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Canonball Run

The Sunday night drive home from Philly is often a dull affair.  Tired, worn out, and dreading the start of another week, I drive the 52 miles.

In order to make it more interesting, I’ve been prone to racing my own “Canonball Run” against the clock, trying to get home as quickly as possible.  This past Sunday I’ve posted by best time, 60 minutes, a mark that I’d come close to hitting but usually missed by 1 to 4 minutes.

Why the big deal?  Well, from Google Maps the route should take about 90 minutes.  Only about half the trip is on highway, and the speed limit there is 55 miles per hour for all but four miles.

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Personal

Moving Day

Most of the boxes are packed and moved.  The book cases and closets are empty.  Little by little moving day is coming.  After almost seven years in my apartment, it is almost time to leave.

Next Thursday I become a Philadelphia resident.  It has been a great run living in central NJ, with so much going on in the area.   But it’s time for a change, time to learn something new.  So my belongings will move in with my fiancee, with me to follow soon thereafter.

Now all we have to do is sort out who gets which spaces and who gets to hang what on the walls.

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News Uncategorized

Jindal Be Bad (Why the Louisiana Gov is Wrong)

Expanding on my previous post, Sunday’s NY Times had an article about the reconstruction efforts in New Orleans and Louisiana in general and how the stimulus spent by the government to rebuild has had a major effect on the area, supporting jobs and demand.

Gov. Jindal, of course, trying to kowtow to an out-of-touch crowd trying to look after their own special interests, rejects any such help.

Nice to know the citizens of Louisiana are being served so well.

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News

And you wonder why we’re in this mess?

The Republicans announced their alternate budget (for real, this time!) late last week.  Here’s a snapshot of their great ideas:

House Republicans yesterday unveiled a more complete proposal that would cut taxes for businesses and the wealthy, freeze most government spending for five years, halt spending approved in the economic stimulus package and slash federal health programs for the poor and elderly.

And you wonder why we’re in this mess?  In a timeframe when demand is dropping for all kinds of goods and services, slashing business taxes and taxes for the wealthy, while reducing support for those who already lack access to basic goods, is a recipe for even further declines.  Those who already have money beyond the basic services will only save any incremental income to conserve resources, while those who are marginal would otherwise spend incremental income on basic necessities, thus stimulating demand.  A scenario of falling demand requires the opposite approach, to support those most at risk financially while requiring those who have more to contribute a larger share.

Seriously, this plan sounds like robbing the poor to pay the rich.  A swell plan.

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News

Really, Iowa?

Really?  That was my first reaction when I read the news that the Iowa Supreme Court had declared the law restricting marriage to a legal union of one man and one woman unconstitutional.  It’s not so much that yet another state rendered this kind of decision so much as it is a midwestern state.  No offense to the Midwest, but it’s not thought of as a bastion of progressive thought.  Had Vermont, NJ, NY, Oregon or Washington been next, perhaps, but really, Iowa?  Way to jump the line.

I am heartened by this news, though, because it shows how despite the invective that some old guard hurl at homosexuals, they are definitely working against the trend.

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News

Another Anti-Voicemail Article

I’m always excited when I see another article come out talking about how people are abandoning voicemail.  So thank you, NYTimes, for your investigative piece.

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News

Crisis of Credit

Over the weekend I stumbled on this great video that explains what’s actually happening in the economy.  Then the Treasury Secretary announces his revised plan, which sounds conceptually like the initial TARP money plan.  And like Brad DeLong, I happen to feel that this is the best way forward.

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News

Bumpy Ride

The official jobless rate is 8.1%, which sounds bad.  Until you realize that it doesn’t include folks who’ve stopped looking or those who have only found part-time work but want full-time work.  Then it’s 14.8%, which gives you an idea of how ugly things are really getting.

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News

Collecting Debts

Seriously, how low can you go?  Collecting money that might not even be legally owed from the next of kin of someone deceased?  Even in death we can’t escape our debts anymore.  Or at least our families can’t.

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News Rutgers

Earmarks

Ok, I’ll bite.  What’s wrong with some of the earmarks in the spending bill?

For instance, there is $950,000 for the College Ave redesign in New Brunswick.  Why is that an issue?  Isn’t it the government’s job to spend money on certain public initiatives?

How would you have the government divy up the money that is spent?  Instead of politicians, would you have an unelected set of technocrats make the spending decisions deep in government agencies?  What should the policy be?