Sunday, November 16, 2008
More on Media bias, part "whatever"
Via Instapundit and Extreme Mortman, Deborah Howell at the Washington Post writes another article about the perceived liberal bias at her paper. To me, one of her most telling points:
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But some of the conservatives' complaints about a liberal tilt are valid. Journalism naturally draws liberals; we like to change the world. I'll bet that most Post journalists voted for Obama. I did. There are centrists at The Post as well. But the conservatives I know here feel so outnumbered that they don't even want to be quoted by name in a memo (emphasis mine).I wonder if she saw it herself. If the Post is so collegial and objective, why should the conservatives at the Post feel like they have to hide?
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Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Sun Has Set on Northwest Airlines
I don't normally talk about my employer here, but yesterday Northwest Airlines passed into history. The people, aircraft and other things that once composed Northwest now belong to Delta.
I suppose I should look upon working at NWA as just a job, but after nearly 15 years that seems insufficient. Northwest has been a part of Minnesota for 82 years flying people, cargo and mail around the world. I've been a small part of it for a good while now, and on the whole I've been proud of what we've done. We've been the Twin Cities' gateway to Europe and Asia, helped a lot of folks get a break from winter, and brought a ton of people to shop at the Sprawl of America. We've provided press planes to the President, charters for the pros, carried our soldiers to the Middle East and brought them home again.
After 15 years it's still a thrill to see those red tails taking off from MSP, and a point of pride we gave Minnesota wings.
Goodbye, Northwest.
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I suppose I should look upon working at NWA as just a job, but after nearly 15 years that seems insufficient. Northwest has been a part of Minnesota for 82 years flying people, cargo and mail around the world. I've been a small part of it for a good while now, and on the whole I've been proud of what we've done. We've been the Twin Cities' gateway to Europe and Asia, helped a lot of folks get a break from winter, and brought a ton of people to shop at the Sprawl of America. We've provided press planes to the President, charters for the pros, carried our soldiers to the Middle East and brought them home again.
After 15 years it's still a thrill to see those red tails taking off from MSP, and a point of pride we gave Minnesota wings.
Goodbye, Northwest.
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Sunday, September 28, 2008
Gardens
Here's a couple of photos of the Japanese garden at the McNeely Conservatory, just because. Politics just kind of sucks as a topic, anyway.
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Thursday, September 04, 2008
I was surfing about looking for reactions to Sen. McCain's acceptance speech tonight and came across Megan McArdle's reaction. No offense intended, but what is it about John McCain that is so distasteful to her? She can't seem to comment on the guy of late without mentioning how awful she thinks he is. Generally I find her blog thoughtful and worth reading, but she just really seems to hate McCain. Her post seems rather snarky and cynical, with no indication why:
Someone should inform Ms. McArdle McCain (along with John Glenn) was cleared of any misconduct. Moreover, Bob Bennett (one of the fellows investigating the Keating 5 at the time) has pointed out that the reason McCain was included in the Keating 5 is that Democrats did not the Keating investigation to be an all-Democrat affair.
How is this different from Obama's hogwash, except McCain is willing to allow more drilling while we work on alternatives? For all of Obama's talk, we'll still be dependent on petroleum when he leaves office (if he wins).
At least McCain will try, unlike Obama.
The other major change isn't really a change--it's a relative shift to emphasizing the martial virtues. This, I think, is why Kerry seemed so ridiculous "reporting for duty"--his political persona was about as far as you could get from the warrior ethos. McCain is the real thing. Too much of the real thing, for my taste--he seems to think that the values that guide a brigade should also guide the nation at large. This is a bad idea for the same reason that we should not be run by the codes of the Bar Association or the Hippocratic Oath.
Where in his speech did Sen. McCain propose to re-organize the country as a military brigade? I must have missed it. What values did he mention that are 'brigade values'? The speech I heard emphasized things like:
Service to/love of his country.
Reforming the Republican Party by moving it closer towards its core ideals.
Working with the opposition to solve our problems, where possible.
What is so awful about that?
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The words "I fought corruption" should never pass the lips of a charter member of the Keating Five.
Someone should inform Ms. McArdle McCain (along with John Glenn) was cleared of any misconduct. Moreover, Bob Bennett (one of the fellows investigating the Keating 5 at the time) has pointed out that the reason McCain was included in the Keating 5 is that Democrats did not the Keating investigation to be an all-Democrat affair.
"I fight for you" is a clever tag line, and I presume the image that the McCain campaign has settled upon. This will allow them--just barely--to keep making the ridiculous claim that John McCain doesn't like to bring up the fact that he was a POW. If John McCain didn't want to bring it up, he would have instructed his staff not to mention it to every single person they talk to, including the barista at Caribou Coffee.Yes McCain mentions his POW experience more than he did in 2000. How Ms. McArdle connects the "I fight for you" line to the POW escapes me. I suspect he mentions the POW experience fairly often because of the traumatic and transformative effect those 5 1/2 years had on the direction of his life. Imagine that. Sort of like Obama mentions his upbringing helping to make him the One who will heal the planet.
Ack! The dreaded "Free America from Dependence on Foreign Oil" meme rears its ugly head. This is high definition hogwash. Drilling isn't going to save us from Demon Oil any more than windmills will. It might make us some money. But we'll still be part of a world economy that will be pigheaded about buying their oil from funny people who don't even speak English.
How is this different from Obama's hogwash, except McCain is willing to allow more drilling while we work on alternatives? For all of Obama's talk, we'll still be dependent on petroleum when he leaves office (if he wins).
John McCain does not seem particularly comfortable talking about God. The lines are there, but they're mechanical, clearly recited by rote.A lot of people are not comfortable talking about their belief in God in public, not even politicians. Just because he finds it awkward to talk about doesn't mean he's being phony. McCain is not the Huck, after all.
McCain claims he'll cut government spending. I'll believe it when I see it.
At least McCain will try, unlike Obama.
Boy, the folks at the RNC really hate national health care.Don't libertarians hate national (aka government-run) health care too? McCain is for letting people choose their health insurance options from the private market, and provides subsidies for those who need help to buy insurance. What's sooo awful about that?
The other major change isn't really a change--it's a relative shift to emphasizing the martial virtues. This, I think, is why Kerry seemed so ridiculous "reporting for duty"--his political persona was about as far as you could get from the warrior ethos. McCain is the real thing. Too much of the real thing, for my taste--he seems to think that the values that guide a brigade should also guide the nation at large. This is a bad idea for the same reason that we should not be run by the codes of the Bar Association or the Hippocratic Oath.
Where in his speech did Sen. McCain propose to re-organize the country as a military brigade? I must have missed it. What values did he mention that are 'brigade values'? The speech I heard emphasized things like:
Service to/love of his country.
Reforming the Republican Party by moving it closer towards its core ideals.
Working with the opposition to solve our problems, where possible.
What is so awful about that?
Labels: McArdle, McCain, Politics
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Sunday, May 25, 2008
Something
Thursday, May 01, 2008
How Should Tax Burden be defined?
Depending on whether one is talking with a liberal or a conservative, we are taxed unequally with the liberal arguing the rich don't pay enough and the conservative arguing the rich pay too much and the middle class and poor not enough. Both use a different way of describing the tax burden.
Well, here's my simple definition of tax burden. My tax burden is the tax I pay to any and all levels of government on every dollar that I earn and spend. In other words, the total amount of income taxes, FICA, Medicare, gas tax, property tax, car registration, sales taxes, etc. that I pay as a proportion of my total income. I figure it's about 40 cents of every dollar I make. I'm guessing that people like Warren Buffet pay less, proportionately, since most of the money they make is treated as capital gains and is taxed at 15% vs. the 25% Federal tax bracket I'm in. Anyway it leaves me with two questions.
For conservatives, why should rich folks get a discount on their taxes - i.e. why should I pay more of every dollar I make than Warren Buffet does?
For liberals, just what justification is there for government to cost forty cents of every dollar I make? How does one keep up with the mortgage, pay rapidly increasing fuel costs, etc. when government takes almost half of what I make?
Lastly for both: what's wrong with adopting these parts of the Megan McArdle tax plan shown below?
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Well, here's my simple definition of tax burden. My tax burden is the tax I pay to any and all levels of government on every dollar that I earn and spend. In other words, the total amount of income taxes, FICA, Medicare, gas tax, property tax, car registration, sales taxes, etc. that I pay as a proportion of my total income. I figure it's about 40 cents of every dollar I make. I'm guessing that people like Warren Buffet pay less, proportionately, since most of the money they make is treated as capital gains and is taxed at 15% vs. the 25% Federal tax bracket I'm in. Anyway it leaves me with two questions.
For conservatives, why should rich folks get a discount on their taxes - i.e. why should I pay more of every dollar I make than Warren Buffet does?
For liberals, just what justification is there for government to cost forty cents of every dollar I make? How does one keep up with the mortgage, pay rapidly increasing fuel costs, etc. when government takes almost half of what I make?
Lastly for both: what's wrong with adopting these parts of the Megan McArdle tax plan shown below?
3) Eliminate the corporate income tax
4) Eliminate the special treatment for capital gains. All income should be taxed at the same level, regardless of its source.
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Sunday, April 27, 2008
On Bill Maher
In keeping with this blog's tradition of being far behind the bleeding edge, I just wanted to write a bit about Bill Maher. He stirred up the blogosphere during Pope Benedict's visit to Washington and New York. He called the Pope a Nazi and accused him of being an apologist for pedophilia.
This generated a modest furor of course. Did conservatives get Maher fired? Nope. Did they Maher to apologize to Catholics or the Pope? Nope. Did it change anything? Not really. Personally I don't think it ever will. Bill Maher is a seldom funny, arrogant, smug comic who has found a market niche entertaining people who share a world view similar to his. They're the people who don't respect religious folk, and people who know that conservatives are stupid and/or evil. Conservatives and conservative Christians are not part of his audience, just people for Maher to mock and be contemptuous of. He doesn't care if he offends them. HBO doesn't care as long as he makes HBO money.
Perhaps it would be better if we ignored the jerk instead of giving him free publicity.
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This generated a modest furor of course. Did conservatives get Maher fired? Nope. Did they Maher to apologize to Catholics or the Pope? Nope. Did it change anything? Not really. Personally I don't think it ever will. Bill Maher is a seldom funny, arrogant, smug comic who has found a market niche entertaining people who share a world view similar to his. They're the people who don't respect religious folk, and people who know that conservatives are stupid and/or evil. Conservatives and conservative Christians are not part of his audience, just people for Maher to mock and be contemptuous of. He doesn't care if he offends them. HBO doesn't care as long as he makes HBO money.
Perhaps it would be better if we ignored the jerk instead of giving him free publicity.
Labels: Maher, outrage, Politics
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