Good Weekend

Just back from Tunica, Mississippi. Went to my wife's corporate Christmas party- always an interesting thing, and always fun. Managed to play poker for quite a while Saturday night. I have to say, low limit Texas Hold-em sucks - it's too easy for several players to stay in the action... So it's very straight-forward poker, with little opportunity to bluff. Like scuba diving however, some poker is better than no poker at all...

What an Interesting Idea!

Check out this article at the DesMoinesRegister.com. The idea is to reverse the brain drain of young Iowans leaving the state by 100% state tax relief for all under 30 years old. This is an amazing idea, on many levels. What strikes me most about the article is that both Republicans and Democrats seem to agree with the premise, which is easily extended logically: Lower taxes, more attractive place to live. Higher taxes, not so much. Iowa is a high tax state. Check out the part about the Governor:

Vilsack, a Democrat, was keeping an open mind about the Senate Republican plan. He said it would be considered, along with a raft of other proposals from various groups to help Iowa's economy."It's early in the session. There will be other proposals. The governor appreciates the early attention to education and job creation" from both parties, said Matt Paul, the governor's spokesman. Michael Blouin, the state's economic development director, said: "I'm glad they have a package on the table. We need options. We need 'em fast."

This notion is true of nations as well... Unless we quickly cure the ills of social security in this country, the younger workers two decades from now will likely not tolerate the European-level taxation that will be required to pay off the retirees of that time... I wonder how many enterprising young workers will be willing to leave the country and strike out for greener economic pastures?

Progressively Faster

Last week, as I drove through Arkansas on business, one of those cool little Progressive insurance SUVs came passing by me at what I estimate to be about 75-80 mph, in a 55 mph zone. I wonder if they'll raise his rates when he gets caught speeding? ;-)

Time to Grow Up

Check out THIS story about baby-boomer drug addicts...

From the article: It is a largely unforeseen consequence of the aging of America. As the elderly population continues to grow and baby boomers move into their senior years, the number of older adults who abuse drugs - from pain pills to marijuana and cocaine - is increasing. And the nation should prepare to meet the special needs of older addicts, says Ron Hunsicker of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. ALSO- the number of people 50 and older who will need treatment for alcohol or drugs will nearly triple in the next 15 years, to 4.4 million in 2020 from 1.7 million in 2001.

Come on- it's time to grow up, stop fiercely clinging to your youth, drop the drugs, and be the best grandparents you can be... I wonder how long it will be before the AARP starts demanding special treatment centers for older addicts- at taxpayer expense, of course!

I Thought He Was Smarter Than That

Check out this story: Survivor millionaire Richard Hatch agrees to plead guilty to tax evasion

Random Picture of the Week

My step-daughter's latest offering for my office...

Long Weekend

It's been a long weekend - lots of things to do around the house, plus the newborn required quite a bit of attention, which I was happy to give... Bottom line, there was little time for poker or martial arts. I will endeavor to make up for it this coming week.

Public Relations

I've put a few thoughts on the recent Public Relations campaigns of the drug companies and Wal-Mart over at Framptonia. Take a look.

Unarmed Marines?

Does anyone else find THIS news troubling? Why would we send the Marines (on a humanitarian mission) to a predominately Muslim area of Indonesia with no weapons? Our agreement to this situation is nothing more than an advertisement for any radicals to come in and inflict as much damage as possible... It's the equivalent of me putting a sign out in my front yard that says: ATTENTION HOME INVADERS: My Family is Unarmed!

The safety of our troops now depends on two things:

1. The competency of the Indonesian Armed Forces, which are 'protecting' our people.
2. The temporary suspension of hatred towards the US by any radicals in the area.

I don't know about you, but I don't think that's much to go on. This is a situation where we should have taken all the political heat from the do-gooders and politely declined sending our Marines to Indonesia. There are plenty of other needy areas where we might win a few hearts and minds...

It's Time for Republicans to Walk the Walk

Check out this story in USA Today: Opposition to Bush Social Security plan lining up within GOP

Republicans have talked the talk about Social Security for some years now. Now either walk the walk, or be exposed as frauds. They have both Houses of Congress, and the White House. No more excuses. Real Social Security reform like partial privatization is the only hope for any of us younger workers to see one cent of all the money we've put into the system...

Abbas Elected Palestinian President

Let's hope that Abbas is the real deal...

I wonder what the neighboring Muslim reaction would be if the Palestinians and Israel arrive at a lasting peace? Would the surrounding countries accept the situation? My guess is that they can never be fully satisfied as long as Israel exists...

My Corporate Governance and Social Security

blogshot for the day is over at Framptonia. Take a look.

Random Picture of the Week

Some of you may have realized by now that the Random Picture of the Week isn't exactly a weekly thing... I'll try to do better. This week's offering is a photo of what you see from the main road (Route 3) when traveling through Wolf Lake, Socialist Workers' Republic of Illinois... Enjoy!

Thanks

Thanks to TaylorTree for linking me- I'm not sure how he found me, but it's always good to land in someone's blogroll. Those of you who are securities junkies might enjoy his blog...

The United States got Played

Jan Egeland, the U.N. official who slammed the U.S. as 'stingy' over the tsunami aid, completely goaded us into taking action that may or may not be appropriate. He made an inflammatory comment about rich countries being 'stingy' with relief funds, then quickly backpedaled. Instead of a calm, measured response by our government, we were apparently so terrified of being labeled stingy by the U.N. that we proceeded with the knee-jerk reaction of opening the checkbook...

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for some assistance by our government, namely all the wonderful things that our military and its equipment can do for the victims in terms of transport, clearing debris, and the beginnings of a rebuilding effort. Perhaps we can assist with the development of a tsunami early warning system for that part of the world. I have never believed that just throwing money at a problem will solve it. It won't work in this case either. Furthermore, the United States Treasury is not an insurance policy for people who choose to live and work in the coastal areas of foreign lands.

The administration could have waited, determined what we can efficiently do for these people, then acted with the appropriate resources. In the meantime, they could have also reminded the world that private charities and several NGOs are already acting with tremendous resources at their disposal. What would be wrong with waiting to see what can be accomplished by the private sector first? Want to call me stingy? Fine. You can bet that I won't over-react just to disprove you. By the way, Strengthen the Good has links for tsunami aid, if you're interested.