May, 2008 archive
More McCrap 0
This time on health care. Robert Reich:
McCain’s health care plan won’t work even for average people without pre-existing conditions. He wants to end the tax break for employees who get health insurance from their employers (I’ve gone on record in support of de-coupling health insurance from employment), but would offer only $5,000 per family in tax credits to pay for what they’ve lost or never had. Absurd. The average cost of employer-funded health care in the U.S. last year was over $12,000 per family.
Side Effects 0
Steven D. over at the Booman Tribune meditates upon Cicero and Clinton.
Bushonomics 0
Daily post on the failed stewardship of the Party of Privilege (emphasis added):
These measurements provide the broadest measure of labor underutilization, according to Price.
Last month, 9.2 percent of the workforce fell into one of these three categories.
Making the Rich Richer and the Poor Poorer 2
From Delaware Liberal:
This is what conservatism is all about: the worship of the wealthy; the rest of it is just smoke and mirrors.
When you look beyond the smoke and mirrors to the actual behavior, well, there it is.
Words can lie. Behavior does not.
I Bought a Bike Today 1
(Aside: No, Chris, not your kind of bike.)
A refurbished Fuji Sports 10, ca. 1975.
Second Son has been doing some volunteer work at the Wilmington Urban Bike Project. A week or so ago, he bought himself a nice refurbished bicycle for $30.
I’ve always liked to cycle. Heck, when I was growing up, when I wasn’t on a tractor, I was likely on my trusty Western Auto 24″ one speed with a coaster brake. My Huffy three-speed gave up the ghost several years ago, and, frankly, I’m getting old enough so that I need more than three speeds (you don’t realize how steep that little hill is until you try to bicycle up it).
So, today, we went down the the Urban Bike Project; we donated his old bicycle from when he was a little kid and I bought the Fuji for $75.00.
The Urban Bike Project has an interesting approach. It does not exist to sell bikes to the general public and you could walk by it without knowing it was there; normally, you have to volunteer to get a bike, but I had an in with Second Son. And I would just as soon give my money to them as to Target, let alone some high-priced exclusive bike store for people who wear colors so loud a hippy would never have worn them and pants with funny padding when they cycle (yeah, I know the padding is practical, but it still looks funny).
The Project lets neighborhood kids (they are not located in a great neighborhood, but neither is it the worst neighborhood in town) work on the donated bikes, teaching the kids how to maintain bicycles as they go. After a kid has worked enough hours–five, I think, something the kid can accomplish in a day–he or she can pick out a bike from a selection the Project reserves for that purpose.
Second Son tells me that one of the problems they face is that, often, after a kid earns his “free” bicycle, the kid will turn around a couple three days later and find his bike has been ripped off. Indeed, as I wheeled the bike out, one of the adult leaders suggested that I write my name, address, and phone number on a slip of paper and drop it down the seat tube.
(I don’t expect a bike to disappear in this neighborhood, but I may drop my business card in there–maybe it will lead to a gig.)
Monday, I will hie me down to Dunbar’s about a mile hence and pick up some basic maintenance stuff (patch kit, tire irons, spare tube, spoke wrench–I have vise grips, WD-40, a Swiss Army knife, and duct tape; if it can’t be fixed with vise grips, WD-40, a Swiss Army knife, and duct tape, it can’t be fixed). The surest way to prevent a flat tire is to be ready for one.
Tomorrow, I have to pump up the tires (90 psi) and see if they hold air and go to some parking lot somewhere and learn how to ride this thing. I’ve never shifted gears on a derailleur before . . . .
Lamborenvy 0
So, I’m on the way to the bank this morning and someone passes me (at a reasonable speed) in a bright, shiny, new black Lamborghini.
I want that car.
The closest I’ll ever get to it is probably a used Fiat.
(According to the Car Talk guys, Fiat stands for “Fix it already, Tony.”)
Sports(wo)manship 0
Is not dead. Check out this story from Mithras.
Algebra 0
From Delaware Watch:
[((Bush = Iraq war) = John McCain) = Republican Party]
Honestly, folks, no wishful thinking.
What you see is what you get.
Bushonomics 1
Or how to make the rich richer and screw the working stiff.
Summary: There is this company called American Axle. It makes axles for SUVs.
Several years ago, it made lots of money.
Now, thanks to the inane nonexistent Bushie energy policy, with the price of gas approaching the price of Scotch (but, then, Scotch is discretionary, at least for most Scotch drinkers; gas is not, at least for most drivers), it’s just making some money.
But it’s still making money.
Since it’s no longer making lots of money, the owner wants to dump on the workers so he can continue to pull out umpty-ump millions in salary and bonuses, instead of just ump millions.
The conclusion from the author of the story (follow the link below for the full article):
- It’s a story of greedy investors unhappy with what they consider minimal profits when, if they could just screw the American workers around, they could make a LOT more.
- It’s the story of an idealistic conservative who has been bombarded with New Conservative ideology (workers are parasites; they deserve NOTHING; they ought to pay to work for you; rip them off, it’s your right – hell, it’s your DUTY) for a decade and has now been brought to a point where he’s looking around at the pennies paid by rip-off artists here and overseas and wondering just how much bigger his piece of the pie could get if he stopped, well, coddling his spoiled workers.
- It’s the story of fear and anxiety over a world marketplace made dangerously unstable by the bottomless greed of the investor class and near brought to ruin by the greed of merchant bankers, oil companies, and financial speculators.
- It’s the story of how one well-meaning man caused all kinds of grief to less well-meaning men who had cheerfully ripped off their workers and stuffed their own pockets with the proceeds. What was it the NAM guy said?:
“Mr. Dauch is just doing what he has to do to survive,” said Hank Cox, a vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers. “Something’s got to give if those jobs are going to stay in the United States.”
It’s a story of the Republican “me and screw the rest of you” generation.
Via Eschaton.
Sapsucker 0
No. Not that kind.
We’ve been hearing a tap-tap-tapping rap-rap-rapping on a tree.
Two yellow-bellied sapsuckers (as opposed to yellow bloodsuckers) have taken up residence in a tree right next to the back porch.
I’ve been noticing white flakes near the base of the tree. I was thinking they were some kind of petal from a spring flower, until, today, I got off my anatomy and actually walked outside to look at them.
They were flakes of wood.
I followed the trail of wood flakes upwards along the tree trunk until I spotted the hole in the side of the tree. Even as we speak, the pair are busy working on an addition to hold their brood.
I found a diagram of a woodpecker nest here. Looks like they have their work cut out for them before their three bedroom split is ready for full occupancy.
I’ll try to get some pictures, but it might be a few days and ladders will certainly be involved. I’m thinking that, if I get on the porch roof, I should be close enough to get some decent shots without scaring my new neighbors.
I Get Mail 1
I got another one of those obnoxious Republican “surveys” this morning.
This one was labeled a “census” and came in an envelope marked “Official Document.”
It was paper. It had printing on it, so I guess it was an officially a document.
You can look at it here (pdf) while considering the question, “How much more can they possible misrepresent the issues?”
I filled it out and sent it back. On the part where they shilled for a donation, I wrote, “Not a dime to help you make rich richer and the poor poorer.”
At least that’s another $.49 to $1.11 (depending on volume) they won’t be able to use to continue to subvert the Constitution of the United States of America and to further betray the blood and ideals of the Founder.
Bushonomics 0
He’s put the whole damn country in hock (emphasis added):
The 30-year-old bookkeeper stood pregnant, broke and sad under rows of pawned guitars hanging like curing hams from the ceiling of the ragged South Street shop. She got a $20 loan for her $200 Bulova, a gift from the Harley-Davidson Co., where she used to work.
“It feels so weird,” said Dillingham, accompanied by her fiance, Pat Lapetina, 35, an unemployed ironworker doing painting jobs on the side. The couple recently moved to South Philadelphia from Florida to build a life.
“I worked hard for this watch. I’m middle-class, not poor. I can’t believe I have to do this to buy gas.”
(snip)
“People are cleaning out their houses of gold, silver, whatever, to get money just to fill their cars with gas,” said Nat Leonard, 51, whose grandfather opened Society Hill in 1929. “People are pawning out like crazy.”
Business is up maybe 20 percent over last year.
“With this economy, we’re not done yet with bad times,” Leonard continued. “Not even close.”
Things are so awful, he said, he’s getting loads of first-time customers.
(snip)
It’s not just fuel that’s bringing new people to pawnshops. And they’re not all brick pointers.
“Upper-income people are in pawnshops nowadays, needing money right away to meet payments,” said Bill Stull, chairman of the department of economics at Temple University’s Fox School of Business and Management.
“We are in an economy in which many people are living right at the margins, even middle- and upper-income people. They have little savings, they’ve borrowed so much, their credit-card bills are high, and their house values are going down.”
Over at Carver W. Reed & Co., a pawnshop at 10th and Sansom Streets since Lincoln was president, more and more higher-echelon people are filing in, owner Tod Gordon said.
“The upper middle class is feeling the crunch like never before,” he said. “They’re bringing in diamonds and gold to pay for margin calls on stocks. There’s a feeling of despair.
How Low Can He Go? 0
Upyernoz wants to know.
Biometrics My Anatomy 0
Or, more properly, his anatomy. Via the BBC, evidence that sometimes the price of high-tech is too high:
H/T to Mithras for telling me this story the other night.
Mission Accomplished 0
Brendan points out that this is the 5th Anniversary of Mission Accomplished Day.
His photomontage does it the honor it deserves.
Meanwhile, at the “accomplished mission,” s(pl)urge ™ is turning to s(pl)at.
Civilian deaths reported by the Iraqi government also reached the highest levels in months as Baghdad experienced intense clashes triggered by an Iraqi government crackdown against Shiite Muslim militias.
(snip)
At least 4,063 U.S. personnel have been killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to the Web site.
The level of violence has been inching up since January, after a 60 percent drop in attacks nationwide in the second half of last year, according to U.S. military figures.
Chris’s Pens 9
The pens that Chris made for us arrive today.
They are gorgeous.
(Mine’s the fat one.)
If you want to learn more about his handcrafted pens, visit his website.
Now, I’m just waiting for the fountain pen. I expected it would be more challenging than a ballpoint, but it has turned out to be even more challenging than I anticipated. It’s caused him so much torment that the fun has gone out of watching him.