Critiquing the rationality of public policy, ruminating on modern life,
and exposing my inner nerd.
Monday, October 29, 2007
The home mortgage crisis: illustrated version
Bubble might be an understatement.
This isn't "performance pay"
One of my favorite features of Paul Krugman's blog is his willingness to look back. In this case, he examines the ridiculous pay packages of CEOs from the perspective of the early 1990s:
Jensen and Murphy, 1990:
On average, corporate America pays its most important leaders like bureaucrats. Is it any wonder then that so many CEOs act like bureaucrats?
So we stopped paying them like bureaucrats, and got this:
The Price of Any Departure Will Be at Least $159 Million
By ERIC DASH
Merrill Lynch’s directors may be weighing E. Stanley O’Neal’s future, but one thing is already guaranteed: a payday of at least $159 million if he steps down.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Rich folks are Republicans
Apparently there's been a misconception floating around about wealth and political party preference. Well, actually it's more like a bold-faced lie by many conservative commentators.
Paul Krugman has the data: rich folks vote Republican and poor folks vote Democratic. This income-related pattern has also become stronger in the past 40 years.
Paul Krugman has the data: rich folks vote Republican and poor folks vote Democratic. This income-related pattern has also become stronger in the past 40 years.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Unleaded gasoline lowered violent crime by 56%
According to a recently released study, examining the effects of removing lead from gasoline, unleaded gas substantially reduced lead poisoning in children. Because lead poisoning is linked to more aggressive behavior is linked to violent crime, the study finds a substantial reduction in violent crime associated with the removal of lead from gasoline.
This is in addition to the substantial reduction in violent crime from the legalization of abortion.
It's crazy how things are linked together...
This is in addition to the substantial reduction in violent crime from the legalization of abortion.
It's crazy how things are linked together...
Global warming: think thirsty
One of the excellent, in-depth stories from the NY Times examines an often overlooked consequence of global warming and population growth - decreasing water availability.
When Binney and I met at Dillon Reservoir, he brought graphs of Colorado River flows that go back nearly a thousand years. “There was this one in the 1150s,” he said, tracing a jagged line downward with his finger. “They think that’s when the Anasazi Indians were forced out. We see drought cycles here that can go up to 60 years of below-average precipitation.”For the 30 million people that depend on the Colorado River, that's no laughing matter. The story goes on to discuss how water use in the United States is decreasing, but not nearly fast enough to prepare for inevitable battles between states and regions for the precious resource.
Friday, October 19, 2007
That's the point
In response to the climate change bill introduced in the U.S. Senate, proposing greenhouse gas reductions of 65% from 2005 levels by 2050, the CEO of the American Chemistry Council had this to say:
The bill would "turn energy markets upside down, causing massive reductions in coal usage and enormous increases in natural gas and renewable fuels usage."Yes.
Attorney General candidate Mukasey: thumbs down
Mukasey's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee went off the deep end yesterday:
But the whole reason for forming the United States, independent of Britain, was to gain relief from arbitrary exercise of power - power exercised outside the definition of law. Read the grievances in the Declaration of Independence - it's almost entirely a list of King George's exercise of arbitrary power.
The next attorney general needs to have enough respect for law to believe the President is beneath it. That's clearly not Mukasey.
He suggested that both the administration’s program of eavesdropping without warrants and its use of “enhanced” interrogation techniques for terrorism suspects, including waterboarding, might be acceptable under the Constitution even if they went beyond what the law technically allowed.Technically? Let's look at the Constitution, Article 6:
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the LandThe article in question may or may not apply to exactly the kind of "extralegal" behavior of President Bush, but its ambivalence doesn't exonerate him (its focus was on superseding state laws and constitutions).
But the whole reason for forming the United States, independent of Britain, was to gain relief from arbitrary exercise of power - power exercised outside the definition of law. Read the grievances in the Declaration of Independence - it's almost entirely a list of King George's exercise of arbitrary power.
The next attorney general needs to have enough respect for law to believe the President is beneath it. That's clearly not Mukasey.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Are Congressional Republicans that ashamed of the Constitution?
In response to legislation curtailing the warrantless wiretapping and other illegal surveillance techniques used by President Bush's administration, many Congressional Republicans have expressed dismay:
The measure "extends our Constitution beyond American soil to our enemies who want to cut the heads off Americans," said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.).I thought that Iraq represented an opportunity to spread democracy and American political values beyond our borders. So why would we be ashamed to extend our Constitution - the enumeration of our values - beyond American soil?
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Best Way to Reduce Abortion? Legalize It.
An interesting story from the Minnesota Monitor looks at the data on abortions from the developed and developing world and finds that countries with more open and legal abortions have fewer of them.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Reagonomics works!
From the Onion:
And for those who care to analyze faux news, if Mr Kellener had invested that $10 from 1981 in an index fund with an average annual return of 10%, he'd currently have $119.
Twenty-six years after Ronald Reagan first set his controversial fiscal policies into motion, the deceased president's massive tax cuts for the ultrarich at last trickled all the way down to deliver their bounty, in the form of a $10 bonus, to Hazelwood, MO car-wash attendant Frank Kellener.The best part is the faux analysis:
"Had Mr. Kellener received that money in 1981, like the Democrats wanted, it would only be worth $4.24 today because of inflation," Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. said during an official announcement of the economic policy's success at a press conference Monday.The sad part is that while the Onion's numerical mysticism is tongue-in-cheek, this kind of game-playing often isn't. The Defense Department recently announced that sectarian violence in Iraq was down because people shot in the front of the head were considered "criminal deaths" whereas back-of-the-head hits were called "sectarian."
And for those who care to analyze faux news, if Mr Kellener had invested that $10 from 1981 in an index fund with an average annual return of 10%, he'd currently have $119.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Fish dinner with a side of history
We dined with my parents a couple weeks ago and had fish, a not particularly regular occurrence. Usually if we do, it's salmon, but this was breaded fish so Dad brought out the tartar sauce to complement the meal.
Exactly.
An examination of the bottle found this on the label:
The fish was delicious. Without sauce.
Aside: I used to love tartar sauce, but I think it lost its appeal when I realized it was made of mayo and relish, two things I used to despise. Mayo is cool now. Relish: no.At any rate, when Dad set the tartar sauce bottle on the table, there was something...familiar about it. The brand? The label? And how could it look familiar, anyway, we haven't had tartar sauce in years!
Exactly.
An examination of the bottle found this on the label:
BEST IF SOLD BY NOV 1997Of course it was familiar. I still lived at home then and this was the same tartar sauce. 40 million Americans have been born since this tartar sauce was sold.
The fish was delicious. Without sauce.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Humpdty Dumpty
The Humpdty-Dumpty administration
“This government does not torture people,” the president said
‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,’ it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.’
‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’
‘The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master - that’s all.’
Thursday, October 04, 2007
U.S. Foreign Policy: Not Really About Democracy
This analysis of the situation in Burma (by one of my favorite political writers, Eric Black) notes that both humanitarian and democratic causes would be well-served by U.S. intervention. Additionally, many politicians and Americans believe that (and say that) American overseas intervention is on the principle of spreading democracy abroad:
Not to mention, the political grandstanding about "democracy" (after the uncovering of lies about WMD) have eroded people's belief in the U.S. as a benevolent democracy-spreader.
The history of U.S. wars and covert interventions, and their relationship to democratization, plus the long-standing close alliances between Washington and some of the world's most repressive regimes do not lend much credibility to this nostrum.As much as the author is critical of current U.S. foreign policy priorities, he's not necessarily in favor of a military intervention in Burma.
...Pres. Bush spoke of the universal longing for democracy, of the benefits to the U.S. of the spread of democracy in areas of terrorist operations, and of the (historically fairly silly) claim that democracies don't start wars. (In the post-World War II era, the United States has started far more wars than any other nation.)
The history of such U.S. invasions, proxy wars (and covert overthrows, don't forget those) includes too many instances of the United States overthrowing (or helping overthrow) democratic governments (in Iran in 1953, Guatemala in 1954, Congo in 1960, and Chile in 1973, to name four of the best documented cases), then establishing long, close friendships with the dictators that replaced them.Many of these cases came about during the Cold War, when U.S. intervention was defended on the basis of anti-communism. The parallels to Iraq (under the guise of anti-terrorism) are a little frightening.
Not to mention, the political grandstanding about "democracy" (after the uncovering of lies about WMD) have eroded people's belief in the U.S. as a benevolent democracy-spreader.
When the Pew Global Attitudes Project conducted 45,239 interviews in 47 nations this year, they asked respondents to choose between these statements:
In 46 of the 47 nations the second answer was the majority or plurality winner...In 38 of the nations, fewer than 30 percent believes the U.S. favors democracy for all. In Britain, only nine percent, in Germany, four; in France, three.
- The United States promotes democracy wherever it can or
- The United States promotes democracy mostly where it serves its interests.
Not even Americans drink the Kool-Aid.
Thirty percent of U.S. respondents agreed with the statement that the U.S. promotes democracy for everyone and for democracy's own sake; 63 percent said no, only when it serves the U.S. interests.Sad.
Extend your wireless router range for $1
Courtesy of freeantennas.com (which is currently experiencing heavy traffic) and Lifehacker, this wireless range extender (a.k.a. cardstock and aluminum foil) can get you much better wireless range from your home router.
Here's a video tutorial:
Assembly Instructions:
Here's a video tutorial:
Assembly Instructions:
- Download Template (the image below)
- Open in MS Paint or other simple image editor and resize as desired (As is it will increase signal by 9dB. Twice the size will get you 12dB). Ensure that you keep the square on the diagram square.
- Print image on business card stock or acetate (document protector).
- Cut it out and open the six slots with scissors or an X-Acto knife.
- Glue tin foil to the back side of the reflector surface
- Assemble by placing the six tabs in the six slots.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Great leadership from the GOP
The moderate Republicans in Congress claim to care about the American people's dissatisfaction with the Iraq conflict, but what do they do?
Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, along with Minnesota's Norm Coleman, North Carolina's Liddy Dole and Tennessee's Lamar Alexander, drafted a bold new plan that would move our troops into a new support role in Iraq, while demanding that we begin a drawdown of American troops.The article looks no further than the re-election battles these bold senators face in 2008 for his rationale.In 2009.
There's your "tax and spend," tightwad
Paul Krugman blogs that it only took conservatives 30 years to realize that Democrats are more fiscally responsible than Republicans.
Duh.
Duh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)