It appears that is at least one restaurant that rewards the parents of well behaved youngsters by taking a little off their dining bill. It is more than a little sad to think that we have come to the point where a positive reward is required to encourage good parenting.
And of course there is the obvious problem of some lawyer waiting for an opportunity to sue the restaurant for failing to give the parents who disagree with the restaurant regarding the relative behavior of their children.
*sigh*
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Right Around Your Neck
I have been kayaking for a couple years now. I enjoy it a lot.
A while back, I discovered a nifty necklace. In theory, the guy selling them (at the time) was just out of college and looking for ways to make money without getting a real job. 'Cause real jobs cut into your kayaking time. I have no idea if he is still dodging a responsible life, but I sure hope he is.
He was selling Hei Matau pendants. In theory, they are Maori tribal symbols that represent good luck for those that travel over water.
I just thought the kid told a good story. I am certainly grateful for any good luck that might come my way as well.
Wanderer Imports, the young man's company, is offering free shipping to former customers and our friends. Just put the phrase "friendofwandererimports" in the discount box.
The one I wear is the last one on this page. But I'm thinking about buying a couple more. Perhaps you will find one that catches your eye as well.
A while back, I discovered a nifty necklace. In theory, the guy selling them (at the time) was just out of college and looking for ways to make money without getting a real job. 'Cause real jobs cut into your kayaking time. I have no idea if he is still dodging a responsible life, but I sure hope he is.
He was selling Hei Matau pendants. In theory, they are Maori tribal symbols that represent good luck for those that travel over water.
I just thought the kid told a good story. I am certainly grateful for any good luck that might come my way as well.
Wanderer Imports, the young man's company, is offering free shipping to former customers and our friends. Just put the phrase "friendofwandererimports" in the discount box.
The one I wear is the last one on this page. But I'm thinking about buying a couple more. Perhaps you will find one that catches your eye as well.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
No, You Can't Watch
In the news recently comes a story about the latest technological revolution in the service of individual liberty. A cryptographic dream...or nightmare...depending on your perspective.
Back in October, the startup tech firm Silent Circle ruffled governments’ feathers with a “surveillance-proof” smartphone app to allow people to make secure phone calls and send texts easily. Now, the company is pushing things even further—with a groundbreaking encrypted data transfer app that will enable people to send files securely from a smartphone or tablet at the touch of a button. (For now, it’s just being released for iPhones and iPads, though Android versions should come soon.) That means photographs, videos, spreadsheets, you name it—sent scrambled from one person to another in a matter of seconds.
...
If governments don’t come round, though, Silent Circle’s solution is simple: The team will close up shop and move to a jurisdiction that won’t try to force them to comply with surveillance.
“We feel that every citizen has a right to communicate,” Janke says, “the right to send data without the fear of it being grabbed out of the air and used by criminals, stored by governments, and aggregated by companies that sell it.”How cool is that? Very cool! Anything that limits the intrusion of government in our private lives should be considered a step forward for everyone.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
A Great Place For A Gun Free Zone
Around any politician.
If gun free zones are really such a great idea, then shouldn't we demand that every politician eschew any sort of armed security?
Before the government subjects the rest of us to any regulation, tax, or other legal intrusion, shouldn't they all apply to our government employees first and foremost?
If gun free zones are really such a great idea, then shouldn't we demand that every politician eschew any sort of armed security?
Before the government subjects the rest of us to any regulation, tax, or other legal intrusion, shouldn't they all apply to our government employees first and foremost?
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
85% Tax Rate On The Poor?
I read an awful lot of things while putting together the recent post about Phil Mickelson and tax rates, I came across this specious bit of reasoning that attempts to argue that people making US$18,000 per year end up paying an 85% tax rate.
The argument is that as income earned via legitimate employment increases, social program benefits decrease. This decrease is then considered....by some...to be an effective "tax".
While I have long been aware of this sort of "welfare trap", I think it is fundamentally dishonest to suggest that the proper reduction of benefits to be anything like a tax.
Yes: On net, average federal income tax rates are negative -- post-tax income exceeds pretax income -- for the two lowest income quintiles. But that's not the same as marginal tax rates, which measure the amount of money taken out of each additional dollar earned. It's the marginal rate, most importantly, that creates the disincentive to work.So how does they come up with that astronomical value? They include social program benefits as "income" and calculate an effective "next dollar" rate based on lost social spending benefits due to increasing incomes.
The argument is that as income earned via legitimate employment increases, social program benefits decrease. This decrease is then considered....by some...to be an effective "tax".
While I have long been aware of this sort of "welfare trap", I think it is fundamentally dishonest to suggest that the proper reduction of benefits to be anything like a tax.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
The Straw
...that broke the camel's back.
Professional golfer Phil Mickelson has recently taken a little flak for indicating that he plans on leaving California in the wake of his announced plans to relocate to a state with lower tax rates. Specifically, California has recently increased their income tax rates by roughly 3 percent for the next seven years. The sales tax was also increased. These changes were made in an attempt to close the current sizable annual budget deficit being run by the state of California.
My sympathies lie primarily with Phil. We aren't even close to being in the same income range, but as a matter of principle, I believe that a person has a right to the income they earn that should not be cavalierly set aside. However, there are a couple of issues that have been studiously ignored in this discussion.
The first is the matter of comparing apples to apples.
According to Mr. Mickelson, his future total tax rate will be a little north of 60% of his income. This includes federal income taxes, federal FICA taxes, federal Medicare taxes, state income taxes, and one presumes that local income taxes are included if appropriate. Some of his critics have compared that tax rate with the 14% income tax rate paid by Mitt Romney and his wife. That is an incomplete comparison designed to confuse the issue.
The Romney's most certainly paid payroll and appropriate income taxes for any wages they may have received. Of course, if they did not receive any wages, then they didn't pay payroll or income taxes at those rates.
Under the area of comparable tax rates, the double taxation of dividends is also studiously ignored in these discussions. Dividends are paid out of after tax profits by corporations. When a further tax is then levied on the individual receiving those dividends, then the money is effectively taxed at the cumulative rate of the corporate income tax and the individual investment tax.
It is partially due to this double taxation that we have elected to charge a lower tax rate on investment income. Good, bad, or indifferent; I make no assertion as to whether or not this is good public policy.
The second issue is the relative need for government to consume Mr. Mickelson's wealth. Back in 2009 when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California, Robb Allen of Sharp as a Marble had a partial list of agencies, commissions, boards, and other state government organizations. At the time, the suggestion was that prisons would have to close and state police would have to be laid off to balance the budget. The point at the time is that there were a great many other state agencies that could have been down sized or perhaps even eliminated in order to minimize cuts to critical prison and law enforcement budgets.
A similar case can be made with respect to federal government spending as well.
As a former resident of California, it truly pains me to watch the current fiscal debacle unfold. The roots of that debacle can be found in the lack of government fiscal restraint. Poor spending priorities can never be solved by increasing taxation.
When taxation levels are high enough to represent injustice to the people earning that money, precautions to limit exposure to confiscatory taxation are more than justified. The camel has no obligation to stand still as the last straw is dropped in place.
Professional golfer Phil Mickelson has recently taken a little flak for indicating that he plans on leaving California in the wake of his announced plans to relocate to a state with lower tax rates. Specifically, California has recently increased their income tax rates by roughly 3 percent for the next seven years. The sales tax was also increased. These changes were made in an attempt to close the current sizable annual budget deficit being run by the state of California.
My sympathies lie primarily with Phil. We aren't even close to being in the same income range, but as a matter of principle, I believe that a person has a right to the income they earn that should not be cavalierly set aside. However, there are a couple of issues that have been studiously ignored in this discussion.
The first is the matter of comparing apples to apples.
According to Mr. Mickelson, his future total tax rate will be a little north of 60% of his income. This includes federal income taxes, federal FICA taxes, federal Medicare taxes, state income taxes, and one presumes that local income taxes are included if appropriate. Some of his critics have compared that tax rate with the 14% income tax rate paid by Mitt Romney and his wife. That is an incomplete comparison designed to confuse the issue.
The Romney's most certainly paid payroll and appropriate income taxes for any wages they may have received. Of course, if they did not receive any wages, then they didn't pay payroll or income taxes at those rates.
Under the area of comparable tax rates, the double taxation of dividends is also studiously ignored in these discussions. Dividends are paid out of after tax profits by corporations. When a further tax is then levied on the individual receiving those dividends, then the money is effectively taxed at the cumulative rate of the corporate income tax and the individual investment tax.
It is partially due to this double taxation that we have elected to charge a lower tax rate on investment income. Good, bad, or indifferent; I make no assertion as to whether or not this is good public policy.
The second issue is the relative need for government to consume Mr. Mickelson's wealth. Back in 2009 when Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California, Robb Allen of Sharp as a Marble had a partial list of agencies, commissions, boards, and other state government organizations. At the time, the suggestion was that prisons would have to close and state police would have to be laid off to balance the budget. The point at the time is that there were a great many other state agencies that could have been down sized or perhaps even eliminated in order to minimize cuts to critical prison and law enforcement budgets.
A similar case can be made with respect to federal government spending as well.
As a former resident of California, it truly pains me to watch the current fiscal debacle unfold. The roots of that debacle can be found in the lack of government fiscal restraint. Poor spending priorities can never be solved by increasing taxation.
When taxation levels are high enough to represent injustice to the people earning that money, precautions to limit exposure to confiscatory taxation are more than justified. The camel has no obligation to stand still as the last straw is dropped in place.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
An Opinion Withheld
Some time ago, John Scalzi recommended an opinion poll being gathered by the good folks at Locus Magazine concerning the subjective "best" works of science fiction and fantasy from the 20th and 21st centuries. I had intended to post a link back then, but I had not intended to vote.
The criteria for inclusion in the balloting was that the book/novella/story should have been recognized at some point in the past as being exemplary. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the original ballot and the results do not provide a more precise definition for inclusion on the ballot. Further checking suggests that they have pulled the ballot criteria from their website.
However, the results are out. I may make a project out of listing the results and then indicating how many I have already read. It might also be useful to begin reading everything on the list that I have not read thus far.
It should be noted that Mr. Scalzi has forthrightly indicated that the results of the poll may be skewed by the fact that he had promoted the poll on his blog in the last few days available for voting. Apparently, the publishing house Tor promoted that poll as well. Mr. Scalzi's "Old Mans War" won the 21st century science fiction novels poll.
The reason for my reticence regarding participation in the poll is that there were far too many books that I had not read on the respective lists. While I have read a fair number of them, it seemed ill advised to offer an opinion when so many were beyond my reading experience. As an example, I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Michael Moorcock's "Elric" books that were not on the list, but I had not read any of his other works that were included.
Perhaps I should have participated. Some of the results are most curious from my perspective. The Dragonlance series did very poorly despite being first class writing. Philip K. Dick's "Do Android's Dream Of Electric Sheep" did quite a bit better though to my eyes it was a laborious and confusing read.
Stephen King did poorly as well given his commercial success. The man most certainly can write convincingly about the goblins that inhabit the darker corners of our minds.
L.E. Modesitt, Jr. also did poorly given his prowess with the written word. "The Fires of Paratime" is one of my favorite books.
Another favorite is Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" which came in at the 21st position for 20 century science fiction. It is modestly satisfying that it came in ahead of "Do Android's Dream Of Electric Sheep". Barely. Mr. Heinlein's works did quite well collectively.
In any case, I do not see how I might have avoided this sense of regret. Either I could have participated and regretted being unable to vote for works with which I was unfamiliar, or I could have declined to participate and end up grousing about the many works that should have done far better than was the case.
Such is the hazard of withholding one's opinion.
The criteria for inclusion in the balloting was that the book/novella/story should have been recognized at some point in the past as being exemplary. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the original ballot and the results do not provide a more precise definition for inclusion on the ballot. Further checking suggests that they have pulled the ballot criteria from their website.
However, the results are out. I may make a project out of listing the results and then indicating how many I have already read. It might also be useful to begin reading everything on the list that I have not read thus far.
It should be noted that Mr. Scalzi has forthrightly indicated that the results of the poll may be skewed by the fact that he had promoted the poll on his blog in the last few days available for voting. Apparently, the publishing house Tor promoted that poll as well. Mr. Scalzi's "Old Mans War" won the 21st century science fiction novels poll.
The reason for my reticence regarding participation in the poll is that there were far too many books that I had not read on the respective lists. While I have read a fair number of them, it seemed ill advised to offer an opinion when so many were beyond my reading experience. As an example, I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Michael Moorcock's "Elric" books that were not on the list, but I had not read any of his other works that were included.
Perhaps I should have participated. Some of the results are most curious from my perspective. The Dragonlance series did very poorly despite being first class writing. Philip K. Dick's "Do Android's Dream Of Electric Sheep" did quite a bit better though to my eyes it was a laborious and confusing read.
Stephen King did poorly as well given his commercial success. The man most certainly can write convincingly about the goblins that inhabit the darker corners of our minds.
L.E. Modesitt, Jr. also did poorly given his prowess with the written word. "The Fires of Paratime" is one of my favorite books.
Another favorite is Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" which came in at the 21st position for 20 century science fiction. It is modestly satisfying that it came in ahead of "Do Android's Dream Of Electric Sheep". Barely. Mr. Heinlein's works did quite well collectively.
In any case, I do not see how I might have avoided this sense of regret. Either I could have participated and regretted being unable to vote for works with which I was unfamiliar, or I could have declined to participate and end up grousing about the many works that should have done far better than was the case.
Such is the hazard of withholding one's opinion.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Fooling Yourself
What do Todd Akin and Chicago Tribune have in common? They both tell themselves lovely lies so they can sleep at night.
While we can usually count on the media to point out when politicians are telling themselves and us fantastic fabrications, who can we count on to point out when the media is equally full of it?
Was Akin engaged in "an intentional deception"? That seems highly implausible, as it implies both that he knew that what he was saying was false and that he expected others to believe it was true. It's much likelier that, like Knowles and his staff at the Tribune, Akin was misinformed and made "a careless mistake."The falsehood from the Chicago Tribune had to do with a blatantly misleading graphic and story about "assault weapons".
It would be preposterous, however, to deny that Akin was biased. Indeed it seems obvious that he believed the falsehood in question because that falsehood made it easier to justify his ideological position to himself (and, he mistakenly believed, to others).
While we can usually count on the media to point out when politicians are telling themselves and us fantastic fabrications, who can we count on to point out when the media is equally full of it?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Nothing Lasts Forever
We are fans of the "Big Bang Theory" TV show. Kaley Cuoco is one of the talented stars of the show.
In a recent interview, she offered an interesting and refreshing perspective on the current status of her career.
In a recent interview, she offered an interesting and refreshing perspective on the current status of her career.
"This is not real life," she said. "This is a little weird world. It will never become my reality, ever. There's no way, because I'm not going to have this forever. I'm just going to enjoy it now, and the minute it's gone, I'll have other things to do."A bonus reason to watch one of the more smartly written programs currently on broadcast television.
You could have heard a pin drop. But surely being a star in this celebrity-obsessed world was what she'd always wanted?
"I've never been in an acting class in my life. I would rather kill myself. There's no way. I mean every word. That sounds awful."
Possibly, but it was also the most honest answer anyone had heard in years. And nobody was asleep.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
It Isn't The Markers
Reynolds' Law is named for the Blogfather; Glenn Reynolds. His Law goes something like this:
Perhaps instead of subsidizing possessions, we ought to get back in the business of teaching successful human behaviors.
I once owned a car that had a bad starter for a couple days. As it had a manual transmission, I started it a few times by pushing it down a modest incline and popping the clutch.
Rolling that car down hill did not guarantee that it would learn to run due to the rolling wheels. Only the functioning engine and fuel in the tank could make that car move further than the bottom of that brief slope.
Giving out educations, homes, etc. is like pushing a car without an engine or fuel down a hill and expecting it to miraculously continue running down the road.
The government decides to try to increase the middle class by subsidizing things that middle class people have: If middle-class people go to college and own homes, then surely if more people go to college and own homes, we’ll have more middle-class people. But homeownership and college aren’t causes of middle-class status, they’re markers for possessing the kinds of traits — self-discipline, the ability to defer gratification, etc. — that let you enter, and stay, in the middle class. Subsidizing the markers doesn’t produce the traits; if anything, it undermines them.The creation and accumulation of wealth is not the result of college educations, home ownership, and similar trappings. Those educations and pieces of property are the result of human behaviors that inexorably lead to the creation and accumulation of wealth.
Perhaps instead of subsidizing possessions, we ought to get back in the business of teaching successful human behaviors.
I once owned a car that had a bad starter for a couple days. As it had a manual transmission, I started it a few times by pushing it down a modest incline and popping the clutch.
Rolling that car down hill did not guarantee that it would learn to run due to the rolling wheels. Only the functioning engine and fuel in the tank could make that car move further than the bottom of that brief slope.
Giving out educations, homes, etc. is like pushing a car without an engine or fuel down a hill and expecting it to miraculously continue running down the road.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
And They Care About MY Carbon Footprint??
As Glenn Reynolds is fond of saying, I don't want to hear one damned thing about my carbon footprint until those that complain about global climate change start behaving as if there really is a crisis.
The latest example being Derek Jeter of baseball fame. I'm not bothered as much about his issue advocacy as I am by the ostentatious home that he lives in. If carbon consumption really matters that much to him, then perhaps he ought to lead by example.
Sadly, hypocrites like Mr. Jeter do not lack for the company of like minded a similar acting individuals. Before we pass anything like a carbon tax on fuel, these folks need to move into a 3 or 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom ranch in the suburbs and abandon their more tony confines.
The latest example being Derek Jeter of baseball fame. I'm not bothered as much about his issue advocacy as I am by the ostentatious home that he lives in. If carbon consumption really matters that much to him, then perhaps he ought to lead by example.
Sadly, hypocrites like Mr. Jeter do not lack for the company of like minded a similar acting individuals. Before we pass anything like a carbon tax on fuel, these folks need to move into a 3 or 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom ranch in the suburbs and abandon their more tony confines.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Book Review - Darth Plagueis
George Lucas has spawned many lifetimes worth of creative creations with his Star Wars movies. By Internet count, there have been roughly 131 books written about the Star Wars universe.
My first encounter with those books a couple decades ago was with "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" written by Alan Dean Foster. This was the first book produced for the expanded Star Wars universe.
Fans of the movies will recall then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (aka Sith Lord, Darth Sideous) tempting young Anakin Skywalker with the power to save people from death. This knowledge being originally derived by Darth Plagueis, the Wise. Naturally, there isn't enough time in the movies to explore the story of Darth Plagueis...and his supposed wisdom.
And thus we explore this part of the larger story in a book written by James Luceno.
"Darth Plagueis" is really two stories. The first story being that of Darth Plagueis and his twin life as galactic financier and Sith lord. In public he is Hego Damask; an influential Muun among the International Banking Clans. In private he is a Sith Lord who seeks to achieve the longstanding Sith plan to take control of the Republic.
The second story is that of young Palpatine; who adopted the mononym as a stylish reference to his influential family of Naboo. It is quite a coincidence that the future Emperor Palpatine and mother of the future Darth Vader are from the same planet. What else are books good for if not for the odd coincidence.
Hego Damask recruits young Palpatine to become his Sith apprentice. The two then work together to foment crisis after crisis to maneuver supporters and opponents each in the proper relative direction to place Palpatine first as an ambassador for Naboo, then a Senator, and then penultimately as the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
Along the way, Damask conducts all manner of dark research into the domination and use of the midi-chlorians to not only enhance life, but to fully resurrect the recently deceased with the dark side of the Force. The results of these studies are eventually discovered by Palpatine as well.
The close of "Darth Plagueis" corresponds quite closely with the "Episode I: The Phantom Menace". It fills in a great many lingering questions about the events that we have all come to know from Mr. Lucas' movies.
While I wasn't terribly taken with "Darth Plagueis" for the first few chapters, it eventually grew on me. For a Star Wars fan, this book is an excellent read. For those that are less inclined towards science fiction, perhaps not so much.
My first encounter with those books a couple decades ago was with "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" written by Alan Dean Foster. This was the first book produced for the expanded Star Wars universe.
Fans of the movies will recall then Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (aka Sith Lord, Darth Sideous) tempting young Anakin Skywalker with the power to save people from death. This knowledge being originally derived by Darth Plagueis, the Wise. Naturally, there isn't enough time in the movies to explore the story of Darth Plagueis...and his supposed wisdom.
And thus we explore this part of the larger story in a book written by James Luceno.
"Darth Plagueis" is really two stories. The first story being that of Darth Plagueis and his twin life as galactic financier and Sith lord. In public he is Hego Damask; an influential Muun among the International Banking Clans. In private he is a Sith Lord who seeks to achieve the longstanding Sith plan to take control of the Republic.
The second story is that of young Palpatine; who adopted the mononym as a stylish reference to his influential family of Naboo. It is quite a coincidence that the future Emperor Palpatine and mother of the future Darth Vader are from the same planet. What else are books good for if not for the odd coincidence.
Hego Damask recruits young Palpatine to become his Sith apprentice. The two then work together to foment crisis after crisis to maneuver supporters and opponents each in the proper relative direction to place Palpatine first as an ambassador for Naboo, then a Senator, and then penultimately as the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.
Along the way, Damask conducts all manner of dark research into the domination and use of the midi-chlorians to not only enhance life, but to fully resurrect the recently deceased with the dark side of the Force. The results of these studies are eventually discovered by Palpatine as well.
The close of "Darth Plagueis" corresponds quite closely with the "Episode I: The Phantom Menace". It fills in a great many lingering questions about the events that we have all come to know from Mr. Lucas' movies.
While I wasn't terribly taken with "Darth Plagueis" for the first few chapters, it eventually grew on me. For a Star Wars fan, this book is an excellent read. For those that are less inclined towards science fiction, perhaps not so much.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
I Am Wrong. I Know It. And...
...I don't care.
I use two spaces after every period. That practice is not in compliance with the leading intellectual thoughts on style. It bothers some folks. Fortunately, they are few in number.
I use two spaces after every period. That practice is not in compliance with the leading intellectual thoughts on style. It bothers some folks. Fortunately, they are few in number.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Working As Intended
Anyone with a modicum of American civics and history education knows that our President is selected via process that is known as the Electoral College. Votes for President are in reality votes for electors that will represent a given state when the College meets in the weeks following the election.
But why use an intermediary organization?
At the time of our nation's founding, there was a concern that a candidate with regional appeal would be able to garner enough votes from a few populous states to win in a straight popularity election. The use of the Electoral College was intended to cause candidates to campaign more broadly in order to demonstrate their appeal to a greater cross section of the electorate.
While there are those that suggest that the 2000 election was a fluke, I strongly contend that it was proof that the Electoral College system was functioning as intended. While Mr. Gore did receive more popular votes, he failed to win enough electoral votes to win the presidency. A look at the county-by-county map from that election clearly shows Mr. Gore as appealing almost uniformly to a select group of urban centers.
Of course, let's be honest with one another. The closeness of that election clearly indicates that Mr. Bush could have done more to broaden his support among voters. It was a close election after all.
In the wake of the 2000 election, we were treated to all manner of leftish initiatives to abolish the Electoral College in favor of using the popular vote. Apparently, they could not conceive of a condition where a Democrat might beat a Republican in the Electoral College while losing the popular vote.
More recently, there has been the news of GOP initiatives in a few states to change the state election laws to split those electoral votes based on voting trends within the respective congressional districts. The theory is that this change will make the GOP more competitive in future Presidential elections. It is based on looking backwards at the 2012 election where Mr. Obama won a number of crucial "winner takes all" states by very narrow margins.
These current initiatives are as idiotic as the prior attempts to convert us to using the popular vote. In fact, they are nothing more than an attempt to move us partially down the road to using the popular vote. Apparently, today's GOP cannot conceive of a condition where a Republican could lose to a Democrat under their proposed distribution of electoral votes where they might win under the current "winner takes all" system used in most states.
That last item is pretty important.
There have been all manner of hyperbolic claims about the GOP "rigging" future elections or "stealing" future elections with these proposals to alter the distribution of electoral votes.
Bullshit.
Excuse the language, please.
Nebraska and Maine currently use a proportional distribution of their electoral votes and have done so for years. The Constitution permits states to determine how their electoral votes will be distributed. The current "winner takes all" approach that is used in most states is legitimate only because it represents the current election laws of those states. Those state legislatures can legitimately decide to use some different system at any time.
Again, let's be honest with one another. America is significantly divided. Dense urban centers and many of the surrounding suburbs support Democrats almost exclusively. Less dense urban centers, associated suburbs, and rural American support Republicans almost exclusively. These two groups have decisively different views about the role of government in our lives. Until that difference of opinion gets resolved, I do not see our political tensions as abating any time soon.
But as long as actions taken by either side are kept within the law, charges of "rigging" or "stealing" elections are entirely out of place.
But why use an intermediary organization?
At the time of our nation's founding, there was a concern that a candidate with regional appeal would be able to garner enough votes from a few populous states to win in a straight popularity election. The use of the Electoral College was intended to cause candidates to campaign more broadly in order to demonstrate their appeal to a greater cross section of the electorate.
While there are those that suggest that the 2000 election was a fluke, I strongly contend that it was proof that the Electoral College system was functioning as intended. While Mr. Gore did receive more popular votes, he failed to win enough electoral votes to win the presidency. A look at the county-by-county map from that election clearly shows Mr. Gore as appealing almost uniformly to a select group of urban centers.
Of course, let's be honest with one another. The closeness of that election clearly indicates that Mr. Bush could have done more to broaden his support among voters. It was a close election after all.
In the wake of the 2000 election, we were treated to all manner of leftish initiatives to abolish the Electoral College in favor of using the popular vote. Apparently, they could not conceive of a condition where a Democrat might beat a Republican in the Electoral College while losing the popular vote.
More recently, there has been the news of GOP initiatives in a few states to change the state election laws to split those electoral votes based on voting trends within the respective congressional districts. The theory is that this change will make the GOP more competitive in future Presidential elections. It is based on looking backwards at the 2012 election where Mr. Obama won a number of crucial "winner takes all" states by very narrow margins.
These current initiatives are as idiotic as the prior attempts to convert us to using the popular vote. In fact, they are nothing more than an attempt to move us partially down the road to using the popular vote. Apparently, today's GOP cannot conceive of a condition where a Republican could lose to a Democrat under their proposed distribution of electoral votes where they might win under the current "winner takes all" system used in most states.
That last item is pretty important.
There have been all manner of hyperbolic claims about the GOP "rigging" future elections or "stealing" future elections with these proposals to alter the distribution of electoral votes.
Bullshit.
Excuse the language, please.
Nebraska and Maine currently use a proportional distribution of their electoral votes and have done so for years. The Constitution permits states to determine how their electoral votes will be distributed. The current "winner takes all" approach that is used in most states is legitimate only because it represents the current election laws of those states. Those state legislatures can legitimately decide to use some different system at any time.
Again, let's be honest with one another. America is significantly divided. Dense urban centers and many of the surrounding suburbs support Democrats almost exclusively. Less dense urban centers, associated suburbs, and rural American support Republicans almost exclusively. These two groups have decisively different views about the role of government in our lives. Until that difference of opinion gets resolved, I do not see our political tensions as abating any time soon.
But as long as actions taken by either side are kept within the law, charges of "rigging" or "stealing" elections are entirely out of place.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Universal "Christ"
Or at least, the universal application of "Christ"...in comic strips! What an asshole.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Who Invented The Wheel?
While it probably was not the late Johnny Hart, he probably should get an honorable mention for the invention of the Solowheel. Found via the Chicago Tribune.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Making Hell
Zack Kopplin of Louisana made the news a couple weeks back. He has apparently spent most of his high school career and part of his college career fighting against a law that essentially took science out of the science classroom and replaced with religion.
Good for him. Keep it up.
Parenthetically, I disagree with his take on global warming. There are some reasonable scientific criticisms of some of the work that has been done in this area. Real science involves testing theories for weaknesses rather than shouting "the science is settled". No real scientists ever believe that science is "settled".
At least, not without a few hundred years of experience. And anthropogenic global warming lacks that sort of experience by a few hundred years.
But I would expect that reasonable people of science should be able to rationally discuss those differences of opinion without resorting to "the Bible says" or "the science is settled".
Good for him. Keep it up.
Parenthetically, I disagree with his take on global warming. There are some reasonable scientific criticisms of some of the work that has been done in this area. Real science involves testing theories for weaknesses rather than shouting "the science is settled". No real scientists ever believe that science is "settled".
At least, not without a few hundred years of experience. And anthropogenic global warming lacks that sort of experience by a few hundred years.
But I would expect that reasonable people of science should be able to rationally discuss those differences of opinion without resorting to "the Bible says" or "the science is settled".
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Book Recommendation - Lucifer's Hammer
A comet comes dropping into our solar system from the reaches of space between the stars. Astronomers and physicists believe it will pass close to the Earth.
But exactly how close?
"Lucifer's Hammer" is the tale of a comet that travels around our sun and then sprays the surface of the earth with disastrous results for humanity. It is the tale of the humanity that survives...barely...the impact of several mountains upon the earth, the earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis hundreds of feet tall, fires, floods, famine, and humanity itself.
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle tell their story from several different perspectives; one of the discoverers of the comet, the producer/director that prepares a documentary series on the comet, a couple government scientists, a US Senator, a thug/community activist, an Army sergeant, a postal carrier, an engineer in charge of building a nuclear power plant, four astronauts, and the friends, family, and co-workers that surround them. Some survive. Most don't. Most of the survival isn't pleasant. Some isn't too bad.
I'd rather have electricity, modern medicine, technology, and all that entails.
For the first half of the book, I was pretty certain that this book wouldn't make my book recommendation series. Due to the number of characters, the book jumps quite a bit from scene to scene. While I have read many books that use the same plot device, in this case it was a bit difficult to mentally separate the people and scenes so that the context of the progressing story would remain intact.
By comparison, the books of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" series unfold in a dozen locations across two different continents. The characters and locations are described in sufficient detail and exist with sufficient diversity that jumping from scene to scene and character to character does not detract from the story.
And then the comet struck. After that point, I behaved in a most disreputable fashion; reading until way past midnight when I clearly should not.
Imagine a world where a diabetic scientist chooses to manufactures mustard gas and catapults instead of developing a means of manufacturing insulin. And is considered a hero for his fatal choices.
Imagine a world without technology. A world where a simple lathe would be a miracle. A world where either your moral calculus shifts, or you die. A world where an eight hour work day and a five day work week are luxuries.
I'd rather not. But for 629 pages, I did.
But exactly how close?
"Lucifer's Hammer" is the tale of a comet that travels around our sun and then sprays the surface of the earth with disastrous results for humanity. It is the tale of the humanity that survives...barely...the impact of several mountains upon the earth, the earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis hundreds of feet tall, fires, floods, famine, and humanity itself.
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle tell their story from several different perspectives; one of the discoverers of the comet, the producer/director that prepares a documentary series on the comet, a couple government scientists, a US Senator, a thug/community activist, an Army sergeant, a postal carrier, an engineer in charge of building a nuclear power plant, four astronauts, and the friends, family, and co-workers that surround them. Some survive. Most don't. Most of the survival isn't pleasant. Some isn't too bad.
I'd rather have electricity, modern medicine, technology, and all that entails.
For the first half of the book, I was pretty certain that this book wouldn't make my book recommendation series. Due to the number of characters, the book jumps quite a bit from scene to scene. While I have read many books that use the same plot device, in this case it was a bit difficult to mentally separate the people and scenes so that the context of the progressing story would remain intact.
By comparison, the books of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" series unfold in a dozen locations across two different continents. The characters and locations are described in sufficient detail and exist with sufficient diversity that jumping from scene to scene and character to character does not detract from the story.
And then the comet struck. After that point, I behaved in a most disreputable fashion; reading until way past midnight when I clearly should not.
Imagine a world where a diabetic scientist chooses to manufactures mustard gas and catapults instead of developing a means of manufacturing insulin. And is considered a hero for his fatal choices.
Imagine a world without technology. A world where a simple lathe would be a miracle. A world where either your moral calculus shifts, or you die. A world where an eight hour work day and a five day work week are luxuries.
I'd rather not. But for 629 pages, I did.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Buckley And Allen
A humorous exchange between two most unlikely people; William F. Buckley and Woody Allen.
Turn down the sound on your speakers. The audio is quite loud.
Turn down the sound on your speakers. The audio is quite loud.
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