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Monday, March 19, 2007Update: Walter ReedToday, I got an e-mail from my US House Representative, Jean Schmidt. How exciting!!! She wrote me an e-mail! I soon found out it was just a list-serv that I got onto. Anyway, her letter was about The Walter Reed fiasco. Bascially, she said that it wasn't that big of a deal and that the building was supposed to be demolished. Apparently there is a bill that she supports that will allocate $3.5 billion dollars to veterans health care. This is $3.5 billion MORE dollars. I don't know how much is currently being allocated...my guess is somewhere between $115 and $5 billion. Whenever I hear that more and more mooney is being allocated to something (especially if that something has been a total mess), it makes me wonder if it will help. Based on past experience, no. Rarely does spending more and more and more on anything make it better. Plus...where is the money coming from? Will it come out of thin air?!? Will it come through taxes? Probably not. It probably will come by jsut printing new money...because that's free money!!! Of course, that just increases inflation...but it's hard to tie that back to a particular politician. Anyway...I hope the Walter Reed mess gets figured out...but I doubt the new influx of dollars will make much of a difference. Labels: Government, Walter Reed Monday, March 5, 2007Gasolineummmm...so I was reading around the internet and I stumbled on this hilarious news story from last year. I was not aware of this until just now, but apparently in New Jersey (and Oregon) it is illegal to pump your own gas. Yes, that's right...against the law. You can read the story here. So as I started to read this I was thinking, "This is just another example of stupid paternalism in the government". Then I read further. Apparently the awesome citizens of New Jersey VOTED for this. The Governor brought up switching to self service and the fine people of New Jersey inundated his office with calls and letters of complaints. It seems these people like the higher gasoline prices that go along with full service. So as I kept reading I laughed more and more. Here is one of my favorite quotes: Then there's the issue of safety. About 8.7 million residents live in the state and many of them, including more than one million senior citizens, have little experience in pumping gas. Assemblyman Francis L. Bodine (R) said this is one reason he's opposed to the idea. Plus, "If I'm dressed up, I don’t want to get out and smell like a gas pump," said Bodine, who represents the Mount Laurel area near Philadelphia.WHAT?!?!? Issue of safety? Are there a lot of safety incidents at gas stations? Have you ever been worried about controlling the pump? Also, he doesn't want to smell like a gas pump. My advice would be not to rub up against the gas pump. Gas stations are pretty well ventilated, I've never been concerned about smelling like gas after I fill up. I bet this idiot doesn't even open his window when he pulls into the station. He probably just holds a piece of paper up and presses it against the window with his demands on it. New Jersey has some sweet Assemblymen! I am amazed at this story. It certainly doesn't help the stereotype of people from Jersey. I don't even know what to say about it...it is so implausible, that I am surprised it is real. I guess Oregon has the same laws, but they are a bunch of hippies. Plus they are on the West Coast and no one realy cares what happens out there anyway. Labels: Government, Humor, New Jersey, News Sunday, March 4, 2007Walter Reed HospitalI hate to keep talking about it...check that...I love to keep talking about it, but does anyone really think that the Uncle Sam knows how to run a successful hospital? Does anyone really think that the US Government would do as good a job providing health care as a private hospital would? I doubt it. In case you don't know what is happening...Walter Reed Hospital has been under heavy criticism for unsavory conditions. Conditions like rats and mold and other lovely things like that. Walter Reed is a hospital for injured soldiers and it is federally run. As you know, I am of the opinion that anything the government can do, private enterprise can do better. (on a side note...I don't actually believe that. For example, I don't think private enterprise should raise an army...but the basic premise is true I suppose) Doing activities like running a non-filthy hospital probably isn't that hard actually...it just depends on your incentives. My guess is that the incentives that are available for the Walter Reed staff aren't very good...this the decrepit conditions. Luckily our Congress is up in arms about this demanding that something be done. I'm sure people will be replace and then replaced by other government employees who have the same incentives. Not much will change in the long run. I'm jaded though...maybe I'm not the person to listen to on governmental issues. I just generally assume that any central government will mess it up, whatever it happens to be. The furor over the hospital will die down and Congress will move on to some other non-important topic to fight over. Like their involvement in Major League Baseball's steroid "controversy". That is a great example of Congress doing the right thing. Heck, even France doesn't get involved in the Tour de France's doping scandals...AND THAT'S FRANCE!!! eh...I just get cranky when I read about stuff like this. Our brave soldiers suffer because some politician wants to keep his job instead of finding out the best possible way to provide care for the solders. This is why I am jaded. Labels: Economics, Government, Privatization, Walter Reed
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