Funny Or Die video.
In the best traditions of mockery.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Work Force Demographics
A very cool interactive chart. Click on MALE and then on FEAMLE to get a rather jarring look at the way the mix has shifted over the years.
I don't know what any of it really means, so if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear 'em.
I don't know what any of it really means, so if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear 'em.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Fun With Maggots
A young woman who produces Nature Documentaries recently returned from a trip to Belize with a small stowaway - see video
Oops
Your Missile Defense Tax Dollars hard at work.
(I don't really know what this is - I'm trying to track it down - it just seems like the kind of thing that happens when you give too much money to some government yahoo)
On Obama's decision to nix the Jr Bush deal with Poland and Czecho: Why deploy a weapon that doesn't work to defend against a threat that doesn't exist?
(I don't really know what this is - I'm trying to track it down - it just seems like the kind of thing that happens when you give too much money to some government yahoo)
On Obama's decision to nix the Jr Bush deal with Poland and Czecho: Why deploy a weapon that doesn't work to defend against a threat that doesn't exist?
Ezra Klein - WaPo
Klein's piece in The Washington Post
Some things that really stand out:
"The average health-care coverage for the average family now costs $13,375, according to Kaiser. Over the past decade, premiums have increased by 138 percent. And if the trend continues, by 2019 the average family plan will cost $30,083."
"Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin, a researcher at the Rand Corporation, and David Cutler, a health economist at Harvard, recently estimated the savings that could be attained by "modernizing" the system over the next 10 years. The changes they examined weren't dramatic. Replacing paper records with computerized files, making it easier for people to comparison-shop across insurers, "bundling" payments for the treatment of a single illness rather than shelling out separately for each doctor visit -- that sort of thing. Added up, they equaled a startling $2 trillion over 10 years. That's a lot of money for policies that have received virtually no attention in the debate."
I think this as a 2-part problem and we have to try fixing one part at a time.
Part One = the cost of Insurance
Part Two = the cost of Care
Some things that really stand out:
"The average health-care coverage for the average family now costs $13,375, according to Kaiser. Over the past decade, premiums have increased by 138 percent. And if the trend continues, by 2019 the average family plan will cost $30,083."
"Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin, a researcher at the Rand Corporation, and David Cutler, a health economist at Harvard, recently estimated the savings that could be attained by "modernizing" the system over the next 10 years. The changes they examined weren't dramatic. Replacing paper records with computerized files, making it easier for people to comparison-shop across insurers, "bundling" payments for the treatment of a single illness rather than shelling out separately for each doctor visit -- that sort of thing. Added up, they equaled a startling $2 trillion over 10 years. That's a lot of money for policies that have received virtually no attention in the debate."
I think this as a 2-part problem and we have to try fixing one part at a time.
Part One = the cost of Insurance
Part Two = the cost of Care
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Pysanky
We have a bunch of Ukranian Easter Eggs (pysanky) that Irene's mom has created thru the years. Once in a while, something goes wrong and we lose one of them. In this case, it looks like the egg leaked and began to spoil the dye, so we had to put it down.
Luckily, we can preserve something of these unique little treasures in digital form.
Luckily, we can preserve something of these unique little treasures in digital form.
From Bruce Bartlett
One of the guys who kinda invented Reaganomics, Bartlett's been trying to pull the conservatives back from the brink.
Read the article here.
Quote: "Revenues would be even lower if Republicans had gotten their wish and the stimulus consisted entirely of tax cuts. How tax cuts would help people with no wages because they have no jobs or businesses with no profits to tax was never explained. But many right-wingers are convinced that tax cuts are the only appropriate governmental response no matter what the problem is."
Read more of Bartlett's Stuff.
Read the article here.
Quote: "Revenues would be even lower if Republicans had gotten their wish and the stimulus consisted entirely of tax cuts. How tax cuts would help people with no wages because they have no jobs or businesses with no profits to tax was never explained. But many right-wingers are convinced that tax cuts are the only appropriate governmental response no matter what the problem is."
Read more of Bartlett's Stuff.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Stuck On Stupid (in a foxy kinda way)
From a post on Little Green Footballs - I think if I was trying to kill public education, I'd want as many people as possible either mad enough or scared enough about what's going on with the curriculum to pull their kids out (duh). But I'd also understand that having the 25% of the Guano Crazies on the Far Right just isn't enough to reach critical mass. So let's see what happens if I can get a whole bunch of the Lefty Pinkos to pull their kids outa the public schools too.
Stuck on Stupid
A new survey of Oklahoma high school kids' knowledge of their government shows some difficulties. I'm thinking #7 is the one that really tells the story:
Soda Tax
A few thoughts on taxing soda and fruit drinks:
From the comments section for an Op-Ed piece NYT
Via the Economist…
“In a 2007 New York Times piece, Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, writes that the difference (in price per calorie) between fruits and vegetables on one hand and processed food on the other has increased dramatically in the US. Between 1985 and 2000, fruit and vegetable prices in the US increased by about 40%, while the price of soft drinks dropped by 23%. These seem like large changes in relative prices. According to Pollan, the change in relative prices is in large part due to the US farm bill, which provides generous subsidies for corn and soy, which are prime ingredients in high-density “processed food.” Corn syrup, for example, is the primary ingredient in most soft drinks. The farm bill provides virtually no help to farmers growing fresh produce. If that is indeed the case, US government policy truly seems schizophrenic here – bemoaning and trying to combat obesity on one hand and indirectly encouraging it through the farm bill on the other hand. We might want to tax rather than subsidise junk food (Dubois 2007).”
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2009/09 -Dan
It is the word “tax” that throws people into a tizzy. I think of it, instead, as a “user fee”. Think about it this way: parks get some money from general state and federal funds, but those who use the parks also pay an additional fee for the privilege. Roads are paid for from general funds, but drivers also pay a user fee in the form of gasoline taxes. We all, in some way, shape or form, pay the freight for illness care and disability care in this country. It is only right that those who intend to wind up risking more than usual use of same should help pay for it. Soda tax, junk food tax, tobacco tax - I’d even stick a tax on risky sports like motorcycles, that result in a greater-than-average risk of catastrophic injury. If you want to smoke, drink, be fat, eat junk, or engage in risky sports, no one has the right to tell you not to. But you should help pay the freight for the additional services you’re going to use, sooner or later. It is not policing, it is not “nanny state” - quite the reverse. It’s asking people to be adult and responsible and pay up for the choices that they make. -Maureen
From the comments section for an Op-Ed piece NYT
Via the Economist…
“In a 2007 New York Times piece, Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, writes that the difference (in price per calorie) between fruits and vegetables on one hand and processed food on the other has increased dramatically in the US. Between 1985 and 2000, fruit and vegetable prices in the US increased by about 40%, while the price of soft drinks dropped by 23%. These seem like large changes in relative prices. According to Pollan, the change in relative prices is in large part due to the US farm bill, which provides generous subsidies for corn and soy, which are prime ingredients in high-density “processed food.” Corn syrup, for example, is the primary ingredient in most soft drinks. The farm bill provides virtually no help to farmers growing fresh produce. If that is indeed the case, US government policy truly seems schizophrenic here – bemoaning and trying to combat obesity on one hand and indirectly encouraging it through the farm bill on the other hand. We might want to tax rather than subsidise junk food (Dubois 2007).”
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2009/09 -Dan
It is the word “tax” that throws people into a tizzy. I think of it, instead, as a “user fee”. Think about it this way: parks get some money from general state and federal funds, but those who use the parks also pay an additional fee for the privilege. Roads are paid for from general funds, but drivers also pay a user fee in the form of gasoline taxes. We all, in some way, shape or form, pay the freight for illness care and disability care in this country. It is only right that those who intend to wind up risking more than usual use of same should help pay for it. Soda tax, junk food tax, tobacco tax - I’d even stick a tax on risky sports like motorcycles, that result in a greater-than-average risk of catastrophic injury. If you want to smoke, drink, be fat, eat junk, or engage in risky sports, no one has the right to tell you not to. But you should help pay the freight for the additional services you’re going to use, sooner or later. It is not policing, it is not “nanny state” - quite the reverse. It’s asking people to be adult and responsible and pay up for the choices that they make. -Maureen
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Because They're Stupid
Holy crap
Stay with it - the interview (at about 6:20) is a killer.
"A village cannot reorganize village life to suit the village idiot"
Stay with it - the interview (at about 6:20) is a killer.
"A village cannot reorganize village life to suit the village idiot"
Racist Criticism?
From one of Sully's readers today:
If you can only show that a movement is significantly animated by racism by showing obvious kooks supporting it (white hoods, people holding Obama witch-doctor posters, whatever), then you will of course not find many of those. Welch is right that those people are genuinely unpopular.Read the Welch piece here
What is far less unpopular is believing that lots of federal tax money went to black welfare queens in the 1980's (despite no such evidence) or that lots of federal tax money in today's democratic health care proposals would go to illegal immigrants (despite explicitly being precluded by law, and despite no evidence that enforcement would be a problem). Are these views not "animated by racism?"
You don't have to wear a white hood to have views that are significantly animated by racist beliefs and fears--and saying that a lot of the hysterical protest on the right (stylized as a desire for 'small government') is significantly animated by racist beliefs and fears is most decidedly not to say that "limited government sentiment is automatically a form of subliminated racism." Much of it is so animated, but that doesn't mean that each person with such 'limited government' views is a racist, let alone has a penchant for white-hood wearing.
Here's a question: what proportion of the people clamoring about 'limited government' at these rallies seem to have no problem with--indeed seem to much support--federal programs that they think benefit them and people like them (Medicare, Social Security, federal spending that provides jobs in their community, such as on defense, etc.), but are rabidly opposed to things that they think will go to people unlike them? I think an answer to that question would go a long way to answering how much of the protest is animated by racism.
Perspective
I wasn't aware of this guy before today. I just kinda stumbled across this at Little Green Footballs.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/09/16/beck_skousen/
I'll try to dig up some more.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/09/16/beck_skousen/
I'll try to dig up some more.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
You Lie
So Addison Graves Wilson said he isn't against immigrants because he was a an immigration lawyer. Uh, well, not so much. Turns out there's no record in South Carolina of any immigration case that involved an attorney by the name of AG Wilson, or Joe Wilson, or any combination of his names.
Why do these guys insist on trying to pull this shit?
Why do these guys insist on trying to pull this shit?
Falling Down
Remember when the USSR started to crumble? Whenever one of the member countries failed and its government was overthrown, it seemed there was always somebody in some other country who would stand up and accuse those former leaders of being less than faithful to the true ideals of Communism. These folks needed desparately to believe that the system itself was a good one, and all they had to do was to find somebody who would be a lot better at applying the principles - somebody who could execute the plan better.
Sometimes, it's the plan that sucks, not the people who are trying to make the plan work.
I can see the same kind of thing happening now inside the 'Conservative Movement'. Obviously, there's going to be a fight to see who gets to call the shots, but still, I think a narrative is starting to emerge: "We had the right idea, but Jr Bush fucked it up".
Sometimes, it's the plan that sucks, not the people who are trying to make the plan work.
I can see the same kind of thing happening now inside the 'Conservative Movement'. Obviously, there's going to be a fight to see who gets to call the shots, but still, I think a narrative is starting to emerge: "We had the right idea, but Jr Bush fucked it up".
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