Tuesday, March 30, 2010

a modest proposal

I recieved a letter from the census bureau that I would be recieving a letter from the census bureau. They were correct. I recieved the second letter with a form which I filled out and mailed. A week later I recieved another letter from the census bureau reminding me I was legally obligated to fill out and return the form.
Today the newspaper reported that unemployment fell this month,and that the government had hired a million people to execute the census. I certainly applaud the decline in unemployment but I cant help musing on the number of people employed to send me three letters. If the bureau would send me a dollar I'd contact ten people to insure they returned the census forms and we would save money and relieve the postal service.

Friday, March 26, 2010

death count

When we were at war in Iraq newspapers carried a death count every day. Were now at war in Afghanistan . I seldom see such coverage in the papers, or on TV. Is their something less about military deaths now or does a change in the administration make death more acceptable ?

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Health Care ?

Why would congress pass a bill of doubtful constitutionality that we do not have the money for and that is totally unworkable? The bill will create jobs for 17000 new IRS enforcers, numerous other federal jobs, create 31 million new patients but not one new doctor. It will in fact encourage doctors to leave their practices. There must be a motive. Being an idealist , and assuming the best intentions of our elected representatives, I'll be damned if I understand the motives producing such weird legislation.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

show me the money

How any of our benighted brethren in the congress can vote in favor of the health care bill when the constitutionality of the payment method is in serious doubt is bewildering. The requirement that citizens buy health care insurance when they don't want to buy it is a serious intrusion on individual rights. If this requirement is deemed legal could you see the day when there is a requirement , for the greater good ,of course, that we buy GM automoblies ?
The argument is made that you must buy car insurance to drive therefore this law is fine, however, that ignores the fact that if I refuse to drive I am not obligated to buy insurance. Driving is a
priviledge I may forgo.
The real problem occurs if this legislation is passed into law and the courts decide that the forced purchase of health insurance is unconstitutional. Where does the money come from to fund the law?Perhaps it would be a good idea to consider this eventuality before creating chaos.

Friday, March 05, 2010

the dismal psuedosciences

To be acceptable science the theories propounded must be supported by empirical evidence. Three disciplines purporting to be science do not meet this criteria. Economists, psychiatrists, and sociologists each try to use mathematical projections to quantify their theories and all fail miserably. Texts of the three disciplines are filled with formulae purporting to represent reality but merely give a surface gloss to suspect scholarship. It is unfortunate that news organizations trumpet edicts from these groups without caveat or referance to uncertainty.