Monday, April 27, 2009
Russian novice steals spotlight
the Post has a nice story about Anton Chumachenko, an aspiring small time politician in St Petersburg, who has raised issues about his own election and the apparent fraud that gave him the seat he won. this dude obviously has big brass balls and a sharp mind. he just catapulted himself into the national spotlight at 26, gave himself credibility as an honest player, and discredited the United Russia Party's leaders (Putin), while asserting that the party seeks truth and the rule of law. i would venture to say that this guy is going somewhere, either the Kremlin or Siberia. i hope its the former.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
a quick thought on the economy
'spend!' says the liberal.
'cut taxes!' says the conservative.
'what happened to my job?' says more than 10% of Michigan.
there has been a lot of chatter on what is the right or wrong way to fix the economy. like its a sputtering engine. while an engine is complex, the economy is like a million of them that have to work together. they dont have to be in perfect unison, but if 10% of the cars on the road stop, the rest of us are going to have trouble getting to our destinations and some more will run out of gas on the way. so the real question is how to fix a million sputtering engines so that the roads arent littered with lemons.
as i have debated various virtues of spending and taxing and tax cuts and social welfare programs and mortgage relief and bank failures and auto bailouts and wallaby overpopulation i have come to a conclusion, and as a blogger with no credentials, experience, or pertinent education on the topic, i think i need to tell the world, well, maybe just the US for now, what to do.
first, keep up the individual level social benefits. its important that we dont let more of our citizens fall into poverty where they will be a constant drain on the system. you would want it if it was you. but there has to be an end, you cant support people forever. second, dont dump bailout money into a sinking businesses. as much as i root for the big three and against the banks, let the ones that should fail, save the ones that are viable. dont throw good money after bad. third, fix health care. that shit is too expensive. i think part of it is that people cant really shop around for the right service at the right price. you go to the primary care physician that your insurance company tells you to, then to the specialists that he tells you to. that is if you even have coverage and can take care of your health properly. all that will take the burden off of business and consumers relieving stress and the cost. finally, temporarily eliminate or drastically reduce business and capital gains taxes and quit taxing money twice. think of the spending power that would be generated if the tax burden of businesses was half what it is. think of all the capital improvements they could make, all the people they could hire without needing more money. finally, the government needs to get this stimulus money stimulating. get that money moving. when businesses cant spend, the government needs to.
once all these things kick in, and the economy starts humming along again, you wind the taxes back up to replenish the deficit and combat inflation, and cut back on government spending. in the end, youve eliminated bad corporations, strengthened the remaining ones, boosted business in general, and created a health care system that works at a reasonable cost. so there you go congress and president Obama. now get on this shit ASAP, the traffic is getting thick and i only at have a 1/4 of a tank.
'cut taxes!' says the conservative.
'what happened to my job?' says more than 10% of Michigan.
there has been a lot of chatter on what is the right or wrong way to fix the economy. like its a sputtering engine. while an engine is complex, the economy is like a million of them that have to work together. they dont have to be in perfect unison, but if 10% of the cars on the road stop, the rest of us are going to have trouble getting to our destinations and some more will run out of gas on the way. so the real question is how to fix a million sputtering engines so that the roads arent littered with lemons.
as i have debated various virtues of spending and taxing and tax cuts and social welfare programs and mortgage relief and bank failures and auto bailouts and wallaby overpopulation i have come to a conclusion, and as a blogger with no credentials, experience, or pertinent education on the topic, i think i need to tell the world, well, maybe just the US for now, what to do.
first, keep up the individual level social benefits. its important that we dont let more of our citizens fall into poverty where they will be a constant drain on the system. you would want it if it was you. but there has to be an end, you cant support people forever. second, dont dump bailout money into a sinking businesses. as much as i root for the big three and against the banks, let the ones that should fail, save the ones that are viable. dont throw good money after bad. third, fix health care. that shit is too expensive. i think part of it is that people cant really shop around for the right service at the right price. you go to the primary care physician that your insurance company tells you to, then to the specialists that he tells you to. that is if you even have coverage and can take care of your health properly. all that will take the burden off of business and consumers relieving stress and the cost. finally, temporarily eliminate or drastically reduce business and capital gains taxes and quit taxing money twice. think of the spending power that would be generated if the tax burden of businesses was half what it is. think of all the capital improvements they could make, all the people they could hire without needing more money. finally, the government needs to get this stimulus money stimulating. get that money moving. when businesses cant spend, the government needs to.
once all these things kick in, and the economy starts humming along again, you wind the taxes back up to replenish the deficit and combat inflation, and cut back on government spending. in the end, youve eliminated bad corporations, strengthened the remaining ones, boosted business in general, and created a health care system that works at a reasonable cost. so there you go congress and president Obama. now get on this shit ASAP, the traffic is getting thick and i only at have a 1/4 of a tank.
Friday, February 20, 2009
LaHood floats mileage tax
while i agree that a mileage tax is a better and more reliable way to fund our roads than a fuel tax, i dont think we should all out switch. the mileage tax would bring revenue to where it needs to be in order to maintain our crumbling roads. but we cant not tax gasoline. the government should raise the gas tax in order to encourage consumers and auto makers to switch to more efficient and greener power sources.
some have envisioned cars with GPS chips to track locations, but there has been a backlash from folks on that. it does reek of big brother and 1984. all cars now have electronic, more or less tamper proof odometers, so, why not include mileage in the fee to register or inspect cars. many states already require and anuual inspection, so let the states look at that, collect a fee, that is then used to maintain the state's roads with federal oversight.
i also think that freight should get some kind of reduced rate, because the idea is not to drive up the cost of goods, but to maintain roads. they shouldnt get a free pass either, because those rigs tear up the roads and we should encourage competition on the rails and through the air.
what say you?
Freep
some have envisioned cars with GPS chips to track locations, but there has been a backlash from folks on that. it does reek of big brother and 1984. all cars now have electronic, more or less tamper proof odometers, so, why not include mileage in the fee to register or inspect cars. many states already require and anuual inspection, so let the states look at that, collect a fee, that is then used to maintain the state's roads with federal oversight.
i also think that freight should get some kind of reduced rate, because the idea is not to drive up the cost of goods, but to maintain roads. they shouldnt get a free pass either, because those rigs tear up the roads and we should encourage competition on the rails and through the air.
what say you?
Freep
hey, remember me?
i'm still alive, just been through a couple of real busy weeks.
anyway, Krauthammer is at it again. he's after Obama for not running around all over the world posturing against Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Venezuela. well guess what, buddy. thats what we voted for.
you barely mention the domestic crises that were up against here. i dont think that we need to run around trying to assert our will all over the globe when were reeling from domestic woes. when ive got a cold i dont go out on the street spouting off at the mouth about everything that i dont like. id rather not get punched in the face. and i dont do that anyway.
talk softly and carry a big stick. despite Bush's best efforts, we still have the biggest stick around. Russia, Iran, Venezuela, N Korea all know that if they really provoke us, we will totally fuck them up. at the same time, we dont need to go around picking fights.
i feel like were the big good hearted guy in the school yard who keeps the peace. bullies think twice because were around. but if we go around trying to bully all the bullies, well, we might find ourselves surrounded. we kind of proved in WWII that even the biggest military machine can be brought down if theyre surrounded by a coalition of determined opponents.
were already down, we dont need to encourage our foes to kick us.
anyway, Krauthammer is at it again. he's after Obama for not running around all over the world posturing against Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and Venezuela. well guess what, buddy. thats what we voted for.
you barely mention the domestic crises that were up against here. i dont think that we need to run around trying to assert our will all over the globe when were reeling from domestic woes. when ive got a cold i dont go out on the street spouting off at the mouth about everything that i dont like. id rather not get punched in the face. and i dont do that anyway.
talk softly and carry a big stick. despite Bush's best efforts, we still have the biggest stick around. Russia, Iran, Venezuela, N Korea all know that if they really provoke us, we will totally fuck them up. at the same time, we dont need to go around picking fights.
i feel like were the big good hearted guy in the school yard who keeps the peace. bullies think twice because were around. but if we go around trying to bully all the bullies, well, we might find ourselves surrounded. we kind of proved in WWII that even the biggest military machine can be brought down if theyre surrounded by a coalition of determined opponents.
were already down, we dont need to encourage our foes to kick us.
Friday, January 30, 2009
uuugh
not even two weeks into the new administration and im already sick of hearing republican whining about the lack of bipartisanship. this is a two way street guys. now i dont sit in the chambers of congress and i dont watch c-span, but all i have heard is bitching from the republican camp.
most recently this comes from the SCHIP debate. democrats added coverage for children of legal immigrants. republicans, for reasons inexplicable to me, were up in arms about it. citizens or not, you want them to contribute to society. if theyre sick and cant afford care the whole family suffers and advancing in any meaningful way is problematic. early care can prevent a lot of problems and give these kids a real chance to help our nation.
wont somebody please think of the children!
most recently this comes from the SCHIP debate. democrats added coverage for children of legal immigrants. republicans, for reasons inexplicable to me, were up in arms about it. citizens or not, you want them to contribute to society. if theyre sick and cant afford care the whole family suffers and advancing in any meaningful way is problematic. early care can prevent a lot of problems and give these kids a real chance to help our nation.
wont somebody please think of the children!
how to save the economy.
impose some fucking taxes on ExxonMobil! those bastards raked in over $45 billion in profits in 2008. if EM was a nation, their profit, not revenue, their profit, would put then just ahead of Belarus in terms of GDP at #68 in the world. so, congress, get off your asses and tax these motherfuckers. or at least investigate some shit. there has got to be something up here.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
stimulate this
i doubt that it is new to you that the house passed Obama's stimulus package right down party lines. im fairly certain that i dont break news, i just put my perspective to it.
my first comment is that everyone on the right seems to think that this is the 'typical liberal tax and spend policy. what we ought to do is cut taxes.' because all the tax cuts in the Bush era have done so well. deregulation got us here, tax cuts and a foolish war turned a surplus into an enormous deficit.
yes, we are spending money we dont have. but whats new? this is America. after all, the whole 'mortgage crisis' was spawned by people asking for more than they can afford and banks who let them do it and a government that refused to regulate the process.
but anyway, cutting taxes wont stimulate the economy like spending will. spending puts money into the economy. tax cuts and rebates are frequently saved rather than spent, stimulating savings, which doesnt give people jobs.
the problem we have ended up with is a confidence deficit. people just arent confident in the market, their jobs if they still have them, their investments, American companies, or the stability of the economy in general. you can stimulate some confidence with spending. if the government vows to spend billions, there is some confidence that people will get jobs.
the problem i have with the plan is not the tax cuts, not the spending, but where the spending goes. $16B to transit and $30B to roads. the way i see it we need to maintain roads and bridges, but we dot really need any more. more roads, more lanes, more highways just stimulates more cars and more driving. a robust transit system is better environmentally, better for sustainable, walkable neighborhoods, and provides a way for people to get around if they cant afford a car.
dont worry, im from Detroit. i love cars. theyre great. theyve played a large role in making America great. but the world turns, time passes, and things change. horses once constituted the way to get around. when cars came around, we largely left the horse to recreation and specialized activities. the time is coming to move to a more sustainable mode of transportation. one where we ride together. one with lower emissions. one without freeways cutting through the back yard. i cant envision a world in which cars and trucks wont have a role, but our urban centers and transit corridors would be better served with a robust rail system rather than sprawling 10 lane freeways.
which brings me to another point. the US infrastructure was recently given a grade of D. our roads and bridges are crumbling, and we have neglected rail and other forms of mass transit and freight that they can pick up the slack. so in my opinion we ought to maintain what we have before we build anything new. fix or rebuild existing roads and bridges so that no more motorists fall into rivers. at the same time we need to expand other options, rail being the most familiar and proven.
more rail, maintain roads, no new lanes, green power infrastructure and green incentives for business is my prescription. but im not a doctor or an elected leader. im just some jerk with a blog. maybe if we blog jerks say it enough someone will listen. i hope.
my first comment is that everyone on the right seems to think that this is the 'typical liberal tax and spend policy. what we ought to do is cut taxes.' because all the tax cuts in the Bush era have done so well. deregulation got us here, tax cuts and a foolish war turned a surplus into an enormous deficit.
yes, we are spending money we dont have. but whats new? this is America. after all, the whole 'mortgage crisis' was spawned by people asking for more than they can afford and banks who let them do it and a government that refused to regulate the process.
but anyway, cutting taxes wont stimulate the economy like spending will. spending puts money into the economy. tax cuts and rebates are frequently saved rather than spent, stimulating savings, which doesnt give people jobs.
the problem we have ended up with is a confidence deficit. people just arent confident in the market, their jobs if they still have them, their investments, American companies, or the stability of the economy in general. you can stimulate some confidence with spending. if the government vows to spend billions, there is some confidence that people will get jobs.
the problem i have with the plan is not the tax cuts, not the spending, but where the spending goes. $16B to transit and $30B to roads. the way i see it we need to maintain roads and bridges, but we dot really need any more. more roads, more lanes, more highways just stimulates more cars and more driving. a robust transit system is better environmentally, better for sustainable, walkable neighborhoods, and provides a way for people to get around if they cant afford a car.
dont worry, im from Detroit. i love cars. theyre great. theyve played a large role in making America great. but the world turns, time passes, and things change. horses once constituted the way to get around. when cars came around, we largely left the horse to recreation and specialized activities. the time is coming to move to a more sustainable mode of transportation. one where we ride together. one with lower emissions. one without freeways cutting through the back yard. i cant envision a world in which cars and trucks wont have a role, but our urban centers and transit corridors would be better served with a robust rail system rather than sprawling 10 lane freeways.
which brings me to another point. the US infrastructure was recently given a grade of D. our roads and bridges are crumbling, and we have neglected rail and other forms of mass transit and freight that they can pick up the slack. so in my opinion we ought to maintain what we have before we build anything new. fix or rebuild existing roads and bridges so that no more motorists fall into rivers. at the same time we need to expand other options, rail being the most familiar and proven.
more rail, maintain roads, no new lanes, green power infrastructure and green incentives for business is my prescription. but im not a doctor or an elected leader. im just some jerk with a blog. maybe if we blog jerks say it enough someone will listen. i hope.
Monday, January 19, 2009
pre-inauguration impression
yesterday i went down to the 'we are one' shindig on the national mall. much like i did, i think the authorities around town saw this as a warm up for tomorrow's festivities. all things considered it went pretty smoothly.
the post was reporting 400,000 people downtown, and from my experiences there, i dont think they missed the mark by much. there were a lot of people, but open space could be found relatively easily. that said, theyre expecting 4 or maybe 5 times as many people to show up tomorrow, so, wow. its going to be wild trying to get around, especially afterword.
also, it was rather odd to see a HUM-V on every corner within a half mile of the mall with National Guard troops all over the place. on the other hand, it was a comforting presence for the more part. i did feel that they arent the best at crowd control and maybe the MPD would have been better with that. they were no where to be seen except inside the secure concert area.
it was pretty cool. the one impression that sticks with me most is that there were NO conflicts or fights. every time i have been in a crowd like that people start pushing, or get pissed because of stepped on toes. this time everyone was just so upbeat that the didnt sweat the small stuff. everyone was happy and rather well behaved, and most remarkable for the east coast, people were even courteous.
tomorrow should be wild... im looking forward to it.
the post was reporting 400,000 people downtown, and from my experiences there, i dont think they missed the mark by much. there were a lot of people, but open space could be found relatively easily. that said, theyre expecting 4 or maybe 5 times as many people to show up tomorrow, so, wow. its going to be wild trying to get around, especially afterword.
also, it was rather odd to see a HUM-V on every corner within a half mile of the mall with National Guard troops all over the place. on the other hand, it was a comforting presence for the more part. i did feel that they arent the best at crowd control and maybe the MPD would have been better with that. they were no where to be seen except inside the secure concert area.
it was pretty cool. the one impression that sticks with me most is that there were NO conflicts or fights. every time i have been in a crowd like that people start pushing, or get pissed because of stepped on toes. this time everyone was just so upbeat that the didnt sweat the small stuff. everyone was happy and rather well behaved, and most remarkable for the east coast, people were even courteous.
tomorrow should be wild... im looking forward to it.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
aw! come on, guys!
so the new stimulus package outlines $10 billion in transit funding. that sounds pretty awesome until you see that theyve given $30 billion to roads. no, im not saying let roads crumble, but induced demand is well documented and only creates more commutes, more pollution, and more upkeep. when will they see the light?
but lets pick our battles here. much of that highway money is pointed toward new roads while existing roads crumble. remember that bridge in Minneapolis? lets fix what weve got before we build more stuff that we cant seem to maintain.
from Transportation for America:
but lets pick our battles here. much of that highway money is pointed toward new roads while existing roads crumble. remember that bridge in Minneapolis? lets fix what weve got before we build more stuff that we cant seem to maintain.
from Transportation for America:
It turned out that thousands of bridges across the country were deemed "structurally deficient," and in almost two years, little has changed.
With billions about to be committed for a new economic recovery package, you'd think Congress would prioritize fixing what's broken. But the powerful highway lobby is pressing hard for nearly all the money to spent on building new roads and bridges.
I just signed a petition to the new Congress, asking them to make sure that our tax dollars are going to repair and maintenance, instead of wasting our money on expanding a crumbling road and highway system. Will you sign on, too?
http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/t/3224/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=206
We can't afford for Congress to write a blank check to the states. The economic recovery package they're working on right now needs to include transparency and accountability, so we can see where the money's going and ensure that we fix what's broken before starting to build even more.
Why should we spend billions to build new roads to crumbling bridges?
Please, sign the petition today. All you have to do is click here:
http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/t/3224/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=206
Thanks.
Jesus Christ, Isreal!
you bombed the fucking UN! youre really wearing your good will thin. with me, its pretty much gone. i realize that you have the right to exist, but killing a thousand Palestinians and setting a UN compound on fire have really put a dent in your standing. not just in the Arab world. i really think its time for the US to reassess our unwavering support of Israel.
this whole Judeo-Christian vs Arab battle thats been raging since the beginning of time (1982, when i was born, i mean, thats all i know) is really getting rather old. i feel like we in the west have given Israel a blank check of good will. i think its time to cap that withdraw. sit Israel down and have a nice chat with them.
"listen man, you know i like you. i think you provide a good balance to the neighborhood. but youve got to stop pissing off the neighbors. i mean, youve blockaded the bodega, they cant get even get some doritos. they have to have their friends buy em and sneak em in for them. then, when they get pissed off about the inflated dorito prices and isolation and throw eggs on your house, you totally flip out and throw moltov cocktails at em. and now even that goofy asian dude, that guy on the corner who likes every one and tries to get people together, is pissed at you. who can blame him? you even set his house of fire. you need to back off the rhetoric, put the gas can back in the garage, start treating your neighbors like neighbors, and apologize like hell to that asian dude and the rest of the neighborhood. i mean, they were ready to just accept you being there six months ago as long as you quit being so much of a prick. and im not saying that their insults and egg throwing help, but you need to figure out a way to live together, or you might just die together. chill out dude. maybe go visit your aunt in NYC for a week, clear your mind. we all know youre in for the long haul, so you might as well try to be a good neighbor. man, no one wants to live like this. and ill talk to the neighbors, see what i can do to get them off your back a little. weve all got to just live and let live. lets all just quit being ass holes. i mean, isnt that part of what great grandad told all of us. maybe he said it in different words, but we all got the gist back then. come on man, were all in this together."
feel free to use that, Secretary Clinton. you know, just say, my friend dano helped me prepare for the negotiations. and really, wouldnt a little verbal smack around on Israel not only make them back off, but show some good will to the neighbors, who weve either ignored or told to pound sand? but what do i know, its not like Jews, Arabs, and Christians all lived within a few miles of eachother where im from. oh, wait, they did. i actually went to high school with all of the above.
this whole Judeo-Christian vs Arab battle thats been raging since the beginning of time (1982, when i was born, i mean, thats all i know) is really getting rather old. i feel like we in the west have given Israel a blank check of good will. i think its time to cap that withdraw. sit Israel down and have a nice chat with them.
"listen man, you know i like you. i think you provide a good balance to the neighborhood. but youve got to stop pissing off the neighbors. i mean, youve blockaded the bodega, they cant get even get some doritos. they have to have their friends buy em and sneak em in for them. then, when they get pissed off about the inflated dorito prices and isolation and throw eggs on your house, you totally flip out and throw moltov cocktails at em. and now even that goofy asian dude, that guy on the corner who likes every one and tries to get people together, is pissed at you. who can blame him? you even set his house of fire. you need to back off the rhetoric, put the gas can back in the garage, start treating your neighbors like neighbors, and apologize like hell to that asian dude and the rest of the neighborhood. i mean, they were ready to just accept you being there six months ago as long as you quit being so much of a prick. and im not saying that their insults and egg throwing help, but you need to figure out a way to live together, or you might just die together. chill out dude. maybe go visit your aunt in NYC for a week, clear your mind. we all know youre in for the long haul, so you might as well try to be a good neighbor. man, no one wants to live like this. and ill talk to the neighbors, see what i can do to get them off your back a little. weve all got to just live and let live. lets all just quit being ass holes. i mean, isnt that part of what great grandad told all of us. maybe he said it in different words, but we all got the gist back then. come on man, were all in this together."
feel free to use that, Secretary Clinton. you know, just say, my friend dano helped me prepare for the negotiations. and really, wouldnt a little verbal smack around on Israel not only make them back off, but show some good will to the neighbors, who weve either ignored or told to pound sand? but what do i know, its not like Jews, Arabs, and Christians all lived within a few miles of eachother where im from. oh, wait, they did. i actually went to high school with all of the above.
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