Michael Moore is an <insert insult of choice here>

We don't need further proof that Michael Moore is a prevaricator of the first order. Nevertheless, here it is. From this article at FOX News:

A double-amputee Iraq-war vet is suing Michael Moore for $85 million, claiming he recycled an old interview and used it out of context to make him appear anti-war in "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Sgt. Peter Damon, 33, who strongly supports America's invasion of Iraq, said he never agreed to be in the 2004 movie, which trashes President Bush.

Given that the clip used in the movie is part of a longer interview that is on record, there really isn't any question about what Moore did. The case will decide whether or not Sgt. Damon and his wife are entitled to compensation. In any event, it just goes to show how low Moore was willing to stoop to advance his agenda and is yet another example of how his so-called "documentary" is really nothing of the kind.

Back in Black

Okay, I've been away from this blog for several months. It's been a pretty busy time, what with getting married and all, and I just haven't had the energy or the inclination to post for a while. I'm going to try to get back in the habit of regular posting though don't be surprised if a lot of my posts are merely pointers to articles or posts on other blogs that I find interesting rather than in-depth commentary. We'll see how this goes.

More government follies

Via Boortz comes this latest tale of a government project that didn't quite turn out the way it was intended:

At first glance, MARTA's new electronic train station gates seem more than up to the task of preventing fare evasion.

The gates stand nearly 6 feet tall and are made of stainless steel and a super-hard, virtually unbreakable form of plastic. It's a formidable barrier — especially compared with the creaky, thigh-high turnstiles they are replacing that were a breeze to hop over.

There's only one problem: The gates stop about 15 inches shy of the ground, making it far too easy for those seeking a free ride to scoot underneath, some MARTA board members say.

Did anyone actually take a look at the hardware before it was installed? No problem, you may think, just replace the doors with ones that are longer thereby reducing the gap. Well...

It might be difficult to revamp the gates to eliminate or reduce the gap, Thoms said, noting that the design limits how long the arms can be.

"We went as low as we possibly could with these gates," she said.

Looking at the picture of the gate included on the article page, the gap does appear to be big enough to crawl under, but you're really going to have to *crawl*, going flat on your belly or your back. So I will say that the new gates will probably reduce fare evasion noticeably. Also, upon further examination, it looks like it would not be a problem to mount some sort of extension to the bottom of the gate doors to cover most of the gap.

The job of the executive

When Stanley "Tookie" Williams was executed by the State of California a couple of weeks ago there were the expected protests. One such came from the leadership of the city of Graz, Austria, hometown of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Politicians in the city who oppose the death penalty launched a petition drive to remove Schwarzenegger's name from the city's sports stadium. In response, the Governor sent a letter to the city's mayor, "telling him that he is rescinding the city's right to use his name, effective immediately." In addition, he is returning the city's ring of honor that he received in 1999.

This situation nicely illustrates a point which a lot of people don't understand about how the different branches of government work. To begin, here are a couple of excerpts of the above-linked article with additional emphasis added by yours truly:

Death penalty opponents argued the prisoner's authoring nine children's books detailing the dangers of gang life meant he deserved to have his sentence commuted to life in prison. Schwarzenegger said he found no legal grounds for changing the sentence, particularly since Williams did not show any remorse for the killings.

...

"I rejected the clemency plea of a rightfully condemned four-time murderer after thorough review and as a result, he was executed according to the laws of the state," Schwarzenegger wrote.

Article 5, Section 8, subsection a of the California State Constitution provides the Governor's power to affect criminal sentences:

Subject to application procedures provided by statute, the Governor, on conditions the Governor deems proper, may grant a reprieve, pardon, and commutation, after sentence, except in case of impeachment. The Governor shall report to the Legislature each reprieve, pardon, and commutation granted, stating the pertinent facts and the reasons for granting it. The Governor may not grant a pardon or commutation to a person twice convicted of a felony except on recommendation of the Supreme Court, 4 judges concurring.

Just as the President is the chief executive of the Federal Government, the Governor is the chief executive of the State Government. Their job is to implement the law, not create or negate it. The people of California, as represented by the state legislature, have decided that certain crimes merit the ultimate sanction. Williams was convicted of such a crime, the sentence was handed down, and it was carried out. People who oppose the death penalty doubtless want the Governor to commute every death sentence that comes to him for review. He theoretically has the power to do this, but from the quotes above it's clear that he understands that doing so would be defying the will of the people and an abuse of power. He understands that it would be de facto outlawing the death penalty and, regardless of his personal opinion of whether or not the death penalty should be legal, it is not his place to override the legislature.

Driving the economy into the ground

This chart shows just how disastrous the Bush tax policy over the last couple of years has been to the economy and to federal government tax revenue. (Hat tip Acidman.)

All sarcasm aside, this shows that you really can grow federal tax revenue with tax cuts, at least as long as they're the right ones and work to stimulate the economy. As Rob notes, however, there's still a problem with runaway federal spending. Note that I'm not talking about what we're spending on the war, which is one of the few things that the federal government is actually authorized to do under the Constitution. It's time for the President and the Republican Congress to remember what it's like to be fiscal conservatives.

On the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams

Early this morning, the execution of Stanley Williams, convicted of four counts of first-degree murder, was carried out by the State of California. I will not here argue for or against the use of the death penalty. Suffice it to say that it is legal in California and that the process was carried out according to the law.

When the state, through the instrument of the criminal justice system, determines that a human being has committed a crime which warrants the ultimate sanction, it is not a time to rejoice or celebrate. It is instead a most solemn occasion. It leads us to think about redemption, retribution, justice, and a host of other concepts that we often take for granted in our lives. It's one thing for a person to murder another. That person is acting on his own and must take responsibility for his actions. But when a criminal is executed, it is society as a whole that is taking this action. In a sense, we are all doing it since we live in a nation where the power ultimately resides in the people who directly through the initiative and referendum processes, or indirectly through electing legislators, determine the laws under which we live.

Many have said that Williams deserved to have his sentence commuted to life in prison because he had done positive works since his conviction. He had written children's books and written and spoke against the dangers of gangs and gang violence. However, one of the principles of our justice system, regardless of how consistently it is applied in practice, is that of equal justice under the law. If a person can avoid the death penalty through performing good works and/or showing believable remorse between the time of his conviction and the scheduled date of his execution, then it should be made a part of the law so that everyone who is sentenced to die can have this opportunity. It should be applied objectively not subjectively.

Ultimately it comes down to the difference between punishment/reformation and redemption. Rather than attempt to differentiate the two myself I will instead point you toward a very good essay over at From the Grand Stand contrasting the two and how they apply to death penalty cases. (Hat tip to Kim)

Building the HTPC, part IV

It's done. I actually stayed up until 4:00 am Saturday morning configuring it. I placed it on the rack and connected it to the tv and the amplifier and it just worked. At first I disconnected the coax that connects the wall socket and the cable tuner box and from the back of the box and connected it to the computer. This allowed the computer's tuner to receive channels up to 99 but none of the digital channels. Yesterday I put it back the way it was and then used three cables with RCA connectors to connect the left and right audio outputs and the composite video output on the cable box to the corresponding jacks on the computer's tuner card. The Media Center remote came with an IR emitter (what I earlier referred to as an IR Blaster) which allows the computer to control the cable box. I'll eventually end up splitting the coax from the wall so that one side will connect directly to the computer, thus allowing it to record two analog channels, or one analog and one digital, at the same time, or allow me to watch one while it records the other.

There was one other snag I encountered while setting up the system. Since I'm using SATA drives instead of IDE, the Windows installer wasn't able to work with those drives without using a separate driver. Fortunately, it has the ability to load such a driver during installation but it requires that the driver be on a floppy disk. I still have a floppy drive so I was able to get past it. Once Windows was installed, the floppy drive was no longer necessary.

I'm using a program called LCD Smartie to drive the VFD on the front of the case. It's amazingly flexible and I've just barely started playing with its capabilities. One thing it can do is interface with Motherboard Monitor which is what I'm using to monitor the temperature of the computer. So far it doesn't appear to be running much, if any, hotter than it was when I was using it as my desktop system.

There are a few more tweaks I'll probably perform but as of now the system is basically done and in place. It has replaced my DVD player which I'll probably move to the bedroom and connect to the tv there. I dunno how often we'll use it, though.

If anyone out there is planning on building their own home theater PC, especially if you are planning on using Windows Media Center Edition as your OS, a very good resource is The Green Button, named after the large green button on the Media Center remote control that launches the Media Center software.

Building the HTPC, part III

It's up and running, and I'm using it to make this post. Right now it's sitting on my dining room table with the mouse, keyboard, and monitor from my regular computer hooked up to it. The next step is to take it over to the rack by the tv and hook it up there. I may have to connect the monitor to it if the system doesn't automatically detect that it's connected via S-video to the television and automatically route the display accordingly. Either way I should be able to configure Windows and the Media Center software to use the tv for the primary display.

I did run into one snag while putting it all together. The power supply has two fans, one that sucks air into the power supply from within the case, and one that blows air out the back. Both fans have a grill over them, or at least they used to. The Zalman cpu cooler's heatsink was just wide enough that it was up against the internal fan grill and I couldn't mount it without seriously bending the fins. I figured I'd go ahead and put the old cooler back on, but then decided to see what happened if I removed that grill. Once it was removed, everything just barely fit. It shouldn't be a problem as long as I don't stick my fingers in the fan while it's running. Somehow, I don't foresee myself doing that.

Other than that, everything fit although it's pretty tight in a couple of places. I'll need to watch the system temperature to make sure that there's adequate airflow. The case has the capacity for an additional 80mm fan mounted on the bottom so I can put one there if I decide it needs additional air circulation.

The AP steps in it yet again

Via The GeekWithA.45, we see yet another example of a "reporter" writing a "story" that is nothing but falsifications and regurgitation of anti-gun propaganda. Under the pretense of researching a "business feature" on Barrett Rifles, Rose French came to the company and was able to interview Ronnie Barrett and others. However, if you read the article, you will see that it isn't remotely a "business feature." SayUncle posts, with permission, the content of an email sent to the AP's Nashville bureau by Dan Goodwin, Media Relations Manager for Barrett Rifles. He also links to a scathing response by Michael Marks of the Fifty Caliber Institute.

The AP has since published a "correction" which does admit and correct inaccuracies in the original article. However, nothing is said about Ms. French misrepresenting herself to Barrett Rifles.

Building the HTPC, part II

After a bit of a snafu, I picked up the case yesterday evening on the way home from work. I bought it from a local computer shop but, when I went in a few days ago, they didn't have any in the store. However, they did have a few in the warehouse so they said they'd have one sent to the store. The next day, which was the day before yesterday, I went in to pick it up but it turns out that it was the wrong one. The model I wanted comes in two variants. One has a vacuum flourescent display (VFD) while the other does not. Both come in the same box which has graphics and text for each on opposite sides. A sticker on the box denotes which one is actually inside. The folks at the warehouse apparently didn't realize this and sent the LC03 without the VFD.

Yesterday they got the correct unit in and I picked it up. I now have everything I need. I plan to assemble the machine this weekend.

The new project

I've been kicking around the idea for a while that I'd like to build a home theater PC (HTPC). I'm going to do it as my Christmas present to myself. As I put it together and set it up, I'll chronicle the process here.

The majority of the system will come from the computer that preceded my current rig. However, in order for it to serve as the new centerpiece of the home entertainment system, some changes are in order:

First, and probably most important, will be the new case. I've ordered a SilverStone LC03V in black to match the rest of the system. A good friend of mine built an HTPC using this case and is very happy with it.

Second is the TV tuner/capture card. I picked up a Hauppauge Win TV-PVR-500 MCE which has two tuners and can either record two shows simultaneously, or record one show while you watch another. Of course, given that we have digital cable with a tuner box, there are limitations. I'll discuss those later.

Next up is the fat hard drive that will store my recorded shows. I'm going with the Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB drive. This is the WD2500KS model rather than the WD2500JS that's in my desktop machine. It was only a few bucks more but it has a 16MB cache instead of 8MB and is designed to run at a higher duty cycle which it will be doing as the storage drive of an HTPC. If I find I need more space, I'll add another one and set up a RAID array with the two drives.

For the OS drive, I'll be using a Western Digital Caviar 80GB drive. That should provide plenty of space for the OS and any applications that I might want to run on this system. As it will be pretty much dedicated to its HTPC duties, I won't be installing large numbers of apps such as games or Office on it.

The current CPU cooler is a brand that I don't even remember. It's a basic copper-finned heatsink that originally had a 60mm fan on it. Since that fan was rather loud, I replaced it with an 80mm fan and an adapter. However, the design of the adapter is such that a good portion of the air does not flow through the heatsink and it's not as efficient as it could be. So, to keep the processor cool, and keep it quiet as well, I'll be using a Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu. I have the all-copper version of this cooler in my desktop system but the reviews I've read have indicated that there is little difference in the cooling effectiveness of the two. The aluminum/copper cooler is lighter, was less expensive, and should keep the AthlonXP 2800+ cpu plenty cool.

The power supply, video card, RAM, and optical drives will come from the old system, though I may replace one of the optical drives with a DVD burner in case I want to burn some recorded shows to DVD.

Although there are several software packages that will do the job, I'm going to use Windows Media Center Edition. I'll also need to pick up a Media Center remote and IR receiver. Microsoft makes a wireless infrared keyboard that is designed to work with Media Center, although I would need to buy a regular remote as well since the keyboard doesn't come with the necessary IR receiver. Alternatively, a company named Gyration makes a keyboard and remote set that uses radio rather than infrared so it has a longer range and doesn't require line-of-sight.

As for using the HTPC with the cable box, here's how it will probably work. Even though we have digital cable, the channels up to 99 are actually still analog and any cable-ready tv, vcr, or tuner card can receive them. Channels 100 and higher are digital and some of those are in high-definition. We don't currently subscribe to the high-def channels as we don't have an HD television. Also, support for high-def cable channels isn't currently available in a tuner card although I'm told that support is on the way.

The way I envision hooking it up is that I will split the cable and connect one line to the cable box and one line to the coax input on the Hauppauge card. The composite video and stereo outputs from the cable box will then connect to the corresponding inputs on the Hauppauge card. I'd prefer to use S-Video but the cable box doesn't support it. With this arrangement, the computer will be able to record one analog channel directly, and record any channel from the cable box. The computer will be able to change the channel on the cable box using a small module called an IR blaster. One didn't come with the tuner card so I'll either get one with the Media Center remote or may have to buy one separately. The cable box also has what appears to be standard 9-pin serial port on the back so I may be able to connect the computer to that instead. I'll have to do some research.

The video output from the computer will be via the S-Video connector on the video card (ATi Radeon 9800 Pro) connected to the input on the TV. Audio will be via the S/PDIF connector on the motherboard which will transmit digital audio directly to the Pioneer receiver/tuner/amplifier unit which supports Dolby Digital and DTS decoding. The cool thing is that the sound hardware on the motherboard can encode any audio into Dolby Digital so I should theoretically not require any analog audio connection between the computer and the receiver.

And that's the plan. I imagine I'll run into at least one snag along the way but I should be able to get this working as I'm not using any obscure hardware and the tuner card, the part most likely to be an issue, is one that is specifically designed to work with Windows Media Center Edition. Still, it will almost certainly be a learning experience.

Back in black

After taking a well deserved vacation, in my opinion at least, I'm back home and back to the blog. The weekend before last the Geekette and I spent four days and three nights in Victoria, British Columbia, where we basically just unwound from our lives. I took all last week off and we spent Thanksgiving in the company of some good friends. But now it's time to write again. I'm going to take a break from the politics for a bit and do something else. I'll start it in the next post.

San Francisco is dead to me

San Francisco has demonstrated irrefutably that is no longer a part of this country:

Proposition H, which requires city residents who already own guns to turn them in to police by April 1, was winning 58 percent to 42 percent with 98 percent of precincts counted.

The measure also makes it illegal to buy, sell, distribute and manufacture firearms and ammunition in the city.

Only two other cities in the country -- Washington, D.C., and Chicago -- have similar bans.

One of the sponsors of the bill displayed his appalling ignorance and supreme incapacity for rational thought:

"San Francisco voters are smart and believe in sensible gun control," said Supervisor Chris Daly, who was among the four board members who placed the measure on the ballot. "If Prop. H gets some handguns out of San Francisco and mitigates some of the violence, then it's a win."

I'm not going to go through why this is so wrong for the umpteenth time. Just read my past writings on the subject, or browse the links on my blogroll. I will only say this: I will never voluntarily visit San Francisco again unless and until it returns to the world of reality. To me, it simply no longer exists.

Washington State election results and commentary

There were several important initiatives on the ballot here in Washington State. Here's how the vote is being called at this time.

Initiative 330

The main feature of this initiative is a cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases of $350,000. It also provides for a cap on lawyers' fees, addresses the statute of limitations, affects how delayed payments are handled and several other issues.

Current status: Failing, 54% to 46%

How I voted: No

I voted against this initiative because it would allow healthcare providers to require that all disputes be settled through arbitration. Perhaps they should be allowed to do so, and then the market will make its own decision on whether that's a good idea or not. However, I considered it likely enough that the entire industry in this state would choose that option and the thought of the right to a jury trial being denied was too scary.

Initiative 336

The main features of this initiative are that it would require notices and hearings on insurance rate increases, establish a supplemental malpractice insurance program, require license revocation proceedings after three malpractice incidents, and limit numbers of expert witnesses in lawsuits.

Current status: Failing, 59% to 41%

How I voted: No

It was the part about establishing a supplemental malpractice insurance program that did it for me. It would be a program managed by the state, yet another government program that increases the size and scope of government. No thanks.

Initiative 900

This would direct the state auditor to conduct performance audits of state and local governments.

Current status: Passing, 57% to 43%

How I voted: Yes

Currently there is too little accountability in how governments and their agencies spend our money. Recent legislation passed by the state legislature is better than nothing, but this initiative would provide even better accountability.

Initiative 901

This initiative would prohibit smoking in buildings and vehicles open to the public and places of employment, including areas within 25 feet of doorways and ventilation openings unless a lesser distance is approved.

Current status: Passing, 63% to 37%

How I voted: No

I hate cigarettes. Smoking has killed several relatives, including my mother. I would dearly love to see all cigarette smoking cease. However, as much as I hate smoking, I love individual choice, responsibility, and property rights even more. This initiative would take away the right of business owners to decide whether or not to allow smoking in their establishments. I believe this is a choice for the free market to make. If you don't like to breathe smoke, then don't go to a place that allows smoking. This is yet another expansion of the nanny state; a further increase in government control of our lives.

Initiative 912

This initiative would repeal the recently legislated motor vehicle fuel tax increases of 3 cents in 2005 and 2006, 2 cents in 2007, and 1.5 cents per gallon in 2008.

Current status: Failing, 53% to 47%

How I voted: Yes

This one was probably the toughest. Living in Western Washington, and driving to work every day, I know that our highway and freeway system is in need of some serious work. I know that these taxes can only be used for roads and cannot be diverted anywhere else. Opponents of the initiative do have some valid arguments. The aging Alaskan Way Viaduct, an elevated double-decker structure similar to the one that collapsed in San Francisco in the 1989 earthquake, is badly in need of replacement, especially after the damage it took during the smaller but still powerful Nisqually earthquake in 2001.

But this state already has one of the highest fuel taxes in the country. Also, I see so many projects that really don't serve to increase safety or reduce congestion. Recently, several on- and off-ramps were constructed which lead directly to park-and-ride facilities for use by buses and carpools only. While this improves the situation somewhat for buses and carpools, it doesn't help everybody. It should be about priorities. If something has to be done now, it should be given top priority and less-important projects should wait.

When it comes to the Alaskan Way Viaduct specifically, there are other ways to pay for it. I seem to recall hearing somewhere that governments used to fund large civil works projects by selling bonds. There's also the option of making it a toll road, at least until it's paid off. It does not affect the entire state, so why should the entire state pay for it? I suppose that someone living in Spokane might realize an indirect benefit since he would be buying products and services from companies located in Seattle but it would pale before the benefit realized by someone who drives on that road every day.

And, to be honest, I think we need to send a message to Olympia that, even though the legislature and the governor's office are both controlled by Democrats, that they do not have free reign to raise taxes. Governor Gregoire, almost as her first official act, signed this legislation despite running on a platform of not raising taxes.

In short, while I agree that the roads need work, I believe we can re-prioritize the projects and come up with more targeted ways of paying for them.

More on oil profits

In a column for Townhall.com, Neal Boortz expands on what I linked to in an earlier post in response to the latest Senator to weigh in on the oil industry's recent profit announcements:

[Senator Charles] Grassley [R-IA] has apparently decided that free enterprise no longer works for America. (The truth here is that Grassley discovered that free enterprise doesn’t serve the goal of empowering politicians.) It is Grassley’s view that American businesses must now seek the favor of the imperial federal government of the United States as to just how business profits must be disbursed. No longer, in Grassley’s economic world, will corporate boards decide on the distribution of profits. No longer will the private businessman be the captain of his entrepreneurial ship. Grassley apparently wants the government to have a de facto seat on every corporate board and a share of control in the spending decisions of every private business.

He also provides a clear and concise definition of fascism:

Sheldon Richman writes in “The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics” that fascist thought acknowledge(s) the roles of private property and the profit motive as legitimate incentives for productivity—provided that they did not conflict with the interests of the state.” In other words, state approval must be sought before important business decisions can be implemented. I think I can simplify Richman’s definition of fascism so that even Americans educated in state schools can understand: Free enterprise (capitalism) is private ownership and control of the means of production. Socialism is government ownership and control of the means of production. Fascism is private ownership of the means of production, with government control. Private ownership with government control? There’s a somewhat familiar ring to that, isn’t there?

He follows it up with some additional commentary in today's Nuze:

Now ... here I am to expand on one train of thought presented in that column. If this Republican senator thinks that it is the role of government to tell privately owned businesses just how they must distribute their profits, here are a few suggestions:

• Automobile manufacturers could be required to spend a portion of their profits on public transit projects.


• Broadcasters, who, after all, are government regulated businesses, should donate a portion of their profits to buy radios for poor people so that they can get the information they need to prepare for disasters like hurricanes .... as if the poor were actually going to prepare.


• Homebuilders could be required to donate profits to low income housing projects.


• Pfizer could be required to donate profits from the sale of Viagra to fertility clinics for the poor. Just what we need, more pregnant poor people.


• Financial institutions could be required to donate profits to a federally subsidized loan program for low-income Americans with bad credit.


• Food processors and manufacturers could be required to donate profits to community food banks.

Ahhh .. the list is endless. Once we establish the concept of the government telling businesses how their profits must be spent and invested .. the way is clear for our political class to further consolidate it's power.

In another section of today's Nuze, Neal links to this article at Townhall.com by Alan Reynolds who tears apart radio talk-show host Bill O'Reilly's recent blasting of the oil industry:

When the unsurprising news came out that big oil companies had big profits, Bill O'Reilly of Fox TV concluded: "My contention is the oil companies don't have to double their profits. They can maybe make them two-fifths (40 percent). Take a little less for the good of the nation."

Exxon-Mobil's recent profit margin was up to nearly 9 percent of sales. Suppose they tried to cut that to a nickel out of every dollar by offering to sell crude oil for $3 a barrel less than the going price on the Chicago mercantile exchange. Refiners around the world would instantly commit to buying every drop. By the next day, the world price of crude would be same as before.

Suppose the Big Five oil companies got together and agreed to cut retail gasoline prices at their company-owned stations by 20 cents a gallon. Motorists would soon drain those stations dry, leaving the much larger number of independent gas stations in a position to charge even more. Meanwhile, independent station owners would file a complaint with the antitrust division of the Department of Justice accusing the majors of collusive predatory pricing to drive them out of business.

He also provides a good explanation of "inventory profits":

If you sell your house for much more than you paid for it, you will receive a "windfall profit." When you take that windfall from selling your old home and go out shopping for a new one, however, you'll discover prices of replacement homes have gone up, too. That may explain why the Senate has not yet contemplated imposing an extra "windfall profits tax" on windfalls homeowners receive when selling their homes. Since 1997, in fact, couples can pocket half a million dollars of such windfalls tax-free.

Aside from the tax break on homes, something very similar happens in any business whenever the price goes up for something bought earlier at a lower price. Businesses that process raw materials hold inventories of those materials, for example, and those inventories may have been purchased for much less than the current price. When the book value of those inventories is adjusted to reflect today's higher price, accountants add that difference to the firm's profits. But this is called "inventory profit," because those paper gains will soon be needed to replace the raw materials at the new, higher price. Then they vanish.

So what do you think? I'm of the opinion that this is merely the market at work, that it's not as simple as most people think, and that messing with the industry like Senator Grassley is calling for may make us all feel good in the short term, but it will have unintended consequences in the long term that far outweigh that. Sure, it would be nice if oil companies voluntarily donated to a fund to help poor and low-income folks afford the fuel to keep warm but the government taking it by force is just another form of income redistribution, and would be another step toward socialism or, yes, even fascism.

Keurig single-cup coffee maker

In today's installment of "Stuff We Like," I would like to present the Keurig single-cup coffee brewing system.

A coworker of mine brought one to work and introduced me to the concept. I had been aware of "coffee pod" brewers such as the Senseo brewer and others but this was the first time I'd heard of the K-cup. Each cup is a sealed container of ground coffee, just enough to make a single cup of coffee. You insert the cup in the system which punctures the top and bottom and then forces heated water under pressure through the coffee grounds. Once it's done, you remove the cup and toss it in the trash. It has a large water reservoir so you don't have to worry about filling it up every time you want some coffee. Although the coffee is pre-ground, the cups are sealed so they stay fresh much longer.

The Keurig K-cup isn't the only single-cup coffee system. The second major type is the coffee pod which is much like a large tea bag. Since the bag is not sealed, they probably don't retain their freshness as long, though I would imagine they come in plastic wrappers which help alleviate that somewhat. The third major type I'm aware of is Senseo. However, as far as I know Senseo is the only company which produces pods for their brewers so you don't have the same variety as with the other two systems.

Prior to this I had been reluctant to purchase a single-cup brewer of any type because I was concerned about the expense. For some time I had a standard coffee maker both at home and at the office. But after talking with my coworker I realized that I very seldom brewed my own coffee either at home or at work. The main deterrent was the time required to grind the coffee, brew it, and clean up afterward. Lately I've been either drinking the engine degreaser which passes for the free coffee, or going to the cafeteria where they serve one of the big name brands and buying a cup. My coworker and I did some math.

The Keurig B50 coffee maker was 150 bucks and the K-cups work out to be around 40 cents or so each if you order them online. If you figure that I spend between $1.20 and $1.60 for a cup of good coffee anyway, this brewer would pay for itself in a year or less. And the variety available is quite large. I recently received my first order from Coffee Whiz. Check out the varieties available. They deal in both K-cups and coffee pods and have a great page which compares and contrasts the two technologies.

I currently have my Keurig brewer at work though I'm seriously considering getting one for home as well, or getting a lesser model for work and taking this one home. Another option would be to get a coffee pod brewer for work since I drink more coffee here and the potentially shorter freshness duration would be less of an issue.
Another nice thing about single-cup brewers is that you don't have to worry when entertaining friends and family that one or more will only drink decaf. With a single-cup system, you can give everybody what they want without worrying about wasting a significant portion of a regular pot.

The price of oil

Many people from across the political spectrum are up in arms over the recently announced profits of the oil industry. We expect this from the Democrats but even Republicans have joined the cry:

The frustration is so great that even top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., are demanding answers from Big Oil.

“We need to make sure that there's no abuse in the current system,” he said. “We need to make sure there's full transparency, and if there's any price gouging, we need to cut it out.”

When I first heard of these seemingly incredible profits, my first reaction was along the lines of what we're hearing from politicians. But then I started thinking about it some more. You see, what we have here is a global market and, in general, the market is best left to regulate itself. There is likely more to this than the sound bites would indicate.

Once again, Neal Boortz comes to the rescue and puts it all into better perspective, explaining the difference between profit and profit margin:

Now ... for those of you who went to government schools, let's expand on the explanation. Let's say that the total gross revenues for a company for one year equal $1,000,000. That's a million bucks. This company spends $930,000 to bring in that million. The difference between the one million and the $930,000 is $70,000. That's your profit. Divide the $70,000 by the one million and you get 0.07, or 7%. That's your profit margin. Now let's say that the very next year the company sells twice as much product the second year and brings in two million bucks. Let's also say that the cost of making those products doubles as well .. to $1,860,000. How much money did you have left over? Those of you who went to government schools get out your calculators .. the rest of you can figure it out in your head. You have $140,000 left over. That's your profit.

Wait! Your profits have doubled! How dare you? What are you doing, price gouging? These are excess profits -- windfall profits -- and the government ought to step in immediately and take them away from you, you greedy capitalist pig!

Hold on ... before we get carried away with our little price gouging rant here, let's grab those calculators again. Divide the $140,000 in profits by the $2,000,000 in gross receipts and what do we have? Why, it seems the answer is once again 0.07, or 7%! The profits have doubled, but the profit margin remains exactly the same!

He goes on to address a suggestion that the junior Senator from New York has made:

Hillary's brilliant idea of seizing profits does not come as a surprise to many. After all, Hillary was identified by her college professors as a budding young socialist many years before she achieved fame as Bill's "wife." Hillary's idea is for the oil companies to hand over about $20 billion a year to the government to be used for "research" and to subsidize consumers. The subsidies, of course, would become just another government entitlement that Democratic politicians would use to buy votes. The research? Well, sad to say there are actually people out there who think that the government can do a better job conducting research to insure our future energy needs than can the private sector. The impact of state education is widely felt.

Let's explore Hillary's profit-seizure idea a bit more. Another source of funds for oil companies to use for exploration and the development of additional energy resources would be the money that comes from investors. These investors purchase shares of stock in oil companies because they believe that their investments will appreciate in value and, in some cases, will pay dividends. If the government bows to the paranoia and anti-capitalist ignorance of the state-educated masses and seizes those profits, what then will be the reason to invest in these oil companies?

While price gouging does occur, for the most part high prices as a result of scarcity are not gouging but the natural operation of the free market in the efficient and effective allocation of resources. If prices for scarce resources are held artificially low, you then run into a shortage of said resources.

Maybe we should have some sort of investigation. However, like Neal, I'm going to assume that what we're dealing with here is simply the law of supply and demand and not any deliberate attempt at price gouging unless and until it is proven otherwise.

Who are we?

A question I've been mulling over for some time is this: Who are we to make judgements on other cultures and societies, and go so far as to attempt to bring them to freedom and democracy? Mike, in his own inimitable style, provides the answer:

As for that last bit, here’s who we are to judge other cultures: we’re the creators - not just the inheritors, the creators, every single day, by a bazillion different actions and in a bazillion different ways — of the most successful, benevolent, and all-around right nation this poor sad planet has yet produced, and the world would do well to profit from our freely-offered example rather than merely jealously carping about some detail we may have gotten slightly wrong. If that sounds arrogant, insensitive, or jingoistic, well, tough shit, Poindexter; I just don’t care.

And for the rest of us, we would do well to always remember not how lucky we are to have had so grand a birthright handed to us, but how serious the responsibility for maintaining, respecting, defending, and advancing that birthright is. And what that means in turn is not that we should ignore or shout down honest and legitimate discourse over how best to live up to that responsibility, but that we must acknowledge valid criticism and work to correct what mistakes we can, without denigrating or debasing the very foundations of our society as so many on the Left seem so eager to do. As Americans, we must respect honest dissenting opinion; however, the hateful tripe offered up by the present-day Left is, for the most part, nothing of the sort, and needs to be vigorously countered.

The United States is simply the greatest, the most free, the most successful nation this world has ever seen. Period. Obviously we're doing something right. Recognizing this is not being racist, culturalist, or any other word ending in -ist; it's merely stating objective fact. Just because we're the ones saying it doesn't mean it isn't true.

So if we've determined that the best way to secure the future safety of the United States, and all the other nations that share our love of freedom, from the depradations of a fascist theocratic ideology that calls for our complete destruction - simply because we are successful and are not under their dictatorial bootheels - is to attempt to remake their society and show them there's a better way, why not adapt what has worked well for us? The key word here is adapt. The recently approved Constitution of Iraq is not the same as the Constitution of the United States. It reflects that there are certain cultural differences between us and them. But those differences do not preclude a common desire for freedom and democracy, the desire for a nation where government is by the consent of the governed, the aspiration to the dignity of free people. They do not, and the approval of the Constitution of Iraq should be all the proof anyone needs that this is so.

On with the show!

It's Sam Alito, folks, and I couldn't be happier. Well, that's not entirely correct. I was really hoping for Janice Rogers Brown. It would have been most entertaining to watch the Democrats cope with the cognitive dissonance of opposing a black woman. But, ah well. Alito is a fine choice and certainly reinforces the theory, held in some circles, that the initial choice of Miers was deliberate and that the President and his people intended for it to come out the way it did. For now we have a real judge as a nominee, someone the Republicans can rally around.

Adding to the euphoria is the reaction from leading Democrats. For example:

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that he is "disappointed" in the pick of Alito in that he is not a "consensus nominee" and said one day earlier that that nominee would "create a lot of problems."

And:

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also blasted Bush for not picking someone in the "mold of Sandra Day O'Connor, who would unify us."

"The president seems to want to hunker down in his bunker" and "soothe the ruffled feathers of the extreme wing of his party," Schumer said. "This controversial nominee, who would make the court less diverse and far more conservative, will get very careful scrutiny from the Senate and from the American people."

Hallelujah! This is the contest we've been waiting for, folks. Fact: Judge Alito has twice previously been confirmed by the Senate by votes of 100 to 0. Fact: Judge Alito would bring to the Supreme Court more experience than any other nominee in the past 70 years. Of course this will mean nothing to the idealogues on the left. They will oppose him because he's Bush's rational choice and because they fear that he will interpret the law and the Constitution as a Supreme Court Justice should. They wanted someone who at least had a chance of going along with the legislation of their agenda from the bench. If they really want to fight this, they will have no choice but to reveal their true colors to the American people. They're caught between a rock and a hard place and it's about damn time.

Will they filibuster? I can't say. I will, however, predict that if a filibuster occurs, Frist will push the button. Either way, Alito will be confirmed and a grand step in restoring the Supreme Court to their proper, Constitutionally-mandated role will be taken.

Rebirth (hopefully)

If you've been stopping by occasionally over the last few months, you've doubtless noticed that posting has been rather infrequent. I've been thinking about what to do with this blog for a while and I've decided to make some changes. First, a new template. This is one of Blogger's stock templates which I've modified to suit. Second, a new name. "Musings of a Techno-Geek" was the first name I came up with when I created the blog in the first place and, admittedly, it wasn't very original. I wanted something a bit more unique, and one that fit my personality and interests better. The result is what you see at the top of the page.

In the past I've wanted my posts to have some sort of original contribution, rather than just a collection of links. But writing essays takes time and I'm not one of those who can always come up with several paragraphs on a moment's notice. I need time to think about things and, by the time my thoughts are more-or-less in order, other bloggers have already made posts which would render mine redundant. Going forward, my plan is for the posts to be more numerous, although they will be correspondingly shorter. I may just post a link with a one-sentence comment. Or just pose a question. If something warrants additional commentary, I'll make it a followup post. The idea is to keep the blog going forward and, hopefully, prompt more comments from readers.