A Huge Whale

Found this on Dave Barry's 24 blog and thought it was crazy enough to share. It was his picture for Edgar.

As you can see it is quite large, probably from some bloating.

Presidents Have a Difficult Job

And this being one of them: A History of Obama Feigning Interest in Mundane Things. Imagine all the crazy, boring information you'd hear as president with people so excited to tell you about it, because after all, you are the President. There are some funny pictures, like Obama inspecting a giant bolt.

It was brought to my attention by one, beautiful, Carly. Our favorite photo is the one of Obama and Biden lost amongst the rooftop solar panels.

Proverbs from Franklin

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Such is the quotation attributed to Benjamin Franklin, through Poor Richard.

I was thinking about this proverb the other day. What if the principle is in the amount of sleep you get? Let me explain: In order to live your life according to his wise words, you go to bed at 9 and wake up at 5. A cool, 8 hours of sleep. Now, what if you go to bed at 1 and wake up 9? A cool, 8 hours of sleep. But if you live your life by this schedule, you are late to bed, late to rise, but have stayed up for the same amount of time and gotten the same amount of sleep had you followed BF's proverb to the T. If amount of sleep is the principle, then "Go to bed whenever, get up whenever, (but make sure it's at least 8 hours) and you'll be healthy, wealthy and wise" could easily be the proverb.

However, Ben was not telling us we had to get a certain amount of sleep. I think implicit in the quotation is Discipline. Ewww. It's hard to go to bed early and it's hard to get up early. But if you are one who does those things, you are a disciplined individual. And discipline is an attribute which leads to health, wealth and wisdom.

Maybe you all figured this one out in the 1st grade, but I just got it.

Nothing New Under the Sun

In reading The Creature from Jekyll Island, a book about the history of the Federal Reserve, I have become aware of a few other government bailouts in our history. If one looks closely enough at political economic history (international and domestic), one can find that most any "new" policy has been tried before in some fashion and just been forgotten by us. It works out conveniently for some ambitious politicians though. Relabeling also helps cut down on recognition.

For example: This site contains a handy graph demonstrating the size of US government bailouts since 1970. Of course, TARP is the largest, but it's not the first of its kind. A look into how these arrangements turned out is a fun trail of investigation. Lockheed is an interesting one because they appealed to the government for a bailout on the terms that jobs would be lost, well being of the economy, etc. So the government did and then Lockheed started turning a profit. But the profit came from defense contracts commissioned by the government. To that I say hmmm.

Reason TV Health Care Video

8 minutes of your time.

Also, was anyone else aware that Jack Murtha had passed away? He was a huge player in Congress. I guess I just missed that news line. Condolences to his family and friends.

If You Like Interesting Ideas...

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin here offers a compelling way out of our current federal financial swamp. Of course, it's one idea of many. But I am attracted to it for its clearly stated ideas, limited reach and reduction of the state. He goes off of the assumption that things are wrong with the government and we cannot keep spending like we are. Especially cool is the proposed revamping of the Federal Income Tax way down in the document, if you want to check it out.

An excerpt from the introduction:

"This plan is not simply a slimmer version of the “progressive” ideology. It is a true alternative, and a complete legislative proposal consisting of specific policies supported by Congressional Budget Office estimates of its fiscal and economic consequences. More important, it is based on a fundamentally different vision from the one now prevailing in Washington. It focuses government on its proper role; it restrains government spending, and thus limits the size of government itself; it rejuvenates the vibrant market economy that made America the envy of the world; and it restores an American character rooted in individual initiative, entrepreneurship, and opportunity – qualities that make each American’s pursuit of personal destiny a net contribution to the Nation’s common good as well. In short, it is built on the enduring truths from which America’s Founders established this great and exceptional Nation.

This proposal does not attempt to abandon commitments Americans established over the past century, or to dismantle government. It recognizes that government has a necessary role in supporting the institutions through which Americans live their lives, and in providing a safety net for those who face financial or other hardships. But it rests on the conviction that government’s principal role is to maintain the freedoms through which individuals can pursue their own destinies. As Jefferson put it: “A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”

Lost

Who is not excited about tonight?

Although, if I had been in a coma during the period between season 1 and season 6 and am now viewing the previews for season 6, it would be baffling how the show got to where it is right now. Even having watched it from season 1 I am baffled how we got here. However, I am more than ready to get my Lost back on.

For all you budget fans out there...

The New York Times has this sweet interactive graphic of Obama's proposed federal budget. It looks like modern art too.

The Little Guy

For those of you unaware, I recently started a job at Starbucks here in the northern part of Indianapolis. It's a fun job for the most part. It was tough getting back into working an schedule after being off of everything for three months, but the swing is returning. In telling a few people I work for Starbucks, there has been the remark about how Big Corporate Starbucks is ruining neighborhoods by killing the opportunity for the Smiths to start their own family run coffee shop. This sentiment echoes with that common noble purpose, to work at the local coffee shop, to buy from the local coffee shop, as if they are the only real people in the mix. I argue that buying a coffee from your local Starbucks is just as beneficial to real people.

Reason 1. Local people work there, just like at the small time place. The money you spend goes to their paycheck too. If their store goes out of business, which many Starbucks stores have in the past year, they lose their jobs.

Reason 2. Starbucks began as a local coffee shop, now it just has more stores. Thanks to ambitious business planning, they are where they are today and a lot of people like what they get there.

Reason 3. Large corporations are able to provide more benefits, like health insurance after only working 20 hours a week. Also opportunities for scholarships, non-profit foundations, etc.

Conclusion: Go to wherever you enjoy getting your coffee. I'm not advocating only buying from Starbucks. Local places often have a better atmosphere and better fare. Starbucks is not necessarily better, but it's not necessarily worse than your local family owned joint. Either way you go though, your money ends up in the hands of regular people, like me. Thank you.