I finally got around to watching “An Inconvenient Truth” tonight, and I have to say, I’m all riled up. There can be no doubt that climate change is real and is caused by human activity. That’s not what I’m all riled up about. I’m all riled up about what we can do about it and… Continue reading On “An Inconvenient Truth”
Category: politics
Gas Tax Holiday: Dumbest Idea Ever
I overheard on the news this morning something about a “gas tax holiday” that someone (Senator Clinton?) was suggesting. My immediate reaction? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Let me explain: First off, giving a “holiday” from gasoline taxes is basically admitting that you’ve failed. You’re basically saying, “I’ve failed to keep… Continue reading Gas Tax Holiday: Dumbest Idea Ever
10 Steps to Destroy Democracy
This post by Naomi Wolf is a year old, but it is still relevant. What’s really scary is that all 10 of these steps have already been taken here in the US. The steps that I most dread are: Set up an internal surveillance system Dissent equals Treason Suspend the Rule of Law This is… Continue reading 10 Steps to Destroy Democracy
On Surveillance
Surveillance is power. When surveillance become ubiquitous, we place utmost faith and trust in those performing surveillance to use that power justly. And as we all know… power corrupts. If we wish to become a surveillance society, we must have checks and balances on surveillance, just as we do with other forms of government power –… Continue reading On Surveillance
How to write laws – the RIGHT Way
At least, I think it’s the right way: “If I were writing laws such that I wanted everybody to agree on how to interpret them, I would use the software development life cycle: First, have lawmakers (analogous to “developers”) write drafts of the laws. Then a second group (the “test case writers”) would try to… Continue reading How to write laws – the RIGHT Way