Bleak Thought of the Day

Be a careful about what you ask for (or how you choose to measure success):

"the admission that exercising a hospital's primary function is no longer a source of value and revenue, it is viewed as entirely cost, risk, and liability. Consequently, they are no longer building any capacity, and are in fact looking for ways to reduce their capacity and eliminate hospital beds"

Moose Out Front

In my Twitter feed today...

erronious Sorry folks, the country is closed. Moose out front shoulda told ya.

Reference

US Government Shutdown

Funny - Day 1.

Backups Simplified

Living "Atlas Shrugged"

stonebryson Train derailments, bridge collapses, govt directives. Anyone else feel like we're living "Atlas Shrugged?" #WhoIsJohnGaltMon, Jul 29 15:16:13 from web retweeted by AtlasShrugged

---

Name: Stone Bryson

Location: Jacomo

Web: http://t.co/lKCzjAzwVm

Bio: Poet / Founder of Tabletan / Twitter Junkie /// My Sites: http://t.co/h566b3RbPB / http://t.co/sR063tWItu

Following: 104 Followers: 219 Updates: 6062

---

Source of Cheap Radios

I have found the source of some of the cheap radios - the US Marshals.

Hero of the Day

What is your probable cause?

Am I being detained?

Am I free to go?


My favorite part is here at the end.

Via Uncle

Radios Don't Pirate Radio

Operators do.

AR-15: Good for You, Good for Me

Department of Homeland Security: Sport rifle (AR-15) “suitable for personal defense” - including 30 round magazines and select-fire.

"Basically, IT magnifies power"

I like this quote from Bruce:

"Basically, IT magnifies power"

He is using it to discuss the activities of the Syrian government to deal with dissidents, but I think it applies to more mundane situations - like running a business.

Where is the line?

I'm struggling with this one. Rachel Held Evans - "God and our political platforms..."

"Because God is not a flag pin.

God is not a beam in a political platform.

God’s name is not something to use to score political points. It's not something to throw around lightly or to use as a weapon against a political opponent."

Where is the line between God being a part of everything we do and using God to fulfill our own wants? Where is the line between openly expressing our faith and offending others? Sometimes the line is clear.

Recently there has been a discussion about prayers before college football games as some schools are replacing it with a moment of silence. My libertarian side says that is a good thing. My practical side says people need to have thicker skin than to be offended by a 30 second prayer. My Christian side hates to see God removed from another part of my life.

And if we are going to ban prayers before games, should we also stop playing the National Anthem?

Portability of Personal Data

If it is portable for you, it is portable for the bad guys, too.

TSA

I agree they are getting more aggressive - aggressive with the people they are supposed to protect.

I've had run-ins with the TSA before (and another thing about that encounter).

I had another discussion with them this week. My daughter was sick when we left Knoxville for the happiest place on earth, so we had her digital thermometer in a carry-on. No issues when going through security in Knoxville - in fact, we got to go through the metal detector instead of the cancer machine. Win!

On the return, my wife and daughter got to go through the metal detector, so I asked if I could go through, too. Surprisingly, they let me. No fuss. So far, so good. (In fact, on the way to Orlando, I got to meet Jessie Godderz of Big Brother fame aka Mr. PEC-Tacular.)

However, the aforementioned digital thermometer got flagged in the x-ray machine because it had a nine volt battery in it. They asked whose bag it was, so I pointed to the three year old. The TSA agent took the backpack to a metal table to do the search. He asked if there was a battery in the bag. We said yes and that it was in a digital thermometer. He could not find said thermometer in the bag and my wife kept reaching to help him. This seemed to annoy him as we were not supposed to touch the bag.

During the search, I don't remember what he said, but something set me off, so I started my usual speech about my tax dollars at work and security theater. This really got his knickers in a knot. After finally finding the "hidden" thermometer, he took the bag to be re-scanned. While he was there, he must have asked for a supervisor to talk with the grumpy old white man.

The supervisor asked me if I had a problem with them searching my bag. I said I had a problem with the inconsistency - that the thermometer had not been a problem at the other airport. She said I should be glad that they found it here to keep me safe. What?!?! I should be glad you found a thermometer?!?! These people have no concept that false-positives are a bad thing, too. She was quite aggressive in her tone and insisted that I was in the wrong.

My wife got nervous and asked me to drop it.

The original agent held out the bag to me, but would not let go. I truly believe that he was hoping I would jerk it out of his hand, so that they could give me an even harder time. Finally, he let go and we moved on to our flight.

I cannot believe so many people are happy with the TSA as stated in the first link of this post. Security theater is better than reality.

196

"And .000063 percent -- 196 Americans-- have given more than 80 percent of the super-PAC money spent in thepresidential elections so far."

Taxes, Transfers, and Voting

Roberta X has an extreme proposal...

"It's simple: if the Feds give you money, from a handout to a paycheck to a bailout, you can't vote."

Alan comments

"I always said you shouldn't get a vote unless you were a net tax payer."

Speaking of "net tax payers," I read this depressing bit of news that the middle class is no longer a net contributor (via Althouse):

"Because transfer payments are, in effect, the opposite of taxes, it makes sense to look not just at taxes paid, but at taxes paid minus transfers received. For 2009, the most recent year available, here are taxes less transfers as a percentage of market income (income that households earned from their work and savings):

Bottom quintile: -301 percent
Second quintile: -42 percent
Middle quintile: -5 percent
Fourth quintile: 10 percent
Highest quintile: 22 percent

Top one percent: 28 percent

The negative 301 percent means that a typical family in the bottom quintile receives about $3 in transfer payments for every dollar earned.

The most surprising fact to me was that the effective tax rate is negative for the middle quintile. According to the CBO data, this number was +14 percent in 1979 (when the data begin) and remained positive through 2007. It was negative 0.5 percent in 2008, and negative 5 percent in 2009. That is, the middle class, having long been a net contributor to the funding of government, is now a net recipient of government largess."

Maybe this means President Obama was 60% right about building things on our own. (Also via Althouse)

Euron a.k.a. Drunk Cows

The SCOTUS decision on Obamacare has everyone's attention, so we've forgotten for the moment what is going on in Europe.

It reminds me of Enron Cows.

Europe link via Uncle

It is a Tax

Even before the decision yesterday on Obamacare, where did people think the money was coming from? That's right... Obama's magical stash.

Chief Justice Roberts Is A Genius link via Uncle

Swiss Defense

Very interesting... A book about the Swiss infrastructure and their plans to destroy bridges and close tunnels as a component of national defense. Comments on the BLDG Blog and on Bruce Schneier's blog indicate that some of the information is dated, but I still find the concept fascinating. I also learned that one of my favorite treats can also be used to stop tank invasions.



Via Bruce Schneier

Sign Me Up!

Do Not Kill Registry

(Disclaimer - probably only as effective as a no weapons sign.)

Via Slashdot.org

Social Security Statements On-line

Last year I posted about the end of paper Social Security statements and lamented that there was no on-line replacement. That's changed. You can check your Social Security history here.

Via Bargaineering (now and for the original post)