Monday, May 29, 2006
One Advantage
One advantage of getting to work at 5am every day is getting most of my work done before I wake up.
Shitty Ads
I enjoy reading the Huffington post a couple of times a week, but I'm thinking about giving it up. It's double click ads are annoying because they interfere with page navigation. I must "double click" to back up, sometimes I get dumped back onto the same page, and sometimes I back up too far.
UPDATE: It'll be tough to give up this kind of stuff though.
UPDATE: It'll be tough to give up this kind of stuff though.
AIDS Treatment Performance
Sebastian Mallaby praises the administration's performance regarding AIDS treatment and prevention in the Washington Post. His quibbles are minor, the biggest being an unknown portion of abstinence and faithfulness education money is wasted on abstinence only programs.
UDATE: And there's this.
UDATE: And there's this.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
If Pi Is Infinitely Long...
If the decimal of Pi continues infinitely without repeating, then wouldn't every conceivable number, including those with repeating patterns, exist within it?
Fahrenheit .911
Maybe Al Gore's film will have the benefit of people looking more closely at climate change data and possibilities. This article from Washington Post gives some hope. Here's a little snippet:
I like that. I think it could be turned into a good slogan or bumper sticker:
"Death, poverty, and ignorance won't stop Global Warming."
"Terrible toos," (Chris) Horner says. I'm confused. He explains that it's shorthand for environmental doom and gloom.
"Terrible toos. Too many people, using too many resources."
Smith has a different equation: "Less people, less affluence, less technology: We call that death, poverty and ignorance."
I like that. I think it could be turned into a good slogan or bumper sticker:
"Death, poverty, and ignorance won't stop Global Warming."
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
How To Be Happy
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Women Are Attracted To Two Types Of Men
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
What's The Big Deal About Gas Prices?
I believe that the reason we don’t often hear a lot of complaining about inflation is because inflation is usually focused on the rich and middle-class. While there has been mild inflation, people in the lower income brackets have been affected less than the upper. In fact, while income was flat (slightly increasing) over 2000-2003 for the lower income brackets, expenses were also flat and actually decreased some. This is because they purchase from a different basket of goods, and because many of the products they buy may be easily substituted. Gas, however, is a larger portion of expenditures for the lower income earners than the upper income earners. It is also one of the expenditures that is not easily substituted, so gas price increases cut into disposable income.
Gas prices cut into the disposable income of the lower 60% of earners, who have less disposable income to begin with. So you are affecting a lot more people, and people who are affected more.
Gas prices cut into the disposable income of the lower 60% of earners, who have less disposable income to begin with. So you are affecting a lot more people, and people who are affected more.
Hypothetical Opinion
Everyone has a right to their own opinion. People can have all kind of opinions about facts and hypotheticals. But what the heck is this? An opinion about a situation that doesn't exist [at least not to a significant degree].
We have a NY Times opinion piece with no support for their opinion and no evidence that the situation that is the subject of their opinion even exists. Hacks.
We have a NY Times opinion piece with no support for their opinion and no evidence that the situation that is the subject of their opinion even exists. Hacks.
Tax the Poor
In response to my recent post, Jonathan at Chicagoboyz raised concerns that a large number of voters, who influence spending decisions, would not be taxed. This could lead to reckless spending [very true].
Personally, I don't think that eliminating taxes is going to encourage people to vote more. They system will not increase the power of the voting block (a very idealogically diverse block) affected. Also, I don't see taxes as a major factor in people's decisions to advocate spending with the current system, and I don't see voters as having much influence on politicians' spending decisions under the current system. In anycase, failsafes can be designed into the system to prevent that from happening and to scrap the system if it does.
If a progressive tax policy encourages reckless spending, being that spending is a primary concern among voters and pundits, shouldn't we be advocating a tax hike that is focused on the masses. This should make voters more involved with how politicians are spending our money.
Personally, I don't think that eliminating taxes is going to encourage people to vote more. They system will not increase the power of the voting block (a very idealogically diverse block) affected. Also, I don't see taxes as a major factor in people's decisions to advocate spending with the current system, and I don't see voters as having much influence on politicians' spending decisions under the current system. In anycase, failsafes can be designed into the system to prevent that from happening and to scrap the system if it does.
If a progressive tax policy encourages reckless spending, being that spending is a primary concern among voters and pundits, shouldn't we be advocating a tax hike that is focused on the masses. This should make voters more involved with how politicians are spending our money.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Simplified Tax Policy
(No more payroll tax. Everything will be paid for out of general tax revenue.)
1. One Flat Tax Rate for income.
2. Another (lower) Flat Tax Rate for investment income.
3. One, and only one, deduction: A standard deduction, of the per capita GDP, for every individual.
No taxes until you make over $42,000.
Married, no taxes until $84,000.
Incentive to have a child for every additional $42,000 of income.
The only way for businesses to take advantage of the deduction is to hire more employees. Companies have incentive to hire more workers, especially for jobs with salaries $42,000 and below. There is also incentive to pay employees with families more.
What do you think?
1. One Flat Tax Rate for income.
2. Another (lower) Flat Tax Rate for investment income.
3. One, and only one, deduction: A standard deduction, of the per capita GDP, for every individual.
No taxes until you make over $42,000.
Married, no taxes until $84,000.
Incentive to have a child for every additional $42,000 of income.
The only way for businesses to take advantage of the deduction is to hire more employees. Companies have incentive to hire more workers, especially for jobs with salaries $42,000 and below. There is also incentive to pay employees with families more.
What do you think?
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Correlation vs Causation
Is Bush's approval down because of the war, or are people susceptible to negative perceptions of the war because of Bush disapproval?
Bush's approval is down because he is unwilling to do his job: Stand-up to Congress and Lead.
Bush's approval is down because he is unwilling to do his job: Stand-up to Congress and Lead.
