Touristas, Go Shorties

History of the AK-47.

Something that will make a fascinating museum someday.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s a bad idea for police officers to break down someone’s door without bothering to knock and let the people inside know they are police officers rather than home invaders, particularly on the say-so of a junkie.

Speaking of guns, it turns out 80% of convicts who used guns got them from illegal sources. Think about it: gun control laws work on the premise that criminals will bother to follow the law.

Ok, I understand why you need to show your ID to be served alcohol, but for pancakes?? The bad news is some IHOP manager decided confiscating the drivers licenses of diners might reduce the number of people who leave without paying. The good news is IHOP corporate said “WHAT??”

RFID Passports are a bad idea, but what about RFID luggage tags? They might reduce lost luggage, but only if airlines are willing to suck up 5 to 10 times the cost of baggage tagging.

Business Week tells us about LEGO. Don’t forget to watch the slideshow.

Jim Hightower on the maintenance of the American infrastructure.

Lots of people are talking about Newt Gingrich saying there ought to be limits to free speech on the internet — at a First Amendment Awards Dinner! And as scary as that is, Mr. Gingrich seems to forget that the internet is also international. Just the same, thank goodness he’s no longer an elected official!

And in closing, two all-too true cartoons: one, two. Ford Motor Company? Number one is looking at you. As for number two, let’s hope the Democratic Party accepts their progressive mandate.

In the immortal words of David Byrne,

“Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.”

Ok, now think about this for a couple minutes. Exhibit one, Joe and Jane Average support the idea of a minimum wage increase, protecting the environment, getting the heck out of Iraq, repealing the Bush tax cuts, and a host of other “liberal” ideas. In fact, Joe and Jane and the majority of their neighbors support such “liberal” ideas.

Exhibit two, “Purple America,” the idea that America is far more Democratic leaning and liberal than the pundits would have us all beleive. This author focuses on the South, but I think far more interesting is the bright blue of the Dakotas and Upper Midwest.

And exhibit three, the fact that so many elections went to the Democratic Party in light of what was expected to be massive voter fraud ranging from selective purges of voting rolls to voting machine irregularities. In fact, it turned out better than most Democratic strategists honestly thought it would. Now, some of those races were real squeakers, but the Dems won. And the President was seeming downright contrite on Wednesday the 8th. Could that be because — without the fraud — the Dems would have had a genuine landslide? We will of course never know.

So the Democratic Party has a genuine mandate from the people. Not one of those faux mandates President Bush claimed back in 2004.

So if that is the case, why are we hearing stuff from the Sunday talk shows about how there are no liberal plans for the next Congress? If you want to read the comments in context, here they are over at Fox News (yeah yeah I hate to link to them but they are the source). Other sources note that the Democratic faction in Congress is “cautiously moving forward on some issues.”

Our esteemed Congressmen are saying things like:

Well, I think what we really need to do is understand, Democrats like winning elections. We want to win elections, and we’re going to do our best to do so. This doesn’t mean to get into any extreme positions on any matter. We’ll do what makes good sense on Iraq, what makes good sense on tax policy, what makes good sense on the environment and on energy, and we’ll come up with a package that the people will like and that will make good sense in the middle.

Guess what, the Republicans never wanted to meet you in the middle on anything. And “a package that the people will like” is going to be far, far further to the left than your corporate sponsors will allow. Live with it.

Look, nobody expected the Democrats to get really radical. Particularly since they have to get some Republicans on board to make legislation veto-proof. But the least they could do is “the people’s work.” I will agree with Mr. Frank that a minimum wage increase is a good first step (how about instead of a dollar amount, we index that sucker to the poverty line? [Poverty for a family of 4] divided by [52 weeks X 40 hours] = minimum wage]? That way the thing moves every year withoug you guys having to wage any floorfights.)

But for pity sake don’t stop there! And don’t expect anybody to meet you halfway. Do the right thing whenever it is clear there is a right thing to do, and to hell with anybody who would do otherwise. There is a smorgasbord of issues that you can act on the people’s will instead of big money’s will; don’t be afraid to act on them.

The Center is not where you think it is.

In closing: Americans, danger, and risk assessment; the drug crisis that adults make for their kids; and an awesome post from another blog I just discovered. I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving and are happily preparing for the Midwinter Holidays.

From Snowy Seattle, Peace and Good Wishes and Happy Thoughts.

The Invisible Shorties

Ready for Thanksgiving? No? Hrm. Enjoy some food ideas from Slashfood and Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

If the Small Business Administration were worth lighting on fire, the American Small Business League wouldn’t exist.

Because sometimes you just have to know, WikiHow.

The must-read-blog of the day is Echidne of the Snakes. Next time I remember, I’ll go ahead and add her to the list of Things I Read.

Get this through your heads, John McCain is not a moderate. He’ll try to look like one for campaign purposes, but he is still the guy who won’t miss an opportunity to hug President Bush. He’s still the guy who thinks torture is bad, except that the bill he wrote to ban it doesn’t apply to Guantanamo. Nice loophole, there. Maybe he should run a Craigslist ad to the effect of “Lost: credibility. If found please send to Senator McCain’s office.”

Music fans, Japanese culture fans, technophiles: take note. Literally! Laser Koto.

Thank goodness these guys only Hack in the name of peace, love, and harmony, because they’ve already cracked the new super-secure British passports.

And finally, a Marine that should make you feel thankful. After all you (probably) have hands. Talk about keeping cool under pressure!

“I was conscious, surprisingly awake through the whole thing,” Wright, 31, who grew up in West Seattle, says. “I can replay every moment in my head. I opened my eyes and looked at my arms and remember thinking, ‘Damn, both of them?’ “

The explosion had blown off Wright’s right arm below the elbow and his left at the wrist. Wright’s left eardrum was ruptured and his helmet and safety glasses were torn away. Looking down, he saw his left femur protruding from his thigh, and knew he could bleed to death.

“I was pissed that I couldn’t pick up my rifle, but I couldn’t concentrate on little details,” he recalls.

Young Marines around him, some without combat experience, needed him. Their commander had been killed. With a firefight raging, Wright knew he had to remain cool to save them and himself.

“If I freaked out, they would. I needed to get us to better cover out of the ‘kill zone.’ I figured I could have handled the RPG blast, but one or two bullets hitting me might have done me in,” Wright says.

Ok, imagine that. You are a young marine. Your commander is dead and the ranking officer is barking orders despite the fact that both his hands have been blown off. But he’s staying calm so you have no business freaking out!

And the most impressive part is that he served for another two years after that. Enjoy retirement, Sgt. Wright. You more than earned it.

Ten Ways Universal Healthcare Will Improve the Economy

Before I get started, I would like to define what I mean by “Universal Healthcare.” There seems to be a lot of confusion on the issue, and frankly several implementations of the concept in various nations. “Various nations” in this case means “virtually every industrialized nation except the United States,” so it is worthwhile to learn from what all those other nations have done.

Universal Healthcare is a system under which basic health needs are paid for by a single government payer. Basic health needs includes treatment for urgent, emergent, preventative, reconstructive, routine, and chronic care. Any system which mandates basic coverage be purchased by employers is not Universal Healthcare. Any system which involves for-profit insurance companies selling policies for basic health coverage is not Universal Healthcare. Health insurance companies can still sell supplemental policies, and employers have the option of providing them as a benefit to employees and their families.

How Universal Healthcare will Improve the Economy:

1. It will make the Big 3 American automobile manufacturers — and other manufacturers — more competitive. Depending whose figures you like to use, healthcare costs add between $1000 and $1500 to the price of every new American car. Toyota has also found health insurance costs to be unreasonable, and is trying to do something about it that is beneficial to employees. But when all is said and done, the fact that the heads of the Big 3 are not demanding Universal Healthcare is an issue about which shareholders should scream holy hell. Although the figures for the automotive industry are the most readily available, it must be noted that other manufacturers have similar issues. Reducing the cost of manufacturing products in the United States will make our manufacturing companies more competitve at home and in the world markets.

2. Universal Healthcare gives employers greater control over the cost of providing benefits. As the CEO of GM has pointed out, healthcare costs are rising 14-18% annually, a number which exceeds inflation and GDP growth combined and doubled. It is difficult to control costs when certain expenses grow that rapidly. Some companies have tried to work around this company by slashing coverage, or by making employees pay a greater share of their coverage. This is nothing more than a band-aid on a gaping wound. Such practices put off the day when costs actually have to be controlled, and insurance companies told “no.” And of course, this “solution” creates resentful employees.

3. Universal Healthcare evens the playing field for employers competing for labor. Many job seekers have to do some internal calculus to the effect of “Company A pays more but has Insurance X, but Company B pays less and has Blue Cross. Which is a better deal?” Many job seekers can’t take a chance on a small company that can’t afford to provide “good” benefits due to health concerns. This brings us to….

4. Universal Healthcare will stimulate the growth of small business and create jobs. There is no way to know how many businesses have never been started because the potential entrepreneurs couldn’t get insurance for their families. Universal healthcare will encourage people to be in business for themselves, and make it easier for them to hire people to help make their dream a reality.

5. Universal Healthcare will improve worker productivity. How? By giving workers the means to treat small problems before they become big problems, and by providing better access to preventative care. When workers spend a day out of the office, sure they aren’t doing anything, but how does that compare to the slow pace that worker might take if they came in sick for a week? And they’ll do even less if they have to spend a week in the hospital. Strangely enough, that means….

6. Universal Healthcare will allow more efficient spending of healthcare dollars. If Jane Average can have her infection treated in the doctor’s office, that’s a lot cheaper than treating her raging infection with complications in the emergency room. If Joe Average can get his high blood pressure under control before he has a heart attack, it will save both time and money in the long run. And that is to completely discount the effect of reducing crowding in the emergency room!

7. Universal Healthcare will insure a better educated and healthier workforce for the coming generation. One of the great tragedies of employer-provided health insurance is that children don’t have employers. Sure, many employers that provide health insurance will provide it for employee’s kids, but usually for an extra fee. As a result, there are millions of American children with no healthcare insurance, and parents who pray they don’t get sick. These kids are less likely to get preventative care, less likely to have chronic conditions treated, and more likely to miss school. Someday, these kids will grow up. Even if there is not enough support among politicians to get Universal Health, the very very least we can do as a society is provide a MediKids program that would cover all minor children (and in an ideal world, college students).

8. Universal Healthcare will help prevent chronic illness from becoming disabling illness. It is sad but true that certain illnesses, if not treated promptly and properly, will result in permanent disability. Diabetes is a prime example. Untreated and uncontrolled, it can result in blindness, limbs which must be amputated, kidney disease, strokes, and a host of other terrible problems. And since chronic conditions by definition can go on for years and years, many people find themselves in a position where an insurance company will decline to cover their single biggest health problem as a “pre-existing condition.” This is of course a business decision, not a moral or ethical decision. It is also disgusting.

9. Universal Healthcare will prevent medical debt from forcing people into bankruptcy. You may recall a couple of years ago when Congress was trying to force through a bankruptcy reform bill, then-new research found that medical debt can often lead to bankruptcy. People who cannot afford to pay their bills are not generally out making lots of consumer purchases. Consumer spending is of course the largest single part of the GDP.

10. Universal Healthcare will facilitate early detection and prevention of epidemics and pandemics. The United States Government is concerned enough about the risk of a flu pandemic that they have set up a website called PandemicFlu.gov. They’ve even had the CDC figure out the economic impact of a flu pandemic. Oh, and don’t forget the possibility of an outbreak of some of the old, traditional diseases like measles. Like other illnesses, the sooner we as a population realize there is a problem the quicker it can be contained. In this case, time may be money, but more importantly it is lives.

In closing, if Bradford Plumer is not on your regular read list, he should be; WikiHow; and where exactly can we get a copy of this so-called radical homosexual agenda? Is that the sort of thing you can get at a bookstore, or do you have to order it from some radical website?

Follow Up.

Rating Systems Are Inherently Broken.

I remember the day well. We were looking through our selection of PlayStation 2 games when I noticed that the DragonBall Z video games were rated “T for Teen” but Tokyo Xtreme Racer was rated “E for Everyone.” In the former, cartoon characters from a TV show rated “Y7” fly around, do impossible martial arts moves on one another, and hit one another with energy blasts. In the latter, Junior can race a photo-realistic onscreen replica of Dad’s sports car.

Which game would you rather your 8 year old was playing?

Video games are rated by the ESRB. This organization has had its share of controversy over the years. I will leave these issues aside. For our discussion it is only important to know what the ratings are supposed to mean.

To begin with, please note that although there are a half dozen actual ratings, you are unlikely to have seen more than 3 of them. Yes, it turns out that in addition to Everyone, Teen, and Mature, we have Early Childhood, Everyone 10+, and Adults Only. How does E 10+ differ from Teen? To use our example above, what makes DragonBall Z somehow not “cartoon violence” under the E 10+ criteria?

This brings me to the next issue, that game makers clearly game the system to get a desired result. What makes Counter Strike, rated M, more violent than Battlefield 2, rated T? A little bit of splut, that’s all. And from my point of view, at least the Battlefield games encourage the use of individual and squad strategy. Neither game is appropriate for our theoretical 8 year old, above.

So when considering a video game for family play, the rating on the front of the box is useless. The hapless parent is still reduced to reading a parade of reviews, and hoping. And other ratings systems are no better. Disney managed to turn the rating for Pirates of the Carribean into an ad all by itself, by pointing out that the movie contains “intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images.” Well heck, that sounds better than what Rolling Stone had to say about the film! And what the heck is “adventure violence” anyway? Is it more violent than fantasy violence? Less violent than a typical football game? How does it compare to the evening news? Who is the marketing genius that came up with this nonsense?

In Short, ratings systems are not a substitute for research and rational thought. They are only slightly misleading signage.

In closing, more restrictions on carry-ons mean more checked luggage which in turn means more lost luggage (I know, duh); just when you thought it was safe to talk about politics Congress is back in session to decide little things like the budget for the fiscal year that started October 1; a funny if slightly sexist cartoon; information on weight training for women; and Rumsfeld, War Crimes, and “Universal Jurisdiction.”

Obligatory Political Post

Yay, it’s over. A lot of good decisions were made yesterday, and kudos to you if you were part of them. Shame on you if you didn’t vote. As usual, a great roundup of stuff on The Moderate Voice. And here’s a great summary of some of the invasive psuedo-morality that got defeated yesterday: “We believe South Dakotans can make these decisions themselves.” Yes indeed. I believe all Americans can make decisions themselves, too.

One last thing, The President has invited Democratic leadership to lunch at the White House. My inner cynic hopes someone tests for poison. I imagine it’s a good thing looks can’t actually kill.

Make Time For It.

Tomorrow is Election Day. If you have a mail-in ballot, make sure you have it filled out tonight to go in tomorrow’s mail. If you actually have to go to the polling place, clear some time to be there. Be aware that it may take a little longer than it should. If you witness irregularities, report them.

Elections can work! Really! They kept this man out of public office.

In closing, a missive from the Duhpartment of Research: seat belts on school busses could prevent student injuries.

It depends what you mean by “in the labor force”

Today’s employment news is that new jobless claims are higher than expected, and employment costs are up, mostly because benefits cost more than they used to. So maybe you heard yesterday that the American economy added 128,000 jobs in October. The fact that these stats came out before the ink was even dry on some of those paychecks should alert you to the fact that these are preliminary numbers, subject to revision. Don’t let that worry you, however. Worry about the fact that this number is far lower than the 150,000 to 200,000 that the American economy needs each and every month to keep up with people who are just joining the workforce.

Or maybe, don’t worry about that too much?

An item in The Economist suggests that the American economy is slowing, and it might be because the workforce is contracting. Something called the “labour force participation rate” is falling (they’re British). And why is that? They blame retiring/near-retirement baby boomers, women who are dropping out of the workforce, and teenagers who are not working.

Let’s take a close look at those boomers. Sure, some of them will be able to retire, but I think it more likely that the majority of them will scale back their work. Joe Average doesn’t have enough savings for a prolonged retirement in an environment where the politicians have been shouting at him for years that he can’t count on Social Security and it’s all his fault for being one of the millions of babies born after World War 2. However, as much as Joe wants to work, the fact of the matter is that for many people like Joe, health concerns are beginning to affect the ability to get up and go do a job every day. This is particularly true for people in physically demanding occupations.

As for women dropping out of the workforce, there are two separate things going on. First, I think there is a large group of women who lost their jobs early in the Bush Administration, and having failed to find a new job in a timely fashion gave up. But instead of calling them “discouraged workers” we are falling back on the fact that they have kids at home. Having no money for childcare, these women have become de-facto stay-at-home-moms (SAHMs). But the second thing that happened — both to these women and those with different circumstances — is far more interesting. This post from *itch, PhD sums it up nicely:

My observations suggest that at least some, if not a majority of stay home moms and dads are not only working as parents and housekeepers; they also serve as unpaid support and teaching staff for local public schools, unpaid case managers and caregivers for sick and elderly relatives, and unpaid volunteers/part-time help for a wide variety of social services and programs including libraries, hospitals, art, music, and sports programs, and political organizations…. But the point remains: a lot of stay-home parents are doing a lot of unpaid work to keep society running.

The women who are not counted in the official workforce are doing vital work that they couldn’t afford to pay someone else to do. And that doesn’t even account for those who — like me — do not receive a paycheck but through various Department of Labor loopholes are officially “employed.”

And that brings us to the last group mentioned by The Economist, teenagers and young adults. They tell us:

This decline is a bit of a mystery, since job growth in the kinds of industries that tend to employ young people—restaurants and shops—has been well above the national average. It may have happened because teenagers are staying at school or college longer, and are working less on the side. More education may mean higher future productivity, but in the medium term it cuts the number of available workers.

Oh it would be easy to say it’s the fault of No Child Left Behind, and say that fewer teens in the workforce is the result of higher academic requirements. It isn’t that simple. Those “kinds of industries that tend to employ young people” have much greater choice in employees than they used to. Even the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation admits that 53% of minimum wagers are under 23, so that must mean 47% are 23 or older. The reader is left to wonder what the percentages would look like if we discussed workers younger than 19. Some sources imply that adults are up to 80% of the work population that earns under $7.25 per hour. It is reasonable to say that probably about half the jobs that have traditionally been held by young people are now held by their elders. And frankly that’s a sad statement about the economy. It is also worth mentioning that more college kids have loans than part time jobs, and that changes to vocational education are having an unknown effect on the issues.

The one thing it all adds up to is that the unemployment rate is artificially low because of people who can be — and probably should be — in the work force, but are not.

In closing: on CNBC, great documentaries run as often as they can get away with it; do slave laborers in the Marianas Islands count as part of the American workforce?; on being an Iraqi woman; next country over cash for the vacation of a lifetime, as long as you don’t mind the people who would rather you were dead; treat kids like animals and then act all surprised when they live up to your expectations, be sure to read the second page, about how the school library has exactly zero books; if the Feds knew where 10,733 gang members, kidnappers, child molesters, sex offenders, carjackers, and burglars were, why did they wait until two weeks before a national election to arrest them?; and finally, smile, and start up a random conversation, because you never know where it will lead.