Just Department Should Not Persecute CIA Abuses and Obama Should Step In

My guess is the CIA did some really bad things under the Bush Administration. REALLY BAD. Evil bad. However, given the the fish rots from the head, and that head is now in Texas somewhere, it is time to let it go. The atmosphere that was created by the legal mishapings of the Bush administration. People were doing what they thought was right given that milieu. It was a time of fear and distrust and ideological clashes as to how you become "safe", even though safety is a myth.

If I were Obama, I would come out hard against any presecutions of anyone below a certain rank. Again, due to organizational structure and human behavoir, people were following instructions and saving their careers. Lame, I know, but most people are risk averse and do whatever they need to do to preserve their personal status quo.

If I were obama, I would put an end to all of the wrangling. I would come out and say that any person (below a certain rank) persecuted by the justice department will recieve a pardon. This does not mean he should praise the past actions, but that we are now focusing on other ways to create safety. And that americans will not go against our values to go after people again. We do not get a pass on the foundations of this country because people don't like us.

This Is Why People Hate Rich People

I was so entertained by this, I had to share. Not only are these people insufferable, but they are not dressed well either, despite their protestations to the contrary.

The Moral Hypocracy

Newsflash: Mr. South Carolina truly falls for an Argentine beauty, and cheats on his wife. And Ms. Sarah Palin has a daughter that gets knocked up as an unmarried teenager. These things happen every day, and that is the fact of being human.

What the real problem is however, is that the social conservatives out there like to tell people how to live their life, and that these things that make people human, should not actually happen. Just say no! Remember that?

In fact, they want legislation to that end. For example - overturn roe v.wade or a war against drugs that costs 2billion a year when treatment would be a fraction and decriminalize a dark underworld or no legal marriage for gays - when most have never met a gay, or remove sex education despite the real facts that kids do actually have sex. Sorry about the run on, but the list goes on and on.....

This op ed chronicals the hypocracy well. I am entitled to call our Sarah Palin and Mr. South Carolina, not because of their faults but because they will legislate to say that I should have no faults. And that if I do, I should just suck it up, but when they do, it is just them being human.

Say what you will about liberals, but they generally stay out of your bedroom. They allow people to just be who they are, and do what they do, because behavior is not what we want it to be, but what we actually do.

Unintended Consequences: Why Buy American Clauses Are Stupid

I agree that "buy American" pushes are ill advised. This op-ed explains very well how we can end up loosing more than we gain by using these populist sentiments to make policies.

Speaking of populist is the new "tzar" of executive pay. How about boards doing what they are supposed to do, which is to set executive pay for actual performance? We should reform corporate governance, not use government as a watchdog for things they should stay out of, but are only messing with because of political expediency.

Economics 101 - Why I Am Not A Fascist - A Defensive Tirade

My mother and I have been having a very harmless back and forth about if I actually did live on 17,000$ a year.

So let me be clear, at any level of my earning - I have never had to want for anything, I have never had to fear that if there was a real problem that I would not have sources of cash, I have never had to "pick myself up by the bootstraps". And when I lived at $17,000 my parents were very generous with presents including helping with my wardrobe, and my Hanuka present was a gym membership. They were also very generous with my friends as well, providing a place to stay and more meals than I can count.

But, I have also paid off all my bills on time, declined a lot of credit offered to me, and I bought a reasonable apartment that I could afford - erring on the side of a safe neighborhood and less than I was told I could afford (with a 30 year fixed). I also rented until I was 35 because that was what I could afford and was a better solution. In addition, by most standards, I have "performed" like the show pony I was raised to be (without a husband or grand kids, but I can't control everything!).

Enough of my very personal tirade - my point is that if the government needs to help people who cannot afford to live without food, shelter and medical care - they should not make the credit card industry pay for that - especially when that industry is very clear about the ramifications of late payment. They should provide a subsidy. That would be, and is the least distortive to whole economy. In fact, if my interest rates go up as a result, I would rather have the appropriate taxes levied on me to help the people who actually need help. I recognize that someone has to help and someone has to pay, and that I, as a very very lucky person may have to help subsidize that.

I am happy to help pay for what people need, not what they want, and in the form of a less distortive mechanism. And that, I learned with all that fancy education my parents helped me get so graciously.

Once last thing - this does not take away from the culpability of the very greedy people who helped get us into this mess. Life is more nuanced than that, as we all know......

Am I The Only One Who Believes In Personal Responsibility?

Ok, so I may be that anal girl who pays off my credit card every month. Indeed, when I made $17,000 a year, I lived within my means and now that I make a lot more, I do the same.

I am a little incensed about the fact that I may how have higher credit card bills (fees and less benefits) even though I have perfect credit. See this article from yesterday's NYTimes about limitations on credit card companies and how they will have limits on the interest rates they can charge.

I know that this will make me sound like a fascist, but seriously where is the personal responsibility? When you get a credit card, they are very clear (if you take the time to read the documents), about the terms. If you don't like the terms, then don't get the credit.

I recognize that not everyone is as fortunate as I am (in fact 99% of the world is not), but the idea that people barrow to buy loads of crap that is not necessary (otherwise known as TV's, Cable, Video games, clothes etc...) and then I have to suffer is really frustrating.

First, The Happy Pills, Then Just Remove The Memory Completely?

When I was in Mali, I developed a theory about when bad things happen to people in the western world. When a bad thing happens to you, you actually have two bad things happen -
A. The belief that no bad things should happen is shaken
B. The actual bad thing that happened and how now you need to deal with it

In Mali, on the other hand, they had an "If Allah Wills It" attitude, which is if a bad thing happens, then it was preordained and therefore nothing could have been done. This is as equally destructive because people do not need to die of malaria or poor drinking water, there are precautions people can take.

So, the answer is somewhere in the middle, I reckon.

Check out this article in the NYTimes about how they have discovered a way to remove bad memories. Good idea, or bad? It sounds a lot like bad things should not happen to us. You make the call. But I know when bad things have happened to me, they have made me stronger, but on the other hand, I am very lucky to have a pretty charmed life. Knock on wood.....

Sugar Is Not Better For You Just Because Some Marketer Tells You So

My first job at Cargill was in the Corn Milling group, working on the sweeteners product line - ie selling High Fructose Corn Syrup.

My dad is a dentist, so prior to that, I had maybe 10 full "sugar sodas" in my whole life. That is what we called these things in my house - "sugar soda" and "sugar cereal". Did you know, I have 0 cavities? I may need to do a post on why everyone should have a Sonicare - I digress......

From that time, I have thought that people should be educated about the facts on the reality of HFCS vs Sugar. Please see this very fair article in the NYTimes which tells you where the science is on sweeteners.

All sucrose is sucrose, no matter where is comes from, and do not let marketers tell you otherwise. In fact, all versions of sweeteners are bad for you - whether they be sugar or high fructose corn syrup, or the non-caloric versions. So partake of them responsibly.

Eating too much causes obesity, not anything else - too many calories in, too few out. Everything in moderation. And in my case in NYC this weekend - I will need to go to the gym for a week for the out part because there ain't no moderation!

Think Before You Get Angry

Everyone is up in arms about these bonuses for AIG and wants the government to get them back!!!! Or even better, that AIG paid for their global operations and counter parties!!!! Yes, we are angry because a GLOBAL insurance carrier paid out to the people they actually do business with! Perhaps all this is misguided? Or at least not very helpful.

How do we feel about a country that reneges on established contracts because we don't like them? (At least these contracts were written, this was not the case for the 18 BILLION of bonuses for the I-banks). Or that many people are so USA focused to realize that AIG is a global company and that is exactly why we bailed them out. If the government only wanted to pay for the USA parts of the business it should have been a condition of the money. Yes, lenders can put conditions on money, and borrowers can actually decide if they don't like the conditions.

This does not mean that I think AIG is some wonderful company, or excuse greed in any way, but getting angry at the symptom and not the disease, is like wondering why you are moving so much but going nowhere on a rocking chair.

This article sums up the ridiculousness of anger well and how populist sentiment is the road to hell. Populism has it's moments, but please everyone, think for a moment about what the root cause is of an issue and spur to action on that.