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Hurricane Katrina
Wow, the devestation of Katrina just keeps unfolding. What do y’all think about rebuilding New Orleans and other communities affected by this storm? I know if something like that happened in Appleton, I’d have a really tough time picking up and moving elsewhere. Although I think denial contributed to the magnitude of this problem, I do feel we as a country should do everything we can to help those affected get back on their feet.
Those who lost property or life should be completely compensated. However, I think people in the area should only be bailed out once. If you choose to rebuild and live/work there, it should be you, your state, and your communities responsibilities to cover the damage through increased insurance. Another hurricane, even one of Katrina’s magnitude, is innevitable. I’m happy my tax money is being used to help those in need right now, but I’d be disappointed if we had to continually bail them out when they know full well the consequences of building in such an area. Perhaps this wasn’t as much of an issue when their communities were being built, but our transforming climate has changed all that.
I have absolutely no problem if people want to rebuild in the area, just as I don’t have a problem with people building on coastal properties of Florida that are regularly affected by hurricanes. However, just as I have to pay higher insurance rates if I choose a risky lifestyle, the same should apply to those who build in hurricane alley. I feel sad for the death and descruction, but I might consider it foolish to tempt fate again.
As a wise man once said, “Fool me once, shame on you … You can’t get fooled again.”
Perhaps in my sheltered view from up here in Wisconsin I’m not seeing things as clearly. I welcome your comments.
You Don’t Pay Enough For Gas
The recent surges in gas prices has sparked much debate in forums and blogs across the web. One thing I noticed is how the rest of the world seems to feel we’re not paying enough for gas. A post complaining about the price of gas in the U.S. is often followed by a post from someone in Europe saying something like, “Stop your whining. We’re paying $7/gallon here…”
“Indeed, while Europeans have learned to cope with expensive fuel (mostly due to taxes), there’s scant evidence yet that US drivers are adopting their conservation tactics.”
So it seems that the vocal majority across the pond think we’re lucky for what we pay for gas. I personally think you’re being gouged by your own government, not that we’re paying too little. In the end, it might be a good thing if we Americans learn conservation, but that’s going to take a long time and a lot of pain. Old habits die hard, and the dealer you leased your latest vehicle from probably doesn’t care that you signed the deal before gas prices were this high.
I wish I would have bought a diesel right about now…
Racial Profiling
There has been a lot of debate lately about the morality of using racial profiling to catch criminals. It seems a lot of
conservatives are against such a practice, which I find unusual since they are typically proponents of tighter borders and “national security”. I was listening to Hannity yesterday, and a Caucasian male called in and said something on the order of, “Although I appreciate the motives behind racial profiling, if there was a white guy in my neighborhood doing something wrong I wouldn’t want to be accused of it.” I thought this statement was strange. It suggested to me that he would rather have a criminal in his neighborhood than go through the hassle of assisting in an investigation to catch the perpetrator. Perhaps the offense was as benign as shoplifting, but what if it was a suspected terrorist or pedophile in his neighborhood? Hannity agreed and said that we should just search everybody. I don’t think it makes sense to waste resources questioning random people who show no sign of mal-intent in the name of “keeping it fair”.
Some argue racial profiling presents a slippery slope that could lead to racism. I can appreciate this concern, however, I think those incidents need to be dealt with on an individual basis. Some say that “you can’t blame an entire race for the actions of a few,” but how is that any different than signs on your local 7-11 that say “no more than three people under the age of 18 in the store at one time,” or the liquor store carding me because I look like I’m under 21? I’ve also heard some say that we are giving up our civil liberties in the name of national security. However, I don’t think assisting in a criminal investigation or getting searched at an airport is necessarily forfeiting our civil liberties.
I think racial profiling is a necessary evil for keeping our country safe. Spend our limited resources on hunting those
who potentially pose a real threat. Right now we seem to have a fair amount of individuals of Muslim teachings that wish to harm us. I do realize not all Muslims are evil. Perhaps in 10 years we’ll face a new enemy, maybe an increase in domestic terrorism the likes of Timothy McVee. At that time, maybe racial profiling will be less necessary and behavioral profiling will be more important. But I think law enforcement needs to be cut some slack for hunting the bad guys, and be able to use all profiling techniques at their disposal (racial, behavioral, geographic, etc). Those who violate public trust or break the law can be dealt with in court.
Enjoying the Public Smoking Ban
Since Appleton’s recently passed smoking ban came into effect, we decided to go out last night and experience it first hand. We went to Cheyanne’s on the corner of Appleton St. and Washington in Appleton. It was even better than I imagined! We had a bite to eat and enjoyed some brew, and the atmosphere felt no different than dining at a restaurant. Very nice.
Surprisingly, someone even brought a baby into the bar while they were dining. At first, we thought it was a little odd bringing a baby into a bar, but upon further thinking about it, it was a time when most patrons were there to eat dinner (so there were no roudy people). Probably the only thing that might be dangerous to a baby in that environment was the thick cloud of smoke, but that’s not a problem anymore. It was refreshing to see others come out and enjoy the smoke-free socializing.
I just wish Grand Chute or the State would pass a similar ban, since many of our favorite restaurants and bars are there. For the record, we limited ourselves to bars in Appleton because of the ban.
Recent Supreme Court Decisions
Eminent Domain
The Supreme Court voted to strengthen the power of government to seize private property for commercial developments last Thursday, a sad blow to the rights of the small and middle class property owner. Having known someone who was adversely affected by the use of eminent domain, I think this ruling was truly sad. From the Journal Sentinel article:
The court ruled 5-4 that local governments can buy property, even when it isn’t blighted, as long as the owner is fairly compensated.
I have two problems with this statement. First of all, local governments no longer have to justify their use of eminent domain beyond some sort of “public good.” Every proposed use of eminent domain likely has some benefit to a portion of the public at the expense of robbing the property owner. Furthermore, in my experience, “fair compensation” often means the current market value. I think it should mean fair market value, plus moving expenses, plus an inconvenience bonus. That doesn’t even take into account the emotional toll of losing land that one’s family may have owned for generations, or the feeling of being robbed by the community you’ve helped support and contribute to? All in the name of generating more tax revenue. I wonder when time come when eminent domain is used as a threat to defeat political opposition?
- From the Journal Sentinel: A looser rein on eminent domain
- Summary from the Houston Chronicle: Recent Supreme Court rulings unsettling
***Update***
The house has passed a bill that “would withhold federal money from state and local governments that use powers of eminent domain to force businesses and homeowners to give up their property for commercial uses.” Score one for the little guys!
File-sharing suffers major defeatAnother ruling to benefit mega corporations. If I use a screwdriver to kill someone, should the manufacturer be liable? What if I use my cell phone to threaten someone – should Sanyo be hauled into court? Here is the kicker:
We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright … is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties.
Well, I suppose that makes sense – anyone who promotes a crime probably should be held accountable to some degree. However, are the makers of Grokster and Morpheus, et al “promoting its use to infringe copyright?” I don’t think so, anymore than BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen does, or Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web. I don’t file share to the extent I did in college, but I also don’t feel that software should made illegal, only the actions of those who use it formalicious purposes.
US Bans Commandments in Court
Anothing ambigous ruling, although a partial victory for separation of religion and state I suppose. The justices ruled against the display of framed copies of the Commandments, but some displays would be permissible if they were “portrayed neutrally in order to honor America’s legal history”. I’m not sure how they can make such a distinction. It could be argued either way whether a particular display of the Ten Commandments is historical or a declaration of government support. Either way, I don’t find any display of religion in government as neutral, whether it be of Christian or Muslim or whatever origin. How does the atheist or Muslim feel about his or her chances while walking up the court steps past a monument of Christian beliefs? Seems intimidating, to me.
June 29th, 2005 
News & Current Events, People, Politics 
Tags: eminent domain, michael jackson, news, Politics, religion, more... Adobe Buys Macromedia
As many geeks already know, Adobe Systems, Inc. has agreed to buy Macromedia for $3.4B in stock. I have mixed feelings about this. Although both companies make some good products (and some bad ones), I fear the future of Macromedia products like Flash, Fireworks, and FlashPaper. Will Flash become as bloated as Adobe Reader? Will Fireworks be discontinued or merged into ImageReady? Will FlashPaper be discontinued in favor of PDF technology? FlashPaper is pretty cool, if you haven’t tried it. It basically converts documents to Flash applets, similar to PDF but viewable with the Flash plugin. It’s fairly fast and has a nice user interface.
In the end, however, it’s probably better that Adobe purchased it than the likes of Microsoft, since Adobe at least has some support for other platforms. A purchase by Microsoft would almost guarantee the death of any sort of future for Macromedia products on Linux, and stagnating development on the Macintosh line (not to mention Microsoft’s history of “embracing and extending” products into proprietary oblivion).
Many others are worried about the future of ColdFusion and DreamWeaver with Adobe. I don’t use ColdFusion, so I don’t really care, but I think it would bolster the company’s server offerings. Although I don’t use DreamWeaver, I simply hate GoLive (which I lovingly pronounce as if it rhymed with “olive”). Merging DW into GoLive would be a mistake, as it’s probably the most robust WYSIWYG web development tool on the market. Perhaps it would allow Nvu to get more recognition and development time, though.
April 19th, 2005
News & Current Events, Software Tags: adobe, evil, macromedia, merger, pdf, more... Appleton Passes Public Smoking Ban
Wanda and I are quite please that Appleton residents passed the public smoking ban last night. I was surprised that it passed without an exception for bars, similar to the way Madison and Eau Claire have. How nice it will be to go to Appleton bars and not be engulfed by a smokey haze, assuming the new ordinance doesn’t get struck down. From the Post-Crescent article linked below:
“The state’s direct legislation law says you can’t use a referendum like this to repeal a specific ordinance. They (proponents) cite existing legislation at least three times,†Johnson said. “You can’t make law if you can’t obey the law. It’s going to be an ugly court fight, but we have an obligation for the public to fight this.â€
Riiiight. They have an obligation to the public, which voted and decided that they wanted the ban. Further up in the article, we learn this about the individual who made the comment:
Robbie Johnson, president of Citizens for Responsible Regulation, which opposed the ban, said his group is disappointed.Johnson said he expects his group, comprised primarily of bar owners, to begin work later this week on a legal challenge to the referendum’s proceedings.
(Emphasis mine)
We’ll see if a judge throws out the will of the voters based on the desires of several local business owners.
- Post-Crescent Article: Smoking Ban Passes
- Link: Voting Results
Fool me twice, shame on me…
Anyone who feels the U.S. isn’t offering enough in tsunami relief should see whom it is going to help:
- Tsunami Photo – Notice the T-shirt
January 3rd, 2005
News & Current Events Tags: charity, nature, osama bin laden, Politics, tsunami, more... Reggie White: The Half-staff Controversy
Anyone living in the Fox Valley may be familiar with the controversy of the Packers lowering the Lambeau Field flag to half-staff in honor of the late Packer defensive star Reggie White. I personally have nothing against them flying the flag at half-staff in honor of Reggie White, and I find it ironic that the same veterans who fought for our freedom would deny freedom of expression on private property.
I wouldn’t find it appropriate to fly at half-staff on public property, and find it disappointing we haven’t done it more to commemorate the troops from Wisconsin who have fallen. However, I think removing one’s right to free speech on private property is a bigger travesty than flying the flag at half-staff in memory of a football player at a football stadium.
December 28th, 2004
News & Current Events Tags: football, hero, lambeau field, opinion, packers, reggie white, sports, more... Satellite Radio vs. “Free Radio”
Ok, I was listening to my talk radio program this morning on WTAQ. I heard one of the ads they play regularly about why free radio is better than satellite radio (ie, XM or Sirius). To suggest that free radio is better than satellite radio, they used arguments like, “Satellite radio has too much profanity, and I worry about my kids,” and “Free radio cuts out too much when I’m obstructed by things like tall buildings or a mountain,” and “Free radio gives me local news and sports,” etc.
Alas, the marketing industry in this nation just doesn’t get it! We all understand that free content is paid for by advertisers, and we have no problem with viewing reasonable ads in exchange for free content, but there is a limit to our patience. This has already been made evident on the Internet. People are installing ad-blocking software like never before. Do they really have a problem with viewing ads in exchange for content? No way, but they do have a problem with being abused by advertisers. Things like “fly-in” Flash advertisements and annoying animations push the limits of our patience. I don’t mind viewing banners or AdWords, and I occasionally click on ads that relate to my interests, but shoving animated casino and “punch the monkey” ads down our throats just doesn’t cut it.
It’s the same with radio. We don’t mind paying for satellite radio because free radio has begun to abuse its listeners much like the Internet. I listen to WTAQ and hear the same ad telling me how they can lower my farm taxes by just giving them a call, with annoying elevator music and some pretentious blonde finance major telling me I’d be stupid not to use their service. I am not a farmer. If I was, I probably would have been convinced by the first 1000 times I’ve heard the ad. Similarly, the talk radio industry has sunken to the lowliest of advertisers, from get rich quick to lose weight in 7 days with no exercise and no diet change. We don’t mind your ads at a reasonable interval, but please, we get the point – “Investing in gold through Swiss America is my ticket to fame and fortune!”
Finally, they suggest that signal loss is a frustration among satellite radio converts. I ask you – is losing your signal when you go under and overpass any worse than WTAQ’s record of playing commercials over my radio program, censoring content because it doesn’t agree with their political agenda, or cancelling my radio program in favor of sports programs that talk about the previous day’s game and what you already saw while watching it?
*sigh*, I need a political talk radio that doesn’t cater to farmers and meat heads. Free radio has become the whore of the advertising industry, just like the Internet.
Disclaimer: I am not a subscriber to any satellite TV service, but for reasons stated above I’ve been seriously tempted. I also have nothing against farmers, but sometimes I feel like WTAQ is out of touch with their a large portion of their demographic. Perhaps they need to spin-off the politics from the sports/farm report. “Look ma’, hog futures are up 2 points, Favre sealed the Viking’s fate with a 60 yard bomb, and Rush Limbaugh thinks liberals are intolerant!”
December 24th, 2004
Entertainment & Media, News & Current Events Tags: advertising, clueless, flash, opinion, Radio, satellite, sirius, Television, wtaq, xm, more... Powered by WordPress.
