It is an odd report tonight....New Hampshire Democrats are now saying that a Republican “Bible Belt agenda” exists....and it's asking folks to pray to God to heal America.
Naturally, Democrats are worried about this agenda. They'd prefer the public not get into a prayer mentality....or that we invoke God into government affairs. The last thing that a Democrat would want in New Hampshire....is a miracle of sorts occurring, and everyone running around thanking God for fixing up the state.
So the Republicans have jumped up and feel insulted over this Democratic comment, and they want an apology. They think that this anti-God agenda and anti-prayer agenda by the Democrats....is an absolute insult.
It kinda feels like being in a dry county in Bama....with a bunch of Baptists telling you about Satan and beer....before they sit down on your back porch to sip some of your beer offerings.
The truth is....a true Democratic or Republican political figure....believes that only money can fix the woes of a situation, and they'd hate to get into invoking God to heal anything. If a new $62 million highway extension program is the answer....then that's more effective than a bunch of guys sitting around praying. This praying business would never bring a highly overpriced highway extension into the big picture.
Thank God for American politics.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Census Woes
There is a report by the Census folks that indicates that the sheer cost of doing the Census each decade is becoming an issue. Things were simple up until 1970...then for some reason, the cost started to double each ten years. So the 2010 Census ran around $15 billion, and based on this report....unless things change, the 2020 Census will cost $30 billion.
I sat there, and pondered over this. Statistics are a passion of mine.
This would mean that the 2030 Census would be $60 billion. Then the 2040 Census would be $120 billion. The 2050 Census would be around $240 billion. And the 2060 Census would be around $480 billion. You don't even want to know about the 2070 Census or beyond.
Why the cost situation? There simply isn't a cost-effective way of counting what exists or doesn't exist. Yep, the numbers folks need to fill in this void when things don't fit, and they need research and various other data collections to find data to dump into their numbers.
From a historical standpoint, it was fairly simple in 1810 to walk around South Carolina and come up with a number. You could ask the Census guy for one county.....and he'd likely admit that he'd walk through a frontier town on the western end, and just get an eye-ball number by asking the Jones family about their neighbors and then get the magic '188'-number for the local Census count. Ms Jones would rattle off her own statistical numbers, and Mr Jones would offer up some whiskey from his stash in the barn. After three hours, the Census guy would be all happy with whatever Ms Jones said....and be mostly drunk as he left the town without every really hitting every single house. It was a simple method. Things have changed.
So as we look ahead to 2060, and this idea of the nation having to pay around $480 billion possibly....I'm of the mind that we really can't afford this anymore. The cost would outweigh the benefit.
The solution? This void that continually exists....that needs extra research to fill in and be highly accurate? Well...I'm of the mind to go back to the Ms Jones method, and just get some data from some local person and dump it into the mess....no matter how accurate or inaccurate it might be. And let the Census guy have a drink or two while on duty to help him steady his hand at this counting business. Maybe getting one and one to equal three....might work....with five sips of a good Tennessee whiskey....and we can save $470 billion in 2060 (and help a Tennessee whiskey company in bad times).
I sat there, and pondered over this. Statistics are a passion of mine.
This would mean that the 2030 Census would be $60 billion. Then the 2040 Census would be $120 billion. The 2050 Census would be around $240 billion. And the 2060 Census would be around $480 billion. You don't even want to know about the 2070 Census or beyond.
Why the cost situation? There simply isn't a cost-effective way of counting what exists or doesn't exist. Yep, the numbers folks need to fill in this void when things don't fit, and they need research and various other data collections to find data to dump into their numbers.
From a historical standpoint, it was fairly simple in 1810 to walk around South Carolina and come up with a number. You could ask the Census guy for one county.....and he'd likely admit that he'd walk through a frontier town on the western end, and just get an eye-ball number by asking the Jones family about their neighbors and then get the magic '188'-number for the local Census count. Ms Jones would rattle off her own statistical numbers, and Mr Jones would offer up some whiskey from his stash in the barn. After three hours, the Census guy would be all happy with whatever Ms Jones said....and be mostly drunk as he left the town without every really hitting every single house. It was a simple method. Things have changed.
So as we look ahead to 2060, and this idea of the nation having to pay around $480 billion possibly....I'm of the mind that we really can't afford this anymore. The cost would outweigh the benefit.
The solution? This void that continually exists....that needs extra research to fill in and be highly accurate? Well...I'm of the mind to go back to the Ms Jones method, and just get some data from some local person and dump it into the mess....no matter how accurate or inaccurate it might be. And let the Census guy have a drink or two while on duty to help him steady his hand at this counting business. Maybe getting one and one to equal three....might work....with five sips of a good Tennessee whiskey....and we can save $470 billion in 2060 (and help a Tennessee whiskey company in bad times).
Local Stuff
For those of you who track our local former big-wig mayor of DC.....Marion Barry.....he had his car stolen over last weekend.Barry has recovered from his downfall in the 1980s, and now serves as a DC Councilman. He apparently had his 2002 Jaguar near a education center in Southeast DC on Sunday morning.....with the keys still in the ignition (curious why, but we shall never know). When he left the building....it was long gone. Cops found it on Tuesday afternoon....in one piece.
I get the impression that someone was just joy-riding the car for an hour or two....then dumped it. Face it.....what idiot would want a 8-year old Jag anyway?
The curious thing? Why meet early on a Sunday morning at a education center in southeast DC? And you leave the keys in the car?
The Seven-Minute Speech to Come
Someone sat up this week and finally asked two of the most curious questions of the year.....what does Supreme Court Judge Kennedy think of the mandated and required universal health care law, and what will President Obama say immediately upon a Supreme Court rendering of a slam against a mandated requirement attached to it?
It's pretty much going to turn into a four to four situation with the court over the universal health care law requirement that you must participate. Justice Kennedy is the fifth vote. In most cases....he swings to the right. In a few cases, he has surprised folks and actually swung to the left. This might be a curious situation with the perception of the Justice.
One has to sit though and imagine the first seven-minute comment of the President over an action against the mandated participation. I would imagine that the speech writers of the White House are currently writing two different scripts for the President to memorize and keep in his pocket for this day in the summer of 2011.
I'm taking a guess that a slam against the requirement....would trigger a fairly negative slam against the court and how they are unable to understand the Constitution. In a way, it would be a defining moment where some voters who are still hanging onto the support of the President would stand back and gauge his comments as possibly negative.
In a way, this seven-minute speech on the announcement of the Supreme Court verdict will define the President for years to come. In a way....it ought be like most other verdicts where you just express your displeasure and talk about work in the congress to fix the problem. I suspect you won't get much positive out of this seven-minute speech.
It's pretty much going to turn into a four to four situation with the court over the universal health care law requirement that you must participate. Justice Kennedy is the fifth vote. In most cases....he swings to the right. In a few cases, he has surprised folks and actually swung to the left. This might be a curious situation with the perception of the Justice.
One has to sit though and imagine the first seven-minute comment of the President over an action against the mandated participation. I would imagine that the speech writers of the White House are currently writing two different scripts for the President to memorize and keep in his pocket for this day in the summer of 2011.
I'm taking a guess that a slam against the requirement....would trigger a fairly negative slam against the court and how they are unable to understand the Constitution. In a way, it would be a defining moment where some voters who are still hanging onto the support of the President would stand back and gauge his comments as possibly negative.
In a way, this seven-minute speech on the announcement of the Supreme Court verdict will define the President for years to come. In a way....it ought be like most other verdicts where you just express your displeasure and talk about work in the congress to fix the problem. I suspect you won't get much positive out of this seven-minute speech.
The Peanut Explanation
Today, it was released that somewhere in the midst of the billions and billions to be given away by congress and the senate....is $413,000 for peanut research in Alabama. Folks are a bit upset about this earmark in the midst of the spending bill.
I wanted to stand up and set the record straight on this.
First, the peanut is a critical part of American life. Without it....peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches would not exist. Imagine kids across America sitting there and having just a jelly sandwich. It wouldn't be right. Our passion and energy...comes from the peanut.
Second, let's admit here and now....Alabama is producing ten percent of the peanuts for the nation. This is a major factor for Bama farmers. We have some Bama folks who profit enough to go off to Aruba and Orlando....to enjoy their gains in life. In our neighboring state of Georgia....they produce almost forty-five percent. There is a slight difference here but lets just admit that the Bama peanut is superior to the Georgia peanut.
Third, while it's not clear who exactly is getting this earmark in the state....we can pretty much feel confident that it's going to Auburn....not those wussie guys at University of Alabama. The Auburn peanut research department is legendary. We probably have some of the smartest peanut scientists on the face of the Earth...at Auburn. Denying them the chance to take the peanut to the next level of intelligence....just wouldn't be right.
Fourth, we can kinda admit that this will help fund several college students in various peanut research projects who main play football and need some extra grade points to ensure their survival with our victorious Auburn team. Yes, we can admit that....and that a potential punter, defensive end, and maybe even a starting tackle player or two might be helped by this research grant. The boys might even be taken by Professor "Skippy" (head dude of the peanut research department) on a grand tour of state peanut farms in search of statistics and a greater understanding of the vast peanut world in Bama. And yes, they may get some pocket money for beer and get to hear Professor "Skippy" lecture in a drunken state about his wild theories of peanut evolution (things that would never be mentioned in Baptist company).
Fifth and final.....we admit that the money had to be spent on something. Considering your choices were $413k on weasel research in California, $413k on turpentine research in Oregon, $413k on wild donkey research in Elko, Nevada, or $413k on the reason why people separate a Oreo cookie and eat the center part before they eat the outside cookies.....you'd have to agree that peanuts are a damn good idea to research.
You have to admit....just handing everyone in America back 12 cents by saving the $413k just wouldn't make sense....right?
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