Shift-8
Monday August 10 2009 1:19pm
Godwin's Law Applied to Healthcare
I would like to formally congratulate the White House and the Democrats in congress trying to get health care reform done this year on their victory in the public debate on the issue. Those opposed to the plan have evoked Hitler to make their point. My favorite corollary of Godwin’s Law states “once such a comparison is made, the thread is finished and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically lost whatever debate was in progress.” The right wing talk show hosts have evoked Hitler and thus have immediately lost the argument. Congratulations Mr. Obama, and legislative Democrats, take the rest of the summer off and stuff health care reform through with reconciliation and no republican votes this fall, they are not interested in a real debate.
Update: After posting this I took a look the some news websites, and found out I was not the only wise-ass to apply Godwin’s Law to the healthcare debate, you will find news articles all over the net quoting Godwin’s Law.
Thursday March 26 2009 7:18pm
Karen Chu's SXSW 2009 20x2
I like this.
Karen Chu's SXSW 2009: 20x2 “What's it gonna take?” video.
Wednesday January 28 2009 4:14pm
Please don't lower my taxes!
To: Congress
Regarding: The Economic Stimulus Package
Republicans, you don't get it. I just listened to a few of you interviewed about the stimulus package. What I heard were complaints about how the bill is filled with liberal pet projects. You complain about how the bill is filled with Big Government Spending, and how we need tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
You don't get it, this is an emergency. Big Government Spending is the only thing that can have a positive immediate effect on the current economy. You are right that the tax cuts currently in the bill, in the form of rebates, are not going to accomplish anything. You are right to say that a $500 check is not going help the working family out much right now. Overall, it is a waste of money. However, your suggestion of more significant tax cuts for working families and even bigger corporate tax cuts... those are no better. A percentage decrease in the amount someone is paying in taxes is not going to help someone without a job. Corporate tax decreases may add jobs to the economy, but not nearly quick enough, nor in the amount that we need. This is an emergency; we need large projects where people are put to work building stuff. These people that get jobs building stuff — like roads, and utility infrastructure — these people will now have money; money they can spend buying TVs, refrigerators, and computers. That purchasing power puts retail and the tech industry back to work. These people may even begin to afford paying their mortgages again.
Whether or not corporate tax cuts are a good strategy for long term economic growth, or perhaps that money would be better spent on a free public health care system taking a huge burden of corporations so they can be more competitive; that sirs, that is a debate for another day. This is an emergency. Take all the tax cuts out of the bill. Use all of the money for Big Government Spending, putting people to work, building Stuff. Stuff we can use. If you cut my taxes I am not going to spend the money, I am going to save it. Tax cuts do not work, especially in an emergency. We need to build from the ground up, no more trickle down.
Friday May 09 2008 1:27pm
Life is Bullshit (Happy Birthday)
So I just got an early birthday card from my insurance agent, one of those things that is supposed to make you feel like you have a relationship with someone you may have never met. A card generated, printed, and addressed by a computer. Of course it was addressed to Steve Lance. Obviously the first problem with that is the last name. So many places since Audrey and I have owned a house together have my last name as Lance instead of Smith. That only angers me a little bit. The part the really drives me crazy is the "Steve" part. Yes, I go by Steve, but my legal name is Steven, and the name I use on anything official is always either "Steven L Smith" or "Steven Lee Smith". Only my friends can call me "Steve" in print or on the screen; everyone else I expect to waste the extra characters worth of ink to at least get that "n" down on paper.
That really isn't the thing that got my mind going when I read the card. Inside is a look back at 1981 with a list of how much things cost. Here's how I know life is bullshit (read as: the country is on the wrong track). In my lifetime so far, from 1981 - 2008 the average income has just about doubled; yet the cost of a loaf of bread and the average cost of a new home have more than quadrupled.
HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY.
Friday September 07 2007 10:28pm
Wake Up!
Wake up website! Hi peoples, I am starting to build things in my head. You might actually see some new content here, or maybe a new layout. In the mean time: twitter.
