May 31, 2005
How can we lose money?
Let me count the ways…
So on Sunday night, in an effort to liven up our barbecue, we kicked off a game of Trivial Pursuit, 90’s Edition. Before you ask, yes, it did liven things up quite a bit. And if that makes me more of a nerd in my readers’ eyes, so be it.
One question came to our team:
Q. What U.S. government outfit lost $84 million in three years, trying to hawk retail items like T-shirts, mugs, and stickers?
Hypocritical Elephants
As I was driving to Indiana this weekend, I tuned into AM 700 out of Cincinnati to listen to my Reds beat Pittsburgh (wonder of wonders). While I was entertained by the game, I nearly swerved off I-70 while listening to a radio spot for the upcoming election in Ohio’s 2nd district for the US House. The hypocrisy of this ad was too much for me not bring up in a short rant.
It seems one of the Republicans running for the position wanted us to know he was a good family man, and would say no to the evil democrats who are ruining America from Washington. He went on to mention that the Democrats in Washington continue to tell us how to live our lives (yes they try to), they raise our taxes (or certainly would if they held a majority), they spend our money (amen brother), and try to make us live with their “definition” of marriage (WHAT?).
Now I will be the first to admit that I don’t read the paper every single day. And there are times that I will read about a story that is clearly a week or so in the making and wonder why it is the first time I’ve heard about it. But I have never heard of a Democrat trying to enact a law that defines marriage. I have however read a lot about a law defining marriage being written by REPUBLICANS. Apparently this candidate doesn’t so much have a problem with the fact that the Democrats are trying to tell us how to live our lives, but that they are trying to tell us how to live our lives in a way different from the way HE wants to tell us how to live our lives. Follow me?
It isn’t limited to the gay marriage “crisis” either. All I hear lately is that liberal activist judges are going too far in their rulings and must be stopped. Well, as it turns out, Republicans like activist judges as well, they just prefer them being activist in opposing directions. Why isn’t the mainstream media calling them on this?
The real reasons that I moved
When I first started talking about my move to Atlanta from California, Eric had posted about how educated, white-collar workers (such as myself) are starting to get fed up with the Golden State and looking elsewhere. He specifically pointed out how incredibly screwed up California politics are, and how taxes and regulation were driving individuals and businesses away from the state. That is part of why I’m leaving, but only a small part.
Many things played a part. My absolute hatred for everything related to the Los Angeles area was a big one, but when I lived in San Jose I loved it, so that’s not really anti-California. If I won the lottery, you’d probably find me somewhere along the Northern California coast. But the biggest reason was simple: it was too expensive for the life I wanted to live.
Hot California market daunts first-time buyers
Median home price passes $500,000; many young workers shut out
Pity the poor first-time home buyer in California. With the median price of a home in the Golden State crossing $500,000 for the first time, getting into that “starter†home requires perseverance, luck and a willingness to think small.
Maya Vestal, 25, who works for a biotech company, took the plunge this month with her boyfriend, plunking down $585,000 for a 1,200-square-foot home near San Jose in a neighborhood she describes as “not great.â€
Frankly, the three-bedroom, one-bath house doesn’t sound all that great either. Built in 1940, it needs about $50,000 worth of work including new plumbing, new wiring and a new kitchen, she figures. “The only thing we’re keeping are the floors, which are beautiful, original hardwood.â€
Together, Vestal and her boyfriend, a 25-year-old city worker, earn more than $100,000 a year, but the new $3,800 monthly mortgage payments will eat up nearly 70 percent of the couple’s take-home pay.
This is the main reason that I had to leave California. When I was working in Irvine, I was also living in an apartment in Irvine. That meant that my commute was only 10 minutes, but my rent was $1500/month for a 1-bedroom apartment. To stay near the area I worked, I wouldn’t be able to afford to buy a home, and barely could have qualified for a loan on a condo. To move far enough away that I could afford to live, I would have had over an hour’s commute each direction. In addition, my wife and I want her to be able to stay home with kids, when we have them, and to have any house or condo within a commutable distance of work would have taken two incomes.
As I’ve said before, I try to be as rational as possible. I looked at my options in California. I looked at what I truly valued in my life. And the choice was clear. The life that I want to have was a remote possibility in California. $600,000 for a 1200 sq ft home? Why bother? Why would I ever want to work so hard to buy something that meager? Would I want to leverage 70% of mine and my wife’s take home pay into a house that needs $50,000 worth of repairs? Would I want to try to move far enough away that I would be tormented every day with a horrible commute, just to be able to afford a ridiculous house instead of an insane one?
If I had bought a place a few years ago, the tremendous appreciation of the property would give me a different outlook. But I couldn’t rationalize trying to be a first-time buyer in that market. And I so desparately wanted to stop paying rent and start down the ownership process, so I had to make a tough choice. I look at the people who have stayed there and done it, and who are doing it. Partly, I ask myself the question of “how”? After all, I don’t know any lender who will underwrite a loan for 70% of somebody’s take home pay. But the question that inevitably takes precedence is “why”? Why would someone even do it? What about California could possibly make it worth it? I could never answer that question, so off I went. And I haven’t looked back.
May 30, 2005
Memorial Day
Memorial Day this year for me has been a nice, relaxing time. A few friends drove down from North Carolina, and we had a nice dinner with my friend’s parents Saturday, a small cookout yesterday, and lounged around today. All in all, a very nice weekend.
I, like most Americans, have for years been thinking more of this holiday as simply a nice day that I don’t have to go to work, and an excuse to get together with friends. Growing up watching the fall of the Soviet Union, barely old enough to remember seeing the Russians as feared enemies as the friendship between the US and Russia developed, I had never seen the violence of the world that my parents and grandparents knew. But one fateful day, one September morning, all that changed.
I’m not one to usually appeal to mob patriotism, because I believe in America as an ideal, which is not always perfectly embodied in our nation’s actions. But the real world is hardly an ideal, as we learned on September 11th. That was a concrete action by people who want to see our destruction, and who will actively work to that end. The above picture is my reminder that there is a world out there that is against us. It is a reminder that as long as that world is out there, the ideal that I love must be defended and protected. The ideals, the logic, the words used to define what America entails are, on their own, powerless. For some adversaries, reason is not sufficient, we must back it up with force.
A quote widely (mis?)appropriated to George Orwell, “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf?” sums it up. America is not defended by ideals or words, it is defended by men with guns. Those men and women, who have chosen military service, are putting themselves in harm’s way for nothing more than to keep us out of it. They tell us to sleep soundly, because they are keeping watch.
To those men and women who are serving, have served, will serve, and who have sacrificed their lives in order to keep us safe here at home, thank you. You don’t hear that often enough for us to express how grateful we are for the job you do. When the days come that you feel like an unsung hero, always remember that an unsung hero is still a hero.
May 29, 2005
Tagged again
Ack! Another meme. And since this came from Dada, not Eric, I can’t claim my three-week hiatus rule. Ahh well, one of the rules of this meme is that you must withdraw at least one of the questions/categories from the referrer, Dadahead. So that should make it a little easier.
So here goes. See Dada’s link if you want to see the categories I deleted/added:
Three favorite bands / musical artists:
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pink Floyd
Chris Whitley
Three of your favorite hobbies/interests:
Poker
Motorcycles/Motorcycle Racing
College football
Three things that scare you:
Insects (more hate than fear, mosquitoes are the worst)
My wife’s driving
Heights
Three favorite fiction writers:
Tom Clancy
Michael Crichton
Robert Heinlein (new addition)
Three celeb crushes:
Angelina Jolie
Vanessa Marcil
Jessica Alba
Three favorite animals:
Dogs
Tigers
Cats
Three names you go by:
Warbs
V.I. (drunk college friends thought Warbiany sounded like VI Warshawski)
Mongo
Three places you want to go on vacation:
Australia
Alaska (dreams of a two-month motorcycle tour with a son if I ever have one)
Costa Rica
Favorite Restaurants:
Pizzeria Uno
Portillo’s
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Favorite cities to visit:
Chicago
Napa/Sonoma
Laughlin, NV
Okay, time to tag some other people. After Dada’s lead, it’s gotta be three.
Eric (payback time, sucka!)
Perry of Eidelblog
Ross of Rossputin
200+ year history of the blogger
Eric has written a great post on the similarities between modern bloggers and the pamphleteers of old:
The rejuvenation of the pamphlet, the electronic form, the blog, has shaken the foundations of this incestuously powerful elite. And they know it. Thus, we find the backlash by the media at the “pajama clad pundits”. The claim that our lack of editors and journalistic integrity and rules means we cannot be trusted. Of course, what they really want is for us to be subject to those same rules because that would mean our incorporation into their world and our consequent loss of influence.
The power of the blog lies in the fact that it nearly anonymous, has zero cost of entry, and reaches as wide of an audience as find their way to the URL. It is freedom of speech perfectly embodied.
And with all freedom, as I’ve said before, it’s messy. It’s chaotic. And it very well may change the world for the better.
T. F. Stern's Rantings linked with Pamphlets, Now why didn’t I think of that?
Why do so many libertarians blog?
Coyote Blog has asked this question, and given a very reasonable answer. Check it out.
Catallarchy linked with The Blogosphere's Chaos
News, the Universe, and Everything linked with Why do So Many Libertarians Blog?
May 27, 2005
This has gone far enough
Atlanta Crane Standoff in Third Day
A homicide suspect remained perched on an 18-story construction crane for a third day Friday, holding police at bay and causing a spectacle in the heart of the city’s entertainment district.
A plea from his sister, offers of food and a plan to have him jump onto air bags hadn’t resolved the standoff.
I’m of the same mindset as Neal Boortz on this one. This guy has moved beyond the level of reasonable response. I think it’s time for a sniper. Now, before you call me a crazy, wicked, evil conservative, I’m not saying we should shoot him. I’m just thinking it’s time for a few warning shots to let him know we’re serious. That just might be enough to get him off that crane, whether he takes the fast route over the side, or comes down peacefully. There aren’t any hostages in this case, the area where he’d land has been cleared, so frankly I’m wondering why he’s been allowed up there so long?
And if you get him off that crane alive, I want to see a lawsuit from all the businesses interrupted by the closure of Peachtree Rd, a disturbing the peace (or whatever relevant legal statutes apply) charge, probably a charge for tresspassing, etc. If he manages to beat his murder rap, I think we need to have a backup plan for all the hassle he has caused. It’s about time that people learn there are consequences to wasting the cops’ time just because they want their fifteen minutes of fame.
Mom was right…
Federal health officials are examining rare reports of blindness among some men using the impotence drug Viagra.
The Food and Drug Administration still is investigating, but has no evidence yet that the drug is to blame, said spokeswoman Susan Cruzan.
Something tells me, though, that most of the guys taking it are probably willing to take that risk.
sexendipity linked with Viagra blindness warning
T. F. Stern's Rantings linked with Time for an old Three Stooges Line
Private clubs are public property
Perry at Eidelblog brings us a good example of the erosion of liberty at the hands of our legislature and courts.
Smoking bans at “public places” have always irked me, because most of the “public places” they refer to are actually private establishments open to the public. Now, Perry points out that the net has been cast wider.
Read it again: a judge says that a private club, meeting on its own private property, is still subject to a law that bans smoking in public places. Since when is private property a public place?
Even more pernicious to liberty and the Constitution is how Judge Victor Marrero phrased it: the members “have no fundamental constitutional right to smoke tobacco.” Really now? Where in the Constitution do we have the right to breathe? Or cross the street? Where does the Constitution give Marrero the enumerated right to go to the bathroom? After all, with his ruling, he s*** on the Constitution and wiped his a** with the Bill of Rights.
I have a clue for you, judge: the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. You should read them sometime.
Really, what’s next? That you can’t smoke in your own home? Oh, wait, they’ve already decided that. I really think that they’ve just figured out that like guns, you can’t ever make smoking illegal. You can just make it illegal to do anywhere except a one-room shack somewhere in Montana.
When I was living in California, I considered joining this club. I no longer smoke cigarettes (almost 1 1/2 years smoke-free now), but a nice cigar now and then with the guys is one of life’s little pleasures. I chose not to join because it was ridiculously expensive, somewhere around $200/month, and I didn’t really care to hobnob with the social circle of Lake Forest, California, but having it be a private club was the only way they could get around California’s smoking ban. But once the Ninth Circuit gets wind of this decision, Club Aficionado might as well close its doors.
I’ve gotta stop now. I’m starting to feel my blood pressure rise, and reading stuff like this makes me want to scream and yell at all the idiots who seem to think that government will stop with regulating smoking. Get a clue people, after they’re done with the smokers, your bad behavior is next. I definitely recommend, since my head is nearing the explosion point, reading more of what Perry had to say, because he managed to keep a nice rant flowing. If you need me, I’ll be in a one-room shack in Montana, with my good friend Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8.
A Limey In Bermuda linked with Why Bermuda Does Not Need A Public Smoking Ban
May 26, 2005
Music Downloads
A couple weeks ago, Yahoo! announced “Yahoo! Music Unlimited”.
That day, stock prices for Napster and Real Networks were sent tumbling, 20 to 30%. Apple also took at small hit on the market. Presumably, Wall Street thought that Yahoo’s extremely low price was going to impact the other players.
Apple’s iTunes is still the big boy on the block, thanks to Mad Dog Steve Jobs. Napster thought they had the answer with unlimited music downloads for $15 per month (remember their launch with the crappy Super Bowl ads?). Napster’s idea was to get people to pay $15/month and they would have access to any of the music that Napster had. But as soon as you let the subscription expire, all the songs were rendered unplayable. It seemed like a good concept, except a bit pricey.
Along comes internet Gorilla Yahoo with their bottomless pockets. Could they take this concept and make it work at a substantially lower price point? Their offering was access to their music database for $60 per year. Sounds pretty tempting. Other services like Napster say it can’t be sustained and it is just a gimmick. But even if they are losing money, Yahoo can hold out for a long time with all the money they have pouring in.
I have had conversations with several people about the subscription service concept. Personally, I think it works. You pay a monthly fee and get access to Yahoo’s music database from anywhere you can access the inter-web (shout-out to Principal Scudworth). Granted, you don’t actually OWN the music, you are simply renting it. But you can keep it on your hard drive and load them on your MP3 player. What else would you want to do with them? If you insist on actually owning the rights to the song, you pay $.79 for it. Not bad.
For some reason, people get caught up in the “I don’t own it” mentality. But as long as you keep up to date on your Yahoo subscription and update the file licenses each month, there’s nothing to worry about. To me, who buys maybe 5-10 CD’s per year, this type of offering makes sense. For less than what I have been spending on CD’s each year, I can have access to substantially more music. Now, if I let my subscription expire I think I’m screwed. But that’s the price you pay to have unlimited downloads for the price of 4 CD’s.
Am I going to sign up?
Not sure. I am more tempted to give the MyFi from XM Radio a whirl. Unrepentant has one and he loves the little gadget. But for those iPod users…wait…forgot to mention…Yahoo Music Unlimited doesn’t work with iPods…HA!. But for those MP3 players that have 20 GB drives, the Yahoo service makes perfect sense. A 20 GB library for the price of a dinner for 2.
Yep, that’s about right
You’re a Classic Cup ‘O’ Joe!
What Kind of Coffee are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
I drink a pot of black coffee every day, so I think they’ve got me pegged pretty well here.
Hat tip: Coffee with CrankyBeach
Brad, the reason the Post Office can’t make any money on their T-shirts and mugs is because they charge to darn much. Also, who wants a T-shirt with a picture of the 37 cent stamp on it? Not me. Occasionally I will purchase some shipping labels out of the mark down bin, but that’s the only time I buy anything but stamps from the post office. As far as the other remarks you made, you are probably right.
Comment by Lucy Stern — May 31, 2005 @ 7:14 pm
The funny (not ha-ha) thing is the Postal Service is actually advertising for the purpose of increasing revenue. That is why it sponsors a Bicycle team. But monopoly or not, like Amtrak, it will continue to lose money.
Comment by KJ — June 1, 2005 @ 6:55 pm