I rarely post about work, except for my recent forays into the hilarity of working for a large, uncoordinated agency.  But what I do for work is energy efficiency, specifically lighting.

I read an article today that just appalls me.  It is amazing to me how vociferously I disagree with Republicans.  It is like they have an opposite worldview that is ( Read more... )

All over the First World, the cracks in capitalism and the 'austerity' of the right wing ruling class are coming to a head.  This top-down, authoritarian dictatorship mentality is crumbling society all over the place.

The Brits don't want to hear it.  Connect these dots, shall we?

Parliament will return to duty on Thursday, as the political fallout ( Read more... )

I looked up some numbers. Wow ( Read more... )

So, I like that Obama wants to get this whole US-debt-too-high issue taken care of. But the dude needs to learn a thing about negotiation. He always (ALWAYS) gives the farm away before even talking details:

“I’m prepared to do it. I’m prepared to take on significant heat from my party to get something done, and I expect the other side should be ( Read more... )

So, this is interesting.  The BBC ran a story today that is, well, a bit disturbing.  The arrogance of America is one that is so fraught with nationalism that I would say most Americans think that we are not susceptible to the follies of [sarcasm] idiot socialist states in Europe[/sarcasm] like Greece.  But check out this headline: Who defaults ( Read more... )

From what I learned from classical (myopic, simplistic, Smithian) economics, the whole point of capitalism is that it makes the three attributes of building wealth fungible (tradeable).  This doesn't mean everything is equal, but if you need something, you should be able to get it.  What it doesn't consider is non-economic factors, such as human ( Read more... )

I found this interesting article having to do with gas taxes today.  It is basically a bunch of cars pictured with their associated gas taxes.  Check it out.

Now, according to the powers-that-be that tells us of the infinite wisdom of the private sector and the awfulness of the public sector, they insist that lower taxes sparks business.

The Middle ( Read more... )

 Here's something that I haven't heard a peep about in the news:

The Canadian dollar is worth 1.05USD.  That's right, not only has it surpassed the US dollar, but it has done so for the last month.  In fact, it has gained 3% since I've been tracking it.

In 1993, Rush Limbaugh set off on a campaign to damn centrist tax policy from the Clinton administration. He said it would ruin America, keep us from growing, etc.

Time and time again, when we raise taxes on the wealthy, oddly, we get job growth and sustained middle class wealth distribution. It worked in the 40s, 50s, and 60s... and we've stalled ( Read more... )

The Right always seems to get its oversimplified, non-dot-connecting, super-direct, cut-all-corners way.  And for some reason, they just love showering rich people with money from taxpayers, which I don't understand.

The House on Friday approved a sweeping blueprint aimed at cutting the deficit by hitting at the heart of entitlement programs, ( Read more... )