Time Well Spent

Good to know what the House is up to these days, beer is pretty important.

My family recently drove to the Bay Area of CA for my aunt's wedding. I wish I could have been in attendance, but was honored to be in my roommate, Matt's wedding the same weekend in New Mexico. It was great.

But while my family was driving home on Sunday I was talking with them on the phone, and my dad said he had trouble hearing me due to the poor condition of the roads. This was along a major interstate highway, the famous I-5. He made the (I would say correct) connection between the poor road conditions and the state's budget crisis. California is a case in point of what happens to governments that do not operate within the realm of economic reality. Things simply cannot be doled out or consumed without some cost. Pretty soon governments must face reality, usually in the form of recessions, inflation, collapse of the state, etc. The Federal government has a little more time to delay the inevitable due to their ability to print money, unlike states. If a state does it, it's illegal. But somehow the Federal Government can do it through the Federal Reserve which is overseen by congress. The Fed produces a valueless paper rather than a valuable coin. The Constitution permits congress to coin money and fix the standard of weights and measures but prohibits states from coining money. Illusions rarely remain illusions for long.

A Few Interesting Links

The Atlantic has a video posted of a drug bust of a nice looking suburban home. The article has an interesting take on it. I wonder if it's real and what the real back story is on the perpetrator. Either way it's intense. Be aware that it is a little jarring.

Also, this dude has survived for 70 years without food and water?

Obama doesn't like Xboxes. They are bad for democracy.

Understanding the Conflict in Afghanistan

If you want to comprehend what exactly is going on, simply reference this crystal clear Powerpoint slide which was presented to military commanders.

No problem.

Wage at the Minimum

I am a minimum wage guy. Well, almost. I get 10 cents more per hour ($7.35) than the federal minimum wage requires.

The default opinion on minimum wage laws seems to be Higher! One major reason being for those who are supporting children, single parent homes especially. Also the mystically defined "living wage."

Every so often I think about the mandated minimum wage and it makes my stomach turn a little. There are faulty, yet well intentioned lines of thought wrapped up in the issue.

The first one I think of is why stop at $7.25 an hour? If we want people to have full lives with all opportunities available to them, let's hike it up to $50 or $100 an hour. I feel it would be difficult to find someone who believes that would work out well for more than a month. Companies cannot pay that much. So why think they can pay $7.25 an hour or any other "low" rate? How many firms close because of this unaffordable price control? It merely creates shortages, nothing else.

Allowing companies to pay a rate they determine to be affordable would not be a bad thing. Entry level jobs would be more plentiful, there would be more firms thus increasing competition, not only in product or service pricing but in wages as well, which would be beneficial for workers. Benefits would increase as well.

It's an issue that is easily sold to voters by politicians because of its assumed value, thus making it popular to say one is for raising the minimum wage.

It's Been Too Long

Internet may be back for me. The verdict is still coming...

Thought this was a fun little article: Zimbabwe, Iran and North Korea a little triangle of friends. It looks like the global version of the uncool kids club.

Obama Modeling Bush

I don't consider myself a particularly creative political mind. I like to hear about other people's opinions rather than create my own.

But I did have this mildly creative idea about the big health care bill. Maybe someone else has thought of it, I don't know.

Here it is:

Remember back-when to the Bush v. Kerry election? Remember how Bush is thought by some to have started the Iraq war when he did so as to guarantee a second term? I don't know enough to deny or support whether or not that was his motivation. Obama's team knows their electoral history, no doubt and perhaps took a lesson from Bush on this one, because I think it worked for him. Most of the big health care benefits in the new bill won't take place until around 2014 and a lot of the stimulus money from the various bills will kick in over the next couple of years. So here's the pitch: these "time release" policies all kick in just before the 2012 election or right after it, in the case of health care. Just like Bush, Obama-Team can play the card that beats out most, even if the current climate surrounding your office is poor: "Elect the office that is bringing us out of the recession, not some new administration that will have to catch up to what is going on and probably mess things up again." I don't think using catastrophic events for political gain is an ethical thing to do though, because it is at the expense of others.

Just an idea. But no doubt one the powers that be then and now have at least thought of.

Some Weekend Reading

The Purposes and Functions of the Federal Reserve.

Enjoy!

And it's all for free too. In case you were wondering.

Jk, actually it's not free, you paid for it in some capacity. That makes it more fun though, right?

""I don't ever use the word 'deal,' "

Need a good jolt? Read this article: Republicans Hate Pelosi Because She Is Effective.

Maybe I don't read enough of her stuff, but I have yet to be encouraged by anything she says. Just because she's an effective leader does not make her a good leader.

It'll Be a Close One

The Hill has a sweet Whip Count on the way members of Congress will most likely vote in the Health Care bill coming up soon.

"If every member votes and all GOP lawmakers vote no, the maximum number of Democratic defections to pass a bill is 37, which would result in a 216-215 tally."

Looks like there are 37 "Firm No, Leaning No, Likely No" votes. Imagine the pressure those reps are getting.

Check out all those undecideds too: 55.

As they said in times past when we all had hats, "Hold on to your hats."

No Time for News

There are people out there who are far more Google savvy than I. But I recently discovered Google Fast Flip in the News section. It rocks.

Also, the New York Times has a new feature: the Times Skimmer.

Both of these offer cool ways to see what's up. And, of course, there's always been the Drudge Report for fast, condensed news reporting. It seems these other sites are trying to innovate off of its concept since it is one of the most visited news sites (maybe internet sites?) on the web.