Idealistic Politics

Logical Extension of Cutting NPRs Funding Due to Juan William's Firing

2010-11-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

The way a significant number of the argument for defunding NPR after the firing Juan William's go something like this: "NPR receives federal funds and therefore violated Juan William's First Amendment Rights by firing him for his comments." Essentially saying that because NPR receives some federal funding, they are a quasi government entity and therefore must follow government personel rules. One website even went on to analyis NPR funding down to what it is indirectly receiving through tax exempt contributions.

It is harder to fire people in the government because there is the fear of politically motivated terminations that would have a chilling effect on government employees. Most private employment is at will and terminations can be for almost any reason. My question is: What if we started treating any entity that receives federal funding as a quasi governmental organization? General Motors? Citibank? Chase? What about Government contractors? Lockheed? Boeing? Worse yet, if you follow WND's analysis of indirect funding through tax benefits, this probably extends to any number of companies including all of Big Oil and Big Ag. Should all of these company be restricted in their ability to fire people because they receive federal funding either directly or indirectly?

This seems to me the logical extension of treating NPR like a quasi governmental organization because it receives federal funding and tax exemptions. To scream for the defunding of NPR because it fired someone over comments made to another media outlet could lead to the exact opposite of what Republicans profess to want. It would severily restrict private industry's ability to conduct its business.

If you want to defund NPR because you think the government should be in the media business that is understandable, but do not use NPR's business decision to fire Juan Williams as an excuse. It could lead down a road that no reasonable person would want.

Mr. Donofri's view on Natural Born Citizens

2010-04-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

This post is in response to Leo Donofrio's article on World Net Daily last week regarding Natural Born Citizenship. Based on my reading of the underlying case law, Mr. Donofrio's discussion of U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898) in support of the notion that children born of foreign nationals is not entirely accurate.

He selectively quotes part of a paragraph from what is an extremely long and detailed decision.

Mr. Donofrio's selection:

That neither Mr. Justice Miller nor any of the justices who took part in the decision of The Slaughterhouse Cases understood the court to be committed to the view that all children born in the United States of citizens or subjects of foreign States were excluded from the operation of the first sentence of the Fourteenth Amendment is manifest from a unanimous judgment of the Court, delivered but two years later, while all those judges but Chief Justice Chase were still on the bench, in which Chief Justice Waite said: "Allegiance and protection are, in this connection (that is, in relation to citizenship), reciprocal obligations. The one is a compensation for the other: allegiance for protection, and protection for allegiance. ... At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children, born in a country of parents who were its citizens, became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or natural-born citizens. ..."

The paragraph as it appears on Lexis:

That neither Mr. Justice Miller, nor any of the justices who took part in the decision of The Slaughterhouse Cases, understood the court to be committed to the view that all children born in the United States of citizens or subjects of foreign States were excluded from the operation of the first sentence of the Fourteenth Amendment, is manifest from a unanimous judgment of the court, delivered but two years later, while all those judges but Chief Justice Chase were still on the bench, in which Chief Justice Waite said: "Allegiance and protection are, in this connection" (that is, in relation to citizenship,) "reciprocal obligations. The one is a compensation for the other: allegiance for protection, and protection for allegiance." "At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children, born in a country, of [*680] parents who were its citizens, became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or [***902] natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners. Some authorities go further and include as citizens children born within the jurisdiction, without reference to the citizenship of their parents. As to this class there have been doubts, but never as to the first. For the purposes of this case it is not necessary to solve these doubts. It is sufficient, for everything we have now to consider, that all children, born of citizen parents within the jurisdiction, are [**469] themselves citizens." Minor v. Happersett, (1874) 21 Wall. 162, 166-168. The decision in that case was that a woman born of citizen parents within the United States was a citizen of the United States, although not entitled to vote, the right to the elective franchise not being essential to citizenship.

The court did not define "natural born citizen" as only children born in the US of US Citizens. It states that is has never been in question, but that there have been questions whether children born of forereign parents in the US are natural born citizens. The court also states they are not resolving that question.

The court states earlier that at Common Law in effect at the time the adoption of our Constitution, children born of foreign parents were considered natural born subjects/citizens, and that as of this desion, that common law rule continued to prevail:

It thus clearly appears that by the law of England for the last three centuries, beginning before the settlement of this country, and continuing to the present day, aliens, while residing in the dominions possessed by the Crown of England, were within the allegiance, the obedience, the faith or loyalty, the protection, the power, the jurisdiction, of the English Sovereign; and therefore every child born in England of alien parents was a natural-born subject, unless the child of an ambassador or other diplomatic agent of a foreign State, or of an alien enemy in hostile occupation of the place where the child was born.

III. The same rule was in force in all the English Colonies upon this continent down to the time of the Declaration of Independence, and in the United States afterwards, and continued to prevail under the Constitution as originally established. 169 U.S. 649 at 658.

Further, at 674-675, the court states:

Passing by questions once earnestly controverted, [**467] but finally put at rest by the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, it is beyond doubt that, before the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 or the adoption of the Constitutional [*675] Amendment, all white persons, at least, born within the sovereignty of the United States, whether children of citizens or of foreigners, excepting only children of ambassadors or public ministers of a foreign government, were native-born citizens of the United States.
V. In the fore front, both of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, and of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the fundamental principle of citizenship by birth within the dominion was reaffirmed in the most explicit and comprehensive terms.

The Common Law of England was the law of our nation at the time of the adoption of the Constitution and has only been changed through legislative action and subsequent court decisions. It is should be noted that though the Court does not explicitly say that Ark was a natural born citizen, nor does it explicitly state that natural born citizens are limited to those born in US of US citizens. It merely states children born of foreigners within the bounds of the US are citizens. The questions of "natural-born citizenship" was not before the Court. Neither Minor or Ark state only children born in the US of US citizens are natural born citizens. However, the court in Ark seems to imply that at Common Law in place at the time of decision and the signing of the Constitution granted natural-born status to children born in the US to foreigners.

With regards to the translation of Mr. Vattel's "Law of Nations" stating that "The natives, or natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens." The Ark court specifically addressed the belief that the citizenship of children follow their parents. At pg 666-667, the Court specifically found that there was not such a law of nations at the time of the adoption of the constitution or the 14th Amendment: "There is, therefore, little ground for the theory that, at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, there was any settled and definite rule of international law, generally recognized by civilized nations, inconsistent with the ancient rule of citizenship by birth within the dominion." It is up to individual nations to determine their citizenship rules, so Mr. Vattel's statement has little bearing. I would also note that Mr. Donofrio's reliance on Chief Justice Marshall's adoption of Mr. Vattel's language in The Venus, 12 U.S. 253, 289 (1814), is perhaps misplaced as the Chief Justice was writing in concurrence, and his adoption of Mr. Vattel's language was not the decision of the court, a fact that is not noted. Mr. Vattel is also mentioned by the dissenting Justice in Ark, not by the majority.

The arguments in Mr. Donofrio's article are weak and a complete mischaracterization of the decisions in Minor, Ark, and The Venus. None of these cases stand for the proposition that a child born in the US of foreign parents is not a natural born citizen and raise good arguments for the opposite proposition, that any child born in the US, regardless of parentage, is a natural born citizen of the United States.

National Popular Vote Update

2009-05-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, today has just turned into revisit old postings. It is not like President Obama named his choice to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court this week or anything.

Back in 2008 I had a discussion about the National Popular Vote Movement.

For a quick review: this is basically a movement towards a popular vote system without amending the Constitution. Individual states pass laws that require their electoral votes to be given to the winner of the national popular vote for President. Once this has passed in the number of states equallying 270 electoral votes, it will effectively make the Electoral College meaningless. Click here for a link to the website.

Current Status:

5 States have passed a measure into law. (Total of 60 Electoral Votes)

5 Have passed it in both houses of the legislature.

8 Have passed it in one house of the legislature

7 Have passed committee

8 Have had hearings

15 Have introduced bills

2 Are currently drafting bills

We will see what happens. I still am not sure whether this is the best idea, but I believe the constitutional implications of enough states passing measures like this will be unique.

Why we have National Parks...again

2009-05-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well, back in 2007, I posted this about National Parks. I have been doing some more traveling since then and here are some more beautiful shots of lands we have decided are worth protecting from development and resource exploitations:

Bryce Canyon National Park

Zion National Park from Angel's Landing

Canyon Lands National Park

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park

Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park

If you have the chance, I highly sugggest checking them out. All of them have some great back country hiking (I can speak directly to Bryce and Zion), but all can also be seen with day hikes or even from the parking lots.

Is he a natural born citizen?

2009-05-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

That is the question that the extreme right continues to ask, especially the people over at Worldnetdaily.

Basically, it really comes down to is either (a) Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen, is ineligible to be President, and got a number of assorted officials to go along with it; or (b) He and his guys are even sharper than we thought and have managed to keep the extreme right really distracted on basically a nothing issue.

Apparently, having a printed birth certificate certified by the state of Hawaii isn't enough for them. I have to say, if there is another issue to get some of your adversaries to focus on, this is it. Bravo. This has been a headline in one form or another over at Worldnetdaily and other right wing websites since almost as long as I have been checking them out. I am willing to bet that the people on Team O have a brand spanking new "long form" (whatever the hell that is, the one shown looks like a Hawiian version of my birth certificate) birth certificate and are laughing their way all the way to carbon emission caps and universal healthcare.

Soda Tax

2008-12-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting idea that Governor Patterson is suggesting: An 18% tax on sugary drinks to raise some money to help the NYS Budget. There are obvious questions as to what would constitute a taxable drink, but the op-ed brought up some stuff that I had never really thought about; like how for hunger purposes, your body treats soda like water, so after drinking this high calorie drink, you are still hungry and proceed to go eat that high calorie meal. This is what makes soda slightly different than Twinkies or whoppers. It also references the fact that smoking really didn't start dying out until a tax was put on it and that for every 10% tax on cigarettes, there was 3% drop in smoking and 7% drop among teens.

Walk into your child's high school; Is there a vending machine with Twinkies? Is there a Burger King? Is there a Pepsi or Coke Machine? 10 years ago, when I was in High School, the answers were No, No, Yes. I can't imagine that has really changed.

Burn Out

2008-11-21T07:22:00.000-08:00

Like a lot of people, I am buuuuurrrrnnnnneeeed out from the election, so it is break time from Blogging. I will be back soon with such highlights as the Bush Administrations parting gifts.

Voter Turn Out

2008-11-04T11:59:00.001-08:00

So I am glad to hear that there is huge turnout around the country. I am saddened to hear that a lot of polling places in previously low turn out districts are under staffed and having problems with their machines, including not having enough of them. But no matter what, it is incredible that so many people are coming out. It does surprise me in my neighborhood. I live in the most densly populated county in the country and when I went to the polls, only about 10 people had voted in my district as of 2pm. Great for me, short wait, but hopefully it comes up as the afternoon goes on.

Forgive me for my Keith Olbermann moment, but I do have to comment on these reports of people handing out fliers saying things like: "Becuase of such high voter turnout, [Party A]are voting on Tuesday and [Party B] are voting on Wednesday." and "If you (as a student) register to vote at college, you will lose your financial aid" and "If you have unpaid parking tickets, you can't vote." If tell people things like that, or print and hand out fliers saying things like that, you are a Fascist. I don't use that word lightly. In fact I have only ever described one person I know as a Fascist, but if you are going out of your way to convince people that they cannot or should not vote, then you are un-American, un-Democratic, and a Fascist. If you believe that it is better for our country that certain people do not vote, you are a Fascist. If you believe that the otherside has nothing constructive to bring to the debate and to the government, you are a Fascist.

I believe in my point of view and, right now, think it is the correct one. However, I welcome your reasoned and intelligent arguments as to why your point of view is correct. I want you to vote for the people you think are best so that when I vote for the people I think are best, they get to Washington, or Albany, or Sacramento, or Richmond and have reasoned debate to come up with what the Goverment is going to do, for better or for worse. As soon as you start thinking the American people, all of the American people, shouldn't be helping to make the decision on who will help lead this country, you have abandoned the Democratic Ideals that are the basis of our Republican form of government.

If you need any reminder of who we are and where we come from, read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, Democracy in America, The Gettysburg Address. If you haven't read those (at least the first two and last one), it just goes further to show what is wrong with our Education System. Read them, discuss them, respect other points of view, don't discourage people you disagree from voting, encourage those people to vote and discuss their views with them. That is how this country will move forward, how we will move beyond the diversity that has infected this country for the last 30 years, and how we will regain our standing in the world as a leader in democracy, free thought, cooperation, and innovation.

So if you haven't voted yet, your time is running out. Remember, if you don't vote, Anne Coulter and Kieth Olbermann are making your decision for you.

Don't Forget To Vote!!!

2008-11-04T05:40:00.001-08:00

That is all.

Election Predictions

2008-11-03T10:32:00.001-08:00

Everyone else is doing it, so why not me.

1st, we will know by 9:15 eastern who the next President is, that is when the majority of the east coast and Colorado have closed. Once we know Ohio, PA, FL, NC, and CO, we will know who it is (I predict we will know even earlier, but it is possible that the 4-Corners could be the deciding factor).

2nd, I predict Barack Obama with 52% of the popular vote and 321 Electoral Votes.

3rd, Democrats will control the Senate, but only with 57 Senators, not their desired 60.

4th, Democrats will control the House with 254 Congressmen and Congresswomen.

Finally, these are all guesses, just like every other prediction. If I am right on any but the first one, I will be incredibly impressed with myself.

Don't forget to vote!

In other news...

2008-11-02T04:52:00.001-08:00

I got a new "netbook" that I really just want to show off: The Acer Aspire One.

First thing about it, small. The screen is 8.9 inches and the case is 9.8x6.7x1.14 and it weighs only 2.2 lbs. The cashier at Staples didn't believe I was buying a laptop. comes with 1gig ram, 120 gig hard drive, and a 1.6 ghz single core processor. This thing is not going to be breaking any speed records, but I own coats that it could fit in the pocket of. It is almost as fast, has 3 times more memory and twice the ram of my 4 year old 14 lb IBM Thinkpad G40. It comes with an SD drive, 3 USB Ports, serial port, and internal wireless. The battery lasts 3 hours, but you can upgrade it to 6 hours. They even cram an internal webcam and mic above the screen. Best of all, it comes with XP or Linux Lite, no Vista! (note, the Linux version only an 8 gig internal flash drive instead of internal hardrive)

The keyboard is a bit small, but I am actually typing on it right now with little difficulty. It just takes some getting used to. There are no stereo speakers so the best sound comes from the head phones. The touch bad is not surprisingly small and the mouse buttons are on the side, but you get used to it. The screen is small, but it works for me. You don't want to buy this computer for any other reason except you want to use the internet, do some typing, and play music anywhere. Obviously don't buy it for gaming or if you don't travel much. But it is perfect for the person who is always on the road and doesn't want to carry something really heavy around.

And yes, I typed this post on it.

Guilt by Association Continues...

2008-10-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know: Is The Crucible on the list of books Sarah Palin allegedly tried to ban? It is beginning to get a little ridiculous with this whole guilt by Association for Obama. Now they are trying to tie him to Saddam Hussein. Ignore the fact that the US Government basically propped Saddam up and that people close to Reagan, Bush I, Bush II, and McCain have had dealings with Saddam and or his government. We will just stick to the two big ones:
1. William Timmons: "William Timmons, the Washington lobbyist who John McCain has named to head his presidential transition team, aided an influence effort on behalf of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to ease international sanctions against his regime."
2. Donald Rumsfeld: "With the Iran-Iraq war escalating, President Ronald Reagan dispatched his Middle East envoy, a former secretary of defense, to Baghdad with a hand-written letter to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and a message that Washington was willing at any moment to resume diplomatic relations. That envoy was Donald Rumsfeld."

If you are going to attack someone on something, make sure you aren't potentially guilty of the same thing. Another good example of this is accusing the other Candidate of working with a group that might have fraudulently registered voters when you have been paying a guy who rips up voter registration forms or changes the party affiliation on them.

And I thought "Van Palin" was bad

2008-10-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Can't donate to your favorite political campaign? Name your child after the candidates. Even better if you don't tell your spouse.

McCain's Guilt By Association

2008-10-16T06:14:00.001-07:00

If we are going to talk about Obama's associates, we should also talk about McCain's associates.

Apparently, McCain's Presidential Transition Chief worked with other lobbyist on behalf of Saddam Hussein's Government in trying to ease sanctions after the first Gulf War, when Iraq was a Rogue State. The two other lobbyists were convicted of acting as unregistered agents of Iraq.

Is there a Republican who doesn't have connections to the Hussein government?

Ireland's Business Tax

2008-10-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

In tonight's debate, John McCain asked why our business tax is so much higher than Ireland's. My answer? Defense spending. In fiscal year 2008, the United States spent $623 billion on Defense. Something around 36% of our budget. The estimated 2004 international spending outside the US? $500 Billion. In 2001, Ireland spent only $700 million in defense spending. We have higher taxes than the rest of the world because we spend more on "defense" than every other nation in the world.

Palin v. Flyers

2008-10-12T05:18:00.001-07:00

It is obvious to me that Sarah Palin's Handlers are not Hockey Fans and possibly not even sports fans. They sent her into Philadelphia for a Rangers (Who Won!) v. Flyers game. You send a ultra conservative, pro-life, pro-gun woman into one of the most liberal cities in America to attend a Hockey game between two huge rivals in front of some of the rowdiest, meanest, loudest fans in America who are already worked up over a rivalry game. If you aren't liked by Philadelphia Fans, they will not show you any respect. It is no surprise that Sara Palin got deafening boos. That was really just poor judgment on the part of the McCain campaign. Send her to a Avalanche or (maybe) a Red Wings game, but not a Flyers Game.

Bill Ayers

2008-10-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

I really just have to wonder: How many people who were under the age of 10 during the Days of Rage know who Bill Ayers was? For that matter, how many people under the age of 10 during the Days of Rage even know what it was? The only reason I know who he is is because we discussed him in my Civil Disobedience Class in Law School. I know a lot of very educated people, even some from Chicago who had no idea who Bill Ayers was until they heard Sarah Palin talk about him and decided to Google him.

Reading about it and speaking to people about it, I always come back to the same questions:
1. How can you work on serious education reform in Chicago and not cross paths with Bill Ayers?
2. How can you blame a fledgling politician for attending or even having a fundraiser hosted for him by a leader in Education reform in his home town?
3. Does one really expect a community organizer to turn down the chairmanship on and Annenberg Foundation Board?

Yes, Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground did some pretty horrible stuff in Protest of the Vietnam War and to "Bring the War Home;" But since then, he has worked hard on education policy and is an honored citizen of Chicago. Were he now planning attacks to "Bring the War Home" from the rest of the world I would question Barack Obama's judgment in associating with him. I bet Sarah Palin did not know who Bill Ayers was until he was given to her as a talking point and it would not surprise me that Barack Obama did not know who he was until relatively recently.

Trooper Gate

2008-10-10T06:46:00.001-07:00

I heard last night and read today in the NYTimes that Todd Palin answered his interrogatories and that others involved, including the special assistant to the former Public Safety Commissioner of Alaska, are speaking out about how much communication there was between Governor Palin's Office and the PSC's Office. It is estimated that in 19 months, the Governor's Office, the Governor, or the Governor's Husband contacted the PSC's office 36 times regarding the Governor's former brother-in-law, Trooper Wooten.

I had no way of knowing whether Wooten is truly a present threat to the Governor or her family, I just think they went about dealing with it in the wrong way. He went through a nasty divorce with the Governor's sister. There were some allegedly nasty things said, having working in Matrimonial law, I would not be surprised if most of them were true. Divorce can be nasty, it brings out the worst in people. The was evidently enough for a Domestic Violence Restraining order to be filed, but it was quashed because of lack of evidence. The death threat was not even communicated to the target, Governor Palin's Father, until 2 weeks to a month after it happened. The threat was not even communicated to authorities immediately, something most people would do if they thought the threat was credible. If you tell the police 6 months after the death threat is made, they are not going to take it very seriously because they will not believe you took it seriously. Wooten does not seem to be a great person. Internal affairs found that he did threaten his ex-father-in-law's life, illegally shot a moose, drove with an open container in his squad car, and tasered his son. Honestly, with those violations of laws and trooper policy, it would not have been uncalled to either terminate him with cause or request his resignation.

There were other avenues that Governor Palin's family could have pursued without at least the appearance of using the influence of the Governor's Office to get Trooper Wooten fired. I honestly don't have a problem with the Governor's Office requesting that Trooper Wooten not be assigned to events she is attending with her family, but as Governor and a potential national leader, you should be able to deal with your Ex-brother in law. But if the Governor's office got involved beyond a possible threat to the Governor or her family, which there has been no indication of problems since prior to her becoming Governor, it was inappropriate. If there have been problems since, should have been handled through the legal system.

As for the investigation of the dismissal of the Public Safety Commission over his refusal to fire Trooper Wooten, Sarah Palin fed the fire for this investigation. When the legislative investigation began in July, Governor Palin welcomed the probe saying she had nothing to hide and pledged her and her staff's cooperation with the legislature in its investigation. Then she got tapped for McCain's VP. All of the sudden, not 2 days after her and the McCain campaign's most recent statement of cooperation, Governor Palin requested that the personnel board review the dismissal, not the legislature, and directed her lawyer to get the legislature to drop the investigation. That is why we have Trooper Gate. That sent a signal to every blogger, newspaper reporter, and non-republican (and probably some of them too) that something was wrong here. If not actually impropriety, then at least the appearance of it and these people want to know what happened before they decide whether they want Governor Palin one heart beat from the presidency.

The question of whether as Governor, Palin improperly used her influence and fired a man who did not give in, is a valid one and should be investigated. It is not like Bay Buchanan's outrageous suggestion on CNN Election Center last night that there should be investigation into whether Barack Obama was a drug dealer on the streets of Chicago, something of which there is NO indication of anywhere (and if there was, someone would have come forward with it).

Note: Critique me or not, my rendition of what happened or allegedly happened in the Divorce and Investigation of Trooper Wooten came from Wikipedia.

Healthcare like the financial Markets?

2008-09-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is from Paul Krugman:

September 19, 2008, 7:24 pm

McCain on banking and health

OK, a correspondent directs me to John McCain’s article, Better Health Care at Lower Cost for Every American, in the Sept./Oct. issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries. You might want to be seated before reading this.

Here’s what McCain has to say about the wonders of market-based health reform:

Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.

So McCain, who now poses as the scourge of Wall Street, was praising financial deregulation like 10 seconds ago — and promising that if we marketize health care, it will perform as well as the financial industry!

This is a September/October 2008 edition. Check out bottom of the first column on Page 30 of the magazine (Page 3 of the PDF)

Federal Taxes paid v. Benefits received

2008-09-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

So I am sitting here watching McCain talk about how Obama has requested over $900 Million in federal funds for Illinois. (He did not mention whether this was in 2007, 2008, or over his tenure as a Senator). I will take that figure as about accurate because really I am just concerned with how much states pay and how much they receive in federal money. To this end I visited The Tax Foundation website to check out the 2005 numbers. I can't imagine any of the candidates has had much time to get pork for themselves in 2008. Here are the numbers for the 4 state who have candidates in this presidential election:

Taxes Paid Funds received (in Millions)
Alaska $4,830 $9,230
Arizona $35,988 $44,639
Delaware $6,662 $5,495
Illinois $99,776 $80,778

Alaska received $1.84; Arizona recieved $1.19, Delaware received $.77, and Illinois received $.75 for every dollar sent to Washington. Now that is only 2005, the Foundation does not have more recent numbers yet and I don't have time right now to track down more recent numbers. However, the ratios probably have not changed that much. I will find them when I can or if you have a link, please post. If the ratios are still the same, it is really hard for the candidates from receiver states to call out the candidates from donor states on pork.

It might be interesting to take a look at the Ranks in states for money received per dollar paid in federal taxes. You might notice how Red the top is and how blue the bottom is.

Corporate Campaign Contributions

2008-09-17T18:04:00.002-07:00

So there is all this talk about donations by Fannie and Freddie to the Obama campaign. Worldnetdaily.com has Obama taking $126, 349 from EMPLOYEES of Fannie and Freddie based on information from Opensecrets.org. (My research on opensecrets, a fabulous website btw, came up with about $109,000, including every election back until 1992, but whatever). They just seem to forgo mentioning that McCain took money from Fannie and Freddie's employees as well. It was only $17,900 according to my calculations, paltry yes, but still worth mentioning. It kind of gives you a air of credibility as a media outlet when you mention both sides. So here you go, right from John McCain's top contributors and Barack Obama's top contributors:

McCain

Merrill Lynch	$298,413
Citigroup Inc	$269,251
Morgan Stanley	$233,272
Goldman Sachs	$208,395
JPMorgan Chase & Co	$179,975
AT&T Inc	$174,487
Blank Rome LLP	$150,426
Credit Suisse Group	$150,025
Greenberg Traurig LLP	$146,787
UBS AG	$140,165
PricewaterhouseCoopers	$140,120
US Government	$137,617
Bank of America	$129,475
Wachovia Corp	$122,846
Lehman Brothers	$117,500
FedEx Corp	$113,453
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher	$104,250
US Army	$103,613
Bear Stearns	$99,300
Pinnacle West Capital	$97,700

Obama

Goldman Sachs	$691,930
University of California	$611,207
Citigroup Inc	$448,599
JPMorgan Chase & Co	$442,919
Harvard University	$435,769
Google Inc	$420,174
UBS AG	$404,750
National Amusements Inc	$389,140
Microsoft Corp	$377,235
Lehman Brothers	$370,524
Sidley Austin LLP	$350,302
Moveon.org	$347,463
Skadden, Arps et al	$340,264
Time Warner	$338,527
Wilmerhale Llp	$335,398
Morgan Stanley	$318,070
Latham & Watkins	$297,400
Jones Day	$289,476
University of Chicago	$278,885
Stanford University	$276,038

Of note is that McCain's number 1 (employee) contributor is Merrill Lynch, another one of the
companies that recently had a collapse. But basically, it should just be pointed out that both of
these candidates take money from wall street. It is kinda tough for either to accuse the other
of being in bed with Wall Street without admitting their own connections (both took a lot of
money from Lehman Brothers). This is politics and the money is (was) on Wall Street.

I would also point out that:
*McCain has full disclosure of 85.8%, partial disclosure of 3%, and no disclosure of 11.1% of his
contributions.

*Obama has full disclosure of 92.4%, partial disclosure of 1.8%, and no disclosure of 5.8% of his
contributions.

My favorite plays on "I can see Russia from my house"

2008-09-17T18:04:00.001-07:00

"I can see the moon from my house, but that doesn't make me an astrophysicist" -Paul Begala

"I can see the highway from my house, can I be Transportation secretary." -I don't know her name, but she was on Larry King's 9pm show on 9/17/08.

Please add your favorites...

www.mccainpalinvictory2008.com

2008-09-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

Go ahead. Visit the site. You might think it is an political site, but there is no way to get through the intro page without going to the donation website. It does specify that the website is run by the RNC and a few state Republican Committees. But really, what I love about the site is their privacy policy. Go ahead. Read the Privacy Policy.

I might also point out that this site comes up first in Google before www.johnmccain.com when you search for McCain 08.

Polls

2008-09-14T16:33:00.001-07:00

When you get all worked up about the meaning of all of this constant polling just take a look at the chart of the Gallup Daily Presidential Poll. It reads more like two erratic heart beats than any predictor of who is going to win the presidential election. Polls are useful in that they tell the political strategists where they have to focus their efforts in order to win over undecided voters. Yes, McCain got a big bump after the Republican Convention, this will settle out, just as Obama's bigger bump did after the start of the Republican Convention.

In the end, the day before the election, unless something extremely shocking happens, this poll will still read with both candidates in the 40s, probably with a 3-4 point difference between them (flip a coin to see who is in the lead) and this election will be decided by the people Gallup does not call on a daily basis.

Saturday Night Live

2008-09-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

OMG, when the season premier of SNL opened, I swear I wasn't sure if that was Tina Fey or really Sarah Palin replacing Barack Obama as he declined to appear due to the Hurricane. The opening skit will go down as one of the best in SNL history.

Hillary Clinton's 2008 Convention Speech

2008-08-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

I have to say I was very impressed. I thought she did a fantastic job of speaking of her accomplishments, bashing and comparing McCain to Bush, and encouraging her supporters to vote for Obama.

The best part of the speech, which I hope every Hillary Clinton support who has not yet decided to vote for Obama in November reads, was:

"I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?"

I hope her supporters get that message loud and clear. What is important is that you vote for the candidate who has the same goals as you and the person you supported. Barack Obama is that person for Hillary Clinton's supporters. It is not John McCain.

Clean Coal is Sponsoring the CNN Presentation of the Democratic National Convention.

2008-08-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Something is really wrong with that, especially considering donations by Turner Broadcasting (the owner of CNN) Employee donations are considerably lopsided towards the the left, including Ted Turner's $1000 contribution to Barack Obama's campaign.

I guess this is a good sign of media independence, and a sign of a really good marketing strategy on behalf of the Coal Industry. I just hope people who watch the clean coal commercials realize it is not a brain child of the left, but yet another spin by the right to get at the Environmental Vote.

The costs of clean coal are significant and the effects of coal mining still devastate coal country, polluting water supplies and destroying wilderness. The energy needed to clean the waste of carbon is great and there is no way to capture the radiation that is emitted from coal plants, radiation emissions that are actually greater than those emitted from nuclear power plants. Clean coal is not nearly as clean as the coal industry or the Bush Administration would lead you to believe.

FEMA: "Ooops I did it again."

2008-06-11T12:39:00.001-07:00

As if FEMA does not have enough bad press, it was recently revealed that they gave away $85 million of household supplies intended for Katrina Victims becuase there was no need for them in New Orleans. This is despite the fact that they have regular meetings with a Non-profit, UNITY they refer people to for these supplies, a non-profit that tells FEMA all the time it needs. Apparently, when FEMA offered these supplies to the state, an new agency that UNITY had never heard of, said the state didn't need the supplies.

I am just flaberghasted at this. One of the commentators on this article were correct. If FEMA was a private company, heads would roll. I doubt there will even be an insvestigation of what went wrong. I don't think someone was purposely keeping these supplies from Katrina victims, but someone was grossly negligent. Heads should roll for this and some of the takers of the supplies should step up and offer them to UNITY and other non-profits working in New Orleans.

Thanks John

2008-06-09T15:25:00.001-07:00

For the campaign map wiget.

Go visit John at A Lie A Day.

National Popular Vote Update

2008-06-03T08:56:00.001-07:00

The National Popular Vote movement is a movement in state legislatures to drop out of the Electoral College. Since states determine how they distribute their Electors to the Electoral College, it is possible, as Maryland and New Jersey have done, to apportion all of their Electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. See my post about Maryland passing this measure last year. In both Maryland and New Jersey, this will not take effect until states representing at least 270 Electoral Votes pass similar measures. It has already been vetoed in Hawaii and California, but is pending in a number of states either in the legislature or on the Governor's desk. It will be interesting to see if this goes anywhere.

I am not a big fan of it, I prefer a proportional electoral college system where if you win 70 of the popular vote in a state, you get 70% (or a rounded percentage) of the Electoral votes in that state. If there are 10 Electors, you get 7 of them. Interestingly enough, Minnesota and Oklahoma have joined the proportional party with Maine and Nebraska. Too bad solid states like New York, California, Georgia and Texas will never pass a proportional rule for the Electors.

Carbon Belch Day

2008-06-03T07:11:00.000-07:00

This made me puke a little bit in my mouth.

I "Carbon Belch Day" link is blocked through my job, so please tell me this is actually a really really really bad joke. Please, tell me.

Russian Censorship

2008-06-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

This is just a bit scary to read...

The Kremlin is literally erasing opposition from TV. They aren't sending them off to Siberia like the old Communist regime used to do, but they actually took a guest on a talk show who was critical of Putin out of the show when it aired. They didn't cut his scenes, they digitally removed not only his comments but his image. The Kremlin is apparently also keeping basically all opposition off of the television. They even cancelled a rock concert because the band came out in opposition to Putin.

On top of this, Russia has some of the largest oil reserves in the world and are keeping almost as close an eye on it as (if not more than) the Saudi Royal family. Just relish the thought of a world dependent on oil and us muscling for influence with a very large censorship crazy country that controls the taps. Yet another reason why we need to be exporting green technology instead of democracy.

Ownership Society?

2008-05-14T06:49:00.001-07:00

From the President's America's Ownership Society Initiative from the summer of 2004:

Expanding Homeownership. The President believes that homeownership is the cornerstone of America's vibrant communities and benefits individual families by building stability and long-term financial security. In June 2002, President Bush issued America's Homeownership Challenge to the real estate and mortgage finance industries to encourage them to join the effort to close the gap that exists between the homeownership rates of minorities and non-minorities. The President also announced the goal of increasing the number of minority homeowners by at least 5.5 million families before the end of the decade. Under his leadership, the overall U.S. homeownership rate in the second quarter of 2004 was at an all time high of 69.2 percent. Minority homeownership set a new record of 51 percent in the second quarter, up 0.2 percentage point from the first quarter and up 2.1 percentage points from a year ago. President Bush's initiative to dismantle the barriers to homeownership includes:

*American Dream Downpayment Initiative, which provides down payment
assistance to approximately 40,000 low-income families;

*Affordable Housing. The President has proposed the Single-Family Affordable Housing Tax Credit, which would increase the supply of affordable homes;

*Helping Families Help Themselves. The President has proposed increasing support for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunities Program; and

*Simplifying Homebuying and Increasing Education. The President and HUD
want to empower homebuyers by simplifying the home buying process so consumers can better understand and benefit from cost savings. The President also wants to expand financial education efforts so that families can understand what they need to do to become homeowners.

Well, it seems the encouraging the real estate industry and mortgage industry to make homeownership easier has really worked out for us.

UPDATE: Foreclosures are up 65% over this time last year.

Increases in Mass Transit Ridership

2008-05-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

And it seems like just yesterday that my Uncle was complaining that no one uses the Denver Light Rail.

One bright side of the ever increasing price of gasoline is the fact that more and more people are switching to mass transit (where available). There have been modest increases in usage on North Eastern cities such as NY, DC, and Boston where Mass Transit is well established, but some Midwest and western cities are seeing double digit percentage increases in ridership. The Denver Transit is actually reaching capacity during rush hour. (I've ridden the Denver light rail, its is great and every time I have ridden it, I found a seat. In fact I think I laid down.)

Now lets just wait and see how much ridership needs to increase before OPEC gets scared and lowers prices. That seems to be what happens everytime it looks like the West might break its dependence on them.

Al Gore for President?

2008-05-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

August 26, 2008-Denver, CO

The Democratic Race for President has continued to keep the attention of America with a continued close and one might say, “bloody” race between Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton. John Edwards 38 Delegates have turned into the linchpin for the eventual candidate and after four unsuccessful ballots, there has been no winner due to John Edwards holding onto his Delegates. With no change of either candidate winning the nomination without Mr. Edwards’ Delegates the Candidates and party leaders were in closed session until 4 AM attempting to settle the matter once and for all. What came out of that meeting is a shock to the entire party and the nation, prompting an unofficial initial, “Crap” from Senator John McCain.

Facing a deadlock and two candidates who have done all but enter the Octagon and engage in combat, Senators Clinton and Obama, and former Senator Edwards have released their delegates. In addition to this, both Senator Clinton and Senator Obama have withdrawn their names from consideration. What would have caused the Senators not only to release their delegates but also withdraw from the race after months of one of the hardest fought Democratic Primary Seasons in history? The arrival of the Democratic Party’s knight in shinning (yet biodegradable) armor, former Vice President Al Gore.

Al Gore has put his name forward to the convention for consideration as the Democratic Candidate for President. He is now the only candidate up for consideration and will be the Democratic Candidate for President.

This is prompted speculation that this had been the Democratic Plan all along. Let two highly qualified candidates fight it out for months and bloody each other only to have an unscathed and certainly popular candidate come out of no where at the last moment. After McCain’s initial comment his campaign spokesman had this to say:

“This is just another blatant attempt by the so called, “Democratic” Party, to undermine the Democratic Process. First it was not seating delegates from two states and now nominating a candidate who has no delegates who the American people have never had an opportunity to vote for as the Democratic Candidate. They should be ashamed of themselves.”

Strong words from the McCain camp, but one could not help notice the trembling hands of the spokesman while making that statement. This is a completely new race for the Presidency. The next few weeks will tell whether this was one of the greatest political moves of all time, or one of the worst.

Hey, it could happen…

New GI Bill

2008-05-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

It is nice to know that some of our leaders are looking out for our veterans and our economic future.

A new GI Bill has been proposed in Congress that would cover education costs equivalent of state schools in the state that the veteran is living in. As mentioned in Bob Herbert's opinion, this is a fantastic idea. Not only would it give out veterans something to come back to besides families that desparately miss them but it would promote economic growth by putting highly motivated, well educated adults into the work force and would probably be a boost recruitment. College is way too expensive these days and people can use all the help they can get to pay for it.

While proponents say that this would not decrease reenlistment, I have to agree with the opponents that it would. Why stay in the military when you can get out, get and education, and get a good job close to your family? However, as this benefit would likely be a boon for recruitment so that those who do not re-enlist would be more easily replaced.

It still ceases to amaze me that some of our leaders talk about how we need to strengthen America but they do everything they can to hurt the educational opportunities available. Without properly educating our youth we will lose the only comparable advantage we have over much of the world, our innovation, research, and development.

Gas Tax

2008-05-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Suspension of the Gas tax for the summer do little to help people at the pump. The Congressional budge office predicts that it would save maybe $30 per family over the summer. It would have a minimal if any effect on the price of goods (prices have been increasing because of transportation costs) because it is a short term tax break and would be so minimal for truckers. Yes, Obama was (possibly) incorrect that Hillary's plan to suspend the tax for the summer would increase Oil Company profits. However, that still does not mean it will decrease the costs of anything. Sure we won't be paying the gas tax, but oil companies, knowing a tax hit is coming to them would be sure to keep pre-tax prices high in order to retain their profits for their shareholders. Overall, such a short term fix woudl have little or no effect.

I propose a slightly different method. Suspend the diesel tax for a period of at least a year (with a rider that says it will be reinstated if the price drops below a certain set amount). This would have a significant effect on the costs of good becuase it would lower transportation costs and be in effect for long enough to actually affect prices. You could do the same for air plane fuel. The price of truck and airplane transportation has a much greater potential to cause serious harm to our economy than gasoline prices. The high gasoline prices are already causing people to buy new more fuel efficient cars replacing some of the higher fuel cost vehicles. However, if consumer prices continue to rise due to the diesel and airplane fuel costs than people will not even be able to afford more fuel efficient cars.

Something needs to be done, but a short term suspension of the gas tax is not the answer.

North American Leaders Summit

2008-04-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today starts the North American Leader's Summit with the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of Mexico.

I know today is the Pennsylvania Democractic Primary and the first NFL Draft pick has been announced, but seriously, can someone remember to cover this summit? This is a summit to discuss among other things: Passport Cards for traveling across both borders, making it easier to cross borders, making it easier to trade across borders, and possibly discussions of a North American Security Zone and who knows what else because I checked CNN, the NYTimes, the Washington Post, World Net Daily, and The Huffington Post, and no one had anything on it. I had to go to the White House Website to even know it was going on. (In CNN's defense, they did mention it was live on CNN right then, but I can't listen to or view anything from work.)

Yes, there is more to life than the Democratic Primary. If you believe the people over at World Net Daily, the president is trying to form a North American Union and effectively override our Constitution.

Curse-o-meter

2008-04-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'm from the North East; we don't cuss, we curse.

Created by OnePlusYou

The State of the Union

2008-01-29T07:03:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I will admit, I did not watch the State of the Union last night. I stopped watching it about 3 years ago because I just could not handle it. I did however start browsing the transcript this morning. The usual, "Really?" response to a bunch of it, but then I came across this:

"America is leading the fight against global hunger. Today, more than half the world's food aid comes from the United States."

I immediately got in an uproar because the fact that so much food aid comes from the US is one of the problems in the developing world. US Food Aid is required by statute to be bought from US producers. This helps our agriculture but undercuts the agriculture in the developing world as well as increases costs of transportation; not to mention the burning of fossil fuels.

So I should read further because after the (APPLAUSE) text break on Washingtonpost.com I read:

"And tonight, I ask Congress to support an innovative proposal to provide food assistance by purchasing crops directly from farmers in the developing world, so we can build up local agriculture and help break the cycle of famine."

OMG! Something I agree with Bush on! Now if it does happen, lets just hope they don't screw it up by adding on requirements like; 1. Buying Ford Tractors 2. Buying American Chemical Fertilizers 3. Growing crops that aren't really meant for your climate. Lets makes sure we really help the developing world develop a sustainable agriculture. Let them grow indiginous foods. Teach them about crop rotation (which they probably forgot about because we made them buy our fertilizers). Sustainable agriculture is the basis for any meaningful economic development to occur.

There are times to protest...

2007-11-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

And there are times not to.

A funeral for a dead soldier is not the time to protest with signs that say, "Thank God for IEDs." That is just wrong.

I want people to be able to protest the war, but have some respect for the dead. If you want to blame the war on homosexuals, protesting a military funeral is really not hitting your target audience thanks to don't ask don't tell.

2008 Presidential Election

2007-10-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Roland Martin has got it right.

People need to pay attention to politics, especially the 2008 Presidential Election next year. We get too distracted with our IPODs, XBox 360s, Fantasy Football Teams, and the latest Paris Hilton exploits; things that in the long term really won't matter.

What really has always struck home with me about how important this next election is, is the fact that the next President could appoint as many as Three Supreme Court Justices. This could radically change the makeup of the Court for the next 30 years or so. Think about the issues that are important to you, and what kind of Court you would like to see making the decisions. Then think about which Candidates will nominate those types of Justices.

Why we have National Parks

2007-08-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

People sometimes ask why we spend so much money on preserving our National Park Lands. Aside from the fact that they help create oxygen for us to breath and collect water for us to drink, here are two reasons:

Also, were it not for our funding to National Parks, this Helicopter would not have been able to fly into the middle of a Canyon in Kings Canyon National Park and evacuate a Boy Scout Master who had broken his ankle:

I will also give a nob to the Boy Scouts. While I do not agree with all of their views, they did a great job with this group who was able to carry their 200 lb Scout Master down a mile of granite off trail to where the helicopter could pick him up. Unfortunately for them, they still had a two day hike back to civilization while their leader was likely in operating room withing 4 hours.

So next time you are concerned about spending on National Parks, look at these pictures and think about that man who was saved because of our National Park system's search and rescue program.

My Personality is Rare

2007-07-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant.

Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men
You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

The Bar

2007-07-16T19:36:00.001-07:00

No, not the type that you hang out with your friends at, the type that comes in exam form. As I am getting ready to take the exam in just over a week, I thought I would reflect on some of my observations about law school and the legal profession.

1. The bar exam you will ever have to take where a 60% is good enough. So really that is saying, "Well really you just need to know enough to get yourself into trouble so one of the older, wiser attorneys can save your behind and call it mentoring."
2. Your score on the legal ethics exam is relative to the other people taking the exam. You do not have to be really ethical than an attorney, just more ethical than the other guy.
3. Law school makes people more conservative. For me that was ok, I was probably too fiscally liberal. Now I agree with conservatives that we need to cut spending, I just want to cut spending in different places, like oil subsidies and requiring that US AID food be bought from American farmers (which by the way is more expensive, costs more to transport to countries receiving food aid, and drives down the price that farmers in those countries receive for their produce), and you know, get out of Iraq.
4. Law School crushes a person's idealism. 3 of the 4 people who were officers of the Association for Public Interest Law (APIL) my first year of law school now work for big city firms. Personally, I was very active in environmental and electoral programs my first year and lets just say not so active in either by my third year. I was informed by an associate of mine who was a public interest attorney that most of his "liberal" friend in law school thought, "I will go work for a firm, pay off my loans, and then go non-profit." 10 years after he had graduate, all of those people were still with firms. They get used to the life style and cannot let it go.
5. 90% of people who go to law school leave law school really only concerned about making money, not about making a difference. For that reason, if you want to make a difference, get a public policy, environmental science, international relations, of education degree. People who go to law school are not the same people when they get out.

There is so much to fix in this world and this country. Our best and our brightest are being taught to value personal wealth and not to worry about others or to do what is right. This is one of the many reasons why our society is slowly regressing back to aristocracy and classes. No affective system change can be made because those who have the training to change it peacefully have too much of an interest in the status quo and any of those who reject the status quo are kept on the outside looking in.

Where have you been?

2007-06-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

I thought this was pretty cool. Looks like I have to stop being so lazy and get traveling. I have only been to 3% of the world. Maybe California this summer will give me 4%. If you post this on your page, just let me know. I would be interested to know where everyone has been.

Increasing fuel standards

2007-04-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

So California has adopted some more stringent fuel standards that several states (NY, VT, RI) have also adopted. Car companies are obviously trying to block this in federal court, even thought he recent EPA v. Massachusetts case takes some of the wind out of their sails. The Court basically said that EPA CAN regulate the emissions of greenhouse gases from cars, but did not say they had it. The Court sent the case back to district court to determine whether EPA had a valid reason not to.

This brings us to a case in Vermont where the car companies are challenging the California emissions standards. They are arguing the usual: can't be done, will actually increase emissions, etc. Some of my favorite lines from the article are:

An expert hired by automakers said, according to court filings, that DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor and G.M. “will need largely to exit” from the passenger car and small truck markets.

Because those companies have been in the passenger car market? They have been the most resistent to making good small vehicles. They are years behind Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, and the others. Maybe if they started focusing on making fuel efficient vehicles that people want to buy they would not be in the financial troubles that they are.

Among other points, the industry says more fuel efficient cars could be dangerous, because they will be cheaper to drive and lead people to drive more and potentially have more accidents.

LOL. This is classic which came with an even more classic response from the Sierra Club:

“Everybody’s getting a good laugh out of the safety claim,” said David Bookbinder, a lawyer for the Sierra Club, which is a party to the case. “Detroit is saying it’s a bad idea for everybody to drive more.”

Just suck it up and make more fuel efficient cars and trucks. It will be better for your companies financial health and that of the country. If we do not break our oil addiction in the next couple of decades (if not soon) our economy is going to be in big trouble because the price of gas will be 10+ dollars a gallon and your companies will be bankrupt.

NYTimes Article Link

New Electoral College System

2007-04-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

I found this method of administering the nomination of Electors to the Electoral College very intriguing: The state of Maryland Senate has passed a bill that would compel the Electors chosen to cast their vote for the candidate who wins the majority vote in the country. If passed by the house and signed by the governor (who said he would) this would take effect once states representing at least 270 electoral votes. It will be interesting to see if many people pick up on this and other states try to pass similar statutes. This would effectively eliminate the Electoral College without a Constitutional Amendment. Roll that one around in your head for a bit.

Presidential Elections have always been one of those things I have had a problem with. I do not like that the popular vote of the country could significantly vary from the controlling electoral vote. I have gone through a several versions of ways states can improve it, such as dividing votes by who wins congressional districts (done by Maine and Nebraska) or dividing up electoral votes based on a percentage of the popular vote won (my most recent favorite). I will be watching the Maryland plan to see how it is received by other states.

VA Hospitals

2007-03-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

While I know that throwing money as something will not always fix it, how about a little extra money for improving our VA Hospitals, get more staff, and retain better staff.

Two Ideas to pay for it:
1. 25% tax on all non-medically necessary plastic surgery.
-These people were injuried (at least in theory) to protect your right to get a nose job. We should make sure they are getting proper treatment before you get your nose job.
2. 100% tax on a doctor's income over $250,000.
-This tax is would be waived if a doctor participates in a program where they rotate into a VA hospital for 2 months out of each year, 3 months out of each year when we are engaged in military conflict.

There is no reason that those injured in combat should get substandard treatment with the amount of money we spend on medical treatment each year.

Al Gore

2007-02-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

A very nice article from the Washington Post about how Al Gore has done the impossible by rehabilitating his image after the 2000 Election and helped awaken a large portion of the population to the thPublishreats of Global Warming.

Whether his raising awarness has been enough and will really have an effect on global climate change I do not know. Only time will tell, but I still think we will be faced with some very harsh times economically and environmentally in the near future due to climate change already occuring or soon to occur.

His being at the Oscars tonight as raised speculation that he may announce his candidacy for President. While most insiders and politicos find this highly unlikely (as do I); I do think it would be one of most fantastic political moves of my life-time. Regardless, one can still hope he would run for President. Check out this site if you agree.

Update 2/26/07: Damn!

The Ugly Side of Greek Life

2007-02-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

It is absolutely horrible what Delta Zeta did to one of their chapters. They basically kicked over half the sisters in the chapter because they were not "committed" enough. It just so happens that the sisters who were asked to stay were traditionally attractive and the ones who were asked to leave were not. How DZ thought they could get away with something like this in todays society, I have no idea.

It is stories like these that really make everyone think: "Oh, greek life is so horrible." For the most part it is not. I was in a fraternity. We were the not so cool fraternity on campus. We did not have the football or baseball players, we had the engineers, scientists, and video gamers. But we did do some good; raising money for Habitat for Humanity and working with kids at the Boys and Girls Club. We did educational events in our house and I made life long friends who have been there for me when things got really bad. We fell low on membership at one point but we did not need our national chapter to come in and kick out the "uncool" or "unattractive" guys in the fraternity. Had they done that, I and several of my brothers would have left as well.

Thank you Delta Zeta for continuing to sully the view of Greek Life.

Virginia bans Cell Phones for Teens while Driving

2007-02-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

Virginia has banned teens from using cell phones while driving. I think that this is a good idea. I know when I was a teenager I was an idiot when it came to driving and I was really one of the better ones in my area. Too many kids around my age died or were seriously injured in car accidents.

It is probably going to be difficult to actually enforce since the police need a primary reason to pull someone over, not just because they are using a cell phone. It is a good thing I am not a cop in Virginia. I would see a teen on his or her cell phone and pull them over for going 56 in a 55 zone.

Now states just need to start enforcing the usage of hands free devices.

Voting Paper Trail

2007-02-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

It appears that Congress is finally seriously considering a paper trail for electronic voting.

This is something many voting rights groups have strongly felt has been needed since to proliferation of electronic voting machines. I had to vote provisionally in the last election so I have not had the opportunity to use our new electonic machines. I was somewhat glad for that because the lack of a paper trail concerns me.

I miss the times I was voting in the Boston area (not just because my polling location was literally 200ft from my front door). My town used the optical scanning machines. I would fill out my ballot with a pen, check it over to make sure it was correct and then slide it into an optical scanning machine that would count the votes and drop the paper ballot into a lock box. It was relatively simple, but I felt confident my vote was being counted.

Hopefully there is enough support to get some sort of paper trail requirement for Federal Elections.

Independents

2006-11-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

I have to say, the fact that there are now two Independents in the US Senate is encouraging to me. I have always been anti-two party system and the fact these two have been able to run without national party support is a good sign. I don't know whether such independence can endure or even expand, but I for one hope it does. We need more people who are not quite conservative or liberal, or too conservative or liberal for the two national parties to run more. People in this country want more, and independents and 3rd parties are a way to give people more.

Oh Ann Coulter......again

2006-11-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

You know, I think for one year, I would like to see the world the way Ann Coulter does. I really don't know how she has such pent up aggression and hate for the other side. She lives to argue and take character shots. People talk about what is wrong with this country? It is not the liberal media, it is people like her and Rush who insist on trying to polarize this country even more than it is.

Also, check out this website. I wonder if he could actually win? I would vote for him, just for the cabinet.

Goodbye Nancy

2006-11-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

The democrats took back the house. They may or may not take back the Senate (ok, they won't). No matter what happens, Nancy Johnson is no longer in congress.

Chris Murphy, please do a good job.

To all newly elected congresspersons and senators (or relected ones): Work with the opposing party. Listen to you constituents, not your largest campaign contributors. Do what is best for the American people, not what is politically expedient. Listen, compromise, and realize there is more that unites us than divides us.

Ann Coulter

2006-11-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Oh how she boils my blood sometimes. I'm really glad to know that every Republican or Conservative I know dismisses her as being as crazy as the people she accuses of being crazy in this column. She seems to imply that focusing on anything but the War on Terror and the War in Iraq would be absolutely insane. There are other things in this country we need to be concerned with. Least of all is budget management which seems to be pretty low on the priority of the fiscally responsible Republican Party. Yeah, we are in a war, but we have been in a couple and I don't seem to remember having such a huge disparity in spending and income during those wars. You know why? Because in order to pay for those wars, the government raised taxes, especially the estate tax in order to pay for those wars. Previous leaders of our country understood that everyone has to give a little bit more in a time of war.

Wrong Voting Precinct?

2006-11-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Oh Ann Coulter, how we love you.

What rule of civil procedure am I?

2006-10-31T11:21:00.000-08:00

As a law student, I am obligated to take this quiz.

Which Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Are You?

YOU ARE RULE 11!You were designed to make sure that attorneys in federal cases make reasonable inquiries into fact and law before submitting pleadings, motions, or other papers. You were a real hardass in 1983, when you snuffed out all legal creativity from federal proceedings and embarassed well-meaning but overzealous attorneys. You loosened up a bit in 1993, when you began allowing plaintiffs to make allegations in their complaints that are likely to have evidenciary support after discovery, and when you allowed a 21 day period for the erring attorney to withdraw the errant motion. Sure, you certainly won't get any brownie points for being outgoing, but you keep things on the up and up. It's pretty clear that the whole operation would fall apart without you around.
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Environmental Economics

2006-10-30T06:47:00.000-08:00

See previous post.

Now we even have a leading British Government Economist saying that it makes good economic sense to protect the environment and take measure to prevent climate change.

He predicts that if we do not prevent global climate change, world economic growth will begin to slow considerably. While he concedes that it is not certain that this will happen, he finds the economic risks far outweigh the uncertainty. He believes there is a need for the world governments to set regulations to encourage a move away from a carbon based economy through taxes or carbon trading. He also believes this can be done for as little as 1% of the global economic output and will create enormous opportunity for investment, not kill investment like some say.

In my view, there is a more pressing economic risk of staying depending on carbon based fuels, specifically oil: China and the rest of Asia is continuing to develop and increasing their demand for oil. As that demand increases, the price of oil increases. As our economy is do dependent on oil, that any increase in the price has a significant impact on spending, travel, transportation, and many other facets of our economy. The sooner we get off our dependence on oil, the better economic position we will be in when the price of oil really goes through the roof.

Abortion? Not in Nicaragua.

2006-10-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

Eeek! Nicaragua has joined 2 other Latin American Countries as being the only countries in the Western Hemisphere that completely ban abortion. No exception. Not even for rape or incest. Glad to know we are SO much more progressive than these countries...a complete ban could NEVER happen here.

Private Police Force

2006-10-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

I LOVE these guys. They provide a bit of entertainment, though their views a little ummm......scary.

Talk to the bush because the Bush ain't listening.

2006-10-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is good. To be honest, I watched this first thing in the morning and didn't realize the analogy for like half the video.

Ok, where does a 13 year old get an AK-47?

2006-10-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Parent's using children as weapons and now 13 year olds bringing AK-47s and Bombs into school.

Now my question: Where does a 13 year old get an AK-47? His parents had one. Why? Because they need to protect themselves from skunks.

There is no reason an AK-47 should be anywhere a 13 year old boy (or girl) could reach it. For that matter there shouldn't be any reason a 13 year old has access to any sort of weapon unless properly supervised by a parent. I am not against hunting, I am against guns in the hands of kids without proper adult supervision. I also do not think there is any reason why anyone should have an AK-47!

Since everyone is posting about N. Korea

2006-10-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

I will share something scary a bit closer home.

This is very disturbing.

Palestine in Civil War?

2006-10-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Hmmm.....two factions of the government fighting against each other.....sounds kinda like a certain other middle eastern country.

Gas Prices

2006-09-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am making the prediction now: Within 6 months of the 2006 Congressional election, gas prices will begin to creep back up to where they are.

I guess I am far to cynical, and maybe have too much faith in the power of those in power, but I think oil companies and oil producing countries would be far happier with Republicans in control than with Democrats in control of this country so they are artificially lowering prices to give the Republicans a bump before election time.

Guess it is time for more Dork nights and online gaming...

2006-09-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Why must school prevent me from posting anything than this? How I would love to go off on the "spoiled brat" tax and election reform...

Crumbling Camden

2006-08-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

So, as some of you may or may not know, Sunny Camden, NJ is currently trying to redevelop itself. While this is a wonderful idea and much needed it is not very simple and the people in charge of it continue to make things worse instead of better.

They are trying so hard to get businesses into the city (which is necessary) that they are giving incredible tax breaks and abatements for businesses that they cannot afford to do the same for residents. They are trying to redevelop a large residential area of the city, giving new houses to residents who already live there. However, they aren't given a property tax break to those who stay, so they will soon be taxed out of the area.

Recently, they also started condemning properties to do building and promising to reimburse owners. Not only are they condemning unprofitable businesses, but also some of the few profitable businesses in the city, and are apparently having trouble doing the actual work or reimbursing or assisting those businesses that have to relocate.

I am all for redevelopment, but not at the expense of people who already live and do business in the city.

Terror and US Foreign Policy

2006-08-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Geoff over at American Entropy for this one. He gives a good intro, so I will just link the Q&A with Michael Scheuer from Harper's.

It is always an argument I get into with my more conservative friends; whether US Foreign policy, especially in the middle east, only increases support for terrorist organizations. Here is a pretty conservative CIA guy saying it does.

Sorry!

2006-08-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have been in the process of moving and trying to get internet so have not been able to post. I hope to be back up fairly regularly soon, but I am back at Law School and might not have as much time. So keep checking back and see what I got.

-PV

I cannot believe I am quoting Ann Coulter!

2006-08-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

But I am. It is her column from last week. I am a little behind, but it takes me a few days to build up the joy and happiness I need to have so that when I read Ann Coulter I don't do something very bad. But last week, she actually said something I agree with:

"When you vote Democratic, you're saying NO to mindless patriotism. "

Now she says that as it is a bad thing. She thinks we should be mindlessly patriotic, which scares me. I would like to remind her what mindless patriotism gave us: Nazi Germany, WWII Era Japan, the USSR, and North Korea to name a few. Mindless patriotism is what most often puts dictators in power.

So please, whether you vote Democrat, Republican, Green, Working Families, or Right to Life; Say NO to mindless patriotism!

Posner Weighs in

2006-08-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Judge Posner has a lot to say about counter-terrorism methods in the US. For those of you who don't know, Judge Posner is a sitting judge on the 7th Circuit United States Court of Appeals.

Basically Judge Posner is recommending that the US create a counter-terrorism unit similar to Britain's MI-5. Because MI-5's main responsibility is counter-terrorism, not crime prevention, and they can hold a suspect for 28 days w/o a judicial hearing, Judge Posner believes they are more effective against terrorism. The FBI can hold a suspect for more than 48 hours, but only in extraordinary circumstances.

While I do not agree with everything Judge Posner says, the idea of allowing authorities to hold a terror suspect for an extended period of time may have some merit (I can just see the entire left side of the political spectrum calling for me head right now). I do not mean indefinitely, but a period of time similar to Britain. Again, this would ONLY be for terrorist activity, activity that is very hard to prove unless something has actually happened, hence the difficulty under our legal system. I would also want to include some heavy civil sanctions against the detaining agency for wrongful detainment. We do not want the federal government picking up Muslims off the street just to try and pump them for information when the Feds have no reason to believe they are involved in terrorism. Stiff civil penalties would help alleviate the chances of this happening (though admittedly, not eliminate). However, as most people know, theory and practice are two different things. While in theory it may not be so bad, I would be fearful that we would start having people disappear into black vans on the street. The authorization to do this would have to be clear and unambiguous with significant monitoring and oversight. While I am not saying we should start doing this tomorrow to prevent terrorism, it is something we might want to have serious conversation between the opposing sides beyond, "You are wrong, we are right."

As I mentioned above, there are a lot of things I don't agree with Judge Posner on. One in particular is the end of his column where he appears to be saying that we should presume Muslim Americans are intent on attacking us until proven otherwise. That is a scary thing to imply. Maybe it is just me, but thoughts like that lead to things like the Japanese Internment camps and what happened in The Siege. Yes we need to balance civil liberties and protection from terrorism, but as soon as we start making people think all Muslims are terrorist we start breeding mistrust and hate which in turn would create more terrorists.

Dell Recall

2006-08-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Heads up to all you Dell laptop owners, they are recalling a large number of their laptops due to a problem with their batteries catching on fire.

Check out Dellbatteryprogram.com for details on the recall. I would like to point out that while this is appearing all over the internet news, Dell only has a small little 8-point font link to "battery recall" at Dell.com.

Private Police Force?

2006-08-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

Wow.

That is just about all I have to say to that.

My favorite line from it is under "The Uncooperatives" link:

"If we receive any resident opposition, we will prosecute them for interference in a legal proceeding. There are always dissidents who feel they are beyond the law. "

Apparently there are. I bet ICE is not so happy that these guys are listing them under "Supporting Websites." I really have to remember to follow these guys and see what happens.

Here is what The Californian had to say about it.

The Post "Almost Terror Attack" TSA Rules

2006-08-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

So apparently people are starting to adjust to the no liquids rule on planes. Yes, this is a little annoying, but my brother, who flew today made a point that I think was very valid: This ban on liquids is the best thing that has happened to air travel in a while. People are not bringing on these huge carryon bags that holding up security checks and delay boarding of the plane. In his experience today, the trip through security was quicker than it has ever been and so was boarding and deparking the plane. Maybe in the end, this ban will be good for air travel. I mean to we honestly have to carry our entire bathroom and kitchen with us on the plane?

About the only thing I would be upset about not being able to carry on is my water bottle. I don't know if they are allowing people to bring an empty water bottle through security and then fill it up after.

World War III?

2006-08-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well when you put it that way:

Two full-blown crises, in Lebanon and Iraq, are merging into a single
emergency. A chain reaction could spread quickly almost anywhere between Cairo and Bombay. Turkey is talking openly of invading northern Iraq to deal with Kurdish terrorists based there. Syria could easily get pulled into the war in southern Lebanon. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are under pressure from jihadists to support Hezbollah, even though the governments in Cairo and Riyadh hate that organization. Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of giving shelter to al-Qaeda and the Taliban; there is constant fighting on both sides of that border. NATO's own war in Afghanistan is not going well. India talks of taking punitive action against Pakistan for allegedly being behind the Bombay bombings. Uzbekistan is a repressive dictatorship with a growing Islamic resistance.

The only beneficiaries of this chaos are Iran, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and the Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who last week held the largest anti-American, anti-Israel demonstration in the world in the very heart of Baghdad, even as 6,000 additional U.S. troops were rushing into the city to "prevent" a civil war that has already begun.

This combination of combustible elements poses the greatest threat to global stability since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, history's only nuclear superpower confrontation.

The World seems down right scary!

White House Drafts War Crimes Act Amendment

2006-08-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

History

The Bush Administration continues its push to limit criminal prosecution of Americans who violate the Geneva Convention. There is something very wrong with the idea of, "We did something wrong. Let’s change the law so we don't get in trouble." It is scary that they think they can just change laws that get in their way. They are not even considering the fact that the War Crimes Act also creates a criminal offense when a foreigner violates the Geneva Convention on an American Citizen.

Former Justice Department lawyer John C. Yoo similarly said that U.S. soldiers and agents should "not be beholden to the definition of vague words by international or foreign courts, who often pursue nakedly political agendas at odds with the United States."

This is not about foreign courts, this is about American courts. An American statute cannot create a cause of action in an international or foreign court. It is outside our jurisdiction. The federal government would need to prosecute a case under this law. It would be tried in our courts, by our prosecutors, not by foreigners. It would need to be and egregious violation of the Geneva Convention for our government to prosecute under this law (hence the fact that no one has been). If anything, this does more to allow for prosecution of foreigners violating the Geneva Convention than for us violating it.

All this will do is make us look worse in the eyes of the world. Why should we care? We are the New York Yankees of the World. We are big, we are powerful, we win, and we throw our money around. If we continue to pretend like international conventions we helped write and agreed to do not completely apply to us, we will continue to undermine our foreign policy objects and further alienate our allies and harm our relations even further with nations that already see us as the great Satan.

While some are destroying things in the Middle East...

2006-08-08T05:39:00.000-07:00

...Some are building. Leave it to those wacky guys in Dubai to use their other resources, sand and rock, to build beautiful designer islands. I will take one in the New York Ranger's Statute of Liberty emblem if you please and do not forget my mountains. I need my skiing and mountain biking.

If they don't get you one way...

2006-08-07T07:41:00.001-07:00

...they will get you another.

Taxes. We hate 'em. Government needs them. If they do not get us with income taxes, they will get us with property taxes. I think what people fail to understand is that we need to pay for government. Those great Bush Tax cuts greatly benefited business and the higher income brackets, but as a result, there was less money to be given back to states and therefore states (also because of a slow in economic growth) had less money to give to local governments. So to make up the shortfall, local governments had to increase property taxes or fees. I know of someone who was all happy with their 300 dollar federal tax rebate from the tax cuts. He was not so happy when he got slapped with a $150 busing fee for his kids and an increase in his property taxes to make up the shortfall in the school budget that more than made up for his federal rebate.

Tax cuts can be great, but if they are not accompanied by intelligent cuts in spending, the deficit will increase and other taxes will increase. So Bush looks popular for cutting taxes while local governments take the heat because they need to increase local taxes partially because of the Bush Tax cut.

Globalize Me

2006-08-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

First off, I just have to say, I took the Delta Shuttle between Washington and New York this weekend and it was wonderful. I got to relax in comfortable terminal while sipping free coffee and reading my free Washington Post before getting on a 50 minute flight where I was actually fed. Had I had my laptop with me I would have been online for free and writing about the experience right then and there. It was such a great flying experience, I would do it everyday if it weren't so incredibly impractical, expensive, and environmentally bad.

Anyway, I was sharing this story of the joy of the Delta Shuttle and discussing Globalization, specifically The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, with some friends and I heard a great story about what our world is coming to:

Wife was flying to visit some family and the weather was horrible. Flights
have been delayed and cancelled all day, but so far her flight is fine.
She is sitting in the airport talking to Husband on the cell phone.
Husband decides to check the status of Wife's flight. To both of their
surprise, the airline's website shows the flight as cancelled. Husband
tells Wife to get up to the counter and get on a new flight before they announce
the cancellation in the airport (which they haven't done yet). Still on
the phone, Wife goes up to the counter while Husband checks flights
online. Wife asks at counter if there are any seats on the next flight and
is told "No." Meanwhile, it has been announced that the flight is
cancelled and there is now a huge line behind Wife at the counter. Husband
says to her, "Ask them about seat 9B." So Wife says to employee, "I
understand seat 9B is available." The employee remarks, "My, you are
correct, I don't know how I missed that. Let me get you on that
flight." Husband watches online as seat 9B disappears from the list of
available seats online.

I was amazed when I heard that story. I am not so surprised that it can be done, but that it was done. It is one of those things I need to keep in my bag of tricks. The world truly is getting "flat." Anyone, anywhere can find out almost anything they want and use it to help themselves or others. Three cheers for the internet, cell phones, and airline employees who know when they are beaten.

Goodbye Freedom Fries!

2006-08-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well, the House of Representatives has gone back to good ol' French Fries at the lunch counter. I still cannot believe there ever was a switch. Talk about an immature way to lash out at someone who does not agree with our policies. The fact that Congressmen spent their time getting the name changed makes me feel almost as good about the priorities of our Congress as it spending an entire day discussing a non-binding resolution.

The Gettysburg Address

2006-08-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.
We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Lately I have felt the need to go back and read this great speech by one of our greatest Presidents. It is short, simple, and powerful (Three qualities it seems most of today's speech writers don't possess).

In a time when the country seems so divided, we must remember where we came from and what we have been through. We have the extreme right cursing the left and the extreme left doing the same thing back. We have rumors of the dissolution of the United States and creation of a North American Union through the Security and Prosperity Partnership (which seem to have died off some since the Commerce Department responded to Corsi's FOIA request). We get some conservatives saying liberals in office hate America and should be removed from office while some liberals say Bush is a terrorist.

Yes we are divided. The country does not agree on what to do about Iraq or Israel/Lebanon, or even social security and stem cell research. But we are not nearly as divided as we once were. Sure some of us may get into verbal sparing matches or dismiss the other side because they don't agree with us; there are those who still stand for a lot of the same things while understanding that neither side is ever going to get exactly what they want. This is precisely because we are a democracy and democracy is about working together. Those who respond to the opposition by attacking their character and instigating confrontations are the one who hate America because they only like the American system when things go their way and curse it when they don't.

So remember what we are capable of doing to each other when we get heated over political disagreements. We must always remember that there is more that unites us than divides us.

Biden for President?

2006-08-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

I guess there are worse reasons to run for President than Joe Biden apparently has.

Some Common Sense

2006-08-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

If you are going to steal and ID to try to pass as 21, be sure not to hand that ID to the waitress you stole it from.

Friendly Reminder

2006-07-31T06:48:00.000-07:00

This is a friendly reminder from the Bush Administration: Mission Accomplished.

Further in the financial hole...

2006-07-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

It is no surprise that the costs of reconstruction in Iraq are turning out to be more than anticipated. Though apparently things are worse than they even appeared! According to an independent auditor that reports to Congress, the people in charge of reconstruction have been cooking the books. They have been reporting that projects are within the budget while classifying any overrun as "indirect costs" which aren't fully reported to Congress. One of my favorite lines is:

The hospital’s construction budget was $50 million. By April of this year, Bechtel had told the aid agency that because of escalating costs for security and other problems, the project would actually cost $98 million to complete. But in an official report to Congress that month, the agency “was reporting the hospital project cost as $50 million,” the inspector general wrote in his report.

The project was actually reported as being on time when it was close to 300 days behind schedule. And the Bush Administration claims it is the liberal media that only reports the bad news.

Krugman: Reign of Error

2006-07-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

This was so good, I had to reprint the entire thing:

July 28, 2006 Op-Ed Columnist Reign of Error By PAUL KRUGMAN

The New York Times

Amid everything else that's going wrong in the world, here's one more piece of depressing news: a few days ago the Harris Poll reported that 50 percent of Americans now believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when we invaded, up from 36 percent in February 2005. Meanwhile, 64 percent still believe that Saddam had strong links with Al Qaeda.

At one level, this shouldn't be all that surprising. The people now running America never accept inconvenient truths. Long after facts they don't like have been established, whether it's the absence of any wrongdoing by the Clintons in the Whitewater affair or the absence of W.M.D. in Iraq, the propaganda machine that supports the current administration is still at work, seeking to flush those facts down the memory hole.

But it's dismaying to realize that the machine remains so effective.

Here's how the process works.

First, if the facts fail to support the administration position on an issue -- stem cells, global warming, tax cuts, income inequality, Iraq -- officials refuse to acknowledge the facts.

Sometimes the officials simply lie. "The tax cuts have made the tax code more progressive and reduced income inequality,"Edward Lazear, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, declared a couple of months ago. More often, however, they bob and weave.

Consider, for example, Condoleezza Rice's response a few months ago, when pressed to explain why the administration always links the Iraq war to 9/11. She admitted that Saddam, -- as far as we know, did not order Sept. 11, may not have even known of Sept. 11.-- (Notice how her statement, while literally true, nonetheless seems to imply both that it's still possible that Saddam ordered 9/11, and that he probably did know about it.) "But," she went on, "that's a very narrow definition of what caused Sept. 11

Meanwhile, apparatchiks in the media spread disinformation. It's hard to imagine what the world looks like to the large number of Americans who get their news by watching Fox and listening to Rush Limbaugh, but I get a pretty good sense from my mailbag.

Many of my correspondents are living in a world in which the economy is better than it ever was under Bill Clinton, newly released documents show that Saddam really was in cahoots with Osama, and the discovery of some decayed 1980's-vintage chemical munitions vindicates everything the administration said about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. (Hyping of the munitions find may partly explain why public belief that Saddam had W.M.D. has made a comeback.)

Some of my correspondents have even picked up on claims, mostly disseminated on right-wing blogs, that the Bush administration actually did a heck of a job after Katrina.

And what about the perceptions of those who get their news from sources that aren't de facto branches of the Republican National Committee?

The climate of media intimidation that prevailed for several years after 9/11, which made news organizations very cautious about reporting facts that put the administration in a bad light, has abated. But it's not entirely gone. Just a few months ago major news organizations were under fierce attack from the right over their supposed failure to report the "good news" from Iraq -- and my sense is that this attack did lead to a temporary softening of news coverage, until the extent of the carnage became undeniable. And the conventions of he-said-she-said reporting, under which lies and truth get equal billing, continue to work in the administration's favor.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that the Bush administration continues to be remarkably successful at rewriting history. For example, Mr. Bush has repeatedly suggested that the United States had to invade Iraq because Saddam wouldn't let U.N. inspectors in. His most recent statement to that effect was only a few weeks ago. And he gets away with it. If there have been reports by major news organizations pointing out that that's not at all what happened, I've missed them.

It's all very Orwellian, of course. But when Orwell wrote of "a nightmare world in which the Leader, or some ruling clique, controls not only the future but the past," -- he was thinking of totalitarian states. Who would have imagined that history would prove so easy to rewrite in a democratic nation with a free press?

Compromise Passes the House

2006-07-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

Well, the Estate Tax/Minimum Wage compromise passed the house early this morning. The Republicans played it very well. The bill includes an increase in the minimum wage over 3 years to$ 7.25 but they included enough stuff the democrats could not stomach, such as eliminating the tax on estates up to 5 million dollars (10 Million for married couples). So now if (and I say IF) the bill passes the Senate next week, it will look like Republicans passed a minimum wage bill while the Democrats voted against it. Hopefully people will realize that it has been in fact the Democrats who have been fighting for an increase in the minimum wage all along, even more so since gas and heating prices have gone through the roof. The only reason this bill even came to the floor was because moderate Republicans are scared. People are upset with Republican leadership and they needed something to make it look like they were out to help the little guy.

It is great that we are giving more tax cuts; great if you like debt and making our children pay for it. Even the Treasury Department agrees that down the road we are going to have to cut spending or raise taxes to pay for Bush's tax cuts, and here we added even more tax cuts. Yes, in the long run, the taxes might benefit the economy, but that necessitates also limiting spending, something has decided not to do. So we continue to increase spending and continue to cut taxes. Any economist would agree that is bad in the long run. Government costs money to run, no question. If we do not pay for it, our children will.

Some other highlights of the Compromise bill: Pension reform, tax break to timber, increase educational tax deduction, shifting the costs of health care and environmental reclamation from coal companies to the federal government, a research-and-development tax credit, a credit for hiring workers off welfare, and a credit to promote wind energy.

Oil Subsidies

2006-07-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

It is a good thing that we are subsidizing big oil to keep them afloat. If it weren't for the federal government, they would not make any money at all!

Maybe if we stopped subsidizing oil so much with tax breaks and direct subsidies switching from oil dependency wouldn't look so bad.

We are subsidizing them with tax breaks and other subsidies. They are making more money than they have ever made in the history of their industry. They are taking that money saved in subsidies and money made in sales and using it to further influence the political process to make more money and slow the development of alternative energy options. We pay for their profits and lobbying efforts and then we pay for the cleanup when they have an environmental disaster.

If we had to really face the cost of oil, like Europe, we would realize the need to develop alternatives, use public transportation, not buy SUVs and increase fuel efficiency. This will not happen for a very long time because the exact industry that needs to get changed is the one that continues to make enormous profits and use their money and influence to continue to do so and because Americans are content and we are not willing to change our ways in the short run to benefit us and our children in the long run.

It must be an election year

2006-07-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Why else would Republicans be pushing so hard for a raise in the minimum wage? It is disturbing that politics and riders could prevent this from being passed. I bet Republicans would love to attach a repeal of the estate tax or a roll back of minimum health benefits required for employees of small businesses. That way, either they get these passed or they get to say it was the Democrats that voted down the minimum wage increase.

Dear Congress:
Do something right for once. Pass the minimum wage increase and do not try and attach unessesary politically motivated riders. Give a reason to believe that not everything you do is politically motivated and self serving.

Very Best,

PV

War Crimes

2006-07-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Meet the 1996 War Crimes Act. It was passed with little debate by a Republican controlled Congress. It creates a criminal penalty for anyone who commits a war crime by violating provisions of various international agreements and treaties, including the Geneva Convention.

This Act has the Bush Administration scared. It leaves open the possibility of criminal sanctions against Administration and military officials for violations of the Geneva Convention in the treatment of detainees in the war on terror.

So now, instead of further attempting to punish those who have committed such crimes, the Administration is attempting to weaken the 1996 Act by exempting law suits involving detainees in the war on terror.

The only reason they would be attempting to do this is that they know they have violated the 1996 Act. This Act is a good tool to ensure compliance with the Geneva Convention by US Military personnel and nations, especially when we refuse to join the International Criminal Court. This is just another step in the direction of the US losing international credibility; "You have to follow these rules, but we do not. Why? Just because."

We can't continue to preach human rights while we are trying to get around them.

Two candles

2006-07-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of bad things that happen in the world. Then there are things that happen that make you ask what is wrong with people in this world.

My thoughts go out to the Perry family.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

2006-07-25T06:07:00.000-07:00

No, I am not talking about Al Gore's movie. I am talking about the fact that our current President believes he can set aside any law passed by Congress that he believes is unconstitutional. Of everything he has done since being in office, I think this is the scariest. It basically implies that he doesn't need the Congress. How it is supposed to work is that Congress makes the laws, the Courts interpret their constitutionality, and the President ensures their enforcement. This is called separation of powers. The framers created this system so that no single branch could take too much power. This is a foundation of our democracy and it terrifies me to see it happening.

Thank fully, people are standing up to him. My only hope is that they are successful. The belief that the Presidency is more important than the other branches and has more power is something I feel we need to move away from. Our Constitution was not put together haphazardly. Everything in there was put in its place for a reason. Art. I, the first and most comprehensive section of the Constitution talks about the legislature and gives them their powers. Art. II is much shorter and talks about the President's limited powers. Art. III is also relatively short and talks about the power of the Courts. If any conclusion can be drawn from the structure of the Constitution it is that the Legislative Branch has the most power but is still limited by powers given to it in the Constitution. The Executive Branch is not the superior branch. It is a dangerous idea to entertain and should be squashed as soon as possible or we endanger our freedoms even more than they have been in the past.

Update: Someone who can articulate the President's actions far better than I.

I want my two dollars!

2006-07-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

So I just had a realization today: In the last 8 years, the price of gasoline in New Jersey had gone up about two dollars or 300%. I know gas prices have been sky rocketing, but I guess it doesn't really sink in until you set a reasonable baseline in your life. How much were you paying for gas in 1998?

Am I glad I do not drive that Ford Bronco anymore.
These gas prices that are only likely to rise as China and the rest of the world industrializes and conflict continues to be so prevelant in the middle east. Maybe it is time for consideration of alternatives...

Well, at least fewer people are buying SUVs. Maybe our American Car companies will eventually catch on to the likes of Honda and Toyota.

(yes, I know the link to NJ gas prices only goes back to 2003, but it is still a pretty striking increase since then.)

Save the planet and make money too

2006-07-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Who says saving the planet cannot be economical? Vinod Khosla doesn't. He is betting heavily on ethanol as a replacement for oil and having our country dependent on Middle America, not the Middle East for our fuel.

You could just say he's crazy and is throwing away his money. People probably said that when he invested in those complete failures Amazon.com and Google. When you have one of the most successful venture capitalists out there investing in something, I would take a hint. It is probably going to be a money maker. Which is a good thing, because if there is going to be any real progress in alternative energy and cleaner fuels it is going to have to be economically driven. If it is driven by necessity, it is probably already too late. It is just human nature to think about our personal best interests in the relative short term.

Hopefully Mr. Khosla will have some luck with his investment and his work trying to convince our country's leadership that change is needed. Ethanol fuel is not and end-all-be-all, but it is a start and his success could spur others to pursue increased investment in alternative carbon reducing technologies.

I want one!

2006-07-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

Too bad my birthday has passed. I could really use one of these.

Who says the electric car is dead? Yes there have been some attempts to get rid of it. Oil executives don't like it one bit, but the people do. Approximately 86% would use more fuel efficient to reduce their energy usage.

Things you can do to help get companies to improve their fuel efficiency of cars or at least reduce how much you spend on gas and contribute to air pollution:
-Write your congressman and ask him or her to improve CAFE standards.
-Write your favorite car maker and tell them you want more fuel efficient vehicles.
-Don't buy SUVs. If you need the extra space, by a car rack.
-Ride your bike. A lot of businesses these days have a gym or at least a shower at work. Take advantage of it.
-Take Public Transit. You get to relax, sleep, read a book, and not honk your horn at other drives.
-Car pool. Even better if you can get someone else to drive!

I know it is not realistic for everyone to do all of those. Public transit in the US, not exactly the best. Bike riding, not likely happening in Anchorage in December. But gas prices are getting obscene and our air quality can be better. Fuel efficient or emissionless vehicles are good for everyone.

A letter to the Tourists

2006-07-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Tourists,

I think it is wonderful that you come to our fair city to see the sights and support our economy. It is a joy to see you walking around being awed by buildings, monument, and statutes that we have long since come to take for granted. I am glad our city is here for your enjoyment because it is a wonderful city and all who live here want to share it with you.

During your time wandering the city seeing the sights, please remember, we live here and we work here. This is a very fast paced city for those who live in it. We are always on the move and always in a hurry. You may notice this when you ride an escalator down to the T or the Metro. While some like yourself are sitting there aweing at the length of the escalator, we are running up and down it because we are in a hurry to catch our train because we don't have the luxury of being a little late for a visit to a monument or for dinner. So please, if you are not walking up or down the escalator, do not stand on the left, stay to the right. We want you to enjoy your vacation, but we want to get to work. We can both do that without any problems if you will just please please please stay to the right on the escalator so we can walk down it. It is all we ask while you visit our fair city.

Thank you for your time, and enjoy your stay.

-PV

North American Union? Not without the Senate.

2006-07-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

I love World Net Daily. They have been running a series of articles and commentaries on SPP and the "North American Union." This is just the most recent. They claim the President and the leaders of Canada and Mexico are secretly planning the dissolution of our three countries and the formation of the North American Union by the year 2010.

Obviously, no one there has read the Constitution (which they say Bush completely dismisses). Specifically, Article II Section II, "He (the President) shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur." Whether or not he is planning to dissolve the United States or not, it is not something that can be done without at least the agreement of 2/3 of the Senate. I seriously doubt the Senate would stand for that, mainly because their constituents wouldn't stand for it. I don't believe even Scalia would uphold it. People who think this could be done with out the support of the Senate or the people have a bit too much faith in the power of the Executive Branch.

The idea of SPP is not to eliminate each country's national borders and create a super state, but join forces on continental security and commerce. Yes it needs to be discussed more, and the public needs to give their input. We need people like Corsi and McGuire to poke and prod the government with FOIA requests and questions. It keeps our democracy open and free, something it feels like we have to fight for these days. However, the idea of sharing security and making commerce freer between us and our neighbors is not necessarily a bad idea. I mean, something that would help reduce the number of illegal aliens coming into the country is to make life better in Mexico. It is not going to happen over night. Conditions don't just have to be better, they have to have the appearance of being better and that can take time. The world is eventually going to globalize. Either through an open democratic means or less than democratic means, it will happen. Taking open, intelligent steps towards that means to ensure we are a major player when it happens is not necessarily a bad thing.

White House Economics as usual

2006-07-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

This guy seems to explain Bush's "economic" theory on the deficit pretty well. Politicians claiming responsibility for economic upturns when their policies had very little if any effect on the outcome and politicians trying to something look better than it actually is (our deficit is smaller than we thought it was going to be!). If out economy is booming as Bush says it is, why is it that he isn't able to keep our spending under control? Clinton could. Yes, Clinton didn't have the war on terror, but Clinton also didn't create the biggest addition to government since FDR. Clinton had the benefit of an economic boom, but doesn't Bush?

Running a deficit gives support to the idea that we need to cut social programs. Reagan was famous for it: we need to spend money on defense to protect us from the evil Soviet Union! Oh, because we are spending so much on that we are running a deficit. Well, we can't cut defense spending; we have to cut social programs!

I don't know...those terrorists are too much of a threat...we certainly can't cut defense spending...

Limiting defense spending does not necessarily mean limiting defense. There is a lot of waste in our government spending and a lot of services that could be offered at lower costs. Some examples: Competitive bidding for certain government contracts, stop subsidizing industries making enormous profits, and don't let companies offering to house hurricane victims charge the government more per room/cabin than they charge a regular guest.

This is a good link to some additional discussion of the deficit and spending and a discussion of the piece I linked above.