Tax mileage, not gas?

Oregon may tax drivers based on the miles they rack up on their cars, instead of using gas taxes to fund new roads.  This is a novel approach; one that I had not thought of.  It does make sense, since cars will eventually get to 50mpg or more, and at that point the gas tax will have to be extremely high, or other taxes (like this) will have to bridge the gap.  It is definitely a fair tax, since drivers would pay for the amount that they use the roads.

The one concern that I have (which is also mentioned in the article), is privacy.  However, if detailed tracking information is not stored, I do not see much of a problem.  

The Party of Racial Backlash

Krugman has an interesting editorial today on the GOP's strategy for the past 40 years.  I agree with him that overall, the GOP has symbolized a "good ole boy" network, in which very few minorities were given top spots.  But Bush changed some of that with his appointments, although the party lost many of them under McCain (like Colin Powell).  

One thing that Krugman misses is the GOP's small government rhetoric, which was powerful for a time, even if it may partially be to blame for the current meltdown.

Time to Re-Open Liberty

One of the forgotten victims of 9/11 is the Statue of Liberty, which has been partially closed since those attacks.  This limited access may change with the incoming administration as Obama was a co-sponsor of a bill to re-open the statue.

I think that it is very important to allow full access to the statue (even the Torch!  But that has been closed for 82 years).

Freedom of religion must be an American phenomenon

It is one thing to close border crossings. Such a move is necessitated by security concerns. However; barring a specific sex, age group, and religion from going into their places of worship is another.

Obama 's leadership approved by most

Barack Obama will be our president within 20 days.  Currently, people believe that he is as strong as a leader as Reagan when he was a president-elect.  

Many more people approve of his leadership now than voted for him.  What this means is that many of his policies should be rapidly approved by congress.  I hope.

Y2K+9 Zune Bug

Microsoft's Zune players all stopped working on Dec 31, due to a bug with the way the device handles leap-years.  They claim it will work tomorrow as long as the user performs a full reset, involving draining the battery down.  

Nice to know these are the same guys who develop the dominant operating system.  Thankfully, I use an iPod and OS X.

Overlooked on Palin's daughter and her baby daddy

Despite what Sarah Palin says, they are both pretty much high school drop outs.  Levi (and he's got the most normal name) ended his high school career prematurely so that he could work in an apprenticeship.  That's dropping out.  Her daughter is finishing with correspondence courses.

He may get his GED and she may get her diploma, but they are by no means shoe-ins.  

What goes unsaid is that neither is likely to attend college.  In the current world, not attending college is equivalent to dropping out of high school 20 years ago.  I feel bad for the grand kid, whatever its name is, but the Palin family will likely be back into trailers within a generation.

My Hopes for 2009

I hope:

The stock market recovers.  And with it my portfolio.

The children in the Middle East learn how to share the sandbox.

We finally get a carbon tax, including a good gas tax.

Freedom continues to spread like a disease.

Privacy is restored.

GITMO is closed.

Bush is charged.

Cheney too.

2008, In Review

2008 was quite interesting.  It marked the end of Republicanism/Conservatism in the United States, at least for the forseeable future.  We saw progress in Iraq, and regress in Afghanistan.  

And through an intricate web of mortgage backed securities and credit default swaps, we saw the demise of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Merill Lynch, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, Countrywide, and countless other financial firms.  

The free world also won, with Barack Obama defeating John McCain.  

The year, however, ended with the Israeli military state flexing its muscle in ways that would make Putin envious, and this is one more lose end for Obama to tie up once he claims the office on January 20, 2009.

Leap Second Tonight

A leap second is being added at 19:00 EST to account for the slowing of Earth's rotation.  So 18:59:59 will be on the clock twice as long as normal.

Not an AAPL for your health

Apple's stock is down by over 50% from its high this year.  One of the main reasons is that Steve Jobs's health is in question.  He battled pancreatic cancer a few years ago, which is one of the deadliest cancers.  

Earlier in December, Apple announced that the 2009 Macworld conference would be its last, and that Steve Jobs would not deliver a keynote, something he has done for quite some time.  

I am typing this note on an Macbook, so I have to say I do like Apple's products.  However, I would shy away from its stock right now, since a stray cough from Steve Jobs could send the price down 5%.  

Simple tips for saving

Here are some simple ways to save some green in 2009.  I have to say, the automatic paycheck deduction works well.  We currently save about 20-25% of our monthly incomes.  Once you have it diverted automatically you rarely miss it.

The Cost of War

Here, you can read about what's actually going on.  Regardless of what you think of the situation, it is a good idea to donate to relief efforts (and hopefully they won't be rammed by our "allies"), such as the International Red Cross.  Donate here, choose "Israel Occupied Territories."

Even though your grandma's the governor...

...you aren't royalty.  Bristol Palin's kid was born today, and parents certainly lived up to the family's cacophonous nature of naming their kids: Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.

I certainly feel bad for the kid.  His parents aren't married, one of his grandmothers is a drug dealer and the other is Sarah Palin.

Lions finally fire naked coach

The Lions are cleaning house today, firing a handful of coaches. Foremost on the list is Rod Marinelli, the head coach who has gone 10-38 in his tenure with the team.

Going unnoticed by most is defensive line coach Joe Cullen. In August, 2006 Cullen drove through a Wendy's drive-thru drunk and naked. He was suspended for one game and fined $20,000. I'm not sure what is worse: this incident and the fact that they kept him as a coach, or the team's defensive line performance. I didn't even know we had a defensive line coach this season.

Israel continues over-react

In what appears to be more than a skirmish at the end of a cease-fire, Israel continues to bomb targets inside the Gaza Strip.  This action threatens us all.

As usual, Israel is facing a mountain of criticism for this over-reaction.  Did Hamas attack them?  Yes.  However, the Hamas rocket attack left 1 person dead, while Israel has killed upwards of 300, including many children.  This does not excuse what Hamas did; they are just as much to blame.  But the United States does not partner with them, and condemns their every action.

It is quite obvious from this fiasco that Israel is not grown up enough to be a true friend of the United States.  They are very similar to Georgia, a country that provoke Russia and demanded our help.  In this case, Israel is going up against a relatively weak force, but they should not expect our support, whether it be money, military training, or backing in the UN Security Council.  I am hopeful the new administration is smart enough to recognize the danger in keeping close association with such a country.

Israel's current policy is doing a lot right now to promote terrorism. Every child that is killed by a bomb within Gaza is another martyr to inspire dozens of suicide bombers.  And our country's ties to Israel make us a target as well.

Criticism inside of Israel is beginning to build, as this article and this article in Haaretz show.

I condemn both sides: Hamas for starting the mess, and Israel for pursuing actions that it knows will disproportionately attack civilians.  If Israel claims to be the most civilized country in the Middle East it should act like it.

Worst team. Ever.

The Lions have successfully completed an entire NFL season without winning 1 game.

Raise the gas tax now!

Thomas Friedman, always the smartest guy in the room, sees a pattern playing out again.  With gas prices going down again, as they did in the 80s, the amount of Americans buying SUV's is going to increase, with the money they spend on gas going right into the pockets of those who fund terrorism.  

One way to prevent this is to raise the gas tax to $2-3 per gallon, making a gallon of gas cost at least $3.50.  At this price, Ford and GM could competitively sell hybrids (even Toyota loses money on hybrids with gas at its current price).  We could use the extra tax revenue to repair roads that badly need it (I was just in a state full of them).  This would also discourage people from buying inefficient cars, and ensure the automakers that it was safe to pursue hybrids; that their research and development money would not go down the toilet if gas crashes in price again.