Archive - Apr 2008

The New York Times entertained the way Driver’s Insurance is calculated and its impact on polar opposite drivers. The read by itself is worth it but I enjoyed that they were actively promoting and exchanging an idea that had never crossed my mind.

As a driver, I understand and can relate to most of the claims and reasoning brought up by the article. It offered a new perspective on how to view drivers . . . since we are not all equal. That is to say . . . we do not all drive the same amount of miles yet we all practically pay the same cost to insure the same makes and models of cars that we drive.

Our current Automobile Insurance system does not take into account the difference in mileage consumption of various drivers. The only way they organize policyholders is by those that get into accidents, those that get moving vehicle violations (aka tickets) and the rest of us that do not get either. The solution some have offered is pay-as-you-drive insurance or PAYD.

Progressive Insurance is the first major carrier that will attempt change the system with their plan MyRate. It will not do away with their current setup but it will offer those drivers that do not drive as much a different purchasing opportunity. Progressive’s MyRate will require drivers to “install a small wireless device in their cars that transmits to Progressive not just how many miles they drive but also when those miles are driven and, to some extent, how they are driven: the device measures the car’s speed every second, from which Progressive can derive acceleration and braking behavior.” This in turn will help Progressive categorize individuals into respective groups where ideally they will offer lower cost saving plans to individuals that meet those characteristics.

Easy right? Well, at least we are heading in a direction that is beneficial to all drivers a whole. There are kinks in the plan as with any initiative. As a recent former college student, I would commute from Austin to Houston on various occasions over those 4 years. How will drivers that drive longer distances per episode be different from those that drive longer distances as a whole? Will there be different perks for those that drive X amount of miles without a violation or accident? Would the prices be substantially lower then current insurance plans? Will Americans embrace this type of insurance policy? Who knows? We do know of the impact it can potentially have though. Drivers will be proactive on their driving habits. They will have an incentive to carpool and organize their errands based on their driving habits. It is this impact on our society and environment that supercedes any gains drivers may receive monetarily.

Tomorrow is the Clinton campaigns last stand. This is it! The Primary season will end tomorrow . . . if and only if Obama is able to pull out a win but not just a win, a devastating win. Just one month ago, the Clinton campaign set its sights on Pennsylvania and why shouldn't they have . . . they had a generous lead in the double digit realm. According to recent poll numbers, that lead has been diminished in some point out that Obama has a slight advantage. It does not matter what is the real case, the important item to note here is that Clinton was not able to protect that lead and at the 4th quarter of the game . . . it looks like she will lose the game.

 So what happens if she wins? If Clinton is able to sneak by with a close win then she gives herself enough life to hang around until May 6 when North Carolina votes. This is where the Democratic Primary shall end if it does not end tomorrow. I speculate that Edwards will give the nod to Obama and North Carolina overwhelmingly will give their vote to Obama. Indiana will play a role but the number of states remaning that are hosting elections is dwindling and playing catchup is futile now.

As I have claimed in the past and even Obama has stated, Clinton should entertain the nomination as long as she deems it fit. For some reason though, Obama may have stated that fact only because he was confident of his coup in Pennsylvania. When it comes down to it . . . if Obama does win tomorrow, the Clinton camp will have a hard time explaining how they lost after having such a commanding lead . . . and that folks is why I predict that tomorrow will be Clinton's last stand.

The National Priorities Project has released this years breakdown of how American tax payer money is allocated. Not surprising, the Military took the biggest chunk out of the fund. What is more surprising though is just how much more the U.S. has spent on the Military compared to, I don't know let's say Health Care or Education. I am an advocate for graphs and visual presentations because they deliver the message quickly and more effectively then words. Check out the break down. I have provided both a U.S. and a Texas graph. Feel free to share this information with friends and family because for some reason, and I will go out on a limb on this, I surmise the media may not really mention this type of exciting news tonight.

American Cancels 850 More Flights - American Airlines canceled 850 flights Wednesday — more than a third of its total — as its efforts to inspect and in some cases reattach wiring bundles in the wheel wells of its 300-plane fleet of MD-80s dragged on. The total could climb above 850, a spokesman said, as only 30 of the 300 single-aisle planes were so far cleared of the inspection process and operating.

IMF slashes world growth forecast - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the world economy will grow much more slowly in the next two years as a result of the credit crunch. In its latest economic forecast, the IMF says that world economic growth will slow to 3.7% in 2008 and 2009, 1.25% lower than growth in 2007. The downturn will be led by the US, which the IMF believes will go into a "mild recession" this year.

New downtown park's a beauty, but is it money spent in the right place? - Twelve acres in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center have been transformed into Discovery Green, adding green space, restaurants, an interactive fountain, model boats, a jogging path and a small library to the downtown landscape. The new park --downtown's largest-- opens this weekend, almost four years after a massive fundraising campaign that kicked off in October 2004. In total the park cost $122 million, of which the city paid $41 million. The rest came from donors.

Oil jumps to near record on weak supply - Oil prices surged to near record levels Wednesday after a government report showed an unexpected decline in crude supplies. Light, sweet crude for May delivery rose $2.40 to $110.90 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract traded as high as $111.43, within 40 cents of the all-time intraday mark of $111.80 set March 17. Oil prices had risen to $109.31 immediately before the report's release.

Petraeus: Another troop buildup in Iraq unlikely - The top U.S. military commander in Iraq said today that he is unlikely to call for another troop buildup in Iraq, even if security deteriorates after the extra American soldiers return home this summer. Gen. David Petraeus told a House panel that such a move would be considered the last resort, in part because of the strain it would place on the Army. First, the military could try to reallocate existing troops to respond to any hotspots. It also would rely more on Iraqi forces, which are improving in capability, he said.

The Public Broadcasting Service in cooperation with Frontline have developed a two part documentary that outlines the Iraq War called Bush's War. There were over 400 hours of footage shot to produce the account of fabrication, escalation, invasion and subsequent aftermath of the United States occupation of Iraq. The best thing is that you do not have to set your DVR or take time out of your schedule to view this masterpiece. It will provided online for free via the Frontline webpage on the PBS website. It is a media rich content that is dynamic and is controlled by the end user. As you watch the film, you are given option to explore more in-depth analysis of particular clips and additional information that may not have fit into the original film but did not deserved to be cut. I recommend spending a lazy Sunday tomorrow checking out the film. Plan on spending anywhere from 2 hours to 5, depending on how much you wish to learn.

Army Worried by Rising Stress of Return Tours to Iraq - Army leaders are expressing increased alarm about the mental health of soldiers who would be sent back to the front again and again under plans that call for troop numbers to be sustained at high levels in Iraq for this year and beyond. Among combat troops sent to Iraq for the third or fourth time, more than one in four show signs of anxiety, depression or acute stress, according to an official Army survey of soldiers’ mental health.

Administrative problems fuel drop in U.S. legal immigration - The number of people who legally immigrated to the U.S. dropped 17 percent last year, largely because of administrative problems, according to a Homeland Security Department report. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been under fire after processing times grew because immigrants flooded the agency with applications filed last year in advance of dramatic increases in filing fees. The delays will keep some people from becoming citizens in time to vote in November.

Skybus becomes third airline this week to close - Skybus Airlines announced Friday it is shutting down its passenger flights -- becoming the third airline this week to cease operations. The low-cost carrier couldn't overcome "the combination of rising jet fuel costs and a slowing economic environment," the company said Friday.

Mugabe 'preparing for poll war' - Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has accused President Robert Mugabe of preparing to go to war against the country's people. He said Mr Mugabe was deploying troops and armed militias to intimidate voters ahead of a possible run-off poll. Mr Tsvangirai insisted he had won last weekend's presidential vote, the result of which has yet to be announced.

More experts now warn U.S. already in grip of recession - It's no longer a question of recession or not. Now it's how deep and how long. Workers' pink slips stacked ever higher in March as jittery employers slashed 80,000 jobs, the most in five years, and the national unemployment rate climbed to 5.1 percent. Job losses are nearing the staggering level of a quarter-million this year in just three months. For the third month in a row, total U.S. employment rolls shrank — often a telltale sign that the economy has jolted dangerously into reverse.

McCain’s tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. today lets voters reassess their opinion of the GOP hopeful. McCain did not always have the admiration for King as he claims he does now. Just 24 years ago as Congressman he voted against making Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a recognized Federal Holiday.

McCain states, “I voted in my first, I think it was my first year in congress against then… I began to learn and I studied and people talked to me and I not supported it but I fought very hard in my home state of Arizona for recognition against a Governor who was against my own party.” Let’s not forget that McCain was 47 years old at the time so it was not like he did not know what it was like to live in a segregated society where Martin Luther King, Jr. fought to gain the civil rights and equality minorities deserved.

Steve Benen notes:

“The vote wasn’t the only problem. In his home state of Arizona, conservatives in the state legislature blocked a measure to create a holiday honoring King, prompting then-Gov. Bruce Babbitt (D) to declare one through executive order. In 1987, Republican Gov. Evan Mecham’s first act in office was to rescind Babbitt’s order on the King holiday. John McCain endorsed Mecham’s decision. Complicating matters, McCain, no doubt embarrassed by his previous positions, is being less than truthful about them now.”

McCain justified his 1983 position in an ABC News interview in 2000 by claiming, “it was not necessary to have another federal holiday, that it cost too much money, that other presidents were not recognized.” McCain may claim regret for opposing the holiday but it does not explain why he did so 15 years after the assassination nor why he opposed the 1990 Civil Rights Act.

Benen claims, “If McCain “began to learn” and “studied” after his opposition to the King holiday in ‘83, he was a very slow learner. Four years later, he didn’t fight against a governor or his own party; he endorsed the governor’s move to eliminate a King holiday.”

So how does McCain’s actions speak for his record when it comes to civil rights issues:

• Honoring the Confederate - In 2000, McCain called the flag “offensive.” Later, he lauded it as a “battle flag” and a “symbol of heritage.”

• Honoring racists: In 2000, Richard Quinn, McCain’s South Carolina spokesperson in 2000, called the MLK holiday “vitriolic and profane.” McCain defended Quinn, calling him a “respected” and “fine man,” refusing to fire him. McCain’s current campaign has paid the firm Richard Quinn and Associates $180,000.

• Skipped African-American debate to campaign: McCain joined Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and Fred Thompson in September 2007 in skipping PBS’ presidential debate, which featured “a panel exclusively comprised of journalists of color.”

For a Presidential candidate running on his history one should not romanticize the character and forget his flaws. The media may not touch on the subject but that does not mean that deep down McCain may have some issues at hand. Donklephant has a video of McCain giving the tribute today so you can see how some reacted.

Lawsuit Challenges Immigration Raids in New Jersey - Immigration agents systematically entered homes and made arrests without proper warrants during raids to round up immigration fugitives in New Jersey, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday. The lawsuit, brought by lawyers at the Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School in Newark, will provide a constitutional test of law enforcement methods often used by immigration agents since May 2006 when they began operations across the country to track down and deport immigrants who had been ordered to leave by the courts.

Olympics 'worsening China rights' - China's human rights record is getting worse, not better, because of the Beijing Olympics, a rights group says. According to Amnesty International, China is clamping down on dissent in a bid to portray a stable and harmonious image ahead of the Games in August.

80,000 Jobs Cut in March; Unemployment Rate Rises - The economy shed 80,000 jobs in March, the third consecutive month of rising unemployment, presenting a stark sign that the country may already be in a recession. Sharp downturns in the manufacturing and construction sectors led the decline, the biggest in five years. The Labor Department also said employers cut far more jobs in January and February than originally estimated.

Back to pencil and paper for 2010 census - Technology problems will force the government to count all of the nation's 300 million residents the old-fashioned way in the 2010 census -- with paper and pencil.

Gene links smokers and lung cancer - Three new studies analyzing the genetics of lung cancer have identified two inherited gene variations that raise white smokers' chances of getting the disease by as much as 80 percent compared to tobacco users without the genes. All smokers have a tenfold greater risk for lung cancer than nonsmokers, but less than 20 percent of smokers eventually develop the disease. Scientists believe heredity is why some smokers are more likely to develop lung cancer.

Princeton University Political Science Professor Larry M. Bartel is causing a stir in the blogosphere with his new book "Unequal Democracy" which will be available June 2008. The matter at hand actually is a chart that visually plots the how the economy differs under Democrat or Republican Administrations. The books purpose is to show that the "increasing inequality [between the rich and poor] is not simply the result of economic forces, but the product of broad-reaching policy choices in a political system dominated by partisan ideologies and the interests of the wealthy."

The chart illustrates that income growth during Democratic presidencies is more beneficial to the poor but higher for everyone as whole compared to those of Republican administrations. Democrats as opposed to Republicans, are better on economic growth and distribution for Americans. It seems odd that there is data that supports this since the first lesson I learned in my American politics class was that the President has little control over economic policies. In fact, most policy does not have enough time to have a direct impact within an administrations tenure. This is perhaps the most perplexing issue with the chart.

Ezra Klein at The American Prospect theorizes that perhaps, "It may be that the election of Democratic executives happens, in general, in times when the culture is trending in a more egalitarian direction, and so the Democrat is being elected for the same reason distribution is improving. And, conversely, it can be the example set by presidents -- as when Reagan fired the striking air traffic controllers to usher in the era of union busting, or Bush cut taxes for the rich and opposed increases in the minimum wage -- that help steel the will of the greedy and lower the working class's expectations and estimation of their own power."

Whatever is the reason why Americans as whole do much better under a Democratic Administration, the real question is: How do Republicans explain that the economy suffers under their power? As Dick Gephardt once said, "If you want to live like a Republican, you have to vote for Democrats."