wal-Mart opposes proposed settlement on credit card fees", Rueters via Yahoo! Finance, 2012-07-27.
I haven't worked out the exact numbers, but if a credit card company charges merchants two percent on card transactions, pays the merchants within a week, and collects from the cardholder within a month, it is charging about 12% interest or better. Considering that almost all the credit card processing is done by computer rather than an army of clerks transcribing charge slips, the processing costs per transaction are fractions of a cent. Oh, and another place all the jobs have gone. What a money machine!
This is the judgment that was made against Visa, MasterCard, and several banks in favor of many merchants. The judgment: 7.25 billion dollars! See "Visa, MasterCard, banks in $7.25 billion retails settlement", Reuters via Yahoo! Finance, 2012-07-13. Where is the cry for tort reform in this case? But if that is not enough, Target and Wal-Mart have chimed in that the judgment is too lenient! It is not changing a "broken" system. See "Wal-Mart opposes proposed settlement on credit card fees", Rueters via Yahoo! Finance, 2012-07-27.
I haven't worked out the exact numbers, but if a credit card company charges merchants two percent on card transactions, pays the merchants within a week, and collects from the cardholder within a month, it is charging about 12% interest or better. Considering that almost all the credit card processing is done by computer rather than an army of clerks transcribing charge slips, the processing costs per transaction are fractions of a cent. Oh, and another place all the jobs have gone. What a money machine!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
One speech worth listening to again and again
You can listen to Charlie Chaplin's speech from "The Great Dictator" at http://www.upworthy.com/the-one-speech-every-human-being-on-earth-should-hear.
It includes many visuals to back up his words.
I'm a bit pessimistic about it's effectiveness. Chaplin made the movie in 1940 as a counter to Hitler, and Hitler got worse. Let's hope at least a few no-shows have their minds changed by this speech and show up at election time.
It includes many visuals to back up his words.
I'm a bit pessimistic about it's effectiveness. Chaplin made the movie in 1940 as a counter to Hitler, and Hitler got worse. Let's hope at least a few no-shows have their minds changed by this speech and show up at election time.
Gun violence, some thoughts
Here we go again! Some crazy wants to go out in a blaze of glory killing people he doesn't even know. It's been going on a long time and will go on for a long time. We will debate around and around as to whether we need more or less gun control.
If you're over fifty, you may remember Charles Whitman, the Texas Tower shooter, who killed 16 and wounded 32 on August 1, 1966. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman.
And on and on it went. Last year it was in Norway which supposedly has strict gun control. Last week it was at a movie theater in Colorado. We'll probably see some copycat attempt in the next month or so. Our only solutions will be to point fingers at those who oppose any gun control and at those who "want to take guns away from freedom lovers". For a really well-thought out discussion, see http://www.salon.com/2012/07/22/jason_alexanders_amazing_gun_rant/.
If you're over fifty, you may remember Charles Whitman, the Texas Tower shooter, who killed 16 and wounded 32 on August 1, 1966. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman.
And on and on it went. Last year it was in Norway which supposedly has strict gun control. Last week it was at a movie theater in Colorado. We'll probably see some copycat attempt in the next month or so. Our only solutions will be to point fingers at those who oppose any gun control and at those who "want to take guns away from freedom lovers". For a really well-thought out discussion, see http://www.salon.com/2012/07/22/jason_alexanders_amazing_gun_rant/.
Monday, July 23, 2012
A reason the U.S. may have a worse election turnout than most democracies
For one explanation, see
http://www.upworthy.com/how-a-stupid-law-from-1845-still-controls-how-you-and-i-vote.
However, if we voted on the weekend, would people come back from "the cabin" or "the lake" to vote?
I don't know the date of the clip, but Congress may be changing that.
http://www.upworthy.com/how-a-stupid-law-from-1845-still-controls-how-you-and-i-vote.
However, if we voted on the weekend, would people come back from "the cabin" or "the lake" to vote?
I don't know the date of the clip, but Congress may be changing that.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The fallacy of Buy American
Once again the cry "Buy American" is heard from high and low places. One was Chip Cravaack, R-MN8, putting a statement into a transportation bill that the steel used in highways should be American-made.
A little aside I can't resist. Aren't the Republicans the one who are all for free markets and no government intervention? Shouldn't the free market decide the best quality for the lowest price? Not some government bureaucrat or politician?
I try to buy American and buy local, but in general this is only a preference, not an iron-clad rule. We buy local produce when it is available. I love my made-in-Minnesota Red Wing work boots and some of my made-in-America yard equipment. For decades I wore 36-30 Levis and then they suddenly became too long. It wasn't me that changed; I found the 30-inch inseam was actually over 31 inches! Could that have been because Levi Strauss outsourced the making of Levis and that somebody didn't make a proper conversion to metric?
On the other hand we own one American vehicle and one Japanese vehicle, each bought for specific reasons, not the country of manufacture. Can you find an American-made digital camera? Same for most computers and related stuff. The software might be made anywhere. I prefer a French music-composing program to a Minnesota program. Do you know anyplace in the U.S., other than Hawaii or greenhouses where bananas are grown? Would you rather have chicory than coffee?
On the other hand, we should be grateful that many other countries aren't pushing too strongly on Buy English or Buy German, and surprise, Buy Chinese.
Personally, I'm very glad that in the 60s and 70s European governments weren't pushing very hard to buy only European computers. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to live in Europe for six years maintaining software for Univac computers made in Minnesota. Our customers included Lufthansa, the French Army, and the Swedish Police.
Minnesota doesn't make many computers now-a-days, but many medical devices are designed and made in Minnesota. If we don't buy goods from other countries, should they buy our medical devices?
Farmers in the U.S. are glad that they have a big export market for all kinds of agricultural products, from grains to meat. Although India still has many import restrictions "Indian Consumers already buy almonds and grapes from California, and apples by the truckload from Washington." Adam Belz, "Minnesota looks for a bigger taste of India", Star Tribune, 2012-07-19
The military-industrial complex is probably very glad that military establishments around the world aren't restricted by Buy Nationally policies. Even the most militarily-oriented Congress couldn't raise enough taxes to buy all the weapons that the U.S. military-industrial complex could produce. So, those countries buying U.S. military hardware have to raise funds to purchase the hardware. To do that, they have to sell goods and services outside their own countries, for example, oil!
One of the most interesting news items is the direction of parts for wind turbines passing through the Duluth Harbor. Big blades are coming from Europe to U.S. destinations. Big blades are going out to many other countries, the latest being Brazil. Probably each set of blades had different features that met the requirements of the buyers.
And then there is the name game. Some years ago a U.S. city was considering buying a piece of heavy equipment. The city council favored Caterpillar over Kubota because the later was an American name. Surprise! The Caterpillar was made in Japan and the Kubota was made in the U.S.
It isn't easy being a free-marketer and a protectionist at the same time.
A little aside I can't resist. Aren't the Republicans the one who are all for free markets and no government intervention? Shouldn't the free market decide the best quality for the lowest price? Not some government bureaucrat or politician?
I try to buy American and buy local, but in general this is only a preference, not an iron-clad rule. We buy local produce when it is available. I love my made-in-Minnesota Red Wing work boots and some of my made-in-America yard equipment. For decades I wore 36-30 Levis and then they suddenly became too long. It wasn't me that changed; I found the 30-inch inseam was actually over 31 inches! Could that have been because Levi Strauss outsourced the making of Levis and that somebody didn't make a proper conversion to metric?
On the other hand we own one American vehicle and one Japanese vehicle, each bought for specific reasons, not the country of manufacture. Can you find an American-made digital camera? Same for most computers and related stuff. The software might be made anywhere. I prefer a French music-composing program to a Minnesota program. Do you know anyplace in the U.S., other than Hawaii or greenhouses where bananas are grown? Would you rather have chicory than coffee?
On the other hand, we should be grateful that many other countries aren't pushing too strongly on Buy English or Buy German, and surprise, Buy Chinese.
Personally, I'm very glad that in the 60s and 70s European governments weren't pushing very hard to buy only European computers. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to live in Europe for six years maintaining software for Univac computers made in Minnesota. Our customers included Lufthansa, the French Army, and the Swedish Police.
Minnesota doesn't make many computers now-a-days, but many medical devices are designed and made in Minnesota. If we don't buy goods from other countries, should they buy our medical devices?
Farmers in the U.S. are glad that they have a big export market for all kinds of agricultural products, from grains to meat. Although India still has many import restrictions "Indian Consumers already buy almonds and grapes from California, and apples by the truckload from Washington." Adam Belz, "Minnesota looks for a bigger taste of India", Star Tribune, 2012-07-19
The military-industrial complex is probably very glad that military establishments around the world aren't restricted by Buy Nationally policies. Even the most militarily-oriented Congress couldn't raise enough taxes to buy all the weapons that the U.S. military-industrial complex could produce. So, those countries buying U.S. military hardware have to raise funds to purchase the hardware. To do that, they have to sell goods and services outside their own countries, for example, oil!
One of the most interesting news items is the direction of parts for wind turbines passing through the Duluth Harbor. Big blades are coming from Europe to U.S. destinations. Big blades are going out to many other countries, the latest being Brazil. Probably each set of blades had different features that met the requirements of the buyers.
And then there is the name game. Some years ago a U.S. city was considering buying a piece of heavy equipment. The city council favored Caterpillar over Kubota because the later was an American name. Surprise! The Caterpillar was made in Japan and the Kubota was made in the U.S.
It isn't easy being a free-marketer and a protectionist at the same time.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Following Michele Bachmann's reasoning about ancestry leads us to...
Michele Bachmann claims that an aide of Hilary Clinton, Huma Abedin, may have connections to the Muslim Brotherhood. I'll let you try to follow this path with
"McCain defends Clinton aide against allegations", Associated Press, Donna Cassata, 2012-07-18 and other sites
"Michele Bachmann Lies About Her Own Family History To Sound More Iowan", Chris Rodda, Dispatches from the Creation Wars
I guarantee if you are not a lawyer or a historian, your mind will be boggled by all the twists and turns.
However, using her own reasoning, how can we be sure she didn't support the German Occupation of Norway? After all, Quisling was a Norwegian. And when you go back seven generations in a country the size of Norway, just about everybody is a cousin at that many levels.
Her last name is Bachmann, a German name. How do we know her husband is not a cousin at some level to officials of the Nazi Party? For example, Christian Bachmann, a major in the Waffen SS, or Erich Bachmann, a lieutenant in the Waffen SS.
Many have accused Bachmann about being a neo-Nazi. That is a bit of a stretch, and even if true, I doubt that her current beliefs come from her ancestry or family relations. She was probably shaped by the current version of the Republican Party as much as she is trying to shape the Party.
Oh, wait a minute! George Seldes in the "The Great Quotations" gave a couple of quotes from Adolph Hitler about business. Since those quotes seem to parallel Michele Bachmann's thinking, she must be a Nazi. But I can't find my copy of "The Great Quotations". Besides, I saw some indications on the Web that Seldes wasn't always accurate in his quotations.
The moral: it is bad thinking to put too much into a single quote and it is bad thinking to write too much about a simple idea.
"McCain defends Clinton aide against allegations", Associated Press, Donna Cassata, 2012-07-18 and other sites
"Michele Bachmann Lies About Her Own Family History To Sound More Iowan", Chris Rodda, Dispatches from the Creation Wars
I guarantee if you are not a lawyer or a historian, your mind will be boggled by all the twists and turns.
However, using her own reasoning, how can we be sure she didn't support the German Occupation of Norway? After all, Quisling was a Norwegian. And when you go back seven generations in a country the size of Norway, just about everybody is a cousin at that many levels.
Her last name is Bachmann, a German name. How do we know her husband is not a cousin at some level to officials of the Nazi Party? For example, Christian Bachmann, a major in the Waffen SS, or Erich Bachmann, a lieutenant in the Waffen SS.
Many have accused Bachmann about being a neo-Nazi. That is a bit of a stretch, and even if true, I doubt that her current beliefs come from her ancestry or family relations. She was probably shaped by the current version of the Republican Party as much as she is trying to shape the Party.
Oh, wait a minute! George Seldes in the "The Great Quotations" gave a couple of quotes from Adolph Hitler about business. Since those quotes seem to parallel Michele Bachmann's thinking, she must be a Nazi. But I can't find my copy of "The Great Quotations". Besides, I saw some indications on the Web that Seldes wasn't always accurate in his quotations.
The moral: it is bad thinking to put too much into a single quote and it is bad thinking to write too much about a simple idea.
Absentee capitalism and participant capitalism
I thought I had posted the following in January after reading the article on co-op statistics. It was a fluke that my January notes file was open and open to this article. But I couldn't find it among my actual posts. Better late than never!
Capitalism thrives all over the world, but few of us see much of it, being blinded by the ads of the multinational corporations. The co-operative movement is a huge source of personal investment by workers or customers. Actually it is so huge that co-operatives provide over 100 million jobs around the world, 20% more than multinational enterprises. (Source: Statistical information on the Co-operative Movement). Then there are all the individual or small group owner-operator enterprises that still exist, though less and less in retail.
I can't complain too much about absentee capitalism because I get a portion of my income from dividends of corporations whose leaders I don't remember past skimming the annual reports. However, we do buy most of our groceries at Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth where we are owner-members.
My chances of serving on a board of one of these large corporations are as much as the proverbial snow ball*, but if I so chose, I would be welcome to run as a candidate for the board of Whole Foods Co-op (actually getting elected and serving well are different issues).
* For readers who are not familiar with American idioms - As much chance as a snowball in Hell
Capitalism thrives all over the world, but few of us see much of it, being blinded by the ads of the multinational corporations. The co-operative movement is a huge source of personal investment by workers or customers. Actually it is so huge that co-operatives provide over 100 million jobs around the world, 20% more than multinational enterprises. (Source: Statistical information on the Co-operative Movement). Then there are all the individual or small group owner-operator enterprises that still exist, though less and less in retail.
I can't complain too much about absentee capitalism because I get a portion of my income from dividends of corporations whose leaders I don't remember past skimming the annual reports. However, we do buy most of our groceries at Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth where we are owner-members.
My chances of serving on a board of one of these large corporations are as much as the proverbial snow ball*, but if I so chose, I would be welcome to run as a candidate for the board of Whole Foods Co-op (actually getting elected and serving well are different issues).
* For readers who are not familiar with American idioms - As much chance as a snowball in Hell
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Storms have to start somewhere
Normally in Minnesota, if a thunderstorm develops we hear thunder in the west, we hear thunder overhead, and then we hear thunder to the east. Saturday evening in Brimson, we heard thunder in the east without ever hearing it in the west or overhead. In fact, as it was thundering to the east, I saw that the sky was blue to the west.
It was reminiscent of driving through wet pavement, then dry pavement, and then wet pavement again, all within a few minutes.
Or how about the exaggeration in comic books? Donald Duck pays for a weather forecast and is told it will be clear. Then his neighbor gets rain with neatly-cut half drops falling on the fence. Or was it the other way around? Probably something that would make Donald angry.
It was reminiscent of driving through wet pavement, then dry pavement, and then wet pavement again, all within a few minutes.
Or how about the exaggeration in comic books? Donald Duck pays for a weather forecast and is told it will be clear. Then his neighbor gets rain with neatly-cut half drops falling on the fence. Or was it the other way around? Probably something that would make Donald angry.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Where have all the great white pines gone? Part 2
All the great white pines have not been lost. There are those in The Pinery on St. Louis County Rd. 2, several miles north of Two Harbors MN. They are estimated to have started growing in George Washington's time. They are beat by The Big White Pine in Itasca State Park; it is over 300 years old.
You can't go a few hundred feet without seeing one or more downed trees, from four inches to two feet in diameter. Many that blocked roads or paths have been cut up, but there are many more that can be seen. Will they be left for the woodpeckers and for nutrients for new trees or will they be removed? Probably the former because of the amount of work to remove them.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Music in Duluth MN
We just returned from a delightful, low-cost, chamber orchestra concert. We've been season ticket holders for the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra for about ten years. Most of its concerts are in Weber Music Hall on the UMD campus. Weber is an acoustic marvel with all seats close enough to see the faces of the performers. The LSCO concerts are also informal with many attendees in shorts or jeans.
Tonight's performance was Delius, Beethoven, Brian Banks, and Prokofiev. It is representative of the eclectic programming of the LSCO. You can read a review by Sam Black in Friday or Saturday's Duluth News Tribune. For more information on the LSCO, visit its website.
But the LSCO is one of many music events that occur every day in Duluth, some free, some for the price of a beer or coffee, some at low prices. You can find a large number of genres - folk, rock, reggae, … Check out the Duluth News Tribune or the Reader Weekly's event calendar. The latter had seven music events for this evening that didn't include the LSCO.
Tonight's performance was Delius, Beethoven, Brian Banks, and Prokofiev. It is representative of the eclectic programming of the LSCO. You can read a review by Sam Black in Friday or Saturday's Duluth News Tribune. For more information on the LSCO, visit its website.
But the LSCO is one of many music events that occur every day in Duluth, some free, some for the price of a beer or coffee, some at low prices. You can find a large number of genres - folk, rock, reggae, … Check out the Duluth News Tribune or the Reader Weekly's event calendar. The latter had seven music events for this evening that didn't include the LSCO.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Is the Republican Party following its predecessor?
In 1852-1856, the Whig Party began disintegrating because of various factions within it. Some went with the new Republican Party, some went with the Democrats, and some formed various new parties. See Wikipedia's article on the Whig Party (United States).
Now the Republican Party has morphed from a party of general principals to a party of rigid orthodoxy. If you are for issues A and B but not C, you are considered a RINO (Republican in name only). Some like Olympia Snowe resisted but have given up seeking office any longer. Some like John Posner, a federal appellate judge have spoken out strongly – "Top Reagan-Appointed Judge Slams 'Goofy' Republican Party", Ian Miller, Think Progress, 2012-07-06. Some like former Utah governor and Presidential primary candidate Jon Huntsman have withdrawn from party activities – "Huntsman scolds GOP for losing focus, will skip convention", Thomas Burr, Salt Lake Tribune, 2012-07-06.
I'm seeing more and more people write that they were once Republican but have dropped out or even become Democrats. We saw the future when Ronald Reagan was nominated over John Anderson. Now even Ronald Reagan is to "the left" of many Republicans.
Will many of these dissatisfied Republican politicians work to form a "deliberative" party that looks for long-range solutions? It could happen, especially if a few well-known journalists start promoting the idea. There might not have been a Republican Party without Horace Greeley and his New York Tribune.
"[W]e think some simple name like 'Republican' would more fitly designate those who had united to restore the Union to its true mission of champion and promulgator of Liberty rather than propagandist of slavery." - Horace Greeley, New York Tribune, June 1854. Change "propagandist of slavery" to "propagandist of large corporations and rigid dogma" and we have the makings of a new party. See "The Origins of the Republican Party".
Maybe a new party could adopt the 1856 Republican Party platform with suitable contemporary modifications
Now the Republican Party has morphed from a party of general principals to a party of rigid orthodoxy. If you are for issues A and B but not C, you are considered a RINO (Republican in name only). Some like Olympia Snowe resisted but have given up seeking office any longer. Some like John Posner, a federal appellate judge have spoken out strongly – "Top Reagan-Appointed Judge Slams 'Goofy' Republican Party", Ian Miller, Think Progress, 2012-07-06. Some like former Utah governor and Presidential primary candidate Jon Huntsman have withdrawn from party activities – "Huntsman scolds GOP for losing focus, will skip convention", Thomas Burr, Salt Lake Tribune, 2012-07-06.
I'm seeing more and more people write that they were once Republican but have dropped out or even become Democrats. We saw the future when Ronald Reagan was nominated over John Anderson. Now even Ronald Reagan is to "the left" of many Republicans.
Will many of these dissatisfied Republican politicians work to form a "deliberative" party that looks for long-range solutions? It could happen, especially if a few well-known journalists start promoting the idea. There might not have been a Republican Party without Horace Greeley and his New York Tribune.
"[W]e think some simple name like 'Republican' would more fitly designate those who had united to restore the Union to its true mission of champion and promulgator of Liberty rather than propagandist of slavery." - Horace Greeley, New York Tribune, June 1854. Change "propagandist of slavery" to "propagandist of large corporations and rigid dogma" and we have the makings of a new party. See "The Origins of the Republican Party".
Maybe a new party could adopt the 1856 Republican Party platform with suitable contemporary modifications
Quote of the day - racism and the law
"When racists have the law behind them, they leave the law behind"
Comment left on "96 Year-Old Latino Former Arizona Governor Detained By Border Patrol In 100 Degree Heat" http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/07/06/511984/96-year-old-latino-former-arizona-governor-detained-by-border-patrol-in-100-degree-heat/, Ian Millhiser, Think Progress, 2012-07-06. Raul Héctor Castro was a governor of Arizona, a United States Ambassador, born in Mexico, and a United States Citizen. It wasn't the first time that he was harassed by the Border Patrol.
Comment left on "96 Year-Old Latino Former Arizona Governor Detained By Border Patrol In 100 Degree Heat" http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/07/06/511984/96-year-old-latino-former-arizona-governor-detained-by-border-patrol-in-100-degree-heat/, Ian Millhiser, Think Progress, 2012-07-06. Raul Héctor Castro was a governor of Arizona, a United States Ambassador, born in Mexico, and a United States Citizen. It wasn't the first time that he was harassed by the Border Patrol.
Monday, July 09, 2012
Links to lynx
Saturday we added another critter to our sightings at our cabin in Brimson.
I was cleaning my teeth after dinner and I thought I saw a hunting dog going past our cabin. I was trying to decide whether to shoo it back home or lead it back when it turned at looked at the cabin. It was not a dog but a large cat, about 18 inches at the shoulder.
I tried to take a picture of it through the window, but my camera focused on the screen rather than our visitor. In my haste to take a picture, I only saw its face, that it was tawny, and about the size of a dog. My wife saw tufted ears, a short tail, and black feet.
I went outside to try to get a better picture, but before I could even point the camera, it had trotted into the trees. So, this is my only memory of the bobcat:
I was cleaning my teeth after dinner and I thought I saw a hunting dog going past our cabin. I was trying to decide whether to shoo it back home or lead it back when it turned at looked at the cabin. It was not a dog but a large cat, about 18 inches at the shoulder.
I tried to take a picture of it through the window, but my camera focused on the screen rather than our visitor. In my haste to take a picture, I only saw its face, that it was tawny, and about the size of a dog. My wife saw tufted ears, a short tail, and black feet.
I went outside to try to get a better picture, but before I could even point the camera, it had trotted into the trees. So, this is my only memory of the bobcat:
In years past I've seen a bear, a fox, and many deer in our cabin yard. My wife saw a wolf once and we used to have some moose tracks. A few years ago, the Brimson Sisu logo was a lynx, and someone gave a presentation at the Sisu that they were coming back into the area. I thought I had seen lynx tracks in the snow this past winter, but closer examination of my photo showed they were wolf tracks.
I emailed a Forestry Service biologist the track picture and he confirmed it was wolf. I again emailed him about our sighting (without the bad picture). He replied that "It would be great if they start hanging out there again." He also sent me a link to a Natural Resources Research Institute site on lynx.
Click on the links in "Sights and sounds of Lynx" for a couple cool videos. The lynx we saw resembles L28.
Friday, July 06, 2012
What isn't subsidized?
People complain about subsidies to industries they don't like, but they are mute when it comes to subsidies they do like.
Republicans made a big fuss about the federal loan to Solyndra, which is in bankruptcy. But we hear little from Republicans about the subsidies to nuclear energy, including where to store the waste. Some Democrats decry the subsidies to the oil and gas industries. But we hear little from them about the subsidies to public transportation.
The real question about subsidies is do they advance the common good or do they advance some private gain. The general answer is a little bit of both. The trick is to have subsidies that really advance the common good and that have private gain as a small by-product.
An example of proper balance between common good and private gain is fire departments. The common good is to have people and equipment ready to contain fires and hazardous materials spills. The private gain is to the manufacturers of all the equipment that a fully-prepared fire department needs.
I was reminded of this problem by "Northstar cuts fares by as much as 25% to lure more riders", Pat Doyle, Star Tribune, 2012-07-05/06.
For a variety of reasons, ridership on Northstar commuter rail between Big Lake and Minneapolis has been declining. The costs of the Northstar are 80% subsidized by government. Certain people will jump on this and say it should pay its own way.
However, some of these same people will jump in their cars and never think of all the subsidies that make driving a car "economical". First, it is local government subsidies that pay for the streets in front of their houses from the construction to snow plowing and much in between. Second, county, state, and federal governments pay for all the highways that connect neighborhoods with business districts and with other cities. The state and federal gas taxes pay for only a small portion of these costs. On top of this is the enforcement of traffic laws and the investigation and cleanup of crashes.
The "pay its own way" people don't realize that they derive benefit from public transportation. Just think, when a subsidized bus with 25 passengers passes on the shoulder all these drivers stuck in a jam, it is carrying 25 people who would have made the jam even worse if they had driven instead of taking the bus.
Another subsidy of the highway system that few think about is the removal from the tax rolls of private property. Whole neighborhoods have been destroyed to make way for six lanes, no, now we need eight, oops ten lanes to accommodate people who live farther and farther out. Some of these people have been forced to move farther out because their homes were in the path of the highway. I think of the lost property tax every time I enter the vast expanse of the 35E/694 interchange in the Twin Cities area. One could put a small city in that space.
And the final subsidy of the highway system is the protection of oil availability. People will argue around and around about whether wars were fought solely to protect oil sources, but we would still need a navy of some size to keep the shipping lanes open and safe. Ever hear of Somalian pirates?
Republicans made a big fuss about the federal loan to Solyndra, which is in bankruptcy. But we hear little from Republicans about the subsidies to nuclear energy, including where to store the waste. Some Democrats decry the subsidies to the oil and gas industries. But we hear little from them about the subsidies to public transportation.
The real question about subsidies is do they advance the common good or do they advance some private gain. The general answer is a little bit of both. The trick is to have subsidies that really advance the common good and that have private gain as a small by-product.
An example of proper balance between common good and private gain is fire departments. The common good is to have people and equipment ready to contain fires and hazardous materials spills. The private gain is to the manufacturers of all the equipment that a fully-prepared fire department needs.
I was reminded of this problem by "Northstar cuts fares by as much as 25% to lure more riders", Pat Doyle, Star Tribune, 2012-07-05/06.
For a variety of reasons, ridership on Northstar commuter rail between Big Lake and Minneapolis has been declining. The costs of the Northstar are 80% subsidized by government. Certain people will jump on this and say it should pay its own way.
However, some of these same people will jump in their cars and never think of all the subsidies that make driving a car "economical". First, it is local government subsidies that pay for the streets in front of their houses from the construction to snow plowing and much in between. Second, county, state, and federal governments pay for all the highways that connect neighborhoods with business districts and with other cities. The state and federal gas taxes pay for only a small portion of these costs. On top of this is the enforcement of traffic laws and the investigation and cleanup of crashes.
The "pay its own way" people don't realize that they derive benefit from public transportation. Just think, when a subsidized bus with 25 passengers passes on the shoulder all these drivers stuck in a jam, it is carrying 25 people who would have made the jam even worse if they had driven instead of taking the bus.
Another subsidy of the highway system that few think about is the removal from the tax rolls of private property. Whole neighborhoods have been destroyed to make way for six lanes, no, now we need eight, oops ten lanes to accommodate people who live farther and farther out. Some of these people have been forced to move farther out because their homes were in the path of the highway. I think of the lost property tax every time I enter the vast expanse of the 35E/694 interchange in the Twin Cities area. One could put a small city in that space.
And the final subsidy of the highway system is the protection of oil availability. People will argue around and around about whether wars were fought solely to protect oil sources, but we would still need a navy of some size to keep the shipping lanes open and safe. Ever hear of Somalian pirates?
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
A couple of reads for the Independence Day (Fourth of July)
OK, I know it's a bit late in the day to recommend some reading for the Fourth of July, but any day is really a good day to pass these along.
"Bill of Wrongs: The Executive Branch's Assault on America's Fundamental Rights", Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose, 2007
This is mostly about cases that have been brought to court against the Federal or other governments and generally prevailed in one way or another. These are all from the George W. Bush Presidency's "War on Terrorism".
The other is "Whose Freedom? The Battle over America's Most Important Idea" by George Lakoff. I haven't started it yet, but all the hype about our "freedoms" has often struck me as insincere. There are the definite illegal intrusions by government into the private lives of individuals. The "freedom" meant in too much of the hype is the freedom for corporations to do what they damn well please without regard to the effects on people. I shall see over the next week or so.
"Bill of Wrongs: The Executive Branch's Assault on America's Fundamental Rights", Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose, 2007
This is mostly about cases that have been brought to court against the Federal or other governments and generally prevailed in one way or another. These are all from the George W. Bush Presidency's "War on Terrorism".
The other is "Whose Freedom? The Battle over America's Most Important Idea" by George Lakoff. I haven't started it yet, but all the hype about our "freedoms" has often struck me as insincere. There are the definite illegal intrusions by government into the private lives of individuals. The "freedom" meant in too much of the hype is the freedom for corporations to do what they damn well please without regard to the effects on people. I shall see over the next week or so.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
Executive pay and customer satisfaction
Yahoo had a list of 15 worst companies for customer satisfaction. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-15-most-disliked-companies-in-america.html I wondered how the CEOs of these companies ranked in pay. I found a list of the top 500 highest-paid CEOs at "Gravity Defying CEO Pay". h
Matching the two lists, I found the following selection:
Time Warner 6th worst, Jeffrey L. Bewkes, 62nd highest, 19.79 million annual pay, 10.3
Comcast, 4th worst, Brian L. Roberts, 70th highest, 18.77 million annual pay, 17.5
Century Link, 11th worst, Glen F. Post III, 121st highest, 13.74 million annual pay, 1.25
Delta Airlines, 10th worst, Richard H. Anderson, 130th highest, 13.17 million annual pay, 1.37
Aetna, 13th worst, Mark T. Bertolini, 329th highest, 4.76 million annual pay, 0.37
United Airlines, 5th worst, Jeffrey A. Smisek, 346th highest, 4.36 million annual pay, 0.87
American Airlines, 8th worst, Thomas W. Horton, 482nd highest, 1.25 million annual pay, 0.16
Bank of America, 15th worst, Brian T. Moynihan, 447th highest, 2.26 million annual pay, 0.15
Charter Communications, 3rd worst, Thomas M. Rutledge, 460th highest, 2.00 million annual pay, 0.67
The final figure in the above list is the annual pay divided by the Forbes ranking on worst customer service. Notice how the top two highly paid CEO have the worst ranking. To be fair, I haven't ranked those companies with good or excellent service. But could these CEOs executive excessive salaries be partly because they aren't involved in "free market" capitalism? How much competition do phone and cable companies have? How much real competition do airlines have? I am thankful that there are still local banks to provide competition for the mega-banks.
Who was at the bottom of the highest paid list? Larry Page of Google with zero salary. However, he does have over 16 billion dollars worth of Google shares out of nearly 192 billion of capitalization. Many of us have a love-hate relationship with Google, how many of us can go a day without using some Google service?
Should anybody get nearly 20 million dollars for making a lot of people unhappy? Should anybody get even 1.25 million dollars for poor service?
Where do I get good service? From locally-owned businesses - BAM Style, Minnesota Surplus, Denny's Lawn and Garden, and many others. Some of the owners may be millionaires, but that is their net worth, not their annual salary. And I get to talk directly with the owners. Do you think Glen F. Post at 13.17 million per year would talk to me about Century Link's customer service? See "Who is worth more, the CEO with rigid rules or the employee giving excellent service?"
Matching the two lists, I found the following selection:
Time Warner 6th worst, Jeffrey L. Bewkes, 62nd highest, 19.79 million annual pay, 10.3
Comcast, 4th worst, Brian L. Roberts, 70th highest, 18.77 million annual pay, 17.5
Century Link, 11th worst, Glen F. Post III, 121st highest, 13.74 million annual pay, 1.25
Delta Airlines, 10th worst, Richard H. Anderson, 130th highest, 13.17 million annual pay, 1.37
Aetna, 13th worst, Mark T. Bertolini, 329th highest, 4.76 million annual pay, 0.37
United Airlines, 5th worst, Jeffrey A. Smisek, 346th highest, 4.36 million annual pay, 0.87
American Airlines, 8th worst, Thomas W. Horton, 482nd highest, 1.25 million annual pay, 0.16
Bank of America, 15th worst, Brian T. Moynihan, 447th highest, 2.26 million annual pay, 0.15
Charter Communications, 3rd worst, Thomas M. Rutledge, 460th highest, 2.00 million annual pay, 0.67
The final figure in the above list is the annual pay divided by the Forbes ranking on worst customer service. Notice how the top two highly paid CEO have the worst ranking. To be fair, I haven't ranked those companies with good or excellent service. But could these CEOs executive excessive salaries be partly because they aren't involved in "free market" capitalism? How much competition do phone and cable companies have? How much real competition do airlines have? I am thankful that there are still local banks to provide competition for the mega-banks.
Who was at the bottom of the highest paid list? Larry Page of Google with zero salary. However, he does have over 16 billion dollars worth of Google shares out of nearly 192 billion of capitalization. Many of us have a love-hate relationship with Google, how many of us can go a day without using some Google service?
Should anybody get nearly 20 million dollars for making a lot of people unhappy? Should anybody get even 1.25 million dollars for poor service?
Where do I get good service? From locally-owned businesses - BAM Style, Minnesota Surplus, Denny's Lawn and Garden, and many others. Some of the owners may be millionaires, but that is their net worth, not their annual salary. And I get to talk directly with the owners. Do you think Glen F. Post at 13.17 million per year would talk to me about Century Link's customer service? See "Who is worth more, the CEO with rigid rules or the employee giving excellent service?"
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Who is worth more, the CEO with rigid rules or the employee giving excellent service?
For background, see "What Customers Want, Companies That Bend the Rules", Elaine Pofeldt, Forbes, 2012-06-30
How often have you gone around and around with a "help" person following a script? How often have you gotten above and beyond help that solved your problem in minutes? I bet in both cases the CEOs got huge salaries that make us wish we had their pay for one year in a bank. I bet in the first case the person got a meager salary to keep "expenses" down. I bet in the second case the person was give some free rein in making sure the customer was satisfied.
A friend often wasn't getting my emails. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn't. I went to his house to see what his setting were. I could find nothing unusual.
I had taken my laptop and tried sending him email. His provider, CenturyLink, wouldn't let me. I tried the usual tricks of changing the settings in my mail program, Microsoft Outlook. Nothing worked.
I called my ISP, Hickory Tech (also CPInternet), and spoke with a knowledgeable person in Minnesota. He said that CenturyLink blocked access through other ISPs (or something like that). Almost every time I've called my ISP, I have received helpful service.
I called CenturyLink. The support person, probably half-way around the world, never understood the problem. She put me on hold several times to consult with "higher support". We just went around and around with me repeating the same thing over and over again. I finally told her that we were getting nowhere and I hung up.
Ironically, my friend is getting all my emails now. Did "higher support" diddle with something? We'll never know.
From something I read recently, CenturyLink's call center might be in the Phillipines, now competing on price with India. I'm rather certain that Hickory Tech's support is in Mankato, Minnesota. The latter are probably making more in a day than the former in a week or even a month.
Interestingly, if I want to use DSL, my only choice is CenturyLink. Back from the dialup days, I've been using a local ISP that was bought out by a Minnesota telecommunications company. I had a choice in selecting the ISP. I've heard that CenturyLink wants take that choice away.
The size of a company is not always a measure of customer service. Small companies might ignore customers and big companies might give excellent advice.
When my previous laptop went belly-up, three weeks after the AppleCare contract expired, I went to Best Buy to get a new one. The Geek Squad took out my old hard drive and sold me a USB case to put it in for use as an external hard drive.
Things went fine until I upgraded to a new OS level. Suddenly my computer wouldn't recognize the external hard drive, my wife's with an older OS would. I sent email to the manufacturer of the hard drive case and never received a reply. I went to Best Buy for another reason and asked about the hard drive. The Geek Squad employee, the same woman that did the diagnosis on my older computer, told me to check the preferences. I didn't find it in System Preferences, but I did find it in Finder Preferences – showing external drives in the sidebar was not checked.
Say what you will about Best Buy, but it made a smart move buying The Geek Squad and giving them some latitude in helping customers.
How often have you gone around and around with a "help" person following a script? How often have you gotten above and beyond help that solved your problem in minutes? I bet in both cases the CEOs got huge salaries that make us wish we had their pay for one year in a bank. I bet in the first case the person got a meager salary to keep "expenses" down. I bet in the second case the person was give some free rein in making sure the customer was satisfied.
A friend often wasn't getting my emails. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn't. I went to his house to see what his setting were. I could find nothing unusual.
I had taken my laptop and tried sending him email. His provider, CenturyLink, wouldn't let me. I tried the usual tricks of changing the settings in my mail program, Microsoft Outlook. Nothing worked.
I called my ISP, Hickory Tech (also CPInternet), and spoke with a knowledgeable person in Minnesota. He said that CenturyLink blocked access through other ISPs (or something like that). Almost every time I've called my ISP, I have received helpful service.
I called CenturyLink. The support person, probably half-way around the world, never understood the problem. She put me on hold several times to consult with "higher support". We just went around and around with me repeating the same thing over and over again. I finally told her that we were getting nowhere and I hung up.
Ironically, my friend is getting all my emails now. Did "higher support" diddle with something? We'll never know.
From something I read recently, CenturyLink's call center might be in the Phillipines, now competing on price with India. I'm rather certain that Hickory Tech's support is in Mankato, Minnesota. The latter are probably making more in a day than the former in a week or even a month.
Interestingly, if I want to use DSL, my only choice is CenturyLink. Back from the dialup days, I've been using a local ISP that was bought out by a Minnesota telecommunications company. I had a choice in selecting the ISP. I've heard that CenturyLink wants take that choice away.
The size of a company is not always a measure of customer service. Small companies might ignore customers and big companies might give excellent advice.
When my previous laptop went belly-up, three weeks after the AppleCare contract expired, I went to Best Buy to get a new one. The Geek Squad took out my old hard drive and sold me a USB case to put it in for use as an external hard drive.
Things went fine until I upgraded to a new OS level. Suddenly my computer wouldn't recognize the external hard drive, my wife's with an older OS would. I sent email to the manufacturer of the hard drive case and never received a reply. I went to Best Buy for another reason and asked about the hard drive. The Geek Squad employee, the same woman that did the diagnosis on my older computer, told me to check the preferences. I didn't find it in System Preferences, but I did find it in Finder Preferences – showing external drives in the sidebar was not checked.
Say what you will about Best Buy, but it made a smart move buying The Geek Squad and giving them some latitude in helping customers.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Greedy CEO Unions
The mantra of "greedy teacher unions" or "greedy unions" or "greedy overpaid government workers" appears in letters to the editor, blogs, and even in articles by people who should be more objective. These phrases have the same nebulousness as "paying fair share". "Fair share" generally means "more" but little thought goes into why some should pay more taxes.
"Greedy unions" generally comes from those who not only don't want to pay more taxes, but they don't want to pay more wages to their employees. And guess what they form to advance their agenda? Unions!
They aren't called unions, but they are in the sense of coming together to advance an agenda. These include Chambers of Commerce, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), numerous "conservative" think tanks, and many, many trade associations.
Like every other group, they work more to advance their short-term interests than to advance the public good. They want government off the "people's backs", but then they rush to government for contracts or laws favoring one industry over another.
Like every other group, they purport to represent all like them. As the Occupy movement claims to represent the 99%, these CEO unions claim to represent all businesses. But the large corporations do not all have the same interests, and the large corporations do not have the same interests as smaller businesses. McDonald's does not represent the interests of all restaurants, and Walgreen's does not represent the interests of all pharmacies.
Organizing to promote a special interest is the American Way. It was going on before the ink was dry on the Constitution. We just have to be vigilant in our reading to look for hidden agendas and slogans over careful thought. It's a hard job being a good citizen and voter.
"Greedy unions" generally comes from those who not only don't want to pay more taxes, but they don't want to pay more wages to their employees. And guess what they form to advance their agenda? Unions!
They aren't called unions, but they are in the sense of coming together to advance an agenda. These include Chambers of Commerce, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), numerous "conservative" think tanks, and many, many trade associations.
Like every other group, they work more to advance their short-term interests than to advance the public good. They want government off the "people's backs", but then they rush to government for contracts or laws favoring one industry over another.
Like every other group, they purport to represent all like them. As the Occupy movement claims to represent the 99%, these CEO unions claim to represent all businesses. But the large corporations do not all have the same interests, and the large corporations do not have the same interests as smaller businesses. McDonald's does not represent the interests of all restaurants, and Walgreen's does not represent the interests of all pharmacies.
Organizing to promote a special interest is the American Way. It was going on before the ink was dry on the Constitution. We just have to be vigilant in our reading to look for hidden agendas and slogans over careful thought. It's a hard job being a good citizen and voter.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Quotes of the day - Magical thinking still persists
"[I]f the science didn’t prove what it had been told to prove, then the science had been tampered with by Satan."
In 2004, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued "Scientific Integrity in Policy Making", signed "by more than 60 of the country's most accomplished scientists". "The eight years that have passed since its publication have brought with them not only the illusion of “The Magic Kettle” on Wall Street, but also the election of President Barack Obama in the belief that he would enter the White House as the embodiment of Merlin or Christ."
Lewis H. Lapham, "Magic and the Machine", republished in Utne Reader, originally in the Summer 2012 issue of Lapham's Quarterly.
Science doesn't agree with us that there is no global warming, so we'll find a scientist paid by a fossil fuel company who agrees with us. And so, the globe is still warming.
Barack Obama didn't deliver all the "Change" that we wanted, so we won't vote for any Democrats in 2010. And so, the stay-at-homes gave more power to Obama's opposition
Ah, so often magical thinking gets just the opposite of the result desired.
The globe is still warming and even faster because many efforts at slowing it were stymied by politicians.
The stay-at-homes didn't cast their votes for Democrats and so more Republicans opposed to Obama were elected.
In 2004, the Union of Concerned Scientists issued "Scientific Integrity in Policy Making", signed "by more than 60 of the country's most accomplished scientists". "The eight years that have passed since its publication have brought with them not only the illusion of “The Magic Kettle” on Wall Street, but also the election of President Barack Obama in the belief that he would enter the White House as the embodiment of Merlin or Christ."
Lewis H. Lapham, "Magic and the Machine", republished in Utne Reader, originally in the Summer 2012 issue of Lapham's Quarterly.
Science doesn't agree with us that there is no global warming, so we'll find a scientist paid by a fossil fuel company who agrees with us. And so, the globe is still warming.
Barack Obama didn't deliver all the "Change" that we wanted, so we won't vote for any Democrats in 2010. And so, the stay-at-homes gave more power to Obama's opposition
Ah, so often magical thinking gets just the opposite of the result desired.
The globe is still warming and even faster because many efforts at slowing it were stymied by politicians.
The stay-at-homes didn't cast their votes for Democrats and so more Republicans opposed to Obama were elected.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Duluth Super-storm Part III and pictures
Our cleanup, or rather prep for the next storm, continues.
I've pulled out lots of old wood from the basement that was used for hanging tools etc. It was several 2x4s hung from the joists with 1x6 tongue and groove nailed to them. Some of the 2x4s I couldn't pull from the joists because the joists were too close together. I have no idea how anyone could pound nails in the hanging boards. I used a saber saw to cut them down.
But before I could do that, I had to go to our cabin for the batteries. I had taken the cordless drill to the cabin. I didn't encounter any problems driving there because I took a different route to drop off some of the old boards at the Materials Recovery Center.
I did have to wait for a grader on the dirt road and then the next section was a lot narrower than normal - six inch deep ruts on one side.
At our cabin the only noticeable thing was that puddles had formed in the balsam needles leaving interesting patterns. Our well was now full of water and I filled up several jugs. We won't drink or bathe in it, but we can use it for fertilizing many of the later transplanted trees.
Coming back, I had to make a huge detour on the last county highway, Jean Duluth Road. There had been a complete washout at the Lester River.
Now we have all the hanging boards down and ready to go to the dump. My wife has patched lots of the holes and cracks on that corner and put the Dry-Lock paint on. How much more we will do how soon remains to be seen.
I've posted a selection of my pictures on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/28887068@N00/sets/72157630306098922/. They are not as iconic as many you probably have already seen, but thundering Chester Creek is almost mesmerizing.
See also earlier entries http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-june-21-22-2010.html and http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-part-ii.html.
I've pulled out lots of old wood from the basement that was used for hanging tools etc. It was several 2x4s hung from the joists with 1x6 tongue and groove nailed to them. Some of the 2x4s I couldn't pull from the joists because the joists were too close together. I have no idea how anyone could pound nails in the hanging boards. I used a saber saw to cut them down.
But before I could do that, I had to go to our cabin for the batteries. I had taken the cordless drill to the cabin. I didn't encounter any problems driving there because I took a different route to drop off some of the old boards at the Materials Recovery Center.
I did have to wait for a grader on the dirt road and then the next section was a lot narrower than normal - six inch deep ruts on one side.
At our cabin the only noticeable thing was that puddles had formed in the balsam needles leaving interesting patterns. Our well was now full of water and I filled up several jugs. We won't drink or bathe in it, but we can use it for fertilizing many of the later transplanted trees.
Coming back, I had to make a huge detour on the last county highway, Jean Duluth Road. There had been a complete washout at the Lester River.
Now we have all the hanging boards down and ready to go to the dump. My wife has patched lots of the holes and cracks on that corner and put the Dry-Lock paint on. How much more we will do how soon remains to be seen.
I've posted a selection of my pictures on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/28887068@N00/sets/72157630306098922/. They are not as iconic as many you probably have already seen, but thundering Chester Creek is almost mesmerizing.
See also earlier entries http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-june-21-22-2010.html and http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-part-ii.html.
Airlines: Lose if you win, lose if you lose
Many have complained about speculators driving up the price of oil, but few think of who the speculators might be. Many of these speculators are fuel users who try to minimize their future fuel costs, for example, airlines and large trucking companies. I oversimplify a bit, but they buy at today's prices to protect against tomorrow's higher prices.
If the market is indeed rising, they do win a bit because they pay a bit less than if they had waited. Still, if fuel costs continue to go up, so do their costs, and down go their profits. On the other hand, if the market switches direction, they are caught paying more than the market price for fuel.
See "As Hedges Go Bust, Airlines Hit by Crude Drop", Kate Kelly, CNBC, 2012-06-26.
If the market is indeed rising, they do win a bit because they pay a bit less than if they had waited. Still, if fuel costs continue to go up, so do their costs, and down go their profits. On the other hand, if the market switches direction, they are caught paying more than the market price for fuel.
See "As Hedges Go Bust, Airlines Hit by Crude Drop", Kate Kelly, CNBC, 2012-06-26.
Memory and coincidence
Last Thursday I listened to a "To the Best of Our Knowledge" podcast from 2012-06-17. One of the segments was on the brain. It was rebroadcast of an interview with David Eagleman, author of "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain". One of his points was how we push problems to our sub-conscious and an answer may just pop into our heads later, like after a good night's sleep.
I've often felt this, but one incident after the show really emphasized the truth of this.
I was trying to remember the name of a singer we hosted years ago when she gave a concert in Duluth. I could even picture one of her albums that we have. Nada!
Friday night we were on Skype with our son and he was talking about his July visit to Minnesota. He mentioned that he wanted to attend a concert of his friends, the duo Patchouli. Bingo! Claudia Schmidt! She's still performing.
I should reconnect our record player and run through an LP or two of hers.
I've often felt this, but one incident after the show really emphasized the truth of this.
I was trying to remember the name of a singer we hosted years ago when she gave a concert in Duluth. I could even picture one of her albums that we have. Nada!
Friday night we were on Skype with our son and he was talking about his July visit to Minnesota. He mentioned that he wanted to attend a concert of his friends, the duo Patchouli. Bingo! Claudia Schmidt! She's still performing.
I should reconnect our record player and run through an LP or two of hers.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Duluth Super-storm, Part II
Although we didn't encounter any serious damage from the super-storm, we did have a hectic time. If you read my original post, you might have noticed several typos that escaped my eagle-eyed proofreader, like 2010 instead of 2012 and June 22-23 instead of June 19-20. Oh, my eagle-eyed proofreader was still working on cleaning up our basement before we went to the Joe Gomer statue unveiling. And we were going to our cabin after the unveiling. Since the dial-up is so slow there, I wanted to dash off a little bit of our experience. Haste makes waste of plans.
Back to our basement and other Duluth events.
I had long thought of waterproofing our basement, but I never really thought hard enough about it. And I should have because this has been a rainy spring. The worker bee in our house has been mopping up many times a week while the drone types away at his computer. The drone did ask the hardware store about the paint that stops a nine-feet wall of water. It's UGL Dry-Lock.
Well, the storm was an impetus to actually go buy some Dry-Lock. The online Duluth News Tribune had an advisory for people to not even go to work. But I saw so much traffic in front of our house that I decided it was worth a try. I called the hardware store and they were indeed open and had the paint I wanted.
I expected to detour around an intersection that was flooded, but I went through it on wet pavement. I almost wrote "I sailed through" but that was not the case.
The hardware store was busy with people coming and going. They had a gasoline pump outside the store sending a big stream of water across the parking lot. The other end was a hose to the basement that had been flooded. One customer walked out with the last of a large diameter hose.
I carefully read the instructions to the paint, and they recommended using the company's quick setting cement for cracks and holes. OK, pick that up too, as well as a brush and a scraper.
We still haven't used the paint. We did use the cement with mixed results on cracks and holes.
I won't bore you with more details, but we spent more time on getting some old hanging peg-boards down from in front of one corner, so we could clean, patch and paint that area. Our basement will be an ongoing project for many weeks, if not months.
When I came back from the hardware store, I did see that two cross streets were still flooded at dips a couple hundred feet from the intersection. One of these was the intersection that supposedly was flooded.
In the afternoon we went for a walk in our neighborhood; our prime destination being the bridge over Chester Creek. The bridge had been closed earlier because of concerns that the footings might have been damaged by the torrent. Looking down from the bridge, the creek was still a torrent. The small residential street that parallels the Creek, Chester Park Drive, was closed to through traffic. As did quite a few other people, we took a stroll up it.
There were a couple washouts where all the sand and gravel under the edge of the road was gone, only about two-three inches of asphalt was left, sometimes hanging up to a foot over the hole. It wasn't even safe for a pedestrian to stand on.
I took several pictures, but they are not as dramatic as those you've probably already seen. I'll post a selection to Flickr or YouTube in a few days or weeks. When I do, I'll post an entry here with links to pictures.
Meanwhile, I have run out of time again to write anything more.
See other entries http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-june-21-22-2010.html and http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-part-iii-and.html.
Back to our basement and other Duluth events.
I had long thought of waterproofing our basement, but I never really thought hard enough about it. And I should have because this has been a rainy spring. The worker bee in our house has been mopping up many times a week while the drone types away at his computer. The drone did ask the hardware store about the paint that stops a nine-feet wall of water. It's UGL Dry-Lock.
Well, the storm was an impetus to actually go buy some Dry-Lock. The online Duluth News Tribune had an advisory for people to not even go to work. But I saw so much traffic in front of our house that I decided it was worth a try. I called the hardware store and they were indeed open and had the paint I wanted.
I expected to detour around an intersection that was flooded, but I went through it on wet pavement. I almost wrote "I sailed through" but that was not the case.
The hardware store was busy with people coming and going. They had a gasoline pump outside the store sending a big stream of water across the parking lot. The other end was a hose to the basement that had been flooded. One customer walked out with the last of a large diameter hose.
I carefully read the instructions to the paint, and they recommended using the company's quick setting cement for cracks and holes. OK, pick that up too, as well as a brush and a scraper.
We still haven't used the paint. We did use the cement with mixed results on cracks and holes.
I won't bore you with more details, but we spent more time on getting some old hanging peg-boards down from in front of one corner, so we could clean, patch and paint that area. Our basement will be an ongoing project for many weeks, if not months.
When I came back from the hardware store, I did see that two cross streets were still flooded at dips a couple hundred feet from the intersection. One of these was the intersection that supposedly was flooded.
In the afternoon we went for a walk in our neighborhood; our prime destination being the bridge over Chester Creek. The bridge had been closed earlier because of concerns that the footings might have been damaged by the torrent. Looking down from the bridge, the creek was still a torrent. The small residential street that parallels the Creek, Chester Park Drive, was closed to through traffic. As did quite a few other people, we took a stroll up it.
There were a couple washouts where all the sand and gravel under the edge of the road was gone, only about two-three inches of asphalt was left, sometimes hanging up to a foot over the hole. It wasn't even safe for a pedestrian to stand on.
I took several pictures, but they are not as dramatic as those you've probably already seen. I'll post a selection to Flickr or YouTube in a few days or weeks. When I do, I'll post an entry here with links to pictures.
Meanwhile, I have run out of time again to write anything more.
See other entries http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-june-21-22-2010.html and http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-part-iii-and.html.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Duluth Super-Storm June 19-20, 2012
Tuesday afternoon we saw a flash of lightning and almost immediately heard a humungous clap of thunder. Then it started to rain hard. This kept up all night with only sporadic breaks. We really didn't get to sleep until after one in the morning.
Whenever we woke up, it was more of the same - flash - crash, though time between flash and crash was often longer, 5-15 seconds.
When we got up the thunderstorm was still in progress, but with longer breaks between rains. However, the street in front of our house had water almost to the middle. As I watched it receded to only about quarter of the width of the street.
Meanwhile, our basement had streams of water in many places. My wife got out the Wet-N-Dry Vac and filled it on short order. She called me and I dumped it. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
There's more, but it's time to get ready to go to the official unveiling of the statue of Joe Gomer, a Tuskegee Airman, living in Duluth. Although it was scheduled for Wednesday and supposedly cancelled, about 90 people showed up. We hope its still on, there was nothing in today's Duluth News Tribune.
See later entries http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-part-ii.html and http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-part-iii-and.html.
Whenever we woke up, it was more of the same - flash - crash, though time between flash and crash was often longer, 5-15 seconds.
When we got up the thunderstorm was still in progress, but with longer breaks between rains. However, the street in front of our house had water almost to the middle. As I watched it receded to only about quarter of the width of the street.
Meanwhile, our basement had streams of water in many places. My wife got out the Wet-N-Dry Vac and filled it on short order. She called me and I dumped it. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
There's more, but it's time to get ready to go to the official unveiling of the statue of Joe Gomer, a Tuskegee Airman, living in Duluth. Although it was scheduled for Wednesday and supposedly cancelled, about 90 people showed up. We hope its still on, there was nothing in today's Duluth News Tribune.
See later entries http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-part-ii.html and http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/06/duluth-super-storm-part-iii-and.html.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The fallacy of paying by "productivity"
Many claim that more productive workers will get paid more. That may be true of sales representatives who work on commission, but what about other workers who have several constraints on their "productivity".
I thought of this as I was driving on a weekday on the dirt road in Brimson on the way to our cabin. In front of me was a trash hauler. He stopped to pick up one neighbor's trash, and while he did so I passed him. He continued behind me and I knew his next stop was not for another mile.
When I drove back to Duluth a couple of hours later, the same driver, or at least the same firm, was in front of me on the main highway. I thought he has over an hour's drive to get to the landfill.
It would take him a lot longer to fill his truck than it would for a driver with a city route. Should this first driver be paid for his "productivity"? Or for his time?
Possibly his lower "productivity" is partly compensated by a higher pickup rate for rural customers.
The same holds for UPS and FedEx drivers, and as far as I know the rate for the senders of packages are the same for a given large area. The sender pays for the terminal-to-terminal distance, but not the local distance. Should these drivers be paid for packages per hour or be paid for hours worked?
I had the same situation when I drove for a school and transit bus company. I was paid by the hour no matter what I did. And I got a premium for seniority. Many was the charter on which I read, slept, played chess, ate, or went to the same event as the customer. I had one charter for a theater company where not only did I not drive for the two-to-three hours of the production, the production manager gave me and wife very good tickets for the last performance.
So, what was my "productivity" on this charter. Showing up on time, getting the passengers to their destination on time, driving safely, and being friendly.
I can't end this without mentioning another "productive" kind of employee who is often overlooked - the schmoozer. This is the employee (or even owner) who takes time to know customers and make them feel welcome. During this time they provide no goods or services. But they certainly increase return business. Think of places where the sales staff is on commission and you can hardly stand doing business with them. They are know-it-all fast talkers who want to close a sale as fast as possible. You may wind up buying from them, but only because of the salaried or hourly support staff who act like you are the only customer they have.
I had a vehicle for 13 years and for the last six I kept going to a certain dealer because the service department was good and the front guy was a schmoozer who always acted glad to see me. They had a really good salesman who kept kidding me about buying a new vehicle from him, another schmoozer. Well, by the time I decided to trade-in that vehicle he had retired. A friend told me she bought a truck from him because all the other salesmen were jerks. I found out she was right. And so, I went to the guy who sold me the truck in the first place, also a schmoozer. He was now selling another make of vehicle. He schmoozed, listened to us, and had a selection of vehicles ready for us to test-drive. We bought one of those vehicles.
For those not completely familiar with colloquial English, a schmoozer is someone who makes other people feel at ease with friendly, non-intrusive, conversation.
I thought of this as I was driving on a weekday on the dirt road in Brimson on the way to our cabin. In front of me was a trash hauler. He stopped to pick up one neighbor's trash, and while he did so I passed him. He continued behind me and I knew his next stop was not for another mile.
When I drove back to Duluth a couple of hours later, the same driver, or at least the same firm, was in front of me on the main highway. I thought he has over an hour's drive to get to the landfill.
It would take him a lot longer to fill his truck than it would for a driver with a city route. Should this first driver be paid for his "productivity"? Or for his time?
Possibly his lower "productivity" is partly compensated by a higher pickup rate for rural customers.
The same holds for UPS and FedEx drivers, and as far as I know the rate for the senders of packages are the same for a given large area. The sender pays for the terminal-to-terminal distance, but not the local distance. Should these drivers be paid for packages per hour or be paid for hours worked?
I had the same situation when I drove for a school and transit bus company. I was paid by the hour no matter what I did. And I got a premium for seniority. Many was the charter on which I read, slept, played chess, ate, or went to the same event as the customer. I had one charter for a theater company where not only did I not drive for the two-to-three hours of the production, the production manager gave me and wife very good tickets for the last performance.
So, what was my "productivity" on this charter. Showing up on time, getting the passengers to their destination on time, driving safely, and being friendly.
I can't end this without mentioning another "productive" kind of employee who is often overlooked - the schmoozer. This is the employee (or even owner) who takes time to know customers and make them feel welcome. During this time they provide no goods or services. But they certainly increase return business. Think of places where the sales staff is on commission and you can hardly stand doing business with them. They are know-it-all fast talkers who want to close a sale as fast as possible. You may wind up buying from them, but only because of the salaried or hourly support staff who act like you are the only customer they have.
I had a vehicle for 13 years and for the last six I kept going to a certain dealer because the service department was good and the front guy was a schmoozer who always acted glad to see me. They had a really good salesman who kept kidding me about buying a new vehicle from him, another schmoozer. Well, by the time I decided to trade-in that vehicle he had retired. A friend told me she bought a truck from him because all the other salesmen were jerks. I found out she was right. And so, I went to the guy who sold me the truck in the first place, also a schmoozer. He was now selling another make of vehicle. He schmoozed, listened to us, and had a selection of vehicles ready for us to test-drive. We bought one of those vehicles.
For those not completely familiar with colloquial English, a schmoozer is someone who makes other people feel at ease with friendly, non-intrusive, conversation.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Foreign money in U.S. politics? Wait a minute!
John McCain has claimed that foreign money is slipping into the presidential campaign, mainly through Sheldon Adelson's SuperPAC. McCain's argument is that Adelson owns three casinos in Macau and that profits from these casinos are going into his SuperPAC. See "McCain says foreign money influencing US elections, sneaking in through SuperPACs", Associated Press, 2012-06-15.
Let's see, if I owned thousands of shares of Nokia, the Finnish cell phone maker, and thousands of shares of CTRIP, the Chinese online travel company (don't I wish), and donated to a campaign the equivalent of the dividends from these companies (if they were paying dividends), would that be Finnish or Chinese money influencing the campaign? I don't think so.
Since Adelson's SuperPAC promotes Romney and attacks Obama, I would doubt that the Chinese government is telling Adelson where his Macau profits should go. After all, Romney wants to have the "strongest defense" in the world. Is it in the interest of the Chinese government to enter into an escalating arms race? Maybe the interest of the Chinese military. But does the Chinese military have that much control that it can direct where the profits of a foreign country go?
No, I think it is just a question of the absurdity of the "Citizens United" decision, which McCain doesn't like, and of the wish of Sheldon Adelson to defeat President Obama.
Maybe we should just call Sheldon Adelson the drunken sailor of politics.
Let's see, if I owned thousands of shares of Nokia, the Finnish cell phone maker, and thousands of shares of CTRIP, the Chinese online travel company (don't I wish), and donated to a campaign the equivalent of the dividends from these companies (if they were paying dividends), would that be Finnish or Chinese money influencing the campaign? I don't think so.
Since Adelson's SuperPAC promotes Romney and attacks Obama, I would doubt that the Chinese government is telling Adelson where his Macau profits should go. After all, Romney wants to have the "strongest defense" in the world. Is it in the interest of the Chinese government to enter into an escalating arms race? Maybe the interest of the Chinese military. But does the Chinese military have that much control that it can direct where the profits of a foreign country go?
No, I think it is just a question of the absurdity of the "Citizens United" decision, which McCain doesn't like, and of the wish of Sheldon Adelson to defeat President Obama.
Maybe we should just call Sheldon Adelson the drunken sailor of politics.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Don't like Washington? Look in the mirror!
I'm kind of with Pete Seeger who sang "Our leaders are the finest men, we elect them again and again". And I feel just as sarcastic as he did when he wrote this in "What did you learn in school today?"
Basically we elect those who bring home the bacon, those who look out for local interests even when not in the national interest. And we've been doing it for over 200 years to the dismay of many of the writers of the Constitution. See "The Radicalization of the American Revolution", Gordon S. Wood.
For a more lengthy screed on this conflict of interest, see "I don't blame Congress; I blame you!", Andrew Heaton.
Basically we elect those who bring home the bacon, those who look out for local interests even when not in the national interest. And we've been doing it for over 200 years to the dismay of many of the writers of the Constitution. See "The Radicalization of the American Revolution", Gordon S. Wood.
For a more lengthy screed on this conflict of interest, see "I don't blame Congress; I blame you!", Andrew Heaton.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Quote of the Day – Education, immigration, and taxes
"We've bought into the idea that education is about training and "success", defined monetarily, rather than learning to think critically and to challenge. We should not forget that the true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers. A culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between morality and power, which mistakes management techniques for wisdom, which fails to understand that the measure of a civilization is to its compassion, not its speed or ability to consume, condemns itself to death." - Chris Hedges, posted on Facebook. The quote is from "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle". Click on the title to see more quotes from the book.
Here's some more food for thought. There are over 1,000,000 (or is it 3,000,000) jobs that can't be filled because there are not enough "qualified" applicants. There are not enough "qualified" applicants because "qualified" is often very narrowly defined (can you do everything on day one). Many corporations expect applicants to have gained the "skills" elsewhere. To gain "skills" one has to have been trained at another company or at a university. Many large corporations and overpaid CEOs don't want to pay the taxes for a high quality education system. Many are calling for more H1-B visas to allow for more "highly-skilled" immigrants. In other words, the taxes in other countries are supposed to pay for educating these "highly-skilled" immigrants.
Personally I'm all for unlimited immigration, but not when it is a dodge to get lower-paid workers.
BTW, I spent six years in Europe as a "highly-trained" foreign worker. I sometimes had to travel to another country to help out on a problem, even when the local was probably better qualified to solve the problem.
Here's some more food for thought. There are over 1,000,000 (or is it 3,000,000) jobs that can't be filled because there are not enough "qualified" applicants. There are not enough "qualified" applicants because "qualified" is often very narrowly defined (can you do everything on day one). Many corporations expect applicants to have gained the "skills" elsewhere. To gain "skills" one has to have been trained at another company or at a university. Many large corporations and overpaid CEOs don't want to pay the taxes for a high quality education system. Many are calling for more H1-B visas to allow for more "highly-skilled" immigrants. In other words, the taxes in other countries are supposed to pay for educating these "highly-skilled" immigrants.
Personally I'm all for unlimited immigration, but not when it is a dodge to get lower-paid workers.
BTW, I spent six years in Europe as a "highly-trained" foreign worker. I sometimes had to travel to another country to help out on a problem, even when the local was probably better qualified to solve the problem.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Another noisy summer Tuesday night
We are sitting in our home office with closed windows. We are getting a city-sponsored concert whether we want it or not. The park is 0.57 miles away, but the volume is as if somebody in the next block is playing a radio at full volume. Now and then we can even distinguish a few words sung or spoken.
We used to go to the concerts now and then, but we gave up when the volume got louder. A couple of years ago we were standing on the road about an eighth-mile from the stage. We couldn't tolerate the volume. We don't even look for the schedule of events anymore.
We considered going to a restaurant and hanging out until the scheduled end of the concerts, but many restaurants have live music later in the evening at, you guessed it, high volume.
Hey, I'm an old guy who likes a wide range of music, but I would like to hear music for a few more decades. Please, promoters, preserve my hearing.
We used to go to the concerts now and then, but we gave up when the volume got louder. A couple of years ago we were standing on the road about an eighth-mile from the stage. We couldn't tolerate the volume. We don't even look for the schedule of events anymore.
We considered going to a restaurant and hanging out until the scheduled end of the concerts, but many restaurants have live music later in the evening at, you guessed it, high volume.
Hey, I'm an old guy who likes a wide range of music, but I would like to hear music for a few more decades. Please, promoters, preserve my hearing.
Quote of the day: Our food, from lab or garden?
"Our foods are grown more in laboratories then cooked in kitchens." Unknown, quoted by Forrest Johnson, "Industrial foods and farming methods and your brain", Reader Weekly, 2012-05-17.
My wife and I like to think we eat mostly natural foods, but we do eat lots of stuff that is not right out of the ground or off the hoof. But a lot of it is processed - wine, oil, cheese, pretzels, chocolate. At least what we buy has been processed in centuries-old traditional methods; you might say it was "cooked" in somebody's kitchen.
My wife and I like to think we eat mostly natural foods, but we do eat lots of stuff that is not right out of the ground or off the hoof. But a lot of it is processed - wine, oil, cheese, pretzels, chocolate. At least what we buy has been processed in centuries-old traditional methods; you might say it was "cooked" in somebody's kitchen.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Farmers, pollution, and large corporations
Rod Hamilton, member of the Minnesota House and a farmer, wrote an op-ed piece "Please, a little more understanding for farmers: Their stake in our resources is deeply personal", Star Tribune, 2012-06-09. He writes that certain groups are targeting farmers for cleanup of river sludge. He claims that farmers are stewards of the land and need to protect their land for generations.
First, are all farmers that careful stewards of their land? Probably most of those he knows, but there probably will be a few who cut corners.
Second, what about corporate farms? How many are there in Minnesota? Technically, none. This claim was made in "Tara and Nick Meyer provide a glimpse of life as young Minnesota farmers", Audra Otto, MinnPost, 2011-12-16. Tara Meyer stated, "Corporate farms only exist in the eyes of the media. There are no corporate farms in Minnesota – this a huge misconception." She provided a link to Minnesota's "Corporate Farm Law".
Well, few laws are so straight-forward, and some special interests always manage to protect their interests. This law is no exception in that it has several exceptions. These include poultry and feedlots, general and limited liability partnerships (really a corporation), and land for sod. Do you think all such entities are going to have the same stewardship ideas as Rep. Hamilton?
Then there is the granddaddy of loopholes - "entities that do not meet any of the above criteria may apply to the commissioner of agriculture for a special exemption." And we've always had Minnesota governors who hold the public interest higher than corporate interest, right? Wisconsin is now "Open for Business"; will Minnesota be far behind?
First, are all farmers that careful stewards of their land? Probably most of those he knows, but there probably will be a few who cut corners.
Second, what about corporate farms? How many are there in Minnesota? Technically, none. This claim was made in "Tara and Nick Meyer provide a glimpse of life as young Minnesota farmers", Audra Otto, MinnPost, 2011-12-16. Tara Meyer stated, "Corporate farms only exist in the eyes of the media. There are no corporate farms in Minnesota – this a huge misconception." She provided a link to Minnesota's "Corporate Farm Law".
Well, few laws are so straight-forward, and some special interests always manage to protect their interests. This law is no exception in that it has several exceptions. These include poultry and feedlots, general and limited liability partnerships (really a corporation), and land for sod. Do you think all such entities are going to have the same stewardship ideas as Rep. Hamilton?
Then there is the granddaddy of loopholes - "entities that do not meet any of the above criteria may apply to the commissioner of agriculture for a special exemption." And we've always had Minnesota governors who hold the public interest higher than corporate interest, right? Wisconsin is now "Open for Business"; will Minnesota be far behind?
Friday, June 08, 2012
British refuse to negotiate with American Colonists
September 30, 1781 – The British Prime Minister, Lord North, refused to negotiate with the Continental Army, claiming, "Why should we negotiate with those who are killing our soldiers?" (Made up quote for sake of argument)
October 18, 1781 – After General Cornwallis realized that his situation at Yorktown was hopeless, sent a delegation to negotiate with the American and French.
When Lord North learned of the defeat at Yorktown, he proclaimed, "Oh God, it's all over."
May 26, 2011; Jan 23, 2012; Feb 2, 2012; May 2, 2012; and on many more dates appear variations of "Why should we negotiate with the Taliban who are killing our soldiers?"
In 1781 and in 2012, too many people wanted/want to keep up a foreign invasion because their troops are being killed by people who don't want foreign troops in their country.
When will they ever learn?
October 18, 1781 – After General Cornwallis realized that his situation at Yorktown was hopeless, sent a delegation to negotiate with the American and French.
When Lord North learned of the defeat at Yorktown, he proclaimed, "Oh God, it's all over."
May 26, 2011; Jan 23, 2012; Feb 2, 2012; May 2, 2012; and on many more dates appear variations of "Why should we negotiate with the Taliban who are killing our soldiers?"
In 1781 and in 2012, too many people wanted/want to keep up a foreign invasion because their troops are being killed by people who don't want foreign troops in their country.
When will they ever learn?
If you can't vote, you shouldn't contribute
I think U.S. law prohibits foreign nationals or governments from contributing to U.S. political campaigns (though we don't seem to mind contributing to keep foreign leaders in power). What if we took this one step down. If you don't live in a state and can't vote in that state, you should be barred from contributing to any political campaign in that state.
Too many politicians accept and even look for contributions from people far away from their constituents. We have Scott Walker of Wisconsin accepting millions from corporate givers all across the country. We have Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida soliciting contributions from Minnesota. Debbie who?
We received a mailing from Debbie Wasserman Schultz for Congress, Hallendale Beach FL. The message on the envelope is "Inside: why Republicans want me out." Well, maybe we don't want many of the current Republicans in; but if we don't live in Florida and if we don't want Republicans accepting money from out of state, should we contribute to a Democrat in another state?
Sorry, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, your request is out into the recyclables, unopened.
Too many politicians accept and even look for contributions from people far away from their constituents. We have Scott Walker of Wisconsin accepting millions from corporate givers all across the country. We have Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida soliciting contributions from Minnesota. Debbie who?
We received a mailing from Debbie Wasserman Schultz for Congress, Hallendale Beach FL. The message on the envelope is "Inside: why Republicans want me out." Well, maybe we don't want many of the current Republicans in; but if we don't live in Florida and if we don't want Republicans accepting money from out of state, should we contribute to a Democrat in another state?
Sorry, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, your request is out into the recyclables, unopened.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
All's fair in love and war and elections, too?
I looked at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to get some feel for the turnout in today's recall election in Wisconsin. It looks like the turnout is mixed as are the reactions. Some polling places have short lines, some long. Some people are happy to vote Scott Walker out, some are unhappy that there is even an election.
One item in particular caught my eye. It was about a mailing designed to increase turnout. Using public records, the mailing gave the voting record of individuals and their immediate neighbors. It was sent out by a liberal group. Will it get more people to vote in general, or will it get more people to vote for Walker? Judge for yourself. See "Mailings that list voting records set off some neighbors", Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2012-06-05.
If you live in Wisconsin and the polls haven't closed, make sure you vote.
One item in particular caught my eye. It was about a mailing designed to increase turnout. Using public records, the mailing gave the voting record of individuals and their immediate neighbors. It was sent out by a liberal group. Will it get more people to vote in general, or will it get more people to vote for Walker? Judge for yourself. See "Mailings that list voting records set off some neighbors", Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2012-06-05.
If you live in Wisconsin and the polls haven't closed, make sure you vote.
Monday, June 04, 2012
"One percent has money, 99 percent have votes" not original with me
I felt a bit of pride in coming up with "The 1% may have the money, but the 99% have the votes". I never saw it anywhere else, and I had a hard time searching for it. In fact, I was disappointed that a search for the phrase as I wrote it in http://magree.blogspot.com/2012/05/1-may-have-money-but-99-have-votes.html turned up nothing. Even when I give the phrase to Google in quotes, it only shows articles with the pieces, not the whole phrase. Maybe this is why I don't see many hits of my blog for this mantra.
Last week I finally found something very similar. It is at "Message to 99%: Help Stop the 1% From Using the Super Committee to Rob the American People", a blog on the Huffington Post by Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson, 2011-10-29. Their exact quote is "The 1 percent may have most of the money, but the 99 percent have the votes."
It doesn't surprise me that my version didn't go viral, but I'm surprised that something written on HuffPost did not circulate more. In a sad way, that shows that too many of the 99% don't exercise their vote.
Sadly, I bet the turnout in Wisconsin tomorrow won't exceed 60% of the registered voters.
Last week I finally found something very similar. It is at "Message to 99%: Help Stop the 1% From Using the Super Committee to Rob the American People", a blog on the Huffington Post by Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson, 2011-10-29. Their exact quote is "The 1 percent may have most of the money, but the 99 percent have the votes."
It doesn't surprise me that my version didn't go viral, but I'm surprised that something written on HuffPost did not circulate more. In a sad way, that shows that too many of the 99% don't exercise their vote.
Sadly, I bet the turnout in Wisconsin tomorrow won't exceed 60% of the registered voters.
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