random ramblings

"A tag fell off the underside of my chair today. Here is what it says: “Notice: This article is..."

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:06:27 -0600

“

A tag fell off the underside of my chair today. Here is what it says:

“Notice: This article is manufactured for use in public occupancies and meets the flammability requirements of California Bureau of Home Furnishings Technical Bulletin 133. Care should be exercised near open flame or with burning cigarettes.”

I’m trying to figure out who this warning would help.

First off, the person would have to be lying on the floor. With his head under the chair.

And not on his stomach. On his back. Staring up at the underside of the chair.

Then he’d have to be on the verge of smoking. Not already smoking, because that would be too late. He’d have to be contemplating it.

Then he’d have to be able to read. Not necessarily a given for a guy who spends his spare time with his head lodged under a desk chair.

Then there’s the biggest problem: The warning doesn’t tell the person NOT to smoke. It just says that “care should be exercised.” That’s a lot of discretion to give to a guy who’s already made the decision to smoke with his head lodged under a desk chair.

I’m thinking someone at the California Bureau of Home Furnishings wasted a lot of his time trying to protect a guy that Darwinian law is trying push out of the gene pool.

I’m rooting for Darwin.

”

- Pearls Before Swine

I’ve been reading the blog of Stephan Pastis, the cartoonist who draws Pearls Before Swine. It has both its serious moments and bits like this, which crack me up.

The 100 most-read Bible verses at BibleGateway.com

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:40:04 -0600

The 100 most-read Bible verses at BibleGateway.com

John Cassidy of The New Yorker explains what they are doing: The U.S. government is making a costly...

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:36:36 -0600

John Cassidy of The New Yorker explains what they are doing:

The U.S. government is making a costly and open-ended commitment to help provide health coverage for the vast majority of its citizens. I support this commitment, and I think the federal government’s spending priorities should be altered to make it happen. But let’s not pretend that it isn’t a big deal, or that it will be self-financing, or that it will work out exactly as planned. It won’t.

Many Democratic insiders know all this, or most of it. What is really unfolding, I suspect, is the scenario that many conservatives feared. The Obama Administration, like the Bush Administration before it (and many other Administrations before that) is creating a new entitlement program, which, once established, will be virtually impossible to rescind. At some point in the future, the fiscal consequences of the reform will have to be dealt with in a more meaningful way, but by then the principle of (near) universal coverage will be well established. Even a twenty-first-century Ronald Reagan will have great difficult overturning it.

That takes me back to where I began. Both in terms of the political calculus of the Democratic Party, and in terms of making the United States a more equitable society, expanding health-care coverage now and worrying later about its long-term consequences is an eminently defensible strategy. Putting on my amateur historian’s cap, I might even claim that some subterfuge is historically necessary to get great reforms enacted. But as an economics reporter and commentator, I feel obliged to put on my green eyeshade and count the dollars.

So, to sum up, in the name of an abstraction (“making the United States a more equitable society”) and because it fits their “political calculus,” Obama and Nancy Pelosi are planning to impose upon the country a massively expensive burden that can never be lifted. And they’re lying to us about it (“some subterfuge is historically necessary”).

Cassidy is for ObamaCare. Imagine what he’d say if he were against it.

Best of the Web Today

"Now, jail isn’t a certainty; depending on the infraction, fines are also an option. And, looked at..."

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:35:48 -0600

“Now, jail isn’t a certainty; depending on the infraction, fines are also an option. And, looked at another way, all this really means is that the government continues to retain the authority to lock up those who don’t pay their taxes. But still, this is a stark reminder that when liberals talk about “health care as a right,” what they really mean is “health insurance as a requirement.””

- No Health Insurance? Go Directly to Jail. - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

It’s the last sentence that is astonishingly right. This debate began as a discussion of health care as a right. But the legislation winding its way through the system isn’t about that—it’s about health care as a requirement. As a mandate. As an obligation. It’s not a right to health insurance; it’s the loss of the right not to buy insurance from insurance companies.

I hate the idea of government-provided health care, but in many ways that seems preferable to the product we’re getting. Once again, the Democrats sold out their principles and managed to find something worse than what they originally promised.

(via jeffmiller)

I just doubled my Tumblarity in less than 10 minutes.

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:09:48 -0600

Here’s my tip: start with next to nothing. It makes the gains so much easier.

"Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), laments that “it makes news when Democrats and Republicans do..."

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:00:16 -0600

“

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), laments that “it makes news when Democrats and Republicans do something of substance together and that truly is a shame.” From cable TV news channels, you get the impression of a country not so much politically divided as verging on civil war.

Here’s a solution to that problem: Stop watching cable TV news channels and listening to politicians. Using them as a gauge of how divided we are is like using the National Hockey League to estimate the level of violence in America.

Most Americans aren’t rabid liberals or fanatical conservatives. Gallup recently found that more people call themselves conservative than liberal or moderate. But other polls contradict it. According to a 2008 survey by the National Opinion Research Center, when you give them more options—extremely liberal, liberal, slightly liberal, moderate, slightly conservative, conservative, or extremely conservative—you find that the largest ideological group is moderates, with 37.3 percent compared to 34.5 percent for the three conservative groups combined.

Add up the moderates and those who are only slightly liberal or slightly conservative and those who don’t know—those clustered in the middle of the road—and you’ve got about two-thirds of the citizenry. As political scientists Morris Fiorina of Stanford’s Hoover Institution and Samuel Abrams of Harvard put it, “the American electorate in 2008 is much better described as centrist than polarized.”

”

- America Only Seems Polarized - Reason Magazine

The Double Standard About Bias in Journalism - Reason Magazine

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:49:13 -0600

The Double Standard About Bias in Journalism - Reason Magazine

237 millionaires in Congress - POLITICO.com

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:59:11 -0600

237 millionaires in Congress - POLITICO.com:

Which is more shocking, 237 millionaires in Congress, or Joe Biden’s net worth of 27k?

Man Stabbed Self To Keep Job - November 3, 2009 Meet Aaron...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:07:32 -0600

Man Stabbed Self To Keep Job - November 3, 2009

Meet Aaron Siebers. The 27-year-old Denver man, a Blockbuster employee, was skateboarding yesterday afternoon when he fell and ripped his uniform pants. Due to work last night—and concerned about getting “written up” by Blockbuster superiors for not wearing his work-issued khakis—Siebers came up with a harebrained idea. Instead of just calling in sick, he stabbed himself in the leg and showed up at work claiming to have just been attacked by three Hispanic males. Siebers, who told cops he was assaulted as he walked toward the Blockbuster in Edgewater, had a deep stab wound in one leg and several other minor cuts on his face and stomach. As investigators began hunting for the assailants, they reviewed surveillance video from outside a Target store where Siebers claimed the attack occurred. The footage, however, showed no such assault. Confronted by cops, Siebers, pictured in the below mug shot, admitted that he had stabbed himself. He told investigators about the skateboarding accident, the resulting ripped pants, and how “he did not want to lose his job so he stabbed himself in the leg,” according to an arrest affidavit sworn by Officer Shawna Naumann. As a result, Siebers was named in a criminal complaint charging him with filing a false report and obstructing police, both misdemeanors.

"You Can’t Produce a Baby in One Month by Getting Nine Women Pregnant"

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:02:50 -0500

“You Can’t Produce a Baby in One Month by Getting Nine Women Pregnant”

- Warren Buffett: New York Magazine

Indeed.

(In case you missed it in the metaphor, that’s why it is going to take some time for the economy to turn around.)

New York vote becomes battle for Republican Party’s future...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:51:11 -0500

New York vote becomes battle for Republican Party’s future - Telegraph

Doug Hoffman. Forget the debate about whether he’s far enough or too far right. My question is who decided this was the right picture to use in his aim to be elected?

"The first Polimotor, a clone of the Ford Pinto 2.3-liter 4-cylinder, used plastic for the block,..."

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:02:03 -0500

“

The first Polimotor, a clone of the Ford Pinto 2.3-liter 4-cylinder, used plastic for the block, piston skirts, connecting rods, oil pan and most of the cylinder head. Bore surfaces, piston crowns and combustion-chamber liners were iron or aluminum. The crankshaft and camshaft were standard metal components.

Shortly after Mr. Holtzberg’s first engine successfully ran, an article in Automotive Industries, a trade magazine, inquired, “What…a Plastic Engine?” Two years later, Popular Science featured a Polimotor on its cover. By then, Mr. Holtzberg had progressed to a second-generation 300-horsepower design weighing 152 pounds; a stock Pinto engine made 88 horsepower and weighed 415 pounds.

To prove that his plastic powerplant was durable, Mr. Holtzberg campaigned a Lola racecar in the International Motor Sports Association’s Camel Lights series. Amoco Chemical provided financial backing to promote its Torlon plastic resin. The only mishap during half-a-dozen 1984 and 1985 races was the failure of a connecting rod, a part purchased from an outside supplier.

”

- Technology - Plastic Engines Could Help Cars Lighten Up - NYTimes.com

The Way We Live Now - Going Offline in Search of Freedom - NYTimes.com

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:58:08 -0500

The Way We Live Now - Going Offline in Search of Freedom - NYTimes.com

Jobs Said to be Gained vs Actually Gained

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:15:09 -0500

State   Estimated Change in Jobs Through December 2010 Actual Change in Jobs Through September 2009
Alabama +52,000 -33,600
Alaska +8,000 -2,900
Arizona +70,000 -77,300
Arkansas +31,000 -16,000
California +396,000        -336,400
Colorado +59,000 -58,900
Connecticut +41,000 -35,900
Delaware +11,000 -9,500
District of Columbia +12,000 -4,000
Florida +206,000        -165,100
Georgia +106,000        -131,900
Hawaii +15,000 -17,000
Idaho +17,000 -11,300
Illinois +148,000        -148,900
Indiana +75,000 -54,200
Iowa +37,000 -25,800
Kansas +33,000 -45,400
Kentucky +48,000 -42,300
Louisiana +50,000 -34,500
Maine +15,000 -12,300
Maryland +66,000 -25,800
Massachusetts +79,000 -38,600
Michigan +109,000        -137,300
Minnesota +66,000 -56,100
Mississippi +30,000 -14,400
Missouri +69,000 -38,000
Montana +11,000 -3,500
Nebraska +23,000 -11,700
Nevada +34,000 -33,800
New Hampshire +16,000 -12,000
New Jersey +100,000        -55,600
New Mexico +22,000 -17,800
New York +215,000        -111,800
North Carolina +105,000        -75,600
North Dakota +8,000 +1,800
Ohio +133,000        -97,500
Oklahoma +40,000 -39,500
Oregon +44,000 -40,000
Pennsylvania +143,000        -103,200
Rhode Island +12,000 -8,500
South Carolina +50,000 -16,000
South Dakota +10,000 -4,400
Tennessee +70,000 -48,300
Texas +269,000        -225,300
Utah +32,000 -32,500
Vermont +8,000 -2,900
Virginia +93,000 -47,000
Washington +75,000 -65,900
West Virginia +20,000 -12,700
Wisconsin +70,000 -61,000
Wyoming +8,000 -10,500
Total +3,460,000      -2,704,600

Rep. Dave Camp calls stimulus a failure : News : WEYI NBC25

Presidential Approval Ratings -- Gallup Historical Statistics and Trends

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:32:46 -0500

Presidential Approval Ratings -- Gallup Historical Statistics and Trends

via gallup.com

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:47:48 -0500

via gallup.com

Conservatives Maintain Edge as Top Ideological Group

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:02:11 -0500

Conservatives Maintain Edge as Top Ideological Group:

Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.

[…]

In addition to the increase in conservatism on this general ideology measure, Gallup finds higher percentages of Americans expressing conservative views on several specific issues in 2009 than in 2008.

Perceptions that there is too much government regulation of business and industry jumped from 38% in September 2008 to 45% in September 2009.
The percentage of Americans saying they would like to see labor unions have less influence in the country rose from 32% in August 2008 to a record-high 42% in August 2009.
Public support for keeping the laws governing the sale of firearms the same or making them less strict rose from 49% in October 2008 to 55% in October 2009, also a record high. (The percentage saying the laws should become more strict — the traditionally liberal position — fell from 49% to 44%.)
The percentage of Americans favoring a decrease in immigration rose from 39% in June/July 2008 to 50% in July 2009.
The propensity to want the government to “promote traditional values” — as opposed to “not favor any particular set of values” — rose from 48% in 2008 to 53% in 2009. Current support for promoting traditional values is the highest seen in five years.
The percentage of Americans who consider themselves “pro-life” on abortion rose from 44% in May 2008 to 51% in May 2009, and remained at a slightly elevated 47% in July 2009.
Americans’ belief that the global warming problem is “exaggerated” in the news rose from 35% in March 2008 to 41% in March 2009.

Gallup has not recorded heightened conservatism on all major social and political views held by Americans. For instance, attitudes on the death penalty, gay marriage, the Iraq war, and Afghanistan have stayed about the same since 2008. However, there are no major examples of U.S. public opinion becoming more liberal in the past year. (Gallup’s annual trends on healthcare will be updated in November, so those attitudes are not included in this review.)

The conservative shifts discussed here result as much from changes in political independents’ views as from changes in Republicans’ views. Democrats’ views, by contrast, have generally changed only slightly — either to the conservative or liberal side — with two exceptions: Gallup finds greater movement in Democrats’ views of abortion, which have become more liberal, and their views of labor unions, which have become more conservative.

"Obama very soon is going to have to make a tough choice, far tougher than his current “present”..."

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:45:44 -0500

“

Obama very soon is going to have to make a tough choice, far tougher than his current “present” votes on the option of sending additional troops to Afghanistan.

As the midterm elections near, and his popularity bobs up and down around 50 percent, Obama can do one of two things.

He could imitate Bill Clinton’s 1995 Dick Morris remake. In Obama’s case, that would mean, abroad, cutting out the now laughable apologies for his country, ceasing to court thugs like Ahmadinejad, Chávez, and Putin, keeping some distance from the U.N., and paying closer attention to our allies like Britain and Israel. At home, he could declare victory on his sidetracked agenda and then start over by holding spending in line, curbing the deficit, stopping the lunatic Van Jones-style czar appointments, courting the opposition, and tabling cap-and-trade. I think there is very little chance of any of the above, whatever voters may have thought during the campaign.

Or, instead, Obama could hold the pedal to the floor on the theory that, as a proven ideologue, he must move the country far left before the voters catch on and stop him in his tracks in November 2010. That would mean more of the “gorge the beast” effort to spend and borrow so much that taxes have to soar, and thus redistribution of income will be institutionalized for a generation. He would push liberal proposals no matter how narrow the margin in the Senate. He would keep demonizing Fox News. In Nixonian fashion he might continue to hit the stump, ratcheting up his current “they’re lying” message and energizing his left-wing base by catering to the unions, gays, minorities - and liberal Wall Street special interests.

If he chooses the former, he might well be a more successful version of Bill Clinton given that his appetites are far more in check.

But if, as is likely, he chooses the latter, he will polarize the country in a way not seen since 1968, set back racial relations to the 1960s, do to the reputation of big government what LBJ did from 1964 to 1968, and, in the manner of what Jimmy Carter wrought, turn voters off liberal foreign policy for a generation.

”

- America’s Obama Obsession About To End? - CBS News

"Memo to the CIA: You may not be prepared for time-travel, but welcome to 2025 anyway! Your rooms may..."

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:38:10 -0500

“

Memo to the CIA: You may not be prepared for time-travel, but welcome to 2025 anyway! Your rooms may be a little small, your ability to demand better accommodations may have gone out the window, and the amenities may not be to your taste, but get used to it. It’s going to be your reality from now on.

Okay, now for the serious version of the above: In November 2008, the National Intelligence Council (NIC), an affiliate of the Central Intelligence Agency, issued the latest in a series of futuristic publications intended to guide the incoming Obama administration. Peering into its analytic crystal ball in a report entitled Global Trends 2025, it predicted that America’s global preeminence would gradually disappear over the next 15 years — in conjunction with the rise of new global powerhouses, especially China and India. The report examined many facets of the future strategic environment, but its most startling, and news-making, finding concerned the projected long-term erosion of American dominance and the emergence of new global competitors. “Although the United States is likely to remain the single most powerful actor [in 2025],” it stated definitively, the country’s “relative strength — even in the military realm — will decline and U.S. leverage will become more constrained.”

That, of course, was then; this - some 11 months into the future - is now and how things have changed. Futuristic predictions will just have to catch up to the fast-shifting realities of the present moment. Although published after the onset of the global economic meltdown was underway, the report was written before the crisis reached its full proportions and so emphasized that the decline of American power would be gradual, extending over the assessment’s 15-year time horizon. But the economic crisis and attendant events have radically upset that timetable. As a result of the mammoth economic losses suffered by the United States over the past year and China’s stunning economic recovery, the global power shift the report predicted has accelerated. For all practical purposes, 2025 is here already.

Many of the broad, down-the-road predictions made in Global Trends 2025 have, in fact, already come to pass. Brazil, Russia, India, and China — collectively known as the BRIC countries — are already playing far more assertive roles in global economic affairs, as the report predicted would happen in perhaps a decade or so. At the same time, the dominant global role once monopolized by the United States with a helping hand from the major Western industrial powers — collectively known as the Group of 7 (G-7) — has already faded away at a remarkable pace. Countries that once looked to the United States for guidance on major international issues are ignoring Washington’s counsel and instead creating their own autonomous policy networks. The United States is becoming less inclined to deploy its military forces abroad as rival powers increase their own capabilities and non-state actors rely on “asymmetrical” means of attack to overcome the U.S. advantage in conventional firepower.

No one seems to be saying this out loud — yet — but let’s put it bluntly: less than a year into the 15-year span of Global Trends 2025, the days of America’s unquestioned global dominance have come to an end. It may take a decade or two (or three) before historians will be able to look back and say with assurance, “That was the moment when the United States ceased to be the planet’s preeminent power and was forced to behave like another major player in a world of many competing great powers.” The indications of this great transition, however, are there for those who care to look.

”

- Where The CIA Got It Wrong About The U.S.: The Agency’s Prediction of American Preeminence Disappearing Turns Out To Be Fifteen Years Early

"As a result, Sesame Street became a rarity: a government program popular enough to sustain itself...."

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:47:44 -0500

“As a result, Sesame Street became a rarity: a government program popular enough to sustain itself. The show quickly earned enough money via merchandising to wean itself from the federal teat. Public broadcasters today react to any threat to their funding by raising the possibility that Sesame Street would be forced to fend for itself. But if there’s anything on PBS that can cover its costs independently, it’s Sesame Street.”

- The Way to Sesame Street - Reason Magazine