One of the many good parts about going on vacation is that I generate a lot of material for the blog. It is probably a combination of the facts that without work I can think about other things and being outside of my normal environment exposes me to a variety of different material. Having spent two days at a water park in Virginia and then going to Virginia Beach I was exposed to a lot of people in bathing suits (most of whom I would have preferred not to) and I developed some anecdotal conclusions.
The prevalence of obesity in this country is at epidemic proportions and the percentage of obesity varies amongst races and genders. Although, obesity effects all races and is increasing in all races it appears to be most prevalent amongst African American (AA) females. I would watch crowds go by and notice one after another obese AA female, while only rarely seeing one over 40 years old and of normal weight.
The percentage of AA females with obesity and morbid obesity is astonishing and it appears that their body image is unaffected and/or ignored. Many walk around in highly revealing swimwear exposing their folds. I give them credit for not being fixated on the "perfect" body we are bombarded with in the media and feeling comfortable in their own skin. The incidence of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are much less in AAs. They are much more mentally healthy about their bodies but it is at the expense of significant health risks and a shortened life span.
Some would say that healthy food costs too much and that is why a higher percentage of AAs are obese. I do not buy it. It seems as though the message of skinny equals healthy and fat equals disease has been lost in the AA culture or it is just chosen to be ignored. This is difficult for me to understand and I wish there was a way to remedy this.
On the other hand many white women are often fixated with their bodies and have distorted body images. Due to this obsession, they suffer from eating disorders in higher proportions. They tend to be overly concerned regarding their appearance. Although they may be physically healthy with lower weights they are mentally unhealthy with their body image.
So two racial groups with opposite problems. One obsessed with their bodies and one unconcerned. One leads to poor mental health and one leads to poor physical health. This is a deficiency in the two respective cultures. After coming home I searched to investigate the actual rates of obesity among different races and genders and my anecdotal conclusions were confirmed. Just an observation with no easy answers.
(http://obesity1.tempdomainname.com/subs/fastfacts/Obesity_Minority_Pop.shtml)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
GPS Chick
I missed a week or two but I was crazy the week prior to vacation. Crazy work schedule, on call for the hospital and my daughter's high school graduation. Anyway, I am on vacation blogging from a Holiday Inn in Williamsburg, Virginia. We, or rather I decided that we should do a family vacation since my daughter will be traveling abroad for the next year and didn't want to do the usual vacation of leaving the kids at home while my wife and I travelled with friends. So here I am in Virginia going to amusement parks and checking out colleges for my son. In typical Griswald style we headed out on a drive to Wally world.
This is my first experience with a GPS. I had bought one for my daughter when she became a driver but I had never used it. Clearly, why would I, a man, need a machine to tell me directions when I could just as easily use my brain and consult with a map. But she convinced me to take the GPS along with us and I learned to use it. At first I thought wow, this is a terrific device. I could just plug in my destination and just listen to the GPS chick tell me where to go. But slowly my reaction became mixed.
I am not sure when, but at some point during the drive I realized that something was missing. The challenge of the open road, figuring out how to get to the next destination was lost. Using the GPS eliminated that sense of fulfillment and satisfaction I would gain upon reaching the next destination using my own navigation skills. I am convinced that our children who will always use a GPS will never attain those navigation skills. A loss? who knows.
Truthfully though, I just couldn't put down the map. Somehow I lacked complete trust in the GPS chick. A couple of times my calculated route conflicted with the GPS chick's and I didn't know whether to trust her or use my own judgement. Of course my wife would always side with the GPS chick and they would gang up on me. Now I had to contend with two women nagging me about directions, GPS chick and my wife, instead of just my spouse. If you include my daughter that's three females against me. How is a man supposed to endure an expedition with three women giving me orders to turn right or left? Very demasculinizing.
I wonder if there is a way to program the GPS to get a man's voice. Then I will call him the GPS guy. I would have a much easier time accepting directional orders from a masculine voice. Maybe they can get General Mcchrystal to do the voice now that he is out of a job. I would feel extremely comfortable taking his orders even if my wife and daughter would always side with him against me.
This is my first experience with a GPS. I had bought one for my daughter when she became a driver but I had never used it. Clearly, why would I, a man, need a machine to tell me directions when I could just as easily use my brain and consult with a map. But she convinced me to take the GPS along with us and I learned to use it. At first I thought wow, this is a terrific device. I could just plug in my destination and just listen to the GPS chick tell me where to go. But slowly my reaction became mixed.
I am not sure when, but at some point during the drive I realized that something was missing. The challenge of the open road, figuring out how to get to the next destination was lost. Using the GPS eliminated that sense of fulfillment and satisfaction I would gain upon reaching the next destination using my own navigation skills. I am convinced that our children who will always use a GPS will never attain those navigation skills. A loss? who knows.
Truthfully though, I just couldn't put down the map. Somehow I lacked complete trust in the GPS chick. A couple of times my calculated route conflicted with the GPS chick's and I didn't know whether to trust her or use my own judgement. Of course my wife would always side with the GPS chick and they would gang up on me. Now I had to contend with two women nagging me about directions, GPS chick and my wife, instead of just my spouse. If you include my daughter that's three females against me. How is a man supposed to endure an expedition with three women giving me orders to turn right or left? Very demasculinizing.
I wonder if there is a way to program the GPS to get a man's voice. Then I will call him the GPS guy. I would have a much easier time accepting directional orders from a masculine voice. Maybe they can get General Mcchrystal to do the voice now that he is out of a job. I would feel extremely comfortable taking his orders even if my wife and daughter would always side with him against me.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Facts? Whatever
Last week was incredibly frustrating for me. The response of the international community to the incident in the Eastern Mediterranean regarding the flotillas was the usual knee jerk response to pounce on Israel. It appears that no one can see the issue from the Israeli point of view and the necessity of Israel to protect its citizens from Hamas obtaining weapons.
Israel has no desire to punish the people of Gaza and this is seen by the tons of humanitarian materials that are brought to Gaza by the Israelis. But Israel cannot sit idly by while ships are going into Gaza without being inspected for weapons. The Hamas government has in its charter the eradication of Israel. They have been firing thousands of missiles into Israel and since elections have consequences the people of Gaza are suffering for their choice.
The frustration stems from the apparent inability of the international community to recognize these facts and immediately take the side of the underdog over the Israelis even though Israelis are in the right. In addition, there is a segment of the liberal left across the world (including many Jews) that sympathizes with the Gazan people and feels it is the Israelis that are causing their sorrow when it is in actuality their Hamas government. These bleeding hearts should focus their attention on Hamas which uses aid money to purchase weapons to use against Israel instead of for the benefit of their citizens.
I was discussing with my father the situation and how I cannot believe that people cannot see the facts that are directly in front of their eyes. How can people not come to the conclusion that Israel is fighting for its security and survival and needs to prevent weaponry from entering Gaza. I mentioned to my father my frustration and he said something that sent a chill down my spine. He said now you are seeing a little taste of we went through in the 1930s in Europe. The facts do not matter. The anti-semitism distorts people’s logical conclusions. Hatred of the Jew trumps all common sense.
The world does not seem to be able to tolerate Jews defending themselves. It is unfortunate that the only time the world sympathizes with the Jews is when they are marching into ovens.
Israel has no desire to punish the people of Gaza and this is seen by the tons of humanitarian materials that are brought to Gaza by the Israelis. But Israel cannot sit idly by while ships are going into Gaza without being inspected for weapons. The Hamas government has in its charter the eradication of Israel. They have been firing thousands of missiles into Israel and since elections have consequences the people of Gaza are suffering for their choice.
The frustration stems from the apparent inability of the international community to recognize these facts and immediately take the side of the underdog over the Israelis even though Israelis are in the right. In addition, there is a segment of the liberal left across the world (including many Jews) that sympathizes with the Gazan people and feels it is the Israelis that are causing their sorrow when it is in actuality their Hamas government. These bleeding hearts should focus their attention on Hamas which uses aid money to purchase weapons to use against Israel instead of for the benefit of their citizens.
I was discussing with my father the situation and how I cannot believe that people cannot see the facts that are directly in front of their eyes. How can people not come to the conclusion that Israel is fighting for its security and survival and needs to prevent weaponry from entering Gaza. I mentioned to my father my frustration and he said something that sent a chill down my spine. He said now you are seeing a little taste of we went through in the 1930s in Europe. The facts do not matter. The anti-semitism distorts people’s logical conclusions. Hatred of the Jew trumps all common sense.
The world does not seem to be able to tolerate Jews defending themselves. It is unfortunate that the only time the world sympathizes with the Jews is when they are marching into ovens.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Law of Unintended Consequences
The government just doesn’t learn that everything they institute has effects that reverberate for months and years after their interventions. Even though they are done with good intentions, ultimately they often have long term effects which are detrimental and end up with the exact opposite result which was intended. I understand the government believes they are doing what is in the best interest of the American people but the truths are they overreach and micromanage and meddle in areas where they should not. Two examples are the mortgage mess and the oil spill.
The desire of the government to promote every American to own a home was a goal that seemed quite noble. The government created a situation where mortgages could be originated with minimal chances of them being paid back. FNMA and Freddie Mac would purchase these loans taking the risk away from the lenders and placing it on the taxpayer. If the lender had to keep these loans the lending standards would never had been so lax and so many bad mortgages would never had been originated. So as things turned out many people lost their homes through foreclosure and the American taxpayer is in the hole for billions through FNMA losses. Good intentions turned into disaster for so many individuals and the country as a whole.
The government in their desire to be sensitive to the environment decided that drilling on-shore or on the outer continental shelf or in ANWAR was not acceptable. The oil companies were forced to drill in the ocean or in the Gulf of Mexico and drill down a mile to reach oil. Now that there is a problem so far down it is looking as though we will be unable to plug the leak. Now we have an environmental disaster much greater than any impact that would have been created with drilling in ANWAR. Again, good intentions from the government resulting in an outcome exactly the opposite of what was intended.
In both of these cases it is not the government that is entirely at fault. With the oil spill human error and greed by BP played a role and with the mortgage crisis greed by banks, mortgage brokers, and individuals were a major factor. But it was the government that set the stage for theses crises. Human greed and human error are constants and will always exist but government is the enabler that allowed them to manifest. The government distorts market forces as well as natural incentives and disincentives which often promotes greedy behavior. There is a role for government, but by overreaching, even if well-intended, leads to consequences that can be disastrous.
The desire of the government to promote every American to own a home was a goal that seemed quite noble. The government created a situation where mortgages could be originated with minimal chances of them being paid back. FNMA and Freddie Mac would purchase these loans taking the risk away from the lenders and placing it on the taxpayer. If the lender had to keep these loans the lending standards would never had been so lax and so many bad mortgages would never had been originated. So as things turned out many people lost their homes through foreclosure and the American taxpayer is in the hole for billions through FNMA losses. Good intentions turned into disaster for so many individuals and the country as a whole.
The government in their desire to be sensitive to the environment decided that drilling on-shore or on the outer continental shelf or in ANWAR was not acceptable. The oil companies were forced to drill in the ocean or in the Gulf of Mexico and drill down a mile to reach oil. Now that there is a problem so far down it is looking as though we will be unable to plug the leak. Now we have an environmental disaster much greater than any impact that would have been created with drilling in ANWAR. Again, good intentions from the government resulting in an outcome exactly the opposite of what was intended.
In both of these cases it is not the government that is entirely at fault. With the oil spill human error and greed by BP played a role and with the mortgage crisis greed by banks, mortgage brokers, and individuals were a major factor. But it was the government that set the stage for theses crises. Human greed and human error are constants and will always exist but government is the enabler that allowed them to manifest. The government distorts market forces as well as natural incentives and disincentives which often promotes greedy behavior. There is a role for government, but by overreaching, even if well-intended, leads to consequences that can be disastrous.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Illegal Immigration, Good or Bad?
This past week I had some work done on my house. A few zones of my sprinkler system needed to be redone and I needed a pool company to come out because I had a malfunction of the filter. I tried on my own to fix the pool problem but after hours and hours of attempts I could not diagnose and remedy the problem. The sprinkler guy came with a team of six workers, all Mexican. The main guy, an Italian guy, told me the price and said he was only there for one thing, to collect the money. The Mexicans did all the work in 2 hours and did an excellent job. It was back breaking work requiring a lot of digging. The pool company sent out a team of two, both Mexican. They fixed the problem in twenty minutes (yes, I felt like an idiot) and paid 200 dollars for the visit.
I was thinking to myself what if these Mexicans weren't around. I suspect they are all illegal and get paid in cash from the employer. The employer sits in an office, gets the jobs, and sends out Mexicans ( cheap labor) to do the actual work. If the employer had to hire Americans to do the work, assuming any would take the job, it probably would cost me at least double the amount and the work would likely not be the quality as performed by the illegal Mexicans. So I benefit from the cheap available labor of the Mexicans in the form of lower prices and excellent workmanship.
I honestly believe you would not be able to find Americans to do these types of jobs. It is much better for them to be unemployed and collect a check from the government. The American employee would need to be paid much more than the illegal, would require periodic breaks and sick time, demand health care and probably be out on disability after three weeks of back breaking labor. The truth is we need these Mexicans and we all benefit from there presence.
To those who would say they do not pay taxes, that is a ridiculous argument. It is unlikely they make enough to pay income tax but they pay sales tax on everything they buy. If they actually had to fill out a tax return it is likely in this era of redistribution that they would receive more as a rebate than would actually have to pay.
Some would argue that they use social programs such as hospital emergency rooms and the prison system to incarcerate criminal illegals. Yes, they do drain some valuable resources but I think they add more to the economy than they take. If we were tried to eliminate the illegals we would likely lose the positive aspects the law abiding ones have on the economy but the bad apples would still find a way to get here retaining the negative aspects. We might as well keep both and attempt to reduce the negative as much as possible.
I do not agree with the anti-immigrant stance. I do not think the illegal immigrants should be given amnesty or be offered citizenship but I do not believe they should be deported either. They should be allowed to stay to fill jobs Americans do not want but not have access to the social benefits they would receive if offered amnesty (especially voting rights). We have the demand and they have the supply. If the jobs are available they will come in and fill them. If the jobs dry up then they will return to Mexico. In other words, things should stay exactly as they are. We benefit and they benefit.
I was thinking to myself what if these Mexicans weren't around. I suspect they are all illegal and get paid in cash from the employer. The employer sits in an office, gets the jobs, and sends out Mexicans ( cheap labor) to do the actual work. If the employer had to hire Americans to do the work, assuming any would take the job, it probably would cost me at least double the amount and the work would likely not be the quality as performed by the illegal Mexicans. So I benefit from the cheap available labor of the Mexicans in the form of lower prices and excellent workmanship.
I honestly believe you would not be able to find Americans to do these types of jobs. It is much better for them to be unemployed and collect a check from the government. The American employee would need to be paid much more than the illegal, would require periodic breaks and sick time, demand health care and probably be out on disability after three weeks of back breaking labor. The truth is we need these Mexicans and we all benefit from there presence.
To those who would say they do not pay taxes, that is a ridiculous argument. It is unlikely they make enough to pay income tax but they pay sales tax on everything they buy. If they actually had to fill out a tax return it is likely in this era of redistribution that they would receive more as a rebate than would actually have to pay.
Some would argue that they use social programs such as hospital emergency rooms and the prison system to incarcerate criminal illegals. Yes, they do drain some valuable resources but I think they add more to the economy than they take. If we were tried to eliminate the illegals we would likely lose the positive aspects the law abiding ones have on the economy but the bad apples would still find a way to get here retaining the negative aspects. We might as well keep both and attempt to reduce the negative as much as possible.
I do not agree with the anti-immigrant stance. I do not think the illegal immigrants should be given amnesty or be offered citizenship but I do not believe they should be deported either. They should be allowed to stay to fill jobs Americans do not want but not have access to the social benefits they would receive if offered amnesty (especially voting rights). We have the demand and they have the supply. If the jobs are available they will come in and fill them. If the jobs dry up then they will return to Mexico. In other words, things should stay exactly as they are. We benefit and they benefit.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Newt in 2012
It seems to be getting clearer and clearer that the time is perfect for Newt Gingrich to assume the leadership position in the Republican party. The right is yearning for a conservative figure to lead the republicans and he has the ability to rally all the various factions including the tea partyers, the evangelicals, the moderates and the more intellectual right leaning voters. I believe he also has strong appeal to the independents as the their main issue is fiscal responsibility and that is his strength. One fear regarding the tea partyers is that they would push the Republicans too far to the right shrinking the republican tent. I think Newt could capture their support as well as keeping a broad tent.
The 2012 election compares to the 1980 election when Ronald Reagan was chosen over Jimmy Carter. Carter was elected after the voters grew tired of Republican impropriety and were ready for a change. Carter was elected only because he was the non-Republican, not because of his policies. The voters rapidly tired of his left leaning policies. The people were ready for a true conservative to step up and assume leadership, hence Reagan was elected. Similarly now BO was elected only because of the circumstances surrounding the election including an unpopular war and economic collapse. The voters were not looking for a radical leftist to recreate America and now are rapidly moving away from him. This sets the stage for a strong conservative to step in and Newt is the one.
There is really no competition for him. Palin, although she has strong appeal to a certain sector of the population has been stereotyped as an unintelligent red neck and will fail terribly against the smooth BO. Romney will lose because he instituted Obamacare into Massachusettes which is very unpopular amongst the right leaning voters. He is not to the right enough for the tea partyers. Jindal, Huckabee, Sanford and Pawelnty all have potential but none have the appeal, the name recognition, and the ability to unite the Republican party.
In the 2008 campaign there was very little to discuss about BO's record especially since he voted present on so many issues. Now he has to defend a record. His only answer is it's Bush's fault. That will not stand and the American people are tired of that excuse. Newt will be awesome against BO in the campaign and the debates and will dramatically expand the Republican tent. He will win against BO in a landslide election. I am really excited for his campaign to start and to eventually rescue this country from the radical left.
I recommend you go to NEWT.ORG to check out his newsletter as well as the video portions to see his recent speeches. You can use this link to see his most recent speech. Paste into the address bar.
http://www.newt.org/video/becoming-party-yes-newt-gingrich-speaks-southern-republican-leadership-conference
The 2012 election compares to the 1980 election when Ronald Reagan was chosen over Jimmy Carter. Carter was elected after the voters grew tired of Republican impropriety and were ready for a change. Carter was elected only because he was the non-Republican, not because of his policies. The voters rapidly tired of his left leaning policies. The people were ready for a true conservative to step up and assume leadership, hence Reagan was elected. Similarly now BO was elected only because of the circumstances surrounding the election including an unpopular war and economic collapse. The voters were not looking for a radical leftist to recreate America and now are rapidly moving away from him. This sets the stage for a strong conservative to step in and Newt is the one.
There is really no competition for him. Palin, although she has strong appeal to a certain sector of the population has been stereotyped as an unintelligent red neck and will fail terribly against the smooth BO. Romney will lose because he instituted Obamacare into Massachusettes which is very unpopular amongst the right leaning voters. He is not to the right enough for the tea partyers. Jindal, Huckabee, Sanford and Pawelnty all have potential but none have the appeal, the name recognition, and the ability to unite the Republican party.
In the 2008 campaign there was very little to discuss about BO's record especially since he voted present on so many issues. Now he has to defend a record. His only answer is it's Bush's fault. That will not stand and the American people are tired of that excuse. Newt will be awesome against BO in the campaign and the debates and will dramatically expand the Republican tent. He will win against BO in a landslide election. I am really excited for his campaign to start and to eventually rescue this country from the radical left.
I recommend you go to NEWT.ORG to check out his newsletter as well as the video portions to see his recent speeches. You can use this link to see his most recent speech. Paste into the address bar.
http://www.newt.org/video/becoming-party-yes-newt-gingrich-speaks-southern-republican-leadership-conference
Monday, May 10, 2010
New Jersey and Greece, Perfect Together
There is a glaring similarity between the financial crisis in Greece and the crisis in several states in this country. Both belong to a larger union which have a single currency. Both are unable to print money. Both have borrowed way too much to fund their spending. Public employment is bloated with too many employees with unrealistic salaries, undeliverable benefits, and retirement packages which are completely out of line with the private sector.
In both situations they are are seeking the other more responsible states/countries in the union to bail them out. In the case of the US the Obama administration is funding bankrupt states with stimulus funds to prop up their failed bloated governments. This money is raised by taxation of all of the states including those that have made fiscally responsible choices. Additionally, there is no demand to control spending and effectively encourages the failed state's irresponsible behavior as a bailout is always around the corner.
In the case of Greece the European Union is offering a bailout. These funds are obtained from other countries in the union including Spain which itself is on the verge of needing a bailout. In addition the International Monetary Fund is offering a bailout and the irony is the IMF is funded by countries who themselves are running ridiculous deficits. The US would contribute to the IMF bailout while it is has a deficit of 12 trillion dollars. The American taxpayer will effectively be giving their money to some Greek public worker so he/she can have his promised benefits. Ridiculous.
And finally, both are having a very difficult time trying to institute changes in their public work force in order to be fiscally responsible. As Greece attempts to decrease its expenditures and cut the public workforce it is met with violent riots. In New Jersey when the new governor tries to bring the budget into balance and cut expenses he is met with radical protests, threats and demands that taxes be increased to cover the public jobs.
Taxes can no longer be increased to cover government runaway spending. The only option is to cut expenses and both the Greek and New Jersey public worker will have to suffer for the mistakes made by its government that expanded beyond what was realistic. It is not the fault of the current government trying to cut costs or the fault of the public employee who obtained the job. It is the fault of the government that was in place when the expansion took place and made promises to people that could not be fulfilled.
Ultimately, it is the idea of big government that has brought this pain to so many. It is a fault of the democratic system where government can spend money it doesn't have in order to garner votes to maintain power. This is happening all over the world. It will be very interesting to follow how the financial situations of Greece, New Jersey and elsewhere get resolved.
In both situations they are are seeking the other more responsible states/countries in the union to bail them out. In the case of the US the Obama administration is funding bankrupt states with stimulus funds to prop up their failed bloated governments. This money is raised by taxation of all of the states including those that have made fiscally responsible choices. Additionally, there is no demand to control spending and effectively encourages the failed state's irresponsible behavior as a bailout is always around the corner.
In the case of Greece the European Union is offering a bailout. These funds are obtained from other countries in the union including Spain which itself is on the verge of needing a bailout. In addition the International Monetary Fund is offering a bailout and the irony is the IMF is funded by countries who themselves are running ridiculous deficits. The US would contribute to the IMF bailout while it is has a deficit of 12 trillion dollars. The American taxpayer will effectively be giving their money to some Greek public worker so he/she can have his promised benefits. Ridiculous.
And finally, both are having a very difficult time trying to institute changes in their public work force in order to be fiscally responsible. As Greece attempts to decrease its expenditures and cut the public workforce it is met with violent riots. In New Jersey when the new governor tries to bring the budget into balance and cut expenses he is met with radical protests, threats and demands that taxes be increased to cover the public jobs.
Taxes can no longer be increased to cover government runaway spending. The only option is to cut expenses and both the Greek and New Jersey public worker will have to suffer for the mistakes made by its government that expanded beyond what was realistic. It is not the fault of the current government trying to cut costs or the fault of the public employee who obtained the job. It is the fault of the government that was in place when the expansion took place and made promises to people that could not be fulfilled.
Ultimately, it is the idea of big government that has brought this pain to so many. It is a fault of the democratic system where government can spend money it doesn't have in order to garner votes to maintain power. This is happening all over the world. It will be very interesting to follow how the financial situations of Greece, New Jersey and elsewhere get resolved.
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