Luke's Politics

Foreclosures and financial reform

2010-03-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

I came across a new blog I think is pretty good. Have a read.

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/03/more-foreclosures-please/

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/03/on-to-financial-reform/

I think he outlines these two things pretty well, and I don't really have anything to add. I haven't figured out his particular bias yet.

Doomed?...

2010-03-11T07:04:00.001-08:00

I've been reading lately that optimism may not be the best attitude for this country. Here, here, here, and also here.

In short:

"Optimism has always been the enduring spirit that made us a great nation, brought us back from overwhelming challenges and impossible odds -- WW II, the Civil War, the 1776 Revolution. Yes, that spirit still burns in our soul, says the poll.

But we also know, as we said earlier in "The Death of the Soul of Capitalism," that over the long-term, through many centuries, historians give nations an average of about 200 years before they burn out. Why? Because the "blind optimism" that makes a nation great in the early years of its rise to power and glory becomes, paradoxically, its worst enemy in the end-days.

Their arrogance traps them in a self-sabotaging cycle that weakens their resolve, makes them vulnerable to new, unpredictable challenges, ultimately destroying them from within. That happens over and over throughout history, even as their optimistic brains tell them they're still the greatest."

Wow. I'll agree with that. But what do we do? Clearly depression and pessimism are not the answers either. But I think that any optimistic solution for this country has to involve sacrifice in the present term. And if they do not then I believe they are the sort of 'blind optimism' spoken of above. None of the serious pieces of legislation in Congress have had anything like that in them, probably since WWII. When we will have the courage to realize that is what is required?

Dreams

2009-09-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well the wife and I have decided to pass some kind of cold/flu back and forth between each other for the past few days here. Not really sure if it was the big SWINE FLU, but here's hoping it is so that we will now have the anti-bodies.

But what really got me on here was that I've had a couple of vivid strange dreams over the last couple weeks and I wanted to write them down.

The first one involved me and Darryl; we were in an airport waiting to board, and it was very clear that we were going to Brazil. It wasn't really clear why Brazil, but I think it did have something to do with telling people about Jesus. But the details for that were definitely not worked out. So they start boarding, my ticket is scanned and we're walking down the tube to get on the plane.

But then the tube isn't just a tube, and we are in a larger airport terminal, and we've gotta hustle to get to the plane before it takes off. And the building is freaking huge and not all that well marked, but also mostly empty so we can run without looking stupid. After I get a ways away from when they scanned my ticket, I realize that I don't have my wallet or keys. I must have still had my ID because I wasn't worried about that, and I did have my phone. But I realized that my phone wasn't going to do me a bit of good because I'm going to Brazil and Verizon doesn't work there. So I just shrug my shoulders and press on trying to get to the plane, because I figure I don't need my wallet or keys. Which is weird for me because normally I would freak out about that and maybe even wake up, but I think the fact that I freaked for just a minute and then said "oh well" confirms that I was going to Brazil to just tell people about Jesus, and what the heck would I need money or keys to stuff in the States for?

So we're running through this terminal trying to find the plane, and a couple times we almost get lost and I don't think we're going to find it. But after going up some stairs and around some very strange architecture we find a room with a bunch of people that are going to Brazil, and we can see the plane through the window. Sweet.

The room with the people turns out to be set up kinda lecture style, and I realize that it's a bunch of people about the same age as me and its like a neighborhood association meeting only they are near the end of a long and involved conversation about racial reconciliation. And I just have enough time to realize this when we start getting on the plane and I wake up.

Now. I had this dream like two weeks ago and I still remember most of it, which is weird. I did tell some people at work an abbreviated version of it the day of though, which I think helped it stick. But I don't know where the heck Brazil came from. The closest thing I can think of is that Darryl's wife lived there for a while. But our wives weren't with us in my dream. I've been to Bolivia and that was alright but I don't know quite what to think.

And then about a week after that I had another maybe related dream. This time it was me and David (my youngest brother) and we were out in the bush in some third world village in the southern hemisphere. That's all the detail I had on the location on this one. So me and David were hanging out with the tribal people, doing whatever. Specifically then we were hanging out in one of the huts, only it was like a dorm room because we were up on top of bunk beds and there were a bunch of us in there. Just hanging out and shooting the breeze. David is talking and he's gesturing wildly or something and then he falls off of the bed. And somehow he just does a face plant without bracing his fall at all and lands right on his forehead. Knocks him out cold.

So I hop down to see if he's OK, and we decide that he'll be fine. Just knocked him out for a bit. And at that moment I've apparently got to leave for a few weeks to take care of some business, or go preach in another village, I'm not really sure. When I get back at the end of that trip David had undergone quite the transformation. The fall apparently erased his memory completely, and he is now one of the tribe. Loin cloth, dirt all over himself, spear, speaking another language. And he doesn't recognize me as his brother at all. But I see that he is much happier. He's doing quite well for himself in his new life and all of the anger and resentment he had at our dad (and me) is erased and it is as if it never happened for him. It's sad for me and our mom that he doesn't recognize us, but we see that its probably for the best. And then I wake up.

So, I don't know if they mean anything, but they are interesting. And I swear, this was well before I got sick and I had not been drinking the night before. So where's the interpreter?

:)

2009-06-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

woot.

My New Truck

2009-04-12T22:50:00.001-07:00

Well sheesh, has it really been two months since I've posted? Sheesh. Well I bought a new truck yesterday, and the experience was definitely blog worthy.

I got a blue '94 Toyota Pickup 5speed extra cab 2WD 4-cylinder with 211k miles for $2500. I'm pretty happy with it so far. 2500 was what I had budgeted, and despite the high miles I think I got the most I could for my money. I actually found it on autotrader.com, not craigslist surprisingly, it was at beaverton Honda. It was definitely the only vehicle there under 5k and probably only 1 only a handful under 8k. They were asking $3k, which is really quite reasonable for a '94, except for the high miles.

We made a total of five separate trips to their lot.

So Ginny and I mosey over there the first time at about 11:00AM, give it the once over with the salesman, drive it around, and come back and sit down in the dealership. As we are walking away from the truck I mention that I have 23 benjamin's in my pocket that I would like to pay for the truck. The salesman doesnt acknowledge my comment, and this doesn't come up again for a while. He gets our phone number and address, he asks for my social security number and I tell him he doesnt need it. Then the dude disappears for about 15 minutes. Ginny is kinda anxious, she just wants me to buy a rig so we can be done with this.

Then Darryl calls me. He had just bought his plane ticket to come to the wedding, we get to talking about whatever and just as he is explaining to me that he's going back to school, the salesman finally comes back over. But I'm a little bent out of shape that he had me waiting, so I ignore him and I guess he walks away. Darryl is talking to me about how he's going to med school, and that is just blowing my mind. I let him know that I'm kinda in the middle of trying to buy a car waiting for some folks to come back, and then he just goes off on them for making me wait. See, good ole Darryl hasn't led me wrong yet, especially on buying something, or more accurately, waiting.

So I get off the phone after only about a 8 minute conversation, and my sales dude is nowhere to be found again. what the crap. We wait another 5 minutes or so and then I tell Ginny that we're leaving. She isn't convinced that is a good strategy, but darryl and my spider sense were telling me that it's time to go. And amazingly, we successfully walk out without anyone saying a word to us. But they were watching, oh yes, the eye of Sauron is always watching.

Ginny and I hadn't had breakfast, and it's about 1230 so we go to her mom's favorite vietnamese place for lunch. My phone rings in transit, I figure it must be the salesman so I don't answer. Ginny thinks this is ridiculously rude, so before we go in to eat I call him back and say that we'll be back in like a half an hour. I particularly enjoyed that I did have a legitimate excuse, we were hungry, so I can be friendly and not act like I'm playing hardball.

During lunch I realize that 2300 is too low, so we hit the ATM for another 200 before we head back. We there and I really don't want to sit down. They want you to sit down. But I do anyway. Bastards. The same salesman gets his piece of paper out with the 4 squares on it and he's got $2995 written in one of the squares. I tell him that's great, I like the truck, but it's got a lot of miles and I can pay $2300. He hems and haws blah blah blah I'm not really listening because I know he's not the one that can make these kinds of decisions. I tell him 2300 a few more times and he finally goes and gets his manager. Finally. We're making some progress.

The middle manager dude is much more direct. We can look each other in the eye and I know that there's a chance he's not totally full of crap. He tries to pull out blue book numbers and I tell him that won't really help because he gets different numbers than I do. He tells me the truck only had one owner. Blah blah blah. 2300. At this point we stare deeply and authentically into each others eyes. He tells me that he will sell the truck for 3000 this very weekend. I congratulate him for that achievement, but am firm that I cannot pay 3000, I can pay 2300. We reach an impasse and shake hands to leave. As we are walking towards the door, he asks if 200 would do anything for me. Without looking at him or slowing down my path for the door I say that it will not and that I can pay 2500. Exit stage right. I cannot hard the middle manager worked to overemphasize his every word to make it as nice sounding as possible. It was like talking to someone who is consoling you over your dead cat. I'm so sorry, thank you for coming in today, we REALLY appreciate it.

Whatever.

At this point I've moved on mentally. It took 2.5 hours to get to the point where we could have the 5 minute conversation on whether I could buy this truck or not. Honestly I wasnt sure. I had a list of 7 trucks from the internets, this was definitely the one I liked the best but it seemed like a bit of a reach for the 2300 I wanted to spend, and I was already at 2500 and dude was only down to 28. So whatever. I call the one on the list that was only asking 1000, but there's no answer or voicemail. OK fine. Maybe today is not the day.

Ginny and I head to Sears to register. (thats another topic, this one is already way too long) We're looking at mattresses about 2 hours later when the phone rings. Its the master negotiator middle manager dude from beaverton honda. He says that he hasn't sold any cars since I left and wants to know if I'd buy it for 2500. I say sure, I'll be there in about 40 minutes. (knowing it'll be more like 75) Wow. That was fantastic. I guess that's where you have all your bargaining power, when you're lying on a mattress inside Sears. Ginny and I laughed pretty hard. We still took our time and finished up our scanning. I am so done with waiting on these people. I went with Anthony and Keith when they bought their Honda's, and the Man sure made us wait a lot. I will make him wait for me. And if somebody else swoops in and buys my truck, good for them.

Amazingly, when we get back, neither of the two people that have been helping us are around. Are they for real? I mean I don't think they were just making up stuff this time around but still, they could have found someone. We left again. I will not let them make me wait, that is one of the main sources of their power. Just as we are walking in the door to Target, they call me back. This time I turn around immediately and head back and we are able to get r dun. woot. 2500 plus the bs 105 dmv fee that I just dont have the energy to fight over at this point despite carrying cash. 50 electronic filing fee my foot, 55 is legitimate but the rest is bologna.

So in six weeks I'll have the title, and hopefully it will end up being a good rig. (the 5th trip for those counting was because they forgot to take out their key box) But cash is definitely the way to go. Don't let those people make you wait. Props to Darryl for getting me fired up, and to Ginny for coming along for all the drama and keeping me bold.

Life is pretty good.

2009-02-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

Hey yeah, it's alright around here. God is good. I finally feel kinda competent at my job, I'm still learning, but my confidence has improved a lot. I've tried to pray before site visits that they would go well and surprise surprise, its been OK.

Ginny and I are doing well. When she needs or feels something she is able to directly communicate it to me, and I am oh so grateful for that. With Jen's help the wedding invitations are coming together. Many logistical/manpower questions were solved by the simple decision to make the reception a potluck; meat and beverages are provided, folks are invited to bring a side or a dessert. The Facebook seems to be working OK as a savethedate/RSVP system, hopefully the wall will fill up with potential sides and desserts.

We have scheduled our initial meeting with our premarital counselor. I'm very glad to get that rolling, I think it's one of the more important planning activities.

We're thinking fairly seriously about buying a house. Prices and interest rates are low, and BO wants to lend me money without interest. We will hopefully be getting pre-qualified for a loan here soon, we haven't started that part of the process. I do have three ML#'s to share: 8110121, 8107310, and 9007936, if you would like to look. All are bank owned. All have their own plusses and minuses, but I think its a good cross section and something in that range should work. Ultimately it is up to the Lord, I'm not totally convinced it is the right thing to do for us but the iron does seem like it is hot.

I joined a gym. It costs too much, I did it when I still wasn't thinking that a house might be attainable, but it has been great. Amazing how consistently sore I am from only 2 hours a week. The Crossfit program is a great concept. At the end of my four month membership I will know how to safely do all kinds of free weight and gymnastics exercises. I feel really great.

Also feel great because I have changed my diet quite a bit. Not completely eliminating, but drastically reducing carbs, sugar and dairy. Especially the more processed variety. For the longest time I pled blissful ignorance with what I put in my body, but I think Jake finally wore me down and a switch got flipped. For instance, tonight my dinner was some ground beef, onion, bell peppers and mushrooms cooked up and then spinach "wilted" in. Fantastic. I just feel way better eating more fruits, veggies and simple homemade foods than a bunch of garbage with long confusing ingredient lists that nobody knows the origin of much of it. Rice and beans don't fit the Paleo specs but they sure fit my budget.

Jake said that one of the keys was that I just have to get over needing my food to taste good. I completely disagreed at the time but that sentence has stuck with me and I think its often true. Perhaps not in all situations, but if you wanted to make an arguement about wealth, priviledge and social justice I think lowering food standards (in an appropriate way) fits in well with that.

The main problem is I'm not getting enough sleep. I struggle to get 6 hours a night. And I am very blessed that that feels like my main problem. I hear folks talk about their TV shows or movies that they watch and I struggle to react in a socially nonawkward way, because I just don't understand where anyone finds the time for that stuff. I don't know where my time goes, but its not to sleep or TV.

And we finally sang a spanish song at Ethnos! That has been a long time coming for me. When I first came I had no problem articulating all the reasons why that could be awesome (and I think I even did to Paul once) but I've almost forgotten much of it now. But it was such a joy for me. Because I haven't had hope for that for a while when I try to talk about it with folks I fear that I am coming across as condenscending to anyone who does not understand, but I think that's just my excitement getting ahead of my brain. Essentially seeing Jesus when I went to Bolivia and striving for multi-ethnicity with Intervarsity were central turning points in my spiritual journey and maturity. And I don't know how to explain that casually without having a really really long conversation. And I can't do that now, I have to sleep. :) But I'll close with the words (roughly):

Si tuviera fe como un grano de mostaza
Esto lo dice el Senor (2x)

Tu le dirias a la Montana
Mueve te, mueve te (2x)

A la Montana, se movera, se movera, se movera x(4x)

If you had the faith of a grain a mustard says the Lord
You can say to this mountain: move, move
And it will move move.

more?

2009-01-31T00:14:00.000-08:00

I'd really like to blog more. Really. But the time slots just aren't there. I take too long to develop my thoughts out, and even then they come out fairly convoluted. Just know, internets, that I have been thinking about you, and your time will come again. Sometime.

Paperclips and an Analogy of the Economy

2009-01-16T23:29:00.000-08:00

So Isaac got us a digital converter box for our old TV that isn't hooked up to anything paid for. I pulled it out of the box, pulled out our old paperclip antenna, hooked it up and had it do its autoscan thing for channels, 15 found. We flip through them all and notice there's no OPB. What the crap? The picture sure looks good, but something is missing. So on a whim, we shoved the old paperclip wrapped in tin foil into the antenna in spot on the converter box, do another auto scan, and now we get 20 channels! I am very comforted to know that even in the digital age the role of the paperclip in improving reception has not been phased out.

On a completely different note, I came up with a visual representation of the American Economy and the incessent inane ridiculous and horrible bailouts. Many of you remember the snow storm last year, and that video of the car downtown that slid down the street, was out of control, but for some reason the driver thought that to regain control the best thing to do was to step on the accellerator even further.

I would argue that currently we are at about the 14 second mark of this clip.

At the start, we encountered some normal fluctuations in our reality, but we denied that they were a problem, got in our car and pressed on. It would have been possible to 'drive in the snow', if we had proceeded with caution, but we forged ahead at a speed that would be fine for normal conditions. In fact, when we encountered obstacles (mortgage bubble), we hit the gas even harder. (bailouts) But things still aren't working as fast as we want them to, we deny that it is snowing outside and maybe we should just slow down, and so congress is now pressing for even more bailouts. I mean, how are you supposed to drive a car without using the accelerator, I mean sheesh, we paid for this thing, thats what its there for. This bailout is the third corner of that intersection.

After 100 days or so into the BO administration after he's shot his wad, that will be the wall at the 4th corner. Then we will begin our long, slow slide backwards, until we come to rest against some other cars that have decided to lay off the accelerator long ago. Then we have to get out of the car and deal with what just has happened.

The United States is living at an unsustainable level of wealth, prosperity, expectation, entitlement and greed that does not match up with what can be realistically used from the earth and produced by our/any economy. We have to slow down and lower our expectations. Blaming a politician or political party may have its place but that is not where solutions start. Blame yourself for listening to the lies that they have been selling you. As old man Kenobi once said, "Who is more the fool, the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Real change begins with each individual. Especially once the government goes bankrupt. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for marching on Washington and demanding some accountability. Certainly the system is broken, Bernie Madoff drove that point home real well. Unfortunately, the way the government is being run currently is exactly a Ponzi/Madoff scheme. Using the money we can collect now from those gullible enough to believe in the system to pay off those who are more elite and have been entrenched and in bed with the system longer. Counting on money we will get in the future to finance priorities now.

But if the people rise up and and find ways to be contented with what we already have instead of always striving for what we might get tomorrow, we can survive this thing without anarchy. I am as guilty as everybody else of over consumption, but I'm really trying to cut back. But I still find myself obsessed with 99k homes that feel almost in reach of purchasing and not fully able to appreciate the good things I have now because of it. That I believe is the crux of the problem. Just slow that car down and it'll be OK. You cant dig yourself out of a hole.

Or, Isaac had a much more positive spin on the metaphor in his philosophical voice: "Like the snow, the bad conditions will melt away"

Updates

2009-01-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

Getting married at 2PM June 27th at Peninsula Park. Lots still to do.

I put the red light up on school, teaching is still what I feel I want to do with my life but the license is going to have to wait for a year or two.

I joined Crossfit Portland for four months. It cost me an arm and a leg but so far its been worth it. I'm going to learn how to do tons of free weight exercises and its kicking my butt. I've got a workout log going in google documents, I'll share it with you if ya like.

I might finally be listening to Jake and some of his crazy health diet advice. We'll start with eating way more fresh produce and try to cut out many processed carbs.

The united states is ending, the national debt will bury us kinda like Khrushchev said. Personally I'm ready to embrace some elements of socialism, that's the way its going anyway, like it or not, so we might as well strive to draw out the positive elements. Personally I'm ready for some free public (indoor) spaces to just be that are not a store.

Embezzlement

2008-12-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

TMQ Asks Again -- Why Isn't This Considered Embezzlement?

Last week, Louise Story of The New York Times reported that Merrill Lynch top executives awarded themselves between $5 billion and $6 billion in bonuses in 2006, based on claims of spectacular gains in mortgage-based securities. This year, it turned out the claims were false: Merrill declared a $19.2 billion loss on mortgage paper, and the 2006 results were "written down" (declared worthless). Merrill was sold at a distress price to Bank of America, and shareholders were clobbered in the transaction. Yet Merrill executives kept the bonuses. As stock prices have tumbled, many financial companies have admitted to cooked books, declared big losses and taken huge write-downs. Charles Prince, who was recently shown the door as CEO of Citigroup, paid himself $110 million in bonuses for five years as CEO, and upon departure, received an exit package worth $68 million which included such absurd perks as a car and driver for life. Owing to bad management moves by Prince, Citigroup's share price fell 60 percent during his tenure, costing stockholders $64 billion in lost value, yet Prince got to keep the bonuses. Angelo Mozilo, the CEO of Countrywide Financial, which melted down as a result of its sale of gimmick loans, paid himself $410 million over the past eight years, plus many perks such as private jet travel for his wife. In the year before Countrywide was also acquired at a distress price by Bank of America, the company's stock plunged almost 85 percent, costing stockholders about $20 billion in lost value -- yet Mozilo got to keep the bonuses.

Very high pay to Wall Street managers is justified on the grounds that they are financial geniuses with astonishing expertise. Instead it turns out many financial industry managers made basic blunder after basic blunder. The 2008 financial markets crash belies the entire premise of Wall Street -- that the people there deserve huge paychecks for incredible skill in finance. Any fool can make money in a rising market by borrowing! But if the rise stops and you're leveraged, you hit the wall. This is the short version of how many Wall Street and hedge fund managers appeared to be "financial geniuses" from 2003 to 2006, then ended up destroying their investors. The financial manager with true expertise knows to avoid bubbles, especially bubbles based on borrowing. Many Wall Street and big-bank managers during the housing bubble were taking wild risks or performing no due diligence -- and when the risks blew up, they got to keep their bonuses while investors and stockholders got hosed. At this point, it's totally obvious the system is rigged -- lie about returns (or take crazy risks), claim a spectacular year, award yourself a vast bonus. When the scandal hits, so what? You keep the bonuses. TMQ's basic question: Why isn't this considered embezzlement, punishable by law? Financial managers have a fiduciary responsibility to act in their investors' interest. When financial managers instead act against their investors' interest in order to line their own pockets, that isn't just cynical -- that sounds like a crime.

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Diane Bondareff

"Our senior executives are counting their bonuses and can't see you now. Your money can't see you now, either."

Note 1: In case you're wondering, I hold no grudge against Wall Street since I've had no problems -- years ago I took my own advice and kept my money far away from highly paid financial managers claiming to possess incredible insider expertise. Note 2: Here, Robert Chew describes how he lost his life savings by entrusting the money to Bernard Madoff. Why did he do it? Chew had some rich relatives who invested with Madoff, and whispered about how Madoff had a super-secret investing formula. Tuesday Morning Quarterback repeats: There are no secret investing formulas! If there were, Goldman Sachs (which still exists) would immediately buy them.

Obsenities

2008-12-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

This is obscene.

Some selections:

"We've lent some of it. We've not lent some of it. We've not given any accounting of, 'Here's how we're doing it,'" said Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money. "We have not disclosed that to the public. We're declining to."

"We're not providing dollar-in, dollar-out tracking," said Barry Koling, a spokesman for Atlanta, Ga.-based SunTrust Banks Inc., which got $3.5 billion in taxpayer dollars.

"We manage our capital in its aggregate," said Regions Financial Corp. (RF) spokesman Tim Deighton, who said the Birmingham, Ala.-based company is not tracking how it is spending the $3.5 billion it received as part of the financial bailout.

Ummm, how to properly respond? BULLSHIT!!! Complete and total b-o-l-o-g-n-a. These are frickin banks! It is their job to know how they've spent their money! If they aren't competent enough to know, I have every reason in the current climate to suspect they are busy as can be concealing extra bonuses and 'compensation' for those in power. They got the government to buy stock in their own personal Madoff scheme and are playing the American people for fools. They know where the money is going, and they ought to tell. As the reporter puts it:

"If the appropriate restrictions were put on the money to begin with, if the appropriate transparency was in place, then we wouldn't be in a position where you're trying to call every recipient and get the basic information that should already be in public documents," she said.

Amen. I'm sure that much of it is being put towards the intention that was advertised; and also that a repugnant chunk is being used for nefarious purposes. This is unacceptable. I don't know what I can do about it. Vote incumbents out and not do business with any of these banks. Impossible, and for what gain? This world is jacked up. Screw you Gordon Gekko.

snowfun

2008-12-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

Well we didn't get a snowman up, but we did make a killer ramp from the Ketah's front porch, down the steps, bank a left turn behind my beater pickup and down the street. My camera is at work or there would be some pictures, but it was killer.

No Snowmen

2008-12-20T23:55:00.000-08:00

All this wintry blast, and I have yet to see one snowman in this town. I think I'm going to have to rectify that tomorrow. Rode the MAX back through downtown this evening and the place was a ghost town. The train was certainly full, but when I got off at 4th to transfer to the yellow I walked around a bit in amazement at the peace and quiet around me. I had stopped at saturday market this morning on my way out and there were pretty much no customers. I felt pretty bad for all the folks selling there who probably weren't going to have that great of a christmas this year; between the economy and the weather in Portland I'll bet sales are waaaay down. But seriously, go make a snowman.

East v. West

2008-12-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

Portland Sch. Dist. - Schools west of Willamette River CLOSED; Schools east of Willamette River OPEN, buses on snow routes UPDATE (Effective tomorrow - Tue Dec 16th)

This was my brothers reaction to this news: It's because rich people are smarter and more beautiful than us.

It's things like this that contribute to perception of inequity between the east and the west side, and feeds the east side's inferiority complex. Nevermind the legitimate topographical reasons for this decision. (i assume) The perception is that the damn rich kids are getting a day off while the poor schmucks are stuck slaving away in the factories.

401k bailout

2008-11-26T23:08:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm considering jumping off of the 401k bandwagon. Wait wait, just hold of your knee jerk reaction, let me explain my rationale. I don't think it is a easy, obvious decision either way, and if you do I venture that you're just not thinking hard enough.

I understand the concept is that I should just put money in and not worry about negative returns in the short run, and that this may be a golden opportunity to "buy low." I also get that the earlier I start saving the easier it is to accumulate a lot, and that it would be silly not to take advantage of a company match.

But those things are not without risks of their own, and I think an intelligent decision weighs the risks and does not blindly hold to the conventional wisdom. If somebody would have told you a year ago that AIG or Bear Stearns would fail you would have reasonably told them they are nuts, and we see where that is now. Therefore I see every reason to question the assumptions that the 401k system is built on.

The concept of "buy low" is the most compelling to me, and it would be the reason that I would stay. But the concept of not being concerned about negative returns seems to advocating ignorance. I admit that I probably wouldn't be having these doubts if the system wasn't having the difficulty that it is having, but I am glad that I am being forced to think this through more thoroughly. I am absolutely seeking to have the longest term view possible, which for me is about 40-60 years. I am not confident that the systems that are in place now will remain for that amount of time, and I think that is a relevant risk that should factor in the equation. I'm not saying the sky is falling, but it sure seems like a possibility.

I am not convinced that essentially locking up $110 every two weeks into a somewhat mystical account somewhere in the nether regions of the financial system that I cannot access without penalty for at least 38 years is the best decision for me right now. For many it may be, but I am not many, I am me. I think that a good argument could be made that before worrying about investing in equitys and bonds I should have all credit card debt paid, a six month emergency fund in cash (in some kind of savings account that I haven't had reason to research the best kind for yet), and a home purchased (yeah with a mortgage, the 100% down plan is probably too hardcore). Those investments have much more tangible intrinsic value than stocks.

While real estate isn't necessarily a slam dunk investment either, at least you get to live in the place. The most a 401k statement can give me is to be a piece of kindling on a cold night. And as for the company match, I don't think I'll be around long enough to become fully vested, so that 3% is more like .6% or 1.2%. Which is $11 or $22 every two weeks. La di fricken da. Over a year or two that is 286-572 bucks, which is not worth making a decision over.

I wish that I was in a position that a 6% deduction from my check for a 401k was just gravy, but $110 is actually a significant amount. I'm trying to seek balance and diversification, but bothering with stocks now really seems like putting the cart before the horse. I also just don't like the traditional IRA with early withdrawl penalty, I'd much rather do a Roth. But the match should make the traditional worth the additional risk for most. Ramsey suggests saving 15% towards retirement, and if I was at a place where that was the right thing to do I would be quite comfortable with 9% in a Roth and 6% in a traditional. But I'd rather save for a house.

I'm also fairly spooked at the long term prospects of this country. The quantity of government bailouts is obscene, and there is not an end in sight. Those expenditures are unsustainable, and eventually it will catch up to us. I'm betting it will within the next 40-60 years, certainly the tax laws and what we regard as normal will be much different then. Everyone says that a 401k is the smart thing to do, I am therefore very suspicious of the idea. It just may be another way to control the masses, something they can threaten us with. Be afraid, or something may happen to your savings. People are already mumbling about how BO will take away private 401k's and socialize them. I think that's a bunch of bologna and won't happen, at least in the next 4 years. I wouldn't bet beyond that.

We've just got to slow down. Hoarding cash probably isn't the answer either, but it does have quite a bit of merit. What may have seemed psycho a short time ago may now have nearly enough positives to outweigh the inherent crazy soundingness. I'm sensing that preparing for doomsday is still crazy, but it's a much closer call. A 401k may still be a good idea for most, but it's a much closer call. And I think I jumped the gun on it.

It is very tempting to buy low, but if the 401k system continues to have a major disruption every 6-8 years, then it may be broken. When conventional wisdom claims anything is a no brainer, I am insulted and challenged that I am expected to not use my brain. I would not bet on the system sustaining itself for 60 years. Pay off your debts, all of them.

Spanning the Drudge

2008-11-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a while since I've been on here, and now I've also got a dueling identity blogging thing going, and its all a bit much at times. But its time for some quick hits from the news.

Billary as SecState? Boo. But it looks like its going to happen. I hope this is a "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer" kind of situation.

Back on the bailout front, traditional gridlock seems to be reestablishing itself after the uncertainty of the election is over. That bitter pill would not have been swallowed by congress if it had not all went down right before the election. But they're getting a little tighter, and that's a good thing. A very compelling case can be made that letting the automakers go bankrupt would be a very bad thing, but if you're going to subsidize the industry that heavily just go ahead and call it socialized. I don't necessarily have a problem with that, but call it what it is and have some real restrictions on what executives can make. I would rather have them go bankrupt or out of business and let the free market take care of itself, but nobody seems to be interested in true conservatism anymore. Yeah there would be pain, but in the long run we would be better. GM is getting desperate though, asking Germany for help.

And on a somewhat lighter note, Mark Cuban's shadiness may be catching up with him. This charge is very believable on the face of it, he does seem like the kind of dude that would do that. But who am I to judge, it could also be a conspiracy to prevent him from purchasing the Cubs. Either way it is interesting.

And Go Blazers! I've got the fever, and even without the comcast thanks to justin.tv, I can watch every game. yeah baby yeah. Let there be no mistake, they are Brandon Roy's team.

dang B

2008-10-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

It been pretty busy lately. And will continue to be for the next 3 weeks or so. But this was enough to get me back on the blogger for a minute.

Wow. It easy to say now, but I did think this story smelled funny the first day it was out before she fessed up to making the whole things up. But I was scared, because that kind of event could have been an election changer, which is of course what she thought and why she did it. It is interesting to think about how this kind of false accusation is not new to racism in this country, and it is encouraging how quickly it was sniffed out in this era.

I've got the ballot all filled out except for the President. Merkeley and yes on 60 and 63 I feel are the most important/interesting. I'll probably vote for Baldwin with the rest of the religious fundamentalists, I don't really feel good about it but I'm not going to write in this time or vote for a major party. Ron Paul endorsed him over Barr, and that's enough. Mostly I want to participate in the election without helping perpetuate the fraud that is the two party system. That will make the party line tally on offices with more than one candidate running look like this: Constitution -2, Democrat -2, Republican -1, "Working Families" -1. 3rd parties yes, incumbents no, incumbents who voted for the bailout HELL NO.

If I felt like Obama vs McCain was anywhere near as close in Oregon as Merkeley vs Smith, I would probably have to vote for BO. I'm only voting for the Merk to throw Smith out. The only thing that is left about Obama that is encouraging to me is his race, I do think that it will be a great thing for our country to have a black president. Unfortunately it's going to be pretty tough around here for at least the next four years, and I don't envy the tough decisions the next president will have to make. I hope that BO does not get turned on when all his talk of hope and change is overwhelmed by the looming recession, but it seems pretty likely.

I watched a pretty good movie when I went up to see my sister last weekend. Why We Fight, and it is on Youtube. It concerns the "military industrial complex" and the hidden costs of having a standing army. I absolutely agree. I had not seen the footage of Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam before, I would recommend it for that scene and one that is reminiscent of bad praise music on the hair channel, only it appears to be sung by officers. Just fantastic.

I concluded for the first time that we really should have impeached Bush for lying about WMD's and the Iraq war. But we didn't impeach Clinton for lying (trivial matter maybe, but he was under oath) so we couldn't well impeach Bush. (important matter, but only delivered in press conferences.)

All of that to say, I'm not very optimistic about the future of this country. I really don't want to live anywhere else, so I hope we can suck it up and push through without ridiculously high taxes or mass rioting. But again, not very optimistic.

But hey, the Blazers will at least be fun to watch in the meantime. If you havent been, try Blazersedge.com. Its a good pick me up.

... sigh

2008-10-03T23:35:00.000-07:00

and in the beginning of the end, they passed it anyway.

Darryl emailed me this, and I think its about all I have in me to post tonight.

This article goes into some of the 'hidden gems' of the bailout: http://tinyurl.com/4xsona

'The Bill' can be found here: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h1424_eas.xml

To give some flavor I will provide a quote:

"Section 115 of the law says that the administration can, after notifying Congress and waiting 15 days, purchase and hold $700 billion of assets "at any one time." (It can buy and hold $350 billion without waiting.)

This, too, is a potential loophole. It permits the Treasury Department to buy up, say, $700 billion in 2008, sell those assets off gradually over the next year at a (probable) loss, and repeat the same process in 2009. Losses to taxpayers, in other words, could exceed $700 billion. Although the Treasury Department is instructed to try to avoid losses, the text of the law does not forbid that scenario."

We cannot sit idly, when it is time to stand.

I urge you to vote against incumbency in November.

they really said no...

2008-09-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

I hope it turns out to be a meaningful defeat, but I doubt it. My congressman voted no, how did yours do? Ron Paul had some good thoughts. So did...Michael Moore. (thanks drudge)

I just can't believe that the house of representative performed exactly as the constitution intended them to. With their finger closely on the pulse of their constituents, because they will get voted out if they ignore the clear will of the people. Now that's an oversimplification, but it was certainly a big factor. Now we get to watch as the fat cats that are about to get paid promise to give congress a cut, and it'll pass. Sigh.

Debatable

2008-09-27T01:17:00.000-07:00

Well that stunk. I was excited and ready to hear from those two, but boy was that a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, I still think either one of them will be miles better than Bush or Clinton, but sheesh. That was like kids bickering on the playground. I said that first. I've been saying that for years. I was there first. I've been there for longer. Blah blah blah. I think part of it is a background in the Senate rather than a governorship, but they both blew it.

So debates are out as a tool to help me pick a candidate. Unless they throw away the moderator and the notes and stick them in the octagon for 90 minutes to talk. Or bring in Colbert to actually make them answer a direct question, or suffer for avoiding them. I hope Sarah vs. Joe will be better, it sure seems like it has the potential.

Scott Adams has been pretty good lately at his blog. He posted two news links today, one and two. Read 'em if you have a few minutes, they're pretty good, dealing with the subject of bias. Apparently most of us have already made up our minds (on everything), and when we are presented with good factual evidence contrary to what we already know to be true, it only reinforces our opinions. We don't even really absorb or process information that doesn't fit into what we already know.

I read these this afternoon, and then listened to some radio commentary driving this evening on NPR even concerning who won the debate. And it was pretty clear that whoever was speaking their opinion of who won had preemptively formed that opinion months ago. Red or blue, both sides sounded ridiculously unobjective in support of "their" candidate. So what is the value in that? I already know that Republicans like McCain and Democrats like Obama, they would commentate in the same way the candidates would "answer" the questions, with preformed rhetoric. This is worthless information.

What concerns me however, is the potential illegitimacy of my own opinion. What if wanted to hear them both sound like a couple of whiny babies so that I could cry about it? I feel like I was trying to be objective but I'm not sure. They both made a limited amount of good points, and I tell myself that I wanted one of them to convince me, but I don't know if I'm buying it. I think I'm happier not taking a side and slamming both of them. And that maybe I secretely wanted that to happen weeks ago. So that's some food for thought.

I wish there was someone/thing trustworthy and objective out there. Oh wait, that's Jesus. Government is important but it's not going to help. I decided that I'm a libertarian socialist.

laughing all the way to the bank

2008-09-20T00:04:00.000-07:00

WaMu reduced the amount you can take out at an ATM from 400 to 100. I think I'm moving to a credit union, probably OnPoint or FirstTech. I took some lettuce out today but I didn't get to opening one yet, gotta ponder where for a bit.

Meanwhile, I'm sure there are numerous groups of Wall Street uppity's sitting in their obsene homes drinking obsene wines yukking it up as they've played chicken with the Fed and won. Their bad debt got bought up by all of us, and the good ole' boy party gets to continue. Sure of few of them are now under Federal control which will put a knot in their undies soon, but right now they don't really care because I'm sure that each of them personally got paid handsomely by some liar's scheme. The big gambit was won. And I say revolution.

Eventually the price of gold will collapse, and then all the crazies will march on Washington and New York and try something nuts because they can't buy a damn loaf of bread for their gold.

But for now I'm almost ready to calm down. I'm actually pretty chill and a voice of reason in real crisis if you can believe that, this didn't get to that point. But there is reason to sound the alarms, taxpayers are footing the bill and the real crisis will be any number of years away. But that was the fail safe point, there are no further lines of defense. And I really don't feel like fundamental lessons regarding greed and corruption were learned by anybody. So I'm still concerned, but I'm not ready to get to buying tuna and Twinkies quite yet. There's still time to get solar panels installed on your roof for a reasonable price, which is good.

Ultimately I feel like God is giving the USA chances to turn from our ways, and we may yet. We're certainly not all bad, but the cup of unrighteousness is filling. I just don't have much confidence in this group to lay down our power. I'm convinced it's the only way to survive.

and also...

2008-09-18T21:18:00.001-07:00

First if anybody reads this thing, please scroll down and read the earlier post first. Please. But I also read this tonight, and it was ridiculously funny.

Then please spam your congressman.

I only have one more week in my first class at Concordia. It's pretty interesting, and I am more and more convinced that in the classroom is where I need to be. Starting a week from monday I start in a tutoring program for middle schoolers here. It's awesome because it shouldn't conflict very much with my job, I'm excited to get to working with some students.

I've made some money SNAFU's of my own lately. I bought a lemon of a car, 88 Civic wagon 4wd. I'd starve if I was in sales, if you can't tell. Also, I got my loan check from Concordia last thursday and got to paying off some bills in addition to burning 1500 on a lemon. Unfortunately in paying one of my cards I forgot that one pays from my business checking account and not the personal where the pile of money was. So that's a 66 dollar fee between the two banks for a NSF. That's more than a little ridiculous, but that's how those bastards get you. Eventually no matter how on top of everything you are you make a mistake that more than wipes out any puny rewards program you might be in. Screw credit and screw cars. I don't want either of them. And I think I'll be better off. I gotta put up with student loans but I ain't buying a house anytime soon. Maybe DR's 100% down plan will come to fruition someday after all. Screw the man, he's just as incompentent as me, and even more greedy.

More bailouts? seriously?

2008-09-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/18/AR2008091804200.html?hpid=topnews

Really?

I mean really?

What the hell. I am disgusted and upset. I think I might even try to call Gordon or Ron tomorrow. This cannot be. No more. The market must be allowed to run it's course, or no one will learn. It's time for change, and a 2nd depression would undoubtedly suck in many ways but if we keep trying to put band-aids on it, the collapse is only going to be more violent when it does happen. Take some pain now. Do it for your children. This is ridiculous.

Edit:
Alright, I emailed them both, and I encourage ya'll to do the same:

OK, I'm reading a lot in the news about a mess on Wall Street, and also a lot about the government bailing out companies, injecting money, changing rules and forgiving debt. I beg of you please don't. Let the market run it's course or people will never learn.

I know you guys don't like to let bad things happen on your watch, and I can relate to that. But please, I feel that there are some fundamental things wrong with the system and putting band-aids on the problem and rewarding those that have made mistakes bred of greed is not good for America. We cannot afford it, postponing the lesson will only make it more painful.

I don't pretend to know what will happen either way, but I am legitimately frightened for the future of this country for the first time in my 27 years. I beg you to do anything and everything in your power to prevent the government from covering mistakes that Wall Street has made.

We can recover from anything, lets start that recovery now. This is a chance to close the gap between the rich and the poor, and set everyone's priorities a little straighter. Thank you for listening, please prevent any more bailouts.

Edit 2: and i sent it to Earl too.

Wall Street

2008-09-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

The United States is crumbling, and for all ya'll out there that mocked the idea that we would have to accept a gradual voluntary laying down of our power, I think we are now reaping what we've sown by being unable to do just that. Our financial pillars have been propping each other up and the house of cards is beginning to collapse. We will soon no longer be able to afford to have our armed forces in the middle east. And the sooner we realize that day is coming the less painful it will be when it does.

I don't want this country to end, far from it. But I have no sympathy when the greedy fall. I can only check my own greed.

My Chevette, King of the Road

2008-09-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well nobody got my bad LOTR reference, I'm kinda disappointed.

Drudge linked to a pretty decent Camille Paglia opinion on salon.com. She talks herself into Sarah pretty well, though she's definitely still for BO. But it seemed to be a well balanced opinion that I can respect, though my spider sense screams radical liberal feminist from that name.

TMQ today went off on vehicle horsepower as one of the main culprits in excessive gasoline consumption in the United States. One of the highlights: "Simply knocking a third off the horsepower of new U.S. passenger vehicles would, in about a decade -- as efficient new vehicles replace wasteful old ones -- eliminate approximately the amount of oil the United States imports from the Middle East. Yes, it's that simple."

This combined with "Twenty years ago, the average new passenger vehicle sold in the United States had 120 horsepower. For this model year the figure is 230, almost double. There will be no fundamental change in oil import levels until horsepower numbers change." makes a pretty compelling case against horsepower.

Consumers have clearly demanded more HP, I suppose this reason as a main driving factor of oil dependency isn't talked about much because we have no one to blame but ourselves. Nobody wants a gutless vehicle, it makes ya feel kinda weak and flaccid. We all want to be able to commit some road rage if some fool screws up and we feel like it, I know I do. But that's why we're in the situation we're in, and we have the power to get out of it by adjusting our buying habits. So that's my rant today, here's the rest of the section of the TMQ.

Hold Your Horsepower: Gasoline demand has declined slightly since 2005. And a few months ago, Congress enacted the first tightening of vehicle fuel economy rules in two decades; barrel prices of oil are declining. So far, so good. But oil is still well over $100 per barrel, versus about $74 at this time last year, and gasoline still costs nearly a dollar more per gallon than at this time last year. The longer-term picture is bleak. In 1973, America imported 6 million barrels of petroleum daily. Currently it imports more than 13 million barrels each day. Yesterday I heard a radio announcer say, "Now that the gasoline price crunch is over …" Don't make the mistake of thinking for one minute that America's petroleum addiction is even close to fixed.

For cars, SUVs and light trucks, there are two forces at play in oil-addiction trends, but only one is generally recognized. Everybody knows the fad of big vehicles increases petroleum needs -- according to the EPA, the average weight of passenger vehicles has risen 30 percent since 1988, while average MPG is down. The other factor, little acknowledged, is horsepower, which has risen even more sharply than weight. Twenty years ago, the average new passenger vehicle sold in the United States had 120 horsepower. For this model year the figure is 230, almost double. There will be no fundamental change in oil import levels until horsepower numbers change.

Like weight, horsepower depresses fuel economy. Simply knocking a third off the horsepower of new U.S. passenger vehicles would, in about a decade -- as efficient new vehicles replace wasteful old ones -- eliminate approximately the amount of oil the United States imports from the Middle East. Yes, it's that simple. Race cars need lots of horsepower; suburban family cars do not. Excessive horsepower causes the United States to be dependent on Middle East dictatorships, engages military commitments to those dictatorships, drives up the price of oil and pushes down the value of the dollar. Horsepower is also the enabler of road rage -- rapid acceleration allows cutting off, drag racing and sudden lane changes. Road rage entered national consciousness as a problem in the mid-1990s, exactly when the horsepower ratings of new vehicles began to spike.

Yet nearly all auto companies selling in the United States continue to introduce overpowered cars that require far too much fuel. The problem transcends brands, whether domestic or international. The new BMW 550i sedan has 360 horsepower and records just 18 MPG. Pontiac's new 361-horsepower G8 GT is a small car that gets just 18 MPG. Only in America do small cars waste gasoline. Ford's new Taurus sedan has a 263-horsepower engine which delivers only 22 MPG in its front-wheel-drive variant, an awful 19 MPG in the all-wheel-drive version. The Taurus isn't a sports car, it's a family car! Toyota's new Camry, another family car, offers 263 horsepower and just 22 MPG. The Dodge Avenger, a family car, when ordered with the optional 255-horsepower engine posts just 18 MPG. Infiniti's 320-horsepower FX45, Cadillac's 403-horsepower Escalade and the 500-horsepower Porsche Cayenne Turbo achieve a dreadful 14 MPG. (All mileage figures in this column are the "combined" numbers that blend city and highway driving. Under real-world circumstances, especially stop-and-go commuting, many drivers average well below the official number.) Plus, the more horses, the more greenhouse gases. According to the EPA, a Porsche Cayenne Turbo emits 13.1 tons of greenhouse gases annually. Check any car's MPG and greenhouse numbers here.

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Nick Ut

A 1968 Corvette -- which had less muscle than a typical 2008 family car.

Less horsepower would mean better fuel efficiency, diminished petroleum imports and lower carbon emissions but, inevitably, reduced acceleration. Don't buyers crave speed? Most cars are already too fast! Thirty years ago, the average passenger vehicle did zero to 60 MPH in 14 seconds; for 2008, the average is about 8.5 seconds. That new 263-horsepower Ford Taurus family sedan does zero to 60 in 6.5 seconds -- the same acceleration as the 1968 Corvette with the famed 427 big-block V8. The new Camry and Honda's comparable new Accord do zero to 60 in about 7 seconds. Acceleration of this type is not needed for everyday driving; such power is useful mainly for speeding, running lights and cutting others off. Lexus has aired ads boasting that its new IS-F model, with a 416-horsepower engine, does zero to 60 in 4.6 seconds; the new 480-horsepower Nissan GTR is even faster at 3.8 seconds. Both have dismal mileage ratings. Lexus is telling the business media the IS-F is intended for the United States and won't be pushed in the company's home market of Japan. There, the IS-F's road-rage engineering and 10.2 tons of greenhouse gases released annually might be controversial.

In addition to reducing fossil-fuel use, dialing down horsepower would reduce highway deaths. Researcher Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute has found that highway fatalities dropped sharply earlier this year as gas prices shot up, with highway deaths declining 22 percent in March and 18 percent in April. (Note: You can reach the Transportation Research Institute only by car.) This spectacular decline in deaths, receiving little public notice, came about, Sivak found, mainly when drivers slowed down in order to improve MPG. High-horsepower vehicles encourage speeding, because they make soaring above the speed limit feel effortless. If horsepower were reduced by sensible amounts, there would be less driving 80 MPH in 60 MPH zones, or 50 MPH in 30 MPH zones. Sivak's numbers suggest that if America became sensible about speed, perhaps 8,000 lives per year could be saved. Eight thousand lives per year would represent more Americans saved than if all incidents of drowning were eliminated.

Federal legislation to regulate the horsepower of passenger vehicles, perhaps by establishing a power-to-weight standard, would reduce petroleum consumption, cut greenhouse gas emissions, lower U.S. oil imports, strengthen the dollar, and take some of the road-rage stress out of driving. So what are we waiting for? Whatever your answer, don't reply, "No one can tell me what I can drive." Courts consistently rule that vehicles using public roads may be regulated for public purposes, such as safety and energy efficiency. NASCAR races occur on private property -- there, horsepower is nobody's business. On public roads, horsepower is very much everybody's business. You'd be laughed at if you asserted a "right" to drive a locomotive down the freeway. Where is it written we have the "right" to operate an overpowered car that wastes oil and pollutes the sky?

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Scott k. Brown

NASCAR cars need high horsepower, cars bound for suburban shopping malls do not.

Meanwhile, all the talk lately has been about getting drivers into hypothesized future vehicles that might get excellent mileage, such as plug-in hybrids. Even assuming such cars someday are in showrooms, the payoff is greater for getting people out of low-mileage vehicles right now, because low-mileage vehicles are disproportionate consumers of fuel. Assume an average year of 12,000 miles traveled. The driver who trades in a 15 MPG SUV or high-horsepower car for a 20 MPG standard-engine full-size car would reduce fuel use by 200 gallons. The driver who trades in a 20 MPG full-size car for a 25 MPG midsize would reduce fuel use by 120 gallons. The driver who trades in a 25 MPG midsize for a 30 MPG compact would cut fuel use by 80 gallons. The driver who trades in a 30 MPG compact for a 35 MPH current-technology hybrid would save 60 gallons. And the driver who trades in a 35 MPG current-technology hybrid for a 40 MPG advanced plug-in hybrid would save 40 gallons. By far the best oil-reduction bang for the buck lies in people giving up large SUVs, pickup trucks used for commuting, plus any type of overpowered vehicle, in favor of driving regular cars. The math is presented in detail in this paper by Richard Larrick and Jack Soll of Duke University. This suggests that instead of tax policy being focused on credits for buyers of high-mileage hybrids, and federal subsidies being focused on the development of high-mileage hypothesized future designs, tax policy should reward those who junk SUVs in order to buy regular cars. Tax programs to encourage drivers to junk old high-polluting automobiles were successful, so a junk-your-SUV program might work, too.

Palantir

2008-08-30T23:15:00.000-07:00

It feels like time to glance into the seeing stone again, dangerous though it might be. I'm really liking Johnny MC's choice for VP. It seems a calculated, risky move, and it works for me.

I feel like I can now settle into a calm peace over this election, as there is a nice symmetry between both tickets, and the country is going to move forward no matter what. I'm not seeing much of a further reason to get worked up over the Presidential Election, I like both tickets. They have different strengths and weaknesses, and I can support who wins, for different reasons.

I think it is a crazy risk for JMC to pick a 44 year old former pageant contestant with even less experience than BO. But I like the direction that it potentially takes this country in. The rise of the outsiders. The Washington elite cannot control everything, or so it would seem. And I'm really glad he didn't pick Romney.

I think the race that I am going to have to put some thought into is the senate race here in Orygun. Smith or Merkley. It's going to be close, it's going to matter, and I'm still undecided. Smitty lost some points with me when he ran a TV ad with his name in the Oregon Ducks font, thunder green and all. I suppose I'll have to look at some actual issues, and I expect to have that chance. But if there is a race to have a debate about around here, I think that's the one.

I don't know if my hand will physically be able to mark the bubble for democrats in the two biggest races though. My red roots bristle at the very notion even now. Apparently I haven't completely been turned. Something within me feels like my first vote for a major candidate in a presidential race should be a republican, just because I thought nothing but red for so long. But I never actually voted red, some beaucratic snafu intercepted my ballot in '00, and in '04 I really wanted to vote for Bush but the midichlorians within me and the war prevented me from actually marking the bubble so I voted for Jesus. So my conclusion is that it doesn't really matter who I vote for Pres, (but in a good way) and I don't have a clue in the senate race yet. I believe I did vote for the Merk in the primary though.

On a different government conspiracy note, I passed my Praxis II exam in math that I took last month apparently. The state of Oregon pretty much considers me qualified to teach calculus. And that's awesome don't get me wrong thank you Jesus.

But I can't shake the feeling that the powers that grade are either smoking crack or just have a quota of a % or number of people that must pass. Because by any objective standard I bombed the written response portion. It was 4 questions. I aced the first one, but used about 25 of my 60 minutes. The second one I feel I got the first half, and then I didn't have much of a clue on the rest of the test. I did write a very limited amount down, which I almost didn't do because I knew I wasn't close to a solution. But I maybe wrote a total of 4 lines for the last two and a half problems, and it would take about a page and a half minimum to present a correct solution.

So that's kind of messed up but I guess I'll take it. I scheduled the "Technology Education" one for November, and after that I still may do Social Studies. But it sounds like those jobs are pretty popular, and I'm not that gung-ho about it so it might not be worthwhile at this point in my career. Class is going fine, its a ~25 person cohort and I think it will be a good program; I'm enjoying it so far. I need to get my butt in a school volunteering though.

I got a new $600 dell lappy with some of my student loan money, not totally confident that was a solid decision but the old one was pretty painfully slow, even by my very tolerant standards. Isaac is going to wipe it and install linux though, I think in that form it will have some life left. I'm pretty happy with the new, it's from the small business area of their website, and I think as such it's got less crap pre-loaded on it.

With Keith in the UAE for a couple months I'm in a little less of a hurry to drive something other than his Susui Azztorpp for my very limited use. Although the tranny does appear to be going out again, which is a bad deal. But I'm just not going to use it but for work, until I can find something worth buying. I've been looking and have seen a few maybe's but nothing that was amazing yet in the 700-1500 range. But it'll come.

The bicycle commuting is working like a champ though. I got a front basket on today, 12 bucks and its removable so I can use it in the store as well. I'm trying out spud.com for produce delivery every other week; the stuff might be a little more expensive but its good and I'm actually eating it which is a big step.

And the Blazers are going to be the shizzle this season.

NYT's BO

2008-08-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

This was my lunchtime reading today: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/magazine/24Obamanomics-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Speaking of inobjectivity, the author seemed pretty well in love with Obama, but I believe it was well written and informative for the most part anyway. If that is indeed the way his tax plan is laid out, I'm all in favor. Now I need to find the opposing view.

TMQ

2008-08-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

TMQ is back at the ESPN, and the following is one of his rants on CEO compensation. I believe there was a conversation a while back on Hartzell's blog about CEO's, and something like this was what I thought of but couldn't find to link to at the time. It's pretty outrageous.

Government Policy Rewards CEO Lying, So We Get More of It: Increasingly Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are looking like little more than devices to transfer money from the pockets of taxpayers to the pockets of Fannie and Freddie senior executives. Former Fannie Mae boss Franklin Raines paid himself about $50 million for years in which, we now know, the company lied about its earnings in order to inflate executive bonuses, while management was playing fast and loose with other people's money. Beginning in 2007, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac went off the cliff, their stocks plummeting to less than 20 percent of their previous values, and taxpayers were put on the hook as guarantors of the firms' bad management decisions. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Mae-Mac debacle will cost taxpayers $100 billion or more. Yet Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron was paid $14.5 million for 2007, including a $2.2 million "performance bonus." Syron has taken home $38 million total from Freddie in the past five years. Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd got $14.2 million for 2007, plus a substantial prepaid life insurance policy and other perks including "financial counseling, an executive health program and dining services," the Washington Post reported. Hey, $49,000-a-year median U.S. households, you are being taxed for millionaire Mudd's "dining services." Bon appetite.

[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

The headquarters of a racketeering group engaged in organized crime.

Executives receiving very high pay justify their deals on two grounds: that they are risk-takers in high-pressure situations, and that they have valuable expertise. Now we know that no one at the top of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac took any personal risks -- everything was federally guaranteed, and all mistakes billed to the taxpayer. Here, the New York Times reports that Syron was repeatedly warned in 2004 that the organization was taking on bad loans, and did nothing. Syron justified his inaction by complaining to the Times that he was under pressure from various Fannie constituents. That's why he was paid so much, to take the heat! Yet he took no heat, rather, devoted himself to avoiding responsibility. If things go well, executives are lavished with money and praised as risk-takers. If things go poorly, executives are lavished with money and blame others.

And just what incredible expertise do Syron and Mudd possess? They made billion-dollar blunder after billion-dollar blunder; they failed to realize things as basic as buyers borrowing without documentation of income may not be able to repay loans. People chosen at random from the phone book could hardly have performed worse. Yet the federal bail-out legislation just signed by George W. Bush does not require them to give back any of their ill-gotten gains.

This is the core lesson of CEO overpay scandals: The corrupt or incompetent executive always keeps the money. He may be caught and embarrassed by bad press, but he keeps the money while someone else -- shareholders, taxpayers, workers -- is punished. Raines recently settled a federal legal complaint by agreeing to return about $3 million of his $50 million, but kept the rest; his employment contract was worded such that even if he was malfeasant, whatever he took from company coffers was his. Hilariously, federal prosecutors claimed victory because Raines "surrendered" to the government a large block of stock options -- options now worthless, owing to the Fannie Mae decline Raines helped set in motion by lying about Fannie numbers. Until Congress enacts a law that allows money taken by corrupt or incompetent executives to be recovered, the lying will continue. Lying by CEOs is what society rewards!

Why does Congress tolerate the swindle aspect of Fannie and Freddie? For the standard reason: Congress is on the take. Here, Lisa Lerer of Politico reports that in the past decade, Fannie and Freddie spent almost $200 million on campaign donations to Congress and on lobbying members of Congress, some of the lobbying money going to former members. This year, for instance, Fannie gave the legal max of $10,000 to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and to Republican House Whip Roy Blunt, neither of whom face meaningful re-election challenge. As for costly lobbying, the implied deal is: Don't rock the boat while in office and someday you too will be a former member getting easy money to lobby former colleagues. During Senate debate on the Mae-Mac bailout, Majority Leader Harry Reid refused to permit a vote on an amendment that would have barred Fannie and Freddie from giving money to members of Congress. Reid did not merely oppose the measure, he refused to allow the Senate to vote on it -- so that members of Congress could remain on the take, without having to go on record about the matter.

Now that taxpayers are covering Fannie and Freddie's cooked books, the $200 million diverted to Congress in effect came from average Americans, forcibly removed from their pockets -- and thanks to Senator Reid, more will be forcibly taken from your pocket and placed into the accounts of senators and representatives. This is what TMQ calls a Sliver Strategy. The Sliver Strategy is a means to disguise embezzlement. Congress looked the other way while Fannie and Freddie approved vast amounts of bad debt, in order to shave off a sliver for itself -- in this case, the $200 million in lobbying and donations. Had Congress simply awarded itself $200 million, editorialists would have been outraged. Because the money was slipped in to a larger fiasco of much greater sums wasted, Congress got away with it.

whoot

2008-08-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

Well I moved on saturday. With my brother to the extra bedroom at the Ketah's. And it sounds like David's going to move back in with our parents on wednesday. I have pretty mixed feelings on that, but it could be good. I know it'll all work out one way or another.

I start school next week, and have my orientation on wednesday, and I feel like I'm ready. New house, new school, and I'm still getting married. Time marches on.

I'm almost ready for politics to start back up again, as soon as the Olympics are over. Both frontrunners kinda make me grumpy, and it seems likely Oregon will be blue no matter what I do, but it's going to be time for saturation coverage soon and I'll be ready. I guess what frustrates me right now is it doesn't seem like anybody has an objective opinion, everybody just likes the guy you'd expect them to, or spends too much time joking about stuff, including myself. If there's no hope in anyone changing their mind, what's the point of discourse? I secretly enjoy being proved wrong and changing my mind, but then I get painted as an unreliable flip-flopper. So there is no winning, but it's a battle that must be fought anyway. Sigh.

Marriage

2008-08-13T23:44:00.000-07:00

Good evening internets, it's been a little busy lately, but there is some news for those who haven't heard. Ginny and I are now engaged and will be married sometime next spring, Lord willing and we live. I think it's pretty fantastic. Life is good. I will likely be doing most of the wedding planning, and I'm looking forward to it. So there.

Also, I'm moving this weekend to nopo and start school about the week after that. And I have to buy a crappy car in the next couple weeks, which I don't really want to do but I must for work.

But mostly Ginny and I will be married, and that is awesome. She is amazing to me, beautiful in every way, and I love her. I'm very confident we will be quite happy together. yeah...

love, liberty, disco

2008-08-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well I successfully went to the REI garage sale this morning and only spent 8 dollars. And I was there for 5 freaking hours too. They started at 8, so we got there a little after 7. And didn't get let in until about 1030. Sheesh. I think I'm either not going again, so I'm just going to go ahead and spend the night.

But I wasn't looking for much today, and I found it. A pair of Chaco sandals for Ginny for 20 bucks, and something random for me. Which ended up being some bike fenders for 83 cents that didn't have any hardware. Hopefully I can rig at least one of them up, I think it was a good risk. And I had 10 dollars left on a gift card from christmas I'd forgotten about and a 3 dollar dividend to use, so I only had to actually spend 8, it was awesome. The sandals even fit her. They're regularly 70 and I essentially got them for 7, so I think it was worth my time.

We tried to watch some of the Flugtag, but it was just waaay crowded. By my estimate there was definitely more people there for that than there was for Obama, but Oregonlive seems to be calling it a push at 80k. Ended up sitting on a bench at OMSI, we could see objects falling and people jumping in after them, but not specifically what they were. But I just enjoy being part of a crowd.

PBR Light

2008-07-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Apparently monday is blogging day. I guess it just works out that way.

I took the two Praxis II exams on Saturday morning. Mathematics: Content Knowledge and Mathematics: Proofs, Models and Problems. I should have studied a lot more. At least matrix algebra, I drew too many blanks there. I may have passed the Content Knowledge multiple choice one, most of what I knew I was very confident on. But there were about 6 questions or so out of 50 that were just a blind guess. Not very good. The other test which was 4 problems, write out your own solutions, I will definitely be taking again at some point. There was only one hour to complete it, if I had three I might have had a chance, but in one I was pretty hopeless.

It really won't take that much for me to do well, I've just got to give it a little extra effort. Hopefully when I start classes in a month I'll get some good study habits going. But I definitely squandered a good opportunity to knock a hurdle down, but it'll come around again.

Apparently people are starting to recognize my bicycle. At a light on Front and Market downtown coming home today, another cyclist asked me if I lived on 21st and Clinton, apparently he had seen me come home on Saturday after my test during the Clinton Street Fair. I really need to throw up a picture here.

I think this next weekend is the one to buy a car. I already emailed somebody selling a 91 Subaru wagon 5-speed for 800. Although if i could find a blue Camry wagon that would be perfect, since Isaac has a white one and Ginny has red. Ya gotta have something to aim for.

This is also the weekend of the garage sale at REI in downtown Portland. I think I'm going with Jake, and I swear it's only to try to find some sandals for Ginny.

I'm excited for the Ethnos camping trip in two weeks. And to go mountain biking with Troy. Church was indeed a bit of a rollercoaster yesterday as Dave said it would be, but God is clearly there and moving and I love it. I think it's going to be really good to have the gang together for the better part of the weekend.

I rode the bike and the MAX back from church last night. Took the opportunity to get $20 worth of groceries from the beaverton Trader Joes on the way to the station. But they have exactly zero bike racks. Weak sauce Joe. I was the only passenger on the train from beaverton until PGE park. I guess that's sunday night for ya. Also convenient was that the ticket stamper machine was out, so I didn't pay, and don't really feel bad about it in that situation. A little conflicted maybe, but they gotta keep their equipment up.

When I got home I decided I needed some PBR. So I walked over the the yuppie New Seasons and yes, they are not above selling PBR. It was about the only 12 pack for under 10 bucks. And as my cube-mate so very well put it today, PBR is for when you'd really like a beer, but also think that some water sounds good too. Some may laugh, but that's how I feel most of the time. And I like it.

On another note, it finally occurred to me the other day what I think is the simple difference between keeping a budget for personal finances and merely managing your cash flow. Because the two documents can look nearly identical. I feel the difference is that on a cash flow diagram, the column that shows the date each row is due is nearly as important to you as the dollar amount for each row. I don't think that a budget should exclude that information, it is helpful. But when you are budgeting, the exact date each monthly item is due isn't relevant. At that point you have a contingency and could pay all of the bills simultaneously. At least that is the difference as I have experienced it.

Because the two things could have the same information displayed in the same way. Only the maker knows what pieces are the most relevant. I had a "budget" neatly organized in Excel for a long time that in fact I treated as a cash flow diagram. The idea is that when one is earning more than they spend, or spending slower than you earn (however you like to think about it) you are able to have some leverage and budget what you want to spend more than react to what you are committed to.

This is what I was telling myself as I was having an argument with God about whether I was going to buy some Tillamook Ice Cream this evening from the yuppies, after I ignored the first couple answers of no, I heeded the final one that involved it costing more than 5 dollars. And thus I suceeded in spending slower than I earned for another evening. Besides, I had a box of funfetti in the cupboard that'd I'd forgotten about, and it was almost as good as CCCD, and a lot cheaper.

Traffic

2008-07-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned lately that I don't care what the price of gas is? I just thought you all would like to know, I consider it to be irrelevant information. There. I just had to get that out there before I remember that I have fill up Ginny's car and soon Dave's LRT on occasion. But the bike riding is fairly freeing in that respect.

I was talking to Bohnam before his party on Saturday about interactions between bikers and cars and pedestrians, some of which have been quite newsworthy lately, and I realized today I left out the most interesting interaction as far as I can tell. And that is biker to biker. I'm told that a full 10% of all commuters in my SE neighborhood do so by bicycle, and from my personal observations of the volume of bikes I believe it. And recently I've experienced something that sure didn't happen 11 years ago when I rode my bike to Benson everyday, and that's when two bikes meet at a four way stop and have to figure out who has the right of way. Cuz we all know how bikes dart in front of cars and don't stop, and threaten to run over pedestrians rather than lose our momentum.

What you may not realize is that on the few occasions where we do feel the need to come to a stop and yield to the car that clearly does have the right of way, the misguided doofus waves us on through quite often. What the crap. Make us play by the rules or don't. Cuz if I was going to go in front of you I sure as hell wasn't going to stop. Now that I have stopped, I don't mind at all you taking your turn in front of me. What I don't like is the extended time period right in front of a car that I know want to move in my path. The other morning I was going east on Glisan near 205, and this gal fully passed me and extended to a couple car lengths in front of me with her right blinker on, turned her car slightly as if to turn, and then stopped in the middle of traffic in an attempt to let me back by. Nope, not going to happen sister, I'm not getting out in front of you, you clearly don't have good judgment. I stopped and put my feet on the ground until she went by. So for those of you who are frustrated with idiot bikers, you are probably mostly justified. But don't be overly nice to us, because that just makes the problem worse.

Anyway, back to the bike on bike bit. I haven't really come close to hitting another bike yet, but it is just fascinating to sort the intersection out, and as the number of bikes increase we'll have to figure things out a little better. I think that the bike vs. bike scenario will be the one that gets it though to the teachable people how to yield and be courteous.

What's also fun is the unofficial races. Now when you're on the road in the car sometimes you get in situation where you are pacing someone, and most often it comes down to who wants to break the law the most to finish in front. Not so much on the bike. It is quite literally who is bigger and stronger and has the nicer bike. My bike is kinda slow and I often am carrying some extra weight in my kitty litter buckets. ( I should post a pic, but not tonight) But in the heat of the moment that is no excuse, it is a matter of who wills to pedal harder, and I love it. Coming up Interstate or the Esplanade in particular, I've had some good matches. And I usually lose, sometimes to a girl even, and it makes me want a faster bike. And maybe someday, but this one was free and it's working great, and I am very thankful. Bigger quads don't necessarily have a price tag attached to them, and I want them too.

And while I'm on the subject of transporation, lets talk about freeway merging habits. Oregonians are stupid. Now, I hate it as much as you do when some jerkoff passes on the right in a lane that's about to end, such as on I-5 south at the Rose quarter, or I-5 North coming up the hill out of Tigard, among countless other locations. It really gets my blood boiling at the audacity and lack of common courtesy, and even more so because I realize that they are driving rationally and I don't have the balls to.

Lets think about this. The freeway is only so wide, as we all know. The more lanes there are, the more cars can travel. At some point in the above described scenario, an "extra" lane on the right terminates. Cars in that lane will have to merge to the left. If they merge at the last possible moment, the freeway is effectively wider and can therefore carry more cars more effectively. By merging before the last possible moment, especially in scenarios where traffic is nearly stopped anyway, you are effectively creating a smaller freeway and more of a bottleneck. How early should we merge over, Mr. Oreslownian driver? 1/4 mile? 1/2 mile? 3 miles? By doing so you do reducing the size of the freeway, not efficiently make use of the full road available to you, and you aggravate traffic problems. It would seem that the turd passing on the right is aggravating traffic problems, but if everyone behaved that way, traffic would move more smoothly. Be the change you want to see. Instead of raising taxes to widen the freeways, use all of the ones we've got first.

you can get anything you want, at Alice's Resturant...

2008-07-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well my short lived love affair with that house is over. It was a good time though. God will have something better for me when it's time. And it might not be time for 5 years. There's also a few things to be said for renting from your friends; its usually a little cheaper, builds community, and it kinda insulates that community from financial disaster should the economy really turn sour. And I'm at peace with that.

Climbed Mt. Hood over the weekend. It was about the best possible day for it. Cold enough the night before that the snow was firm going up, and sunny and clear all day with almost zero wind, even on top there was no wind. It was awesome. My body felt pretty good the whole climb, I had trouble keeping my head in it the whole time, and I sure hurt right now, but it was worth it. Hopefully I'll get on Adams or a Sister later this summer as well. The pics don't seem to be uploading, but they're on my facebook.

The job continues to go well, I guess I get to be responsible for the building envelope rehabs going on in the Beaverton School District and Legacy health systems eventually. I like my co-workers, the guy that I share the conference room with currently and I a cappella country music together probably a little too frequently, but it's a good time.

My brother/roommate and I are getting along a whole lot better lately. We had about our third or fourth emotional chat a few weeks back, but the last one didn't have anger as one of the participating emotions, and we may have come to a better understanding of each other. And when I say emotional, I mostly mean me, David is pretty good at keeping his composure. In any event, I am much happier sharing space and trying to help him out these days, and I think he's a little more relaxed too, so it seems like a good deal.

I'm going to have to buy a car here pretty soon, as soon as I get a couple of paychecks under me. Late 80's early 90's toyota wagon here I come all over again. I just don't see how the combination of fuel economy, cargo/person capacity, reliability and ultimate coolness can be beat for the price. We got Ginny's for 1500 from a starting point of 2200, and I'm pretty much looking to duplicate that exact transaction. I might even take the jaguar off of Thor and put it on the hood of whatever I end up getting.

But overall God is really looking after me. My job, my friends telling me exactly what I don't want to hear regarding real estate, reconciling with David, being able to ride my bike to work, providing that bike for free from Ginny' dad in Cali, my relationship with Ginny, where I'm able to live, selling my truck the 1st day, getting me into grad school, Jake giving me Ramsey's book at the right time, safety on the mountain, health insurance that started immediately, and I know there's a lot more. The point is I can clearly see God's hand moving things around in my life right now. And I don't feel like I have that firm of a grasp on anything, I can envision the future in many different ways and I trust that it will work out somehow, because Jesus loves me and is in control.

And there are a lot of things that I'm not doing right. I say dumb things and waste most of my free time. But it's goina work out. I keep trying to shop for a new laptop and look for a car, but especially with the car there just aren't the deals out there that I'm looking for right now. And its because it isn't the right time because I don't have the cash. When I do, I know the right one will appear, and I'm going to enjoy going to buy it, flashing the benjamins and giving the dude the Tim Duncan stare until he knocks the price down. Or I'll keep riding the bike. And if I didn't have to have my own rig for work I wouldn't get one, but they have a big enough empty parking lot I'm just going to leave it there.

I did find a good deal on a computer, but there will be a better one. I wrote it down so that I can confirm that conviction in about a month. I'm taking out a 10k stafford loan for this term of school, tuition is a little over 4k, I'll spend around 600 on a lappy, I'm sure they'll be some books or other random crap that I'll need, and then I'll figure out that I don't need to take out that much for next term. I'm already beginning to doubt (with some helpful prodding) the logic of using that money to pay down credit cards, though there is about 2k of my 14k mess that was tuition from the class I took previously and tests I've paid for that I will apply to a card without hesitation. Which leaves about 3k of too much loan I suppose, but I think that's OK for the first term until unknowns are discovered.

I wish I had something more to show for a 14k mess, either in possessions or vices, but I just don't. As if gambling it away or something would be more respectable than buying food and gasoline in excess. I do have a full compliment of camping/hiking gear I suppose. It's very tempting to look at others with nifty electronics that they've seemingly paid for while not really making substantially more money than I and wondering what the heck why can't I have just a little bit of the peril. But comparisons just aren't a healthy road to go down, and I have to remind myself of this often. I do think my main problem was the truck, sucking the life and flexibility out of my checkbook just a little bit faster than I could deal with. The creditors all love me though, I'm about their favorite person in the world. People that carry large balances and have never missed a payment on anything. Can it get any better than that from a CC' perspective? Damn them and damn me for buying into the hype.

But things are going well. Lord willing and we live, at the current pace I'll be outta the hole in less than a year, maybe nine months. And that's without any boost from Stafford money, but it's also without buying a car. So as long as those things stay in balance, I continue to have unprecedented purchasing patience, and everyone around me keeps telling me no to all of my bright ideas, things are going to go very well.

I think I'm reaching a point where I may be able to break away from blowing too many hours on the internets. (I say as I write another manifesto :) I'm getting bored of espn and drudge a lot more quickly now, if I can just break the habit of loading them in all of my downtime I may be free. I think it's similar to what happened to me and video games, they just became uninteresting after a certain point. Fantasy football will be starting in a couple months which will be a time drag, but I'm going to be so stinking busy with other stuff I will definitely have the opportunity to break away. And I think that if any of you read through my page history you would wonder how the heck I've remained interested in the same old junk for so long as well. Again, I almost wish there was a clear vice here to blame like porn so it would be easy to see what needs to be cut off. But I don't even know what I do for 3 hours, I just know its almost time for bed every time.

Yeah, that's about it. I haven't been paying too much attention to BO or JM lately, I will again when the time gets closer. But I promise to have many violent divisive opinions soon, I just need some time to recharge my batteries.

peace

Rumplestiltzskin

2008-07-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

I guess I haven't really sat down in this room for a bit. The office job continues to be just what I need right now. I gotta be a little more careful now I suppose because somebody will probably find this if I don't want them too, but I do think it is going to be the perfect job for me. I'm going to learn a lot about how to seal a building properly from the weather, which is an art that has been lost or value engineered out of construction over the last few decades.

But it still is (primarily) an office job, and as such it won't be that hard to leave when I'm finishing up at Concordia in about 19 months and need to student teach. At least that's the plan, which never seem to work out as they are planned, but I feel like I've got a few good options going. This job, teaching license in the future, and I will still have my contractor's license. So any of those three plus whatever life throws my way, I should be alright. I don't presume to know what will happen.

I met up with a realtor and looked at a house on Saturday, the one linked to in previous house posting. 4736 N Haight, ML#8046334. It is in fact the house and location of my dreams. For about the right asking price, $213k. And I crunched the numbers, and with the help/cosigning/$ that Fleming would offer me if I asked, I could pull it off right now. But it would be pretty ugly, a risk that I'm not even comfortable with, and I think that's saying a lot. Like butter spread over too much bread. Now if I wait until about January, my financial picture is going to be a lot simpler. I would still be talking about trying for an FHA loan with only 3% down, and things would certainly still be quite tight, but I think that then it will be a much better risk. And I'm still fairly Hazardous.

But this property was IT. It might still even be around in six months, but I won't be holding my breath. All the electrical (knob and tube) and probably the plumbing has to be ripped out and replaced, it needs a furnace and likely a roof, the basement might be a bit damp, the kitchen is original 1906, the garage is boarded shut and needs to be knocked down, the windows are rippled single pane and the whole thing isn't really insulated at all. The asbestos siding is actually in awesome shape and would be at the very bottom of the list of things to fix, but it is asbestos. All of which is why it might still be around.

It will likely be gone because I'm not the only one who can see the beautiful fir floors and ten foot vaulted ceilings throughout the entire 1000sf first floor. Or the potential to rip out one of the bedrooms and put in stairs to the huge empty attic space and add about 650sf worth of bedrooms, bathroom(s?), windows and skylights. Or the ability to finish and configure the basement space into about a 700 sf full apartment with separate outside rear entrance. And the golden location in NoPo near the booming Mississippi district, 12 blocks from the MAX and 10 from I-5.

I would imagine if I were to get in there tomorrow it would take me 3-5 years of evenings and weekends to get it to where it can be. But that would be a money maker, a 2600 sf property with easily 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, separate rentable space downstairs or up, wide open floor plan on the main floor, and a good mixture of new and old everywhere. You can tell I'm a little excited. But if this isn't the one for me there will be something better, I have felt a significant peace difference in my heart in the moments when I have thought about waiting vs. those of diving in right now. But if one of you wants to buy it I would highly recommend it.

Lake Oswego is ghetto

2008-07-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

And this is why those that are so inclined are justified in their contempt for the snobs in Lake Oswego. Like myself. Maybe it's just a few folks, but I think the attitude in the air there fosters garbage like this. Let them play ball.

another question

2008-06-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

Traditional 401k or Roth?

New Job... begin

2008-06-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

So I started a new phase of employment in my life today. My trip to back to the OSU career fair during my winter dry spell came to fruition today. And it looks like it is going to work out super nice. Seems like good people, I was impressed with how organized the company is, my health insurance starts instantly, I probably won't have to buy a vehicle, they do some 401-k matching also starting immediately, the work hours can be a little flexible each day, they'll be paying my cell phone bill, and... yeah. It just seems like a good fit.

I walked there this morning. I was going to take the bus, but Powell was all backed up like crazy, so I hoofed the two miles. And it worked out just fine.

My title is Building Science Consultant. I'll be doing some site visits, taking pictures and writing reports to help HOA's in litigation against their builder on account of faulty workmanship or materials when their windows or anything is leaking and causing damage. I'm pretty excited.

And props to go to my Maker, thank you Jesus for working this all out so far so well. I'm somehow surprised when You take care of me, but thank you.

A question

2008-06-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

I've had this thought sloshing around in the back of my head for a while now, and it persists as I continue to waste countless hours reading about nothing on the internets. It's a theory really, and I need you to come up with only one good counter-example to blow it apart.

It is this: Whatever you are doing, at that moment it is the most important thing to you.

I want good rebuttals. I decided this was true thinking about how come I don't read my Bible and yet read lots of ESPN and blogs. But I think it's also true in many other areas. Certainly eating, sleeping, and excreting.

For work one must look at the big picture, it is important for me to have money so that I can pay my bills etc, and personally I often find work enjoyable and get to choose what order I do things in to some degree.

Spending time with friends also works as far as I can tell. What else is there that I've missed? I think this concept works to eliminate excuses, although so far it hasn't helped my time management.

a waste of time

2008-06-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

The good folks at Oregonlive have come up with a wonderful bracket of the best thing ever. Brackets themselves should have been at least a 13 seed I think, but I guess the selection committee had to leave something out.

I love that bacon is the #1 overall seed. Which reminds me of this.

Anyway, my final four has to be Sports in HD over Penicillin and "...I'm Keith Jackson..." over free beer, with Keith Jackson taking it all. Ya gotta remember the game he went out on. Even though I watched it in my hole in Antioch, it was still a great game. It's at the 2:30 mark.

Ok so maybe it's not the best thing ever, but I miss football.

BO says FU

2008-06-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

Alright Obama, I see how it is. I can take a hint. You think you don't need me. By declining the public financing system, I see you don't want my help. And you no longer have it.

I learned the most significant thing about your character today. I learned that when offered the ring of power and all the money behind it, unlike Galadriel, you will take it, rather than seek to destroy it. I don't like it that you think this election can be bought.

With such a large spending advantage, you are the clear front-runner now. I don't see how you can lose. But the Giants did beat the Patriots, so I suppose anything can happen.

I re-registered and voted for you in the primary, because I felt you needed my help to defeat Billary. I do have an unhealthy level of resentment for those two. But that battle is now won. And I've grown tired of trying to defend you.

I've got nobody's back now, and thats the way it should be in politics. I believe in change, every single day. We'll see how I feel come November 4. But it is clear now that who wins is not such a big deal to my life.

Awkward moments

2008-06-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

Though there are many, I just decided I'd share maybe my two favorite scriptural awkward moments.

Luke 14:15. "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Dinner party at the house of a pharisee, Jesus is in the midst of blasting everyone in the room for their attitudes of taking the place of honor at a banquet, and somebody just can't take the awkward tension and blurts this nugget out. Classic.

John 21:5. "Friends, haven't you any fish?" This is definitely my favorite chapter of the whole volume, and this is the most awkward moment for the disciples. The whole story had taken place, and Jesus had even already appeared to them after the resurrection, and yet there they go out in the boats back to fish anyway. And the the Man appears and asks what's up. They did manage to answer no, while they were all soiling themselves for being so stupid. It's perfect.

More Little Shack pics

2008-06-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

More Little Shack pics. It is all buttoned up now, perhaps someday the interiors will be done, but I'm outta here after this week. We actually found some big cedar beams that were holding up the old barn that might be able to be resawn into 1x12's perfect for the inside, but that will be another time.

Since it's so small it's pretty difficult to take a picture of the inside, we extended the loft floor area to about 130 sf and decided how to do the ladder. I think it turned out well.

I really like the railing, it's all clear cedar save the pressure treated, and quite solid.

Don't look too close at the scaffolding, although I'm sure that's an approved method in some country somewhere. Or just anywhere where you are working by yourself. I sure wouldn't have anybody else crawl up on it.

I don't think that I'd quite posted a pic of the view from the deck yet.

And one day we had quite the adventure backing up the flatbed trailer in the mud. The wheelbase for the trailer is just enough wider than that of the tractor, and the ruts just deep enough and slippery, that when it gets off course it is pretty much impossible to correct.

And I refuse to spend the time trying to line up the pics with these words. Or essentially learn anything new as long as I'm using this lappy. Isaac has got me convinced that whenever I get a new machine to let him set up Ubuntu with Windows as a little slave on a partition or something. And that's when I'll spend lots of time learning new things, but this old dog doesn't have any new tricks in her, it just takes waaaay too long.

The bald faced truth

2008-06-18T20:43:00.001-07:00

Well Canzano didn't let me down today. On his show this afternoon he said that he was thinking about Javon Walker last night and then proceeded to lay out pretty much the same deep theory that I was pushing yesterday, that some part of Javon felt guilty that it wasn't him that died back in Denver last year. Thank you John, I'm not crazy.

I think the Blazers need D.J. Augustin from the draft this year. It seems unlikely he will slip to #13, but dude is a pure point guard who can dribble and think, and I think he'll be really good on the right team.

It appears that western oil companies will soon begin to directly profit from the war in Iraq, returning to a position they left 36 years ago when Saddam came to power. Hmmmm. This seems like just the kind of meaningful event that the puppet masters prevent from becoming big news.

And if we thought measure 11's mandatory sentencing was a bit harsh, check out this kid who's in a world of hurt. I don't have much sympathy for the rich turd, but 38 years seems beyond harsh.

Not a whole lot interesting on the election front as far as I can tell. BO and McCain are slowly converging in my mind, BO has fundraised too well to not have sold his soul. Scott Adams continues to do a very good job of analysis, and I'm not too interested in putting myself out there for either dude. My hope is not with politics, it is an entertaining as sports sometimes and more important, but only Jesus gives me change that works for me.

bling bling

2008-06-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

The lakers got crushed, and I couldn't be happier for them. Now the focus can turn to what the Blazers are going to do in the draft. Joe Alexander seems to be getting a lot of love, the rumors are strong they will trade their first pick, but I'm betting the keep it. I trust Prichard in any event.

The big talk on the radio today was not Tiger's studly win at the US open, but Javon Walker. It was so good that Rome even allowed about 15 callers on the air, which never happens. They were all skewering him for being so stupid for essentially doing the same thing as the night when his then teammate Darrent Williams ended up dying in his arms new years eve 06. Essentially they were at some club showing off their bling and spraying strangers with thousand dollar bottles of champaign. Last time the limo got hit in shooting and someone died, this time Walker was found passed out on a street, heavily beaten and robbed.

And yeah, there's certainly an element of how proud and dumb can you be acting the gangster again flaunting in the same was as when your buddy died. He does have to be smarter than that. But what got me was that in their haste to question his judgement, even on Canzano's show nobody considered that perhaps Javon is still haunted by that previous incident. Perhaps he felt he should have been the one to have died, and went at it again in the same way because he is genuinely sick and wanted somebody to end his life in an "honorable" way. Or some kind of craziness like that that he had talked himself into because he's rich and scarred and he doesn't have friends with any balls to tell him no and that he needs to go get help. And he's too sick to go get help himself, so he does something desperate so that help comes to him. I think it's very plausible. And I was upset today that the possibility was not even being considered. Everybody is too busy piling on the black thug.

My house wishlist

2008-06-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

I like to check RMLS from time to time to keep tabs on the housing market. Things are looking better for me every time, this recession isn't all that bad. I need people to start panicking. I won't be in position to pounce on something for a while, but I'll know when to jump when it's time. I've got a few items I'm looking for:

under $200k
Built prior to the 70's
two toilets
basement, hopefully unfinished
garage, hopefully detached
kitchen that feels open, or suitable walls to demolish to make it so
gas to the house, so Ginny can have her range eventually
old fir hardwood floors
functional wood burning fireplace

Location deserves it's own paragraph. I'm not too hot on St. Johns, but I'd live there. I like the area around Dave's/my parents but it is getting out of my price range fast. I like Parkrose a bit for it's low cost and larger lots, but it's a way's out. Lents is supposed to be the next area to experience economic growth, but it'd be a tough five years before then. But I'm open to pretty much any deal east of the Willamette.

The best I could find today was ML#8038619. 52nd and Alberta. Cully neighborhood. Seems like a good compromise location to me. Good bike riding spot. But mostly I need to ride the thin line of recession, just good enough so that I still have work but not so good that things start taking off like crazy again.

my crack at some linkage

2008-06-09T22:33:00.000-07:00

Well I've been meaning to go on a crusade against sarcasm, but Terry posted a good link on it today here from the NYT.
Sounds like the trick to it is to figure out what other's are thinking. The article deals with it from the perspective of the listener knowing what the speaker is thinking, but I think that when sarcasm is really effective, the speaker also knows what the listener is thinking. Regardless, if it cannot be abolished it needs to be cut back big time. It is like many good things, best in small doses.

Scott Adams takes his best shot at arguments for McCain and BO for POTUS here .
He seems to make a better case for McCain, though he has appeared to be pulling for BO more from past posts.

Sorry, flip-flop lovers. You may be hurting yourself.

And, another opportunity cost related to consumer debt, your health.

Get the ball

2008-06-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well the generator acted up on me this evening. The pull cord broke and it kept shutting off when running. I spent waaaay too long rigging up another rope, and it took a bit to remember that it shuts off when the oil is low. Sure sounds obvious now though. But it all did get fixed before dark, and that's what's important.

I had a fun time at church last night playing wallball with the kids during Paul's CD party. I ended up not having to serve my regular week with the kids this month, so I watched some of them during the bonus event, and they kicked my butt at the ole wallball. Very liberal 'interference' rules though.

And then we played 'get the ball.' Which is my favorite game in the whole world. I like playing against people that are bigger and stronger better cuz then I can go all out, but I think I'll only be finding kids to play that with from here on out. We played in college a lot, when I lived in the house with jake carl and tim. We even knocked a butt sized hole through the wall once, it was awesome.

But nobody got hurt yesterday, and that was awesome and somewhat surprising for me. Usually something happens, although we did upset Jonah. After the kids had cleared out of the ball room during dessert time I sat in front of the door to try to ensure no more ball playing that evening. Jonah took exception to this, and he was having a good time climbing on me and begging to go into the room. Jeremy was nearby, and we kind joked for Jonah that sure we'd let him in but then not back out. I though he heard, but I guess not.

So I let him in and then sat back in front of the door so it couldn't open, and it was kinda loud and I was talking to some folks, so it was probably nearly five minutes before I let him back out. He was crying and very upset, and I felt terrible. Then his Evan comes over and he starts begging to be let in. I tell him what just happened with his brother, but he is undeterred. So I let him in, but I shouldn't have let him have the ball. Cuz he would come to the door every so often and pretend to be upset, and then go back to bouncing it. Finally I become overwhelmed by all the kids punching me to be let in and reopen the floodgates, and Evan is indeed having a good ole time.

I dunno. It's good experience for me to work with the kids, and it is fun. Although it is a bit disturbing when little Ella starts following the example and is punching me. But I know I did the same thing when I got frustrated as a kid, and I'm probably fairly frustrating to them.

So that's my tale of child 'supervision' for the evening.

NBA Finals Game One

2008-06-05T21:04:00.001-07:00

I have a good deal of pride for the Western Conference. I think its a NW east coast media bias chip on my shoulder I carry. I have no love for the Boston Celtics. Boston fans are spoiled and pampered as of late, and I have no empathy for them. I don't appreciate Kevin Garnett, he's overrated and disappears in big games. Ray Allen played for Seattle for years, and I hate the way he killed the Blazers.

But.

I feel absolutely no hesitation or conflict in rooting for the hated Lakers and Kobe to just die, and I'm very pleased in the outcome tonight. It sounded like a good game, thank you ESPN radio on the net.

It's On

2008-06-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

So the most important question for the evening is: will I be able to watch the Lakers-Celtics using only the internets? I'm betting no.

In other news, hundred year old cedar shakes sure make starting a fire easy.

I've been thinking about Hillary's imminent exit and who BO's VP should be. I heard that BO is going to likely pay off Billary's campaign debts, and offer to let her be in charge of health care reform should he be elected. That sounds like a reasonable solution, I don't trust her but in this situation I think she would do her damnedest to do the best job with that she could, which is about the most I could hope for.

Now for BO's VP, I had a fun idea. I swear it was my own. I don't know who, but he needs an older female running mate, female to pull in Hillary voters, and older to get close to McCain's prime demographic. I couldn't think of anybody really good though. Maybe Elizabeth Dole, I guess she worked in Lyndon Johnson's administration before she went Republican, it would be a good unity tool as well. The other name that came to mind was Maria Shriver. I don't know how seriously she could be taken on the campaign trail, but she is almost a Kennedy, and both those ladies would discourage any potential assassins I would hope. But a female's gotta be the way to go.

Predatory Lending

2008-06-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

I also feel like I might have a bit of a rant in me this evening. I'm sure many of you have heard those radio commercials for car loans, credit-yes, joe-says-yes, dick-says-yes, free-credit-report, etc. I'm sure many of you have also heard a bit in the news about the housing "crisis," and the trouble we are in due to "sub-prime" lending and the house of cards falling. Well I was just thinking about putting those two things together.

I find the term "subprime" or "subprime loans" itself to be a bit confusing and misleading, because what it means is that the rate on those loans is above the typical interest rate, because the borrower's credit worthiness is "sub" that which is normally acceptable. Much hullabaloo is now being made on how to fix that mess that was caused by nothing more complex than greed on the part of the lender. Banks have had standards for a reason, and when they consistently relax their standards it's bad news.

So with this recent information in the news about the disaster that type of lending is in the housing market, why is no one rushing to silence these predators that are seducing people into car loans that they can't afford? Is it because a large group of people going default on auto loans will not have a negative effect on the economy? I don't know the economics of the situation, but that mechanism seems on the surface to be one of the ways that increase the gap between the rich and the poor.

The bottom line is that vehicles are money pits, one of the worst things to have a large chuck of your income tied to. I think high gas prices are beginning to make this more obvious, but a car is not an investment, it is a sunk cost. And the lust for a new pretty one that infects this country holds the lower and middle classes down. I'm with Mr. Ramsey now that no one should have a car payment, ever. I fell for it and had to bail. And I have plenty of friends that have newer cars that can make the payments no problem, and enjoy it. But I'm convinced that if you want to get ahead, a nice car is not part of the picture. Reliable yes, nice not so much.

But credityes.com is driving me nuts. Not just the ads, but the premise. I just want to scream back, NO! No you don't need a nice car. You're only causing yourself pain. The whole premise of car payments is whack, but if even the banks don't think you can handle a loan, take the hint buddy. Save yourself and tell Dick to go to hell with his crappy loan. It's the same thing as subprime morgages people, and it only hurts the little man. Tell your friends to just say NO!

Little Shack Pics

2008-06-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share some pics of what I've been working on lately:

The footings were poured about 5 years ago, and it was just now finally time to build the thing. The deck in total is 20' by 20', the shack is 14'x16'. Ten foot studs, balloon framed with half of the area inside as a sleeping loft. We still haven't quite figure out all the details of how the ladder up to it is going to work. The roof is at a 12-12 pitch, and the one operable skylight really adds to the area of the room. I do enjoy installing skylights.

There's quite a view of the field below, this is the highest ground on his property.

The siding is reclaimed barn shingles from his barn that fell down in the snow a few years back, and the fascia and varge boards reclaimed barn boards. They were up to 1-1/4" thick by 13,"
and by do they clean up well. I'm putting on the deck and handrail this week, and maybe get to finishing up the siding.

also,

2008-05-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

It appears that I may have to buy a new lappy sooner rather than later. The slowness is making me crazy, and it has to be plugged in, and the CD drive is kaput. But I've gotten three good years of use out of it, and it was a christmas present. It is a Dell inspiron model, and I'm kinda inclined to buy another one. I have found it to be reliable, and it doesn't do so much that I'm tempted to get into new ways to waste my time. And also, apparently you can buy a new Dell right now and still get WinXP, which sounds like the thing to do to me. Definitely looking at the under 700 price range. Thoughts?

Boo

2008-05-28T21:37:00.001-07:00

I hate the Lakers.

Calf Branding

2008-05-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

I went out to Jake's parents place in Ione, OR this weekend and helped brand the calves again. Good times. There were only fifty this year, his dad is cutting back a bit due to high fuel prices and everything else, but we did flip every single one by hand. The middle Neiffer brother, Adam, got his face a little bloodied up by a couple of the calves, but he also powerslam tackled a few of them. I forgot my camera, so if you want to see pictures you'll just have to come out next year and help, all are invited.

And Jake outdid even himself with his crazy diets, and had about a pound of raw hamburger on his salad for dinner on saturday. I don't really have words for that, I didn't think I could be surprised by his food anymore but that did it.

Can you smell what the BO is cookin?

2008-05-18T23:01:00.001-07:00

Well I'm not sure I believe that there was 75000 people like it is being reported, but I can report that there were at least 500 bicycles locked the the railing along the water north of the hawthorne bridge. Oh yeah, heres a picture:
I'd never been to a political rally before, and this was certainly a beautiful day to go to one. He spoke for about 35 minutes, it was pretty much the same speech I'm sure as always, but it was fun to be in the crowd and chat a bit with the black guy next to me.

The most interesting thing to me though was getting there. Ginny and I parked on the east side by the Morrison bridge, walked over to saturday market and got some food (east african chicken wrap and then some sherbet) Then we started towards the bowl on the south side of the hawthorne where the BO was going to be. Well the PoPo's had the underbelly barricaded off and guarded, and the herds of people were being redirected away from the river. At this point there really isn't a flow of people one direction or another, nobody really knows where the heck to go.

Then we started hearing some Obama staffers saying there was a line, that we should get in it, and that it was "over there" OK great. But by golly, there was a line. And then more line. Apparently there was only one entrance (or was there?) to the event, and a fatty line. Ginny really wanted to just go back to the park and sit on the grass, but I was overcome by the duty to stand in the line. But as we traced back the line, after about 8 blocks I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't going to move fast enough to get inside. But was curious how long the thing was, so I drug Ginny along. And along. And seriously, not until we were in the park blocks well inside PSU's campus did the line end. Probably about 20 blocks with some zig-zagging.

So that wasn't going to be any good, so I thought we'd go back and try to find some sidewalk space on the south side of the bowl. We might stand a chance of hearing something without a bridge between us and the speaker. So we got back to the bowl, this time from the south, and were able to keep walking down the sidewalk, and lo and behold we were in the bowl. I don't know what the crack those BO staffers were smoking, but they clearly should have told folks to walk around to the south side, where there wasn't a 5000 person line. I was beaming that we actually got in, I had given up hope and was kinda taking some heat from the girl for our wild chase down the line. So that was fun.

As for the man himself, I am hopeful, but I'm not betting on anything. I really hope he doesn't sell out to lobbyists. And I hope the lobbyists don't have him killed if he doesn't sell out. But either of those seems a lot more likely than him succeeding at being an honest president. But I am more than willing to take that chance. I believe he's got some fight in him, and I'm optimistic that the oil companies won't have him by the balls like they have Bush. I like his energy policies, his diplomatic attitude, and the fact that he is black. I do think that is important for this country.

But he is certainly no Jesus. The crowd felt kinda dead to me today, it was beautiful weather and the candidate of their dreams, but they really weren't all that excited. They seemed to mostly hate Bush. The holy spirit certainly wasn't a dominating presence. I want to trust BO, but I know that he will fall. And I feel like this might be similar to Bill Clinton's support in 92, and that kinda makes me shudder. Because essentially I like BO on the basis that he speaks as if he is not corrupted. Which is a house of cards. McCain I know what he is, he will not change, and he's a fool on Iraq. BO might be a fool, but it will be in a very unpredictable way. I'm willing to take that chance, but I understand those who are not.

What gets me though is the cynicism. Of my friends, the newsmedia, and myself. It's pretty discouraging when we talk expecting the worst out of someone. And one of the reasons I love Ginny is that she is not cynical, she will assume face value is true, because thats the way people should talk. But we've learned we can't trust politicians, I just wish it wasn't so easy to cross the line from a healthy caution to a discouraged cynicism. I've been pretty cynical here for craps sake, and it makes me sad. The system is broken, we make fun of each other for being optimistic, but experience will tell us pessimism will better predict outcomes, especially in politics. It's time for Jesus to come back and fix this all, I don't see any other way.

2008-05-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Apparently its going to go straight from winter to summer, which is alright with me. All that snow on the hills needs to melt so I can make it to the mountain trailheads. Global warming my foot.

Looking for scholarships for grad school has been pretty fruitless so far. Fastweb is just one big scam of an advertisement. I don't really have a problem investing 25k in tax-deductible loans for my future vocation, but I feel like I should look at least a little harder for some better options.

My current financial guru would disagree with me about the loans however. Mr. Dave Ramsey is my hero right now. He has given me hope for the future of my finances, and made being debt free feel attainable in a very simple way. Although I'm about to ignore him and take out more student loans. If you've never heard of the guy, you should read his book, the information really isn't new but if you're ready to hear it and make some changes it is very encouraging and empowering.

I think that's all for today. It appears that BO is finally getting some superdelegate momentum with the Edwards endorsement. I am looking forward to a race between him and McCain, and I hope they run with Billary's idea of having some moderatorless debates, I think that would be very interesting.

Back in Business

2008-05-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

OK, I think I might be ready to get serious about this blogging thing. I have been working out of town at a cabin and staying out there for much of the week, and we just got the internets. So now I think I've got the time.

As much as I wanted to withhold judgment on the rev. Wright, I think it's pretty clear now that he's just in it for himself and wanted some of the spotlight. But we'll get back to politics in a bit. First to update on my life.

I just got officially accepted into Concordia University's Masters of Arts in Teaching program yesterday, now I've got to figure out how to pay for it. I start a new job June 25th, school would start at the end of August, be two evenings a week, one class at a time. The job is a desk one, which is new for me, but its really close in town. Which will be handy because I will most likely be carless. I sold my Tacoma and as gas keeps going up I am just de-motivated to buy a car. I'm considering trying to move in the next few months to save on rent, and most of all I'm dating a really awesome gal (http://roperfrenzy.livejournal.com/) and that is progressing to the point where its near time to consider specific future plans.

Whew.

That's the short of it, I'm sure more details will come out soon. I've got quite a few rants stored up that are also assuredly coming soon, regarding politics, money, relationships, etc. So hopefully I'll be sticking my foot in my mouth in a way that is beneficial to others. Peace.

Reverend Wright

2008-03-21T23:48:00.000-07:00

I think all this hullabaloo over certain comments made by Rev. Wright are quite overblown. But what is more frustrating is the continued fear on the part of white america to risk engaging in a conversation about race. The conversation ends up being about having a conversation about race, and the overwhelming motivator of the white person is to make sure they don't appear racist. Let me help you out, get over it. I think its much more frustrating for minorities when we act so jumpy and over-sensitive when the subject comes up in a serious context. Just chill, be who you are, and say what you think, and let the chips fall where they may. Maybe somebody will learn something, that's kinda the point of a conversation. But you don't learn anything by being jumpy and over-sensitive. What you do is preserve the status quo.

That reaction has been my observation from a few friends and talking heads during the latest racial "dialogue." Yes the guy said some things that are clearly out of bounds. Don't we all. And yes he is in a position of authority and should be held to a higher standard, and I'll trust his congregation to do that, and he's also being held to that now publicly. That Barack associated himself with this man and his church does not make me a bit uncomfortable, I know a little bit about black church culture and I'm confident that Jesus is actually alive and working there in that community.

I was impressed with BO's speech on tuesday in Pennsylvania around this issue, and was not impressed with the way my former hero Mr. Limbaugh analyzed that speech. You should watch it if you can, it's long but it was my first hard look at BO, and I like what I heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrp-v2tHaDo