The politburo chose Comrade Morning Joe to begin the anti-Palin attack. Makes sense. Nearly everyone else is on the Fox payroll and Comrade General Secretary Comrade Murdoch will never allow dissension in his ranks. We know what happened when Comrade Political Secretary Comrade Rove lifted Christine O'Donnell's skirt just enough to show her cloven feet to his TV audience. Palin brings in too much hard currency to permit Fox-based criticism. Even a mild tongue cluck in defense of Hero of the Revolution Comrade Ronald Reagan would be inappropriate.
So, the politburo is left with Comrade Scarborough. Maybe they got Peggy Noonan to help hoist him out of the trench. I can see it now: Okay, Comrade, why don't you put down that cup of coffee? Won't be needing it where you are going. Bayonet fixed? Good. Now, big step up and start running toward those Tea-Party-Fox-News guns. Remember, the Politburo will likely cover your back from down here in the trench. We are all very proud of you, Comrade. This heroic action might even win you a Double-Cross.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Oh, Shut Up
The home security company called at 6:24AM. My mother had pressed her medical alarm button. She was in trouble. She needed help immediately.
I pay $308 per year to that private company for 24/7 monitoring. In order to pay their bill, I must first earn $397.29. Here's the breakdown:
After getting the phone call I ran next door to my mothers' house. She was having a stroke. Paramedics arrived ten minutes later. Four men. One only slightly smaller than a beer truck. The men lugged backpacks containing oxygen, a portable EKG, an automated blood pressure cuff, and more. They asked me about my mother's medical history. What medication is she taking? Has she been ill recently? Allergies? What is normal for her? Could she walk unaided? Her left side seems weak; is that recent? Lots of questions. Except one: the paramedics never asked about money. Didn't want to know if she had paid some special ambulance fee. Didn't even ask if she was up to date with her property taxes. They focused only on helping my mother.
The county employees put my mother into a county ambulance and drove her to the hospital on county, state, and federal roads. Most of her hospital care will be paid by Medicare, a federal program. Some expenses will be paid by supplemental health insurance that my mother buys.
Here is a tangible result. Cause and effect. We pay taxes; paramedics show up when we dial 911.
And, now I ask all the loud-mouthed, funny-hatted Tea Partiers about their endless anti-tax whining: What is your plan? Seriously. After you innumerate dolts do your masters' bidding, and shrink government to the point where you can drown it in a bathtub, what will be your plan for sweet old ladies who suffer strokes and need medical help quickly? Please tell me.
I pay $308 per year to that private company for 24/7 monitoring. In order to pay their bill, I must first earn $397.29. Here's the breakdown:
Gross salary: $ 387.29
Federal income tax withholding: -45.70
Social security: -21.56
Medicare: - 4.47
State income tax withholding: - 7.56
======
$ 308.00
After getting the phone call I ran next door to my mothers' house. She was having a stroke. Paramedics arrived ten minutes later. Four men. One only slightly smaller than a beer truck. The men lugged backpacks containing oxygen, a portable EKG, an automated blood pressure cuff, and more. They asked me about my mother's medical history. What medication is she taking? Has she been ill recently? Allergies? What is normal for her? Could she walk unaided? Her left side seems weak; is that recent? Lots of questions. Except one: the paramedics never asked about money. Didn't want to know if she had paid some special ambulance fee. Didn't even ask if she was up to date with her property taxes. They focused only on helping my mother.
The county employees put my mother into a county ambulance and drove her to the hospital on county, state, and federal roads. Most of her hospital care will be paid by Medicare, a federal program. Some expenses will be paid by supplemental health insurance that my mother buys.
Here is a tangible result. Cause and effect. We pay taxes; paramedics show up when we dial 911.
And, now I ask all the loud-mouthed, funny-hatted Tea Partiers about their endless anti-tax whining: What is your plan? Seriously. After you innumerate dolts do your masters' bidding, and shrink government to the point where you can drown it in a bathtub, what will be your plan for sweet old ladies who suffer strokes and need medical help quickly? Please tell me.
Monday, October 11, 2010
freedumb of the press
Had a weird experience with a reporter for a local paper. The set-up is too long to explain, but he ended up interviewing me about how science is funded in the US. I explained that the Department of Defense has, since World War II, supported much of the scientific research in the country including fundamental work performed at universities. My point had more to do with public indifference than questions of war-related vs. peaceful applications of the science. In other countries, government support of technology is often clear. For example, Airbus was created with support from the British, French and German government to challenge American domination of the aircraft industry. The intention was made obvious to everyone. In America, much of the commercial aviation industry has received government help through military contracting. The technology developed for defense applications gets transferred to the civilian side of the industry. We don't debate the suitability of the government support. Maybe it would sound too much like socialism. Similar government (often Department of Defense) support has helped American microelectronics and computer industries, etc.
My company, I told the reporter, manufactures test & measurement equipment, and does contract research including work performed for the US government. Some of that Federal contracting comes from DoD. Our work on lasers could, if successful, lead to better clocks for optical computers and medical diagnostics through analysis of trace chemicals in exhaled breath. Yes, the military would like optical computers and fast medical diagnostic methods, but so would many civilians.
I thought I was clear. Then, I received the following e-mail from the reporter:
Sigh. I hate the oversimplifications -- that I am "forced to exercise this only option" -- and that products not "directly used in acts of violence" are tainted if used by the military. Here is what I wrote in reply:
I thought it a reasonable answer. A few days later the reporter called. He wanted me to again answer his "Do I feel guilty question," but to do it over the phone. I was perplexed because he did not refer to my e-mail. Yes, he verified, he had received the message, but he had been told to get me to also reply by phone. I repeated that I had answered his question by e-mail. He repeated that he had been told to have me answer over the phone. Too weird. My computer was in the lab taking data. I could not get access to my e-mail to re-read exactly what I had written. I again said that I had answered his question by e-mail. He hung up. Maybe I killed the story! That would be good.
My company, I told the reporter, manufactures test & measurement equipment, and does contract research including work performed for the US government. Some of that Federal contracting comes from DoD. Our work on lasers could, if successful, lead to better clocks for optical computers and medical diagnostics through analysis of trace chemicals in exhaled breath. Yes, the military would like optical computers and fast medical diagnostic methods, but so would many civilians.
I thought I was clear. Then, I received the following e-mail from the reporter:
I have one more question I didn't think to ask you when we were speaking: Despite that the state of research in the US dictates that scientific research is largely funded by defense agencies, and that you are seemingly forced to exercise this only option if you are to do any work yourself, do you still feel any sense of guilt that you're receiving defense money to research products that, even though they may not be directly used in acts of violence, are still ultimately used for purposes of war?
Sigh. I hate the oversimplifications -- that I am "forced to exercise this only option" -- and that products not "directly used in acts of violence" are tainted if used by the military. Here is what I wrote in reply:
Thanks for the follow-up question. First, the facetious answer: I'm Jewish and was raised to feel guilty about everything. Now, a serious reply that requires a long answer because morality is never as clear was one wishes.
I see a direct connection between the Federal taxes that I pay and war. I could withhold some portion of my income tax as a way of clearing my conscience. But, I pay my full share because tax evasion would lead to severe consequences for me and my family, with little chance of altering military action. Is that moral cowardice?
If I came up with a new technology for detecting chemical or biological warfare agents, I would definitely accept DoD money to develop that detection method. It could save peoples' lives. If, on the other hand, I thought up a new method for making chemical or biological warfare agents, I would never tell a soul. If I came up with a new way to detect nuclear proliferation, I would accept DoD money to develop that technology. Imagine what it would have meant to be able to refute Condoleeza Rice's "mushroom cloud" warning prior to the Iraq war. If I invented a fast portable method for analyzing head trauma, I would accept military money to develop the technology knowing that it would likely be used in warfare. It could save the lives of soldiers and civilians. If, in contrast, I invented a way of reading peoples' memories, I would shut down my work and move on to something else.
Modern life lived amidst modern technology creates many reasons to feel guilty:You get paid by a newspaper that runs paid advertising for unproven (and, in some cases, disproved) therapies. Do you feel guilty accepting your paycheck?
- The first computer network -- the intranet -- was developed by the military, and the armed forces uses the internet now. Should I disconnect my computer from the web?
- One of the earliest successful commercial jet liners, the Boeing 707, was a civilian version of a jet developed for the air force for aerial refueling. In fact, much of the commercial aviation industry has benefited enormously from military R&D contracts. Should I fly when I travel?
- Technology used for telecommunications satellites and the rockets that launch them also have a military past. Should I disconnect my telephone?
- Laser rangefinders were developed for the military. Should I use one when playing golf?
I am thoughtful about the research contracts that I accept and the possible long-term consequences of the work. So, no, I do not feel guilty nor ashamed of my DoD-supported research. Filling up my car with gasoline is much more troubling.
I thought it a reasonable answer. A few days later the reporter called. He wanted me to again answer his "Do I feel guilty question," but to do it over the phone. I was perplexed because he did not refer to my e-mail. Yes, he verified, he had received the message, but he had been told to get me to also reply by phone. I repeated that I had answered his question by e-mail. He repeated that he had been told to have me answer over the phone. Too weird. My computer was in the lab taking data. I could not get access to my e-mail to re-read exactly what I had written. I again said that I had answered his question by e-mail. He hung up. Maybe I killed the story! That would be good.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
I'm a conservative, but....
The poignant part of this video begins at the seven minute mark. Solid midwesterners talk about their business, jobs, and town all going to hell after Wal-Mart moved in.
The stories are heartbreaking and depressingly emblematic of towns across the country. A generation --sometimes two--of hard work and hometown success are crushed. Success flips to failure within a few months. The cocoon is sliced open. The world outside is ugly, harsh, and brutal.
The people interviewed ruefully express small deviations from Republican ideology:
"I believe in free enterprise, but..."
"I'm not a communist or socialist, but..."
They don't get it. American conservatism and the Republican party exist to protect Wal-Mart and the grandly rich. Nothing else matters. The puppet masters know what to do when the base starts griping about that one inviolate issue. Turn up the propaganda. Make more anger. Create new enemies. Find conspiracies everywhere. Uncover traitors in high places. And, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie.
The stories are heartbreaking and depressingly emblematic of towns across the country. A generation --sometimes two--of hard work and hometown success are crushed. Success flips to failure within a few months. The cocoon is sliced open. The world outside is ugly, harsh, and brutal.
The people interviewed ruefully express small deviations from Republican ideology:
"I believe in free enterprise, but..."
"I'm not a communist or socialist, but..."
They don't get it. American conservatism and the Republican party exist to protect Wal-Mart and the grandly rich. Nothing else matters. The puppet masters know what to do when the base starts griping about that one inviolate issue. Turn up the propaganda. Make more anger. Create new enemies. Find conspiracies everywhere. Uncover traitors in high places. And, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Rand Paul
Why would anyone vote for Rand Paul? The bozo can't even get the first three words in the Constitution, "We the people." He wants a nation dominated by business interests. The common good doesn't exist. Watch the video.
Paul is scary because he sounds so rational. But, of course, he is not. He is even more of a magical realist than Gabriel García Márquez. Rand Paul believes it OK for a mining company to slice the top off a mountain that it owns as long as it doesn't pollute neighboring property. The neighbors are safe because if pollution does cross the property line, then the local judge will get the mining company to stop. This is where pro-business folks from tea baggers up to Chicago school economists always get it wrong. Let's play it out. Assume some state law or local ordinance applies to property contamination by mine tailings. The mine's neighbor goes to a judge asking for help. The judge may tell the mining company to stop operations, clean up the contamination, or give the neighbor money. So, far, we are following Dr. Rand's prescription. Now, though, the train jumps the tracks. What happens if the mining company ignores the judge or, worse, does a half-assed job of cleaning up? Or, what happens if the mining company appeals the judge's decision?
It's easy to imagine the next part of the story because it has happened before. The mining company has enough money to manipulate the justice system. The lone neighbor does not. I'm not talking about bribery. Nothing that blatant. Reality is more perverse, more frustrating, and more unfair. The company stalls and stalls and stalls. There are appeals and delays. The mining company sues the neighbor for defamation or demands repayment for money lost while the mountain removal was halted. Miners are fired because, the company claims, the nasty mean-spirited, selfish bastard of a neighbor forced the sweet, benevolent, innocent mining company to stop work. The mine is likely in a small rural community. Neighbor turns against neighbor.
Pro-business, Kool-Aid drinkers insist that marketplace magic will punish companies that behave badly. Rand Paul says so in the video. The mining company, he claims, wouldn't want to pollute its neighbor. How many examples of bad -- even deadly -- behavior will it take before these fools accept reality? There was Beech-Nut selling fake apple juice for kids and babies. A Federal lab analyzed suspicious samples. The Federal government prosecuted the bad guys. Enron manipulated electric prices in California. Utility bills skyrocketed. The Enron guys were recorded laughing about grabbing money from "Aunt Millie."
Then there's Wall Street's biggest floating crap game in the world. If Rand Paul was in charge, the beautifully self-correcting financial markets would boom and bust, and to hell with everyone. We would now be in Great Depression II while Paul cheerfully channeled Herbert Hoover's ghost.
Rand Paul, teabaggers, and libertarians can't imagine government in the public interest. The biggest issue of our time -- global warming -- lies entirely outside their realm. Paul proves that free markets can't solve the problem. Coal will be mined and burned as long as it is cheap. It's true cost is hidden. We need serious government policy. Hey, Kentucky. Keep your blithering idiots at home.
P.S. Rand Paul complains about money flowing from Kentucky to Washington. Ain't true. The spigot runs in the other direction. Kentucky receives about $1.50 for every dollar paid in Federal taxes. Poor states in general benefit more than do the wealthier states. Truth is ironic. States that have voted Republican do much better than the east and west coast states that elect Democrats. Time for the teabaggers to shut up and go home.
Paul is scary because he sounds so rational. But, of course, he is not. He is even more of a magical realist than Gabriel García Márquez. Rand Paul believes it OK for a mining company to slice the top off a mountain that it owns as long as it doesn't pollute neighboring property. The neighbors are safe because if pollution does cross the property line, then the local judge will get the mining company to stop. This is where pro-business folks from tea baggers up to Chicago school economists always get it wrong. Let's play it out. Assume some state law or local ordinance applies to property contamination by mine tailings. The mine's neighbor goes to a judge asking for help. The judge may tell the mining company to stop operations, clean up the contamination, or give the neighbor money. So, far, we are following Dr. Rand's prescription. Now, though, the train jumps the tracks. What happens if the mining company ignores the judge or, worse, does a half-assed job of cleaning up? Or, what happens if the mining company appeals the judge's decision?
It's easy to imagine the next part of the story because it has happened before. The mining company has enough money to manipulate the justice system. The lone neighbor does not. I'm not talking about bribery. Nothing that blatant. Reality is more perverse, more frustrating, and more unfair. The company stalls and stalls and stalls. There are appeals and delays. The mining company sues the neighbor for defamation or demands repayment for money lost while the mountain removal was halted. Miners are fired because, the company claims, the nasty mean-spirited, selfish bastard of a neighbor forced the sweet, benevolent, innocent mining company to stop work. The mine is likely in a small rural community. Neighbor turns against neighbor.
Pro-business, Kool-Aid drinkers insist that marketplace magic will punish companies that behave badly. Rand Paul says so in the video. The mining company, he claims, wouldn't want to pollute its neighbor. How many examples of bad -- even deadly -- behavior will it take before these fools accept reality? There was Beech-Nut selling fake apple juice for kids and babies. A Federal lab analyzed suspicious samples. The Federal government prosecuted the bad guys. Enron manipulated electric prices in California. Utility bills skyrocketed. The Enron guys were recorded laughing about grabbing money from "Aunt Millie."
Then there's Wall Street's biggest floating crap game in the world. If Rand Paul was in charge, the beautifully self-correcting financial markets would boom and bust, and to hell with everyone. We would now be in Great Depression II while Paul cheerfully channeled Herbert Hoover's ghost.
Rand Paul, teabaggers, and libertarians can't imagine government in the public interest. The biggest issue of our time -- global warming -- lies entirely outside their realm. Paul proves that free markets can't solve the problem. Coal will be mined and burned as long as it is cheap. It's true cost is hidden. We need serious government policy. Hey, Kentucky. Keep your blithering idiots at home.
P.S. Rand Paul complains about money flowing from Kentucky to Washington. Ain't true. The spigot runs in the other direction. Kentucky receives about $1.50 for every dollar paid in Federal taxes. Poor states in general benefit more than do the wealthier states. Truth is ironic. States that have voted Republican do much better than the east and west coast states that elect Democrats. Time for the teabaggers to shut up and go home.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sub Prime
My family took a late-morning, Mothers' Day bike ride with friends in a nearby gated community. Our route passed six golf holes that are part of their two private courses. We saw just two golfers out on a gloriously warm, calm Sunday morning. Only one person was hitting balls on the driving range. I was going to joke about the club members serious devotion to their mothers. Was everyone at brunch eating eggs Benedict and drinking mimosas? But, my friend spoke first: the club's golf finances are not sustainable. Some members advocate abandoning one course. Others, including him, want to admit the public.
I hid my indignation. He expected the public -- me -- to bail out the wealthy who had invested badly. The gated paradise is two golf courses, a swimming pool, exercise facilities, tennis courts, a couple of restaurants, and an equestrian barn. But, there aren't enough residents to pay for it all. Only 1000 houses of 2000 planned have been built. Many are vacant. Some are incomplete haunted houses behind sloppy chain link fence. Rutted driveways hold piles of dirt and sand. A local bank web page lists repos for sale. Six are in the gated community. "As is" prices range from $995,000 to 1,595,000. Who knows how many others are under water. The original development company is in receivership. We were on a bicycle tour of a grandiose real estate disaster. And, the aristocracy might just have to let peasants in to play golf. Schmucks like me will maintain the residents' luxury lifestyle.
Let's talk about the obvious. The rich-folk gated community is an amplified version of the poor bastard sub-prime borrowers. Both bought in to a dream that turned bad. The gated rich, however, deny the similarities. They blame the poor. The upper class perpetrated the big fraud and expected only gains. Losses were for little people. Now, suckers themselves, they are angry and indignant. Imagine the treatment given to the paying public should the golf courses be opened to the world. Our money will be welcomed, and that's it. We will be viewed like the tourists who, for a fee, get to tour stately European estates that remain owned and occupied by nearly broke heirs and heiresses. Every unreplaced divot and unrepaired ball mark will be blamed on the Outsiders. Members will whine about slow play.
I want to see the open golf course plan implemented for one reason: to learn how much the members will charge the public. It will be a great way to measure the rich folks' self image. Several nearby Indian tribes have casino and golf course combinations that include wonderful courses priced around $80. The gated guys will, likely, want to go higher. They think they have more to offer. They don't, except for being nearer to town. Golfers won't pay much extra to save fifteen minutes of time on the road.
More as the story develops.
I hid my indignation. He expected the public -- me -- to bail out the wealthy who had invested badly. The gated paradise is two golf courses, a swimming pool, exercise facilities, tennis courts, a couple of restaurants, and an equestrian barn. But, there aren't enough residents to pay for it all. Only 1000 houses of 2000 planned have been built. Many are vacant. Some are incomplete haunted houses behind sloppy chain link fence. Rutted driveways hold piles of dirt and sand. A local bank web page lists repos for sale. Six are in the gated community. "As is" prices range from $995,000 to 1,595,000. Who knows how many others are under water. The original development company is in receivership. We were on a bicycle tour of a grandiose real estate disaster. And, the aristocracy might just have to let peasants in to play golf. Schmucks like me will maintain the residents' luxury lifestyle.
Let's talk about the obvious. The rich-folk gated community is an amplified version of the poor bastard sub-prime borrowers. Both bought in to a dream that turned bad. The gated rich, however, deny the similarities. They blame the poor. The upper class perpetrated the big fraud and expected only gains. Losses were for little people. Now, suckers themselves, they are angry and indignant. Imagine the treatment given to the paying public should the golf courses be opened to the world. Our money will be welcomed, and that's it. We will be viewed like the tourists who, for a fee, get to tour stately European estates that remain owned and occupied by nearly broke heirs and heiresses. Every unreplaced divot and unrepaired ball mark will be blamed on the Outsiders. Members will whine about slow play.
I want to see the open golf course plan implemented for one reason: to learn how much the members will charge the public. It will be a great way to measure the rich folks' self image. Several nearby Indian tribes have casino and golf course combinations that include wonderful courses priced around $80. The gated guys will, likely, want to go higher. They think they have more to offer. They don't, except for being nearer to town. Golfers won't pay much extra to save fifteen minutes of time on the road.
More as the story develops.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Cogito Ergo Sum, My Ass
Atheists rejoice! The Pythons were right. Rene Descartes was a drunken fart. Trying prove the existence of god, Descartes came up with pathetic weak 2+2=22 nonsense. Start, he said, by trying to imagine the most perfect being. An existing perfect being is more perfect than a non-existing perfect being. Hence, god must exist. WTF? I see Descartes his perfect imaginings and raise a god who reveals himself to all humans, eliminates poverty, and stops war. My imagined god is more perfect than Descartes imagined god. But, mine most obviously does not exist on three of three uberperfections. Three strikes; yer out! Quare patet propositum. NOT!
The perfection-must-exist argument is the best pro-god reasoning that philosophy has produced, and it is flawed, irrational, and -- OK, say it -- just plain stupid.
The perfection-must-exist argument is the best pro-god reasoning that philosophy has produced, and it is flawed, irrational, and -- OK, say it -- just plain stupid.
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