My Information Diet

I've been prompted to examine my "information diet," which includes all of my sources of information throughout the day.

I typically wake up around 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning, to the sound of the Michigan State University college radio station, Impact 89 FM. I love the awkward first-time DJs, and the station seems to have an early 1990s nostalgia -- lots of grunge.

Ever since I got an iPhone, I now read most of my e-mail in the morning while I am lying in bed. There are about 20 minutes where I don't want to be physically awake and out of bed, but I need to do something to wake my mind up. I get e-mail alerts from ScienceDaily website, which keeps me up to date on a range of topics from Social Psychology to Sensory Perception. Occasionally, I will tweet the findings of the study -- I use twitter to catalog and bookmark things that are of interest to me.

The debt ceiling debate that we don't hear about

I am really torn about this debt ceiling debate. On one hand, I see a noisy Republican majority in the House who doesn't care if the government shuts down, a reckless attitude that ignores the impact that this will have of millions of people's lives. On the other hand, the Fed's desire to continue raising the debt ceiling has been somewhat callous and ignorant. The sub-text here is that there are two separate debates: one political, one economic. The political debate has been a theater of incompetence; the Daily Show on Monday, July 25th, characterized it with a YouTube video of a skunk with its head stuck in a peanut butter jar. The economic debate has not been very visible at all -- carried on in the pages of the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

This fits into a long historical narrative in the United States. Economic decisions are not up for discussion in the public sphere, they are to be made by the men who understand business and commerce. Political decisions -- or more accurately, political theater -- is for the masses. Let the masses be swept up by the political posturing... Republican vs. Democrat... Tea Party vs. the Liberal Scurge of Washington. Which side are you on, brother? Which side are you on?

From the Daily Show - Revenue Crunch for States

Main St. Anytown U.S.A.

www.thedailyshow.com

Most states (47 of 50) are out of money and looking for ways to generate revenue without increasing taxes or changing tax structures. The fear seems to be that if taxes are increased, businesses and people with higher incomes will leave the state and relocate to other states where taxes are lower. I think this argument is too simple. It's impossible to have low taxes and a high standard of living. A high standard of living means good schools, affordable health care, transportation infrastructure, clean and safe neighborhoods. That has a cost.

It's a dire situation. Guardian Angels to supplement police cutbacks in Camden, NJ? Stewart calls Camden "the place where people from Newark go to feel better about Newark." Pennsylvania governor Ed "Fast Eddy" Rendell (former Philly mayor and ardent Eagles fan) has staked Pennsylvania's revenue future on casinos. Rendell was the governor who complained about the "wussification" of America when an Eagles game was postponed due to an impending snowstorm. Wussification? He didn't have enough guts, even as an outgoing second-term governor, to say, "we need to raise taxes." He's not alone though. Few politicians are willing to admit we need to adjust our tax structure and make some significant cuts. Most just keep passing the buck.

What's ironic is that "low tax" states attracting business will find themselves in this same situation in 20 years, when they are losing businesses to a new surging economy (such as Mexico). Watch Stewart's interview with Governor Rick Perry of Texas. Perry claims that Texas can attract businesses to relocate from the high-tax climate of California, because Texas is a low-tax state. But he's recruiting the employees too, and within ten years, employees from high tech businesses are going to want California-quality schools in Texas, and that costs money. What I mean by "California quality schools" is teaching evolution instead of creationism, schools that provide lots of opportunities for extra-curricular engagement, and every AP course imaginable. But go on, Rick Perry, you can reap the whirlwind of recruiting thousands of highly educated liberal tech-sector workers to your state. I think you'll be looking at a sea-change.

Rick Perry Pt. 2

www.thedailyshow.com

If you are in state government, shop around for the types of businesses that are looking to settle down and establish roots, not the business that wants to the immediate tax break. Wait. It's not the job of state governments to recruit businesses. Their job is to govern.

Palin's Breath

Up close and personal with Sarah Palin's breath: