Let me first say that I am not an advocate of universal health care. I understand the many benefits that it could have on our nation, but very little of that would be seen by me. When it comes to things like that, I choose to be selfish.
To me health care has always been something that my parents handled, not because I needed it, but because they are nurses and know the system. Both parents, at one time or another, have been able to recommend the best physician, get me a relatively quick appointment, or both. It wasn't until my shoulder surgery that I really learned about my own health insurance and how to deal with doctors, hospitals, and insurance. I know many people have probably done this already, but I wish i would have known how to deal with it at the time. It would have saved me a bunch of time on the back end.
Most PPOs (I refuse to use an HMO, because when I have an ailment I want to go straight to a specialist, not waste an appointment on a general practitioner) have three main parts: a deductible, a max out of pocket, and a percentage payment. the first and last I was quite aware of, but the second took me by surprise. Max out of pocket is the maximum amount you will have to pay in any given year. My insurance pays 80% with a $300 in network deductible and $1500 max out of pocket. First thing first, your deductible does not count towards your max out of pocket, which sucks.
Now when you go to a doctor (for the sake of brevity, doctor is meant to mean any charging health care facility), they are going to send you a bill straight away. DO NOT PAY THIS. The way this works is that the doctor gives a bill to you and your insurance for the percentage pay that each of you have agreed to pay by your plan. If your doctor charges $3,000 (once your deductible is paid), they will ask you to pay $600. Fair enough you think, but you would be wrong. Your doctor will send the remaining bill to your insurance ($2,400), and your insurance will tell the doctor that they will pay $1,000, and they will send their portion, $800, to the doctor. Your insurance will then credit your max out of pocket $200. If you paid the $600 bill you got from your doctor, you will have not only overpaid, but not gotten credit for that amount by your insurance company. This last part is especially bad when your insurance company is currently assessing a surgery billed to them at $38,000.
My advice is to wait until you get the magical statement in the mail from your insurance company or the doctor with the heading, "Your insurance company has already paid their portion of this bill". Then check your insurance statement to make sure their figures add up.
Now, the big hassle, of course, is why does your insurance not just pay the whole thing, and then send you a monthly bill like a credit card? If the max you can charge in one year is $1,800, would the insurance company not be better off to send you a monthly itemized bill, then charge a reasonable APR on and charges that are not closed by the end of the year? My intuition is that many people default on high medical bills, so your insurance company would rather have you default with the hospital than pay out money on your behalf and have you default with them.
In closing, I will let you know how easy it is to try and get a $400 refund from an orthopaedic surgeon.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Always Learning
A short list of the things I have learned in the past year:
I learned that I am not that original (I stole this post idea from the most brilliant person I know)
I learned that the higher paying career path may not pay off in the end
I learned that will and desire are not enough, especially when they are selfish
I learned that true satisfaction has no physical component
I learned it's infinitely harder to pursue than to be pursued
Like I said, short list. I am sure I have learned more, let's hope it makes me a better person next year.
I learned that I am not that original (I stole this post idea from the most brilliant person I know)
I learned that the higher paying career path may not pay off in the end
I learned that being loved is nowhere near being in love
I learned that true love is both mental and emotional, not simply the latterI learned that will and desire are not enough, especially when they are selfish
I learned that true satisfaction has no physical component
I learned it's infinitely harder to pursue than to be pursued
Like I said, short list. I am sure I have learned more, let's hope it makes me a better person next year.
Bill and Ted VS. Marty McFly
While watching The Big Bang Theory last week (eat a dick, it's funny), Sheldon and Leonard end up discussing time travel, due mostly to the fat that there is a replica time machine in the apartment. They are discussing the prospect of using the time machine to visit a relatively (no pun intended) significant time in the history of physics. Sheldon points out that while it would be entirely possible to transport himself in time, the machine did not move in space. So rather than move to historical Austria (if i recall correctly, but probably not), he would go to the same time period but in Pasadena. This infuriated me as this is supposedly a show about genius physics doctors who, while nerdy, would understand the shortcomings of their own science fiction obsessions.
The key to this argument, as it primarily lies in film (as time travel is not yet possible), is Bill and Ted versus Marty McFly. There are many other cinematic examples of time travel, but none capture my point so well. In Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Bill and Ted come to possess a time machine which will transport them to any time and place they wish by simply dialing the phone. Time travel critics will tell you that a time machine would not be able to move you through space (as previously stated) and so the movie represents a false interpretation of time travel.
Example two is Back to the Future, in which Marty is hindered not only by the space-time continuum, but by the historic significance of personal events. Let us go beyond the fact that Marty's entire family, from his great great grandfather, Shamus, to his children (Marty Jr.) all live in the same crappy California valley town, and talk about his travel. Marty travels in what is considered, at least by Sheldon and other enthusiasts, as pure time travel. He moves from point X,Y,Z,t1 to point X,Y,Z,t2. Doc Brown would call this "fourth dimensional travel", and purest would call this correct.
Here is your problem, you microscopic, ignorant, retards: the earth does not sit still. While Hill Valley may seem like the same location by earthly coordinates (lat/long, UTM, even State Plane), it is not even close to the same place on a universal scale. You have a rotating earth, an orbiting earth, a moving solar system, and a moving galaxy. The truth is that an exact movement through time would put you out in the vacuum of space in the smallest of time scales, not to mention 30 years.
I argue, then, that all time machines portrayed can move in both space and time, so if they can put you in the same place (locally speaking), then they could put you anywhere in space at any time. This is what Bill and Ted's phone booth did, and is the most accurate portrayal of a time machine, unless they make a movie about time travellers who end up frozen in the depths of space.
This being said, a true physicist would tell you that there is not space and time, there is only space-time, because as one approaches the speed of light, relativity causes time and space to both be melded forms of one another. This is the world i want to one day live in.
The key to this argument, as it primarily lies in film (as time travel is not yet possible), is Bill and Ted versus Marty McFly. There are many other cinematic examples of time travel, but none capture my point so well. In Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Bill and Ted come to possess a time machine which will transport them to any time and place they wish by simply dialing the phone. Time travel critics will tell you that a time machine would not be able to move you through space (as previously stated) and so the movie represents a false interpretation of time travel.
Example two is Back to the Future, in which Marty is hindered not only by the space-time continuum, but by the historic significance of personal events. Let us go beyond the fact that Marty's entire family, from his great great grandfather, Shamus, to his children (Marty Jr.) all live in the same crappy California valley town, and talk about his travel. Marty travels in what is considered, at least by Sheldon and other enthusiasts, as pure time travel. He moves from point X,Y,Z,t1 to point X,Y,Z,t2. Doc Brown would call this "fourth dimensional travel", and purest would call this correct.
Here is your problem, you microscopic, ignorant, retards: the earth does not sit still. While Hill Valley may seem like the same location by earthly coordinates (lat/long, UTM, even State Plane), it is not even close to the same place on a universal scale. You have a rotating earth, an orbiting earth, a moving solar system, and a moving galaxy. The truth is that an exact movement through time would put you out in the vacuum of space in the smallest of time scales, not to mention 30 years.
I argue, then, that all time machines portrayed can move in both space and time, so if they can put you in the same place (locally speaking), then they could put you anywhere in space at any time. This is what Bill and Ted's phone booth did, and is the most accurate portrayal of a time machine, unless they make a movie about time travellers who end up frozen in the depths of space.
This being said, a true physicist would tell you that there is not space and time, there is only space-time, because as one approaches the speed of light, relativity causes time and space to both be melded forms of one another. This is the world i want to one day live in.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Mindfully Simple Mathematics
Last Saturday, as a few friends/neighbors of mine were walking passed a gas station and noticed that gas was under $2 a gallon, one neighbor said that because gas prices were going down, it was a better idea to NOT fill your tank all the way. Very simple logic would tell you that she was correct. If gas prices are going down, buying gas tomorrow is cheaper than buying it today, so why fill up all the way? Unfortunately, gas is not the only economic factor, and it surprises me how little value people put on their time.
Quickly estimate the amount of time it takes you to get gas. I put it at around 10-15 minutes, though it may be longer or shorter depending on your proximity to a fueling station. Now let us assume that instead of purchasing a full tank of gas (15 gallons for most sedans, if you drive a truck, read something else) every two weeks, you are purchasing a half-tank every week. That is an extra ten minutes every two weeks. At best you might see gas prices drop 10 cents per week, leaving you with a bi-weekly savings of 75 cents.
Now calculate the value of your time. This is much simpler than most people imagine. Instead of doing what you are doing, pretend you are at work. How much money would you be making? If your answer is greater than $7.50 per hour, then you are simply on the losing side of this math problem. Don't be simple minded, learn math, it's FUNdamental.
Quickly estimate the amount of time it takes you to get gas. I put it at around 10-15 minutes, though it may be longer or shorter depending on your proximity to a fueling station. Now let us assume that instead of purchasing a full tank of gas (15 gallons for most sedans, if you drive a truck, read something else) every two weeks, you are purchasing a half-tank every week. That is an extra ten minutes every two weeks. At best you might see gas prices drop 10 cents per week, leaving you with a bi-weekly savings of 75 cents.
Now calculate the value of your time. This is much simpler than most people imagine. Instead of doing what you are doing, pretend you are at work. How much money would you be making? If your answer is greater than $7.50 per hour, then you are simply on the losing side of this math problem. Don't be simple minded, learn math, it's FUNdamental.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Scalars in the Shadows
I was making my way home last week after a long 10-hour shift at work. As I walked towards my front door from the sketchy place on the street where I park my car I heard a strange shrieking sound from the bushes. I stared blankly at the bushes for about eight seconds before noticing a very lanky and shadowy figure looking up at me, and apparently in fits of laughter. I backed away cautiously, but the figure soon collected himself for a long enough time to notice my stare. "You scared the shit out of me," I semi-yelled at the figure.
As he stepped out of the bushes, I could again see his giant grin, "I did not mean to startle you, but when I saw you, of all people, walking down my humble street, I could not contain my laughter".
"What about me, personally, do you find so funny?" I asked rather harshly.
"It is your blatant disregard to all that I stand for that I find very humorous".
"Should I know you?" I asked, more agitated that the first time.
"You better than most, they call me Distance," he replied in a stately fashion.
"Distance? Like the measurement?" I was in a state of confusion I rarely see at this point.
"The very same. You see, I have known about you for some time, and I, normally, have a lot of respect for a person like yourself. You understand your mathematics, and seem to have a general respect for that which I stand".
"Normally?" I, at this point, had probably asked more questions that in the previous decade.
"Yes, I have been having a laugh at your expense for the past couple weeks, you seem to have forgotten yourself. You seem to be living under the impression that you can succeed in spite of me, and, well, to put it bluntly, I plan to make an example of you and your girl."
I finally understand who and what he is. Two weeks ago, the Squeeze and I decided to try and make things work from opposite sides of the country, as Distance would tell you, 2,102 miles to be exact. We both understand the difficulty of our endeavor, and it really adds insult when I am confronted by friend, family, or in this case, a term of measurement, telling me that I cannot make it work. I now had to prove to Distance that he was not insurmountable. I began by digging through the mess of my bedroom and grabbing my old middle-school telescope and heading to the roof. A telescope that could show me stars from the deep regions of space could surely show Distance that my Squeeze was always within my reach. As I stood on my roof that afternoon, with the sun at my back, I heard the same high cackle coming from below. As I attempted to ignore him, I realized the reason for his laughter. The mountains to the East were dropping below the horizon before I was halfway to my Squeeze. Let down set into my brain, perhaps Distance was right, perhaps I had finally found the weakness in my endeavor. I walked back into my house, dejected, and opened up my closet to put away the telescope. As I opened the closet I saw something in the corner that renewed my hope.
Quickly I ran outside, a grin on my face three times the size with which Distance had first approached me.
"Why are you so happy, your endeavors are futile, I cannot be overcome".
"I'd like you to come meet someone, are you up to it?" I replied to the smug scalar.
"I bet it isn't your Squeeze," he taunted.
I ignored his last response and led him through the mess of my apartment to the lone closet. "I believe the two of you are already acquainted, Distance, this is Time," Time waved feebly from under a winter coat. Distance looked at his old companion with a look of shock. Obviously speechless, I decided to interject.
"Your friend used to be a lot bigger and stronger, in fact, he used to look a lot like you," I explained, "But you see, like you, Time is finite. He once came to me and challenged me as you are, showing me how long it would be until I, again, was with my Squeeze. But every second that passes, he grows smaller, and weaker, because every second is that much closer to the next time I get to see my Squeeze."
"But time has no effect on me," Distance defended.
"Of course it does not, you are lucky to be an independent variable, but you fall under a different set of rules. If I do this," I took a step to the East, "You become smaller. Perhaps not noticeably so, but you and I both know it to be true. So, as you may not slowly shrink nothing, like your friend Time, you too know that the day will soon come when you will shrink to nothing. In fact, you may want to stay in consolation of you shrinking friend, Time, as I have a feeling you will both disappear together."
With this I took great satisfaction in shutting the door to my closet, sealing both of my former enemies inside, waiting for the day when they would both be gone for good.
As he stepped out of the bushes, I could again see his giant grin, "I did not mean to startle you, but when I saw you, of all people, walking down my humble street, I could not contain my laughter".
"What about me, personally, do you find so funny?" I asked rather harshly.
"It is your blatant disregard to all that I stand for that I find very humorous".
"Should I know you?" I asked, more agitated that the first time.
"You better than most, they call me Distance," he replied in a stately fashion.
"Distance? Like the measurement?" I was in a state of confusion I rarely see at this point.
"The very same. You see, I have known about you for some time, and I, normally, have a lot of respect for a person like yourself. You understand your mathematics, and seem to have a general respect for that which I stand".
"Normally?" I, at this point, had probably asked more questions that in the previous decade.
"Yes, I have been having a laugh at your expense for the past couple weeks, you seem to have forgotten yourself. You seem to be living under the impression that you can succeed in spite of me, and, well, to put it bluntly, I plan to make an example of you and your girl."
I finally understand who and what he is. Two weeks ago, the Squeeze and I decided to try and make things work from opposite sides of the country, as Distance would tell you, 2,102 miles to be exact. We both understand the difficulty of our endeavor, and it really adds insult when I am confronted by friend, family, or in this case, a term of measurement, telling me that I cannot make it work. I now had to prove to Distance that he was not insurmountable. I began by digging through the mess of my bedroom and grabbing my old middle-school telescope and heading to the roof. A telescope that could show me stars from the deep regions of space could surely show Distance that my Squeeze was always within my reach. As I stood on my roof that afternoon, with the sun at my back, I heard the same high cackle coming from below. As I attempted to ignore him, I realized the reason for his laughter. The mountains to the East were dropping below the horizon before I was halfway to my Squeeze. Let down set into my brain, perhaps Distance was right, perhaps I had finally found the weakness in my endeavor. I walked back into my house, dejected, and opened up my closet to put away the telescope. As I opened the closet I saw something in the corner that renewed my hope.
Quickly I ran outside, a grin on my face three times the size with which Distance had first approached me.
"Why are you so happy, your endeavors are futile, I cannot be overcome".
"I'd like you to come meet someone, are you up to it?" I replied to the smug scalar.
"I bet it isn't your Squeeze," he taunted.
I ignored his last response and led him through the mess of my apartment to the lone closet. "I believe the two of you are already acquainted, Distance, this is Time," Time waved feebly from under a winter coat. Distance looked at his old companion with a look of shock. Obviously speechless, I decided to interject.
"Your friend used to be a lot bigger and stronger, in fact, he used to look a lot like you," I explained, "But you see, like you, Time is finite. He once came to me and challenged me as you are, showing me how long it would be until I, again, was with my Squeeze. But every second that passes, he grows smaller, and weaker, because every second is that much closer to the next time I get to see my Squeeze."
"But time has no effect on me," Distance defended.
"Of course it does not, you are lucky to be an independent variable, but you fall under a different set of rules. If I do this," I took a step to the East, "You become smaller. Perhaps not noticeably so, but you and I both know it to be true. So, as you may not slowly shrink nothing, like your friend Time, you too know that the day will soon come when you will shrink to nothing. In fact, you may want to stay in consolation of you shrinking friend, Time, as I have a feeling you will both disappear together."
With this I took great satisfaction in shutting the door to my closet, sealing both of my former enemies inside, waiting for the day when they would both be gone for good.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sorry Kids, Christmas has been Cancelled
I want to take this opportunity to personally apologize to my two children, Ethan and Patricia, you will not be receiving Christmas gifts this year. First, Ethan, your mom went to Target last week to pick up an X-Box 360 for you, she even managed to find a couple games your would like, but for the life of me I cannot keep up with the names. Patricia, perhaps we can get you a Hannah Montana Malibu Beach house some other time. I know you are disappointed in your mother and I, and I do not blame you, but please allow me to explain what has happened to your gifts.
I was forced to get up very early this morning and drive to the inner city, where your gifts were redistributed to children whose parents are unemployed and perhaps strung out on drugs. Ethan, your X-Box was given to a boy name Steven, whom I am afraid will never appreciate it as much as you, as he was born addicted to heroine and only has half of a brain. Patricia, a young girl named Maria will be playing with your Hannah Montana Dollhouse, and I received word that she has already started making small batches of meth in the tiny kitchen.
You see, under our new socialist government system, everyone is equal. So even though mommy and daddy work 50 hours a week to provide for our family, we must give away that money to the families that do not work. Now it may not seem fair that they get toys and you do not, but that is how they have decided to spend the money we were made to give them. Your mother and I decided it would be better to give you a nice house in a drug-free neighborhood, rather than an X-Box or Doll House, and again I apologize.
The other bad news I am afraid is that in a 10-15 years, when the two of you are ready to graduate college, you will be left with about $130,000 in student loan debt, each. If Maria and Steven can stay clean, they will be going to college for free, and therefore have a higher net take home after college than either of you, even if they only amount to working the drive-thru at McDonald's.
I was forced to get up very early this morning and drive to the inner city, where your gifts were redistributed to children whose parents are unemployed and perhaps strung out on drugs. Ethan, your X-Box was given to a boy name Steven, whom I am afraid will never appreciate it as much as you, as he was born addicted to heroine and only has half of a brain. Patricia, a young girl named Maria will be playing with your Hannah Montana Dollhouse, and I received word that she has already started making small batches of meth in the tiny kitchen.
You see, under our new socialist government system, everyone is equal. So even though mommy and daddy work 50 hours a week to provide for our family, we must give away that money to the families that do not work. Now it may not seem fair that they get toys and you do not, but that is how they have decided to spend the money we were made to give them. Your mother and I decided it would be better to give you a nice house in a drug-free neighborhood, rather than an X-Box or Doll House, and again I apologize.
The other bad news I am afraid is that in a 10-15 years, when the two of you are ready to graduate college, you will be left with about $130,000 in student loan debt, each. If Maria and Steven can stay clean, they will be going to college for free, and therefore have a higher net take home after college than either of you, even if they only amount to working the drive-thru at McDonald's.
Monday, October 27, 2008
I Beg Your Pardon, Mr. Stevens?
Some people may have not seen this yet, but the longest acting US Senator, Ted Stevens, was found guilty of seven counts of federal corruption. Stevens' crimes came about from him taking bribes and gifts from a certain energy consulting firm, of which I have a little personal knowledge. The executives of this firm have already admitted to giving over $250,000 in gifts and services to Senator (soon to be ex-Senator) Stevens.
The great tie-in here is that a certain Alaskan Vice-Presidential candidate was a director of Stevens' 527 group, an independent political group capable of legally raising unlimited funds from corporate donors. Whether Stevens simply had his name on this group, or whether he used it to raise funds or to take bribes is unknown, and not my purpose here. What I want to suggest is a bit of a betting line. First, what are the odds that the seven felonious counts against Senator Stevens net him zero jail time? What are the odds that a Republican victory in the Presidential race earns the good Senator a Presidential Pardons? I'd put the former at about 4:1 and the latter at about 3:2
That is just a bit unjust considering the bribes Stevens took were of the sole purpose of passing legislation that would make it easier for the unnamed energy firm to win billion dollar oil contracts, but as we all know, energy and justice rarely meet on a level ground.
The great tie-in here is that a certain Alaskan Vice-Presidential candidate was a director of Stevens' 527 group, an independent political group capable of legally raising unlimited funds from corporate donors. Whether Stevens simply had his name on this group, or whether he used it to raise funds or to take bribes is unknown, and not my purpose here. What I want to suggest is a bit of a betting line. First, what are the odds that the seven felonious counts against Senator Stevens net him zero jail time? What are the odds that a Republican victory in the Presidential race earns the good Senator a Presidential Pardons? I'd put the former at about 4:1 and the latter at about 3:2
That is just a bit unjust considering the bribes Stevens took were of the sole purpose of passing legislation that would make it easier for the unnamed energy firm to win billion dollar oil contracts, but as we all know, energy and justice rarely meet on a level ground.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Government Subsidies are for Suckers
Everyone likes to get money from the government, unfortunately that money has to come from somewhere, and everyone with a taxable income knows where that is. The government has always taken it upon themselves to take money from many, an channel it to a few by way of government subsidies. Whether it be for a crop that lacks market value to sustain itself, or a certain type of vehicle that the government wishes to press upon the nation, it seems the feds are always interfering with the free market economy.
Two of the largest (by way of media attention) government subsidies that are sneaking there way into federal tax plans of the next term are for hybrid vehicles and corn for ethanol. Barack Obama supports both of these subsidies, and the average American looks at this and thinks, "Wow, Obama really cares about our environment and wants to reduce our dependence on foreign oil." This is crap, what the American should be thinking is, "Barack Obama is trying to change the face of American economics, and bail out auto companies who lacked the forward thinking to create vehicles with reliable fuel economy when the rest of the world was reading the signs." Detroit has been behind the times before, when the gas crisis hit in the 70's and Americans turned to fuel efficient Japanese vehicles for the first time. This crippled the car market in North America for decades to come. Because Foreign auto makers had gotten a 5-10 year jump on America in terms of efficient cars, American auto makers were forced to play catch up, the result being the shoddy piles of crap that Detroit put out in the 80's and into the early 90's.
Somehow American automakers survived, actually they survived due to America's love for trucks. Detroit limped by because no matter how they got their asses kicked in the car market, they always had their trucks to fall back on. Unfortunately this time, their trucks are not bailing them out, because they decided to take Americas love for trucks, and make large SUVs to go along with them, completely ignoring the Japanese car companies, which were creating hybrids ten years ago, and European manufacturers, which were creating fuel efficient diesel vehicles, which come close to matching the performance of sports cars (A side note, the American LeMans Championship manufacturer's cup was won this year by Audi, which was racing cars fitted with V-10 turbo-diesels).
What did America do, ignored market trends and decided they knew what Americans wanted. Now they are all but bankrupt, and a decade behind Japan and Europe in making fuel-efficient vehicles. This is where Obama wants to come in. He wants to give subsidies to Americans so that we will buy the more expensive, less reliable, American hybrid cars, so that Detroit can keep its shirt. Frankly, that's Bullshit. I am going to buy whatever car I feel is best, and I don't want my tax money being spent so that bad business men can turn a profit. Let Darwinism reign through a free-market economy. The economics are quite simple, if fuel is expensive, people will buy fuel-efficient cars, and those companies which make the best cars will have the highest sales. It is time for corporate America to stand on its own two feet, say "NO" to government subsidies.
Two of the largest (by way of media attention) government subsidies that are sneaking there way into federal tax plans of the next term are for hybrid vehicles and corn for ethanol. Barack Obama supports both of these subsidies, and the average American looks at this and thinks, "Wow, Obama really cares about our environment and wants to reduce our dependence on foreign oil." This is crap, what the American should be thinking is, "Barack Obama is trying to change the face of American economics, and bail out auto companies who lacked the forward thinking to create vehicles with reliable fuel economy when the rest of the world was reading the signs." Detroit has been behind the times before, when the gas crisis hit in the 70's and Americans turned to fuel efficient Japanese vehicles for the first time. This crippled the car market in North America for decades to come. Because Foreign auto makers had gotten a 5-10 year jump on America in terms of efficient cars, American auto makers were forced to play catch up, the result being the shoddy piles of crap that Detroit put out in the 80's and into the early 90's.
Somehow American automakers survived, actually they survived due to America's love for trucks. Detroit limped by because no matter how they got their asses kicked in the car market, they always had their trucks to fall back on. Unfortunately this time, their trucks are not bailing them out, because they decided to take Americas love for trucks, and make large SUVs to go along with them, completely ignoring the Japanese car companies, which were creating hybrids ten years ago, and European manufacturers, which were creating fuel efficient diesel vehicles, which come close to matching the performance of sports cars (A side note, the American LeMans Championship manufacturer's cup was won this year by Audi, which was racing cars fitted with V-10 turbo-diesels).
What did America do, ignored market trends and decided they knew what Americans wanted. Now they are all but bankrupt, and a decade behind Japan and Europe in making fuel-efficient vehicles. This is where Obama wants to come in. He wants to give subsidies to Americans so that we will buy the more expensive, less reliable, American hybrid cars, so that Detroit can keep its shirt. Frankly, that's Bullshit. I am going to buy whatever car I feel is best, and I don't want my tax money being spent so that bad business men can turn a profit. Let Darwinism reign through a free-market economy. The economics are quite simple, if fuel is expensive, people will buy fuel-efficient cars, and those companies which make the best cars will have the highest sales. It is time for corporate America to stand on its own two feet, say "NO" to government subsidies.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
1000+ Words on Transition
I had my first girlfriend when I was in fourth grade. Her name was Adrienne, and I am certain that she was very cute by fourth grade standards. I transferred schools after third grade because my parents moved because of new jobs. I was finally at a bigger school (my first school was less than 100 students K-8, and I was almost always in the same classes as my older brother), which meant I had a chance to go and make friends in peer groups that were mine alone. I really had no interest in girls at that age, but it seemed that all the boys with whom I was trying to make friends were very interested in the opposite sex and it was, therefore, trendy to have a girlfriend. The relationship between Adrienne and I was typical for the age, we broke up and got back together three or four times a week, sometimes multiple times per day. It didn't matter, her role was basically to sit with all the other girlfriends and watch me play basketball with my friends, though she did give me my very first kiss on the buss back from a class field trip. This was the beginning of a very destructive trend for me.
In sixth grade I was very into girls. I still hung out with my friends, but the peer group was much more exclusive because everyone was having "makeout parties", and you were not invited unless you had a significant other. This went on for all of sixth grade, and I am fairly certain that I had at least five different dates to said makeout parties. Then my perception changed.
I moved again after sixth grade and made friends with a kid named Brian. Brian did not care for the status quo, in fact he abhorred it. This attitude suited me well because I was, at the time, very angry to have moved away from my friends and makeout partners. Brian and I spent our days at school teasing nerdy kids (I was in all the GATE classes, so there was no shortage) and making girls cry by calling them various names and being outright mean. I did not do much outside of school for the most part. This trend continued until the end of eight grade when I made a couple new friends that were, again, interested in girls. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I was not without a girlfriend during this time, in fact, I had very pretty girlfriends, but I had no interest in spending any time with them outside of school.
As a freshman in high school, I wanted to meet girls, but the puberty fairy had apparently left me behind. I managed to cling on to one girl at the end of my freshmen year and that lasted about half of the summer. The rest of my high school days were spent, I assume like the rest of my male peers, attempting to find girls who would help me lose my virginity. This was a losing battle until I was 18 and a senior in high school. I had met a girl though work and we ended up dating for about three and a half years. I admit that I did not have any interest in being with her after one year, but I was far too big of a coward to face the awkwardness of work and our mutual friends if we broke up.
I was ready, after three and a half years, to transfer schools. Rather than choosing Berkeley, Oregon State, or another California or Oregon school to which I was accepted, I chose to go as far away as possible, to make it logically impossible to continue my relationship. In shorter words, I ran because I did not want to be with her and did not want to tell her.
You can ask yourself now, or maybe you already did two or three times, why the hell this matters. The answer is that for you it doesn't, but to me it is the foundation of every wrong I have ever committed toward a female since.
Since the day I left the west coast, every relationship I have been in has served the purpose of fitting in. Every one night stand has been to prove myself to my friends in high school who never had a problem finding a slutty girl to cuddle up with. If I had a girlfriend, it was to serve the purpose of company, so as not to feel lonely, or has been someone who I wanted to have a one night stand with, but of whom I was too cowardly to rid myself. I am easily infatuated, so it was not hard to tell girlfriends that I loved them, in fact, I believed it myself. It is far easier to lie to one's self than anyone imagines, and it is only after you tire of the person that you finally realize that you were lying all along.
About two years ago I met a girl, much younger than I, who was everything I was not. She was probably the sweetest and most selfless person I have ever met. I loved her with all my heart, and I think I always will to some degree, but she was not right for me. I could finally see clearly a future between two people, one of them being me, and she was not the other. It broke my heart to end it, and I often think selfishly of making contact with her, but wiser people than I (women) have advised me not to, and I feel they are correct. The only solace I take from this is that I finally know what I want, and I finally want to be with someone special, not for status, not for show, not for revenge, not for spite, but for me and for her.
Unfortunately, I spent much of my formidable years lying so often that I never let myself see the truth. I see now how spectacular many of the women I dated were, and I wish that I could have a chance to show them how great they are and hope that I get another chance to perhaps make these feelings mean something. If I do not receive that chance I have committed myself to the fact that it is deserved, and can do nothing about it. I can only hope that this realization can prevent me from backsliding into the same lifestyle and attitude which put me in this very spot.
In sixth grade I was very into girls. I still hung out with my friends, but the peer group was much more exclusive because everyone was having "makeout parties", and you were not invited unless you had a significant other. This went on for all of sixth grade, and I am fairly certain that I had at least five different dates to said makeout parties. Then my perception changed.
I moved again after sixth grade and made friends with a kid named Brian. Brian did not care for the status quo, in fact he abhorred it. This attitude suited me well because I was, at the time, very angry to have moved away from my friends and makeout partners. Brian and I spent our days at school teasing nerdy kids (I was in all the GATE classes, so there was no shortage) and making girls cry by calling them various names and being outright mean. I did not do much outside of school for the most part. This trend continued until the end of eight grade when I made a couple new friends that were, again, interested in girls. I would like to take this opportunity to point out that I was not without a girlfriend during this time, in fact, I had very pretty girlfriends, but I had no interest in spending any time with them outside of school.
As a freshman in high school, I wanted to meet girls, but the puberty fairy had apparently left me behind. I managed to cling on to one girl at the end of my freshmen year and that lasted about half of the summer. The rest of my high school days were spent, I assume like the rest of my male peers, attempting to find girls who would help me lose my virginity. This was a losing battle until I was 18 and a senior in high school. I had met a girl though work and we ended up dating for about three and a half years. I admit that I did not have any interest in being with her after one year, but I was far too big of a coward to face the awkwardness of work and our mutual friends if we broke up.
I was ready, after three and a half years, to transfer schools. Rather than choosing Berkeley, Oregon State, or another California or Oregon school to which I was accepted, I chose to go as far away as possible, to make it logically impossible to continue my relationship. In shorter words, I ran because I did not want to be with her and did not want to tell her.
You can ask yourself now, or maybe you already did two or three times, why the hell this matters. The answer is that for you it doesn't, but to me it is the foundation of every wrong I have ever committed toward a female since.
Since the day I left the west coast, every relationship I have been in has served the purpose of fitting in. Every one night stand has been to prove myself to my friends in high school who never had a problem finding a slutty girl to cuddle up with. If I had a girlfriend, it was to serve the purpose of company, so as not to feel lonely, or has been someone who I wanted to have a one night stand with, but of whom I was too cowardly to rid myself. I am easily infatuated, so it was not hard to tell girlfriends that I loved them, in fact, I believed it myself. It is far easier to lie to one's self than anyone imagines, and it is only after you tire of the person that you finally realize that you were lying all along.
About two years ago I met a girl, much younger than I, who was everything I was not. She was probably the sweetest and most selfless person I have ever met. I loved her with all my heart, and I think I always will to some degree, but she was not right for me. I could finally see clearly a future between two people, one of them being me, and she was not the other. It broke my heart to end it, and I often think selfishly of making contact with her, but wiser people than I (women) have advised me not to, and I feel they are correct. The only solace I take from this is that I finally know what I want, and I finally want to be with someone special, not for status, not for show, not for revenge, not for spite, but for me and for her.
Unfortunately, I spent much of my formidable years lying so often that I never let myself see the truth. I see now how spectacular many of the women I dated were, and I wish that I could have a chance to show them how great they are and hope that I get another chance to perhaps make these feelings mean something. If I do not receive that chance I have committed myself to the fact that it is deserved, and can do nothing about it. I can only hope that this realization can prevent me from backsliding into the same lifestyle and attitude which put me in this very spot.
This is Allen Garrick, and I Approved this Message
I promise I will stop griping about politicans soon, but I caught the tail end of Tim Robbins guest spot on the Jon Stewart Show last night. Tim Robbins has long been one of my favorite actors, and though I disagree with some of his political views, he is normally very insightful and educated in his opinions. The first thing I heard him say as I flipped through the channel was, "Wouldn't it be nice to do an interview and not have to answer the questions you were asked?" I knew immediately he was talking about one of the debates (unlikely the latest one since the show was taped earlier in the day). Neither candidate has yet answered the question they were asked. The moderator tried and tried to keep them on topic, but the same answers kept being repeated over and over.
Moderator: Senator McCain, how long would it take to fix Social Security?
McCain: Fixing Social Security is not hard, you just need a president who can work on both sides of the aisle, like myself and not get cuaght up in earmarked spending, like Senator Obama.
Moderator: Senator Obama, due to the current financial crisis, which of your planned spending programs may have to be put on hold until we sort out the economy?
Obama: We need a healthcare system that all people can afford, and we need to make college more affordable for the middle income Americans.
I think they need to get the moderator from the question and answer protion of the academic decathlon in Billy Madison. That way when either candidate responds, the moderator can say, "Senator, not only did you not answer the question I asked you, but you rambled on off topic for three minutes past the one minute limit which was proposed by your own campaign managers. As a result, voters in key states are now dumber and less interested in this election. I hereby disqualify you from the debate, your position will be replaced by Ralph Nader, who has been patiently eating granola and weaving ties made of hemp in the next room".
Moderator: Senator McCain, how long would it take to fix Social Security?
McCain: Fixing Social Security is not hard, you just need a president who can work on both sides of the aisle, like myself and not get cuaght up in earmarked spending, like Senator Obama.
Moderator: Senator Obama, due to the current financial crisis, which of your planned spending programs may have to be put on hold until we sort out the economy?
Obama: We need a healthcare system that all people can afford, and we need to make college more affordable for the middle income Americans.
I think they need to get the moderator from the question and answer protion of the academic decathlon in Billy Madison. That way when either candidate responds, the moderator can say, "Senator, not only did you not answer the question I asked you, but you rambled on off topic for three minutes past the one minute limit which was proposed by your own campaign managers. As a result, voters in key states are now dumber and less interested in this election. I hereby disqualify you from the debate, your position will be replaced by Ralph Nader, who has been patiently eating granola and weaving ties made of hemp in the next room".
Domestic Energy
Having watched as much of the second presidential debate as I could stomach, I decided it was time to put some thoughts on paper. Please do not make me out to be a political analyst, but I can sense bullshit better than most and considering the current economic situation of our fine country, I need to get this out.
One of the biggest issues of this presidential election is energy. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, as I both work primarily for energy companies and also pay a premium for this energy. I will try my best to stay on topic and not venture into secondary costs of energy (the largest of which is the lives of American soldiers), because this just adds more opinions and more reason for you to stop reading. Below I will address both home/commercial use energy and automotive energy and the real topics and strategies our government should be taking, as compared to the piles of crap that get shoveled to us through the media. The point I wish to make is that we must look at viable options rather than pipe dreams. If someone shows you an alternative to fossil fuel in your vehicle you must ask if this is a viable solution to ALL vehicles; if not, perhaps it is unwise to spend billions of government dollars funding this non-solution while the money could be better spent researching and developing the real solution. Please do not misinterpret this as my argument against certain technologies, I believe that clean technologies should be first on our lists, but I believe that it is more important to focus our time and money on finding a true solution rather than a pretty solution.
That being said, I am sure at this point anyone who has listened to any political analysis recently has heard the term "Alternative Energy" in regards to domestic energy supplies. So I will start by discussing alternative energy sources as they pertain to our present and our future. What should I start with, Wind? Geothermal? Hydroelectric? Solar? As none of these meet my definition of an alternative energy source, perhaps I should start there. When I think of the term alternative, I think of a viable replacement, such as "substitute margarine for butter", in which you are replacing one fat source with one of similar if not equal value. The truth is that most of the aforementioned energy sources are not an approximate, much less, an equal substitute for the one energy source of which we are trying to rid ourselves, fossil fuels. The benefit of fossil fueled power plants are that they can be erected virtually anywhere. Wind, Geothermal, and Hydroelectric plants are very much dependent on specific geographic locations, which do not make them viable for a replacement for all fossil fueled plants. Solar plants, as well, are best suited for certain locations and also take up nearly 100 times more land acreage per megawatt of power than current fossil fueled plants.
Where do we go for our power then? We have to go nuclear. The US already contains many nuclear power plants, but we have not built a new one in some time. The problem being the disposal of the nuclear waste, the danger of a meltdown, and also the heat waste associated with cooling water. I am not a nuclear engineer, and I do not have the answers for the waste, and I apologize for that, as it is the biggest weakness of my argument. I will dispel it by saying that this is why we need more government funding and attention on nuclear, as I am sure we can figure something out. As far as danger and cooling water, the technology of nuclear power has grown quite a bit since the last plant was built (I do not have dates, please feel free to tell me, though I am quite certain it was a while ago, like before I was born). The fact I would like to make on nuclear is that it has the greatest power output per acre and can be built virtually anywhere in the country, and is, therefore, capable of replacing all domestic fossil fuel power plants.
Now we move on to our dependence on motor vehicles, which I despise. I despise the suburban sprawl of the modern US, but I will bite my tongue for now as I feel it is here to stay and important to move past idealism and find a solution to real problems. If the statistics used by the politicians on television are correct, and I kind of doubt it, but I will let it slide, we consume 25% of the world’s oil production yet produce only 6% ourselves. In order to eliminate our dependency on foreign oil we need only apply simple logic, increase domestic production or reduce consumption. The key here is to realize two things: first, all oil reserves are finite, meaning that increasing our production would not solve the problem forever (assuming we have the domestic oil to even reach our current needs); second, any plan we put into action to produce new vehicles with little or no dependence on petroleum will take time to develop and to replace the current cars on the road.
I move forward with those two assumptions in mind. We must both increase domestic production, as well as reduce current consumption trends. There are certain topics along the consumption front which I do not currently have the time or energy to include, such as public transportation, of which I am a huge proponent, but I simply do not have time. Again, let us start with alternative energy as far as cars are concerned. Ethanol and other biofuels are not a viable alternative to petroleum as I have defined it earlier. We must concentrate on energy sources which are renewable on a large scale, of which I currently see only electric as a current viable technology (assuming that the electricity will come from non-fossil fuel sources, of course). Electric cars are currently expensive and all of the technological funding is going towards hybrids, because that is the current buzzword. Hybrids are great, but the technology is already developed, and the current state of the petroleum market is already driving both manufacture and sales of hybrid vehicles. It is important for any government funding to stay ahead of the market, in order to keep technology a step ahead of energy needs and market prices. Car manufacturers should now be putting hybrid technology into all vehicles, and shifting their research budgets towards electric. It will take time to get that technology commercially viable, and in the meantime, we can reduce our current consumption.
In the meantime, we need to maximize our domestic oil production, but must do so only as a temporary fix. We must have the plans in place to reduce virtually all of our consumption, and not just increase production as a band-aid for the current crisis. Just remember that band-aid only work if you manage to get the blood to clot underneath, and right now we are suffering from hemophilia.
I want to address one more thing regarding this topic, and I left it to the end because it is political, and I wanted to leave it to last because this is where many of you will tune out. We also need to get our government to set real laws that will force automakers to produce the vehicles we need to gain our petroleum independence. EPA recently passed a law to increase to average gas mileage of all cars sold in the US; a great step until you see how sot they made it. Conditions were put into the law that allows for government subsidies for the automakers (for technology that is already widely used) and also allows for automakers to file for an extension if they feel that they cannot make the deadlines. US automakers have filed for both government funding and extensions, though they have nearly eight years to comply, and have vehicles that currently meet the standard.
I will say right now that I am not a fan of big government, but until they put a little spine in their laws concerning fossil fuels, we, as the public, will continue to be the ones who pay the most and pay the longest for fuel prices.
One of the biggest issues of this presidential election is energy. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, as I both work primarily for energy companies and also pay a premium for this energy. I will try my best to stay on topic and not venture into secondary costs of energy (the largest of which is the lives of American soldiers), because this just adds more opinions and more reason for you to stop reading. Below I will address both home/commercial use energy and automotive energy and the real topics and strategies our government should be taking, as compared to the piles of crap that get shoveled to us through the media. The point I wish to make is that we must look at viable options rather than pipe dreams. If someone shows you an alternative to fossil fuel in your vehicle you must ask if this is a viable solution to ALL vehicles; if not, perhaps it is unwise to spend billions of government dollars funding this non-solution while the money could be better spent researching and developing the real solution. Please do not misinterpret this as my argument against certain technologies, I believe that clean technologies should be first on our lists, but I believe that it is more important to focus our time and money on finding a true solution rather than a pretty solution.
That being said, I am sure at this point anyone who has listened to any political analysis recently has heard the term "Alternative Energy" in regards to domestic energy supplies. So I will start by discussing alternative energy sources as they pertain to our present and our future. What should I start with, Wind? Geothermal? Hydroelectric? Solar? As none of these meet my definition of an alternative energy source, perhaps I should start there. When I think of the term alternative, I think of a viable replacement, such as "substitute margarine for butter", in which you are replacing one fat source with one of similar if not equal value. The truth is that most of the aforementioned energy sources are not an approximate, much less, an equal substitute for the one energy source of which we are trying to rid ourselves, fossil fuels. The benefit of fossil fueled power plants are that they can be erected virtually anywhere. Wind, Geothermal, and Hydroelectric plants are very much dependent on specific geographic locations, which do not make them viable for a replacement for all fossil fueled plants. Solar plants, as well, are best suited for certain locations and also take up nearly 100 times more land acreage per megawatt of power than current fossil fueled plants.
Where do we go for our power then? We have to go nuclear. The US already contains many nuclear power plants, but we have not built a new one in some time. The problem being the disposal of the nuclear waste, the danger of a meltdown, and also the heat waste associated with cooling water. I am not a nuclear engineer, and I do not have the answers for the waste, and I apologize for that, as it is the biggest weakness of my argument. I will dispel it by saying that this is why we need more government funding and attention on nuclear, as I am sure we can figure something out. As far as danger and cooling water, the technology of nuclear power has grown quite a bit since the last plant was built (I do not have dates, please feel free to tell me, though I am quite certain it was a while ago, like before I was born). The fact I would like to make on nuclear is that it has the greatest power output per acre and can be built virtually anywhere in the country, and is, therefore, capable of replacing all domestic fossil fuel power plants.
Now we move on to our dependence on motor vehicles, which I despise. I despise the suburban sprawl of the modern US, but I will bite my tongue for now as I feel it is here to stay and important to move past idealism and find a solution to real problems. If the statistics used by the politicians on television are correct, and I kind of doubt it, but I will let it slide, we consume 25% of the world’s oil production yet produce only 6% ourselves. In order to eliminate our dependency on foreign oil we need only apply simple logic, increase domestic production or reduce consumption. The key here is to realize two things: first, all oil reserves are finite, meaning that increasing our production would not solve the problem forever (assuming we have the domestic oil to even reach our current needs); second, any plan we put into action to produce new vehicles with little or no dependence on petroleum will take time to develop and to replace the current cars on the road.
I move forward with those two assumptions in mind. We must both increase domestic production, as well as reduce current consumption trends. There are certain topics along the consumption front which I do not currently have the time or energy to include, such as public transportation, of which I am a huge proponent, but I simply do not have time. Again, let us start with alternative energy as far as cars are concerned. Ethanol and other biofuels are not a viable alternative to petroleum as I have defined it earlier. We must concentrate on energy sources which are renewable on a large scale, of which I currently see only electric as a current viable technology (assuming that the electricity will come from non-fossil fuel sources, of course). Electric cars are currently expensive and all of the technological funding is going towards hybrids, because that is the current buzzword. Hybrids are great, but the technology is already developed, and the current state of the petroleum market is already driving both manufacture and sales of hybrid vehicles. It is important for any government funding to stay ahead of the market, in order to keep technology a step ahead of energy needs and market prices. Car manufacturers should now be putting hybrid technology into all vehicles, and shifting their research budgets towards electric. It will take time to get that technology commercially viable, and in the meantime, we can reduce our current consumption.
In the meantime, we need to maximize our domestic oil production, but must do so only as a temporary fix. We must have the plans in place to reduce virtually all of our consumption, and not just increase production as a band-aid for the current crisis. Just remember that band-aid only work if you manage to get the blood to clot underneath, and right now we are suffering from hemophilia.
I want to address one more thing regarding this topic, and I left it to the end because it is political, and I wanted to leave it to last because this is where many of you will tune out. We also need to get our government to set real laws that will force automakers to produce the vehicles we need to gain our petroleum independence. EPA recently passed a law to increase to average gas mileage of all cars sold in the US; a great step until you see how sot they made it. Conditions were put into the law that allows for government subsidies for the automakers (for technology that is already widely used) and also allows for automakers to file for an extension if they feel that they cannot make the deadlines. US automakers have filed for both government funding and extensions, though they have nearly eight years to comply, and have vehicles that currently meet the standard.
I will say right now that I am not a fan of big government, but until they put a little spine in their laws concerning fossil fuels, we, as the public, will continue to be the ones who pay the most and pay the longest for fuel prices.
Intro
Due to my untimely surgery and subsequent time away from work, I have been spending much of my time thinking about things personal and public. What better way to document such things than put them in an online forum where people can tell me just how wrong they think I am about the world. I am not trying to make friends or enemies, just hopefully to create an ounce of insight into some issues for which I feel passionate. Thus ends the introduction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)