OK, to pick up on yesterday's rant...
1) The root cause is the mortgage problem with the banks. Let's fix that first before we throw a TRILLION a the problem. It kills me how first Bush, now Obama, took their eyes off of this ball. If they get the banks on their feet and the economy is still in the shitter, then let's talk about stimulus. But if credit is tight because the banks still are carrying bad paper, how are businesses going to get the money to start on these projects (and, no, I'd rather not give them their money upfront)? Besides, all of this federal money is a disincentive for local/state governments to have their financial act together. This isn't the end of days that those petulant republicans think it is, but we are clearly putting the cart before the horse. Remember, we're not really throwing a trillion at it, it's TWO trillion because of the interest. I think by then government checks should just be written by China.
2) If Bobby Jindal is the next best thing for the Republicans, they are fucked. He's got nothing and he's a hypocrite. What a fucking embarrassment. First, considering how serious the republicans were about Bush's photo-ops (y'know, great lighting with backgrounds with the four words he was supposed to repeat) they screwed the pooch on this one having Jindal walk in through a dark room at the guv's mansion in Baton Rouge. If he's so popular, why not have him in front of a large (and loudly drunk) crowd in Jackson Square? Especially on Fat Tuesday? His sing-song delivery and 5 word sentences made it sound like his speech was written to only be heard by Bush.
Second, when he said that New Orleans was being rebuilt using private money I just about spit my dinner on the TV. More than $127 billion has been spent there. I'm not saying it's been spent wisely, but still. I look forward to his next budget that has the fine citizens of Louisiana rebuilding their levees instead of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Third, he had the balls to say, "In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy became less clear because our party got away from its principles. You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust -- and rightly so." This was immediately followed by, "Tonight, on behalf of our leaders in Congress and my fellow Republican governors, I say: Our party is determined to regain your trust. We will do so by standing up for the principles that we share -- the principles you elected us to fight for -- the principles that built this into the greatest, most prosperous country on Earth." What are those principles? If they were so great, why couldn't you follow them in the first place? Eight years wasn't enough to correct your course? Like any kid, he's not apologizing for what they did (and isn't 3 months a bit short to keep those dumbasses out of office?), but for getting caught.
3) If Obama wants to get the budget balanced he needs to get us out of Iraq and forget this folly in Afghanistan. Also, and I realize that as a percentage of the budget it is tiny, he's got to keep the earmarks out of future bills as he did with the stimulus legislation. It will restore people's faith in government and get some of the McCain voters off of his ass. I'm torn on this idea of having a budget that projects 10 years out. On one hand, clearly the government needs to plan that way, but it seems goofy that a budget would be based on the behavior (partially) of at least the next president, and maybe the next two.
One health care, he's pushing an idea that calls for evidenced-based reimbursements. What this means is that the government will only pay docs and hospitals for performing procedures that have been clinically proven to be the most effective (for instance, using post heart attack drugs instead of stents). So, the republicans who are (supposedly) in favor of streamlined government would be all for this, right? Uh, no. See, even if the government insists on the most effective treatment, the republicans think that this is feds interferring with your health care? WTF? See, it's not just Bush who was anti-science. I'm sure that all the pharma and medical device money they get has nothing to do with it.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Obama's Big Speech
I really want to write more about this, but it's late, I'm tired and I know I haven't posted in a few days. Here's the Cliff's Notes version:
1) The root cause is the mortgage problem with the banks. Let's fix that first before we throw a TRILLION a the problem.
2) If Bobby Jindal is the next best thing for the Republicans, they are fucked. He's got nothing and he's a hypocrite. More on that in another post.
3) If Obama wants to get the budget balanced he needs to get us out of Iraq and forget this folly in Afghanistan. Also, and I realize that as a percentage of the budget it is tiny, he's got to keep the earmarks out of future bills as he did with the stimulus legislation. It will restore people's faith in government and get some of the McCain voters off of his ass.
NZS2, the HB and I are doing the bachelor thing. Salmon tonight, shrimp and pasta tomorrow. Woot!
1) The root cause is the mortgage problem with the banks. Let's fix that first before we throw a TRILLION a the problem.
2) If Bobby Jindal is the next best thing for the Republicans, they are fucked. He's got nothing and he's a hypocrite. More on that in another post.
3) If Obama wants to get the budget balanced he needs to get us out of Iraq and forget this folly in Afghanistan. Also, and I realize that as a percentage of the budget it is tiny, he's got to keep the earmarks out of future bills as he did with the stimulus legislation. It will restore people's faith in government and get some of the McCain voters off of his ass.
NZS2, the HB and I are doing the bachelor thing. Salmon tonight, shrimp and pasta tomorrow. Woot!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Measure B
No, this isn't what you do after Measure A doesn't work out. Rather, Measure B is an initiative on the ballot in LA on March 3rd. It's fairly ambitious in that it proposes to increase the amount of solar power generated in the city by 400 megawatts by 2014 by installing solar panels, well, pretty much everywhere.
The good thing about the initiative is that it proposes gathering solar energy from rooftops, as opposed to building large solar farms in the desert. Obviously, there's plenty of solar energy to be harvested out there. However, it's getting it to the city that's a problem. Currently, large transmission towers and lines need to be installed which generally degrade the environment. In a sunny place like LA, it makes sense to gather the energy where it doesn't need to be transmitted. Getting all of these things purchased and installed in the near term would also kick start the economy.
The bad thing about the measure is the implementation. It states that the solar panels can only be bought by the LA department of water and power (DWP) and they must be installed by their electrician's union (IBEW). As such, DWP has not come forward with how much this will cost (e.g., how much rates will go up). My guess is that the price tag will be in the billions. I understand why the measure would want DWP to set standards for installation, but why give them a monopoly which will cost more? People in LA get solar panels put on their houses every day without blowing up the power grid, so it's not a competence issue. Rather, it's politics. Everyone on the city council wants the IBEW's (and other city unions') support when the run for re-election. Funny, the mayor's name is on the ballot in March also. What a coincidence.
I'm thinking that I'm going to vote No. It could be done for probably 2/3 the cost and without building up a huge beauracracy if the DWP opened the process up. If it goes down to defeat we'll see if they are interested in keeping the IBEW happy or increasing green power in the city.
The good thing about the initiative is that it proposes gathering solar energy from rooftops, as opposed to building large solar farms in the desert. Obviously, there's plenty of solar energy to be harvested out there. However, it's getting it to the city that's a problem. Currently, large transmission towers and lines need to be installed which generally degrade the environment. In a sunny place like LA, it makes sense to gather the energy where it doesn't need to be transmitted. Getting all of these things purchased and installed in the near term would also kick start the economy.
The bad thing about the measure is the implementation. It states that the solar panels can only be bought by the LA department of water and power (DWP) and they must be installed by their electrician's union (IBEW). As such, DWP has not come forward with how much this will cost (e.g., how much rates will go up). My guess is that the price tag will be in the billions. I understand why the measure would want DWP to set standards for installation, but why give them a monopoly which will cost more? People in LA get solar panels put on their houses every day without blowing up the power grid, so it's not a competence issue. Rather, it's politics. Everyone on the city council wants the IBEW's (and other city unions') support when the run for re-election. Funny, the mayor's name is on the ballot in March also. What a coincidence.
I'm thinking that I'm going to vote No. It could be done for probably 2/3 the cost and without building up a huge beauracracy if the DWP opened the process up. If it goes down to defeat we'll see if they are interested in keeping the IBEW happy or increasing green power in the city.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Where is LA?
One thing you may hear about LA is that it's not very neighborly. I call bullshit. First, I know all of my neighbors and their kids/animals pretty well. Also, LA as a whole has may distinct areas, such as Brentwood and Hollywood. And there are sub-areas within these (for instance, within Hollywood is the ThaiTown section) The LA Times as decided on taking on the thankless task of determining the exact borders of each one at this link.
Besides all of the local cranks who complain about a boundary being this street instead of another street, there's an interesting dynamic of how neighborhoods shift, particularly those primarily identified by their ethnic makeup. For instance, do the Koreatown borders change as Korean-American owned businesses move in or out? Should South LA (a name normally associated with African-American neighborhoods) have a different name now that is has a Hispanic majority?
Any border is arbitrary, but some are interesting. Using a very LA motif, Brentwood and Bel Air are separated by a freeway and Harbor Gateway is basically defined by the freeway that leads from the main part of the city to the port of Los Angeles. Some are defined pretty clearly due to sharing a border with fully surrounded city(ies), like Westwood which is bordered by Beverly Hills.
Of course, with some of the names and boundaries it's all about property values and prestige. Everyone's looking for an angle for some $$.
Besides all of the local cranks who complain about a boundary being this street instead of another street, there's an interesting dynamic of how neighborhoods shift, particularly those primarily identified by their ethnic makeup. For instance, do the Koreatown borders change as Korean-American owned businesses move in or out? Should South LA (a name normally associated with African-American neighborhoods) have a different name now that is has a Hispanic majority?
Any border is arbitrary, but some are interesting. Using a very LA motif, Brentwood and Bel Air are separated by a freeway and Harbor Gateway is basically defined by the freeway that leads from the main part of the city to the port of Los Angeles. Some are defined pretty clearly due to sharing a border with fully surrounded city(ies), like Westwood which is bordered by Beverly Hills.
Of course, with some of the names and boundaries it's all about property values and prestige. Everyone's looking for an angle for some $$.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Stimulus?
Remember when we were told that the root cause of our economic crisis was the collapse of the mortgage industry? Too many people got in over their heads when borrowing, then the banks stopped getting paid, then they stopped lending money, people started losing homes, businesses couldn't borrow, people wouldn't spend. Or something like that. Then we threw $350b to the banks and nothing changed, partially because they could do whatever the fuck they wanted to with the money. Since they pissed it away before, what made you think they'd spend it better this time? Exactly.
So, we have the $800b "stimulus" that addresses almost everything BUT the mortgage issue, and an announcement of another near $1t (with a T) to do whatever with the banks that didn't work last time. Why they can't figure out this out in DC is completely beyond me.
In the Wrecker house, some stimulus may be coming our way. My wife seems to think that one of her grants got a good enough score to be funded. We'll see.
So, we have the $800b "stimulus" that addresses almost everything BUT the mortgage issue, and an announcement of another near $1t (with a T) to do whatever with the banks that didn't work last time. Why they can't figure out this out in DC is completely beyond me.
In the Wrecker house, some stimulus may be coming our way. My wife seems to think that one of her grants got a good enough score to be funded. We'll see.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
And the Water Parted
As it turns out, the wife wasn't wild about me getting stuff for a romantic snack last night as she had already gone out and got it. So, I got us a few extra treats when I was out getting her flowers (no, not a typical bunch of roses, rather I picked her out some orchids, lilies and sunflowers).
Thinking that the four of us were going to be home for dinner, I found a good recipe to make. But, as they day went on things changed. The HB was going to stay at the nephew's for dinner, then the NZS II asked if he could be dropped off at a buddy's before dinner. So, this meant that for the first time in several years the wife and I actually at V-Day alone together. Woot!
So, we enjoyed a romantic dinner at home, had some good sex, watched some movies and even slept in this morning. Can't remember a better V-Day in a looooooong time.
Thinking that the four of us were going to be home for dinner, I found a good recipe to make. But, as they day went on things changed. The HB was going to stay at the nephew's for dinner, then the NZS II asked if he could be dropped off at a buddy's before dinner. So, this meant that for the first time in several years the wife and I actually at V-Day alone together. Woot!
So, we enjoyed a romantic dinner at home, had some good sex, watched some movies and even slept in this morning. Can't remember a better V-Day in a looooooong time.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentine's Day
The wife and I feel the same way about going out for dinner on Valentine's as we do on New Year's. So, we normally do something quiet. When I proposed such for tonight, I got crickets and a shoulder shrug. She's obviously thinking wayyyyy to much about work. I'll still get some goodies (cheese, salami, bread, wine, etc.) for tonight. If she's still not in the mood, then I'll have a great late night snack...heh.
I've been trying to get my arms around the whole Alex Rodriguez mess. Here's a guy with all of the baseball tools one would need (like Bonds), yet he still feels the need to cheat (I never believe a guy who says he quit that stuff before he got caught--they are always looking for an edge). I don't know why the commish doesn't suspend him. When he was using the collective bargaining agreement with the players said that it was forbidden to take illegal drugs. At the time, taking steroids without a prescription was illegal, so, what's the problem? Let the union decide to stick up for a cheater.
However, I don't think that the other guys who tested positive in the (supposedly) confidential program should be outed. You make that kind of promise, you should keep it. Too bad for A-Fraud that his came up in the Bonds investigation.
Just remember in all of this that people scoffed at Jose Canseco when his book came out naming all of these guys. He's been right every time.
I've been trying to get my arms around the whole Alex Rodriguez mess. Here's a guy with all of the baseball tools one would need (like Bonds), yet he still feels the need to cheat (I never believe a guy who says he quit that stuff before he got caught--they are always looking for an edge). I don't know why the commish doesn't suspend him. When he was using the collective bargaining agreement with the players said that it was forbidden to take illegal drugs. At the time, taking steroids without a prescription was illegal, so, what's the problem? Let the union decide to stick up for a cheater.
However, I don't think that the other guys who tested positive in the (supposedly) confidential program should be outed. You make that kind of promise, you should keep it. Too bad for A-Fraud that his came up in the Bonds investigation.
Just remember in all of this that people scoffed at Jose Canseco when his book came out naming all of these guys. He's been right every time.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Stimulating Pork
I've been watching the negotiations over Obama's stimulus bill in the House and Senate with interest. At a political level, I wanted to see how far the dempublicans were going to over reach and how convinced the repulicrats were going to stick to the theory that they haven't been fiscally conservative enough, hence their election defeats. So far, I have not been disappointed.
The repulicrats have an answer for everything having to do with the economy--tax cuts. Hunh? Remember that $600 check that W sent all those people? Well, it didn't do much for the economy because people are BROKE. They paid bills and stuck it in the bank, which is generally a good thing, but it's not an economic stimulus.
The dempublicans clearly see the bill as the answer to all of their constituents' problems. For instance:
$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”
$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships
$300 million for grants to combat violence against women
$150 million for agricultural-commodity purchases
$150 million for “producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish”
$850 million for Amtrak
$300 million for energy-efficient-appliance rebate programs
We can have a separate discussion as to whether Congress should be funding any of those at all, but they sure as shit aren't economic stimuli. The dems see the big gravy train approaching and don't want to miss it.
The problem with all of this non-stimulus stuff is that, eventually, we pay twice as much for these programs due to the interest on the borrowed money taken out to fund them. Plus it allows foreign banks to have us by the short and curlies.
It's private industry, not government spending, that's going to lead us out of this recession. Obama may be right that 'green' industries will be the key. He proposes several measures to prop up the industry. The problems with this are that it hides the true cost of green energy, once an industry has a subsidy it almost never gives it up, and it puts the government in the position of picking winners/losers and it has a poor record of doing so.
If Obama wants to give green industries a boost, he should repeal tax breaks to the oil industry for exploration, etc. This will lead to carbon-based energy being priced more closely to its cost (in this case, higher) and make green energy more cost competitive while bringing money INTO the treasury. It will also force the green energy companies to put up or shut up by getting rid of one the barriers to their success. If they succeed, and I think they will, they'll organically create jobs without the government's help. What a concept.
The repulicrats have an answer for everything having to do with the economy--tax cuts. Hunh? Remember that $600 check that W sent all those people? Well, it didn't do much for the economy because people are BROKE. They paid bills and stuck it in the bank, which is generally a good thing, but it's not an economic stimulus.
The dempublicans clearly see the bill as the answer to all of their constituents' problems. For instance:
$650 million for digital-TV coupons; $90 million to educate “vulnerable populations”
$15 billion for boosting Pell Grant college scholarships
$300 million for grants to combat violence against women
$150 million for agricultural-commodity purchases
$150 million for “producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish”
$850 million for Amtrak
$300 million for energy-efficient-appliance rebate programs
We can have a separate discussion as to whether Congress should be funding any of those at all, but they sure as shit aren't economic stimuli. The dems see the big gravy train approaching and don't want to miss it.
The problem with all of this non-stimulus stuff is that, eventually, we pay twice as much for these programs due to the interest on the borrowed money taken out to fund them. Plus it allows foreign banks to have us by the short and curlies.
It's private industry, not government spending, that's going to lead us out of this recession. Obama may be right that 'green' industries will be the key. He proposes several measures to prop up the industry. The problems with this are that it hides the true cost of green energy, once an industry has a subsidy it almost never gives it up, and it puts the government in the position of picking winners/losers and it has a poor record of doing so.
If Obama wants to give green industries a boost, he should repeal tax breaks to the oil industry for exploration, etc. This will lead to carbon-based energy being priced more closely to its cost (in this case, higher) and make green energy more cost competitive while bringing money INTO the treasury. It will also force the green energy companies to put up or shut up by getting rid of one the barriers to their success. If they succeed, and I think they will, they'll organically create jobs without the government's help. What a concept.
Monday, February 9, 2009
More Hoops and Into the Woods
Could it have been a better basketball weekend?
UCLA and Notre Dame renewed their hoops rivalry. Back in the day, it was as intense as USC-ND in football. The Bruins put it back in the stone age by giving the Slumping Irish a serious and well-deserved ass-kicking, 89-63.
The Lakers finished up their road trip against the Cavs in a game billed as Kobe vs. LeBron. Well, Kobe was puking before the game, LA played lock down D on The King and Lamar Odom played out of his mind. This all added up to a 10 point Laker win, ending Cleveland's 23 game home winning streak. I wish it were the NBA playoffs now, sigh...
The HB had a great time with Into the Woods. He sang (surprisingly) well in his solos and was very comfortable on stage. He really enjoyed this production and is ready to go for Alladin next.
UCLA and Notre Dame renewed their hoops rivalry. Back in the day, it was as intense as USC-ND in football. The Bruins put it back in the stone age by giving the Slumping Irish a serious and well-deserved ass-kicking, 89-63.
The Lakers finished up their road trip against the Cavs in a game billed as Kobe vs. LeBron. Well, Kobe was puking before the game, LA played lock down D on The King and Lamar Odom played out of his mind. This all added up to a 10 point Laker win, ending Cleveland's 23 game home winning streak. I wish it were the NBA playoffs now, sigh...
The HB had a great time with Into the Woods. He sang (surprisingly) well in his solos and was very comfortable on stage. He really enjoyed this production and is ready to go for Alladin next.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Hooping it Up and the HB on Stage
Now that football's over (sniff) I've been turning more of my attention to basketball and it was a cool week to do so. My primary concern is the Lakers.
Things have been going well for them the season. They were in position to have the best record in the league, which is key for home court advantage in the playoffs, and then Andrew Bynum got his knee fucked up, again. It's not the same one as last year and he should be back before the playoffs, but you never really know.
Amidst all of this, the Lakers hit the road for what could be their biggest trip of the season. So far, so good. They've won at Minnesota, Memphis, New York (with Kobe setting a new Garden scoring record), and Boston (in overtime the night after the Knicks' game over the fucking Celtics--heh). They finish up tomorrow in Cleveland against LeBron and the Cavs, who have the 2nd best record in the league. If they can beat the Cavs they'll have another leg up for home court advantage (they beat the Cavs at Staples last month) and really show the league that they mean business this year.
In college hoops, Pat Summit, the head coach of the Lady Vols, won her 1,000th game. Most women's programs haven't won 1,000 games. This year she's had a tough job with a team of mostly freshman. They probably won't win the NCAA championship, but they'll be badass for the next few years, at least.
On the men's side, the tournament is shaping up to be awesome. Several teams have been ranked #1, so there's a lot of parity. The Vols are very inconsistent (one of their guards really needs to step up) and will have a tough time repeating last year's tourney success. I'd be stoked if they made the Sweet 16.
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Today and tomorrow the HB's theater group is performing Into the Woods. He has a couple of good parts (they go with two casts) and is very excited. We got him a DVD of the original Broadway cast, so he knows the show inside and out (the kids are only doing the first half of he show).
The kids have been working very hard with 4 hour practices after school all week. The wife and I caught some of the final rehearsal last night (after going to the most customer service oriented bar I've ever been in) and it's looking good. I'll letchya know how things go.
Things have been going well for them the season. They were in position to have the best record in the league, which is key for home court advantage in the playoffs, and then Andrew Bynum got his knee fucked up, again. It's not the same one as last year and he should be back before the playoffs, but you never really know.
Amidst all of this, the Lakers hit the road for what could be their biggest trip of the season. So far, so good. They've won at Minnesota, Memphis, New York (with Kobe setting a new Garden scoring record), and Boston (in overtime the night after the Knicks' game over the fucking Celtics--heh). They finish up tomorrow in Cleveland against LeBron and the Cavs, who have the 2nd best record in the league. If they can beat the Cavs they'll have another leg up for home court advantage (they beat the Cavs at Staples last month) and really show the league that they mean business this year.
In college hoops, Pat Summit, the head coach of the Lady Vols, won her 1,000th game. Most women's programs haven't won 1,000 games. This year she's had a tough job with a team of mostly freshman. They probably won't win the NCAA championship, but they'll be badass for the next few years, at least.
On the men's side, the tournament is shaping up to be awesome. Several teams have been ranked #1, so there's a lot of parity. The Vols are very inconsistent (one of their guards really needs to step up) and will have a tough time repeating last year's tourney success. I'd be stoked if they made the Sweet 16.
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Today and tomorrow the HB's theater group is performing Into the Woods. He has a couple of good parts (they go with two casts) and is very excited. We got him a DVD of the original Broadway cast, so he knows the show inside and out (the kids are only doing the first half of he show).
The kids have been working very hard with 4 hour practices after school all week. The wife and I caught some of the final rehearsal last night (after going to the most customer service oriented bar I've ever been in) and it's looking good. I'll letchya know how things go.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Do as I Think, Not What I Say
Enforcing thought control is tough, and a double-edged sword. Take the pope's predicament. He wants to 'heal' the catholic church by rehabilitating (and not in the 12-Step sense) some bishops who belong to a breakaway part of the church. Basically, they think the Vatican's gone too soft in liberalizing the church and backing away from the jews killed jesus stuff. Funny thing, one of the rehabilitated bishops is a holocaust denier.
How can this be a surprise to anyone? The bigger surprise is the Ratzinger supposedly didn't know about it. C'mon, what a bunch of horseshit. Being a cardinal among Hitler's willing executioners must have given him a little sensitivity on the subject.
The fact is that this pope, and the people who help him make these kinds of decisions, don't think that anti-semitism is a big deal. They say it is when they're called on it, but let's judge them on their actions when people aren't looking. When they start releasing the communications between Pius XII and the Nazi's during WWII I'll start to believe it.
Of course, this whole idea of brining these guys back into the church because they claim they think more like the church is an enormous bunch of crap. Pulease. They may change what they are singing, but the tune inside their heads is still the same. Just like the vatican when it talks about anti-semitism.
How can this be a surprise to anyone? The bigger surprise is the Ratzinger supposedly didn't know about it. C'mon, what a bunch of horseshit. Being a cardinal among Hitler's willing executioners must have given him a little sensitivity on the subject.
The fact is that this pope, and the people who help him make these kinds of decisions, don't think that anti-semitism is a big deal. They say it is when they're called on it, but let's judge them on their actions when people aren't looking. When they start releasing the communications between Pius XII and the Nazi's during WWII I'll start to believe it.
Of course, this whole idea of brining these guys back into the church because they claim they think more like the church is an enormous bunch of crap. Pulease. They may change what they are singing, but the tune inside their heads is still the same. Just like the vatican when it talks about anti-semitism.
The Ethics of Change
It's amazing to me how many of Obama's appointees have tax problems. Ok, let me rephrase that--amazing how many STILL have tax problems after they've been contacted about being one of his appointees and how they try to hide them, as if no one is going to find out.
Worse is Obama's teetering on his promise of not having lobbyists in his government. First he hires William Lynn for whom he had to explicitly grant a waiver from his brand new ethics policy. Then Daschle's ties to the health care industry became apparent. Obama could only know about the tax problems had Daschle mentioned them. However, taking tons of green from health care "stakeholders" does not make one an honest broker when setting health policy. The funny thing is that he didn't need the money, but was (willfully?) blind to the potential conflict of interest. With those kinds of ethical blinders makes you wonder if anyone with Washington experience should be asked to be in the cabinet.
So, Daschle (and others) lied to Obama about his taxes, Obama didn't think his paid speeches were a conflict of interest, one of his first appointees needed an ethics waiver . One more time, how is this going to clean up Washington? To his credit, Obama did sign an executive order about people working in his administration coming back and lobbying while was president. But this idea that only people who are living in the swamp can clean it up is ridiculous. He needs to look outside of DC to staff the government.
Worse is Obama's teetering on his promise of not having lobbyists in his government. First he hires William Lynn for whom he had to explicitly grant a waiver from his brand new ethics policy. Then Daschle's ties to the health care industry became apparent. Obama could only know about the tax problems had Daschle mentioned them. However, taking tons of green from health care "stakeholders" does not make one an honest broker when setting health policy. The funny thing is that he didn't need the money, but was (willfully?) blind to the potential conflict of interest. With those kinds of ethical blinders makes you wonder if anyone with Washington experience should be asked to be in the cabinet.
So, Daschle (and others) lied to Obama about his taxes, Obama didn't think his paid speeches were a conflict of interest, one of his first appointees needed an ethics waiver . One more time, how is this going to clean up Washington? To his credit, Obama did sign an executive order about people working in his administration coming back and lobbying while was president. But this idea that only people who are living in the swamp can clean it up is ridiculous. He needs to look outside of DC to staff the government.
Monday, February 2, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
Here's a FB meme that I thought would be fun. Feel free to chime in with your own.
1) I do almost everything right-handed, except shoot pool.
2) I make my own beer.
3) I've seen Frank Sinatra AND Ozzy Osbourne in concert.
4) On vacation, I'm equally happy in a national park as a big city.
5) As a child, I initially became a RAIDERS fan because they were the only team I knew of with a player with my real first name.
6) I stopped believing in god when I was 10.
7) When online, I'd rather read something than listen to a podcast.
8) When the wife and I moved to Massachusetts, I moved into our first place site unseen.
9) I firmly believe in the saying, "Psychologists study their deficits."
10) I still miss having long hair.
11) Though I may never play them again and I hate clutter, I can't imagine getting rid of my record albums.
12) I've sky-dived and bungee-jumped. Sky-diving was WAY better.
13) I'm a creature of habit for breakfast and lunch, but I'll almost always order something I haven't had before in a restaurant.
14) I cook dinner almost every night. Come on over anytime.
15) There must be close to 30 ties in my closet that I'll never wear again.
16) In music, I'll take a good instrumentalist over a good vocalist any time.
17) There are plenty of things I forget, but I still remember my friends' phone numbers from when we were kids.
18) I do a lot of work for call centers, but I'll do almost anything to avoid calling one.
19) I don't drink coffee. Ever.
20) Republicans I've voted for: 1 (Bill Weld). Democrats I've voted for: I'll have to get back to you on that.
21) I DJ'd on the radio in college (hm...I think most of you already knew that).
22) I played bass in rock and blues bands in HS and college.
23) I've never had to commute for a full-time job.
24) I have several clients whom I have never seen.
25) If I don't get on a plane every month or so, I get VERY stir crazy.
1) I do almost everything right-handed, except shoot pool.
2) I make my own beer.
3) I've seen Frank Sinatra AND Ozzy Osbourne in concert.
4) On vacation, I'm equally happy in a national park as a big city.
5) As a child, I initially became a RAIDERS fan because they were the only team I knew of with a player with my real first name.
6) I stopped believing in god when I was 10.
7) When online, I'd rather read something than listen to a podcast.
8) When the wife and I moved to Massachusetts, I moved into our first place site unseen.
9) I firmly believe in the saying, "Psychologists study their deficits."
10) I still miss having long hair.
11) Though I may never play them again and I hate clutter, I can't imagine getting rid of my record albums.
12) I've sky-dived and bungee-jumped. Sky-diving was WAY better.
13) I'm a creature of habit for breakfast and lunch, but I'll almost always order something I haven't had before in a restaurant.
14) I cook dinner almost every night. Come on over anytime.
15) There must be close to 30 ties in my closet that I'll never wear again.
16) In music, I'll take a good instrumentalist over a good vocalist any time.
17) There are plenty of things I forget, but I still remember my friends' phone numbers from when we were kids.
18) I do a lot of work for call centers, but I'll do almost anything to avoid calling one.
19) I don't drink coffee. Ever.
20) Republicans I've voted for: 1 (Bill Weld). Democrats I've voted for: I'll have to get back to you on that.
21) I DJ'd on the radio in college (hm...I think most of you already knew that).
22) I played bass in rock and blues bands in HS and college.
23) I've never had to commute for a full-time job.
24) I have several clients whom I have never seen.
25) If I don't get on a plane every month or so, I get VERY stir crazy.
Super Bowl Wrap-Up
Going into yesterday's game, I thought the Arizona bandwagon was getting a little full. As a RAIDER fan, there's no way I could root for the Steelers, but I thought they were going to win the game.
All of this talk about it being the "Greatest SB Game EVAH!" is a bit overblown. The Cardinals played like shit in the first half and had tons of penalties. It was about the most exciting 4th quarter you could have with Zona coming back from 10 down to score 17 unanswered points, only to have their defense run out of gas at the end. And the catch that Holmes made at the end was amazing.
This was the first full game the NZS II saw. We talked a lot about the rules, etc beforehand, so he followed it pretty well. However, all of the penalties kind of threw him for a loop. All in all, he enjoyed the experience.
I played football during halftime, so I missed Springsteen, who I think is completely over-rated. I'm surprised that they couldn't find someone good from THIS century to perform.
As for the ads, well, I don't pay much attention to them, even at $3mil a pop. Now we just gotta wait 7.5 months for football to start again, sniff.
All of this talk about it being the "Greatest SB Game EVAH!" is a bit overblown. The Cardinals played like shit in the first half and had tons of penalties. It was about the most exciting 4th quarter you could have with Zona coming back from 10 down to score 17 unanswered points, only to have their defense run out of gas at the end. And the catch that Holmes made at the end was amazing.
This was the first full game the NZS II saw. We talked a lot about the rules, etc beforehand, so he followed it pretty well. However, all of the penalties kind of threw him for a loop. All in all, he enjoyed the experience.
I played football during halftime, so I missed Springsteen, who I think is completely over-rated. I'm surprised that they couldn't find someone good from THIS century to perform.
As for the ads, well, I don't pay much attention to them, even at $3mil a pop. Now we just gotta wait 7.5 months for football to start again, sniff.
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