In a case showcasing the rare capacity of our legal system to use common sense, a federal appeals court has struck down a lower court's ruling which had granted social security death benefits to a girl whose father died before she was conceived. There is talk that the case is headed to the Supreme Court.
Had the father died AFTER conception, I would have no problem supporting a death benefit. But the frozen sperm of a dead man delivered downrange to conception does not create an orphaned child. It simply created a single mother.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
WaPost Confuses Cause and Effect
The headline on this morning's story is "Consumer Fears Put Economy on the Brink", indicating that our current state of economic torpor is somehow the result of the hesitations of bespooked consumers. And while such consumer attitudes do play a role in recessions and recoveries, the behavior of consumers is generally believed to be rational in its response to the economic environment, while the article seems to pay little or no attention to the policies that may have contributed to the growing sense of angst.
Put another way, consumers are spooked because they see an uncomfortably liberal President leading from behind and a Congress beholden to the extremes of its base(s). They are increasingly wary of the basic fiscal stability of their country and their own future prosperity--let alone that of their children (which used to be an American birthright--or so it seemed).
Put another way, consumers are spooked because they see an uncomfortably liberal President leading from behind and a Congress beholden to the extremes of its base(s). They are increasingly wary of the basic fiscal stability of their country and their own future prosperity--let alone that of their children (which used to be an American birthright--or so it seemed).
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Much Ado About Irene
 |
| The Kitten, a Kitten and a Cat (Mowgli) inspect the damage. |
The renovation has left us a little vulnerable--no gutters and soft ground around the new parts mean water intrusion...and the dormers/roofing job created a bit of room for water around the chimney--as they need to install new flashing.
Irene turned about to be more hype than hurricane, but I suppose I'll take'em that way all the time.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
JOBS RESIGNS!
Genius is rare,. It's not just about pure intelligence, it's more abstract, more mercurial than that. It's a combination of factors coming together at the right time. As one of my favorite poets (apart from CW) said, "Genius creates, and taste preserves. Taste is the good sense of genius; without taste, genius is only sublime folly. ".
We all stand on each other shoulders and original thought is practically unheard of, but every once in a while we see it. Every once in while someone comes along and changes everything. That is Steve Jobs.
He isn't an electrical or software engineer. He didn't attend Stanford or Berkeley, in fact he barely went to college at all. What he did do is change the landscape, and not in just one industry, but of the World. He made products that were fun, cool, intuitive and well, just seemed right.
Back in the 90's during Jobs' exile from Apple, he was asked what he thought of Bill Gates and Microsoft. He replied they had worked hard and deserved their success, and then after a long pause he said "but they have no taste".
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Perry Takes Lead Over Romney
Looks like Texas Governor Rick Perry picked a good time to hop into the race. According to some polls, he's lapped the field and has a double digit lead on Mitt Romney. A Romney/Perry race would be wonderful---clearly, these two are well-differentiated, and it would be a difficult thing indeed to conjure up an informed voter who would have trouble choosing twixt the two. I'm hoping this puts a little fight into Mitt and he steps things up a bit in the months to come. Perry will be a great candidate, and he will be hard to defeat in the primaries. But he can be beaten. Five debates in Iowa in the next couple of months will give Perry a number of chances to sell himself to more moderate voters--if he can't, he's toast.
Not as Cool as the Bibi-Obama Comparison Photo...
But you get the point. Why does President Obama always come out on the losing end of these side-by-side comparisons?
On the Coming of Autumn
Each of us is, I believe, inclined more favorably toward one of our four seasons. The Kitten is a summer person--her youth here on the Eastern Shore was one of water sports, sailing, crabbing, fishing--all sorts of summer merriment. In her 20's, she spent most summers in the Caribbean teaching sailing, and to this day, she gets giddy at summer's approach and laments its departure.
On the other hand, I am a fall person. My fondest memories of childhood--to the extent that I have such things--are gauzy recollections of a little nip in the air, school starting again, the bus-stop in the morning, a brisk Saturday high school football game, the sound of Keith Jackson's voice calling a college game. I am drawn to the colors of autumn and I am energized by the changing of the leaves. My move here to Easton a few years ago brought with it the sounds of the annual migration of waterfowl, as the spot where my bed now sits is 69 feet from a protected cove favored by traveling geese and ducks. The Kitten barely hears the geese these days, not from some auditory issue; rather, I think she's simply "over" it having lived here so long. Not me. The first sounds of the geese--which I heard two nights ago--are a signal to me that the long, hot, summer is over--and that great things are just around the corner. They are loud--very loud, and the noise is a stark discontinuity to the general quiet that prevails here. But it is a noise I adore, and look forward to more winged transients.
The Weather Channel tells me that 90 degree temperatures await me tomorrow, but I know such things are simply the dying gasps of a season whose days are numbered. Soon, the cove will be covered with migrating birds so thick you could walk across them as stepping stones, were they to accommodate you. The sorghum will be harvested in our fields, which will be thick with resident deer who will pick over the leavings of the harvest. I will rise in the dark and I soon will eat dinner in the dark--both of which are ok with me.
You can keep summer.
On the other hand, I am a fall person. My fondest memories of childhood--to the extent that I have such things--are gauzy recollections of a little nip in the air, school starting again, the bus-stop in the morning, a brisk Saturday high school football game, the sound of Keith Jackson's voice calling a college game. I am drawn to the colors of autumn and I am energized by the changing of the leaves. My move here to Easton a few years ago brought with it the sounds of the annual migration of waterfowl, as the spot where my bed now sits is 69 feet from a protected cove favored by traveling geese and ducks. The Kitten barely hears the geese these days, not from some auditory issue; rather, I think she's simply "over" it having lived here so long. Not me. The first sounds of the geese--which I heard two nights ago--are a signal to me that the long, hot, summer is over--and that great things are just around the corner. They are loud--very loud, and the noise is a stark discontinuity to the general quiet that prevails here. But it is a noise I adore, and look forward to more winged transients.
The Weather Channel tells me that 90 degree temperatures await me tomorrow, but I know such things are simply the dying gasps of a season whose days are numbered. Soon, the cove will be covered with migrating birds so thick you could walk across them as stepping stones, were they to accommodate you. The sorghum will be harvested in our fields, which will be thick with resident deer who will pick over the leavings of the harvest. I will rise in the dark and I soon will eat dinner in the dark--both of which are ok with me.
You can keep summer.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
A New Gilded Age?
From high atop the lofty perch of unreality that is a tenured position at Harvard, comes this bit of doggerel from the the "Matthew J. Sterling, Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy" Dr. Alexander Keyssar. Oh yeah-he's also a Huffington Post columnist.
In his piece, Dr. Keyssar takes us on an historical walk through time, from the 1890's up to 1965, in which he lays out what he calls:
"...a truly grand bargain. The terms were straightforward if not systematically articulated. Capitalism would endure, as would almost all large corporations. Huge railroads, banks and other enterprises — with a few exceptions — would cease to be threatened with nationalization or breakup. Moreover, the state would service and promote private business. In exchange, the federal government adopted a series of far-reaching reforms to shield and empower citizens, safeguarding society’s democratic character. First came the regulation of business and banking to protect consumers, limit the power of individual corporations and prevent anti-competitive practices. The principle underlying measures such as the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890), the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) and the Glass-Steagall Act (1933) — which insured bank deposits and separated investment from commercial banking — was that government was responsible for protecting society against the shortcomings of a market economy."
After these measures, Keyssar moves onto praising labor law changes of the early 20th century, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid legislation of the 60'. All of this is to support his contention that there was this "grand bargain", and that capitalism was allowed to survive (apparently Dr. Keyssar believes it was on its butt in the early 20th century) only because this fabric of social legislation was passed to smooth out its rough edges.
But now, "...that bargain — with its vision of balance between private interests and public welfare, workers and employers, the wealthy and the poor — has been under attack by conservatives for decades. And the attacks have been escalating." And further...." ...but viewed collectively, it’s difficult not to see a determined campaign to dismantle a broad societal bargain that served much of the nation well for decades. To a historian, the agenda of today’s conservatives looks like a bizarre effort to return to the Gilded Age, an era with little regulation of business, no social insurance and no legal protections for workers."
To a historian? Well, maybe to a seriously politically biased historian.
Putting aside for the moment the acceptability that voters in 1890 bought into a "bargain" that in any way constrains us to day, has Dr. Keyssar paid ANY attention to the news of the past three years? Has he seen the tremendous economic turmoil of the recession? Has he any clue as to the cosmic debt crisis this country faces?
Perhaps Dr. Keyssar might consider poking his head out of the Harvard faculty lounge long enough to realize that much of what he describes as enlightened social legislation is at least partially--and in some cases overwhelmingly--responsible for the pickle we now find ourselves in.
As the good Dr.'s field is history, perhaps he could take a quick demography class, and realize that life expectancy in 1935--the year Social Security was passed--was 59.9 for men and 63.9 for women. The program allowed for benefits at 65. Oh--and how about.....birth control? In 1950, each retiree was supported by 16 workers. Today, the number is 3.3. It will be 2 workers for every retiree in 2025. Fewer and fewer worker are supporting a pension benefit and healtcare for more and more aging Americans. You're damn right Conservatives are trying to change things, because Dr. Keyssar--they simply can't go on as they were. Social security, medicare and medicaid are simply on unsustainable growth trajectories, largely because people like Dr. Keyssar continue to peddle the manure that we are somehow obligated or locked into a financial national suicide pact.
Unions and collective bargaining? C'mon, Dr. Keyssar, we're in no danger of going back to sweatshops--the labor agenda of the first half of the 20th century is now public law, and millions of Americans walked away from unionization in the past 40 years because their rights were sufficiently protected WITHOUT a union, and unions were closely identified with corruption and organized crime. Where unionization has increased is in the public sector, where politicians sit across the table from public sector union reps at negotiation time, and then seek support of those same reps next time they run. The result is a public debt crisis at the state and local level that makes many of our states (can you say "California"?) look a lot like Greece.
Conservatives recognized a long time ago that the gravy train has to end, that we simply cannot sustain an advanced economy--let alone Dr. Keyssar's "bargain"--unless fundamental reforms are made.
Folks--this view--the view of Dr. Keyssar--is what underpins much of liberal thinking. You need to read his piece--he sounds reasonable, and the things he seeks to protect seem worthy of protecting. But who pays the bills? What happens when the money runs out? Dr. Keyssar issues his ruminations from Cambridge, where the rich and liberal of America send their sons and daughters to pay nearly $50K a year in tuition to have a socialist professor decry the excesses of a capitalist system which provided them with the means to send their future community organizers there. Something is wrong folks,very wrong. And I submit that Dr. Keyssar's approach is a big part of it.
Gilded Age, Dr. Keyssar? No sir. A new Age of Reason.
In his piece, Dr. Keyssar takes us on an historical walk through time, from the 1890's up to 1965, in which he lays out what he calls:
"...a truly grand bargain. The terms were straightforward if not systematically articulated. Capitalism would endure, as would almost all large corporations. Huge railroads, banks and other enterprises — with a few exceptions — would cease to be threatened with nationalization or breakup. Moreover, the state would service and promote private business. In exchange, the federal government adopted a series of far-reaching reforms to shield and empower citizens, safeguarding society’s democratic character. First came the regulation of business and banking to protect consumers, limit the power of individual corporations and prevent anti-competitive practices. The principle underlying measures such as the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890), the Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) and the Glass-Steagall Act (1933) — which insured bank deposits and separated investment from commercial banking — was that government was responsible for protecting society against the shortcomings of a market economy."
After these measures, Keyssar moves onto praising labor law changes of the early 20th century, Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid legislation of the 60'. All of this is to support his contention that there was this "grand bargain", and that capitalism was allowed to survive (apparently Dr. Keyssar believes it was on its butt in the early 20th century) only because this fabric of social legislation was passed to smooth out its rough edges.
But now, "...that bargain — with its vision of balance between private interests and public welfare, workers and employers, the wealthy and the poor — has been under attack by conservatives for decades. And the attacks have been escalating." And further...." ...but viewed collectively, it’s difficult not to see a determined campaign to dismantle a broad societal bargain that served much of the nation well for decades. To a historian, the agenda of today’s conservatives looks like a bizarre effort to return to the Gilded Age, an era with little regulation of business, no social insurance and no legal protections for workers."
To a historian? Well, maybe to a seriously politically biased historian.
Putting aside for the moment the acceptability that voters in 1890 bought into a "bargain" that in any way constrains us to day, has Dr. Keyssar paid ANY attention to the news of the past three years? Has he seen the tremendous economic turmoil of the recession? Has he any clue as to the cosmic debt crisis this country faces?
Perhaps Dr. Keyssar might consider poking his head out of the Harvard faculty lounge long enough to realize that much of what he describes as enlightened social legislation is at least partially--and in some cases overwhelmingly--responsible for the pickle we now find ourselves in.
As the good Dr.'s field is history, perhaps he could take a quick demography class, and realize that life expectancy in 1935--the year Social Security was passed--was 59.9 for men and 63.9 for women. The program allowed for benefits at 65. Oh--and how about.....birth control? In 1950, each retiree was supported by 16 workers. Today, the number is 3.3. It will be 2 workers for every retiree in 2025. Fewer and fewer worker are supporting a pension benefit and healtcare for more and more aging Americans. You're damn right Conservatives are trying to change things, because Dr. Keyssar--they simply can't go on as they were. Social security, medicare and medicaid are simply on unsustainable growth trajectories, largely because people like Dr. Keyssar continue to peddle the manure that we are somehow obligated or locked into a financial national suicide pact.
Unions and collective bargaining? C'mon, Dr. Keyssar, we're in no danger of going back to sweatshops--the labor agenda of the first half of the 20th century is now public law, and millions of Americans walked away from unionization in the past 40 years because their rights were sufficiently protected WITHOUT a union, and unions were closely identified with corruption and organized crime. Where unionization has increased is in the public sector, where politicians sit across the table from public sector union reps at negotiation time, and then seek support of those same reps next time they run. The result is a public debt crisis at the state and local level that makes many of our states (can you say "California"?) look a lot like Greece.
Conservatives recognized a long time ago that the gravy train has to end, that we simply cannot sustain an advanced economy--let alone Dr. Keyssar's "bargain"--unless fundamental reforms are made.
Folks--this view--the view of Dr. Keyssar--is what underpins much of liberal thinking. You need to read his piece--he sounds reasonable, and the things he seeks to protect seem worthy of protecting. But who pays the bills? What happens when the money runs out? Dr. Keyssar issues his ruminations from Cambridge, where the rich and liberal of America send their sons and daughters to pay nearly $50K a year in tuition to have a socialist professor decry the excesses of a capitalist system which provided them with the means to send their future community organizers there. Something is wrong folks,very wrong. And I submit that Dr. Keyssar's approach is a big part of it.
Gilded Age, Dr. Keyssar? No sir. A new Age of Reason.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Let's Talk a Little Racism :)
Eric Holder said America is "essentially a nation of cowards" when it comes to issues of race. I could not agree more! For most people it's a minefield and, well, best not go there. I am not one of those people. I am immune to charges of racism because I freely admit I am a racist...according to Mr. Holder's understanding of the term. I couldn't help but be a racist because I am not a leftist, and by the way so are most of you.
The left is forever defining and redefining racism. We've seen it with many of President Obama supporters, you're either with him or you're obviously a racist. But what has Mr. Obama's policies done to the black community? This week Maxine Waters was railing about black unemployment, which she clearly blames on Obama. Is that racism? If it is by whom, Obama or the black community or Maxine Waters? Illiteracy is 49% in Detroit , a mostly black city run by black mayors for nearly forty years. Is that racism? By just about any measure blacks are little better off today than they were under the Jim Crow laws of the Old South (look it up). Which system is more racist, Lester Maddox's Georgia or Barack Obama's Welfare State?
The point is there is racism, but it comes in many guises. The left shouldn't be allowed to decide what is or isn't racism. Rick Perry is not Bull Connor, Bill Clinton was not the first black President, and I am not a racist because I oppose Mr. Obama and his leftist policies.
A Framework for Intervention
I generally do my defense and foreign policy stuff over on the other blog--I've got one up there today that offers a framework for humanitarian military interventions.
Day 4: Romney HQ Des Moines, IA
Day 4 brought more phone calls. Once we finished going through the 2008 precinct leaders, we then attacked a database of folks who at some point indicated that they were supporting Mitt in 2008--that is, a less committed group than those who served last time as precinct leaders.
As an outside political animal, you get inundated with the same crap over and over again (from Iowans) about why it is so important that their state be first, how they do the rest of our work for us, how retail politics vets candidates, yada, yada, yada--that you forget that maybe not all Iowans feel that way. Lots of hangups yesterday from folks who either A) don't support Mitt anymore or B) think its too early to call. Then again, some folks were ready to have a little chat--and those chats turn out to be a lot of fun.
Had one yesterday with a man who said that he and his wife are trying to chose between Michelle Bachman and Mitt Romney--this interested me, as from where I sit, the two are fairly wide apart on the political scale. "They both seem like good, honest people" was the answer. Hmmmm....Ok. In the grand scheme of that which someone might use to vet a candidate--goodness and honesty have to rank up there.
We hit Hooters for lunch, and I of course--had wings. An observation, if you'll allow? Have Hooters Girls moved away from the horrible orange shorts, the oppressive hose, and the little cut t-shirts? Because what I was confronted with yesterday was some kind of a mix between a Victoria's Secret show and the Texas Chain Saw Massacre. No two dressed alike, and all looked like they were appearing in 1986 Madonna videos. Has there been a change of corporate policy? Was I consulted? Not that I'm complaining, of course.
Both Phil and Chris are off to do personal things today, so I decided to end my volunteer week in Iowa at the end of the day yesterday. It was a great experience, and I'm glad I did it. What it takes to elect someone President is HUGE, and looking at it from under the iceberg is a whole new perspective. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can help whip up in Talbot County, MD when I get home.
As an outside political animal, you get inundated with the same crap over and over again (from Iowans) about why it is so important that their state be first, how they do the rest of our work for us, how retail politics vets candidates, yada, yada, yada--that you forget that maybe not all Iowans feel that way. Lots of hangups yesterday from folks who either A) don't support Mitt anymore or B) think its too early to call. Then again, some folks were ready to have a little chat--and those chats turn out to be a lot of fun.
Had one yesterday with a man who said that he and his wife are trying to chose between Michelle Bachman and Mitt Romney--this interested me, as from where I sit, the two are fairly wide apart on the political scale. "They both seem like good, honest people" was the answer. Hmmmm....Ok. In the grand scheme of that which someone might use to vet a candidate--goodness and honesty have to rank up there.
We hit Hooters for lunch, and I of course--had wings. An observation, if you'll allow? Have Hooters Girls moved away from the horrible orange shorts, the oppressive hose, and the little cut t-shirts? Because what I was confronted with yesterday was some kind of a mix between a Victoria's Secret show and the Texas Chain Saw Massacre. No two dressed alike, and all looked like they were appearing in 1986 Madonna videos. Has there been a change of corporate policy? Was I consulted? Not that I'm complaining, of course.
Both Phil and Chris are off to do personal things today, so I decided to end my volunteer week in Iowa at the end of the day yesterday. It was a great experience, and I'm glad I did it. What it takes to elect someone President is HUGE, and looking at it from under the iceberg is a whole new perspective. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can help whip up in Talbot County, MD when I get home.
Big Fat Friday Free For All
Coming to you live, from Downtown Des Moines, it is once again Big Fat Friday! What's on you mind? Share, folks. Share!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Ron Paul has Enthusiastic Supporters
The evidence? One of them has taken out a full-page ad in a Texas paper, seeking anyone who may have had sex with Rick Perry.
The man running the ad, Mr. Robert Morrow, is the President of the Committee of Sexual Hypocrisy which helps women publicize their dealings with Christian-buzzword spouting family-values hypocrites. (Mr. Morrow is also the lone member of the Committee). He claims to know Perry is a womanizer because he himself is a frequest patronizer of strip clubs and has great contacts in the strip club world.
This is really sleazy, and is sure to bring out a bunch of frauds. I don't believe Perry is a womanizer, but even if he is and goes down in flames because of it, Ron Paul is hardly going to be the benefactor of that flame-out.
The man running the ad, Mr. Robert Morrow, is the President of the Committee of Sexual Hypocrisy which helps women publicize their dealings with Christian-buzzword spouting family-values hypocrites. (Mr. Morrow is also the lone member of the Committee). He claims to know Perry is a womanizer because he himself is a frequest patronizer of strip clubs and has great contacts in the strip club world.
This is really sleazy, and is sure to bring out a bunch of frauds. I don't believe Perry is a womanizer, but even if he is and goes down in flames because of it, Ron Paul is hardly going to be the benefactor of that flame-out.
Day 3: Romney HQ, Des Moines, IA
I've settled into a routine here in Des Moines, and the week is nearly over. Yesterday (Wednesday) was a good day, as I got to interact with voters a bit.
The day started early, and I banged out 4 hours of work work before heading over to HQ. My "volunteer' day essentially is a 1030 to 5 or 5:30 gig, though its clear I can come and go as I please. They are genuinely grateful to have any help that they can get. Spent the first half of my day finishing off the database I'd been working on, which consisted of looking at the entries that were email addresses only and seeing if I would "walk the dog backwards" to fill out the rest of the info on them. Some were surprisingly easy (for example, "bryan.mcgrath" in an email would be a big clue) but others were more difficult.
The last half of the day was spent calling 2008 precinct leaders and asking them to do the same job in 2012. To recall, a precinct leader's job is to 1) do a 1 minute or so speech to the other assembled caucus-goers on behalf of the candidate and 2) build support for your man. Most were not home, and I left a message on their voice mail. Maybe a quarter answered the phone, and half of those re-upped for 2012. Those who didn't were--to be honest--simply too old, they felt like they couldn't be counted on to carry out the job. My three days with Iowa voting roles leads me to believe the Republican Party here is 1) older and 2) more male than the average, even for an old and male party. Every time I come across a 25 year old Republican female voter in listings, I want to dance a little jig....
Had a delightful conversation with a woman whose son was the target of the call, but who wasn't at home. She was clearly an aged woman, but a pistol. Full of opinions, mostly about Barack Obama (not good) and Michelle Bachman (not good either). I kept it on the up and up, not wanting to be cited in a Des Moines Register article about campaign trash talk, and explained that we simply feel Mitt is the man for the time, etc...
One or two just said "no" and hung up. Those were surprising, as these people had 1) served as precinct leaders before and 2) had already been called once simply to gauge their support for Romney. I suggested it could be my Maryland cellphone number was off-putting (we aren't using a phone bank, just three guys sitting in a room on their cell phones) but the field director said to drive on.
For my gustatory pleasures, having skipped breakfast, I hit the Colonel for some grilled chicken at lunch time. I'm not sure grilled chicken is much of a hit at KFC, as it seems about 50/50 that when I order it, there are only one or two old-maid pieces left. At meal times. So I bought two orig recipe thighs and wolfed them down. After work (and 45 minutes of penance on the stationary bike) I headed down the street to the 801 Chophouse for a delightful 12 ounce filet mignon and Brussel sprouts. Back to the room then, to plow through more of The Count of Monte Cristo. A great book--but man, is it long....
I've convinced my two compatriots that we should alight to Hooters at lunch today, for the wings of course. The intern (Chris) suggested a great cigar place close by also. More tomorrow.
The day started early, and I banged out 4 hours of work work before heading over to HQ. My "volunteer' day essentially is a 1030 to 5 or 5:30 gig, though its clear I can come and go as I please. They are genuinely grateful to have any help that they can get. Spent the first half of my day finishing off the database I'd been working on, which consisted of looking at the entries that were email addresses only and seeing if I would "walk the dog backwards" to fill out the rest of the info on them. Some were surprisingly easy (for example, "bryan.mcgrath" in an email would be a big clue) but others were more difficult.
The last half of the day was spent calling 2008 precinct leaders and asking them to do the same job in 2012. To recall, a precinct leader's job is to 1) do a 1 minute or so speech to the other assembled caucus-goers on behalf of the candidate and 2) build support for your man. Most were not home, and I left a message on their voice mail. Maybe a quarter answered the phone, and half of those re-upped for 2012. Those who didn't were--to be honest--simply too old, they felt like they couldn't be counted on to carry out the job. My three days with Iowa voting roles leads me to believe the Republican Party here is 1) older and 2) more male than the average, even for an old and male party. Every time I come across a 25 year old Republican female voter in listings, I want to dance a little jig....
Had a delightful conversation with a woman whose son was the target of the call, but who wasn't at home. She was clearly an aged woman, but a pistol. Full of opinions, mostly about Barack Obama (not good) and Michelle Bachman (not good either). I kept it on the up and up, not wanting to be cited in a Des Moines Register article about campaign trash talk, and explained that we simply feel Mitt is the man for the time, etc...
One or two just said "no" and hung up. Those were surprising, as these people had 1) served as precinct leaders before and 2) had already been called once simply to gauge their support for Romney. I suggested it could be my Maryland cellphone number was off-putting (we aren't using a phone bank, just three guys sitting in a room on their cell phones) but the field director said to drive on.
For my gustatory pleasures, having skipped breakfast, I hit the Colonel for some grilled chicken at lunch time. I'm not sure grilled chicken is much of a hit at KFC, as it seems about 50/50 that when I order it, there are only one or two old-maid pieces left. At meal times. So I bought two orig recipe thighs and wolfed them down. After work (and 45 minutes of penance on the stationary bike) I headed down the street to the 801 Chophouse for a delightful 12 ounce filet mignon and Brussel sprouts. Back to the room then, to plow through more of The Count of Monte Cristo. A great book--but man, is it long....
I've convinced my two compatriots that we should alight to Hooters at lunch today, for the wings of course. The intern (Chris) suggested a great cigar place close by also. More tomorrow.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
STIMULUS WAS TOO SMALL TO STIMULATE?
You can't pick up a newspaper or watch a cable show these days without some Democratic apparatchik claiming the stimulus was too small. The party line seems to be it saved us from a depression but to really get the economy going it needed to be at least twice as big (some have suggested 3 trillion... that's right, 3 trillion!). So, what we must do now is raise taxes immediately on the "rich" and spend, spend spend; this time around on infrastructure. Yeah, that's the ticket, infrastructure.
I vaguely remember FDR trying this very thing with the WPA. Oh we got some dams built but it did very little to revive the economy. Hank Morganthau (FDR's Treasury Sec.) said "We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work ... After eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started ... And an enormous debt to boot!".
Adding to the confusion of our liberal friends is the fallacy that WW II with it's massive expenditures brought us out of the Great Depression. You may recall from Mrs. Piaski's tenth grade history class that Britain had been fighting two long years before the U.S. entered the war. Now the Luftwaffe made it very difficult for our British cousins to keep up with all the little things one needs in a war, so we gave the Brits lots of support with Lend-Lease and other programs. But before we gave Churchill his Gold AMEX, we emptied the Bank of England. A paying customer is what stimulated the American economy, not tax and spend or borrow and spend.
Government stimulus spending never works. It may improve one sector over another, but you are robbing Peter to pay Paul. The money is either coming out of the economy in the form of taxes, or out of the credit markets and thereby drying up money for productive private sector borrowing, or the government is printing money and diluting the value of the currency. Putting unearned money into the economy does nothing for productivity and creates dependency. It's like a perpetual motion machine, it sounds great and it looks good and by golly it just might work, but it never does.
Day 2: Romney HQ, Des Moines, Iowa
Sorry a bit late getting to this folks--I returned from dinner last night and settled in with "The Count of Monte Cristo" only to fall asleep with it....
Day 2: much like day 1. I awoke early, as is my custom, and did a bunch of admin work associated with the job I'm vacationing from in order to volunteer. I hit the Marriott for a fat omelet and then headed in at 1030. My day's labor? Database management. You see, the colossal database that I created the day before was had a number of dupes, and a significant amount of missing information. I spent the day trying to find that information--sort of like detective work. For instance--the database I am putting together has first name, last name, email, zip code and county. That's it. So let's say there's someone named Bill Shuster from Davenport, and his email is wmfshu@cfu.org. There is no zip. There is no country. So I enter Bill Shuster into a database of Iowa voters into which the campaign has access--and I start hunting. Perhaps it turns out six Bill Shusters. Invariably, two will be registered dems--so I dismiss them leaving me with three R's and an independent. The easy kill is to find someone named "William F. Shuster" who is a Republican--if I do, I consider it a match, locate his zip and county, and then consider it complete. I did stuff like this all day, and there's probably another day's work left to complete the database.
The news of the day seemed to be Governor Perry's impolitic description of the Fed Chairman. Don't know as I agree with the Gov on that one, but one has to wonder whether we'll hear more of that kind of political Turette's from Perry.
After work, I had a steak at Outback (and the wings--way too much food) and then came back to the hotel where I apparently passed out from over-consumption.
Today I'm told, I'll be on the phones. Here's why. The Iowa Caucus is a strange beast, unlike other electoral processes. On the big night, in order to register one's vote, you have to ALL SHOW UP at the precinct location at a certain time. Once there, ALL THE CANDIDATES have reps who give a one or two minute final wrapup speech in support of their candidate (these are called Precinct Leads). There are 99 counties in Iowa all divided up each into scores of precincts. Therefore, a candidate looking to compete in the precinct needs to have a precinct lead identified and the appropriate talking points etc. provided to him or her.
Romney's campaign has the list of its precinct leads from last time, and we're going to start calling each of them to see if we can count on them to perform the same role in February. Phil (the full-time staffer), Chris (the college student "intern") and I will make these calls all day, presumably. Chris is an Iowan, the son of a state pol and a college student in DC. He's a smart kid, with an easy, ironic manner that makes me chuckle as I listen to his stories.
The big mystery to me (and to Jon Stewart, apparently) is why no one seems to take Ron Paul seriously. I've written here that he will be a top three guy--probably all the way to the convention--because he can raise money and because he's got a message popular with many. It mystifies me how he is so ignored--by the media and by the other campaigns.
Day 2: much like day 1. I awoke early, as is my custom, and did a bunch of admin work associated with the job I'm vacationing from in order to volunteer. I hit the Marriott for a fat omelet and then headed in at 1030. My day's labor? Database management. You see, the colossal database that I created the day before was had a number of dupes, and a significant amount of missing information. I spent the day trying to find that information--sort of like detective work. For instance--the database I am putting together has first name, last name, email, zip code and county. That's it. So let's say there's someone named Bill Shuster from Davenport, and his email is wmfshu@cfu.org. There is no zip. There is no country. So I enter Bill Shuster into a database of Iowa voters into which the campaign has access--and I start hunting. Perhaps it turns out six Bill Shusters. Invariably, two will be registered dems--so I dismiss them leaving me with three R's and an independent. The easy kill is to find someone named "William F. Shuster" who is a Republican--if I do, I consider it a match, locate his zip and county, and then consider it complete. I did stuff like this all day, and there's probably another day's work left to complete the database.
The news of the day seemed to be Governor Perry's impolitic description of the Fed Chairman. Don't know as I agree with the Gov on that one, but one has to wonder whether we'll hear more of that kind of political Turette's from Perry.
After work, I had a steak at Outback (and the wings--way too much food) and then came back to the hotel where I apparently passed out from over-consumption.
Today I'm told, I'll be on the phones. Here's why. The Iowa Caucus is a strange beast, unlike other electoral processes. On the big night, in order to register one's vote, you have to ALL SHOW UP at the precinct location at a certain time. Once there, ALL THE CANDIDATES have reps who give a one or two minute final wrapup speech in support of their candidate (these are called Precinct Leads). There are 99 counties in Iowa all divided up each into scores of precincts. Therefore, a candidate looking to compete in the precinct needs to have a precinct lead identified and the appropriate talking points etc. provided to him or her.
Romney's campaign has the list of its precinct leads from last time, and we're going to start calling each of them to see if we can count on them to perform the same role in February. Phil (the full-time staffer), Chris (the college student "intern") and I will make these calls all day, presumably. Chris is an Iowan, the son of a state pol and a college student in DC. He's a smart kid, with an easy, ironic manner that makes me chuckle as I listen to his stories.
The big mystery to me (and to Jon Stewart, apparently) is why no one seems to take Ron Paul seriously. I've written here that he will be a top three guy--probably all the way to the convention--because he can raise money and because he's got a message popular with many. It mystifies me how he is so ignored--by the media and by the other campaigns.
Monday, August 15, 2011
By All Means Mr. Buffett...
Walker's Wisconsin Win
No, I'm not talking about the recent recall elections, though they were nice. The win I'm talking about is his policy win. It seems that the good news keeps rolling in, news of school districts and local governments throughout the Badger State able now to close gaps in budgets AND keep teachers on the job. Where is the mayhem? Where is the destruction of Western Civilization as we know it? Were not the very human rights of Wisconsin educators stripped from them by gubernatorial fiat? Of course not. That was just union, liberal, Democrat hyperventilation designed to do one thing, and one thing only--preserve and extend the union's power. Walker called their bluff and we are beginning to see the wisdom of his ways.
Day 1: Romney HQ Des Moines Iowa
Let's start with the logistics. I landed in Des Moines yesterday afteroon after two easy flights, switching planes in Memphis. Grabbed my rental car (Prius--really like these things) at the airport and headed downtown--a 4.5 mile trip of no real consequence. I checked into my way overpriced Hotel (it is a Hyatt--but apparently one of their lesser marques....) and then headed in search of vittles. Ate a decent steak down the street from the hotel, then returned for the night to my iPad/Kindle app--I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo and it is riveting....
I contacted Iowa Romney Director Sara Craig this morning, and she asked me to join them at 1030, after they'd gotten some meetings out of the way. This enabled me to amble over to the Marriott, were I was told a better breakfast awaited me than in my hotel. I downed a fabulous three egg omelet and was on my way.
Romney has a modest operation in Iowa this time around; he went for broke here in 2008 and then underperformed, sorta knocking him on his butt early. This time, he basically ignored the straw poll and let Tim Pawlenty be the guy who bet everything on Iowa (Pawlenty even rented the same sprawling HQ building that Romney had then). Romney is very much campaigning for the Iowa Caucuses in February--but just didn't feel the Straw Poll was worth the effort. So the downscale operation is housed at the consulting firm where Sara works--and after some introductions and chatter about the big news (Gov. Perry is in town), I headed off to another office where I was put to work by Phil, a full-time staffer and a big Mitt fan. Phil's 26 or so, and a graduate of Catholic U (got my MA there, so we had something to chat about). Phil's been living and breathing Iowa for over a year, and he really seems to have a pretty deep understanding of what is going on, what Romney's strategy is, and how to make it happen. Best of all though, Phil was ready for me, in that he had some tasks all lined up to put me on.
I can pretty much sum up my day's labor by saying that I merged databases. Seriously. I had a bunch of excel spreadsheets in various states of quality, which were the result of countless meetings/meet and greets throughout the state. Order needed to be brought to this chaos--and that is just the kind of task I like. And so, that is what I did--so that by the time I left this afternoon, I had thousands of names neatly arrayed with their emails, zipcodes and counties....which was what the folks "in Boston" want. Far from complete, the product I left off with today has hundreds if not thousands of missing zips and counties that I will labor to locate via the interwebs and other useful databases which I have been given access to.
Governor Perry's entrance into the race was--as I said--big news here in Iowa. I listened to a radio program this morning where he was the guest, and he acquitted himself well. I'd like to see Perry and Bachman pick up where Bachman and Pawlenty left off, but I think Perry's going to aim squarely at Romney throughout. We'll see how that shakes out.
It really is amazing how this place (Iowa) is obsessed with politics. It's all over the newspapers, the news shows, the radio--and this is days AFTER the caucus is over. I imagine it stays at a pretty fair level through the Fall and then gets ridiculous in November/December. Maybe I'll come back out for that....
So far, so good. I liked doing what I did today--I know it sounds menial and boring, but it is necessary stuff and I think it will be helpful.
I contacted Iowa Romney Director Sara Craig this morning, and she asked me to join them at 1030, after they'd gotten some meetings out of the way. This enabled me to amble over to the Marriott, were I was told a better breakfast awaited me than in my hotel. I downed a fabulous three egg omelet and was on my way.
Romney has a modest operation in Iowa this time around; he went for broke here in 2008 and then underperformed, sorta knocking him on his butt early. This time, he basically ignored the straw poll and let Tim Pawlenty be the guy who bet everything on Iowa (Pawlenty even rented the same sprawling HQ building that Romney had then). Romney is very much campaigning for the Iowa Caucuses in February--but just didn't feel the Straw Poll was worth the effort. So the downscale operation is housed at the consulting firm where Sara works--and after some introductions and chatter about the big news (Gov. Perry is in town), I headed off to another office where I was put to work by Phil, a full-time staffer and a big Mitt fan. Phil's 26 or so, and a graduate of Catholic U (got my MA there, so we had something to chat about). Phil's been living and breathing Iowa for over a year, and he really seems to have a pretty deep understanding of what is going on, what Romney's strategy is, and how to make it happen. Best of all though, Phil was ready for me, in that he had some tasks all lined up to put me on.
I can pretty much sum up my day's labor by saying that I merged databases. Seriously. I had a bunch of excel spreadsheets in various states of quality, which were the result of countless meetings/meet and greets throughout the state. Order needed to be brought to this chaos--and that is just the kind of task I like. And so, that is what I did--so that by the time I left this afternoon, I had thousands of names neatly arrayed with their emails, zipcodes and counties....which was what the folks "in Boston" want. Far from complete, the product I left off with today has hundreds if not thousands of missing zips and counties that I will labor to locate via the interwebs and other useful databases which I have been given access to.
Governor Perry's entrance into the race was--as I said--big news here in Iowa. I listened to a radio program this morning where he was the guest, and he acquitted himself well. I'd like to see Perry and Bachman pick up where Bachman and Pawlenty left off, but I think Perry's going to aim squarely at Romney throughout. We'll see how that shakes out.
It really is amazing how this place (Iowa) is obsessed with politics. It's all over the newspapers, the news shows, the radio--and this is days AFTER the caucus is over. I imagine it stays at a pretty fair level through the Fall and then gets ridiculous in November/December. Maybe I'll come back out for that....
So far, so good. I liked doing what I did today--I know it sounds menial and boring, but it is necessary stuff and I think it will be helpful.
Hummmmm, WHERE WILL I GO ON VACATION?
Once again CW lives the life we all wish we could. He's off to Iowa to do a little politicking for the Romney campaign. Plus, the Iowa State Fair is happening now! I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely green with envy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
