Nasa opened it's doors on October 1, 1958, so this year marks the agency's 50th anniversary. As a birthday present to my favorite federal agency, I thought I would take this opportunity to engage in a little propaganda. Given the current economic predicament, I am sure that many people will wonder about the wisdom of spending money on something as seemingly esoteric as space exploration, so here are some facts to help bring going to the moon more down to earth:
-NASA's budget- $17 billion this year- comprises about 0.6% of the total federal budget. It is not exactly leaving any other department shortchanged. In general, the average income-earner pays about 15 cents a day to keep the astronauts flying. The amount we just spent on the bailout could fund NASA for the next 50 years.
-For every $1 NASA spends, it generates $7 in the national economy. Basically, it pays for itself seven times over. This is partly through job creation (and not just in Florida and Texas)and manufacturing contracts, but even more, it is due to the inundation of new technologies that lead to both new products and improvements on existing products.
-And for those naysayers who think that the space program has no relevance or provides no benefit for everyday life... if you watch satellite TV, talk long-distance, use a gps, wear UV sunglasses or scratch-resistant eyeglasses, drink filtered water, play golf, wear athletic shoes, use a cordless drill or that kooky 'panoramic' function on your camera, if you should ever need cardiac implants, kidney dialysis or blood tests in the hospital... then the space program has a direct impact on your life.
In fact, NASA hold over 1500 patents on technologies used in products that either directly or indirectly affect the average person every day. Essentially, it is one of the least expensive, most productive federal programs. So, if the noble goals of knowledge and exploration are not enough to persuade you of the importance of NASA, then how about your flat screen TV?
10/10/08
9/20/08
Lie-A-Palooza Pt.2
Part Two: Energy Independence
“Drill, Drill, Drill!” According to McPalin, that’s the answer. End our dependence on foreign oil by making our own. And as republican candidates are so adept at doing, they have scared people into believing that opening up protected public lands to drilling is a matter of national security, and the single biggest economic lifeline we can throw to working families. In truth, McCain has expressed his reluctance to allow drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and other protected sites, but in her interview with Charlie Gibson, Palin made it clear she plans to change his mind about that. Every little bit helps, she says. Well, here are some numbers to elucidate just how little “every little bit” really is.
First and foremost, if we opened up ANWR right this minute, we wouldn’t even see a single drop of oil for at least 10 years. But once it does start flowing, the US Energy Information Administration predicts that at its peak- in about 20 years- we will see around 750,000 barrels of oil per day flowing from the region. Since we currently use about 20 million barrels per day, this amounts to a whopping 3% of our foreign purchases being replaced with domestic. According to the EIA, this could translate into a $1.50/barrel drop in price. From $130 to $128.50/barrel? Really? And even if someone still has the gall to try to make the “every little bit” argument, the EIA also believes that OPEC would simply negate this price drop by turning off their taps and raising their prices a little. But here’s the best part. Analysts believe there is a maximum of about 10 billion barrels of oil in ANWR right now. According to the Energy Department’s calculations, that’s how much oil we would use in 3 years. And that’s best case scenario. If there’s less oil up there than they are hoping, it could just be the equivalent of 3 minutes worth of oil. This is the Energy Department’s figures, folks. Not the Sierra Club, not MoveOn.org, not Al Gore. Bush’s own appointees are saying that by irreparably damaging the largest protected area in the Arctic, destroying the most important inland breeding ground for polar bears, and threatening some of the most delicately balanced and fragile ecosystems in the world we get…. 3 years worth of oil for which we will pay no less than we already do.
Oh yeah. Totally worth it.
But that’s not even the really hazy part of the drillers’ logic. Remember, at full capacity, ANWR might give us just 3% of the oil we actually consume. So it’s not as if it gives us any real independence from foreign oil. We will still be buying 97% of what we need from other countries. I am not sure how any rational person can make the case that buying 3% less oil from the Middle East will make any substantial difference in the degree of our dependence on them, but every little bit helps, they lament. So let’s just take that argument at face value for a moment. According to the EPA, the average fuel economy in the US right now is around 21mpg. (This is averaging cars, SUVs and light trucks- not commercial vehicles)If we could increase that average to just 25mpg, we would use about 1 billion less barrels of oil per year*- a 14% decrease. That’s 14% less oil we would need to buy from OPEC. Just for averaging 4 mpg more. So if 3% is soooo important to our energy independence that it is worth destroying ANWR for, 14% must be bordering on revolution. By the GOP’s own argument, then, every single damn one of them needs to be driving something that gets at least 25mpg. And they need to be demanding that the auto industry increases fuel economy now. None of this gradual increase- hoping for 23mpg by 2010, blah blah blah. I want to hear them screaming as loudly for auto manufacturers to immediately begin producing cars with no less that 25mpg, just as loudly as they are screaming for the blood of ANWR. And until they are, I don’t want to hear another word about ANWR.
In the interest of full disclosure, Obama has said he would consider more domestic drilling as part of a larger plan to help reduce our dependence on ‘countries who don’t like us much’. Not so happy with that, myself, but the difference- again- is that he will not drill in ANWR. And Biden will not try to talk him into it. Instead, they want to push the oil companies to actually start drilling in places we already gave them. 75% of the 40 million acres of public lands the oil companies lease from us (for the low, low price of 3 or 4 dollars per acre, per year) are not being used for oil production. There not being used for anything. They are simply padding the asset holdings of oil companies, as well as the incomes for their CEOs. So either drill on it, or give it back.
Well, maybe just give it back.
*NOTE: these calculations are based on statistics from several sources, as well as my dubious ability to create a word problem. Total # of cars in US,av. epa and miles driven,oil conversion
9/19/08
Lie-a-Palooza
Ever since the convention, Palin and McCain have been following a single game plan. In her role as cheerleader (yes, that is a patently sexist remark. She forfeited her right to be indignant about sexist remarks the day she entered her first beauty pageant),Palin usually gives what is essentially the same speech she gave when she was nominated. You know, the one that opens with the folksy one liners- the hockey mom crap, the reformer nonsense. (Thank god she finally dropped the “thanks, but no thanks” line, now that she realizes we all know the truth about that grand gesture.) And then moves on to snarky digs at Obama and his alleged lack of experience. Then finally, just to be sure, she peppers the whole thing with blatant lies, like the apocalyptic litany of taxes Obama supposedly wants to raise. “He will raise your income tax, investment tax, business tax, the death tax…” Then, when she’s done and everyone is swooning over the feisty little pitbull, McCain steps onstage and quickly tries to insist “Yeah! What she said!” before everyone files out of the auditorium. Well, I have had enough of the McPalin Show.
This is one of those moments I talked about at the inception of this blog. One of those times when I find myself yelling at the TV, and wishing I could yell loud enough for someone to actually hear me. In the past few days, I have heard so much bullshit coming from the mouths of McCain and Palin, I was compelled to do something crazy. I looked it up. That’s right, I have done something far too few voters ever bother to do, and researched the facts about the accusations being made. I know I am basically just preaching to the choir here, and that those of us who read this blog are all equally frustrated by Lie-A-Palooza. But I also know that we all, unfortunately, have to interact with rationally-challenged folks from time to time. So I am offering you the results of my research so that you have some ammo- some talking points, as they say- with which you might be able to gently guide those poor, lost souls back to the light.
Or at the very least, with which to bludgeon them over the head with so they will stop talking to you.
Part One: Taxes
Income tax:
Obama is going to raise income taxes- but not
yours. He proposes an increase in taxes only for families making more than $250,000, with the largest increase going to those making more than $2.9 million. That’s 1% of Americans. For everyone else, taxes will be cut. But even more to the point is the rates at which they will be cut. McCain plans to cut taxes for everybody, and under his plan, that 1% is going to get the biggest break, and the 2.9 million threshold (about one tenth of one percent of Americans) gets the biggest cut of all. Basically, with Obama, the less you make, the less you pay. For McCain, the opposite is true.
Death tax:
First, there is no such thing as a “death tax”. No one pays taxes for dying. What we do have is an estate tax, which is levied on inheritances. And not- as republicans like to erroneously imply- on small businesses, family farms or your grandmother’s china. Currently, the estate tax applies only to inheritances worth over 2 million. As things now stand, that is supposed to go up to 3.5 million in 2009, be repealed for one year in 2010, and then return for good in 2011, holding at 1 million. That is, unless someone repeals this confusing Bush policy. Both McCain and Obama are planning to repeal it, and replace it with a permanent, consistent rate. But again, the difference is in the details. Obama wants the tax to apply to estates worth more than 3.5 million, and at the current rate of 45%. McCain wants the threshold raised to 5 million, and the rate lowered to 15%. So, yes- Obama wants to keep the dreaded "death tax", but so does McCain. McCain is just trying to include fewer people in the tax bracket. But it is worth noting that in 2004, when the tax was on any estate worth more than 1.5 million (less than half of what Obama proposes) not even 3% of all estates were affected. So it was never really that big of a club in the first place, and both McCain and Obama will make it smaller.
Business Tax:
Again, “business tax” is a misleading term, meant only to scare people into thinking Obama’s plan will be the death of the mom-and-pop stores. There is no such thing as a business tax per se. But there are taxes levied on businesses for various reasons. And the truth is, both candidates are offering a variety of incentives for small businesses, as well as some penalties for larger ones. But I’m just here to tell you about Obama, so here are a few of his. He wants to eliminate capital gains tax for “start up businesses”, giving them a chance to get off the ground. He wants to offer tax credits to small businesses who offer health care to their employees, designed to offset about half of the cost to the employer. He wants to enact something he calls the Patriot Employer Act, which would reward companies for increasing full time domestic jobs relative to those that are outsourced; for offering benefits such as health care and retirement packages; and for maintaining headquarters in the US rather than relocating overseas. There will, of course, be some increases as well. Windfall profit taxes for oil companies, hedge fund 'carried interest' taxes and penalties for large companies who don't offer health care, for example. The funding for his health care and education plans has to come from somewhere, after all. But contrary to what McPalin wants you to believe, it will be ExxonMobil and Morgan Stanley, not Ed's Hardware and the farmer in Iowa, who will pay.
coming soon- part two: Drill, Drill, Drill
This is one of those moments I talked about at the inception of this blog. One of those times when I find myself yelling at the TV, and wishing I could yell loud enough for someone to actually hear me. In the past few days, I have heard so much bullshit coming from the mouths of McCain and Palin, I was compelled to do something crazy. I looked it up. That’s right, I have done something far too few voters ever bother to do, and researched the facts about the accusations being made. I know I am basically just preaching to the choir here, and that those of us who read this blog are all equally frustrated by Lie-A-Palooza. But I also know that we all, unfortunately, have to interact with rationally-challenged folks from time to time. So I am offering you the results of my research so that you have some ammo- some talking points, as they say- with which you might be able to gently guide those poor, lost souls back to the light.
Or at the very least, with which to bludgeon them over the head with so they will stop talking to you.
Part One: Taxes
Income tax:
Obama is going to raise income taxes- but not
yours. He proposes an increase in taxes only for families making more than $250,000, with the largest increase going to those making more than $2.9 million. That’s 1% of Americans. For everyone else, taxes will be cut. But even more to the point is the rates at which they will be cut. McCain plans to cut taxes for everybody, and under his plan, that 1% is going to get the biggest break, and the 2.9 million threshold (about one tenth of one percent of Americans) gets the biggest cut of all. Basically, with Obama, the less you make, the less you pay. For McCain, the opposite is true. Death tax:
First, there is no such thing as a “death tax”. No one pays taxes for dying. What we do have is an estate tax, which is levied on inheritances. And not- as republicans like to erroneously imply- on small businesses, family farms or your grandmother’s china. Currently, the estate tax applies only to inheritances worth over 2 million. As things now stand, that is supposed to go up to 3.5 million in 2009, be repealed for one year in 2010, and then return for good in 2011, holding at 1 million. That is, unless someone repeals this confusing Bush policy. Both McCain and Obama are planning to repeal it, and replace it with a permanent, consistent rate. But again, the difference is in the details. Obama wants the tax to apply to estates worth more than 3.5 million, and at the current rate of 45%. McCain wants the threshold raised to 5 million, and the rate lowered to 15%. So, yes- Obama wants to keep the dreaded "death tax", but so does McCain. McCain is just trying to include fewer people in the tax bracket. But it is worth noting that in 2004, when the tax was on any estate worth more than 1.5 million (less than half of what Obama proposes) not even 3% of all estates were affected. So it was never really that big of a club in the first place, and both McCain and Obama will make it smaller.
Business Tax:
Again, “business tax” is a misleading term, meant only to scare people into thinking Obama’s plan will be the death of the mom-and-pop stores. There is no such thing as a business tax per se. But there are taxes levied on businesses for various reasons. And the truth is, both candidates are offering a variety of incentives for small businesses, as well as some penalties for larger ones. But I’m just here to tell you about Obama, so here are a few of his. He wants to eliminate capital gains tax for “start up businesses”, giving them a chance to get off the ground. He wants to offer tax credits to small businesses who offer health care to their employees, designed to offset about half of the cost to the employer. He wants to enact something he calls the Patriot Employer Act, which would reward companies for increasing full time domestic jobs relative to those that are outsourced; for offering benefits such as health care and retirement packages; and for maintaining headquarters in the US rather than relocating overseas. There will, of course, be some increases as well. Windfall profit taxes for oil companies, hedge fund 'carried interest' taxes and penalties for large companies who don't offer health care, for example. The funding for his health care and education plans has to come from somewhere, after all. But contrary to what McPalin wants you to believe, it will be ExxonMobil and Morgan Stanley, not Ed's Hardware and the farmer in Iowa, who will pay.
coming soon- part two: Drill, Drill, Drill
9/9/08
We're Back!
Woot! If any Blogger officials are still monitoring this- thank you for finally restoring our blog!See, we're not spam. Just a bunch of babbling dorks.
Ok dorks- start babbling! How about that Sarah Palin? What's up with all the hurricanes? Is it open-minded policy making or pandering that has caused the dems to jump on the off-shore drilling and nuclear power bandwagon? Gov. Blagojavich: idiot or scapegoat? Has One Tree Hill gone over the top with the 'crazy nanny' storyline?
Talk to me, people!
Ok dorks- start babbling! How about that Sarah Palin? What's up with all the hurricanes? Is it open-minded policy making or pandering that has caused the dems to jump on the off-shore drilling and nuclear power bandwagon? Gov. Blagojavich: idiot or scapegoat? Has One Tree Hill gone over the top with the 'crazy nanny' storyline?
Talk to me, people!
8/5/08
Daily Bike Route
Here's a map I made at mapmyride.com of the route I take to & from work every day...
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