All That the Market Will Bear

A few weeks ago I went to a presentation by Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickled and Dimed, on how the US is systematically abusing its working class. I couldn't imagine a better example of Barbara's arguments than the following:

Circuit City has announced that they're firing their highest paid sales staff and replacing them with lower paid workers who, if they do well, will presumably be promoted until they reach the level of "too expensive", at which point they'll be fired as well. Cut staff will have the option to apply for lower-paying jobs after a 10-week waiting period.

When I was a kid and the Soviet Union was still that giant pink blob on the map, I remember arguing that Communism in that form would never work because it removed the incentive to work hard and differentiate yourself from the pack. It's sadly ironic to see this becoming a problem for a market-based system. I propose that, since they'll clearly have the worst customer service staff, we all stop shopping at Circuit City. Oh, wait. We already did. That's why they're in this mess.

BSoD

Tonight, for the first time in four or give years, Windows gave me the gift of the Blue Screen of Death. Silly me, wanting to eject my iPod so I could take it with me on a trip. I guess I should have known better. Although in this case, I'm inclined to blame IBM/Lenovo over Microsoft. Their general strategy with the Thinkpad seems to be:

1) Find features present in Windows.
2) Reimplement them, but slower, more confusing, and less likely to work.
3) Profit.

And You Think It's Bad Here?

Before you rush off to the left-leaning haven of Europe, where Kyoto ain't just a city in Japan, consider this from the New York Times:

A German judge has stirred a storm of protest here by citing the Koran in turning down a German Muslim woman’s request for a fast-track divorce on the ground that her husband beat her.

In a remarkable ruling that underlines the tension between Muslim customs and European laws, the judge, Christa Datz-Winter, said that the couple came from a Moroccan cultural milieu, in which she said it was common for husbands to beat their wives. The Koran, she wrote, sanctions such physical abuse.

WTF?

Going Green

Al Gore may be enjoying his newfound celebrity, but don't worry, he hasn't really gone Hollywood on us. If he had, you wouldn't see pictures like this on the front page of boston.com:



Now, does that look like the face of the guy who invented the internets?

Support the Troops!

Most rational people in the US would admit that having a debate over the war in Iraq does not constitute lack of support for our troops. Even the President admitted it recently. Many Republicans in Congress still seem to rally around this fallacy, though. There's an excellent Op-Ed piece along these lines in today's Times. The final paragraph summarizes the point quite well:

One final debate-stifling claim deserves mention: the argument that even to debate our troops’ mission in Iraq somehow undercuts and endangers them. Surely this has it backward. Four years have passed since the Iraq war resolution was passed, in very different circumstances for purposes no longer relevant. We certainly owe those who put their lives on the line every day a renewed determination of whether their continued sacrifice is necessary for the national interest.

The same sentiments, expressed by William Ellery Channing during the 19th century, have lived on my homepage for some time.

The cry has been that when war is declared, all opposition should therefore be hushed. A sentiment more unworthy of a free country could hardly be propagated. If the doctrine be admitted, rulers have only to declare war and they are screened at once from scrutiny ... In war, then, as in peace, assert the freedom of speech and of the press. Cling to this as the bulwark of all our rights and privileges.

Two thoughts jump to mind. First, our current problems are neither new nor unique in history. Second, we sure don't seem to learn from our mistakes.

Ask not what your city can do for you...

There are advantages and disadvantages to living in extremely wealthy towns. On the downside, the cost of living tends to be quite high. On the other hand, you often receive top-notch services. Yesterday's mail contained our copy of the Palo Alto City Pages, "a publication of the city of Palo Alto". You can imagine our excitement when, under the headline City Wins Prestigious Awards, we found the following:

Excellence in Garbage Collection Services

It's going to be hard to leave this sleepy valley town that's rated in the 97th percentile for garbage collection services.

Family Values

I don't claim to have the answer to America's immigration problems, but I'm quite certain that it isn't to go round up all of the undocumented workers in this country and ship them back from whence they came. It's one of the few things that the President and I agree on. That and a love of fishing.

This story is especially ironic because the workers in this story were making products used by our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

O'Hare Again

This time it's my parents connecting through O'Hare on their way to visit me; their connecting flight is delayed about 3 hours. The FAA's web site explains the delays thusly:

Due to WEATHER/LOW CEILINGS and RUNWAY/HOLE IN RUNWAY, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Chicago OHare International Airport, Chicago, IL (ORD). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 3 hours and 1 minute. To see if you may be affected, select your departure airport and check "Delays by Destination".

You really have to wonder what caused the "HOLE IN RUNWAY". Also, watch out Mom & Dad, United says you're having the same meal that I had last time.