Quick Thoughts
(1) Block That Kick
I have a feeling it's too late to rally enough troops, but it's worth a try. If the Senate punts on the FISA bill for a little while longer, it might be possible to convince enough Democratic Senators to abandon the bill or at least force the telecom amnesty provision to be stripped.
(2) Rove's Devastating New Line of Attack
I realize I'm a little late commenting on this, but I find Karl Rove's latest line of attack on Obama amusing on so many different levels:
You know this guy? Really? First, how many Americans have ever been to a country club? And among those rare few who have, how many have ever had the experience of seeing a black guy with a Muslim-sounding name hob-knobbing with the guests? And doesn't Rove's description sound a lot more like the President we currently have? You know, the Andover and Yale-educated son of a president and grandson of a Senator? The spoiled rich kid who spent his summers sailing and was handed one lucrative job after another by his dad's friends? The guy who has a sarcastic, belittling nickname for virtually everyone he knows, including every White House reporter?
Funnier still is the window this statement provides into Rove's own personal insecurities. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that Rove himself was never the cool guy with the beautiful date and that this bizarre line of attack reveals a lot more about his own personal issues than it does about Obama.
(3) McCain's Super Lame Idea
John McCain is apparently planning to offer a $300 million prize to anyone who can come up with a better battery for use in electric cars and hybrids. This sounds like an intriguing out-of-box idea until you actually think about it for more than four seconds. The goal is, obviously, to incentivize innovation, to encourage someone to come up with a useful new invention. But the problem is that the payoff only comes at the end, and there's no incentive needed on the backend. Anyone (or more likely any company) who comes up with the kind of battery McCain is invisioning will become so rich they can use his $300 million prize as toilet paper. Everyone already knows how lucrative the backend payoff is for such an invention. The problem is that you have to spend a lot of money to develop technology like that, and with the outcome (and therefore eventual payoff) uncertain, that's a big gamble. So what we really need is money dedicated to funding the research itself, at the front end. We need grant money. Offering only a backend reward--particularly one that amounts to only a small fraction of what someone would receive anyway--is beyond pointless. It's a gimmick and nothing more.
I have a feeling it's too late to rally enough troops, but it's worth a try. If the Senate punts on the FISA bill for a little while longer, it might be possible to convince enough Democratic Senators to abandon the bill or at least force the telecom amnesty provision to be stripped.
(2) Rove's Devastating New Line of Attack
I realize I'm a little late commenting on this, but I find Karl Rove's latest line of attack on Obama amusing on so many different levels:
"Even if you never met him, you know this guy," Rove said... "He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by."
You know this guy? Really? First, how many Americans have ever been to a country club? And among those rare few who have, how many have ever had the experience of seeing a black guy with a Muslim-sounding name hob-knobbing with the guests? And doesn't Rove's description sound a lot more like the President we currently have? You know, the Andover and Yale-educated son of a president and grandson of a Senator? The spoiled rich kid who spent his summers sailing and was handed one lucrative job after another by his dad's friends? The guy who has a sarcastic, belittling nickname for virtually everyone he knows, including every White House reporter?
Funnier still is the window this statement provides into Rove's own personal insecurities. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that Rove himself was never the cool guy with the beautiful date and that this bizarre line of attack reveals a lot more about his own personal issues than it does about Obama.
(3) McCain's Super Lame Idea
John McCain is apparently planning to offer a $300 million prize to anyone who can come up with a better battery for use in electric cars and hybrids. This sounds like an intriguing out-of-box idea until you actually think about it for more than four seconds. The goal is, obviously, to incentivize innovation, to encourage someone to come up with a useful new invention. But the problem is that the payoff only comes at the end, and there's no incentive needed on the backend. Anyone (or more likely any company) who comes up with the kind of battery McCain is invisioning will become so rich they can use his $300 million prize as toilet paper. Everyone already knows how lucrative the backend payoff is for such an invention. The problem is that you have to spend a lot of money to develop technology like that, and with the outcome (and therefore eventual payoff) uncertain, that's a big gamble. So what we really need is money dedicated to funding the research itself, at the front end. We need grant money. Offering only a backend reward--particularly one that amounts to only a small fraction of what someone would receive anyway--is beyond pointless. It's a gimmick and nothing more.
posted by A.L. at 9:30 PM
2 Comments:
on 3)
Wasn't it McCain who suggested that we could stop global warming if we invested in more air conditioning production? : D
McCain's offering of a prize means no spending (by the government) or tax breaks for R&D. It's basically, do nothing until the solution shows up and then give some money that is miniscule compared to the benefit.
McCain likes the idea but he should do more with it:
Energy independence: $300 million for good battery (already done)
Diabetes: $200 million for a cure
Global warming: $750 million for a solar-powered CO2 sequestering machine
College expenses: $150 million for a pill that rewires your brain equivalent to a BA at a state college
Urban congestion: $600 million to the inventor of a flying car
Abortion: $2 billion for a pill that halts the development of the zygote, but does not expell it, thus satisfying both sides of the debate (no baby, no cell death)
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home