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Friday, July 4, 2008
Prison Graph
I ran into this graph earlier today. It is pretty scary. Crime rates in 1960 were about the same as now, so it is difficult to say this experiment in social engineering is really the best way to go about things.
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Really, its not that bad
After arguing with high school teachers who I could generally count on to be no more intelligent or educated that I, going to college was quite a change. In my first semester I took a course with Victor Davis Hanson, unfortunately one of the last he taught at Fresno State before leaving. The man is a machine, I flat out gave up arguing with him because I was so out classed in both education and intelligence.
Anyways, he has an interesting world view, I thought I should pass on this quote from his article in the national review that came out today:
"We are not in 1932 when unemployment was still over 20 percent of the work force, and industrial production was less than half of what it had been just three years earlier, or July, 1942, when tens of thousands of American were dying in convoys and B-17s, and on islands of the Pacific in an existential war against Germany, Japan, and Italy.
Thank God it is not mid-summer 1950, when Seoul was overrun and arriving American troops were overwhelmed by Communist forces as they rushed in to save a crumbling South Korea. We are not in 1968 when the country was torn apart by the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the riots at the Democratic convention in Chicago. And we are not even in the waning days of 1979, a year in which the American embassy was seized in Tehran and hostages taken, the Soviets were invading Afghanistan, thousands were still being murdered in Cambodia, Communism was on the march in Central America, and our president was blaming our near 6-percent unemployment, 8-percent inflation, 15-percent interest rates, and weakening international profile on our own collective “malaise.”
We live in the most prosperous and most free years of a wonderful republic, and can easily rectify our present crises that are largely of our own making and a result of the stupefying effects of our unprecedented wealth and leisure. Instead of endless recriminations and self-pity — of anger that our past was merely good rather than perfect as we now demand — we need to give thanks this Fourth of July to our ancestors who created our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and suffered miseries beyond our comprehension as they bequeathed to us most of the present wealth, leisure, and freedom we take for granted."
Source
I am not sure I necessarily agree with him about us being the most free country in history. In a great many ways we really are not terribly free by international standards. For example if you are a young person you don't hit the legal drinking age, or age of consent until significantly later than in most of Europe or for that matter most of the world. Clearly if they can allow such freedoms without serious problems (teenage pregnancy rates, and deaths related to drinking are typically higher in America than Europe despite our authoritarian legal system) we should too. Our failed war on drugs has left us with the highest percentage of population in prison of any time in our history, or for that matter than any country trustworthy enough to keep good statistics. I cannot buy fireworks today in the state of New York even though I am totally competent and would not cause any damage to life or property if I had them. The list goes on, and on, the government loves controlling our private lives.
I do agree though that the problems we face today are minor compared to those faced during much of our history.
Anyways, he has an interesting world view, I thought I should pass on this quote from his article in the national review that came out today:
"We are not in 1932 when unemployment was still over 20 percent of the work force, and industrial production was less than half of what it had been just three years earlier, or July, 1942, when tens of thousands of American were dying in convoys and B-17s, and on islands of the Pacific in an existential war against Germany, Japan, and Italy.
Thank God it is not mid-summer 1950, when Seoul was overrun and arriving American troops were overwhelmed by Communist forces as they rushed in to save a crumbling South Korea. We are not in 1968 when the country was torn apart by the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the riots at the Democratic convention in Chicago. And we are not even in the waning days of 1979, a year in which the American embassy was seized in Tehran and hostages taken, the Soviets were invading Afghanistan, thousands were still being murdered in Cambodia, Communism was on the march in Central America, and our president was blaming our near 6-percent unemployment, 8-percent inflation, 15-percent interest rates, and weakening international profile on our own collective “malaise.”
We live in the most prosperous and most free years of a wonderful republic, and can easily rectify our present crises that are largely of our own making and a result of the stupefying effects of our unprecedented wealth and leisure. Instead of endless recriminations and self-pity — of anger that our past was merely good rather than perfect as we now demand — we need to give thanks this Fourth of July to our ancestors who created our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and suffered miseries beyond our comprehension as they bequeathed to us most of the present wealth, leisure, and freedom we take for granted."
Source
I am not sure I necessarily agree with him about us being the most free country in history. In a great many ways we really are not terribly free by international standards. For example if you are a young person you don't hit the legal drinking age, or age of consent until significantly later than in most of Europe or for that matter most of the world. Clearly if they can allow such freedoms without serious problems (teenage pregnancy rates, and deaths related to drinking are typically higher in America than Europe despite our authoritarian legal system) we should too. Our failed war on drugs has left us with the highest percentage of population in prison of any time in our history, or for that matter than any country trustworthy enough to keep good statistics. I cannot buy fireworks today in the state of New York even though I am totally competent and would not cause any damage to life or property if I had them. The list goes on, and on, the government loves controlling our private lives.
I do agree though that the problems we face today are minor compared to those faced during much of our history.
Steven Hawking is a murderer!
You may have thought the Gangster great Steven "MC" Hawking had gone soft. But it appears he got his wish, I don't know if I will be able to listen to Why won't Jesse Helms Hurry up and Die the same way.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Nerd of the Week
Here is part 4 in a series made to make me feel like an inadequate nerd. Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to write you were nerd of the week on your resume?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Energy
I have been submitting random articles, mostly found on Google News, to the energy subreddit on reddit.com. When I started there was only me and one other guy submitting articles to it, but it has become a fairly interesting place if you have some interest in the subject matter.
The award for worst reading comprehension by the Supreme Court
I just looked at the Wikipedia page on Gonzales v. Raich, the case where they ruled that the federal law banning marijuana trumped the state law. The degree with which the Supreme Court can use twisted logic to get around obvious truth is disturbing. Essentially they ruled that because of the Commerce Clause (The Congress shall have power . . . To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes) Congress can constitutionally ban marijuana use even if nothing ever crosses a state border. Therefore the California law is meaningless.
"The court held that Congress may regulate a non-economic good, which is intrastate, if it does so as part of a complete scheme of legislation designed to regulate interstate commerce."
Talk about a slippery slope, if you can regulate something that never crosses state border than all of a sudden you just crossed out the part of the constitution where they say "with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes" and replaced it with "The Congress shall have power . . . To regulate commerce. "Ignoring the fact the constitution never gave Congress the right to regulate intrastate commerce. The tenth amendment was made
for exactly such a law. Congress wasn't given the power, therefore the states have it. Oh well, at least some of the Supreme court agreed with me:
Justice Thomas:
"Certainly no evidence from the founding suggests that "commerce" included the mere possession of a good or some personal activity that did not involve trade or exchange for value. In the early days of the Republic, it would have been unthinkable that Congress could prohibit the local cultivation, possession, and consumption of marijuana."
"If the majority is to be taken seriously, the Federal Government may now regulate quilting bees, clothes drives, and potluck suppers throughout the 50 States. This makes a mockery of Madison's assurance to the people of New York that the "powers delegated" to the Federal Government are "few and defined", while those of the States are "numerous and indefinite.""
I really am not sure whether I agree with judges put in by conservatives, or liberals more. The only Justice to both support the expansion of habeas rights to Guantanamo prisoners, and over turning DC's gun case was Kennedy, who was put in by Reagan. He however was in the majority on the medical marijuana case. Clearly there is no one justice I can consistently agree with.
"The court held that Congress may regulate a non-economic good, which is intrastate, if it does so as part of a complete scheme of legislation designed to regulate interstate commerce."
Talk about a slippery slope, if you can regulate something that never crosses state border than all of a sudden you just crossed out the part of the constitution where they say "with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes" and replaced it with "The Congress shall have power . . . To regulate commerce. "Ignoring the fact the constitution never gave Congress the right to regulate intrastate commerce. The tenth amendment was made
for exactly such a law. Congress wasn't given the power, therefore the states have it. Oh well, at least some of the Supreme court agreed with me:
Justice Thomas:
"Certainly no evidence from the founding suggests that "commerce" included the mere possession of a good or some personal activity that did not involve trade or exchange for value. In the early days of the Republic, it would have been unthinkable that Congress could prohibit the local cultivation, possession, and consumption of marijuana."
"If the majority is to be taken seriously, the Federal Government may now regulate quilting bees, clothes drives, and potluck suppers throughout the 50 States. This makes a mockery of Madison's assurance to the people of New York that the "powers delegated" to the Federal Government are "few and defined", while those of the States are "numerous and indefinite.""
I really am not sure whether I agree with judges put in by conservatives, or liberals more. The only Justice to both support the expansion of habeas rights to Guantanamo prisoners, and over turning DC's gun case was Kennedy, who was put in by Reagan. He however was in the majority on the medical marijuana case. Clearly there is no one justice I can consistently agree with.
Worms
Well, it appears the worm hypothesis of why we get allergies is still holding up. It will be really interesting to see if this really works out, I would consider it the best hope we have of eliminating allergic diseases within the next decade or two.
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