Crumbling bridges
We took some time in Pennsylvania to slip away from the rallies and inspect the bridges: some nice people from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation took us under the I-95 highway to see the mess the underbelly of modern America is in. It is truly horrible. There are holes you can put your hand into. As a metaphor for the whole infrastructure situation it could not be better: cars getting by on the top (with occasional delays and even a closure earlier this year) but underneath the whole thing falling apart. Over the last year or so there has been sporadic coverage of this fundamental issue though much of it not in the mainstream press. This from Thomas Friedman was an exception. Obama has talked admiringly of the Chinese approach (does he really want to steamroller the poor?) but the money is not going to be there. Nor would President McCain provide it. Perhaps this solution suggested by a Democratic governor is the most practical way forward - if, that is, the money is still there.
UPDATE:
And a few minutes ago the organisers of this conference got in touch to point out that the infrastructure issue - in particular how to pay - is a live topic among Americans seriously committed to the future good of the nation.
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Our crumbling infrastructure is a problem, however you will find bridges being repaired or replaced locally here and there, particularly since the catastrophe in Minneapolis.
We are strapped for cash, what with spending about $10,000,000,000 per month on the Iraq war.
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"Perhaps this solution suggested by a Democratic governor is the most practical way forward - if, that is, the money is still there."
What solution would that be?
Gosh you wrote that in a hurry, didn't you?
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Pity Justin's post wasn't pre-moderated!
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If we can spend $10B bringing democracy to Iraq, or whatever the latest excuse for being there happens to be, we can certainly spend that money modernizing, or at least repairing, our crumbling infrastructure.
The sad truth is that our infrastructure and industry have fallen behind those in the EU and Japan, and if we continue to neglect it in favor of crusades we will soon be competing with Third World countries.
Little to no attention has been paid to improving the infrastructure built, largely, during the Eisenhower Administration and both parties bear responsibility for what is now going to require a very expensive investment. On a brighter side, rebuilding our infrastructure, including modernizing our power and industry will create tens of thousands of jobs that will help offset loses in other areas of our economy.
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Here's the way to fix this mess and several others:
1. Don't fret about running federal deficits. Fret about showing a shrinking deficit.
2. Raise taxes on the elite rich to Clinton levels.
3. Jump start green industries. E.g., subsidize the auto industry to make hybrid, plugin and electric cars, not SUV's.
4. Bleed off rising unemployment by hiring people to rebuild infrastructure. Make noise about not hiring illegal immigrants, while quietly vetting for citizens and legals.
5. Make nice with the Iraqi government. Pull troops out. Leave strong intelligence and anti-terror presence in.
6. Make much noise about how the cost of the Iraq has been shuffled off the books. Then, put it back on the books and announce how big the deficit really is.
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the downside of tax cuts should be your headline Justin.
WHen a nation is involved in 2 wars, and maybe a dozen other multi-billion dollar projects overseas, and a politician cannot win an election without promising tax cuts then you have to wonder where the money comes from to pay for the miltary, roads, schools, basic necessities like food safety inspections and so on.
this has been an ongoing crisis, and you cant keep borrowing from the chinese to pay for the good life.
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Justin; your links are not working.
On the infrasture issue, the very thing required is the very thing the American people fear from their Political class; Big Government. You will never be able to maintain, expand and improve the infrasture of a country if there is uncertainty that the money will dry up in 4 years time when a new Administration attempts to cut costs. It is the heavy hand of Government, and political will (of both sides) over a 20 year+ period that will allow the money to be invested and major projects to be developed.
Perhaps a bipartisan group should be created to manage the US infrasture, with it's members chosen from the best both sides have to offer and leading experts to avoid the issue becoming bogged down in the usual "them vs us" childs play.
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A View From The Battleground State
So here in Las Vegas, Nevada I can tell you what is going right and wrong for each campaign.
From the last two weeks I have saved all the elections fliers from my mailbox. I am a registered independent voter, living in a middle-class neighborhood in a key swing state. So far I have received 22 pieces of mail from the Obama/Biden campaign. I have none from the McCain/Palin team.
This could be why McCain is trailing!
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Crumbling bridges or biscuits in the canteen?
Where is the blue writing Justin?
Hope this works. If not blame it on Eds lessons.
[IMHO I think the capital A ruined the sequence].
Justins missing link 1
Missing Friedman link
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I found this quite moving. Its about the 2008 democratic party nomination caucus
http://wewillnotbesilenced2008.com
If you care anything about democracy, watch the videos. The sound is poor and it needs effort to concentrate on it.
Re-posted from the previous blog entry comment thread. I ask for understanding from the Mod.
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Is the current glitch in Justin Webb's post a sign of the faults in the infrastructure ?
Its not only the infrastructure that's crumbling.
The awful lesson of this presidential campaign has been that there is a powerful element in America who despise education and trash anybody who tries to improve their mind (rather than their bank balance).
Limbaugh, Hannity and their kind are turning America into a third-rate country and if they succeed the American century will be just that - a century of glory followed by disintegration.
India and China are not going to wait around for America to decide if she is serious about herself or not - and the countries who still have lots of cash (yes, there are some) are not going to buy dollars just to prop up an economy which is sick through self-inflicted wounds.
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It may shock some right-wingers to realize that this is part of the "spreading wealth around" that Senator Obama has referred to. For some reason, I seem to prefer this to the alternative (the spreading of limbs and internal organs around) that occurs when the bridge collapses.
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What is the point of this subject? I will take a nap and hope that when I wake up my fellow bloggers will have moved on to something more interesting.
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Justin sort your links out!
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"It is truly horrible. There are holes you can put your hand into. "
Sounds like West Hollywood to me.
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The links work perfectly well for me!
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5 perhaps I am being a litlle thick, but the point of 1 and 6 is? I tend to agree with your other points.
moderate and er andfreedom also ...
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15 David: do you mean what I think you mean?
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Perhaps its time both sides of the increasingly polarized American political divide agreed to build some bridges...
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#11 80% this anti-intelectuallism in current political trends is quite disturbing, somehow it seems that voters are proud that they have someone running for high office who in their mind is just as averaged as them.
That was the appeal in Bush, it amazes me that someone as elitist as a Bush could somehow sell the public the idea that they are averaged. Averaged intellect, sure, but his lifestyle and status was far from averaged.
Now this is the appeal in Palin. Averaged folks for extroadinary jobs? what sense does that make, who are we going to hire for president next? Joe the Plumber? Bob the BUilder?
The fact that politicians who ridicule science, education and blasts others for being smart are so popular just shows the failures in the education system, it reminds me of when 'nerds' would get picked on in school or scorned.
While this campaign is dominated by politicians trying to appeal to voters with quick fix ideas, and everyone is focused on short term issues like a 3% tax hike or tax cuts nobody is asking , what are you going ot cut back on when you cut taxes. is it education, medicaire? social security?
ANd while this happens, China, India, other european countries are training their youth to compete for jobs on the global market attracting many companies to invest in their economy instead of the US, while this happens one cant pay for college in the US without taking out a second mortgage.
Currently the alarming trend is how many companies based in the US are meeting their labour needs with foreign workers (not illegal ones) because they find the foreign labour market more attractive than the local market.
if the electorate are more focused on long term issues instead of short term fixes and soundbites then things might be a bit better.
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Boy, does this strike a chord with a Montrealer like myself.
About an overpass collaspe that killed 5:
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=ee2d0ff1-b2c3-40a6-bc8c-d6a5e8da2c55#
And chunks of concrete up to a metre large have been falling from the city's major interchange (where 3 highways connect) for about the last 7 years:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2003/05/16/qc_turcot20030516.html
You'll note the latter article is five years old, and the last line says work will begin in five years. Well, it's 2008, and they've so far only announced recontruction plans.
Cost: $1.2 - 1.5 Billion.
Of course, since that's Quebec dollars, the cost in Canadian currency will be at least 3-4 times that (a recent subway extension cost 900M at least 9 years over schedule; the original estimate was $179M).
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#5,
I agree with all of your points but it's so much easier said then done it's unreal.
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ref #5
Here something else. Have open competition.
Dont make these Union protected jobs.
Let the best company get the project.
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Obama Copacabana doesn't care anymore about the poor than McCain. Neither one of them want to "steamroller" the poor, they just want to provide them with a little more 'benign neglect' while offering platinum parachutes to rich investors who finance their campaigns and pull the strings in both wings of the Duopoly Party. The same 'benign neglect' strategy has been applied to the public works infrastructure as well. The society is crumbling socially and physically because government has sucked funds out of the public sector to provide private profits. Short term private gains always come before long term public planning. And that's not about to change much after Nov. although it may reluctantly be tempered a bit out of dire necessity. But the best thing anyone can do is to ignore the duplicitous Friedman, a bg shil of the criminal invasion of Iraq who just wants to peddle the false impression that all has gone horribly wrong there because of Iraq, despite America's best intentions. Same old Friedman, same old lies.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Building or repairing bridges is socialist, as it uses public funds for good of common people. Socialist is a bad thing in America. So the bridge must be finance by the people using it. Then it is acceptable to them. Try having toll charges, that is what they want.
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Since the beginning of the new millennium the mentality surrounding the Bush administration and its neo-con advisers has looked at America as a completed work.
This is evident in the intention, pre-9/11, to take a step back from the global stage, and it is described in the grossly oversimplified Fukoyama assertion that we had reached 'the end of history'.
The problem with finishing something, whether the maturation of a human being or a car off an assembly line, is that the only step to follow is decay - a decline from the pinnacle of a thing's existence.
If America can not learn to adapt to the modern global environment and break away from the populist self-congratulating idiocy within its politics and the media it will do little other than follow the same fate of other finished nations such as Rome, the Aztecs and the British Empire.
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20 moderate: in total agreement ..
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23 Magic: agreed (surprisingly)
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Justin
Nice to see that you're latest post leaves no doubt that you're in the tank in for Obama, and a very sympathetic nod to totalitarianism in China... That you're a dyed in the wool leftie is blantantly obvious. Where is the BBC's objective reporting? Gone! Are you a graduate of Common Purpose per chance?
Fingers crossed the Republicans can come home against the odds and beat Socialism from ruling America for 4 years.
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It seems that a large number of people are aware of the blatant bias of the media in the run up to this election - to such an extent that there is a very real chance of a massive backlash come election day: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=6099188&page=1
ps I know this blog attracts lefties of all shades, so I fully expect to be savaged by the agents of illiberilism - the left. Never forget that the Republican party believes in individuals and rewarding those individuals who are productive and help themselves. And never forget the Republican party brought you Abraham Lincoln (abolished slavery) and was supported by Martin Luther King. The left in contrast are the most illiberal haters of free speech going.
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Many moons ago, just after the last Southern scare regarding hurricanes and high seas and having watched the water lapping at the top of the levees in New Orleans I tried to send a link in respect of dam and dike plans of the Dutch government, but was not successful.
A tiny country, with possibly the half of its land below sea level, expecting a 1- 1.5 metre rise in sea levels over the next 50 years they have instigated a plan to raise all flood defenses over a 20 year period, BY 3-4 METRES.- 10-12 feet.
The cost is due to reach many many billions, from a population of 17 million souls via taxes, despite the fact that the coastline has been dramatically reduced following the delta works constructions many years before.
Delta Works
"South sea Works
America- I believe you have a little more
coastline and surface area than the pinprick that is the Netherlands on the world map, so the best of luck be it bridges, dams highways or dikes.
Begin with New Orleans first! Like politics you have to expect that everything happens at the wrong time- Tide , wind, rivers, rain and who knows what!.
For those who enjoy the coloured election
state maps, I hope you enjoy this one.
Red and Blue
Remember, like the last 8 years- With the elephant holding its trunk in the air, and getting enough, its been the donkey who lies under the water.
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Dayvine 27:
So the question is, from the American perspective: "How can we remain free,
in a world of increasing population, increasing consumption, increasing interdependence and finite resources?
This is the challenge for all free nations, and ultimately the world. Our future.
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I saw you watching the yellow-jacket inspect the rust. That bridge would never pass an MOT!
Peace and the end of autos
ed
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31 Eco: I completely support your right to utter such tosh anywhere and anytime. Long live free speech!
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#2 Man From Milan
My best guess, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell is re-proposing his scheme to finance our transportation infrastructure, by leasing out the PA Turnpike (currently a govt. enterprise) to a for-profit bidder. The Turnpike is one of only a handful of toll roads in the state; everything else is financed by taxes. He's also proposed then expanding the Turnpike toll system to include the other major east-west interstate (I-80).
Repairing and rennovating by contractors has been done for years, but actually leasing the entire system to private enterprise, for decades, is very, very controversial.
Ironically, plays right into the "capitalism vs. socialism" debate of the last week or two. A tax-based system, for the public good? But we've let the problems slide for too long and it's far too expensive, so the state is dependent on Federal $$$.
The current govt. run, toll-based system, w. the allegations of inefficiency and corruption? (In fairness, much of the criticism has been tied directly to groups w. ties to the company/ies that first bid on the project...)
Or private enterprise, which stands to reap huge profits? As would be normal for massive projects of this scale, there would probably be insufficient oversight, all the motivation to cut corners on workmanship, materials, etc., and raise fees...
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Justin
just saw your bit on this, on the beeb.
Seems to me the issues raised can be easily juxtaposed with that of health care. No one wants to pay for it, but everyone needs it. Having decrepit bridges is just a bad as a decrepit body..
A fundamental change in philospohpy needs to occur before the US can ever get back up on to its feet again to address the issue and truely move forward.
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The bridges aren't the only things that are crumbling around here.
I do like the idea of creating jobs to fix the bridges! It's probably time for a lot of us to get off our duffs and do a little ditch digging. It would probably help with our obesity epidemic too..
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Whenever we talk about international aid, we always talk about building or rebuilding a nation's infrastructure and how that will have positive effects across the board. Why should we approach it any differently in our own countries?
McCain's ideas of suspending earmarks and enacting a "spending freeze" on all but the military and veteran's affairs is admirable in its attempt to stop inefficiencies, but Obama's right. Its a hatchet. It doesn't make sense to cut someone's arm off and then try to reattach it. That may be a fumbling of metaphors there, but I think it works.
theodalisque.wordpress.com
http://theodalisque.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/consulting-the-learned-elite-on-fixing-the-economy/
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31 Eco: actually that was really funny! Keep going ...
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31 Eco: People like you (as long as they don't have guns) are quite stimulating.
Hypothetical question: If you had to give up the right to free speech, or the right to bear arms, which would it be?
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#18. selfevidenttruths: "15 David: do you mean what I think you mean?"
It depends on what you're thinking! :)
But seriously, the Mayor of Los Angeles (the city next door) just filled the one millionth pot-hole in LA. I don't think West Hollywood has quite that many. But it is in the news for the Hallowe'en effigy of Sarah Palin, which seems a bit tasteless to me and has also attracted the attention of the Secret Service. The perpetrators appear to be very young and I think had no idea of the furore it wold create.
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#31,
"I know this blog attracts lefties of all shades"
I am certainly not a "leftie". Nor am I a right wing neo-con. But from an outsiders point of view, if McCain gets in it will be a bit of a disaster in terms of foreign policy and the American/global economy. Republican foreign policy is over-agressive and out-dated, similar perhaps to the days of the British Empire which are long gone. McCain keeps saying "maverick", but look at him- he's an ex-soldier! He will be no different to Bush. And McCain gives all this talk but I haven't even heard how McCain's economic policy is different to George Bush's.
I know it's easy for me to say this someone who will not be voting, but even I decided a long time ago that even if I was American, I would still vote for Obama and sacrifice a bit of my income to hopefully see my country turned around from 8 years of failure.
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Majik (23),
Like Halliburton?
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Dayvine (27),
One of the clearest summaries yet! Seconded!
Peace and maintenance
ed
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I was on the McCain campaign's website earlier (www.foxnews.com) and they're really turning up the heat on Obama. They're spinning his words by quoting from his books and trying to make out he's a Communist. They've also announced that Fidel Castro's endorsed him (Chavez is undecided apparently). I think these kind of desperate negative attacks are despicable. They smeared decorated war hero John Kerry in 2004 and now they're smearing our Barack. Shame on you John McCain!
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#20. I love it. It is perfect.
Great topic; our infrastructure is crap. I live in the Seattle area of Washington State and there are pot holes here that I am pretty sure go to the depths of hell. Meanwhile, we are bailing out banks in the amount of 700 billion dollars and George Bush is begging them today to get off of their piles of billions of dollars in reserves and loan some money to Americans. There are bridges here that D.O.T. checks often because they are ready to literally fall apart. However, we still drive on them. We drive on them heavily in fact, because we have some of the worst traffic in the nation. The Alaskan Way viaduct is checked every 6 months or so to see if it is still safe to drive on…and we just gave banks 700 billion dollars. Amazing...
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The benefit of toll roads and bridges is that the USER pays rather than general taxation.
Peace and pay-as-you-go
ed
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"Obama has talked admiringly of the Chinese approach (does he really want to steamroller the poor?) but the money
is not going to be there."
And how exactly do you know this? It has worked pretty well for the Chinese hasn't it? How has it? Through a combination of taxes and strict government oversight to see that its workers stay on track and on task with the Chinese' government's goals of repairing its infrustructure when needed. That is what Obama was proposeing and personally, I think its a good idea. I think it shows a great deal of maturity and humility when a United States president or presidencial candidate eats a huge slice of humble pie and doesn't act all high and mighty as if they have all the answers to all the world's problems, and instead looks to other countries for insperation and leadership!! Other world leaders do it shamelessly!! Why can't our presidents?
"Perhaps this solution suggested by a Democratic governor is the most practical way forward - if, that is, the money is still there."
But I'm confused. I thought you just assured us earlier that no matter who gets elected, no matter what solution they concoct, the money will never be there to fix the problem. Which is it? Will it be there or won't it? What is your suggestion for solveing this monumental problem? May be we should tax gas like you Brits. After all, Americans do seem to be trapped in this mindset of believeing that money grows on trees. We can't have our cake and eat it too!!
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40 why thank you selfevidenttruths
Although I may have imbibed more than I should have this evening, it is still a fact that Martin Luther King was a Republican supporter. And I know their brand has been damaged by an unpopular war in Iraq and a disasterous economic situation; yet they are still the party which traditionally believes in libertarianism and free markets - power to the individual if you will. They respect individuals abiliites to run their own lives, and don't expect the 'state' to solve everyones' problems. A position I respect - after all - why should someone go to work to feed the kids of someone who won't work? That's the path socialism leads too.
Yes, America needs to reduce the budget deficit, and stop the folly of the last 8 years. People need to remember that McCain is his own man, and is not Bush. I am a Republican supporter, yet I would not have followed the path Bush did over the last 8 years. Voting McCain doesn't mean 4 more years of Bush. He's his own man. Just like I would be if I became President (however highly unlikely that is!). Change does need to happen, but McCain can bring that change.
Power to the individual - not the collective.
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#30. Economist123: "Fingers crossed the Republicans can come home against the odds and beat Socialism from ruling America for 4 years."
For a Briton in his twenties (as you note on another BBC blog) you can't possibly have any idea what "socialism" in the United Kingdom was like, let alone suggest that an Obama presidency and/or a Democratic Congress would be "Socialism . . ruling America for 4 years." You've been reading the far-right web sites and listening to the television equivalents rather than studying the proposed policies of the two candidates. You need to study the American political system before making such broad assumptions - do you know for how long Senators and Representatives are elected? Unlike the UK, it is never possible to completely change the government overnight.
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Meeeowww! The cats are fighting!
Peace and schadenfreude
ed
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David 42:
Heard about the effigy of Palin, bit tasteless I agree. Happened here in my village when Beckham got sent off against Argentina. There he was, swinging over the high street. Students I think.
10,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire ...
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#23 I worked for some years overseeing government contractors. The profit motive is all-powerful, and the folks who write the contracts often unwilling or unable to put real teeth into them, and unwilling or unable to enforce what punative measures do exist.
Perhaps there is too much invested in getting a multi-billion dollar project to succeed- once it starts, govt. personnel have a vested interest in being able to say they succeeded, so string things along, threaten but never terminate contracts, etc. No one would tolerate slipshod work, faulty construction, overruns and delays from employees, but contractors often get away with it- you have to move heaven and earth to finally terminate a contractor.
By all means, the only way to start rebuilding infrastructure now is through hiring contractors- and union vs. non-union is irrelevant and a red herring. But they have to be as closely supervised and managed as if they were employees, and the oversight has to be able to holler "stop!"
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Charity begins at home....isn't America your home? So why does no one even blink when helping their mother or grand parents, or even their neighbours for example...but helping their country (financially via 'some' taxes), shock horror!
Ive always been treated very well in the US great hospitality...so the charity aspect is there, but for ones own country..shocking!
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Well, sir, it is much of the country's infrastructure that is in as poor shape. Have a look at the electrical grid, spend a day and a night in Vermont, where the power often goes out, which means no heating and no water.
The false prosperity of the Reagan and post-Reagan era were bought, in part, by letting the country's infrastructure go.
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#50
Why do we always have to pose our choices as false, "Either/Or" dichotomies? The sour, Hobbesian view of humanity? Or the sweetness of Lockesianism? Is the glass half empty, or half full?
I'd suggest that there is and never will be such a thing as wholly socialist, collective state, or a wholly, totally libertarian/anarchist state. Both are total extremes, and (for most people) completely unacceptable. Representative democracy in theory is an attempt to balance the two- maximum liberty, but with social responsibility.
We've flirted w. the libertarian side of things for decades, esp. on the economic front, and found that without an adequate regulatory presence, laissez-faire leads to extremes of "every man/woman for themselves" behavior- no sense of social responsibility.
Since many in Europe have proven that providing more services doesn't lead to totalitarianism, perhaps the socialist boogeyman is just that, a frightening construct in our own minds.
Even the Boy Scouts (nearly as conservative an organization, I think, as exists anywhere) teaches boys that our freedoms come only with responsibilities toward others...
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Economist: you write:
"The left in contrast are the most illiberal haters of free speech going."
and, of a BBC commentator, "a very sympathetic nod to totalitarianism in China... That you're a dyed in the wool leftie is blantantly obvious."
Do you by any chance see something of a contradiction in what you are saying here?
If you have a brain, try using a little of it instead of simply hurling slogans and right-wing meaningless catchphrases about as so many of the right who are so keen on liberality of speech do here so often.
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51 David Cunard
I have read the Economist's appraisal of the two candidates positions on a number of policies. It is possibly the fairest assessment I have seen on any media platform in terms of the evaluation of their policy positions.
Possibly this evening I am guilty of hyperbole - calling Obama a Sociliast. But this is more born out of fear than anything else. I say this as the MSM have pretty much given him a free pass in many respects, and his past associations leave many worrying thoughts in my mind in terms of what he might bring in the future. I must admit, the "Lexington" report in last week's Economist was probably the most encouraging article I've read as a Republican supporter of Obama's intentions in terms of the likely policies he will implement. However, as much as that article did cheer me up slightly given Obama's likely victory in the election as things stand, I still worry that he's not being honest, and he actually has different intentions. These worries come from his background, which I don't think have been satisfactorily investigated by the MSM, who have been in my opinion, determined to move America away from Bush's admitadly - badly thought through actions, into any new direction. Obama provides that necessary change - which I don't necessarily have huge confidence in.
In summary - if I must have a Democrat as President - and if that is necessary to renew America's reputation worldwide (which I think is very important), then please god let "lexington" in this week's economist be true. Then I can probably live with it fairly happily.
Of course, I do hope the republicans can renew themselves over the next four years and return to their roots. Libertarianism, free markets (appropriately regulated), low tax, small government, and freedom for the individual. Hopefully, then they can return to government...
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#50 Eco
"...why should someone go to work to feed the kids of someone who won't work? .."
There is a difference between someone who wont work and someone who can't work.
If you live in the middle of Montana, nearest town 100miles away and you have no job, because their is no longer any 'industry' to speak of, this is somewhat different to a person living in the city and being too lazy to look for one. If you are unable to make this distinction, then you are only deluding yourself.
"...I am a Republican supporter, yet I would not have followed the path Bush did over the last 8 years..."
Ahh..so you did/would have voted for a Democrat then?...since the only alternative to voting for Bush is vote for a Democrat, or even, not vote at all.
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selfevidenttruths #33:
Empires have many ways forward and can either go out with a bang, or just crumble slowly. Moreover countries get more than one shot at the big time, China is a case in point.
However, in order to maintain a healthy society there needs to be adaptation and cultural growth rather than stagnation. Neither of these can be achieved if a government has its head in the sand and certain failure will obviously come about if concise and reasonable thought is demonised and the country is thrust into a state of denial.
Since Chinese unification roughly 2000 years ago the country has changed in many ways, but its hardest fall came when the Manchus decided that the best way to deal with the outside world was disbelief and that the best way to deal with the impetuous British was denial, self importance and war (not that I am absolving the British warlike temperament here).
It would be a bitter irony for all involved if a McCain presidency were to thrust America into a period of turmoil and Maoist insanity, but that is what inflexibility breeds.
It is not much of a stretch from the McCain/Palin ticket to a full blown anti-intellectual cultural revolution. Lets just hope that we don't have to find out.
(In fact I am somewhat surprised that nobody has noticed or pointed out quite how like Mao the whole McCain campaign seems to be).
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#50. Economist123: "Although I may have imbibed more than I should have this evening, it is still a fact that Martin Luther King was a Republican supporter."
Your over-consumption has blinded you to the facts. Despite the suggestion that MLK was a Republican, mostly by Frances Rice, there is no proof whatsoever that he was connected with that party. His father was a registered Republican, but not MLK Jr.
#53. selfevidenttruths "10,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire ..."
Basil's On The Strand must be very busy!
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A lot of our infrastructure problems are due to the age of our bridges, highways and rail systems. The expense of replacing our infrastructure verses reparing it has caused many people and governments to shy away from replacing problem areas for a long time. For example, in my state there are whole stretches of bridges and highways that were built in the 1930s and 50s where the only maintenance they've gotten over the years was a new cheap patch of asphalt. As I see it, we've either got to have a new national infrastructure building program like President Ike's in the 50s or build the infrastructure locally with tolls.
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A good essay, Justin, much less sneering of us American rubes than normal.
We DO have a major infrastructure problem! Just drive into Cook County, Illinois from the south. As soon as you hit the county line, where Chicago begins, the road turns to potholes.
The potholes aren't of mysterious origin--the corruption that has so thoroughly imbedded itself into Chicago politics leads to the shoddy roads. So, we should elect a son of the Chicago political machine to the White House?
To be fair, it's not just Chicago. My Tennessee has a miserable reputation--some stretches of road around major cities have been 'under renovation' for over a decade. The contractors dawdle, kick back money to the legislators, who borrow more money for road projects, bonds to be paid with future tax dollars.
The infrastructure decay, like the financial mess, is a symptom of the true problem--an ethical decay that seems to have shot through the culture, especially at the top reaches of leadership. If that goes unaddressed, we can throw money at the banks, the states, the roads, etc., and we won't be much better off.
And, now the news from 'The Bailout'! General Motors just announced that it wants a big ole' slice of that $700 billion (for the stabilization of the credit markets, we were assured), so they can go buy out Chrysler!
Does anyone seriously believe those two firms can be integrated into one?
Of course not!
But Chrysler does have 11 billion in cash that can be raided and burned through.
Sounds like a great use of 'stabilization' funds to me!
Ethical decay, leading to stupidity, leading to potholes in all sorts of roads!
Heaven help us!
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In ref. to #61
Dayvine,
Mao was a brutal authoritarian Marxist-Leninist who killed millions of people before and during his reign. It would be a real stretch of the imagination to believe that the McCain camp is headed by such a person; in fact, it's the least of our worries. If you want to paint people as extremists, you'd do better to call Obama a Communist and McCain a Fascist; neither description truly applies to these men in my opinion, though Obama is precariously close to being a Socialist.
....Just food for thought.
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Justin,
Can your next blog please be about something non-Americans can relate to more? Infrastructure is important for the American voter but not so much for the vast majority of people on the website who are British. And it doens't REALLY realte to the Presidential election- although perhaps to some extent in the governor and Congress elections.
Having said that, on the few occasions I have visited the US I have only gone into major cities and admittedly I can see a problem (Los Angeles).
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50. YOU SAY, IN REGARD FOR THE Republican party: power to the individual if you will. They respect individuals abiliites to run their own lives, and don't expect the 'state' to solve everyones' problems.". That is, of course, except in the case of one's own body and their personal choices in respect to their own bodies.
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I have a question for any one aware of republican philosophy. Does choice(abortion) come under "individual liberty", if yes then why are republicans against choice?
I am pro-life(not just human) but I wanted to know how the republicans maintain consistency here.
Or is it just liberty from government?.
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Huffington Post and Vanity Fair both have an article on a coverup concerning an automobile accident in 1964 involving Lt. John McCain III. He was hospitalized along with another injured person. It is not known if a death was involved and the Navy is not giving out any information, nor is the hospital ,in spite of persistent pressure to do so.
Because details are not being released one expects something shameful is being supressed. It probably isn't fair to say that - or is it?
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64, OldSouth.
I am afraid we will never be rid of corruption no matter who is in office. It is too engrained in our society.
As to our crumbling infrastructure, what FDR would have done would have been to take the jobless off the streets and set them to work improving it. I hope Obama has the wisdom to follow his example. (The TVA was part of FDR's program.)
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31, eco.
"ps I know this blog attracts lefties of all shades, so I fully expect to be savaged by the agents of illiberilism - the left."
I wish someone would define "leftie" for me (something more explicit than the epithet tossed around by McCain suporters).
For instance, is someone who supports racial equality a leftie? Is someone who supports cleaning up our planet a leftie? You seem to have a handle on lefties, whatever they are, so please educate me.
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#59. Economist123 "Possibly this evening I am guilty of hyperbole - calling Obama a Sociliast."
I don't think so - you've used the word "socialism" eight times in recent posts (not only here) so it seems to be a mindset with you. As I wrote earlier, being so young you cannot possibly have any (empirical) knowledge of what life is like under a socialist government - ask your grandparents how life in Britain was just sixty years ago. Regardless of party affiliation I feel sure that they were not happy with the changes of that time. Nationalised everything, food rationing, coal shortages - and the only bright spot perhaps was the creation of the NHS, which Mr Obama is not even going to attempt. Had Mrs Clinton been the candidate, you would have found her policies more distasteful.
I am curious though as to why you are so enamoured of Mr McCain and the Republicans; there's nothing like them in Britain - the Conservatives are more like the (American) Democratic Party. And if you are not a US voter, as seems likely, why such interest in the election, since you write "if I must have a Democrat as President . . ." Will he be your President or simply the President of the United States of America, viewed from a distance of 3,000 miles?
#58. british-ish - Good on ya!
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65. BienvenueEnLouisiana:
Why should Obama be 'precariously close to Socialism' (do you mean 'perilously'?)?
Why would McCain then not be 'precariously' (or 'perilously') 'close to Fascism?
Describe Obama and his policies to, say, the Partie Socialiste in France, as 'socialist' and they'd never get through the next French election for laughing.
It is truly infuriating to find the word 'socialism' used in this way. Like the way 'liberal' has come to be misused too.
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#73 british -ish
It has sort of become a fashion amongst the conservatives to denounce Obama as socialist. The word "liberal" too apparently sounds bad to them. The only words they seem to like are Oil, Free Market and Cronyism.
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Should the money be spent in Iraq or within the USA?
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72 David Cunard
Your descriptions of life in Britain 60 years ago are slightly misguided as to the causes. The shortage of coal was entirely due to the severe winter of 1947 when many coal mines were too frozen to be worked and the food rationing was a direct result of the second world war and it's consequences. You seem also to be unaware that Britain had a socialist government only from 1945 until 1951 when the Conservatives returned to power - and stayed in power until 1964.
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I don't understand why Americans think socialism is such a dirty word. I can understand being you being against communism but why so anti-socialism.
Is it that you have all been so brainwashed that you think that your government has no right to provide you all with free health care or to rebuild or repair your highways and freeways. Who else is gonna do it ?
I just don't get it. If our government (Australia) wanted to spend money on repairing our roads and infrastructure and wanted to spend our taxes on fixing our health system i'd say go right ahead.
It sure beats spending my taxes on bombs to be dropped on cities in other parts of the world.
Do you think that Wall St bankers and big oil companies deserve to make billions and trillions while massive amounts of your poulation lose their jobs, thier homes and thier dignity.
I read today that BP only made 14 billion dollars profit in the last 3 months. Doesn't this say to you that capitalism has turned into a greed based system where the rich flourish and the middle class collapse into the lower class.
So as I understand it, those against socialist policies think that CEO's making 300 million dollar bonuses for running a company into bankruptcy is ok, but your government spending your income tax on free health care or infrastructure is not ok because it is heaven forbid...socialist.
To me it seems crazy.
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I've just been reading an article that went into impeachment of the President. But what happens if he gets impeached and the Senate conclude that the VP shouldn't have the job either? Do the party have to nominate someone else or is there just a complete re-election?
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75. At 06:27am on 29 Oct 2008, Xie_Ming wrote:
Should the money be spent in Iraq or within the USA?
Why the hell would we invest in our own communites when we could do harm and cram our ideas down the throats of others in Iraq? Why would we want to get the folks in New Orleans out of FEMA trailers that are literally posionous to their health? We are in Iraq. This is our destiny. Meanwhile, we have no money for our roads. How frustrating. If John McCain wins, is there room in the UK?
77. At 06:37am on 29 Oct 2008, redagast wrote:
It is crazy.
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#76. tacrepus: "Your descriptions of life in Britain 60 years ago are slightly misguided as to the causes."
I don't think so. Manny Shinwell had taken no precautionary measures to stockpile coal before winter set in. Food rationing lasted into the 1950s and by the time Labour was ousted, the United Kingdom was bankrupt. All essential industries were nationalised, from the Bank of England to road haulage, during which time the pound was devalued.
Following the thirteen year 'gap', the Wilson-Callaghan governments did little better - remember the prices and wages freeze, the second (1967) devaluation, and "the winter of discontent"? That's what socialism was in practice and it's not about to happen in the United States. The Labour Government introduced their changes as a matter of principle, of ideology, none of which is present in either the Democratic Party or its candidate for the Presidency of the United States.
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#79. ladycm: "If John McCain wins, is there room in the UK?"
I don't think you'd care for it if you moved across the Atlantic; more closed-circuit TV cameras per capita than anywhere else in the world. Masses of petty regulations, very expensive, even with the drop in the value of the pound in recent weeks. Poor customer service, crowded cities and pandering to those who care not to work, "benefits" (welfare) being so generous.
Of course, there are wonderful things to see, great theatre, wonderful cathedrals, museums, concerts and some of the prettiest scenery in the world. But it's not like the Britain portrayed on PBS - and they make a BLT with limp bacon served on untoasted bread; a big learning curve in many ways!
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#81,
It's not surprising therefore that (on current polls) we are set to have a change of government too in 2010.
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WE EXIST to win the freedom of future generations, from now to forevermore. So, yes, let us carry ourselves across the gulfs with bridge repairs and new bridges where our people flee.
Here in Florida, we have fled, and do we need to build anew infrastructure here? Tampa and St. Petersburg are separated by a mile of shallow bay water, but there is not a single bridge between the two cities. Highways stub up against the shore in both towns and none reach out across the gentle waves. When the great hurricane of (fill in the date) finally comes and wipes out the St. Petersburg peninsula where the Devil Rays play baseball, few of those mostly poor, mostly Black African descendants will drown. The one bridge south (Skyway) closes with the first puffs of wind. The open bay inlet under the Skyway, ungated, will allow the deluge to pour inward to suck down the old, the weak, the inept, the intrepid, and the impoverished.
Do something America. Look at the cities. Build the straight roads and railways between them. Let us do something with our lives. Let us not stand here all day listening to lunatic ravings on and on and on about blusternoodles! We must win the freedom of all the generations now and forevermore. We must begin.
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Re: Justin on 'Today' this morning. From the New York Times:
Fox executives have said that they, and not the Obama campaign, had initially asked Major League Baseball to move the start of Wednesday’s game to 8:35 p.m. from 8:20, to make way for his infomercial. But as it turns out, such a delay was not necessary anyway; none of the World Series games has started before 8:30, and two started after 8:35.
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ref #48
Not in Mass where the users of I-90 are paying for the big, even though they are not the major users.
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Isnt there meant to be a bookmark/link in the last sentence of this blog?
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60. At 02:05am on 29 Oct 2008, kecsmar wrote:
#50 Eco
"...why should someone go to work to feed the kids of someone who won't work? .."
There is a difference between someone who wont work and someone who can't work.
If you live in the middle of Montana, nearest town 100miles away and you have no job, because their is no longer any 'industry' to speak of, this is somewhat different to a person living in the city and being too lazy to look for one. If you are unable to make this distinction, then you are only deluding yourself.
Kecsmar, 'twas ever thus. Right-wingers have to believe that the problems of the "lower classes" are the fault of the sufferers themselves, because that way they (the Right) avoid any sense of guilt, and can feel good about themselves. And oh boy, don't they feel good about themselves! It's a kind of extreme Social Darwinism, which is ironic when you consider that so many Right-wing Americans hate the real Darwin.
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David C.
The UK does benefit from some of the things that we manage to do without.
Domination of a whole sector of the population by right wing talk radio is the first thing that comes to mind despite a little upper and downer at the moment over Russell Brand (aged 5 and a half) and Jonathan Ross (aged seven and a half).
And don't be so horrid about our BLT's - at least we cherish variety and with a bit of care you can find both crispy bacon or limp (if you can't afford dentistry which is a bit dodgy under the NHS)
We also have a decent voting system which does not entail queueing on the pavement for hours, to then be faced with a machine which promptly switches your vote to the one candidate that you didn't want. Admittedly our voting system involves deeply old-fashioned equipment such as a pen and paper, but it does more or less deliver an honest result.
We also usually manage to pack in four seasons of weather in any 24 hours which adds to the spice of our little lives.
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Post #77 - couldn't have said it better myself!
The USA: 1st world nation; 3rd world infrastructure.
This is what you get from an administration which is not prepared to provide the services for which taxpayers are paying.
They can get away with this because the average American is easily persuaded to vote against his own interests.
"Want better roads? It'll mean higher taxes. Want bridges that fall down? It'll mean higher taxes. Want levees that actually stop floods? It'll mean higher taxes".
All so obviously false, and yet the great American public sucks it up every time.
Madness.
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David C.
And another good thing about the UK. If we have a General Election in, say, early November and the Prime Minister loses, he packs his bags and leaves Downing Street the next day - and doesn't hang around like a wet blanket until mid-January.
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I think it would be nice if Russell Brand applied for the post of President. Atleast we would have a few laughs.
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#26 Wil_Ng
Building or repairing bridges is socialist, as it uses public funds for good of common people. Socialist is a bad thing in America. So the bridge must be financed by the people using it. Then it is acceptable to them. Try having toll charges, that is what they want.
Wouldn't this end up being a regressive tax on the poor? I suppose, judging by the USA's record, they don't give two hoots about the the poor anyway!
Why should the poor pay more proportionally then the rich to subsidize Capitalism?
What would Jesus say?
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#88,
"We also usually manage to pack in four seasons of weather in any 24 hours which adds to the spice of out little lives"
True
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# 89 ~ Sankari
First world national with third world infrastructure pretty soon becomes third world nation with third world instrastructure.
Especially if it continues to use its educated people as a term of abuse.
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I am Canadian, but I would not say that things are any different here. During one is probably going to be a significant downturn in the economy what better time is there to employ people to fix our infrastructure?
We will be building for the future and providing jobs in the present. If we do not do this we will get the recession that we deserve.
We have to realize that debt incurred to build an asset that will contribute to economic growth in the future is not the same as incurred to pay operating expenses. Debt allows you to spread the cost of infrastructure over the lifetime of the asset and charge the people who will be using it for the use of that asset. It is not a burden on future generations to leave them with a healthy infrastructure, it is a benefit.
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#89 Sankari
It makes you wonder how many times the American public has fallen for the "Socialist" gag. The term socialist seems to bring forth images of Russians hell bent on destroying the country. It's a miracle that the American public still lives with those outdated notions. Some guy wants to do something, he's denounced as a socialist. And we have posters who question his motives. Beats me.
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I'm currently sitting at home in my underwear writing this thinking that Justin, who was probably sitting around in his underwear when he wrote his article, has just about the best job in the world. I'd like to point out to the beeb that I am available for half of what you're paying justin, and am also capable of constructing a coherent paragraph. :)
#93 good point, I'm pretty sure Jesus was a socialist. Remember all that stuff about 'it is harder for a rich man to get into heaven than to pass through the eye of a neadle' and 'the old lady that gave her last penny to the temple has given the greatest gift' stuff?.. Sounds like spreading the wealth to me, maybe McCain should start campaining against Jesus as well.
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Thomas Friedman's post is excellent and truly reflects the USA I have observed over several years.
Th unfortunate thing is that his ideas could easily apply to the UK too.
This country could also do with a little less spending abroad - be it in Iraq, Afghanistan or even financial aid to China or India.
Why help build the Chinese economy when we have to sell off our power-stations because we cannot afford to run them!
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#92: I suppose a neo-Con Jesus would tell the people, "IF you wanna cross the river, keep praying till you can walk on water."
But that only applies to poor people. The rich can afford to fly. That's why they think bridge building is for socialists.
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# Paul 939
They never really meant to bring socialists into the debate.
You only have to look back to the beginning of the campaign and the Paris Hilton fuss to realise that what they are really against is socialites.
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No.31 Economist123
Quote:It seems that a large number of people are aware of the blatant bias of the media in the run up to this election - to such an extent that there is a very real chance of a massive backlash come election day:Unquote
Absolutely, what I have been feeling all along.
Election 2008, we need to look outside the box and around the corners too!
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#48 Ed Iglehart wrote:
"The benefit of toll roads and bridges is that the USER pays rather than general taxation."
That's fine if you mean federally funded, and then the cost recouped from tolls.
However if it is privately built, then the tolls simply increase to meet the costs of business and pay the dividends of shareholders ... not so much in the public interest.
Personally I dislike toll schemes as they are a form of flat tax , irrespective of income. The factory worker who has to drive the bridge twice a day pays proportionally much more of his income than the lawyer or banker. And can afford it less.
It is the responsibility of the state to provide adequate infrastructure for its citizens to go about their business.
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You mean the World's Wealthiest And Most Powerful Nation can't afford to repair its bridges?
Well if you will insist on spending 10 zillion bucks per week on blowing things up.......
But hey, it's the American way.
Which sounds like the line of a song.
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Should the priority really be renovating bridges when you are completely ignoring the people living under them?
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May I suggest that the reality in the USA is the military/industrial complex and the dependence of the Congress upon satisfying it?
Most know that Eisenhower, in his Farewell Address, warned against that complex and what it portended for America.
It seems to me that this is the basic reason why vast sums are spent on military adventures while the interior of the United States sinks into ruin.
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#100 eightypercent
I thought McCain, with his 8 houses and 13 cars was a socialite. Or even rush limbaugh. They are all socialites.
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One point that has not been addressed:
Was the cross-border attack into Syria an attempt to provoke a reaction that could be electorally useful to the Republican regime?
The BBC has provided two eyewitness accounts from within Syria.
Has there been more than an unattributed leak from Washington?
Where are the BBC reporters?
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"why should someone go to work to feed the kids of someone who won't work?"
Well, isn't letting children starve to death ever-so-slightly immoral? Even for a right-winger.
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This is a bit of a digression.
What I want to do is examine the data most of these polls churn out and their rather puzzling conclusions. It is confirmed that the US population is made up of 55% Whites, 15% Blacks, 13% Hispanics and 17% all others.
I want to believe that everyone on this board agrees that when we use the broad Term of race i.e WHITE, BLACK, HISPANICS to define and categorize any population of people, we have already imbibed the following - gender, age, income, marital status e.t.c into that categorization.
Most polls agree that Mcain is leading Obama among white voters, whilst Obama leads him amongst Black and Hispanic voters. Mcain’s lead amongst white voters, range from 11 – 24%, whilst Obama’s lead amongst blacks is 96% and Hispanics 25%. Most polls readily attest to these figures, however, where they tend to be smarter by half is when they try to break down the polls into all sorts of categories, forgetting that race has already imbibed all other categories.
What I therefore find confusing is this, If Mcain has a substantial lead amongst white voters, and white voters make up 55% of the US population, where does Obama’s lead in the polls come from?? How is Obama going to get his ‘landslide’ from the above analysis?
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The socialist state of Alaska? Palin expounds the benefits of collectivism:
'And Alaska—we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs. … It’s to maximize benefits for Alaskans, not an individual company, not some multinational somewhere, but for Alaskans.'
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/27/palin-shares-wealth/
tee hee : )
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Post #89; I obviously meant "bridges that DON'T fall down"...
:P
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It has struck me the way to communicate a novel benevolent political policy to some of the anti-liberal/anti-intellectual thinkers around here may be to drop in a biblical reference now and then
So, instead of going on about lilies, (welfare scroungers too lazy to work, but at least not politicians -- they toil not, neither do they spin -- think global.
Think of global warming. Forget roads and bridges. If they all collapse, it's a good thing. You won't be able to drive cars at all then. So there will be:
1 less pollution,
2 you won't panic about being dependent on 'foreign oil', or 'big oil',
3 Alaskan wildlife will be safe (well, safer, it'll just have to worry about Palinesque helicopter gunships chasing it),
4 No worrying about the price of gas -- you won't be needing any,
5 letting them all fall don will mean no increase taxes to pay for rebuilding them all,
AND you'll be decreasing global warming and doing something for the planet, at last.
Don't you think that'll make you feel good? I don't see what the fuss is about. God moves in mysterious ways, they say, so perhaps this is all part of His plan to rescue the planet He created?
And, the icing on the pudding, everyone'll all get their reward in heaven. Looking at it in the round, in a totally unprejudiced, objective and even Christian way, I can't really see a more satisfactory arrangement.
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Crumbling infrastructure and an energy crisis. Time to cut taxes because government is the problem, not the solution, right?
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I really enjoyed Thomas Friedman's article, it was written from the heart. Crumbling Bridges, you cannot keep sweeping the crumbs under the carpet.
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20 moderate_observer wrote:
11
80% this anti-intelectuallism in current political trends is quite disturbing, somehow it seems that voters are proud that they have someone running for high office who in their mind is just as averaged as them.
Here is another good example. Thanks for RichardDawkins.Net for this:
by Christopher Hitchens, Slate
Reposted from:
http://www.slate.com/id/2203120/
The GOP ticket's appalling contempt for knowledge and learning.
In an election that has been fought on an astoundingly low cultural and intellectual level, with both candidates pretending that tax cuts can go like peaches and cream with the staggering new levels of federal deficit, and paltry charges being traded in petty ways, and with Joe the Plumber becoming the emblematic stupidity of the campaign, it didn't seem possible that things could go any lower or get any dumber. But they did last Friday, when, at a speech in Pittsburgh, Gov. Sarah Palin denounced wasteful expenditure on fruit-fly research, adding for good xenophobic and anti-elitist measure that some of this research took place "in Paris, France" and winding up with a folksy "I kid you not."
It was in 1933 that Thomas Hunt Morgan won a Nobel Prize for showing that genes are passed on by way of chromosomes. The experimental creature that he employed in the making of this great discovery was the Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit fly. Scientists of various sorts continue to find it a very useful resource, since it can be easily and plentifully "cultured" in a laboratory, has a very short generation time, and displays a great variety of mutation. This makes it useful in studying disease, and since Gov. Palin was in Pittsburgh to talk about her signature "issue" of disability and special needs, she might even have had some researcher tell her that there is a Drosophila-based center for research into autism at the University of North Carolina. The fruit fly can also be a menace to American agriculture, so any financing of research into its habits and mutations is money well-spent. It's especially ridiculous and unfortunate that the governor chose to make such a fool of herself in Pittsburgh, a great city that remade itself after the decline of coal and steel into a center of high-tech medical research.
Click here to continue reading:
http://www.slate.com/id/2203120/
23
23. MagicKirin wrote:
ref #5
Here something else. Have open competition.
Let the best company get the project.
36. Via-Media wrote:
Repairing and rennovating by contractors has been done for years, but actually leasing the entire system to private enterprise, for decades, is very, very controversial.
They tried this in the UK (It's the scheme that Rendell is preposing). Called it competitive tendering. Failed miserably, on quite a few construction projects. Including the computerisation of the NHS, and many PFI project's (public/private finance). In fact it became so bad on London Underground, that TFL (Transport For London), and the Mayor, pulled the plug on it.
61. At 02:06am on 29 Oct 2008, Dayvine wrote:
In fact I am somewhat surprised that nobody has noticed or pointed out quite how like Mao the whole McCain campaign seems to be.
I did last week sometime! A lot of the neo-cons, that have corrupted the Republican Party, started their lives as Troskyists!
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104. (theflash141)
Good point. Sad, but I like it.
Now then, Justaline and Econonomist (101 and 31):
"It seems that a large number of people are aware of the blatant bias of the media in the run up to this election - to such an extent that there is a very real chance of a massive backlash come election day."[Economist]
"Absolutely, what I have been feeling all along."[Justaline]
You mean there are going to be lynching parties roaming the streets around the newspaper offices and TV and radio studios? Bonfires of newspapers, magazines, videotape and books? Or, gasp, there will be censorship and we're all going to be told what's fit to print?
I get very confused about this kind of thing. How is it some people seem only to believe in freedom of speech if they happen to agree with what's being said?
Being against that kind of attitude is actually what makes a 'liberal'; worse, even a 'liberal intellectual'. All the way back to Voltaire and Milton, even.
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1ce 109: i think the reason is this: without getting into specifics I think McCain has only a marginal lead or is tied amongst white voters as a whole. He definitely leads amongst white men, but that is largely cancelled by Obama's lead amongst white women. Obama is obviously doing well with black voters and doing better than expected (over 50%) with hispanics. He is also leading amongst independent voters (which of course is an overlapping category. Therefore overall he is polling about a 5 point lead. There are plenty of breakdowns on the various polling sites so don't take my word for it. Btw, am not trying to make any partisan hay here. It does'n't help anyone to distort the numbers. The real problem for McCain is not the national averages but the state data. As everyone is aware, you can win the national vote and lose the electoral college. That does not look like it is going to happen this time. But it ain't over, there are margins of error and anything could happen between now and Nov 4th. Hope that was of some use.
I am sure you are aware of these but if not:
pollster.com
fivethirtyeight.com
realclearpolitics.com
gallup.com
[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]
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A pity that Thomas Friedman's article is a couple of years late, since until recently he was a cheerleader for the republican party and it's no regulation principles. Oh well, it's never too late to rectify past mistakes.
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Majik,
Come again? The users are not the users?Peace and confusion
ed
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ice: check out the latest polls on RCP, you'll that while the national lead Obama has is slowly drifting downwards, currently about +5, the state data is not good for McCain at all.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/latestpolls/index.html
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110. selfevidenttruths --
You'll see: she'll be sending Alaskans who vote Democrat next week out into the wilderness in chains to build gas pipelines with their bare hands next, you mark my words! With nothing but thin moose gruel and lichen to eat.
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# 112 ~ Nutkin
That is truly the manifesto of the squirrel party (squirrels have no road sense whatsoever - so - let's do away with the roads).
Trouble as I see it, is that when big oil dries up (sooner than we care to believe) we will still need to move stuff and people around. We may be back with the horse and cart, but horses and carts still need roads.
So do bicycles.
It is reckoned that the health and brainpower of the UK population took a quantum lead forward upon the invention of the bicycle - which enabled young men in search of love to travel from their own inter-related village to the next village - or even beyond - to spread their seed. That breakthrough in evolution needed roads to be successful.
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115.websitejunkie wrote:
'Gov. Sarah Palin denounced wasteful expenditure on fruit-fly research, adding for good xenophobic and anti-elitist measure that some of this research took place "in Paris, France" and winding up with a folksy "I kid you not." '
Well, for once I agree with her. It iswasted money. Why research into fruit flies? Apples and bananas don't go to the loo, so they don't need trousers with flies, whether zipped or buttoned, do they?
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Is this guy for real - an editor!? He sounds like a tout for Obama. You just have to read through a few of his postings to see the anti-McCain slant in everyone. Is it any wonder that more and more peole are losing faith in the impartiality of the BBC!
Gone are the days when we could trust the BBC to tell us the facts and not force an opinion down our throats and that us very sad indeed.
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People here who can't get their head around this issue - don’t think about infrastructure, this is the backbone of America, until something goes wrong, and that's a big problem.
We're not just talking traffic jams, or a contamination in the water supply, or a plane’s two-hour delay.
It can get a lot worse than that.
Waiting until one of these works fails is a critical mistake.
Sound infrastructure not only helps the economy, it's also is a quality-of-life issue, from aviation, drinking water and hazardous waste to rail, schools, and security.
The ASCE estimates that $1.6 trillion needs to be invested in the next five years to solve the current and looming infrastructure problem.
Justin raises a very valid point.
This is/should be a number one election issue, and who has/have announced any policy initiatve?
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117: why has this been referred to the mods? It is just some info on polling.
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ice 109: I tried to answer your post but for some reason it was pulled (117). 120 was a follow up. No time to retype, check out the polling sites and you'll get an answer.
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Probably, "Stay home, care for your family and neighbours. Clean out the gutters, paint the woodwork, engage in regular maintenance...."Seriously, this infrastructure decay is a symptom of one of the principal characteristics of the "modern" age, the desire to do everything 'once and forever'. We love the idea of a house paint which will last forever, self-cleaning ovens, auto-defrost, etc., etc.We want to simply do a job (or preferably pay someone else to do it) and never have to do it again. This also manifests in the "throwaway" approach to goods (and infrastructure?), where a completely new thing replaces something "not practicable to repair".
In the not so distant past, regular maintenance was part of any prudent life, household, community, etc. just like brushing one's teeth, but not now. Anyone who wants to get rich just needs to convince us that their "revolutionary new" product will "banish [insert 'onerous' task] forever"....
My favourite example is that in the 300+ year old milking byre next to my house, the walls were whitewashed periodically (probably yearly when the children were off school), and thus have uncountable layers of lime...How many houses (or great public buildings) presently under construction can be expected to be standing in 300 years (or even 100?)Peace and maintenence
ed
P.S. An admission of failure in stewardship
;-((
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#115 makes a really good point, along the same lines I quite liked how Obama pointed out to McCain during the last debate how his and Palins special commitment to autism conflicted with their across the board spending freeze.
Perhaps tomorrow Justin could write us a nice little article on anti-interlectualism in America? It seems to be a really important issue that tends to go completely under the radar... George Orwell would have been fascinated by the US today. He would have made an interesting argument about why the US has to spend so much on national defence. Read the 'War is Peace' section of 'Oligarchal Collectivism' in '1984'.
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122. At 10:58am on 29 Oct 2008, eightypercent wrote:
"which enabled young men in search of love to travel from their own inter-related village to the next village - or even beyond - to spread their seed."
Which leads to imprisonment for having sex on a beach in Dubai!
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Xie Ming,
The speech is here, and note the warnings against "Big Science" as wellAnd, the speech features in this video, as does McCain...Peace and constant vigilance
ed
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#50 Eco
"...why should someone go to work to feed the kids of someone who won't work? .."
Because it's not the kids' fault. You're clearly willing to see children starve to death because of their parents' fecklessness. Nice.
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#109 Icetayao:
"Most polls readily attest to these figures, however, where they tend to be smarter by half is when they try to break down the polls into all sorts of categories, forgetting that race has already imbibed all other categories.
What I therefore find confusing is this, If Mcain has a substantial lead amongst white voters, and white voters make up 55% of the US population, where does Obama?s lead in the polls come from?? How is Obama going to get his ?landslide? from the above analysis?"
The flawed assumption in the first paragraph explains your confusion in the second. You may see whites as a monolithic block but the pollsters don't. McCain' 'substantial lead' is only amongst certain sub sets of white voters, that is male, older, and certain socio-economic groups. other sections of white voters seem far more enthusiastic about Obama.
You can probably find the data on age/gender/income breakdowns at Real Clear politics or fivethirtyeight.com, as well as the polling supertrackers, 538's seems to be settling around a 6% lead for Obama nationally, and a bit better in those states he needs to take from the Republicans.
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When did money being "there" ever stop the US government from spending it?
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# 109
Ice essentially asks how can Obama be ahead if he's far behind among white voters, who are [still] the majority
Ice , you provide no refs or links for your stats - and I don't have time at the minute to research correct ones.
However, you say 'Mcain's lead amongst white voters, range from 11-24%"
Really? I saw stats recently saying Obama was doing better among whites than any Dem for c 30 years, and was only c 4% behind. Indeed I think that may have included a lead among white women.
Given his strong lead among African-Americans and Latinos, I think that explains his overall poll lead
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Brit (112),
You beat me to it!
I once had a dream in which the entire (British) motorway system could be seen from space in the form of the forest park which had grown up along its banks, while, on zooming in, one could see countless folk enjoying walking along the cracked pavements with grass and wildflowers growing through, picnicking on the jutting bridge edges, with squirrels able to travel from branch to branch from John O' Groats to Land's End....
Squirrels forever!
ed
God bless the grass
that grows through cement
It's green and it's tender
And easily bent
But after a while
It lifts up its head
For the grass is living
And the stone is dead.
And God blessed the grass
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In light of the recent discussions about Obama’s character and judgement, the current issue of ‘Rolling Stone’ raises some valid questions about McCain:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain
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DON'T WORRY JUSTIN!!!!!!
THE .."NORTH AMERICAN UNION" ..WILL BE TAKING PLACE IN A FEW YEARS TIME..
USA, CANADA AND MEXICO JOIN IN A UNION WITH A NEW CURRENCY THE AMERO....
THATS WHEN THINGS ...REALLY...REALLY ...REALLY....FALL APART FOR AMERICA...ALL MANUFACTURED TO HAPPEN OF COURSE...
.YAWN ...THIS SCRIPTED AGENDA WE LIVE IN IS SO BORING!!!!!
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# 128
Ed is right. A lot of public buildings being constructed nowadays are built with an anticipated life-span of twenty five years.
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124 austenlennon wrote:
Is this guy for real - an editor!? He sounds like a tout for Obama. You just have to read through a few of his postings to see the anti-McCain slant in everyone. Is it any wonder that more and more people are losing faith in the impartiality of the BBC!
Justin you must be doing a good job. Get slagged off for being pro McCain one week, and then slagged off for bring pro Obama the next. A perfect balance!
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These observations about America's crumbling infrastructure underscore a point I've made repeatedly in BBC comment venues: that the United States must stop spending vast sums on its "global policeman" role and repatriate those dollar to the US to invest in infrastructure repair and human development. It is intrinsically irrational that the US continues to provide security guarantees to Europe, Israel, Japan, So. Korea, and Taiwan - particularly when you consider that those societies are at least as prosperous as the US. The US has expended vast sums in these arrangements and it must stop now. These countries have, in effect, benefited from a "free ride" for decades and now must learn to provide for their own security needs. For its part, the US needs to adopt a position of "tactical non-interventionism" and spend its still considerable resources on rebuilding its physical infrastructure and investing in its people.
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BienvenueEnLouisiana #65:
I thought that mentioning a Communist would wake some people up.
I am not talking about, nor trying to make vague generalisations about policy slants or left and right comparisons. Rather I am making vague glib generalisations about campaign methodology and the underlying message to common Americans.
Mao encouraged common people to be angry and frightened. As part of his populism he also took great steps to demonise intellectuals and wrest control of the country from them with disastrous results - The Great Leap Forward was anything but.
McCain also demonises Obama's intellectual nature and the 'Real America' talking points of the McCain / Palin soundtrack intentionally encourage discord between the countryside worker and the city intellectual in a very disturbing way.
I am not suggesting that McCain is going to do a land grab and attempt to form America's first Marxist government, but you must recognise that recourse to the politics of fear and demonisation of the intellectual puts him in rather extremist company.
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No.11 British-ish
Quote
I get very confused about this kind of thing. How is it some people seem only to believe in freedom of speech if they happen to agree with what's being said? Unquote
Firstly, I will not be voting being European and secondly I am not sitting on either fence, so I believe that gives me a different perspective, sorry let me repeat again, I believe the media seems bias, now whether this effects the final polls and it possibly could, we are all waiting to see.
My interest for following this election, are my hopes for America and its people. If you read my previous posts you will see I agree with a lot of Obama's ideas too.
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80%,
This is a persistent myth. It has been the greatest folly of the so-called industrial age - the idea that something from elsewhere is better than what is available locally.As a result, we have lost local self-sufficiency in many of the essentials of life, but the loss is (not yet) irretrievable. The solutions are discussed in some detail In this essay. We need to break the illusion that addiction to hypermobility is an improvement upon neighbourhood.Before London became the first city of a million folk, all cities were naturally limited in size by the amount of food, etc. which could be transported (by person, horse or ship) from the surrounding area. Obviously river and seaports were favoured...now we have cities of 20 million or more which are totally dependent upon the transport system.
Peace and Interesting times
ed
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#15
David,
That's disgusting. Funny, but disgusting
Prude Sam
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The Jarecki video (featuring a cameo appearance by Senator Stevens) at # 131 takes us right back to the main theme of this debate in its closing words "It is nowhere written that the American Empire goes on for ever".
And thus far in our history there has never been an empire which hasn't ended in failure.
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#41
Free speech. I could [probably persuade you to listen to me with a Glock.
Helpful Sam
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Meanwhile, record-breaking volatility"
Peace and Interesting Times
ed
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#133
The term race is all encompassing when describing a given population. For example if you were to enter a room filled with roughly 30 people and decided to divide the number by their race to determine how they would in the US election and 15 white people said they would vote for Mcain, 6 Blacks 6 Hispanics for Obama, whilst 3 were undecided.
If you were to now break the numbers down by age, gender, income, status e.t.c. i bet you had get a different outcome on each occasion.
My question is, would the result in the subsequent polls, invalidate the result in the 1st original poll?
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~ 144
Maybe, Ed
But what about the young man on his bicycle ?
Without going into these things too deeply, there is a correlation with Nutkin's fruit flies here.
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This election is just a vote on the arrangement of the deck chairs - whatever the outcome, the ship is still sinking.
I was in Kentucky the day Clinton endorsed Coca Cola on live TV, I was in SC the day GWB first won the Presidency and I've seen Air Force One in the flesh - in all I've visited the US about 70 times in the last 25 years. In that time I've perceived a depressing decline in standards of decency, teamwork, respect for others, honesty and integrity in American life. The dirtiness of the election campaigning comes as no surprise - I've seen the same thing in business (the engine room of democracy) and I have watched in dismay as common goals are trampled underfoot in the scramble to win at any price.
Please don't dismiss me as a European liberal leftie, I'm just someone who saw Jimmy Stewart as an admirable person and who respected and valued what used to be the American way. Like us Brits in the past, I guess your time as top dog is pretty much over and we can look forward to a new dominant force in the world. Let's all hope they're nice people!
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Palin is a socialist!!!
It's true!
Peace and handouts
ed
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# 15 and 145
Fortunately over the heads of we Brits.
But I guess is definitely a naughty stair jobbie.
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"I have a question for any one aware of republican philosophy. Does choice(abortion) come under "individual liberty", if yes then why are republicans against choice?
I am pro-life(not just human) but I wanted to know how the republicans maintain consistency here.
Or is it just liberty from government?."
________________________
Simple, the mother is not the only one involved. Individual liberty does not give you the right to infringe on another persons liberty. Killing a baby you find inconvenient is no different that killing your retired grandparents so you don't have to care for them.
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The highways and bridges are the tip of the iceberg. It's one thing to build infrastructure, another to maintain it. Both government and private industry in the US have been far too lax for a very long time. As a result, not only are many of our aging utilities, factories, buidings, in grave jeopardy of catastrophic failure in many ways, the cadre of engineers who know how to repair and improve them has dwindled because the investment has not been sufficient to attract the kind of talent needed. In fact the reward for engineers is not nearly commensurate with the effort to become an engineer or to practice engineering. Especially sparse are electrical engineers who in the US are trained in electronics, not power and other infrastructure technologies. They cannot be shotgunned the way computer programmers can for example. It only takes a few years to train people of good intelligence to write computer code. A four year engineering program is one of the most grueling and demanding programs of education where only the brightest and most determined can succeed and then it can take up to five or more years for a graduate engineer to become a fully productive practicing engineer. Nor can they be imported wholesale as many of the underlying philosophies, codes, products, and practices used in America are different from those used in foreign countries. Although some would argue, IMO they are far more stringent in the US owing in part to the highly litigious nature of American society. Many practices and designs perfectly acceptable in most countries would not be legal in the US. This will present a golden opportunity for those who do have these skills in the not to far flung future as the technically incompetent but highly paid managers who wanted the moon for a dime come to realize that not only are their imaginary ideals of what engineers should be non existant, they will be lucky to get anybody at all who can fix their problems. This is the result of a culture which places its greatest emphesis on the next quarter's bottom line and to hell with long range profitablity. I don't know if other countries suffer the same but if they don't, America's compeitive position may be adversely impacted as a result as it tries to patch together what it has while other nations are free to think about and develop new products.
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"149. At 12:26pm on 29 Oct 2008, icetayoa wrote:
#133
The term race is all encompassing when describing a given population. For example if you were to enter a room filled with roughly 30 people and decided to divide the number by their race to determine how they would in the US election and 15 white people said they would vote for Mcain, 6 Blacks 6 Hispanics for Obama, whilst 3 were undecided.
If you were to now break the numbers down by age, gender, income, status e.t.c. i bet you had get a different outcome on each occasion.
My question is, would the result in the subsequent polls, invalidate the result in the 1st original poll?"
My question is how come, when there is no such thing as race, could you break the sample down do acutely?
What about hispanic blacks? Part whites part blacks, part hispanics
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Don't let McCain scare you about Obama's tax programme. Doesn't Obama say he would give tax relieve to businesses for every job created? Tell me if the tax reduction for the super rich proposed by McCain is guaranteed to produce jobs creation. Considering the greedy nature of the so called super rch who prefer to move their capitals to wherever there is cheap labour anywhere in the world. What do you want to say about off-dhore investment and outsourcing of most jobs that can be done by american workforce to India? Think!
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80%,
Ivan Illich, whose Energy and Equity should be required reading for the coming End of Oil, believed the roller bearing (leading to an efficient bicycle) was the peak of efficient human mobility.personally, I prefer a walking pace, but a cycling pace is the fastest one at which one can still experience (to a degree limited by its speed) the places one is passing through. Modern hypermobility, exemplified by jet travel, consists (at its best) of virtual teleportation, where one is transported from one place to another without any reference to the intervening geography.
In 1954, Henry Thoreau said the same thing, Don't worry about the young man. He'll find plenty of ways of spreading his seed...and anyway, aren't there enough folk already, what with the 219,000 (nett) added today?
Peace and restraint
ed
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Sorry no. 123, but I can't stand and watch another automobile accident of an argument from Sarah Palin without commenting.
Why spend money on fruit fly research? Because some fruit flies cause damage to fruit, and the US produces a lot of fruit. In data reported in 2004 by the USDA, American apple production alone was worth $1,530,495,517.
And why 'Paris, France...I kid you not'? Well how about the fact that when you want the best expertise, you may have to look internationally to find it? Believe it or not, Americans do not have a monopoly on knowledge...and certainly not wisdom.
Evidence for that comes in the form of a certain hockey mom pitbull with lipstick...
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A golden oldie
Wheeeee!
Peace and immobility
ed
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"Killing a baby you find inconvenient is no different that killing your retired grandparents so you don't have to care for them." - csgators
True, but in the case of abortion, we are of course not talking about a baby, but a fetus, usually at a stage where it does not have a functioning nervous system and thus has no interests whatever to consider.
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I drive to the local university to teach one night a week from the western suburbs to the near west side of Chicago. Some of the main through streets are in such poor repair, I had to have my car realigned as the roads look like something one would expect in a third world country . Actually, I have been to developing nations and the roads on the whole are better.
We have “dumbed” down expectations and have engaged in a nationwide “delayed maintenance” programme that will disable this nation. I’m glad some people are starting to pay attention .
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How to win friends and influence voters
You've got to listen to it to believe it!Peace and ?????
ed
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#149 Icetayao:
"The term race is all encompassing when describing a given population. For example if you were to enter a room filled with roughly 30 people and decided to divide the number by their race to determine how they would in the US election and 15 white people said they would vote for Mcain, 6 Blacks 6 Hispanics for Obama, whilst 3 were undecided.
If you were to now break the numbers down by age, gender, income, status e.t.c. i bet you had get a different outcome on each occasion.
My question is, would the result in the subsequent polls, invalidate the result in the 1st original poll?"
Okay to begin with 30 people is far too small a sample, secondly the room they're in means you are only sampling one small geographical location, and thirdly you haven't specified the mix of ages and genders or indeed occupations. Pollsters are expected to take a properly balanced cross section of the electorate when they poll, and no, one poll does not invalidate another but to get any sort of meaningful picture you need to average a large number of polls.
BTW based on your earlier quote of up to a 24% lead for McCain the white voters in your theoretical picture should be split 62-38% in favour of McCain as a maximum. So rounding to the nearest whole person McCain would get 9 and Obama 6 of your 15 white voters.
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Oracular Orifice (155)
modest, as ever, I see!Peace and humility
ed
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wonder how many bridges we could fix with the funds from the 600 million dollar new US Embassy in Bagdad . bigger than the Vatican? http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=4579
Maybe we can buy the Millennium complex for the new US Embassy in London?
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#155
Much to my surprise, something that Marcus and I can agree on.
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Ref 156
"What about hispanic blacks? Part whites part blacks, part hispanics"
When it comes to what we call "Hispanics" (most have little to do with Hispania) their voting patterns are more influenced by economics, cultural, and social background than ethnicity. Most Cuban-Americans are Republicans, most Puerto Ricans are Democrats, and Mexican-Americans split the vote between the two parties with those in Texas leaning Republican and those in California leaning Democratic. Needless to say, well educated "Hispanics" vote are no different from other ethnic groups and vote for whomever they believe is best qualified for the job and more in line with their socio-economic and religious convictions.
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When examining the concept of 'socialism' the British Labour government of 1945-51 has been sited in these posts as an example of a socialist government.
Because of the 1948 budget of Stafford Cripps it can be argued that this government was not truly socialist but nevertheless it was popular and after the hardships of the war it restored Britain's financial position until the country was again plunged into financial difficulty by the start of the Korean war in 1950.
In 1951 despite winning more than 14 million more votes, Labour lost the general election to the Tories. The incoming Tory party continued with Labour's reforms.
The point is that the right wing, especially in America, typified by Rupert Murdoch and Fox 'News' has gone to great lengths to demonise the concept of socialism because of their fear that socialist governments will try and control their corporate greed. Of course as always, they do it by saying that they are protecting you whilst at the same time pushing the virtues of banks, utilities and large fuel corporations etc., who are ripping us off left right and centre.
Even though Obama may want the rich, the top 5%, to pay a little more tax to ease the burden on those below and although he is immeasurably better than John McCain, he is certainly not a socialist, would that he were.
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"Nor would President McCain provide it."
Please don't say "President McCain". It makes me cringe.
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Illich on bicycles...
And so on...Peace and pedal power
ed
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Well look, my friends (see, I get both candidates in that way), the crumbling infrastructure is a symptom - it is not just bridges or roads or public property - it is a nationwide attitude of taking, skimming, hoarding, accumulating, slicing the pie, adding middlemen, and mid-middlemen, 'servicers' and middlemen's brokers. Look again at the imbalance of wealth - the people the US people have placed or permitted to remain "in charge" (gov't and corporate) have been breaking the backbone of their workers and bleeding the country dry, stupefying objection with the promise of a "trickle down" and easy credit.
Not to mention the funds going to the Iraq war, and the lives of our soldiers and the Iraqi people...an unjust war based on a falsified premise without UN sanction. If, as so many suspect, the basis for that incursion was an oil pipeline, someone(s) should hang for it.
I believe the people are waking up...perhaps. And this isn't "Marxism" and I ain't a "commie".
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Nudge, nudge, wink, wink
Peace and economic literacy
ed
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31. At 01:07am on 29 Oct 2008, Economist123 wrote:
Never forget that the Republican party believes in individuals and rewarding those individuals who are productive and help themselves.
Keating lads
Stevens
Enron.
Halliburton's next ceo.(Cheney?)
GW
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How come nobody in the Democratic or Republican campaigns, the news media, or the majority of the posters on this blog has any inkling of what socialism is? Do they not try to get even a basic grasp of what the "insult" means before they start blindly flinging it around? Do they not read books? (I guess it's like "Pres. Schwarzenegger" in the Simpsons Movie, elected to lead, not to read).
America isn't so lucky as to have either of the two presidential front-runners be a socialist. If they were, Americans who work for a living might be presented with actual solutions to their financial problems: incentives for private sector job creation, make-work programs (some blogger somewhere mentioned that the US' infrastructure needs fixing...), democratization of the central bank to get debt, credit, inflation, etc. under control, skills training and job placement programs for people recently laid off to find new careers (I have not heard either candidate mention this, though someone might have).
Instead, these two intend to prop up a system where people who do actual, productive work not only lose their jobs to preserve their bosses' (and lose their savings to preserve the bankers') Second Porsche Funds, but are robbed by the government to prop up the shady dealers who put them out of work with their imagination/"magic"-based financial policies (market speculation, lending more money than they actually have, etc.)
To hear Washington tell it, this is to preserve the foundation of the financial system - a foundation that's built on fairytales or something - but in effect it's really to save their friends in high places... and to give the poor guys a break.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCXqKEs68Xk
the Imploding Palin (if it were not for the dumber section of america) gets Uppity because she can't understand science,
It were Huffy that had the story so you can ignore it. that's how so many became so ignorant.
Wow we could stop all research, cancer as well .
Did you know they experiment on monkeys Palin?
But seeing as there is no connection between us and monkeys, WHY?(anti-evolutionists)
Take the head off and see how long it can be kept alive.
Stick to fruit flies.
Sounds pretty sick to me. even more scary than the fruit fly experiments that help reveal the nature of autism.
And the GOP think they got a chance.
Maybe, lets see if their 8 year brainwashing experiment worked or not.
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Me (158),
1854 ;-((Complain about this comment
# 163
The McCain one is awesome but I thought that the sex one from the previous day was quite funny. From reports, it had the desired effect.
BTW - having looked at some of the previous, non cartoon Peak Oil vids, we now understand all.
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#155, #167
Well Marcus, endorfin,
On face value the comments make sense, but dig underneath and you find two things:
The central thesis of Marcus post, that Engineers are in short supply is correct. But he goes on to narrow that to electrical engineers, his own speciality. Another post by marcus made to make someone feel good, the someone being Marcus.
Then you dig underneath and you find a lot of the post factually wrong. It doesn't take years to train someone to cut code, it takes weeks.
However, to train someone in process, analytical techniques such as Six Sigma, controls, job role design, organizational design, compensation, management, motivational techniques, contract and employment law and complimentary technologies takes a life time. These are all things that the executives Marcus wants to think he is better than have to have. Few folks get a grip on this under the age of 40. And the rewards for having all those skills, the package, are high. The world is ruled by nerds and pays a lot for them.
Then we come to engineers. The lack of engineers in the US is not due to a quarterly focus in business, it's due to an underfunded educational system and a lack of demand. Those degrees are expensive to run, and rightly or wrongly engineers are a commodity. The standards meentioned do exist, mostly ISOs. And yes, the I in ISO stands for International. The schools in India and China train to the standards we use here because, surprise surprise, that's what the audience wants. An H1B. Few kids want to do Engineering not because it is hard, but because the rewards in other disciplines are higher and let's face it, engineers are not sexy.
As for Engineering being a hard degree, it is. But no harder than any other Science degree and easier than some, Applied Physics, Medicine or Geology.
Finally, once an Engineer is trained, the job is pretty much number crunching and there is little new to learn. So unfortunately for many folks they flame out at a level and stay there for the rest of their career. That is why they are not highly compensated compared to executives, consultants, accountants and the like. It takes 7 years to get to the top of the game, in other disciplines it takes at least 15, often 20 or 30.
Make way Marcus, Mohammed is coming to get your job. And he's younger, smarter and most important cheaper than you.
Executive Sam
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More funvia Mudflats
Peace and gameshows
ed
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# 159
Re fruit fly research.
They reproduce very fast.
It is much more acceptable to experiment with them than with humans.
(They have even been successfully used in Alzheimer's research).
But, we would not expect the Sarah Palin's of this World to understand that, would we?
Will the USA be going down the tubes?
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Everytime I go over a bridge in the USA I quake in my boots through fear of it collapsing while I'm on it. They all look so flimsy compared to European bridges. The successful candidate might want to boost the economy by embarking on a comprehensive brdige improvment program thoughout the nation.
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#165
Awww Ed,
You beat me to it.
Sad Sam
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Our greatest fear
Wooooo!
Peace and Halowe'en
ed
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"The benefit of toll roads and bridges is that the USER pays rather than general taxation."
That is one of the stupidest things I have yet heard. So you are going to pay for the road that leads to your house yourself? Good luck.
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Three problems:
1. crumbling infrastructure,
2. recession leading to higher employment
3. high budget deficit
Best idea: public works to solve 1. and 2. Cuts elsewhere to balance 3. My preferences:
1. Repeal Bush tax cuts
2. Pull out of both Iraq and Afghanistan
3. Make further cuts in military budget (provide jobs on public works for those who lose jobs because of this.)
I have to laugh that the decaying infrastructure problem was taken from PA. No doubt the rest of the country also has serious decaying infrastructure concerns, but PA takes the cake on incompetence and corruption leading to infrastructure problems.
They vote(d?) in Trucker Magazine on the worst roads. Perennial results:
1. 80
2. 76
Both are in PA, 76 is the PA turnpike. 76 is also has the highest tolls of any road in the country (world?). So PA drivers pay the most money to get the worst road.
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"Possibly this evening I am guilty of hyperbole - calling Obama a Sociliast. But this is more born out of fear than anything else."
Now if instead of being afraid of socialism you guys would all get off your behinds and try and find out what it really means, America could get somewhere. You're all just little McCarthies.
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#163
Ed,
There has been a fair bit written about this, and it is actually quite funny. There are a large number of Democrats working for McCain. Why?
Well, it seems that McCain does not have too many volunteers. So they are paying folks to man the phone banks. What are they paying? Minimum wage. Where are they getting these folks, inner cities. To say their hearts are not in it is an understatement. Note the guy said 'independent working for the McCain campaign', not 'voting for McCain'.
Compared to the chirpy college students who keep phoneing me for Obama, I doubt they are doing a particularly good job.
Funny really, like paying someone to be your date at a prom. An act of desperation.
Roll on Tuesday.
Journalist Sam
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Latinos in many ways are an illusion of an ethnic group. As some have pointed out, lumping them together on the grounds they speak Spanish makes no sense. Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are as different as Italians and English. Also many/most begin by being id'd as "Mexican" or "Puerto Rican", and then, after 2-3 generations no longer are, or are much less strongly.
O'course, all ethnic groups are an illusion. An African American is defined as someone whose ancestors came from Africa. Which means everyone in the US is an African Americans.
Had a friend named McKenzie, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was largely if not completely of Scottish descent. But his family was from New Zealand, so he always checked the box "Pacific Islander" on US forms. New Zealand does consist of islands, and they are in the Pacific. Yet, somehow, I don't think that's what the box makers had in mind...
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ACORN plays Offense!
Thanks again to Mudflats
Peace and plenty of acorns
ed
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Justin - Socialist policies involve spending more money on Schools, Healthcare, new city tourist Logos and big(ger) government in general. And allowing roads to decay to the point where carefree driving may result in the loss of an axle. Or maybe even your life.
you of all people know that.
So i guess the point you're making is vote Repulbican.
Come to good ol' 'liberal' Montreal and check out the state of the roads for yourself.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/10/01/overpass-collapse.html
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#20 Comment:
"Now this is the appeal in Palin. Averaged folks for extroadinary jobs? what sense does that make, who are we going to hire for president next? Joe the Plumber? Bob the BUilder?"
"You cannot expect extraordinary results from ordinary people" parpaphase; T.Jefferson.
Since the entire adult citizenery of the US has the right to vote, the power of the electoral process is reduced to mediocrity. It is unfortunately the nature of democratic republics that mediocrity is rewarded. In my life time (60+ years), I am yet to see an extraordinary president. All have hovered at or below mediocrity. In the history of the US, including the founding fathers, it has been the extraordinary events that has resulted in extraordinary leadership. Consequently, it is impossible to ascertain Ms. Palin's mettle until that extraordinary circumstane arises.
History is peppered with ordinary individuals being thrust into extraordinary circumstances who exhibit exceptional leadeship and grit. Conversely, history is full of individuals with leadership creditials and experience who failed to perform when faced with even ordinary crisis.
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"why should someone go to work to feed the kids of someone who won't work? "
One reason could be, if you don't they'll probably grow up to be just like their elders. They might even grow up to become violent criminals and come to rob and kill you. Of course none of that is your responsibility. Society does not exist, to quote mrs Thatcher.
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172. I'm with you, frayedcat. I like how you pair private with public sector bleeding of working people.
Since Reagan the tradition has been to keep adding a zero to the periodic lootings of the US treasury on behalf of the rich, then to scream "socialism" at any attempt to lessen them. Not to mention rolling around on the ground sputtering "Commie". These extraordinarily mendacious, big-lie tactics are now the centerpiece of the McCain campaign.
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At core the ruling class and system of the USA doesn't care about the welfare of the US as a country or a society. That is one of the core tenets of capitalism, profits at all costs!
However, the irony is that profits at all costs approach kills the goose that lays the golden egg. If political leaders cared about the US it would show in their actions not their words.
"They" care about violence, fear, greed, and exploitation. If they cared about society's welfare they would behave very differently. I hope that Obama shows by his decision making that he cares.
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#92 "What would Jesus say?"
I think you may be onto something. Not that I'm a religious man (far from it) but since the Neo-Cons seem to hold Jesus is such high regard, it's worth checking his voting record (to use an electioneering metaphor) to see where he stands on the issue of wealth distribution.
A quick Googling reveals Jesus' shamefully socialist agenda.
"If you have money, don't lend it at interest. Give it to someone who won't be able to return it." (Th 95)
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Lk 12:34)
"You cannot serve God and Money." (Lk 16:13 Mt 6:24)
And in a uncannily accurate prediction of this month's economic meltdown and Wall Street bailout
"Those who have will get more. From those without, even what they do have will be taken." (Mk 4:25 Lk 8:18, 19:26 Mt 13:12, 25:29 Th 41)
If that isn't enough to prove Jesus unworthy of Republican support, have they checked into his associations with the known terrorist John the Baptist?
nb. die-hard Republicans: try not to think about this too hard. You'll get into an inescapable logic feedback loop and your heads will explode.
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147. Sam
Great answer.
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Palin Target Of New Ethics Complaint. Will it ever end?
Well, a Girl's gotta keep heer family together, doesn't she?Peace and hypermobility
ed
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26. Wil_Ng wrote:
"Try having toll charges, that is what they want."
Actually, the original plan for the interstate highway system was a series of toll roads. I don't know why that was abandoned. I use the Ohio Turnpike all the time, and it's a toll road. If that's the way to fund the repair of the infrastructure, it would be okay with me. Compared to the cost of gas to drive on the highway, a few dollars in toll charges are pretty minor. And it might change some habits.
Part of the problem with America's lavish use of energy is that people don't think about the total cost of what they're doing. We subsidize transportation on a very selective basis. For example, some people think that passenger rail service should pay for itself, but we build highways with public funds. If people knew what the actual cost to them was, they might make wiser choices about how to travel. Same with commuter transportation. If you added toll charges to gas costs and gridlock, it might get more people behind mass transit.
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Robocalls go!
;-)
ed
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#169. Jackturk: "Because of the 1948 budget of Stafford Cripps it can be argued that this government was not truly socialist but nevertheless it was popular and after the hardships of the war it restored Britain's financial position."
Then explain why the pound was devalued in 1949. Socialism may have seemed like a panacea in 1945 after the privations of the war and the years leading up to it - the idea of "the people" owning all major industries was very compelling at the time, but not so in the USA. The Labour Government encouraged the building of subsidised council housing when at the same time the US government made it possible for its returning military to actually buy their homes, with no money down and the mortgage guaranteed by the government itself, a practice which is continued to this day.
I cannot see that beyond devaluing the pound, nationalising all essential industries and providing subsidised housing is incompatible with the description of Socialism; Clause 4 was in good health at the time and the Attlee government pursued it with all the vigour it could muster.
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118. paul939 wrote:
"Oh well, it's never too late to rectify past mistakes."
Unless you're on the bridge when it collapses. A change of heart then will come a bit late.
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Ed Iglehart 136
"God bless the grass"
Nice poem.
When God was blessing his Mother Nature
creations I am not sure if he was forgetfull, in a jokey mood, or gave the following a double blessing, just to help them along.
Forget your "English Lawn" ideas.
Gramma, Bermuda and Kikuyu grasses are already set to take over my garden and are well on the way in trying to take over the world I believe.
Kikuyu :-Pennisetum clandestinum
Secret ferret / Squirrell grass no less?
Thick mats, can climb over other plant life,
shading it out and producing herbicidal toxins that kill competing plants. It prevents new sprouts of other species from growing and can even kill small tree saplings..
british-ish 112- suggests " God moves in
mysterious ways". By rescuing the planet yes, but not necessarily to include all the living things in it. Like us?
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# 169 Jackturk wrote:
"In 1951 despite winning more than 14 million more votes, Labour lost the general election to the Tories. "
I think that possibly that should read
"In 1951 despite winning more than 14 million votes, Labour lost the general election to the Tories. "
I believe Labour did get more votes than the Tories - but not 14m more!
[This is something that can happen in the UK system as well as the US - I believe the same thing happened in 74, but then it was Labour who won.]
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I came across this when following through frostynorth's link to the AIG disgrace. It sums up for me what has really gone wrong with the system. Shareholders, the company owners, are seen by executives as simply the mugs who have to pay for the executives' mistakes and excesses. Time to take back ownership.
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Sam # 179
I wish I believed that Marcus would read your insightful and informed post.
Evidence to date indicates that he communicates purely on a Marcus-to-Justin Webb level. He can always a few words to prove me wrong.
On behalf of the rest of us, thank you for taking the trouble.
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"complimentary technologies" SamTyler1969
Software that tells the user how clever, beautiful, talented or virtuous they are?
Apparently, spelling is not one of the high-grade competences important executives such as Sam Tyler need!
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#88. eightypercent: "We also usually manage to pack in four seasons of weather in any 24 hours which adds to the spice of our little lives."
One reason I live in California USA, not California, near Wokingham, UK!
With voting, a General Election or by-election in the UK does not have as many things to vote for; for example, here in the Golden State, in addition to the various political offices, voters are asked to to decide twelve state wide measures, and a total of 380 local issues (which vary from place-to-place.) Thirty-six other states have additional measures to be voted upon. For better or worse, it's rather more complicated than in the UK.
"don't be so horrid about our BLT's" - well, it's an American invention, one of the few culinary delights America has had to offer; making a BLT with limp bacon is an absolute abomination - and plain, untoasted bread adds insult to injury. Unfortunately, many dishes don't translate well, there's a sea change when they cross the Atlantic - in both directions. Americans can rarely make a decent cuppa (forgetting that boiling water is required) and their 'native' fruit cake is one of the most awful concoctions ever devised. Ed I will no doubt appreciate a fine Dundee cake over an stateside fruitcake any day!
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#145. SamTyler1969: "Prude Sam"
May I refer you back to Split Decision, #100, signed by "Openminded Sam"! :)
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StephenGB (#182), "all" of them? Really? The one that collapsed in Minneapolis was a genuinely flimsy structure, but it was far from typical. Most bridges have such a large margin of safety that they can endure quite a lot of neglect without falling down.
Can you give a specific example of a major bridge in the US which appears dangerous?
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Just found this on one of the links here:
"DRUDGE BANNER, illustrated by the carton to an Obama superhero doll, ASKS: “ABCCBSNBCNYTLATWSJCNNMSNBCAPREUTERSAFPPOLITICOFTTIMEWASHPOSTNEWSWEEK: CAN THEY ALL BE WRONG?” Links to a column about media bias."
Reminds of the question people always ask me about Elvis: Can 100,000,00 Elvis fans be wrong?
My answer tends to be: Yes. It's not quite the same tho. Elvis never voiced a serious thought in his life, as far as I'm aware. These media at least try to. Sometimes. Not often enough, that's true.
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#187. jimigorilla:
"Possibly this evening I am guilty of hyperbole - calling Obama a Sociliast. But this is more born out of fear than anything else."
"Now if instead of being afraid of socialism you guys would all get off your behinds and try and find out what it really means, America could get somewhere. You're all just little McCarthies."
Ironically, the post (in italics) was made by someone who lives in Britain and is barely out of short pants. He probably wouldn't even know what McCarthy was.
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186 RWB
I'm 99.44% in agreement
but 1 thing to point out:
All those potholes in IL or PA may have less to do with corruption or incompetence than simply with climate and truck traffic.
The Pennsylvania valley-and-ridge and Illinois prairies have a maximum number of road-cracking freeze-thaw cycles each year. In comparison, Canada and Montana roads stay frozen more and Dixie roads stay thawed more.
And the Chicago and Pennsylvania highways may have a lot more pavement-plucking 40-ton trucks on the road compared to many other parts of the country.
(nothing against truckers, but the reason for higher truck vs. auto tolls is that their weight causes many times the road impact of passenger cars)
Building a thicker road base and stronger concrete - which would cost more up front - might be a more lasting pothole fix. Need to find one of those scarce engineers to answer that for the infrastructure plan.
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Sean's Pa (205),
Seconded!Ownership and responsibility
ed
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"We subsidize transportation on a very selective basis... If you added toll charges to gas costs and gridlock, it might get more people behind mass transit."
I'm with you on the general principle, but against on the specific example. I believe we all should pay some kind of tax for road upkeep based on miles traveled.
I dislike toll booths because they're a wildly inefficient means to the same end. The thought of paying taxes to pay to house and pay someone to extract a few more nickels and dimes from me after I have to wait for the privilege strikes me as batty.
Put another way, both private and public powers tax us is by taking our time. We should at least try to point out that our time actually has value, even if we are not powerful. I don't mind spending mine on either where it is appreciated. I hate it being wasted.
I've waited hours of my life not mostly due to an accident, but due to PA insisting on collecting tolls from all motorists before they can leave to take a detour.
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#123
'Gov. Sarah Palin denounced wasteful expenditure on fruit-fly research'
"Why research into fruit flies?"
Here's a possible reason. Because of the incredibly rapidity with which fruit flies breed, they are a perfect species to study the mechanics of genetic mutation and as such, have been used extensively to map the evolutionary process.
For creationist theologues like Palin - whose denial of the theory of evolution is as ridiculous as trying to deny the theory of gravity - such studies are a genuine threat to their ridiculous fairytale version of life and its origins.
http://www.hhmi.org/news/carroll20060420.html
http://biochemicalsoul.com/2008/10/evolution-in-action-fruit-flies-evolve-low-oxygen-tolerance-in-the-lab/
But enough of that. I have a feeling I'm supposed to be talking about bridges...
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Many political experts in the US say that this election is a referendum on Barack Obama. What many of them mean is that this election is a referendum on Black leadership.
The US faces an incredible mountain of challenges. If Barack Obama is elected, he will be expected to fix the world economy, end a war in Iraq, create jobs, work towards energy independence, repair America’s damaged stature, address a myriad of environmental issues, create a national health care program, cut taxes for 95% of American workers and more!!! Personally, I believe that Barack Obama is biting off more than anyone could chew and if my assessment is correct, he is much more likely to fail than he is to succeed and that would be bad not only for America, but for Blacks worldwide. If the first Black president of the USA is remembered as a failure, the progress of Blacks everywhere will be dealt a tremendous blow.
Conversely, if by some miracle he is able to beat the odds and achieve success, he will accomplish more for the advancement of Blacks than did Mandela or King. For Blacks in America and around the world, an Obama presidency is a gamble with not-so-good odds. Obama may be the right man at the wrong time.
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Thank you, 196. Thank you very much.
It's high time we resurrect the House Un-American Activities Committee to give this Jesus character a thorough going over. It seems he was not merely a premature anti-Fascist and fellow traveler, but a pinko so red he makes Lenin and Mao pale by comparison! Maybe we'll go easy on him if he rats out God the Father and the Holy Ghost, who are certainly in cahoots with him. Maybe.
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#181 (Xie_Ming), #159 (Woundedpride)
For the record, the fruit fly is a useful research tool as it has sperm which is 2-3 inches in length, making it much easier to study than other animals.
It is shocking how naive Palin is about science as the clips show. If this level of scepticism continues, the American innovation incessantly reiterated by both camps as a trump in the economic crisis will be stifled.
Having watched the clip I have a feeling she may have been especially piqued about 'Paris France' rather than the actual research, though if she knew it was about genetics and fertility she may have had more of a fit.
If she was especially irritated by the location of the research, she may want to consider that sticking rigidly to borders would prevent the US getting a piece of the research underway at CERN and the Large Hadron Collider. This would highlight the poor future of American innovation further as the US had to bin it's own Collider project as far back as 1993 due to lack of funding.
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I doubt this ruins the metaphor here, but you might want to be careful when discussing holes in structures. Often times holes are purposely drilled in bridges to stop cracks from spreading.
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Dangerous Socialism
Peace and peanut butter
ed
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196
I also like Mtt 25: 31-46, where he separates people according to their worthiness (or lack of) by using the example of his being a stranger in their midst, needing food, drink, clothing or comfort while in prison. The unworthy protested that they had never seen him in those circumstances, to which he replied that whatever they had done "to the least of these my brothers" the condemned had done to him as well. [Not YOUR brothers; he said MY brothers.]
He told his followers not to even ask for a coin for their purses when telling other people the good news.
I don't think continued tax breaks for the wealthy would impress him.
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#207
Nick,
That's what we have 'people' for. Plus blogs don't have spell checker. Which would not have worked anyway. Ah well.
But yes, the complementary technologies I was thinking of would be things like RFID, mobile computing, virtual reality, scanning, GPS, integrated GIS and doppler radar. All that nice techie stuff that changes every time you point a stick at it. And they do make you look cool, so in that sense they are complimentary, except Blackberry's. Fashion tip people, a Blackberry is not an accessory. Get it off your belt, it makes you look fat and unless you have a Batman fetishist around it is unlikely to get you anywhere with the opposite sex.
Nerd Sam
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198
It wasn't all that long ago that the far right attributed every social ill: drugs, pregnant teens, vandalisn, (you name it) to working mothers. Now they want one to be in line for the presidency.
I guess that's progress of sorts.
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Is our moderator suffering from narcolepsy?
This is like debating using carrier pigeons....
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#179
Sam, excellent post. It's good to see that there are still some execs with compassion and a sense of responsibility toward your employees and the greater society.
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# 208 ~ David C.
Weather update from California near Wokingham (just down the road from me) : snow on the ground this morning, then good sunshine during the day. Rain forecast for tonight, then probably fog tomorrow morning.
Re : American Elections - that's not so much an election as an examination. If Americans do vote for Change next week, the first thing that they should set about forming is their electoral system. It really does have a whiff of disenfranchising those who are not so nimble at finding their way around forms and formalities.
I was going to respond anyway because I believe that you are very harsh on the Attlee Government of 1945 to 51. It is arguable that the nationalisation of services in 1948 and the devaluation of 1949 laid down the foundations for the eventual prosperity of the MacMillan years.
Attlee and the Labour Ministers had shown enormous support for Churchill during the war years (Churchill found them much easier to work with than most of his Tory colleagues), and they achieved a great deal during the five first post war years, when Britain was drained and exhausted. By the end of the five years, they were themselves drained and exhausted and some of them already dead.
I do not believe that Churchill, with his irascible relationships with his Tory colleagues and his preference for international affairs, would have achieved as much as Labour did in those five years.
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This election cycle keeps breaking new ground. Just heard possibly the 1st ever election-season ad from the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Aside from condemning the new trend of religious leaders endorsing a particular political candidate, the main point is that voting isn't just the right of a citizen, it is the obligation of believers to carefully consider their vote in terms of social justice. Social Justice is being talked about more and more in mainline protestant and some evalgelical churches, so it's interesting to hear an official statement from the Catholic Church as well.
For what it's worth. Those queuing up to attack Christianity, or the socialist concept of "social justice," please feel free.
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#209
David,
Not THAT kinky.
Pervert Sam
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#213 BlueJay
I'm a lifelong PA resident, so what you say is 100% true. But our financial troubles are also probably as much due to a lack of vision or short-sighted contracting.
PA generally awards our roadbuilding contracts based on the "lowest bidder" concept. Exemplary at first sight, because it saves the taxpayers $$$. But, over the long haul (no pun intended) the truck traffic and freeze-and-thaw cause inferior work to need constant rework and repair. The "autobahn" model, aiming for the best quality and requiring shoddy workmanship to be repaired at contractor's cost, costs far more up front, but averages out over the long term to cost less.
It gets very frustrating, as construction zones sprout every spring like bad weeds. Each mile of interstate seems to get rebuilt every 10 years or so. This is where our bridge money goes.
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Re: 196:
"If you have money, don't lend it at interest. Give it to someone who won't be able to return it." (Th 95)
So Jesus is to blame for the sub-prime mortgage crisis?
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Obama: "By the end of the week, he’ll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in Kindergarten."
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=D3T-dIvLbkE
As someone said: I'm cancelling Halloween - its socialist!
: )
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*Sigh*
Frankly, I prefer ambulances, and fire trucks and police cars to be able to reach wherever they need to go. That means roads and bridges that work. And unlike, it seems, all of the Right and the Left, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is and pay for these things, through taxes or tolls. Whichever, the infrastructure simply MUST work.
Balance people, that's what a Democracy is supposed to achieve. The greatest good for the greatest number without sacrificing the individual to that greatest number.
But then rational, adult thought has never been the hallmark of American Politics, has it?
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Ref 228
"For what it's worth. Those queuing up to attack Christianity, or the socialist concept of "social justice," please feel free."
Why should anyone attack Christianity or social justice? It seems to me like you are the one that is eager to pick up a fight and attack others for their beliefs, or lack thereof.
It would be nice, however, if you expanded on your interpretation of "social justice". Hopefully, it is consistent with the laws and values established by modern-day society, and influenced by the teachings and example set by Jesus, rather than the actions of those who commit shameful acts in His name to achieve their narrow goals.
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#228 Via-Media
"Aside from condemning the new trend of religious leaders endorsing a particular political candidate, the main point is that voting isn't just the right of a citizen, it is the obligation of believers to carefully consider their vote in terms of social justice. Social Justice is being talked about more and more in mainline protestant and some evalgelical churches, so it's interesting to hear an official statement from the Catholic Church as well."
In the past there has been quite a bit of 'revolutionary theology' amongs Catholic priests in Latin America, often to the extreme displeasure of Rome. Perhaps it's finally spread north?
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#215
Dude,
Easypass.
Helpful Sam
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213:
Bluejay: Are you an expert on the ILL roads? If so, how would you rate them/ILLs overall performance on roads?
I'm something of an expert on PAs. Your freeze-thaw explanation does account for some problems and is true in and of itself. However, it does not explain why when you take any road into NY from PA, it improves drastically. NY has got about the same freezing and thawing as PA. In fact, the freeze-thaw factor is not just a, but the excuse PA gives about its roads. The truth is some combination of greater incompetence and corruption, combined with your point below.
"Building a thicker road base and stronger concrete - which would cost more up front - might be a more lasting pothole fix."
PA uses a road base so thin it's almost invisible. This serves to maximize the amount of road surface that has to be worked on. I hate to sound cynical, but this strikes me as a scam to justify more money in the hands of various construction companies.
One summer I traveled 79 every week from PA through West By God. I noticed
1. West By God's 79 was in much better shape.
2. But PA had much more of theirs under construction.
3. Finally I noticed the explanation. West By God's small, short construction zones MOVED EVERY WEEK. PA's were in EXACTLY THE SAME PLACES AT THE END OF THE SUMMER AS THEY HAD BEEN IN THE BEGINNING.
4. Conclusion: PA believes if you line roads with Jersey barriers, the road fairies come at night to fix the roads.
I also feel on quite safe ground in labelling PAs performance on road building and maintaining as absolutely putrid. If you could ever quantify these things objectively, I'd be shocked if it's not the worst in the nation, and if it's not, it's certainly in the top two or three.
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Enjoying the Jesus theme.How about:
'Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's'
Clearly in favour of higher taxes.
Chasing the money lenders out of the temple.
Obviously against the free market.
The miracle of the loaves and fishes.
Well its blatant redistribution isn't it?
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#227. eightypercent: "Re : American Elections - that's not so much an election as an examination. If Americans do vote for Change next week, the first thing that they should set about forming is their electoral system. It really does have a whiff of disenfranchising those who are not so nimble at finding their way around forms and formalities."
"Sample Ballots" are sent out so that the issues can be set out, for and against, and interested parties mail out additional information; it really shouldn't be difficult for those who bother to read. I agree that it would be better to have a single question on the ballot - who do wish to vote for as President and Vice-President, and all the other matters on another. But in addition there are other political contests, so it would make it very costly to adopt the UK system. It's difficult for Brits to understand how vast is the USA - and for Americans to realise how small is the UK in geographical terms. It's a miracle that anything gets voted on - the organisational aspect is remarkable.
Regarding the Attlee government - it didn't turn out well in the end, did it? Mrs T undid a lot of it and (except for the trains) Britain seems rather the better for it, although I have grave reservations about some of her 'improvements'. I can't see America ever adopting Attleean or Wilsonian policies - the latter the immediate reason I am here and not where there is "snow on the ground this morning, then good sunshine during the day." :) Pretty countryside of course, which I do miss; I once considered living in Arkansas where it is just as beautifully green - but the humidity was unacceptable.
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#226
Why thank you. To be honest, Marcus brings out the worst in me, and that was a bit of a nasty post.
That said, let me address another of his points. Marcus thinks we obsess about quarterly results. To be fair to him, I have worked for organizations that do, to the detriment of other activities. They usually do not last in the long term.
Most businesses in the US are knowledge based today. That means the greatest asset is not a factory or plant but the people. To recruit, and keep the ones you want you have to differentiate yourself and your organization in a number of ways:
1. Respect and recruit diversity, not only cultural diversity but diversity of training and thought. Zero tolerance for intolerance of race, gender, sexuality
2. Constantly reinvest in developing your people. Look not for those who will replace you but those you want to overtake you. Train, mentor, coach, challenge encourage
3. Provide flexibility around life events and career speed
4. Provide networking opportunities within your company and across your industry
5. Invest in health and fitness, or general wellness programs to prevent chronic medical conditions of any type
6. Get to know your folks lives, families and interests. Take an interest. Believe in them.
7. Encourage curiosity of all kinds
8. Provide wonderful pension benefits
9. Invest in the community, not just a United Way drive but real, actual delivery of your services and products to the needy. Celebrate and reward employee service to the community
All of which negatively impacts the bottom line. But all of which helps you build a strong flexible organization of high performers.
I'll get off my soap box now.
Motivational Sam
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Dear 228
I, for one, although not religious myself, would never consider knocking Christianity. Only far to the right, unbending, hell and damnation types who profess Christianity and by doing so give it a bad name. As Gandhi said, "It's just that so many of your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
I'm very pleased to see churches take social responsibility to heart, and the ones that are environmentally conscious I even admire. ("A generation cometh and a generation goeth, but the Earth abidith forever." Whether we'll leave anything alive on it seems to be another matter.)
One of my main points is and will continue to be that so very many Christians behave in a way make their religion look so very bad. Their in the current election proves this particular point.
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Prime mortgages, pooh.
The story that isn't being told is about taking illegal donations.
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re: 215. RedWhiteandermblue wrote:
It's not that I'm actually eager to pay highway tolls, but with the current anti-tax climate, if that's what it takes to keep the roads repaired I'm okay with it.
Conservatives ask the wrong question about taxes. It's not "are your taxes too high," it should be "are your taxes paying in an efficient way for things you need?" My particular hobbyhorse is education. Yes, you can lower taxes and cut public support for schools and colleges, but the schools will decay and college tuition will go up at a rate faster than inflation (which for some reason always mystifies people). So unless you're at a very high income level or you've been very forward-thinking and started socking money away the moment your first child was born, your kids will have to take out enormous tuition loans to get through college. And if the primary and secondary schools have degraded too far, your kids won't be able to get into a decent college in the first place. Wouldn't it have been more sensible to pay those relatively small taxes over a longer period of time and bundle your money with millions of other people to keep the educational infrastructure in good shape?
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I believe Rtes 70 and 79 have been under construction in PA for generations - there was one fellow who, instead of properly disposing of toxic waste, painted the barrels orange and white striped and left them along the side of the road....nobody noticed for a racoon's age
(apparently I can't use the abbreviation for racoon) is "nincompoop" prohibited yet?
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The long ballots in US elections arise out of the reforms of the Progressive Movement, which introduced the initiative and referendum. In California, a lot of the ballot items are initiatives.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/progressivism/index.cfm
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Most Americans complain a lot! They complain when the roads are bad, but complain because of delays while the road is being fixed.
We are the land of corruption and lawsuits.
Where does our tax money go to,you wonder, when basic infrasructure is failing?
Somebodys pocket.
It's a terrible state of affairs. Nobody wants to put in extra, or help anybody, but if you do , it's usually stolen. Government, churches, they're all guilty. Trust is gone. This country needs a big spanking, because it's all our fault. I envy the basic mateship of other countries sometimes.
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re. 240. Motivational Sam:
Could I come and work for you? Or better yet, could you move your business to where I am and mentor some of the business people here? Think of Joe the Plumber actually running a business and you get the picture of what things are like.
Personally I think a manager also needs a passion for what the company makes or does.
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#242 DougTexan:
"The story that isn't being told is about taking illegal donations."
Doesn't the fact that you include a link to a website telling the story rather contradict your own statement?
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223 - Batman fetishist present and accounted for.
233 - I'm a Lefty and pay taxes without bemoaning it because I get services (like roads). It's the Right that uses tax as a fear tactic.
What I do b*tch about is the repetition by the Right that taking some of the tax burden off the middle class and putting it (back) on the wealthiest people and corporations will destroy the economy.
HELLO! Eight years of the Right having things their way and we're in trouble. The "trickle down" theory did NOT work. We all knows what's trickled down and it wasn't prosperity.
The jobs are already overseas, so the threat that we'll lose them is a little hollow.
The Right doesn't want us to think, they want us to react. It's out patriotic duty to think before we act, the fate of our country is on the line.
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No. 240 Motivational Sam
Quote: Most businesses in the US are knowledge based today. That means the greatest asset is not a factory or plant but the people. To recruit, and keep the ones you want you have to differentiate yourself and your organization in a number of ways: Unquote
Hey, just what I'm looking for, can you bring some of that knowledge to Spain for the public sector ... I'm on the same wave length. I'm a big fan of innovation and in that environment it can multiple.
Thanks motivational Sam
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Americans hate "Big government". They should therefore not complain about crambling bridges and stuff
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#97 tenzone 86
The dictionary definition of 'socialism' is"any of various economic and political theories
advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means
and production and distribution of goods."
It, like the term, 'capitalism' were merely labels attached to economic systems coined
by 19th century economic thought.
That was nearly two thousand years after
the advent of Jesus. So it is not correct to
call Jesus a 'socialist'. But, at every opportunity He stressed the importance of
loving God the Father and loving our
neighbor.
When He was asked, "who is my
neighbor?", he illustrated it with the parable
of the 'Good Samaritan'.
As you read it in Luke 10: 30-37, you realize that by "neighbor" is meant anyone who is in need of help (and to whom you are in a position to help). Jesus concludes by saying, "Go and do likewise". So Jesus's teaching-of love-was of a much greater (spiritual) dimension than the greatest teaching of any pundit or political leader.
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Currently the alarming trend is how many companies based in the US are meeting their labour needs with foreign workers (not illegal ones) because they find the foreign labour market more attractive than the local market.
This is exactly why trickle-down economics does not work.
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Are the incursions into Pakistan and Syria are election ploy, hoping for a hostile response?
The BBC had a clip from a woman witness in a hospital bed- now, I can't find it.
Gowan on the evening news has sunk back to a "Syria says" line.
The BBC did send a reporter to the site today, who said next to nothing.
Can anybody find a URL for that clip of the woman who was shot talking from her hospital bed?
The USA still has said nothing on the record.
This smells even worse that at first!
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OP "some nice people from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation took us under the I-95 highway to see the mess the underbelly of modern America is in. It is truly horrible."
And this piece is truly ridiculous.
So let me get this straight... Webb, a journalist with no background in engineering, is taken to ONE place ONE time, and concludes the entire nation is falling apart ?
That's "Justin Webb's America". Propaganda. WAY out of synch with reality.
I would like to think intelligent people would see through it, but most won't in spite of their intelligence.
When people tell you what you want to hear, you believe it.
To draw a sports analogy - when a referee makes a bad call which goes in your favor, most folks don't complain.
Few folks complain about propaganda which goes in the direction they prefer.
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Repairing and rennovating by contractors has been done for years, but actually leasing the entire system to private enterprise, for decades, is very, very controversial.
Isn't there a privately owned tollway in the Washington DC area that very few people use due to the high cost?
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#246 "Most Americans complain a lot! They complain when the roads are bad, but complain because of delays while the road is being fixed.
We are the land of corruption and lawsuits."
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
Complain a lot ? You certainly do !
Complaining is human nature. People whine everywhere.
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~
"I envy the basic mateship of other countries sometimes."
Ahhh yes... for the whiners, the grass is always greener somewhere else .
Please... do us all a favor. Move to one of those other perfect countries. You'll still have much to whine about, and it will raise the average of both nations !
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They [the Republicans] respect individuals abiliites to run their own lives,...
Sorry, but this is where you lost me. I know the Republicans are all for less government (originally states' rights over federal), but when they decided to legislate morality, they lost their way. Legislating morality is NOT respecting individuals' abilities to run their own lives, sorry.
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Doug, my experience of people who pick at your wording or at your spelling is that they do so because they have no answer to your point. They are happy in their bliss, though.
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#192 rxk wrote
"it is impossible to ascertain Ms. Palin's mettle until that extraordinary circumstance arises.
History is peppered with ordinary individuals being thrust into extraordinary circumstances who exhibit exceptional leadership and grit. Conversely, history is full of individuals with leadership creditials and experience who failed to perform when faced with even ordinary crisis."
It is true that ordinary people often display extraordinary courage and leadership in one-off crises - the regular guy who takes the lead in evacuating a building in a fire for example.
However, a president is supposed to be running the country - not waiting for a crisis in order to maybe prove themselves extraordinary.
On Sarah Palin's performance so far, I can estimate her ability to deal with a national or global crisis would be catastrophic.
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I don't understand why Americans think socialism is such a dirty word. I can understand being you being against communism but why so anti-socialism.
It's because the popular notion here is that socialism=communism. The communist countries had "socialist" economies, or so the teaching in high school led one to believe. And communism was the enemy, therefore socialism=bad and unamerican. That is the rationale behind the whole misconception.
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237 RWB
I'm no expert but I did live in IL for years and also wondered whether the vicious, eternal cycle of pothole repair there was a result of not just severe weather, traffic, and generous de-icing salt application but also:
1) medium-duty specifications and low bids, or poor design and consruction
and
2) a vast, joe the shock absorber salesman and joe the alignment shop owner and maybe joe the paving patch contractor, conspiracy
IL also had several tollway scandals, or one drawn-out scandal (no details, this was after I moved away) just a thought before saying privatization is automatically the answer.
I must say that in recent visits, the RFID transponder tollway pass saved both time (no stopping) and money (half price vs. coin) compared to the old coin tolls.
The surface or secondary roads (tax paid) seem often in no better shape than the tollways.
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re #259
Exactly right.
It happened to me in another blog, it is grasping at straws. I had a little fun then going back through all of his posts and pointing out his errors.
Strangely enough haven't heard from him since. I wonder why?
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255
the huge backlog of bridge, road and rail repair in the USA is well documented and reported for decades, it is certainly not reported here first.
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#259 seanspa
"Doug, my experience of people who pick at your wording or at your spelling is that they do so because they have no answer to your point. They are happy in their bliss, though."
No its because whenever someone points out that the latest 'shock revelation' about Obama is just more unsubstantiated gossip they get accused of being 'Obama worshippers' or having 'drunk the kool-aid'. Discussing this sort of nonsense just spreads it further.
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I just don't get it. If our government (Australia) wanted to spend money on repairing our roads and infrastructure and wanted to spend our taxes on fixing our health system i'd say go right ahead.
Seriously, I don't believe any American (except Libertarians) would object to being taxed to fix the infrastructure, all things being equal. The problem is in the equality, or perceived inequality. People in state X will be told that those in state Y are getting more than the state Xers are getting when they are all paying for it. They are told this by politicians who want people in state X to vote for them so those politicians can get elected. It doesn't matter whether it's true or not.
The whole uproar about the taxes is that people perceive they will be treated unfairly in comparison to someone else.
The health care problem is similar to this, and can be lumped in with the "spreading the wealth around" being considered horrible. People are convinced (again, by politicians wanted to get elected) that any tax increase will only be used so free money can be handed out to some lazy person who refuses to work. It doesn't matter whether this was what was said or not; it's the perception involved, intended to play into existing fears.
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I've just been reading an article that went into impeachment of the President. But what happens if he gets impeached and the Senate conclude that the VP shouldn't have the job either? Do the party have to nominate someone else or is there just a complete re-election?
Sorry if this has already been answered.
If neither the president nor the vice-president can serve, then the speaker of the house becomes the acting president. Failing that, there is a whole pre-decided chain of who is in charge, down to (I think) the postmaster at #18 or so.
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Re #258
"They [the Republicans] respect individuals abiliites to run their own lives,..."
Unless they are gay, or have an unwanted pregnancy, or are muslim, or black. and so on.
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Sorry number 258
I'm agreeing with you, not implying this is your opinion.
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#266 geomapgirl
"The problem is in the equality, or perceived inequality. People in state X will be told that those in state Y are getting more than the state Xers are getting when they are all paying for it."
That's the problem with the system .... it all comes down to economies of scale.
North Dakota has relatively few people spread quite thin. They would have to pay proportionally a lot more to get the infrastructure they require, than people from a high population state.
The argument is all politics.... and local politicians have short term goals wherein the big picture is not prominent.
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As a total aside, my history teacher used to say that the best form of government would be a benign dictatorship - no petty squabbles, just what was best for the people.
Now, can anyone find me a benign dictator?
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David_Cunard:
"Regarding the Attlee government - it didn't turn out well in the end, did it?"
Well, as has been pointed out, Labour lost the 1951 election despite having received more votes than the Tories, and then we got "13 years of Tory misrule" to quote Harold Wilson. Who knows how it would have turned out if we'd had a fair electoral system?
As for you thinking Thatcher improved matters - it is Thatcherism, and its overseas counterparts, that have landed us in the appalling mess we now face - and the UK looks particularly vulnerable because of her destruction of manufacturing industry.
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Palin's energy policy speech today was very non-specific, apart from encouraging drilling in Alaska (no double entendre please I don't see the attraction, not even with photo-shop). If I say that she might resemble a nincompoop will my comment be rejected?
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I'm not American, but perhaps the problem that many Americans have with wealth redistribution is that they don't trust anyone to do it right.
Putting mis-represented labels (socialist etc) aside, I do not believe that most Americans would not want, in principle
a) everyone to have access to good health care
b) some sort of welfare for those out of work
c) good roads, bridges etc.
If Obama wins he will inherit a moribund economy with a stratospheric debt, yet his priority must be that whatever he does must be clearly seen to be done well, honestly and without the corruption and pork of the past (dem and rep).
If he can't do this he will be gone in 4 years and we'll have Palin!
So many Americans are strongly religious, and private church and charitable giving is very high in the US. I respect this immensely, but as an atheist am always concerned that this charity, when passed on to the needy has conditions - ie no aid for condoms in Africa; promoting abstinence etc - which are subjectively religious.
In an ideal world (and boy are we far from it) the government should be the most efficient distributor of charity - back to economies of scale .... and with a separation of church and state would make no conditions.
Peace and ideals
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Just to summarise.
Taxing the rich a little more in order to pay for healthcare for the less fortunate = bad.
Taxing the middle class in order to pay for the war in Iraq, a country that has never attacked or invaded America = OK.
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242, Doug
The story that you link to at "right think" (surely unbiased!) has been in the dreaded mainstream media (the media that I trust more to fact check, have editorial review, etc) for well over a month.
Much less than 1% of Obama donations are questionable. he returned some already. The other legitimate 99.9+% is from people like me who have donated $25 or so at a time during his campaign over the last year.
The widespread, small donor support is a story alright, a story that shows how the public imagination was captured by a non-mediocre candidate.
I'm glad that the infrastructure issue was raised because it seems like a no-brainer element of any upcoming recovery 'stimulus' plan. Makes sense as an investment in jobs now, and in competiveness for the county, that will pay off for several decades.
Here in the SW USA several $100 - $300 million road projects, some on NAFTA truck routes, are stalled for 3-4 years now.
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geomapgirl (#267), sure, but there is no discretion allowing the VP to be passed over. The VP must be eligible to the office of President, and if that office becomes vacant, the VP will advance to it.
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#263 Everyoneiscrazy
"re #259
Exactly right.
It happened to me in another blog, it is grasping at straws. I had a little fun then going back through all of his posts and pointing out his errors.
Strangely enough haven't heard from him since. I wonder why?"
Okay then consider me cut to the quick. So lets discuss the various Obama shock stories together:
He's using ACORN to steal the election
He is a secret Muslim
He is a Socialist
He was born in Kenya
I don't think that's a comprehensive list but its a start.
DougTexan, seanspa, and friends, which of the above do you believe? If there are some you reject what sets them apart from the others?
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81. At 07:33am on 29 Oct 2008, David_Cunard wrote:
#79. ladycm: "If John McCain wins, is there room in the UK?"
I don't think you'd care for it if you moved across the Atlantic; more closed-circuit TV cameras per capita than anywhere else in the world. Masses of petty regulations, very expensive, even with the drop in the value of the pound in recent weeks. Poor customer service, crowded cities and pandering to those who care not to work, "benefits" (welfare) being so generous.
Sounds like Seattle, without so many cameras. Okay, maybe not that extreme. Yes, it seems every economy has it's downside. I am thinking about school abroad... I am only 3 hours away from Canada.
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"Killing a baby you find inconvenient is no different that killing your retired grandparents so you don't have to care for them."
I find this interesting, considering that my mom died of Alzheimer's, but sadly did not leave a living will, so she was forced to stay alive (through intervention, which a living will would have dispensed with) for 6 years, unable to move or speak, when anyone who ever knew her knew she'd rather have died - we even had a joke when she was younger that if either of us had to be kept alive by machine that the other would "trip over the cord." When I finally got to "trip over her cord" by refusing to approve a blood transfusion, I was then treated like the most horrible, callous daughter who ever existed by the hospital staff.
I also don't believe that some poor girl who got beaten and pregnant by her step-father feels that her fetus is an "inconvenience." Nor that it's better that a fetus be kept alive to be born so the desperate mother can just throw it in a trash dumpster.
There are exceptions to everything. Sweeping generalizations are naive.
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I had not planned to contribute to this thread but the digression to Palin and fruit flies was more than I could bear.
For any who are interested, you may look up all the minute details which, frankly, bore me but I will share a broad piece of information.
The so called fruit fly earmark that she was referring to was for a study to find a way of defeating the variety of this little pest that is threatening the olive growers in California. Some of the money was sent to French scientists who having been working on this issue for longer than we have. It was a cooperative effort.
Olive growers in California are significant contributors to the agricultural economy of their state. Loss of this revenue might be quite painful.
Sarah Palin is an idiot! She might at least read something more than the Cliff notes.
And people actually want to elect her VP?!?
How about prom queen? I could deal with that.
I am finished here.
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#254 Xie_Ming
The report is being regularly re-shown on BBC News 24.
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# 255 ricky78732 wrote:
"And this piece is truly ridiculous.
So let me get this straight... Webb, a journalist with no background in engineering, is taken to ONE place ONE time, and concludes the entire nation is falling apart ?
That's "Justin Webb's America". Propaganda. WAY out of synch with reality."
I have read in other places that the general infrastructure of the US is not in good condition. [Obviously something of a sweeping generalisation, and I don't have any particular sources to hand.] Justin Webb also links to an article by those loonie lefties in Popular Mechanics which appears to support his point.
And other people posting here seem to have supported that view, even if with anecdotal evidence.
You however state that this is untrue, and propaganda. Presumably either JW is lying because of his ideological quest to do down the US - or he's been duped.
You presumably believe US infrastructure is in great shape? And you obviously do have a background in engineering.
And no doubt you have evidence too.
So why don't you share it?
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geomapgirl (#267), sure, but there is no discretion allowing the VP to be passed over. The VP must be eligible to the office of President, and if that office becomes vacant, the VP will advance to it.
I don't recall saying that the VP would be passed over. I was answering the question of who would become president if the President and Vice President could not. In that instance, the VP was already considered not qualified, for whatever reason.
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#247,
Tim,
I missed one. For Gen Y you have to be Green too.
Actually, these are all fairly common traits of Fortunes 100 Best places to Work list, though few manage all of them. Working Mother does a list too and the good organizations try hard to be on those lists. Look at the top 10 and you'll find many of them have operations in Ohio.
Good Luck!
Coach Sam
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#249
Nessie,
Serious political question. Who's the hottest Batman? Are we talking Christian Slater, Adam West?
And now that we have at last reached the subject of who is the hottest on this thread, I think we know the answer when it comes to potential first ladies.
Can't wait for the Obamathon tonight. Let's hope there is lots of Michelle. Oh yeah.
Excited Sam
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AsaScot, I don't agree with a lot posted on here. However, I don't dismiss everything I disagree with because unlike some I'm open to being wrong.
If I see somethng I disagree with, I don't have an automatic need to say so. If I do say so, I don't feel the need to repeat myself. If I see something posted multiple times, I don't find it necessary to ridicule anyone. There's one hell of a lot posted here, lots of it duplicated and lots of it nonsense. I'm not surprised if someone finds something and links to it, only to find that it's already been raised. You'd have to be a pretty sad individual to read every post on every thread.
I have my concerns about Obama, and I know Doug does too. We have both explained why we are wary of him. Personally, I find some of his excuses pretty lame, and this exacerbates my concerns. Other people here clearly have no concerns or find the explanations satifactory.
As you ask, I do not believe that he is a muslim and I do not believe he was born in Kenya.
I do believe that Acorn are politically motivated and not bi-partisan, as they are meant to be. I do believe that Acorn are submitting dubious registrations. That does not mean that I think Obama is using Acorm to steal the election.
I do suspect that Obama is more left wing that he trys to appear for the purposes of getting elected. I agree with the wealthy paying more tax, but I do not believe that the taxation system should be used to spread the wealth around. The first is a means (which I suport), the second is an end (which I do not).
So my advice to you is not to lump everyone who disagrees with you in the same boat, otherwise you betray your own prejudices.
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201 David_Cunard
The 1949 devaluation was triggered by America's abrupt end to the 'lease lend' agreement and their demand for immediate payment, this caused a run on the pound and the consequential devaluation.
204 john-In-Dublin
Thanks john you are correct, an extra 'more' crept in.
Out of interest, although losing the election in 1951, Labour received approximately 1.5 million votes more than the Tories whilst in 1974 the difference was only 190 thousand.
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275 - Excellent illustration.
273 - I think 'nincompoop' just about covers it.
And did someone really say that Republicans "respect individual's abilities to run their own lives..."
That would be funny if it weren't so completely and dangerously deluded.
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George Carlin said, "The middle class pay all the taxes, and do all the work for the wealthy, the poor are just there to scare the shit out of the middle class."
i believe he was rig on that one.
gotta love trickle down philosophy.
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#272. Nick-Gotts: "as has been pointed out, Labour lost the 1951 election despite having received more votes than the Tories, and then we got "13 years of Tory misrule" to quote Harold Wilson."
He would say that, wouldn't he? The result of the 1951 election was equally divided between Labour and the Conservative Party with the Liberals holding the balance of power; Labour would have needed far more seats (and votes) than they received to become a working government.
"As for you thinking Thatcher improved matters . . ." I did say that I had "grave reservations" about her, but she did undo the damage of nationalisation. Unless of course you think that everything which was owned by the state was a brilliant success. I don't see that the present government has been a vast improvement on that which preceded it - the sleaze factor is more apparent than anything under John Major. Elevating Mr Mandelson to the peerage and the subsequent revelations about his conduct don't exactly inspire confidence. There are some aspects of Labour legislation which I find acceptable, but tinkering with the Upper House, the problems of the NHS, immigration and "multi-culturalism" are not among them. But since this is a blog devoted to matters American, it is not really the place to discuss British politics, except to say that the favourable views held by many Americans about Tony Blair are misplaced. The ultimate opportunist.
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#250
Hola Justalina!
De nada. Como te va?
Some of the folks on that list operate in Spain. I'd be really interested to see how those programs are tailored across cultures. I suspect some of our stuff would not translate, our healthcare benefits need to be high because there is no safety net. I cannot image your Gen Yers are like ours.
Hasta luego!
Sam Espanol
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#271
Stu,
Me?
Generalissimo Sam
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Frayedcat 273: She did sound a lot more intelligent today, but only because someone wrote that speech for her. I would love to hear her ad-lib on this or any topic for say ten minutes ... Tina Fey would have enough material for years! More ominously,, it would seem that a section of the GOP really thinks she will be a future presidential candidate. Words fail me...
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Just an engineering titbit:
Road damage is proportional to axle load in a fourth power relationship, e.g. doubling the axle load does sixteen times the damage
Reference : the forestry road transport group (UK).
See 946 words...
Peace and local goods
ed
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Right the mods have clearly gone to bed so I'm doing the same, goodnight to one and all.
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#289. Jackturk: "although losing the election in 1951, Labour received approximately 1.5 million votes more than the Tories whilst in 1974 the difference was only 190 thousand."
I was wrong to write earlier that in 1951 the Liberals held the balance of power; Labour received 231,067 more votes than the Conservatives. Labour was nowhere near to winning a majority since the seats were divided Labour 295, Cons., 321. Don't forget that following the previous election, Labour had a majority over the Conservatives by just eighteen seats but did not hold an overall majority in Parliament.
Hard to swallow I know, but facts are facts! A useful site to find the actual figues can be found here.!
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geomapgirl (#285), you didn't, but the person who quoted implied that. Go back and read your italicized quote.
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#290
John,
Here you go. This is just bridges. The obsolete are the really scary ones.
http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/state_transportation_statistics_2006/html/table_01_07.html
Raw data is here:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/britab.htm
Helpful Sam
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Desperation of the loser
Spreading the fear
And another
Peace and Hope over fear
ed
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Obama's half hour
Peace and infomercials
ed
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I can tell you there is no sweeping generalization about the infrastructure here is the U.S. It is terrible (at least our freeway/highway systems). T e r r i b l e. In the urban metro areas it is literally dangerous on some stretches of freeway to go the speed limit. There is a stretch of i-5 in Washington State that is awful. It is scary in some places to drive on. We are now tolling bridges; it cost 4 dollars for one way to cross the Narrows Bridge. We are also testing a program that tolls drivers different amounts at different times to be able to drive in the HOV lane even if there is only 1 passenger in a car. We have a terrible public transportation system. However, in the last few years it has improved vastly. Our state is desperate for money, because every time we approve a gas tax to fix roads, our local government squanders it. Projects are years (y e a r s) over their time frame and billions over in their budgets. So, now they toll us for their mistakes.
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274. RomeStu:
"b) some sort of welfare for those out of work"
No no no. You must never, ever use the word "welfare" in the US. You can call it unemployment compensation, retraining support, anything. Just never use the word welfare. It's toxic.
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#257
I meant that a hand shake and some trust is mostly gone from our society.
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286. Coach Sam:
Thanks for the advice, but I'm not terribly mobile and I'm in a line of work that doesn't make me very marketable to Fortune 100 Best Places to Work companies. I'm just hoping for a more enlightened business culture to leak through to where I am.
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#257
not just picking on you because I know there are many out there who think similarly
but i don't need to move somewhere else just because i may have a differing opinion than you. I am a hard worker that sees a lot of injustice, and lately in this country if you have money you get justice. Please don't tell me thats a false statement. I love my country, but sometimes feel a bit dissillusioned. You should always question your government and not just blindly trust it.
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I agree# 274
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Brilliant!
Peace and good hands
ed
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#234 Dominick
I was being facetious. Just about every time I've mentioned faith on this blog, it was invariably followed by a number of critiques on "why religion is stupid/bad/misleading/wrong/evil." So I was anticipating more comments...
"Social Justice" is another one of those "red flag" concepts that seem to fire up many on the right. It is very much rooted in Christian tradition, and seems to be undergoing a resurgence. Both mainline (and Catholic) and evangelical groups seem to have realized that believers aren't just called to the abortion issue, but to all the other social issues addressed in Scripture (some ably pointed out by others here) as well.
"Blessed are the poor" doesn't sell well in this country, so I was also anticipating attack on this as well.
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#240 Sam
You have it dead on. I've also seen both kinds of management, but fear, if what I've seen is any indication, the change to the "compassionate" leadership model is still under way.
I served for several years on a board of directors of a 9-figure ESOP corporation as an employee-elected representative, and it was an eye opener. While a number of the outside directors were very down to earth and concerned about the workforce, co. management in general treated them like expendable pawns, and it showed in the 15-20% annual attrition rate, for professional level employees.
Perhaps a false impression, but I came to the conclusion that the traditional (?) drive for the bottom line was more typical. I'll be very glad if you tell me things are changing.
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#307,
Then Tim,
I would challenge myself to say 'What is it about the place that I work at that could be better?' It is a simple but tough question, because it is easy to ask and answer but not to turn into an actionable idea. But when you get one, be a leader and enlist senior folks who will get on board. Do it one idea at a time and you can change the place. I have seen small things like a big brother ' sister mentoring program transform the values of a business.
And that can only be good for us all.
Good luck, and post how it works out. I would be really interested to hear.
Supportive Sam
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#313 Sam
Did you just dare say "Big Brother"?
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british-ish,
You're right, "precarious" is improperly used in post #65 and I thank you for pointing that out, but I think in your anger at my use of the word "Socialist" you did not notice that I in fact did not call Obama a Socialist. But realize, that Obama did indicate his support for the redistribution of wealth which is very much a part of Socialist philosophy, something America is no stranger to; in America it gets by as Populism. I’m biased, but I think former Louisiana Gov. Huey Long promoted wealth redistribution best with the motto, "Every man a King."
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Via,
That is the program where we mentor kids in a poor neighbourhood on the weekends. I take them shooting, meet folks, serve at a soup kitchen and generally help them try to help others.
No orwellian stuff at all. I didn't name the program. But I do love it.
Sam
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#312
Via,
It is changing. The winners are there. The others, not so much. Ah well. That is capitalism.
Sam
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test
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# 316 Sam
Understood your original statement. Given the foaming-at-the-mouth lunacy that seems to be brewing over Obama's "socialism", I just found your reference and word choice amusing...
Hope you're right about the changes in corporate leadership.
Funny enough, my personal anecdote might prove you right- the co. on whose board I sat was bought out, and the original leadership was retained- until someone tried to hide info from the new (bigger) board. All are now retired...
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69 #179
Spoken like a true self serving mid management level flunkie. Large US corporations are getting rid of this kind of waste as the organizational chart pyramid becomes steeper. Practically everything you said is wrong. America does not follow ISO standards in its infrastructure. It has its own codes like NEC, NEMA, ASHRAE, ASTM, and ANSI. The one exception I'm aware of is that the US has adopted the International Building Code (Canada hasn't.) All of the products America uses are different. Codes and practices are changing quickly too. Just try importing a foreign trained engineer for building infrastructure and see what you get. Practically every one I've met in 40 years was awful. Sadly, American standards are dropping too. Many engineers are using their computers as a substitute for thinking instead of as tools to help them think. Plugging numbers into equations will give you dangerously wrong answers when you forgot or don't know what assumptions were those equations are based on and if they don't hold true. There probably isn't anyone left in America who could satisfy NRC if someone wanted to design a nuclear power plant today. The required mechanical and electrical engineering skills for the plant will have to be relearned as the prior cadre of engineers expert in this field is retired or died off.
Small companies don't indulge much in mid management either. Most employees answer directly to the top management. The whole mid management scam was invented by MBAs who could barely calculate net present value. They've run countless previously fine companies into the ground. Just look at the mess they've made of the entire banking and finance industries when left to their own devices. All MBAs, every one of them. Overpaid, overrated flunkies. Who's left to clean up after them?
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# 283
Reports that the interview with the woman wounded in the American attack on Syria is being played on:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bbc_news24
Is there any more specific URL possible?
This is a matter that needs to be looked into carefully.
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299 David_Cunard
"Hard to swallow I know, but facts are facts!"
My figures are correct, you need to find better sources, try here
As you say, "facts are facts"
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320.
ah, it lives.
Hopes dashed again.
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#320
Marcus,
You funny. I love the way every time someone disagrees with you you try to define them as something you don't like.
The labor market is the only true free market in the country. Skills are paid what they are worth. Engineers are worth what they get paid, a good income but nothing great. Because they do good work, nothing great
As for NRC, we did that before. Phe plans are under way and the plants are being designed now. Granted big chunks of them have to come from Japan and Europe now, the engineering is sound and some of the engineers are talented young folks from the US. Them darned pesky foreigners again are designing much of our Nuke infrastructure, because Japan and France didn't stop. The South africans have done some nice work with pebble bed technology as well.
I laughed at the standards as well. What do you think those are based on? We are even moving to international accounting standards with IFRS.
Middle management is a necessary evil in large organizations, and a good testing ground for the young and talented to earn their spurs. It also gives folks a chance to learn how to lead and deal with people, the hardest fo all skills.
You do seem awful bitter about MBA's though. Can I suggest an anger management course may help you to control yourself and move into those mid management ranks?
Coach Sam
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320. At 04:14am on 30 Oct 2008, MarcusAureliusII wrote:
"Small companies don't indulge much in mid management either. Most employees answer directly to the top management. The whole mid management scam was invented by MBAs who could barely calculate net present value. They've run countless previously fine companies into the ground. Just look at the mess they've made of the entire banking and finance industries when left to their own devices. All MBAs, every one of them. Overpaid, overrated flunkies. Who's left to clean up after them? "
Talk about chip on the shoulder. What's the matter, failed your course did you?
Fond of the sweeping judgements about other people. Are you sure you are so perfect?
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So why don’t the people of Pennsylvania fix their bridges? Oh, that’s right; they want to rest of us to fix their bridges for them.
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We are engaged in an immoral illegal war in Iraq. that costs billions of dollars.. Quit this war and the money is available for repairing all of our infrastructure and put thousands to work. It has to do with being honest as a nation and spending taxpayers money for the first priorities which should be domestic needs first. . .. . right now the lobbyists have us fueling and wasting money with a few contractors on the Pentagon "wish list" for a tragic venture.
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Thanks 243,244,246 and bluejay.
I suppose I consider myself a reasonable radical. This means I think almost every war fought in my lifetime by the US was a terrible mistake. But the first Gulf War should have been fought, and was well fought.
Similarly, I would pay higher taxes for a number of things: universal health care, better education, better roads. I'm not against the government doing things on principal. Some governmental agencies do a very good job: US Postal Service; the armed forces, etc.
But when a governmental agency has made a complete farce of its civic responsibility, I can get as mad as any conservative.
You're right about 79: the road to the airport has been under construction since I got to Pittsburgh, which is 40 years ago. In the words of Al McGuire (20 years ago). "It doesn't take 20 years to fix a road. Someone's got his hand in the till."
I view tollbooths as something which were once necessary and are now a scam. Why not make motorists pay taxes per mile driven on the basis of state inspection records? I'd get hours back every year.
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69
Oh how straight the arrow, how true on to the target I was. I see I touched a hot button. Armies of middle managers out there desperately trying to justify their existance always thinking up useless ways to prove their worth.
In many large companies like ones I worked in, management employees would be required to write their own appraisal once a year explaining what they had accomplished, what their strengths and weaknesses were, goals, etc. There were both narative questions and metrics (how many beans did you save or take in as profit this last year. Then they'd review them with their supervisors as part of their evaluation to see what kind of bonus or raise they'd get. (naturally that had been predetermined based largely on internal politics.) And it was of course signed off by the employee and the supervisor and put in the employee's file folder.
So what did middle management write to justify themselves? One of their favorite related to your comment about getting people to get along with each other. These were the "team building activities" they'd organized. These are the biggest joke of American industry....except they collectively cost billions. An entire industry of management consultants has been built up around it. They will come into your company for a fee, study your organization and tell you in a detailed report how to improve efficiency of operations based on improved morale, mutual understanding, and cooperation. There are lots of them throughout the year. The company picnic, the department trip to the baseball or football game, the Christmas party, and then there are the expensive off site special team building activities. These include the feely touchy games. The games where one person in a group is blindfolded. The games where small groups are formed to achieve a task and each group competes against the other groups. The groups are even told sometimes to create a name for their team. There are the self psychological evaluations where you fill in all kinds of forms about yourself such as the "Briggs Stratton" form or whatever it's called and then it's discussed in detail so you know what your strengths and weakness are that you have to work on and your personality type. Then there are the "creativity" seminars where you are told to "think outside the box" to be innnovative and improve performance. Most expensive are the multiday off site meetings. One which was a gripe session was called MART which stood for Management Round Table and took 3 days for every employee. Another was "Team Company XXX" (you fill in the name of your company" which also wasted 3 days. Then there are the department meetings where every employee of a department (I've even seen it down to the hourly factory workers) sits in meetings where a high level manager reviews the financial performance of the department for the previous year and projections for the coming year. The variants are endless, all of them worthless. But because they are mutually beneficial to justifying the existance of middle management, it is political suicide within the corporation to deride them. At one company I worked at, employees referred to each other as "associates." One day management figured out a way to outsource much of a large department by "trading" them to another company. They got a severance package and came back to their same jobs but as employees of another company. A week later, what was left of the department management was whipping their former associates verbally for their shortcomings in not doing their jobs efficiently. So much for team building, so much for the myth of middle management. Just go into any small business like a retail shop or a doctor's office like a clinic. Find any middle managers there? You must be joking. Hiring a management consulting firm to tell you how to improve your operation? What a laugh. Just suggest it and the owner will throw you out on your ear.
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Redwhiteandermblue,
Stop shaving and grow a beard. You'll get even more hours back!Peace and facial hair
ed
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#370
Hi Marcus,
I'd love to see your Briggs Stratton profile. But don't they make engines? I'm pretty sure my profile is a snow blower and a lawn mower.
It's funny you think you hit a target. If you need to think I am a middle manager think away, it doesn't change who I am.
Those psyche profiles are really useful, knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps you build a team who play to each others strengths. For example I am good at getting things up and running, but lose focus on an idea over the long haul. Other folks run things for me so I can get the next idea up and making money. I know that, I can measure it in all sorts of ways (and other things). I also encourage 360 degree feedback from employees, peers and board. Knowing how others see you is really important.
I see you don't like consultants either, would you like to make me one of those next? (Don't make the joke about making one out of marzipan, it's old).
You are correct in one thing though. Doctors and small shops do not have middle managers. Neither do they have tens of thousands of employees needing guidance and supervision. It would have been sort of tough for Jack Welch to set every employees goals and provide feedback to everyone at GE.
I could do a whole article on how goal setting and measurement influences behavior, but we can save that for another time.
I assume from your rather lengthy post that you don't like team building? I recognize you in that. The guy who bitches and moans, or doesn't participate because he / she does not want to part of the group. Then tries to justify it by saying these things are a waste of money? The person who doesn't like to see their profile because they are not strong enough to accept their weaknesses, who doesn't want 360 feedback for fear of finding out what people think?
The trouble with writing off whole groups of people (middle managers, consultants, MBA's) is that most of them know something you don't. In fact I'd hazard all of them know something I don't. It may or may not be of use to me but if I don't respect and listen to them I will never find out. Which leaves me a poorer person in thought and deed.
We now have a pretty good outline of your management ethos:
- Focus exclusively on the bottom line, not governance or responsibility
- No management, everyone reports to the CEO
- No team building, no social events
- Lots of engineers engineering
That's a heck of a business. A world beater. I wonder why it doesn't exist?
Perplexed Sam
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330.
Very true. But I'd prefer myself to be the one wasting my time. And besides, my beard comes in all patchy. Makes me look even more hideous than nature intended.
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re. 313. Supportive Sam:
Ah, yes. I have rolled large rocks up hills only to see them roll back down again when given a shove by someone in a senior position in a different department. There is the org chart and the mission statement, and then there is the reality. I will continue to try and hope that eventually some rocks will stay up there. And sometimes you have to be satisfied with small rocks.
If I could say what I did for a living, the picture would be clear.
But thanks for the encouragement.
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#69
I've been on lots of teams. As a team member, as a team leader. Learing how to build and maintain a team is easy. Doing it is the hard part. But it doesn't get done by management flunkies who are actually very bad for team morale because they don't contribute anything of value and everyone on the team knows it.
I've been to more of these "seminars" than I can count. You can learn the basic principles of teamwork in an hour if you can stay awake long enough to get through it. Good communications, clearly defined roles, no hidden agendas, recognition for contributions blah blah blah. But to turn a pamphlet into a book you can sell at $29.95 takes dozens of anecdotes and to turn a one hour lecture into a three day seminar you can charge tens of thousands of dollars for takes inventing tests, teambuilding exercises, hotel meeting rooms, buffets, and a willingness to waste the participants time and the company's money. Sometimes the thing turns bizarre. National Secretaries week, bring your child to work day, bring your daughters to work day. Managers are gung ho during the sessions and then go right back to what they were and are in real life as soon as it's over. In the US it's all a tax writeoff to the large companies who buy this. Don't forget that there really are no such things as holidays and vacations, you have to do all that work you were away from when you get back because nobody did it for you when you were away. The best manager I ever had...called me when there was a new project I needed to check out and attend a kickoff meeting for and I saw him once a week at the useless department staff meetings. Why should I care what the EBITDA was for his department, I wasn't running it and it was for a service the company had to pay for one way or another anyway. The rest of the time he left me alone in an office 40 miles from his. I knew my job. If I didn't do it well, he'd hear about it soon enough and I'd hear from him. When someone transfered out to another department, I'd seem him at the farewell luncheon...if I could spare the time.
The fact is that there are no projects so small or simple where a team is not necessary and the memebers don't sink or swim together. Anyone too dumb to know that and doesn't see it's in their own best interest for the project to succeed by doing their job and pulling their weight shouldn't be on the team to begin with. Starting with the managers who pop in to stick their noses in and then never do anything becaue they don't know how to (that's why they became managers in the first place, it's the Peter Principle, you either get promoted to manager or fired because you can't do a real job. I've had more than my fair share of them. I think all of this bullcrap started in California. It is so like California.
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#333
I hear you Tim. But every once in a while one stays where you put it. And that feels good.
Homebound Sam
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#334
Why Marcus,
I agree with you. Leadership is more than teamwork. It's about inspiration, and you can only inspire when you inspire everyone.
There are terrible books, but there are also great ones particularly ones that deal with psychology. Forget the management spin, go for the science behind it.
And by the way, whoever was measuring EBITDA by the department is a freaking lunatic.
Pax vobiscum
Sam
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69
Whoever was measuring EBITDA by department was a lunatic? You don't know the half of it. I worked for a company that was once the largest privately owned company in the world. They had over a million employees. The broke up many years ago. You can probably figure out who it was. I worked there many years after the first breakup, one of several major ones. Their facilities arm was called Global Real Estate and they were truly global with properties all over the world. When I got there they had over 100 million square feet of space. Despite the fact that they had a captive internal market, they devised a system for handling all projects that was ISO9001 certified and as a Project Manager I was not only audited periodically internally but by Lloyds of London also to maintain their ISO certification. Not only were projects subject to audit but so was knowledge of process. The block diagram of how projects were handled was far more complicated than the schematic block diagram of a color television set. Talk about the insanity of paperwork. Each project had over 100 forms that needed to be filled out. My job became 20% Project management, 80% paperwork. Prior to that, I'd worked for a spinoff of their research arm. It was the largest research consorteum in the world. Their purchasing department reduced the number of steps to buy something from 41 steps to 19 and eliminated an entire level of middle management without any impact to the company. They probably could have eliminated another level or two if they'd wanted to. Most of these people just looked for ways to fill up time so that they could justify themselves. Unfortunately for these people, once they are out of work, they have few if any marketable skills. They skated by sometimes their entire working lives on totally useless unproductive make work. By the time they get to their 40s or 50s they are no longer retrainable to do anything useful for society. Some actually committed suicide when they were laid off. Their high flying lifestyles on large unearned salaries over for good, they couldn't face it.
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#337
Marcus,
Ummm. I was there for a while, at the end. Sorry. They couldn't be helped, disfunctional culture. Mebbe I should buy you a beer some time and see who has the most screwed up experiences?
That said, I still more good than bad, and most of those organizations have gone.
Really Sad Sam
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Justin....
The bridges in the United States are crumbling very quickly and they need to be repair fast....
~Dennis Junior~
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