Taking on the important issues

Via Boing Boing, we find a Maryland Legislator who wants to ban truck nuts.

If this is what Republicans in Maryland bring up, it's no wonder they have so few people in the legislature.

Government healthcare sucks, so lets make sure we have government run healthcare

In the news this week is the startling revelation that care in military/veteran hospitals is sub par. At ThinkProgress, they opine about how awful the establisment is.

Why then are you trying to increase government involvement in health care?

Is it just me? Or is this just really, really stupid?

Great stuff!

George Takei has a message for Tim Hardaway.

I love seeing people not take themselves so seriously, and have fun with otherwise ugly stuff.

Process design

So I've done a little process (re)design in my career. So I thought this was funny.

Frighteningly true, too.

But then, in the business world, I've seen similar flow charts.

Heavy

Sleep. Dragonaut.

How many more people have to die?

Radley Balko wonders.

I'm scared, too, buddy.

"You are there, with air conditioning, entertaining yourself, while we are here in hell."

I just sat down this eveing with a dry vodka martini to read my Weekend Journal (the weekend edition of the WSJ.) After reading the article about high paid executives having higher brickbreaker scores than I do, I read an article by an Iraqi reporter, living in the United States.

It's called, "Missing in Baghdad: My Father". Find it and read it. If you still think what the US did was a good idea, you deserve every bit of tyrrany our government can impose on you.

I'm trying to find links online now, but I had to post this. Nothing. NOTHING has moved me more than this article, and I was against the invasion from the git go.

Edit: You have to be a subscriber, if you are and missed it, here's the link. I'm going to see if I can find text online. If not, I'll see if I can get permission to type it in myself.

I saw this coming

It was just a matter of time before insurance companies started getting out of states where the companies were forced to cover losses for which they did not collect premiums.

State Farm announced today that they are done in Mississippi.

"It is no longer prudent for us to take on additional risk in a legal and business environment that is becoming more unpredictable," Bob Trippel, senior vice president of the largest home insurer in the United States, said in a statement.

...

"Current legal and business environments ... are becoming untenable," said Trippel in a letter to Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale

Insurance companies said the same things as they were getting out of California after the state decided that all homes were to be insured at replacement cost, even though they were not paying for it (and were grossly underinsured).

I know what I would do.

The governor of Wisconsin has floated the hairbrained idea of an additional tax on oil profits, which somehow they want to make sure isn't 'passed along' to consumers.

If I were big oil, I would do simply this: Call the governor of Wisconsin, and tell him if they want to tax my profits, I will not sell my product in their state. The residents of Wisconsin can go get gas in another state.

Simple, I think.

If you have some time today

Give this a listen.

It's quite something.

Via Rich, the Canadian math teacher

Edit/Update: Here's his blog

He's not the only one..

But no one has done this with Hilliary yet.

Person I just met: "So, do you have kids?"

Me, looking for the bar: "No. Do you?"

Person I just met, who has immediately judged me as pathetic or selfish: "Yes. 2. Would you like to see photographs?

"Soooo... why don't you have kids.?"

Me, wanting to smack that look off his face: "Don't want them. Why do you?"

Person I just met, confused, because they don't know the answer: "Isn't this shrimp wrapped in bacon excellent?"

This happens pretty regularly with my wife an I when we meet new people. Via Ron Smith, here's a good article on women deciding just not to have kids.

My wife and I make the choice together. We love our lives. We travel at will. We read. We go out on a whim. We also love all of the children around us.

So stop thinking we're pitiful and we're selfish, and turn the question on yourself.

Where there's smoke...

The AMA, as well as a recent poll of US adults, wants to slap an 'R' rating on any film showing smoking.

I mentioned we weren't far away from this a year and a half ago.

We keep on sliding towards emulating those we wish to not emulate.

Well, some of us wish to not emulate.

Quick training update

My back (SI joint) is getting better. I think I have identified the problem: sitting on a stool in my kitchen hunched over and general inflexibility. I'm taking one more lower body day off (today), then getting back on schedule Wednesday. I'm going to take the next few weeks to do some GPP stuff, not really structured, to get back into it, then at the beginning of March I'll restart the program in ernest.

Do you really want these people taking care of your health care?

When they can't even keep track of parking regulations.

Deja Vu

Amadinejad says he doesn't fear a US invasion. Hussien didn't, either.

A couple of things of note in that article. Not only are the Iranian leaders insane if they think the US won't invade, and won't wipe them out, because, of course, they will. However, they are wise to note that due to being mislead about Iraq, Congress and the public won't let this (or any other) administration attack another country without a metric assload of proof.

Which is yet one more little bit of damage done by this Administration by attacking Iraq. Not only are resources tied up that could be used to attack/defend against a legitimate enemy (and Iran very well may be), but when they try it, no one is going to believe them.

Pelosi's Plane

The noise on this one is just fantastic. I get to listen to Glenn Beck on the drive up to Philly, and he was going nuts about this story yesterday, and it was incredibly entertaining.

Frankly, I'm not suprised at all, and was encourged to see some consistency from the White House. Goodness knows they don't want to keep anyone in Congress from spending more money.

What I think is more important is the assumption that she needs to be safer than I do. I'm also concerned, what with all the money and violation of basic rights involved in the current security for commercial aircraft, that is still isn't secure enough for the Speaker of the House.

Also, how is it that stopping for fuel in a military plane is a security risk. They do still stop at Air Force bases, right? Isn't that where they keep the fighter planes and stuff?

Education vs. Schooling

There's a difference. This is a nice read on the subject.

The only way I can see after spending 35 years in and around the institution (53 if I count my own time as inmate) is to put full choice squarely back into the hands of parents, let the marketplace redefine schooling - a job the special interests are incapable of - and encourage the development of as many styles of schooling as there are human dreams. Let people, not bureaucrats, work out their own destinies. That's what made us a great country in the first place.

That sure seems like a good idea to me.

Superbowl

For the first time that I can remember, I did not watch the Superbowl. We have season tickets to the Hippodrome Theater, and we had tickets for Wicked last night.

I'm not really into musical theater. Ok. I'm not at all into musical theater.

But the show was really cool. For those of you who don't know, it's the back story of the witches from the Wizard of Oz. Funny in places, touching in others. If you get a chance, go ahead. It won't hurt you. (During intermission, my Blackberry and I were very popular with the other menfolk).

No dinner out beforehand, as it's restaurant week. (Bicycle on Wednesday, Oceanaire on Friday). We did go to Vaccaro's at the Canton Square after. Chocolate cannoli cake and coffee.

Stand up States

Maine, Georgia, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington. All appear to be standing up to the Federal Government against the Real ID act. You remember that, the one that couldn't pass on it's own, so the Bush Administration and Republican Leadership got it tacked on to a military funding bill.

The issue may be moot for states if Congress takes action.

Republican Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire, along with Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, filed a bill last year to repeal the law. Sununu expects similar legislation will be introduced soon.

"The federal government should not be in charge of defining and issuing drivers' licenses," Sununu said in a statement.

You'd think they would have thought of that when they voted for it.

Shocking

The new federal minimum wage will not apply to American Samoa.

Why?

Gee. I don't know.

Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

Republican Discontent

Joe Scarborough in a commentary shows the crumbling of Republican political strength.

It's been coming for quite some time. Listen to how critical people like Newt Gingrich and Pat Buchannan have been lately.

This is an opportunity for Libertarians. Republicans tell me all the time how I should vote for their guy, since they are more like Libertarians than the Democrats. I've responded that they are all Statists.

It's starting to get through to some of them. So we have an opportunity, that the Republican party has been in the past the more libertarian party. Maybe it's time to throw some weight behind Ron Paul, or someone other than McCain.

Dumb NASCAR move of the month

They decided to limit the use of the 'Past Champion's Provisional'. A good move, I would say.

But this quote got me:

“As NASCAR seeks to place more emphasis on competition, we have decided the time is right to limit the number of provisionals allowed,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition.

“We believe this revision brings the provisional policy in line with the continued growth of the sport.”

Why? Because the first 35 starting spots in every race are held for the top 35 in points. You know. Provisionals. So there are 7 (or 8 if no past champ is eligible) spots where you get in on speed. You know. Competition.