Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Another Bad Idea
Chrysler has a history of making unique, intriguing but tragically flawed cars. They continue that with the new 'Peapod'.
Forty miles isn't very far for a commuter car. For example, if you live in Cumming and work in downtown Atlanta, you're car will stop on I-85 south just after the merge, seven miles from your destination.
If you happen to live inside the perimeter or if you're in a smaller metro area you're still out of luck if you want to pick up some eggs on the way home, or if traffic just happens to stall one night.
Further, you can't even drive it on the interstates. It has no airbags and can not go faster than 25 miles per hour. So it's not even a commuter car.
The market for this vehicle is likely going to be doting fathers who don't want their darling daughters driving very far or very fast. Outside of Peachtree City, where is the market for this vehicle?
{H/T Instapundit}
Forty miles isn't very far for a commuter car. For example, if you live in Cumming and work in downtown Atlanta, you're car will stop on I-85 south just after the merge, seven miles from your destination.
If you happen to live inside the perimeter or if you're in a smaller metro area you're still out of luck if you want to pick up some eggs on the way home, or if traffic just happens to stall one night.
Further, you can't even drive it on the interstates. It has no airbags and can not go faster than 25 miles per hour. So it's not even a commuter car.
The market for this vehicle is likely going to be doting fathers who don't want their darling daughters driving very far or very fast. Outside of Peachtree City, where is the market for this vehicle?
{H/T Instapundit}
It's That Special Time of Year
When Georgia voters head to the polls to give tax breaks to the wealthy and hammer ordinary property owners.
This time we have three amendments to the State Constitution.
Amendment One will give tax breaks to corporations that own forests if they promise not to develop them for fifteen years. Sounds good? No. The corporation will not make the pledge for properties that are anywhere near the metro areas. They will make the pledge for properties that are deeply rural. This will devastate the small counties in South Georggia where there aren't many inhabitants and the large timber companies are major landowners.
Amendment Two allows school districts to shift school taxes from schools to development. If we haven't learned already that allowing developers to play with government money is bad, then we've learned nothing from the past three years. And of course it will raise property values so the school children will benefit in the end. There's a wise old saw about the bird in the hand. I suggest any one considering this consider that saying. The last thing we need in these economic times is more government funded speculation.
Amendment Three shifts the burden of initially paving subdivisions from the developers who develop them to the municipalities and counties. The normal course of subdividing is that the developer paves the roads, then dedicates the streets to the local government, which then decides whether or not to accept the responsibility. They can and do refuse the dedication. Under Three, the developer could set up an IDD and then fund the street building with bonds that the developer doesn't have to pay. The new homeowners do. But what happens if the development fails, as so many have recently? Who gets left holding the bag on these bonds?
This time we have three amendments to the State Constitution.
Amendment One will give tax breaks to corporations that own forests if they promise not to develop them for fifteen years. Sounds good? No. The corporation will not make the pledge for properties that are anywhere near the metro areas. They will make the pledge for properties that are deeply rural. This will devastate the small counties in South Georggia where there aren't many inhabitants and the large timber companies are major landowners.
Amendment Two allows school districts to shift school taxes from schools to development. If we haven't learned already that allowing developers to play with government money is bad, then we've learned nothing from the past three years. And of course it will raise property values so the school children will benefit in the end. There's a wise old saw about the bird in the hand. I suggest any one considering this consider that saying. The last thing we need in these economic times is more government funded speculation.
Amendment Three shifts the burden of initially paving subdivisions from the developers who develop them to the municipalities and counties. The normal course of subdividing is that the developer paves the roads, then dedicates the streets to the local government, which then decides whether or not to accept the responsibility. They can and do refuse the dedication. Under Three, the developer could set up an IDD and then fund the street building with bonds that the developer doesn't have to pay. The new homeowners do. But what happens if the development fails, as so many have recently? Who gets left holding the bag on these bonds?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Light That is Sweden
Progressives have a tendency to present their policies and plans as inevitable. If so, this is our future.
Unfortunately for progressives, their success rate in getting their visions implemented is about as good as the Birchers.
On another point, why is that treating boys and girls identically always seems to wind up as teaching boys to be girlish? Why aren't girls forced to be more boyish? Or am I missing something? Regardless, I can't help but think that the entire effort is fruitless, a waste of time and bound to harm far more than it helps.
Unfortunately for progressives, their success rate in getting their visions implemented is about as good as the Birchers.
On another point, why is that treating boys and girls identically always seems to wind up as teaching boys to be girlish? Why aren't girls forced to be more boyish? Or am I missing something? Regardless, I can't help but think that the entire effort is fruitless, a waste of time and bound to harm far more than it helps.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Fighting
Yesterday we were watching a football game. One of the commercials was for some pay per view event I think was called 'Extreme Fighting' or something similar. The men shown were out of shape, thuggish and fought badly. They rushed at each other, arms flailing and did not watch each others feet. They fought like drunken frat-boys. They may have been drunken frat boys, for all I know.
The problem with such an event is that if you believe it necessary to fight, why not pause a moment and think about what that entails? In fighting, even the 'no holds barred' kind you want to keep your hands up to block your opponents blows. You watch your opponents feet. They tell you what he is about to do. You present as little as possible of your own body to your foe. You prepare for the fight mentally and physically. You study your opponent and try to find his weaknesses. You try to disguise your own blows and employ as much trickery as you can.
I think part of the problem we have had is that too often when we finally get riled and are ready to fight, we rush off headlong into the fray. It can be quite normal, even appropriate to be angry. It is important to fight for what you value. But even if your righteousness is great in the eyes of the Lord, if you run off into battle without preparation, you will be flattened.
The problem with such an event is that if you believe it necessary to fight, why not pause a moment and think about what that entails? In fighting, even the 'no holds barred' kind you want to keep your hands up to block your opponents blows. You watch your opponents feet. They tell you what he is about to do. You present as little as possible of your own body to your foe. You prepare for the fight mentally and physically. You study your opponent and try to find his weaknesses. You try to disguise your own blows and employ as much trickery as you can.
I think part of the problem we have had is that too often when we finally get riled and are ready to fight, we rush off headlong into the fray. It can be quite normal, even appropriate to be angry. It is important to fight for what you value. But even if your righteousness is great in the eyes of the Lord, if you run off into battle without preparation, you will be flattened.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Telling Secrets
Part of my profession is keeping other people's secrets. When a client tells me something, I do not pass it along. On the other hand, in my personal life, I have very few secrets. I'm a horrible liar. My mother, my wife and my siblings can always tell when I try to fib. But I don't discuss the specifics of my work with my wife, so in the sense of telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, she gets the partial truth.
And to be blunt, most of the information I learn professionally is rather dull. So the greatest security for my clients' confidences is not encrypted files or locked cabinets, but the boredom they induce.
Recently, I did try to keep something secret from my wife. We were unable to do much for our tenth anniversary last year. This year I booked us onto a cruise for the week of our anniversary. Sally knew I was doing this, so that was not a secret. What she didn't know was that after booking it and giving her the details, I then tried to upgrade our cabin from inside to outside with a view. Unfortunately my cunning plan was spoiled by the very helpful travel agent I discussed them with. The good news is that we are in a much better berth than I had hoped.
All the while I was plotting and scheming, Sally knew something was up. She just didn't know what. She did know that it was going to be good, whatever it was. Wives are like that.
As part of my job, I keep secrets. As part of married life I don't. And what helps me in that balancing act is that my job will never require me to do anything immoral. And I am mindful that God knows all and that in the end everything I do I must answer for. I think too many people forget that point.
And to be blunt, most of the information I learn professionally is rather dull. So the greatest security for my clients' confidences is not encrypted files or locked cabinets, but the boredom they induce.
Recently, I did try to keep something secret from my wife. We were unable to do much for our tenth anniversary last year. This year I booked us onto a cruise for the week of our anniversary. Sally knew I was doing this, so that was not a secret. What she didn't know was that after booking it and giving her the details, I then tried to upgrade our cabin from inside to outside with a view. Unfortunately my cunning plan was spoiled by the very helpful travel agent I discussed them with. The good news is that we are in a much better berth than I had hoped.
All the while I was plotting and scheming, Sally knew something was up. She just didn't know what. She did know that it was going to be good, whatever it was. Wives are like that.
As part of my job, I keep secrets. As part of married life I don't. And what helps me in that balancing act is that my job will never require me to do anything immoral. And I am mindful that God knows all and that in the end everything I do I must answer for. I think too many people forget that point.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
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