Samuel Barber
Today is the 100th birthday of Samuel Barber, an American composer best known for the Adagio for Strings. The Adagio, while profoundly beautiful, is also extremely well known, so here’s an equally good sample of Barber’s work – the 2nd movement of his marvelous Violin Concerto. Enjoy!
Big Nanny lurches forward
Facing budget shortfalls due to the weak economy, some governments are proposing new taxes on sweetened beverages. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has proposed a 2 cent per ounce tax on drinks, which would include not only soda pop, but also energy drinks, iced tea, and chocolate milk. New York Governor David Paterson and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg are also supporting such taxes.
While the primary motivation of a soft drink tax is to ameliorate budget shortfalls, it’s not hard to see how the tax would become permanent, and in fact be joined by taxes on all sorts of foods deemed unhealthy by the government.
Not only is this objectionable from the standpoint of personal freedom, this is just about the most regressive tax imaginable. Instead, why not tax “luxury” beverages which cost more than, say $10 per liter?
The Stuff that Obsessions are Made Of
In this TED talk, Mythbusters‘ Adam Savage talks about two of his obsessions: dodo bird skeletons and the Maltese Falcon. Savage is a wonderful example of what happens when a genius creative mind is given the freedom to explore its passions (obsessions) to their end. The talk is about 15 minutes and very entertaining.
Christie 2016
Any politician who prides himself on being honest with the people—and I mean actually honest, not just “honest” as a pose, reputation, or image (”Straight Talk Express”)—needs to read or watch this speech by new New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie on the state’s fiscal woes. It’s about 25 minutes. He’s candid, honest, and, frankly, blunt. Is America ready for a chubby president?
[W]e need to get honest with each other. In this instance, the political class…is lagging behind the public on this. The public is ready to hear that tough choices have to be made. They’re not going to like it. Don’t confuse the two. But they are ready to hear the truth.
In fact, they find it refreshing to hear the truth.
They are tired of hearing, don’t worry I can spare you from the pain, because they have been hearing that for a decade, as we have borrowed and spent and taxed our way into oblivion.
We need to understand we are all in this together….And you know, all of you know in your heart, what I am saying is true. You all know that these raises that are being given to public employees of all stripes, we cannot afford. You all know the state cannot continue to spend money it does not have. And you all know that the appetite for tax increases among our constituents has come to an end.
And so the path to reform and success is clear. We know what it is. We just have to have the courage to go there… What we are doing is showing people that government can work again for them, not for us. Government has worked for the political class for much too long….
There’s no time left. We have no room left to borrow. We have no room left to tax….
Forget about the next election. Forget about the next editorial in the newspaper, and forget about the next angry letter or phone call you are going to get from someone who wants something for nothing. It won’t be easy. But it is the path we must walk in the time we have chosen to lead.
The Ghost of Chirstmas Past
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois speaking on the filibuster and reconciliation during remarks at the National Press Club on 4/26/05:
“You know, the Founders designed this system, as frustrating [as] it is, to make sure that there’s a broad consensus before the country moves forward. . . . And what we have now is a president who . . . [h]asn’t gotten his way. And that is now prompting, you know, a change in the Senate rules that really I think would change the character of the Senate forever. . . . And what I worry about would be you essentially have still two chambers — the House and the Senate — but you have simply majoritarian absolute power on either side, and that’s just not what the founders intended”
Registering a Firearm in DC – Cumbersome and Expensive!
As one might expect from a process designed by the government, especially given that the authorities behind it never wanted to allow such a purchase at all, buying and registering a gun as a resident of our nation’s capital is both time consuming and more expensive than necessary. This article in the DC Examiner explains it all in detail - I was particularly struck by the list of the added cost. And the comparison with the Virginia process.
If a firearm is purchased for $450, the new owner must thereafter contend with the following expenses:
- $22.50 Virginia sales tax
- $25 shipment fee
- $125 gun class fee (may be more depending on the instructor)
- $125 gun dealer transfer fee
- $12 passport photos
- $13 application fee
- $12 ballistics test fee
- $35 fingerprinting / FBI background check fee
The total fees and taxes are $369.50, nearly doubling the actual cost of a $450 firearm to $819.50.
Meanwhile, the process for obtaining a gun in Virginia involves three steps: (1) walk into a store, (2) pay for the gun while submitting to an instant background check, and (3) walk out of the store with the gun, which may be carried outside of a personal residence.
The Congressional Toyota Follies
Oh! What a feeling (sorry, couldn’t resist) I had about the Toyota hearings when I read that Michigan congressman Bart Stupak would be chairing the hearings. At least his district doesn’t actually contain Detroit, but the collapse of the American auto industry has hurt the entire state of Michigan, and with Stupak reportedly eyeing a run for governor, the temptation to grandstand must be immense.
But nothing I’ve read about Stupak’s performance at the hearings compares to the comments made today by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, as related by Megan McArdle. Mark Souder of Indiana’s 3rd District had some questions regarding the tradeoffs between safety and other concerns:
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Genuine Class
Conan O’Brien signing off from The Tonight Show. He got a raw deal, I think, but Conan takes the high road. Cheers to you, sir.
Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism…it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get, but if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.
Ellsworth In
Democratic congressman Brad Ellsworth announced yesterday he will seek the Senate seat being vacated by Evan Bayh. Ellsworth is the former sheriff of Vanderburgh County and represents Indiana in the eighth district. He’s the first Democrat to officially join the race since Bayh’s surprise retirement earlier this week.
Long Term Scientific Studies – What’s the Best Course?
From the New York Time’s, an interesting article about the National Children’s Study, which was authorized by Congress in 2000 and began in earnest last January. It is meant to become the world’s largest long-term study of the health of children by tracking 100,000 babies in 105 counties from fetus to age 21.
But while the idea is praised by many experts, the study has also stirred controversy over its cost and content.
In August, the Senate committee overseeing financing for the study accused it of “a serious breach of trust” for not disclosing that the initial price tag of $3.1 billion would more than double, and said the study needed to release more information if it wanted to get “any” financing in the next budget year.
And an independent panel of experts and some members of the study’s own advisory committee say it misses important opportunities to help people and communities — emphasizing narrower medical questions over concerns like racial and ethnic health differences, leaving unresolved crucial ethical questions concerning what to tell participants and communities about test results.
“This study is of the magnitude of the accelerator in CERN, or a trip to the moon — a really big science issue,” said Milton Kotelchuck, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health and a member of the independent panel. “But if you have a flawed beginning, then you’ve got 20 years of working on a flawed study.”
