Nice

Cystic Fibrosis is not inclusive enough.

It isn't hard to see this behavior when Technocrats are running universal health care.

Link via Balko.

Reason #346 my property taxes are so high

If this were a good idea, ZipCar would be doing it.

This is the same city that can't afford to lower property taxes, and is cutting back on spending for police and fire.

36-7!

I didn't get to see the game, but by all accounts, it was pretty ugly offensively.

But we'll take it.

10-6 is required to get to the playoffs. Right now, the wild card is Patriots, Indy, Ravens. I don't know how the tiebreakers turn out against the Patriots; I know the Ravens lose a tiebreaker to Indy. Given Indy's remaining schedule, I don't think they'll be tied, I think they could end up 12-4.

Random

I do not understand Twitter. Not at all.

Can someone explain?

The Giants are the real deal

Ravens got dominated on both sides of the ball today. A good reminder this is an 8-8 team. They've shown signs they'll be great, but after the performances against the Giants and Indy, they still have a ways to go.

As always, I'd rather be wrong, and have them go 10-6, but given the remaining schedule, I just don't see it.

Mikulski comes up with a (sort of) good idea!

From the Credit Where Credit is Due Department, the senior Senator from Maryland, Babs Mikulski, suggested tax breaks for people buying new cars.

Given I'm pretty much a fan of all tax breaks, I find this would be a good thing. Her proposal is to allow people who buy cars to deduct the sales tax and the interest on financing for cars purchased for the rest of 2008. Doesn't really help in states that don't have a sales tax on vehicles, but otherwise, sounds peachy.

Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat, said the temporary tax break she proposes is intended to "stimulate demand" at flagging car dealerships across Maryland and the rest of the nation, which have been hit hard by the economic downturn. Under Mikulski's plan, which she said she'll introduce in the Senate next week, consumers will be able to deduct the sales tax and the interest paid on a car loan, if a vehicle is purchased between today and Dec. 31. The tax break is available for cars priced under $49,500.

But wait. Why are expensive cars excluded? Are they not cars that carry the highest profit margins for automakers? And why did the Sun exclude one little tidbit, that the incentive is only for households making less than $250k a year.

Why would you do that, other than to continue to foster class warfare? Why limit the break to lower profit vehicles? Why not encourage "The Rich" to buy new cars?

It might have made the difference for me. Now I'll buy a used German car just out of spite.

What a coincidence!

According to the USA Today (known for it's extreme Right Wing bias), President Elect and Messiah Barack Obama's transition team is loaded with big fundraisers.

I'm shocked at the coincidence. He's promised change, though, so I'm sure it's not intentional.

Campaign watchdog experts, such as Craig Holman of Public Citizen, say the close involvement of these big fundraisers — known as bundlers because they collect money from friends, family and business associates — could give them undue sway in the new administration. "The whole point of these bundlers bringing in so much money is that they get to exercise influence in the next administration," Holman said. Obama's pledge to clean up Washington "is encouraging," Holman said. "But this is a warning sign."

LOL @ "warning sign".

Change you can believe in.

Hat tip: The Agitator

Blowout

41-13 over the Texans. Yeah, it's the Texans. The same Texans that almost beat Indianapolis.

This team is really playing well. They've had a couple of games where their opponent looks like they just quit late in the game, even when they are ahead. I don't know why that's happening, I wonder if it is the physicality of play.

To 6-3, yet we still should remain cautiously optimistic. The Ravens still have only beaten one team with a winning record (Miami), and they are about to play a bunch of them.

At the Giants next week. The Giants should be heavy favorites.

Upgrade

As of last night, I can announce it is possible for the coolest thing ever to get even cooler.

Sonos upgraded their software; I downloaded it last night. The system now loads local radio stations into the system based on my location (which I can change), and there are more than 10,000 stations and shows.

Sonos is, without a doubt, the single best purchase I've ever made, and the favorite thing I own. If you love music and want it everywhere in your house, this is an investment you must make.

Not ready for prime time...

At first, I saw this photo and just thought it was stupid... Like something someone who won the 10th grade class presidency or something.

Turns out, he's wrong, too. He's not the President-Elect until the Electoral College actually votes in December.

A training interlude...

If you are interested in training and in Dave Tate and Elite Fitness Systems, check out this interview.

I have Under the Bar, and am looking forward to the sequel. Dave's a hell of a smart guy.

Change

Naturally, the guy who won the White House by telling you how he would change things, has picked a true outsider to be his chief of staff. These are the people who will fix the failed policies of the Bush administration. The fact that they were actually responsible, well, that doesn't matter one bit.

And y'all fell for it. It didn't occur to you that he was spending more than any other candidate, ever, and more than 5 times what his opponent spent, to win the election... no... this is CHANGE, this isn't politics as usual.

Anyone else notice the largest 2 day drop in 20 years for the DJIA the two days after the election?

Equal time

Just to show I'm not picking on any one group, the enlightened voters of Arkansas voted overwhelimingly that kids are better off in an orphanage than being adopted by gays.

Hat tip: Balko at Reason

The first (of many) unintended consequences

High Black voter turnout hurt gay marriage.

Go figure.

(As an aside, my stance on gay marriage can be quickly summed up by "who cares?". I don't think the state should have any standing in any contract between two people other than to deal with violations of that contract. My marriage is between my wife and me, I don't see why I need permission from the goverment to enter into that contract. If my neighbors Jim and Mark want to get married, I certainly don't care one way or the other. Of course, this issue is exacerbated due to government welfare programs, primarily Social Security, where marriage has a benefit.)

Election hangover

Well, I'm glad that's over.

I was thinking yesterday while driving that I guess it could be worse, but I'm really not sure that's the case. As a Libertarian, this Presidential race came down to an expansion of the welfare state vs an expansion of the warfare state. Welfare won. Great.

For the country, I honestly don't know if Obama's better, but he might be. Personally, there's no doubt I'm a big loser. My tax rates will go up, probably significantly, in 2010. Thing is, if you pay taxes, yours will, too, The One just didn't tell you that. Expansion and creation of social programs is always a net loss for me, because I am unfairly wealthy (after I unfairly went to grad school at night and unfairly worked my ass off).

Although he's so enlightened and powerful and good, maybe he'll cure cancer. He pretty much promised everything but.

One thing I did notice, with all the talk about 'Change' (there's another post about how Obama isn't anything close to 'change' sometime); Congress has an 18% approval rating, yet we reelected most of them.

Good job, America!

How you should vote

Since most people assume their elected officials are smarter than they are, I figure they might think I'm smarter too. So here goes, the 2008 Libertarian Lifter voting guide:

President: Bob Barr/Wayne Root (Libertarian)
This is the only shot you have at getting us going in the right direction again.

Representative in Congress, District 3: Thomas Harris (Republican)
This guy is kinda, actually, not so bad as far as Republican's go. Plus, he's not Sarbaines.

Circuit court Judges: None. They all suck.

Question 1: No.
This is the early (often) voting provision which would allow you to vote early, and vote wherever you feel like it. It's just too rife with fraud. If you can't get to your polling place one day every year, you are probably too stupid to vote.

Question 2: No
This is the Slots amendment to the Maryland Constitution. This is the Democrats way to support something without supporting it... the locations of slot parlors have no place in our Constitution.

The rest of these are Baltimore City specific:

Question A: No.
We don't need another department of anything

Question B: No
We don't need to borrow more money for schools.

Question C: No
We don't need to borrow more money for libraries.

Question D: No.
We don't need to borrow more money for the Mayor to use however she wants for "community development".

Question E: No.
We don't need to borrow more money for the Mayor to use however she wants for "economic development".

Question F: No
We don't need to borrow more money to spend on parks.

Question G: No.
We don't need to borrow more money to fix public buildings.

Question H: No
We don't need to borrow more money to give to the Lyric Opera house.

Question I: No.
We don't need to borrow more money to give to the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Question J: No.
We don't need to borrow more money to give to Port Discovery.

Questions K thru P: No
We don't need to borrow money to give to the Everyman Theater, Aquarium, Science Center, Walters, Meyerhoff, or the Zoo.

Easy.

Oh, Hell yeah!

Came back from 14 down to stuff the Browns. Offense looks pretty damn strong, with a little help from Mr Suggs.

Dare I start to think playoffs? Not just yet.

Wow, this is gonna be great!

The list of promises from just one Obama speech.

"give a tax break to 95 percent of Americans who work every day and get taxes taken out of their paycheck every week";
"eliminate income taxes on Social Security for seniors making under $50,000";
"give homeowners and working parents additional tax breaks";
not increase taxes on anyone if they "make under $250,000; you will not see your taxes increase by a single dime –- not your income taxes, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains tax";
"end those breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas";
"give tax breaks to companies that invest right here in the United States";
"eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-up companies that are the engine of job creation in this country";
"create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, and bridges, and schools -- by laying broadband lines to reach every corner of the country";
"invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new energy jobs over the next decade";
"reopen old factories, old plants, to build solar panels, and wind turbines";
build "a new electricity grid";
"build the fuel efficient cars of tomorrow";
"eliminate the oil we import from the Middle East in 10 years";
"lower premiums" for those who already have health insurance;
"if you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that members of Congress give themselves";
"end discrimination by insurance companies to the sick and those who need care the most";
"invest in early childhood education";
"recruit an army of new teachers";
"pay our teachers higher salaries, give them more support. But ... also demand higher standards and more accountability";
"make a deal with every young person who's here and every young person in America: If you are willing to commit yourself to national service, whether it's serving in our military or in the Peace Corps, working in a veterans home or a homeless shelter, then we will guarantee that you can afford to go to college no ifs ands or buts";
"stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq whole the Iraqis have a huge surplus";
"end this war in Iraq";
"finish the fight and snuff out al Qaeda and bin Laden";
"increase our ground troops and our investments in the finest fighting force in the world";
"invest in 21st century technologies so that our men and women have the best training and equipment when they deploy into combat and the care and benefits they have earned when they come home";
"No more homeless veterans"; and
"no more fighting for disability payments."

Now, McCain isn't any better, but I think this might be a little over the top. Some of them are absolutley laughable.

Via Coyote Blog