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Communicating for Safety 2012

2012-01-27T15:50:00.001-05:00

Monday, January 30, is the opening of Communicating for Safety in downtown Atlanta. I’ll get to hear these stories firsthand. You could too.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Don Brown
January 27, 2012

Remember the UK?

2012-01-26T17:41:00.001-05:00

Do you remember that we (Get the Flick readers) are supposed to be watching the economic policy of austerity in the United Kingdom? To see how it’s working out because the Republicans want us to do the same thing?

No Interest, No Return

”Austerity -- paying down debt by cutting government spending -- does not work. It hasn’t worked in Greece, it hasn’t worked in Ireland, nor Spain, nor the United Kingdom. Remember, we’re watching the United Kingdom.”

Krugman remembers. Well...he should. He’s the one that had the idea after all.

The Greater Depression

”...the ongoing slump in Britain is now longer and deeper than the slump in the 1930s (the figure shows...”

Yes, you’ll have to go there to see the figure. After all, that’s their livelihood. I’m just a retired guy goofing around.

Yes, it is raining. Why do you ask?

Don Brown
January 26, 2011

Amend 2012

2012-01-24T08:12:00.001-05:00

Since I retired and started delving into how to make things better in our country, I’ve come across this one issue over and over again in numerous places -- corporate “personhood”. Due to a fluke in a previous Supreme Court case, corporations have been slowly winning more rights as “persons”.

With the recent ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission I believe we have gone too far. To put it in a sound bite, I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one. By the way, in case you haven’t thought of it, a State can “execute” a corporation. The State can revoke a corporation’s charter. Not that any State today would. But it could. No, that’s not the kind of thoughts the Republicans want you to have when they say “State’s rights”.

Anyway, if Robert Reich says it’s time to deal with this issue, then it’s time to deal with the issue. And he says so.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to upend a hundred years of corporate law. But I believe it is time -- past time actually -- to rein in corporate power.

Don Brown
January 24, 2012

Rainy Day Irony

2012-01-23T10:08:00.003-05:00

Maybe I should put a weather gadget on my blog with the forecast for my area. That way you can see when it was likely to rain -- in other words, when it’s likely I’ll write.

I watched Fareed Zakaria this morning. A very informative show as always. The one I’m going to write about (at least to start with) is the one I find the most ironic.

Zakaria: Post-Communist lessons for the new Middle East

”As Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya transition from dictatorship to democracy, you'd think they'd look to America as a model for their new governments. But they don't. America is still too controversial in the Arab world.”

”Where is this new city on a hill?

Take a look at the man landing at the airport in Tunis, Tunisia: It's Lech Walesa. He's the man whose actions 30 years ago in the Gdansk shipyard in Poland helped cause Communism to crumble across Eastern Europe. Walesa was in Tunisia to pass on the lessons he had learned.”

For those too young to remember -- or so old they forgot -- Lech Walesa was the leader of a union named Solidarity. A labor union supported by none other than Ronald Reagan. And the Pope. From Wikipedia:

”US President Ronald Reagan imposed economic sanctions on Poland, which eventually would force the Polish government into liberalizing its policies. Meanwhile the CIA together with the Catholic Church and various Western trade unions such as the AFL-CIO provided funds, equipment and advice to the Solidarity underground. The political alliance of Reagan and the Pope would prove important to the future of Solidarity.”

Yes, this was during the same period in which Ronald Reagan fired the PATCO controllers. Yes, trade unions (anti-capitalist, socialist thugs that they are) helped cause the collapse of Soviet Communism. The world didn’t make any more sense back then than it does now. It is not nice and neat. Never has been. Never will be.

If you’ll read (or watch) the article, you’ll see another important economic lesson that Krugman harps on constantly. Poland’s ability to devalue its currency has helped keep it competitive. They have not suffered a recession like the rest of the world. So, naturally, they want to get on the euro. You can make this stuff up.

”The irony is Warsaw continues to see its destiny as being tied to the common currency. More than half its exports go to the EU - a majority of it to Germany, its main trading partner. Poles reason that being part of the same currency would encourage foreign direct investment in Poland. ”

Irony is not a recent invention. But it never goes out of style.

Don Brown
January 23, 2012

How to Lose Your Economy

2012-01-23T06:38:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, I read one of the best “big picture” articles I’ve read in a while. It is somewhat lengthy, so I’ll try to keep my comments brief (good luck with that) so that you’ll have some time to read it. From the New York Times (of course):

How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone Work

”Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America. Today, few are. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year were manufactured overseas.

Why can’t that work come home? Mr. Obama asked.”

Disclaimer: I have Apple products running out my ears. Within reach right this moment is an iPad, iPhone and Mac Book.

Suffice it to say, I never read a good answer to the President’s question. I heard a lot of excuses. But the following really got my attention.

”Apple has become one of the best-known, most admired and most imitated companies on earth, in part through an unrelenting mastery of global operations. Last year, it earned over $400,000 in profit per employee, more than Goldman Sachs, Exxon Mobil or Google.”

$400,000 per employee? I had no idea any company did so well. That single line turned on a few light bulbs for me. I hope it does for you too.

”“Companies once felt an obligation to support American workers, even when it wasn’t the best financial choice,” said Betsey Stevenson, the chief economist at the Labor Department until last September. “That’s disappeared. Profits and efficiency have trumped generosity.”

Companies and other economists say that notion is naïve. Though Americans are among the most educated workers in the world, the nation has stopped training enough people in the mid-level skills that factories need, executives say.”

This is the major thrust I got from the article. America had the capability to manufacture anything. But we don’t anymore because it’s cheaper overseas. So, it becomes sort of a reverse chicken-or-egg problem. Which left first? Our ability to manufacture or our skills to do so? In other words, we laid off all the “people in the mid-level skills” when we moved our manufacturing overseas and now companies complain that we don’t have “people in the mid-level skills”. Personally, I find the argument ridiculous. And easily solvable if you can settle for a little less than $400,000 profit per employee. Which leads me to...

”A few years after Mr. Saragoza started his job (back in the 90s), his bosses explained how the California plant stacked up against overseas factories: the cost, excluding the materials, of building a $1,500 computer in Elk Grove was $22 a machine. In Singapore, it was $6. In Taiwan, $4.85. Wages weren’t the major reason for the disparities. Rather it was costs like inventory and how long it took workers to finish a task.

“We were told we would have to do 12-hour days, and come in on Saturdays,” Mr. Saragoza said. “I had a family. I wanted to see my kids play soccer.””

Ah ha. I see. You can keep your job if you are willing to give up your lifestyle (so the executives can better theirs).

”In the last decade, technological leaps in solar and wind energy, semiconductor fabrication and display technologies have created thousands of jobs. But while many of those industries started in America, much of the employment has occurred abroad. Companies have closed major facilities in the United States to reopen in China. By way of explanation, executives say they are competing with Apple for shareholders. If they cannot rival Apple’s growth and profit margins, they won’t survive.”

Once again, it is the same old race to the bottom of the barrel. But it is a fool’s race. If we cannot maintain the the standard of living here in the United States then Apple (et al.) will have no market. That’s the thing about being the world’s richest nation -- it makes us the world’s biggest market and finances the world’s biggest military that keeps those sea lanes between China and America open (amongst other things).

It’s the same question I’ve raised before about what makes a company an “American” company. I love Apple products. But I don’t love any company enough to allow it to ruin our county. You can’t come here, take advantage of our just and fair legal system, our stable political system, protected by our military and enjoy access to the world’s largest market only to ship all our jobs overseas.

Corporations want to enjoy eating ice cream without paying for the labor that makes it. They want to own the farm and own the cow but they don’t want to pay the guy that milks the cow or churns the cream. They want serfs. And if you aren’t willing to live like a serf then they’ll ship the milk off to somebody across the sea that is (for a time). And they still expect you to pay the taxes that maintain the transportation system for them.

Not only is it morally wrong, it is unsustainable (to use their own buzz word). Without jobs we won’t stay the world’s largest economy and we won’t pay taxes, without which we can no longer sustain the world’s largest military which provides the security for the world’s largest economy and all that free trade. The leg bone is connected to the ankle bone.

The solution is what has always worked. Despite what the Republicans would have you believe, it is commitment and intervention of the government that makes it all go. Our government intervened after Sputnik was launched (by another government) and we got serious about cranking out engineers. We can do it again. That’s how China is doing it.

”When an Apple team visited, the Chinese plant’s owners were already constructing a new wing. “This is in case you give us the contract,” the manager said, according to a former Apple executive. The Chinese government had agreed to underwrite costs for numerous industries, and those subsidies had trickled down to the glass-cutting factory. It had a warehouse filled with glass samples available to Apple, free of charge. The owners made engineers available at almost no cost.”

(Emphasis added)

It isn’t their overwhelming culture of capitalism that is threatening our economy. It’s China’s government using capitalism to further their national goals. It really isn’t that hard to figure out. Well, unless you’re a modern-day Republican that staked your career on the idea that government can’t do anything right.

Don Brown
January 23, 2012

Betting on Leroy

2012-01-22T08:27:00.001-05:00

Now it’s a party. I read a really good article on Leroy’s win in the South Carolina Republican primary. From the Associated Press via the Boston Globe:

Extraordinary Gingrich comeback also vindication

”The former House speaker came from behind to overtake Mitt Romney on Saturday in a state that for decades has chosen the eventual Republican nominee. On the way there, Gingrich triumphed over months of campaign turmoil and at least two political near-death experiences as well as millions of dollars of attack advertisements and potentially damning personal allegations.”

It’s a long article, but on page two they reminded me that Newt was almost dead -- politically.

”Then came Sheldon Adelson to the rescue.

The billionaire casino magnate and longtime Gingrich backer ponied up at least $5 million for an outside group -- made up of former Gingrich aides -- to help put his buddy back in the game. ”

Just in case you might be interested in the guy that is trying to pick the next President of the United States.

”Sheldon Gary Adelson (born August 6, 1933) is an American casino and hotel magnate. ... He is currently the 8th wealthiest American and 16th wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of $23.3 billion.”

If I was you I would read the whole entry on Wikipedia. Then I’d ask myself a question. “Do I want to live in this guy’s version of America?” Some of you will say, “Yes”.

Don Brown
January 22, 2012

Come On South Carolina!

2012-01-21T06:56:00.001-05:00

Get out there and vote for Leroy all you sandlappers. Make all my dreams come true. This will be the biggest mistake you’ve made since firing on Fort Sumter. And I can’t think of a better place for a mistake to be made.

If you think I’m excited about Newt’s recent surge in the polls you ought to see Rachel Maddow. She loves politics -- the nitty-gritty of it all. And she is absolutely giddy about the whole Newt/Romney thing. I think you should watch the whole show. But that’s up to you.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Don Brown
January 21, 2012

On Unemployment and Pensions

2012-01-21T05:43:00.003-05:00

I hope that we are at some kind of turning point in our society. I think we are. I perceive that people are thinking harder about what we all want out of life -- and our government. Consumerism and a work ethic without reward seem to be losing their luster.

But first things first. Buffet Fan and The Angry Bureaucrat were both kind enough to do some calculations on the unemployment numbers for me. I appreciate it. 8% isn’t great but it’s better than 8.5%.

And speaking of unemployment...just because I haven’t been able to work it in anywhere else...

I surprised an Episcopal priest the another day when I asked about the prayer for unemployed. “A prayer for the unemployed?” Yep. After growing up Baptist, I have a real appreciation for written prayers. Short, to the point and no more struggling to find the right words. In case you ever need a well-written prayer for public use, now you know where to find one.

For the Unemployed

”Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who suffer
want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this
land so to use our public and private wealth that all may find
suitable and fulfilling employment, and receive just payment
for their labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

(Just another tidbit before I move on. The Book of Common Prayer is where you find that bit about ashes to ashes, dust to dust that you hear in the movies all the time. Hollywood knows good writing when it hears it.)

Did you notice the line about “so to use our public and private wealth that all may find suitable and fulfilling employment”? Public and private wealth. We could think about that for a while. Think oil fields in our territorial waters. Think trees in our national forests. Let your mind wander over that public wealth for a moment or two. Some private companies get very, very rich (not to mention powerful) by exploiting our public wealth.

I like the part about “suitable and fulfilling employment” too. That part sounds easy for the folks on the right side of the curve. It’s not so easy for the those on the left side.

Are they not also deserving of “suitable and fulfilling employment”? And how about a pension?

You thought I’d forgotten about that part didn’t you? I think the general public needs an education about pensions. A pension isn’t some gift a corporation bestows on you. It is part of a worker’s “ just payment for their labor”. Even I, a Federal retiree, was required to pay money into my retirement. The government -- just like other employers -- factors the cost of administering those funds as part of your compensation.

What would you do if somebody snatched your paycheck out of your hands? Chase them down and beat them? Shoot them? Call the cops? Why do we consider entities that steal pensions any different than common thieves? “Wall Street” (et al.) stole a lot of pensions. Billions if not trillions of dollars worth. The rating agencies helped them by rating junk as triple-A investments. Retirement funds are not pools of money you take to Vegas and gamble. They are supposed to be put into the safest of investments. It was all a con and the thieves got rich.

Take a look at your retirement fund and notice the big hole blown in it by the Great Recession. Then remember the unemployed. You probably saw a recovery in your retirement fund. They didn’t. You might want to say a prayer for them.

Don Brown
January 21, 2011

Photo of the Day 1-20-12 (DSC_0005)

2012-01-20T09:21:00.001-05:00

Photo of the Day 1-20-12 (DSC_0005), a photo by Get The Flick on Flickr.

A quiet morning on the lake. That just means I experiment.

Photo of the Day 1-19-12 (DSC_0160)

2012-01-19T12:53:00.001-05:00

Photo of the Day 1-19-12 (DSC_0160), a photo by Get The Flick on Flickr.

The grebes are lined up for departure during another pretty sunrise on the lake.

Spinning Machine

2012-01-17T11:00:00.002-05:00

I heard Rachel Maddow spin a statistic the other day (sorry, can’t find the clip) about unemployment. She hinted that President Obama had reduced the size of government. Well, the size of government has shrunk, but it’s not the portion that President Obama oversees and it really isn’t good news. Well, unless you’re a Republican.

Unemployment is down. That’s good news. Sort of. The economy isn’t adding jobs nearly fast enough. But it is adding jobs. Which is better than losing jobs of course.

Well, unless you’re a Republican that is. Then it’s good that the economy is losing jobs -- at least government jobs. How’s that for spin? Okay, I’ll let the Republican spin themselves into a corner.

Chart of the Day: Historic Drop in Government Jobs

”The chart above displays the annual change in total government employment (data here) and shows that the 589,000 reduction in government jobs between 2009 and 2011 was the largest reduction in government payrolls since the post-WWII period of 1945-1947. Total government employment (federal, state and local) in December 2011 was the lowest government payroll level since June 2006.”

If you remember Grover Norquist’s desire to shrink government down until he can “drown it in the bathtub”, you might think that Grover and his gang are now happy. You’d be wrong.

Are you confused yet? You should be. Okay, go back to that link above and look at the chart. Once you’ve done that, you can forget the eye candy and notice that the author (Mark J. Perry) graduated from George Mason University and was a visiting scholar at The American Enterprise Institute. My readers know the code and know those are markers for right-wing neocons.
All this political spin has turned reality upside down. Mr. Perry says:

”If some of those 589,000 government jobs losses are permanent, wouldn't it be ironic if one of the legacies of the Obama administration was a long-term reduction in the size of government through reduced government employment?”

Mr. Perry finally clarifies (at the end of the post) that the vast majority of the government job losses are at the local level (511,000). The state level governments lost another 114,000. Federal jobs are actually up by 25,000. Can we please focus on this for a moment?

Americans lost 625,000 jobs. These jobs aren’t held by “government”. They are held by people. Over a half million people lost their jobs. And “local level” translates into firemen, policemen and teachers. Is that the people the smaller government types want laid off? Regardless, Mr. Perry (and his kind) are hailing this as a good thing.

The media is telling you that adding 176,000 jobs in December and dropping the unemployment rate from 8.7% to 8.5% is good news but Mr. Perry and his Republican friends want you to believe that 625,000 firemen, policemen and teachers losing their jobs is a good thing.

In all the information -- this blizzard of bull chips -- I can’t find out what the unemployment rate would be if these 625,000 Americans had kept their jobs. And make no mistake about it, we could have kept them employed. As a matter of fact, it would probably have been cheaper to keep them employed. It certainly would have been more humane.

Class project -- Find out what our national unemployment rate would be if 625,000 people were still employed. The first one with the answer gets an honorable mention.

In the meantime, keep in mind that the Republicans (Grover Noquist, et al) are accomplishing their goals. They have indeed shrunk government. I hope you’ll ask yourself what the price has been. I’ll say it again, the money most of you have lost on the value of your home alone is greater than any tax increase you’ve ever paid. I won’t mention blowing up the world’s economy -- this time.

And I still like Rachel. I still listen to her podcast every morning. I just wanted to point out the truth is a lot more damning than the spin.

Don Brown
January 17, 2012

The Moment of "S" (DSC_0093)

2012-01-17T09:40:00.001-05:00

The Moment of "S" (DSC_0093), a photo by Get The Flick on Flickr.

I'm testing to see how Flickr works with Blogger.

MLK Day 2012

2012-01-16T06:26:00.001-05:00

This day will be spent pretty much like the last. I hope to get some more writing in soon. I’ve noticed I have more time if it rains. The weatherman says maybe tomorrow.

This is still my favorite quote for the day:

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but the appalling silence and indifference of the good people. Our generation will have to repent not only for the words and acts of the children of darkness, but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light."

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 27, 1965
Atlanta, Georgia

Don Brown
January 16, 2012

Flickr, Flick, Flack

2012-01-12T09:31:00.001-05:00

Oh, that won’t be confusing or anything...

I’ve gone and done it. I set up a Flickr account.

That is all.

Don Brown
January 12, 2011

The Price of No Privacy

2012-01-09T14:19:00.001-05:00

We tell ourselves that we’re in control of our lives. That we control our privacy. That there isn’t a cost to using Facebook and other social media. That our “lunch” really is free.

We know better don’t we? The BBC used to let bloggers “embed” videos. I can’t find the link to do so now. But I want you to watch one. Before I put up the link, I want you to remember some words from Al Gore.

“The potential for manipulating mass opinions and feelings initially discovered by commercial advertisers is now being even more aggressively exploited by a new generation of media Machiavellis. The combination of ever more sophisticated public opinion sampling techniques and the increasing use of powerful computers to parse and subdivide the American people according to "psychographic" categories that identify their susceptibility to individually tailored appeals has further magnified the power of propagandistic electronic messaging that has created a harsh new reality for the functioning of our democracy.”

Now, go watch the video from the BBC.

And why does the BBC want you to go to their site? That’s right. Data. Your data. I don’t collect any. But you can bet your bottom dollar that Google -- which hosts this blog for “free” -- does.

Don Brown
January 9, 2011

They’re Everywhere

2012-01-09T12:37:00.002-05:00

This is what you can do with your time when you’re retired.

My wife sent me a “civics test” that she got via email and thought was interesting. She scored slightly better than what the email purported “college professors” scored (55%) and an “average American” (49%). She wanted to see what I scored.

So I, of course, took the test. It didn’t seem particularly difficult to me. But I did notice the questions got a little squirrely towards the end. By the end of the test, I was convinced there was a political agenda at work in the test. My son suspected the same thing and started the search. I joined in.

As you can see (if you followed the link), the test is from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. And here we go to Wikipedia. Follow the bouncing links.

Intercollegiate Studies Institute

“The group supports "limited government, free market economy, and Judeo-Christian moral traditions..."”

Right wing code words if there ever were any.

”In a 1989 speech to the Heritage Foundation, the ISI President, T. Kenneth Cribb Jr., stated:...”

My readers already know about the Heritage Foundation so let’s follow T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.

”T. Kenneth Cribb Jr. is a former Presidential advisor—to President Ronald Reagan—and currently the president of the traditionalist conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute.”

”Cribb graduated in 1970 from Washington and Lee University, and served as national director for ISI from 1971 to 1977. After that, he went on to University of Virginia Law School, graduating in 1980. He was deputy to the chief counsel of the Reagan campaign the same year.”

”He was appointed to his current position in 1989. During his tenure, ISI has vastly expanded its revenues and programs. He also served as vice chairman of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board from 1989 to 1992. Other commissions of trust include president of the Collegiate Network, an association of conservative college newspapers; vice president of the Council for National Policy, a conservative umbrella organization; member of the Board of Advisors for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education; and counselor to the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy, a conservative legal organization. Cribb also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, an educational organization that continues the intellectual legacy of noted conservative icon Russell Kirk.”.

My point is that even the most seemingly-innocuous things have an agenda these days. Some person is behind that agenda. Some person with money. It takes money to design a “civics test”, present it in a professional manner, set up the web site to administer it and then propagate it. Lord only knows what they’re are doing with the data they get when you visit the site. And make no mistake about it --they are doing something with it. They’re probably using the traffic statistics to bolster their case for more funding from their donors.

Speaking of donors, let’s go to Right Wing Watch and check them out.

”The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) is helping to identify, educate and promote the next generation of right-wing leaders, primarily through its funding of college newspapers, its speakers programs and its promotion of conservative professors and journalists.”

”Right-wing donors include: Sarah Scaife Foundation; Allegheny Foundation; The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation; Earhart Foundation; JM Foundation; John M. Olin Foundation; Philip M. McKenna Foundation; Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation; Castle Rock Foundation; and the Carthage Foundation.”

Odd, you usually see Coors in that group. Hold on...wait a minute...

”Board of Trustees: E. Victor Milione (President Emeritus); Jay Bayard Boyle, Jr. (Vice President); Alfred Regnery; Edwin Meese (former Atty. General for President Ronald Reagan); T. William Boxx; James Burnley; Richard Allen; Holland Coors (of Coors Brewing Company);...”

(Emphasis added)

By the way, did you catch James Burnley on that list? Some of you may remember we have history. I wish I would have had the above information on him before I had to tangle with him.

These people are out there. They are well financed and they are not going to go away. They dismantled government regulations so they could prey upon working people. They have given us lower wages, less benefits and shredded our society’s safety net. They turned Wall Street into a casino and blew up the world’s economy. They led us into a “war of choice” in Iraq. They have turned the greatest country the world has ever known into a political basket case.

They are not your friends. They’re everywhere. Stop voting for them.

Don Brown
January 9, 2011

Global Warming +2

2012-01-08T06:03:00.002-05:00

~~About~~ t Two years ago, I whined that my daffodils were already blooming on January 7th. I didn’t have time to photograph them or write about it, but the first one bloomed on January 1st this year.

Can you imagine 10 years down the road when daffodils bloom for Christmas?

The map below shows the increase (in red) or decrease (in blue) of the “hardiness” zone that gardeners use to determine which plants are suitable to grow in the zone in which they live.

For those that care to read more about it, I recommend Wikipedia as a starting point.

Global warming

”Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and scientists are more than 90% certain most of it is caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases produced by human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels. These findings are recognized by the national science academies of all the major industrialized countries.”

”Other likely effects of the warming include more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events including heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall events, species extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes, and changes in crop yields.”

”In a 4 °C world, the limits for human adaptation are likely to be exceeded in many parts of the world, while the limits for adaptation for natural systems would largely be exceeded throughout the world. Hence, the ecosystem services upon which human livelihoods depend would not be preserved.”

Don Brown
January 8, 2011

P.S. I forgot to link the USDA Hardiness Zone map and the controversy behind updating it, which is what inspired this post in the first place. Sheeesh!

Told You So -- Thatcher

2012-01-06T10:21:00.002-05:00

Several quick thoughts. Sorry for the quick writing style. No time.

Told you Thatcher would be in the “buzz”. Corporate media conglomerations shape public discussion. There’s a movie to sell. Even “liberals” will help sell it. No such thing as bad publicity.

Great stuff from Robert Reich.

The Decline of the Public Good

”Meryl Streep’s eery reincarnation of Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady” brings to mind Thatcher’s most famous quip, “there is no such thing as ‘society.’” None of the dwindling herd of Republican candidates has quoted her yet but they might as well considering their unremitting bashing of everything public.”

”“Privatize” means pay-for-it-yourself. The practical consequence of this in an economy whose wealth and income are now more concentrated than any time in 90 years is to make high-quality public goods available to fewer and fewer.

In fact, much of what’s called “public” is increasingly a private good paid for by users — ever-higher tolls on public highways and public bridges, higher tuitions at so-called public universities, higher admission fees at public parks and public museums. ”

I say again, great stuff. Read it.

Truer words have never been spoken. I heard it from a real liberal -- Michael Moore. (Roots are further back, probably.)

One of the most ironic things about capitalism is that the capitalist will sell you the rope to hang himself with. Actually they will give you the money to make a movie that makes them look bad, if they believe they can make money off it.”

We can change our society for the better. It’s been done before. Corporations and wealthy people are not invincible.

Don Brown
January 6, 2011

Circumstances Beyond Our Control

2012-01-06T06:47:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging. Life has once again intervened. I’m sure things will return to what passes for normal soon.

In the meantime, there’s always Krugman. I am particularly fond of this one:

Nobody Understands Debt

”Perhaps most obviously, the economic “experts” on whom much of Congress relies have been repeatedly, utterly wrong about the short-run effects of budget deficits. People who get their economic analysis from the likes of the Heritage Foundation have been waiting ever since President Obama took office for budget deficits to send interest rates soaring. Any day now!

And while they’ve been waiting, those rates have dropped to historical lows.”

But the blogger that read my mind this week was The Angry Bureaucrat.

Banned 14-yr Old SNL Cartoon About Media Ownership Is Even Truer Today

”Watch the video - it's no wonder that GE cut the cartoon from all subsequent airings of that SNL episode and has never broadcast it since the first showing. I'm amazed it made it on the air the first time.

And since the cartoon originally aired, concentration of media ownership in the US has only gotten more extreme:”

Jump on over there and read it. I’ve got to run. Life is calling.

Don Brown
January 6, 2011

Banker Fear

2012-01-02T10:23:00.002-05:00

My brother started me on listening to Dylan Ratigan about six months ago. I haven’t made up my mind about him (Dylan) yet. I think we’ve had this discussion before. I’m slow.

First it was his TV show on MSNBC. Mr. Ratigan is a little over the top. Okay, he can be a lot over the top at times. And I don’t enjoy watching TV that much. But I do like being outdoors and I listen to podcasts while I’m waiting for the sun to rise or cutting the grass. And I do occasionally run out of things to listen to. Enter Dylan Ratigan’s podcast -- Radio Free Dylan.

All this is so that you have a little background on the most extraordinary exchange I heard on his program yesterday. (It aired on December 12. I say again, I’m slow.)

Yves Smith on How Banks Extract from the Economy

”Big Banks are extracting capital for themselves with such power that investors are actually afraid to go to the courts for redress.

Yves said that one prominent securities lawyer told her “he knows investors who he said if Jamie Dimon came into somebody’s house and killed the children of these people, he said they would be afraid to call the police.” ”

I listened to the podcast and Yves Smith did say that -- with even more passion than Dylan Ratigan (if that’s possible.) Yves Smith is the publisher of Naked Capitalism. And, if you don’t already know, Jamie Dimon is President/CEO of JP Morgan/Chase -- the largest bank/broker/hedge fund/financial monster in America.

Just what kind of rabbit hole have we fallen into here, Alice? Have we become an over-sized banana republic where oligarchs rule by fear and intimidation? Or has journalism as we know it died? Dylan Ratigan is indeed “over the top” but his previous guest was Gretchen Morgenson from The New York Times and I didn’t notice her turning up her nose at Mr. Ratigan. And you don’t get any more “mainstream” than The New York Times. Besides, look at this exchange with Yves Smith. It fits with what I believe has been going on.

”YVES:...I mean one of the classic examples is infrastructure deals. I mean, fortunately, those are beginning to get a bit of a bad name. But, you know, you will have a government that owns some sort of asset like the classic example was the Chicago parking meter deals where they get revenues from it and because they are a bit broke, they decide that they are going to sell the family china when they are still going to have to rent it back and use it.
And what happens is that these investors will – they have so many fees in these deals, there are multiple fees. I mean I could go through it, but basically not only do the investors want to earn a return in the 15% to 20% range, but then you also have a lot of fees in putting together the deals because they are extremely complicated.

DYLAN: Right.

YVES: And there is a fee for managing the asset on top of that. And the deals are set up to be a heads I win, tails you lose kind of deals where, for example, in Chicago if they clean the streets, they have to pay the parking meter consortium for the loss of revenues. And they have jacked up the parking charges so much that its hurting local merchants. So you know – and literally in the case of the Chicago meter deal, they marketed to investors at twice the price they paid the city because they knew they are going to ramp – they planned to ramp their fees aggressively.”

Remember how I’ve been warning you about letting the government privatize ATC and create la “toll booth” in the sky?

If you have the time, you might want to listen to this episode of Science Friday with Ira Flato. There are two thoughts in it that helped form this blog.

1) The guests mention that we’re not hearing anything else about the nuclear meltdown at Fukushima because the major news organizations don’t have the budget to cover long-term events like this anymore.

2) The guest panel of scientists bemoan the fact that the political reporters won’t take on the Republican Presidential candidates about their anti-science positions. Specifically about global warming.

I hope you are reaching the conclusion that we should be concerned about the “corporatization” of the media also.

Don Brown
January 2, 2011

Thatcherism Under Review

2011-12-31T12:27:00.002-05:00

Once again, I am fascinated by what I call recent history. I hope to go see the new movie on Margaret Thatcher -- The Iron Lady. I was reminded of it this morning, listening to Marketplace.

”Well in case you thought Hollywood was going to wrap up the year without releasing a biopic about a powerful British leader, check your local movie theater listings for today's opener: "The Iron Lady." It's about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, played by Meryl Streep. The movie has gotten mixed reviews.

And so has the Iron Lady herself -- more than 20 years after leaving office. In the U.K., they're still arguing about the economic changes Margaret Thatcher brought.”

I’m somewhat taken aback by the debate that still rages about Thatcherism and Reaganism. Hopefully, we in the States can be a little more dispassionate about Thatcherism.

”Thatcherism claims to promote low inflation, the small state and free markets through tight control of the money supply, privatisation and constraints on the labour movement.“

Which one of those has helped out the world? Especially in light of our current economic situation? Labor is at its lowest level of power in a century. How has this helped you? Or anyone else? The big one, of course, is the “small state and free markets”. It’s just another way of saying “deregulation”.

In short, the union movement in the United Kingdom overreached and the voters put Margaret Thatcher in charge. She crushed the unions and without that restriction on their power, the corporations took off. They bought government entities -- taking public conveniences and making them profit centers. Come to think of it, a “public convenience” is not a bad way of thinking about a bank. And before your advertising-soaked brain screams “Capitalism!” you might want to ask yourself why a “private” entity has a government guarantee.

I think , if you look, you’ll find what I have found -- it didn’t work. I believe the financial system she left -- privatized and deregulated -- is a pretty glaring example. But you can look elsewhere and see the same thing.

Effects of privatisation

”Privatisation was supposed to bring improved customer service...”

”In practice, the average age of trains in the UK is no different to that under the last years of BR. (British Rail )”

”One of the principal expectations from privatisation was that the railway service could be delivered more efficiently in the private sector because of the profit motive. The expectation that there were considerable costs that could be slashed from the system was not fulfilled; new operators found that BR had already done much of what could be done to improve efficiency.”

”One of the benefits promoted for privatisation is that it would remove railways from short-term political control which damaged an industry like the railways, which had long-term investment requirements. This has not happened...”

I’m looking forward to seeing the movie. Maybe, in a few years, we’ll see one like it about Reagan. Let’s go back to that Marketplace story for the closing line.

”But that apparently did not endear her to most people here. A local paper asked its readers what they would like to see displayed at a prominent site in the town (Thatcher’s hometown): a bronze statue of Margaret Thatcher or an antique steamroller. Eighty-five percent voted for the steamroller.”

Don Brown
December 31, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-31-11

2011-12-31T10:28:00.004-05:00

This -- as far as people on the East Coast are concerned -- is the middle of nowhere. Upson County, Georgia. Still, I had to use a long lens to crop out most of the lights, and iPhoto to retouch 5 other lights out of the picture.

In the words of Teddy Roosevelt; “The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”

He may have been talking about the Grand Canyon but the words are nearly universal. Oh well. We have to live someplace and we need light. I just wish we could all be a little more sensitive about “marring” the Earth.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

And just because someone is dying to know these things...

Nikon D80 with a 80-200mm F2.8 Nikon lens
F8@6 seconds
Two Cokin Graduated Neutral Density filters (taking the sky down 4 stops in total.)
In addition, a happen accident. I was messing around photographing a building by the street light before dawn and accidentally left the “White Balance” on Tungsten. That made the valley fog slightly bluer.

Don Brown
December 31, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-30-11

2011-12-30T10:11:00.001-05:00

Back home (thank the Lord.) Speaking of which, He had a wonderfully different palette for the sky this morning.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
December 30, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-29-11

2011-12-29T08:29:00.002-05:00

It’s a tough job but somebody has to do it.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
December 29, 2011

Vacationing With the 1%

2011-12-28T21:34:00.001-05:00

Well, to be fair, it’s probably more like the 10%. The top 1% of income earners is truly lofty territory. There’s enough wealth here to make me uncomfortable though. “Here” is Marco Island, Florida.

This is not my style. I’m pretty certain everyone knows I hate Florida’s geographical “challenges” (flat and tropical) but I don’t like the exclusivity of this place either. A lot of people do. I mean a lot of people. (Yes, I know know “a lot” and “exclusive” are mutually exclusive but it makes my point.) My county has about 60 people per square mile. This place has over 1,400. And their median income is twice what my county’s is.

You can take numbers like these and draw some bad conclusions if you wanted to mislead people that didn’t know better. For instance, you could say population density leads to wealth. Or you could say a lack of diversity leads to wealth. Marco is over 98% white. My county (as “redneck” a county as you could hope to find in Georgia) is “only” 83% white. We all know that half the statistics we hear are lies and the other half -- the half we like to believe -- are damn lies.

Krugman is real comfortable with numbers -- and statistics. He has several good blogs about recent numbers but my favorite doesn’t really have any numbers.

The Defeatism of Depression

”...Then came the approach of World War II, which finally induced an adequate-sized fiscal stimulus — and suddenly there were enough jobs, and all those unneeded and useless workers turned out to be quite productive, thank you.

There is nothing — nothing — in what we see suggesting that this current depression is more than a problem of inadequate demand. This could be turned around in months with the right policies. Our problem isn’t, ultimately, economic; it’s political, brought on by an elite that would rather cling to its prejudices than turn the nation around.”

Our salvation is within our grasp. All we have to do is reach out for it. The way to do that in a democracy is to vote. If you cast your vote for a “conservative” (think “fiscal conservative”) you are casting your vote for a Depression. Yes, that is over-simplified. But -- at the same time -- it’s just that simple. Sorry, I cannot remove life’s contradictions for you.

Some of you may remember way, way back that I put up a “place holder” for a graphic that intrigues me (endlessly).

The question I chew on these days is; “What are the people on the left side going to do for a living?” The lower-left quadrant probably won’t ever be “productive” members of our society -- with “productive” currently defined as “money making”. But if we -- as a society -- consign the entire left side of that bell curve (those with an IQ of less than 100) to the unemployment line we are setting ourselves a very difficult task. These people aren’t going to run the “high-tech” economy. They aren’t going to earn advanced degrees in college. You hear so much about what the “economy of the future” is going to be like. Well, I want to know what it is going to be for them. Because I don’t hear anyone talking about it. Not even Krugman.

This isn’t Lake Wobegon. All our children won’t be above average. And they will need jobs. These are honest and decent people -- as deserving as you and I of a safe, secure and rewarding life. What’s the plan? I don’t think anyone has one.

Don Brown
December 28, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-26-11

2011-12-26T08:34:00.002-05:00

I guess it’s just a blue time of year.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
December 26, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-24-11

2011-12-24T10:59:00.002-05:00

I think of it as a Christmas present from the swans. They did a fly-by this morning right as the sun was breaking the horizon. I picked this one because I like the way the shadow of the one one the right shows on the wing of the one on the left.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
December 24, 2011

Making Government Look Bad

2011-12-23T06:41:00.002-05:00

I’m just trying to catch up on some reading. From James Fallows. (The man must be able to blog in his sleep and/or write in the shower.)

The Nullification Chronicles Roll On

”- Similarly, the National Labor Relations Board will shortly be de facto "nullified," since Senate Republicans can block the appointment of members to vacant seats and therefore deny it a legal quorum to operate.

- Greg Sargent of the Washington Post explains again why obstructionism creates public hostility to both Democrats and Republicans, but eventually makes sense as a pure-political strategy for the GOP since a failure to govern inevitably weakens the incumbent president most of all. ”

Here’s the link to the mentioned Greg Sargent piece for the time challenged.

All this is nothing new but I’ll echo the sentiment that it’s nice to see others are catching on. Once you realize that Republicans don’t want the government to work -- the rich don’t want to pay taxes, corporations don’t want to be regulated -- it becomes a lot easier to understand their actions.

I’m stealing his idea (clink on his link) on the picture too. Senator John C. Calhoun from the Great State of South Carolina.

Don Brown
December 23, 2011

Nailed It

2011-12-21T07:36:00.001-05:00

Robert Reich -- the little man with the big mind -- nailed it. I need say nothing more.

Why the Republican Crackup is Bad For America

”As Michael Lind has noted, today’s Tea Party is less an ideological movement than the latest incarnation of an angry white minority – predominantly Southern, and mainly rural – that has repeatedly attacked American democracy in order to get its way.”

(Who is Michael Lind?)

”This isn’t to say all Tea Partiers are white, Southern or rural Republicans – only that these characteristics define the epicenter of Tea Party Land.”

”America has had a long history of white Southern radicals who will stop at nothing to get their way – seceding from the Union in 1861, refusing to obey Civil Rights legislation in the 1960s, shutting the government in 1995, and risking the full faith and credit of the United States in 2010.

Newt Gingrich’s recent assertion that public officials aren’t bound to follow the decisions of federal courts derives from the same tradition.”

Yes, I am a Southerner. Trust me when I tell you Professor Reich got all this exactly right. It’s important that people understand this cultural dynamic. Especially Southerners. The people shaping the Republican/Tea Party agenda are the same types that lead the South to embrace Jefferson Davis, George Wallace, Richard Nixon and George W. Bush. In short, they are driving the South to embrace another historical disaster -- Civil War, segregation, a political criminal, a war of “choice” -- brought on by another disastrous figure: Newt Gingrich.

Don Brown
December 21, 2011

Contractor Nation -- Iraqi Style

2011-12-20T06:25:00.003-05:00

Just one more sign. From Marketplace

U.S. troops quit Iraq, but large U.S. presence remains

”Mark Toner: An overall diplomatic presence in 2012 will be about 15,000 to 16,000.”

”And all but 2,000 of them will be contractors.”

”That miniature army will be operating on a shoestring. The State Department budget request for 2012 includes only around $5 billion for operations in Iraq -- a fraction of the $46 billion Harrison says we spent this year.

Dov Zakheim was an undersecretary of defense in the administration of George W. Bush. He wonders if that's enough for proper oversight.”

”One way State could do it? Hire more contractors to supervise all the other contractors.”

When we start talking about contracting out the Inspector General functions of the United States government?...We’re headed down the road to ruin. And make no mistake about it, all of it is to enrich the contractors -- not the workers. You may think you’re getting a deal -- a cushy job in retirement -- but you’re really just contributing to our demise as a people.

We (business owners) think we can get away with shifting training costs onto others (government/taxpayers). We think we can get away with paying others (citizens) less money and fewer benefits. We think we can get away with letting illegals pick our food for some wealthy land owner disguised as a “small” farmer.

We can’t. We are reaping what we have sowed right now. We cannot contract out our troubles. “Contractor” only changes the name of mercenaries and indentured servants. It does not change the function.

There is no justice without economic justice. And without justice, there is no peace. Beware.

Don Brown
December 20, 2011

Music and Memory

2011-12-20T05:19:00.001-05:00

Well, there’s one way to find more time -- get up earlier. Odd thing about that, nobody demands much of your time before sunrise.

Speaking of which, I was listing to Talk of the Nation -- Science Friday yesterday before the sun came up. (Yes, I’m behind on podcasts too. Thanks for noticing.) The host -- Ira Flatow -- touched on a subject that is a constant source of fascination to me: Music and Memory.

Treating Stress, Speech Disorders With Music

The part that really struck me was the patients that couldn’t talk but could sing. They used Gabby Giffords as a current example of someone being treated with music. She was having difficulty talking -- just accessing words in her injured brain -- but she could sing her favorite songs.

My fascination with the subject is mentioned too: long-term memory. I can’t remember things I read yesterday, poems I was forced to memorize as a child or (for example) the frequency of the GVE sector. But I can remember the words to a song I haven’t heard in 30 years.

There might be something useful in that for people that have to memorize thousands of details in order to do their jobs. Just sayin’.

Don Brown
December 20, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-19-11

2011-12-19T21:21:00.005-05:00

I still haven’t found any extra time. Sorry. And I can’t tell you it’s going to get any better until after Christmas.

I do still find time for pictures. I took one of these. The other was taken by a photographer-wanna-be that just showed up out of nowhere. Not bad for the first time behind a camera. I figure we might as well go ahead and get being published out of the way too. Merry Christmas.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
December 19, 2011

So Far Behind

2011-12-15T21:56:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging. I’ve got a million excuses but it boils down to “I’m just too busy” and whining about it won’t catch me up or entertain/educate you.

The Iraq War is over. This won’t look good on the history pages. Our credibility has been damaged on a massive scale. We’ll try to weasel out of taking care of the wounded in less than a decade and we will be shocked -- shocked -- that the Iraqis don’t forget about their hundreds of thousands of dead in a generation. We have brought shame on ourselves.

I’m not sure we are done. Hopefully you noticed that everyone is unloading on Newt Gingrich. Terry Gross of Fresh Air is the best interviewer I know of. But even she was having a hard time maintaining her impartiality in this interview about Newt.

I’m going to give you a couple of excerpts and then leave. I still don’t have any time.

”TUMULTY: Jim Wright had written a book that was then being sold at events where he was speaking. And so there was a question of whether interest groups were buying this book just to essentially line Jim Wright's pockets. And it was interesting, too, because then Newt Gingrich himself had a very controversial book deal almost at the outset of his speakership.

GROSS: This was a $4.5 million book deal with a publishing house that was owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns - now owns Fox News.

TUMULTY: That's right, and it was, you know, it was a book deal that was brought together after he won the speakership. So it looked, very much, like somebody was trying to, you know, essentially pay him off.”

---------------

”GROSS: So two of people who - at least two of the people who were in on the coup, Dick Armey and John Boehner, are still, like, very powerful in politics now. Dick Armey runs one of the groups that funds the Tea Party, and John Boehner is the House speaker. So would you expect that they would be working against Newt Gingrich now?

TUMULTY: It is really interesting, because I have found so many people who were in Congress at the time are very uneasy about this surge that they are seeing on Newt Gingrich's part. I think that people in Washington who saw him in action are generally pretty uneasy.”

Yeah, Tom Delay (aka “The Hammer”) is mentioned too. In case you forgot, he’s in jail. You may also remember he tried to get the FAA to track down a plane load of Texas Democrats so he could force a vote on a redistricting plan.

There are no shortage of sordid stories to attach to Newt.

But there’s somebody I’m forgetting. I remember seeing a picture...

Don Brown
December 15, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-15-11

2011-12-15T11:49:00.003-05:00

Most people don’t realize what a rare event this picture represents. Most of the time the sky is too bright to get any detail in the shoreline. In other words, the whole shoreline turns black. It’s either that or - to capture detail in the shoreline -- the sky gets washed out and appears completely white in a photograph.

There’s a new process digital photography has made possible (called HDR) to handle situations like this, but I rarely do any kind of post processing on my images. In truth, I don’t know how do to much post-processing. I don’t even own a copy of Photoshop. Anyway, this is what it looked like, straight out of the camera.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

I don’t mean to criticize photo manipulation. I believe it’s an art form in itself. I just prefer taking pictures outside in the fresh air as to editing them indoors.

Don Brown
December 15, 2011

Battle of Britain 2011

2011-12-14T09:16:00.001-05:00

I’m not sure the Daily Mail would be my first choice as a news source but I do love the headline.

Now Germany bids to seize our skies as it puts in offer for air traffic control

”The Luftwaffe never managed it during the Second World War thanks to the heroism of The Few.

Now, seven decades on, Germany is once again plotting to take control of the skies over Britain… by the altogether more peaceful means of buying our air traffic control service.

This will be interesting.

Don Brown
December 14, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-10-11

2011-12-10T19:32:00.003-05:00

That’s right -- another vacation. I’m retired. Remember?

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
December 10, 2011

No Time for Times

2011-12-07T10:35:00.001-05:00

No time to blog about it. Watch it. Learn.

Watch live streaming video from nytimesopinion at livestream.com

Don Brown
December 7, 2011

ERAM Slam

2011-12-07T10:03:00.001-05:00

As you may have noticed, the Administrator resigned before I could even finish writing the previous blog. This gives us a wonderful opportunity to ask ourselves: What changed? What will change in the future?

My dad gave me some wonderful advice shortly after I started working. “Anytime you think you’ve become important at work, imagine what will change if you don’t ever show up for work again tomorrow.” So, air-traffic-control friends, what changed at the FAA today when Randy Babbitt didn’t show up for work? Gettin’ the Flick?

Now keep your thinking cap on and head on over to the Praxis Foundation. Be sure to follow the links. Yes, some will hurt your head. And some will lead back here. But it’s worth it for the clarity of thought alone.

Radio Check, Ride Report, Best Interest

”Politically, NextGen/ERAM is too big too fail. Operationally and financially they need to pull the plug, because they overpromised and didn’t build in tolerance for initial failure.

ERAM is the dead elephant in the room, and it’s about to go the way of the Advanced Automation System (AAS)”

”In order to cost-justify NextGen, they’ve cooked the books on all the future budget plans. They won’t need as many controllers. They won’t need as many VORs, ILSs, etc. They won’t need as many terminal facilities (so they’ve stopped maintaining the roofs, btw). They won’t need technicians in the field. There’s a huge disconnect between their budget plans, their political agenda, and their operational commitments. Hello, More With Less 5.0”

See what I mean? Keep history in mind. ERAM is going to drag on and on and on. You can make a dead elephant walk if you spend enough money on it. Well, at least you can drag it from room to room and make it appear like it’s walking to those that aren’t paying attention.

Don Brown
December 7, 2011

Arrested Development

2011-12-06T22:07:00.001-05:00

So, yesterday I wrote about ERAM. With the news that Administrator Babbitt was arrested for drunk driving, no one is going to pay much attention to that story. So, what am I going to write about today? The Post Office. This probably won’t get much attention either. But I (obviously) think it should. Especially from the aviation crowd.

But first things first. I would like to extend my best wishes to Administrator Babbitt and his family. I realize this episode will probably be a career ender but there is no need to follow our baser instincts and be gleeful or sarcastic about it. It will be bad enough if it was just a one-time lapse in judgment. If Mr. Babbitt has a problem with alcohol, I hope he will get the help he needs. Many don’t. Which causes more social problems than if they do.

Now, on to the Post Office. First -- before we even get started -- remember aviation’s history with the Post Office.

”With initial help from the U.S. Army, the Post Office in 1918 initiated an intercity airmail route. The subsequent achievements of the Air Mail Service included the establishment of a transcontinental route and the development of airway lighting.

In 1925, the Airmail Act of 1925 authorized the Post Office to contract with private airlines to transport mail. The Airmail Act created American commercial aviation and several of today's airlines were formed to carry airmail in the late 1920s (including Trans World Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and United Airlines).”

Now, let’s go back even further to the late 1700s. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution to be exact.

”The Congress shall have power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common defence[note 1] and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;”

In case it hasn’t dawned on you, the “post” and transportation go together. Because the first thing mankind needs to transport is not goods but news.

Pay attention to the debate. Pay particular attention to how the argument is framed. As long as the Post Office is framed as a business -- “the Post Office needs a new business model” -- the Post Office loses. And so do we. The Constitution doesn’t say anything about the Post Office making a profit. It doesn’t say anything about the Post Office being a business.

We simply must get away from this greed-induced profit obsessive-compulsive disorder and start talking about the common good. We can pay for a Post Office. We should pay for a Postal Service. Government should be a model employer that drives the price of labor up. Not another greed-based organization that casts its citizens aside in a headlong rush to the bottom of the barrel. The mail is a governmental function that binds the nation together. It isn’t a business. It’s much greater than any business. It should stay in the government and -- if we are smart -- we’d be willing to pay for it.

Don Brown
December 6, 2011

Today’s Photo 12-6-11

2011-12-06T09:20:00.002-05:00

The weather report this morning was awful. All stations within a 100 miles were reporting low overcast. Not to mention, I could hear the last of the rain still dripping into the gutters. I went down to the lake anyway.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

At this time of the year, the sun rises almost in line with the dam so that the most intense colors are away from the lake itself and over (or even behind) the dam -- where the power lines are. Not that the colors on the lake aren’t nice, mind you.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
December 6, 2011

Clarifying Thoughts on ERAM

2011-12-05T08:58:00.002-05:00

The longer I write a blog, the more I noticed I feel I must repeat myself.

”Before I close, I want to reiterate; ERAM has to work. If the FAA decided to scrap the whole thing tomorrow, they’d have to start over the very next day. It’s that important. It is a monumental undertaking. The pressure to keep this ball rolling is enormous. But so are the consequences if ERAM’s shortcomings cause an accident.”

There is no glee in my I-Told-You-So. I actually want ERAM to work. It must work. But shrouding it in secrecy won’t make it work. It is critical that the project remain in public view -- warts and all.

First, it is public funds that are paying for it. A lot of funds. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better. That calls for public accountability. Second, it’s important from a historical perspective. This won’t be the last time that we will have to overhaul the air traffic control system. It certainly isn’t the first. To avoid this current fiasco in the future, it is important for the Air Traffic Control world at large to understand what is happening. What we’ve done right. What we’ve done wrong. It can’t be limited to just a select few with inside knowledge.

Institutional memory shouldn’t be limited to a select few. It shouldn’t be made of rumors, half truths and legends. The truth is important.

It’s a sometimes-overwhelming urge of humans to cover up their mistakes. The aviation industry can’t allow it. I learned that when I was pumping gas into airplanes as a teenager. If you ding an airplane, you have to confess. You aren’t qualified to know if the damage could compromise flight safety. The pilot and/or a mechanic has to check it out. Lives are at stake.

Aviation safety depends on the truth. The whole truth. It’s just that simple. It’s just that hard.

Don Brown
December 5, 2011

Did You Think I Wouldn’t Find Out?

2011-12-04T23:07:00.006-05:00

You know the only ATC issue I’m really trying to keep up with these days. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I do have access to NATCA’s BBS still. And despite the bureaucratic language of the report (a danger of working for the FAA I guess) I can still put “ERAM Failure” together with “IOA” and “canceled”. It took me a little digging to find out IAO stands for “Independent Operational Assessment”. But that’s the neat thing about digging, you’re always finding something new. It seems like a lot of problems are found during an IOA.

For the non-technical, non-controllers out there, the FAA’s lynchpin NextGen program -- ERAM -- suffered some sort of major failure at one of the test facilities (Salt Lake ARTCC.) That was just before Thanksgiving. And in that nobody conducts an “assessment” during a holiday...and I’d think an “assessment” of the this sort takes more than a day or two...I’m guessing -- just guessing mind you -- that the “failure” took place during the “assessment”. Which leads me to guess that the IOA was canceled because of the failure. In other words, ERAM flunked the test so the test was “canceled”.

That’s my best guess. Lets see if controllers are brave enough to confirm it.

Here are a few things to mull over in the meantime. I have a new number to attach to ERAM. I predict it will cost $20+ billion. The FAA says it’s a 2.1 billion dollar program. Based on history, I’m going to guess $21 billion. Billion-dollar software programs attract a lot of attention. If ERAM gets to $10 billion (and it will), they’ll write books about it. What are they going to say about you?

Do you think other people aren’t going to find out? Do you think all this won’t become public? Ask yourself a question: Will the actions you take today withstand public scrutiny tomorrow? When John Q. Public demands answers -- when they ask: “What did they know and when did they know it?” -- will you be able to answer in a forthright manner? The whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?

Let me remind you.

”If you don’t learn anything else from me you can take that last point to the bank. I’ve said it a dozen different ways, a dozen different times. A controller’s best interest is in protecting the Public’s best interest. It is a duty you should rank above the FAA and your coworkers. It isn’t always clear and it is rarely easy. But if you’re ever in any doubt about what course to follow -- and you will be -- follow that one. It’s as clear as “Safety Above All”. You’re a public employee, first and foremost. Keep that first and everything else will fall into place.”

Protecting the Public by keeping secrets is the CIA’s job. Controllers do have a national security role to play at times. This isn’t one of them. The only question to ask yourself is: Are you protecting the Public’s interest? Or your own?

Don Brown
December 5, 2011

ERAM Roosting

2011-12-03T14:09:00.002-05:00

Those ERAM chickens are coming home to roost. Once again, note that this was “thrown out” on “trash day”.

FAA Remains Quiet on Eram Budget Overruns, Delays

”Yet amid all the FAA exultation these days about NextGen at ATC conferences and in news releases and public statements by agency officials, Eram scarcely gets a mention. If the FAA were a sitcom, Eram would play the slightly crazy Uncle Edgar who gets hustled off to his room just before guests arrive, to be let out only after they’ve left.

That’s because Eram has become a serious embarrassment for the agency and, presumably, for Lockheed Martin, its builder.”

I know better than to count my chickens before they hatch, but I’ve noticed that ERAM has laid more than one egg. And judging from this story, I’m not the only “outsider” that has noticed. Something might hatch soon. Just sayin’...

Don Brown
December 3, 2011

Five Years

2011-12-01T06:06:00.000-05:00

Hey boys and girls! Do you know what today is? Five years -- that’s what.

Thank you.

Don Brown
December 1, 2011

It Worked Before

2011-11-30T12:47:00.004-05:00

Okay we’re going to play that dumb little game where you complete the sentence.

If it worked before...___________.

That’s right, it will probably work again. Insert my standard lecture about how old sayings got to be old because they are true. And let’s move on. The reverse of that saying is that if it didn’t work before, it probably won’t work this time either. Okay, now all you airplane people stick around for a second and I’ll get back to you. First, we have to take a trip to England.

Those blessed with a memory longer than a month might remember that I chose the United Kingdom as my economic testing ground.

Krugman vs The United Kingdom

”The United Kingdom is acting early. No one really knows if it is right or wrong. We only have our opinions. I think it’s wrong. But if you think it’s the right thing to do for America -- cutting government spending and raising taxes to pay off the deficit -- you now have a test case to watch.”

If you don’t won’t to go back and read it, you need to know that was in June of 2010. Krugman updates us on the situation in his blog today.

Bleeding Britain

”And yet what’s happening in Britain now is that depressed estimates of long-run potential are being used to justify more austerity, which will depress the economy even further in the short run, leading to further depression of long-run potential, leading to …

It really is just like a medieval doctor bleeding his patient, observing that the patient is getting sicker, not better, and deciding that this calls for even more bleeding.”

In short, austerity (slashing spending) didn’t work. And it probably won’t work this time either.

Now, back to the airplane business. I’m guessing most of you heard that American -- the last of the non-bankrupt Mohicans -- declared bankruptcy yesterday. Now, keep in mind...if it didn’t work before, it probably won’t work this time and if it did work before, it will probably work again.

In Chapter 11, a Bid to Cut Costs at American Airlines

”After resisting for a decade, the parent company of American Airlines announced Tuesday that it would now follow a strategy that the rest of the industry chose long ago: filing for bankruptcy protection so it can shed debt, cut labor costs and find a way back to profitability.”

Now, how did that work for other airlines? That, of course, depends on who you are. If you’re an airline CEO, it works great. If you’re an airline employee, not so great. (Here’s where I caution you to read the story before you jump to conclusions. The resigning CEO at American -- Gerard Arpey -- is evidently a horse of a different color.)

”“This is not a defensive move, but an offensive bankruptcy where they go after their labor groups to reduce costs,” said Bob McAdoo, an airline analyst at Avondale Partners. “They have a great franchise and a lot of cash. They are not being forced into bankruptcy here. They have a problem with their cost structure that they want to tackle.””

So, we all know what this is about. It’s time to put the screws to the employees. It’s time for American Airline employees to join the race to the bottom of the barrel. Does anyone think that CEO pay (I’m sorry, compensation) will be cut? Don’t be ridiculous.

Now, let’s put CEO and employees aside. Has this play worked out for the airline business -- the stockholders? Just a quick look at the 10 year graph of stock prices for airlines shows the tale.

Airline stock anyone?

Okay, I think we’ve determined that the current model doesn’t work for hardly anyone. (Same song for the consumer trope. Consumers have to have a job before they can enjoy “cheap” airfares.) And yet, we -- like England’s bankers/politicians -- keep doing the same thing. If it didn’t work before, it probably won’t work this time.

On the other hand, we have seen what works before. Massive government spending of borrowed money got us out of the Great Depression. Regulation gave us a healthy, vibrant airline industry. We had new planes with well-paid employees. It wasn’t perfect. But it was better than this.

No one is saying we need to resurrect Franklin D. Roosevelt or William P. MacCracken. We can’t recreate the men or the times. We just need to acknowledge what has worked and what hasn’t. Deregulation hasn’t.

Don Brown
November 30, 2011

Occupy America II

2011-11-29T16:46:00.001-05:00

Bravo.

Don Brown
November 29, 2011

The Herman Cain Art Project

2011-11-29T08:29:00.001-05:00

I heard this a few days ago and it just won’t leave me alone. Rachel Maddow makes a very compelling case that Herman Cain is having a great time at our expense. Call it what you will, I’ve never heard of anything as strange as quoting Pokemon and getting an economic plan from a video game (Sims) in a Presidential campaign.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I have to agree with The Angry Bureaucrat, what must the rest of the world think of us -- the greatest empire in history? Unreal.

And as crazy as all this is...it’s not nearly as crazy as Newt Gingrich.

I can only hope Jon Huntsman gets his 15 minutes of fame.

Don Brown
November 29, 2011

Today’s Photo 11-27-11

2011-11-27T08:50:00.002-05:00

Yeah, that will do.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

If I had paid attention to the weather report I would have never gone out this morning. You’ve got to show up.

Don Brown
November 27, 2011

Occupy America

2011-11-22T10:58:00.000-05:00

No commentary necessary. Watch it.

Don Brown
November 22, 2011

Open the Express Lanes!

2011-11-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

Uh oh. There’s bad weather brewing for the day-before-Thanksgiving travel.

Severe Storms May Disrupt New York Holiday Travel Into Tomorrow

”Heavy rains and strong winds are expected to sweep across New York City late today and tomorrow, which may hinder air traffic in one of the busiest travel periods of the year, according to the National Weather Service.”

Quick! Somebody tell President Obama about those holiday express lanes that President Bush invented.

Just in case you forgot. (I also took the time to find it in James Fallows’ archives.)

Pack plenty of food and water. I’m sure the airlines have their checkbooks ready. (Check out the stock photo used in the article. TW who? A Saab 340?)

Airline fined $900,000 for keeping anxious passengers waiting on tarmac more than 3 hours with no food or water

You might want to save the water bottles for later use. You know...for when it comes time to get rid of all that water you drank.

Don Brown
November 22, 2011

Bad Comparisons

2011-11-22T05:32:00.002-05:00

Even as I write these words, I know I am headed down the wrong path. I have stumbled upon Wikipedia’s List of U.S. States by GDP and I am fascinated. I already knew about Wikipedia’s List of Countries by GDP. And, of course, I can’t help comparing the two. Which is probably wrong of me to do. But I can’t help myself.

For instance, if my State, Georgia (the U.S. Georgia, not the European Georgia) were a country we’d have an economy the size of Iran’s. Just think, Nathan Deal (Governor of Georgia) could cause as much commotion at the UN as Ahmadinejad. He could threaten to wipe Louisiana off the map. Because Louisiana’s economy is the size of Israel’s.

See, I told you I was going down the wrong road. I mean, if Louisiana had the influence in the U.S. Congress that Israel does, we could get New Orleans rebuilt.

You know how you’re always hearing that India is right behind China and poised to become a superpower? California’s economy is bigger than India’s. I say we cut California loose and let them become a superpower. Please notice I didn’t say that about Texas. Texans would take it seriously. And their economy is bigger than Australia’s. I can’t figure it all out. Canada’s economy is bigger than Australia’s and Russia’s. It’s only slightly smaller than India’s. But nobody talks about Canada becoming a superpower. Hey?

I have to be honest, I was shocked to find Georgia was the 11th largest economy in the United States. I don’t think of Georgia as a rich State. I doubt if you do either. But Massachusetts is 12th and we do think of them as a rich State. What gives? Is it the population differences? I don’t know.

But it does make me wonder about all the State’s Rights stuff. Down here, I know it’s a code for racism. But there are some people that legitimately believe that States should exercise more power. That the States should exert more independence from the Federal Government. If Georgia has an economy the size of Iran’s -- and we’re not spending our money developing and nuclear weapons capability -- you would think we’d be able to educate our kids. But no, we’re 48th in the States. Kentucky is 11th in education. And Kentucky has an economy the size of Romania’s.

Oh well, like I said, these are probably all bad comparisons anyway. I mean, after all, everybody is Europe is spooked because nobody is big enough to bail out Italy. California has an economy the size of Italy -- is functionally bankrupt -- and nobody over here seems worried about it. So it has to be a bad comparison. Right?

Don Brown
November 22, 2011

It’s Not Going to Work

2011-11-19T19:47:00.006-05:00

Doesn’t anybody in a position of authority remember the 1960s?

Maybe the folks in power need to talk to history professors more often than they talk to police chiefs. I know I’ve written about it before (but I can’t find it) -- during the last Depression, President Hoover sent in Dugout Doug and the Army to break up the Bonus Army camps. A year later -- when the protesters regrouped and reformed their camp -- FDR sent in his wife. (Non-original, I read it in a book. “Hoover sent in the Army. Roosevelt sent in Eleanor.)

I knew when the NYPD maced the women penned on the sidewalk that this movement was going to grow. The-powers-that-be need to be careful. There are a lot of war veterans coming home to unemployment. They’re going to be a little tougher to intimidate than late-teen college students.

Evidently, 84-year-old grandmothers aren’t push overs either.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

President Obama has a decision to make. Does he want to be Hoover or Roosevelt?

On another level, these images become iconic. Here are a couple of other images that come to mind. You might want to think about how the larger events turned out from an historical perspective.

The Tet Offensive -- South Vietnam

Kent State Shooting

Don Brown
November 19, 2011

ERAM Discussion Video

2011-11-19T11:28:00.001-05:00

While I was messing with the NATCA video, I happened to notice the video of the ERAM panel discussion in Las Vegas, back in March 0f 2011. Some folks might want to watch it.

For the non-controllers, it’s dry as dust. It’s full of acronyms I don’t understand. There’s nothing exciting to see. But as reference material, as historical documentation, as enlightenment -- I think it is valuable.

I do have to mention one thing (okay two things) to note. First, notice that the guy that dominates the discussion -- the one that really seems to know what he is talking about -- has a handwritten name plate. Typical irony. (Yes, he’s NATCA.) Second, the white-haired guy in the background when Sean (from Memphis) asks his question is me.

Communicating for Safety will be in Atlanta this year. I will be there. You can be too.

Hey! I just had another thought. My friend Spike (aka Stephen Ramsden, aka “The Sun Guy”) is one of the people that makes these videos possible. Somewhere in the mountain of titles he has earned is the one that says member of the NATCA Communications Committee. I bet Spike will be at CFS too.

I like to point out the awesome talent that the FAA overlooks (if not outright rejects) whenever I can.

Don Brown
November 19, 2011

NATCA Guides You Home

2011-11-19T10:02:00.001-05:00

Most of you will never have any idea how much a video like this means to someone like me. You see, over 25 years ago it was just me and a half dozen other guys sitting in somebody’s living room trying to figure out how to make things like this happen. Then we found out about some guys in Florida that were doing the same thing. And a couple of dozen in New York. And Boston. And Chicago. And Seattle. And L.A.

Next thing you know, we had a union. And people started paying dues. And ever so slowly (it seemed like at the time) we started getting things done. A few of us stuck our necks out, we spent some money we didn’t have to spend and lo-and-behold, other controllers started supporting what we were doing.

You have no idea what it was like to build a union as others watched theirs decline: To try and improve our corner of the government while others were trying to destroy it: To build a lasting career while others were saying careers -- good ones with security and benefits -- were a thing of the past.

And I hope you never do know.

(I give up. I can’t get the video to embed. Click on the link and click on the “play” arrow. Geez, why can’t people leave well enough alone?)

Don Brown
November 19, 2011

A Sunny Salute

2011-11-19T08:58:00.004-05:00

Remember my friend that isn’t busy enough being an air traffic controller -- he has to run the world’s largest solar astronomy outreach program too? The program named for an air traffic controller? Come on, you know. The guy that wears the crazy Sun suit. Yeah, my friend “Spike”.

He had a picture published at National Geographic yesterday.

”A giant wall of heated gas rises from the sun's surface in a false-color photograph taken by solar observer Stephen Ramsden last Friday. ”

How awesome is that? The best way you can tell Stephen how awesome it is would be to go to his other site -- the solar photography site -- and click the button that says “Donate”. It takes money to haul all his gear to 70 elementary schools a year.

Don Brown
November 18, 2011

They Grow Up So Fast

2011-11-19T08:43:00.000-05:00

Good Lord, remember when Delta Mike was the new kid on the block? Now he sounds as jaded as the rest of us.

Ignored on so many levels.

”I bet IBM would love to get their hands on a couple of billion dollars worth of taxpayer money to start working on a system they don't know how to create just yet, and I bet controllers will be ignored throughout most of the process. ”

(I’m not rewriting the rest. Sorry.)

Don Brown
November 17, 2011

Time “Challenged”

2011-11-19T07:51:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Brown had knee surgery Monday.

All the leaves fell out of the trees on Tuesday.

Mrs. Brown came home on Wednesday. (She’s fine, thank you.)

I had a flat tire on Thursday.

Mrs. Brown started therapy (physical) on Friday.

Google decide to change Blogger somewhere in the middle of all that. I haven’t made a picture since Tuesday morning on my way to the hospital. Oh, woe is me.

I wonder how the poor cope. The only thing I lack at the moment is time. I have a very good life.

Don Brown
November 19, 2011

Technical Difficulties

2011-11-18T07:26:00.002-05:00

Google has changed something on Blogger (the program I publish the blog with.) I'll get around to figuring it out what I'm doing wrong shortly. But today I'm jammed up. I'll get to it eventually.

Don Brown
November 18, 2011

Okay, I Love My iPad Too

2011-11-17T11:27:00.001-05:00

We’ve already established I’m not an “early adopter”. But for fellow slow learners, I feel compelled to say I love my iPad. I’ll be honest, I really didn’t “get it” when the thing came out. And I only got around to buying one because I haven’t bought a “smart” phone yet and...and I wanted a way to show folks my digital pictures. Sheeze.

But yesterday, while my wife was still in the hospital recovering from her knee surgery, there was a tornado warning. They had to pull all the patients out of their rooms (away from the windows) and shelter them in the hall. During all this, I was able to watch two separate radar feeds and post to Facebook all at the same time. While everyone around me was tapping on their tiny phones, I was reading, playing games and watching the weather. And the best thing about it to me? The battery seems to last forever. I know that’s just in comparison to laptop batteries but I used my iPad for around 12 hours yesterday and I still had 20+% battery power when I plugged it in for the night.

For a first-generation replacement of a laptop, it’s a wondrous device.

I had the same thought on the drive home from the hospital. If you had told anybody in 1975 that they would have a satellite navigation system steering them down the road while talking on two separate phones in their car, they would never have believed it. Forget the iPad and the TV screen in the back. It’s amazing how fast all this is happening.

Don’t get too smug about it. All this stuff hasn’t solved traffic jams. Just like NextGen won’t solve the overscheduling of runways.

Don Brown
November 17, 2011

Who? Us?

2011-11-17T09:39:00.003-05:00

Everything I know about about geopolitical, strategic thinking I learned playing Risk. Which is to say, I don’t know much. But I know geography matters. Words might enable confusion. Maps bring clarity. At least for me.

A Marine Base for Australia Irritates China

”For China, the week’s developments could suggest both an economic and a military encirclement. ”

”The president said the moves were not intended to isolate China,...”

Just so you don’t have to look them up, the map markers are (starting from the south) Darwin, Australia, Taiwan, Okinawa and Yokosuka, Japan. I think the map makes it pretty obvious the strategic importance of, say, the Philippines. Or Vietnam.

It is only these geopolitical thoughts that keep me from writing a tirade about our continued involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. I believe geopolitik is a game for big minds -- and ultimately a game for fools. One might call it “encirclement” -- others “containment”. (If you bother to follow that link, be sure to read the next section on Kissinger as well.) I call it trouble.

By the way, the map was drawn with the help of this site. It’s also worth noting the enormous distances. The line draw is almost 4,000 miles in length.

Don Brown
November 17, 2011

Today’s Photo 11-15-11

2011-11-15T22:39:00.002-05:00

This is probably as close as you’re going to get to a self portrait. This morning’s sunrise. (And, yes, it’s been a long day.)

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
November 15, 2011

1 Percent Speaks

2011-11-15T17:34:00.003-05:00

This will look different. I'm attempting to write this on an iPad. One letter at a time.

Go read this from Marketplace:

If the 1% had less...

Don Brown
November 15, 2011

It’s a Time Shame

2011-11-14T22:23:00.002-05:00

My long-time readers might remember that I’ve been reading Time magazine for over 25 years. Most of that time (if not all of it) I’ve been a subscriber. It’s an outstanding magazine, especially if you have the lifestyle of a controller, where you can’t catch the news every night at 6PM.

I recently bought an iPad and a friend told me that Time had a great ap for the iPad. I spent today reading the latest issue on my iPad and my friend was right -- the ap is well done.

I’d love to let you read the story I was reading, but Time has decided to hide all but the first few paragraphs of their stories behind the pay wall. That’s a shame. Because I can tell you about them but you can’t read them. And they really are worth reading.

The one in this issue was about how the military is being slowly segregated into their own society -- apart from the one they are sworn to defend. Great story. You can read mine for free. Theirs is much better -- better researched, investigated and written. It is much surer of itself than mine. I’ve got a bad feeling. They got actual reporting. But a lot of good it will do you if you can’t read it.

It’s like their graphics in last week’s issue. It blew away the myth that less regulations make for a better business environment. Great stuff to go along with Fareed Zakaria’s piece and the great work done by Rana Foroohar. But you’ll never get the insight the graphics provided because you can’t see them.

Well, unless you go to the public library and read them. Or maybe you can read a copy at your next dentist appointment. That business model worked for a lot a years -- a few bought the magazines and a lot of people got to read them. And as far as the advertisers are concerned -- the more the merrier. Subscription holders or not. It’s a shame Time can’t figure out how to make that business model work in the digital age.

Don Brown
November 14, 2011

Today’s Photo 11-14-11

2011-11-14T21:35:00.002-05:00

Not that it’s that great of a photograph or anything...you just don’t see one of these everyday in Middle Georgia. From last night on the lake...

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

It’s an American White Pelican -- a mostly-Western-freshwater bird. Most of you will remember that there are swans on the lake. They didn’t take too kindly to this interloper. Here they are, all puffed up and in attack formation.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Last I saw of them, they were still chasing the pelican around the lake in the gathering dark. I didn’t get to go back to the lake this morning so I’m not sure we’ll ever know how this story turns out.

Don Brown
November 14, 2011

(A new first, the wi-fi provider at where I was stuck today had Blogger blocked so I couldn’t upload this blog. Hmmmm.)

Today’s Photo 11-13-11

2011-11-13T14:36:00.001-05:00

All you’ve got to do is show up.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
November 13, 2011

Today’s Photo 11-12-11

2011-11-12T10:53:00.001-05:00

A little white-on-white for this morning’s picture.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
November 12, 2011

The Hangnail in My Life

2011-11-10T21:31:00.001-05:00

One of my sisters went to college in Nashville. She brought home an album (am I showing my age?) from some friends that were just starting out. (Hello? Music City.) I really liked that album a lot. It had one quirky/silly tune on it with a great line;

You’re the hangnail in my life, and I can’t bite you off.

Evidently, I’m not the only person that feels this way about Newton Leroy Gingrich. From Salon:

Newt Gingrich, book-shilling faux candidate, surges

”In last night’s hallucinatory GOP presidential debate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich did his usual blustery free-associative word-barrage routine that for years convinced numerous reporters and pundits that he was somehow an intellectual statesman.”

And a little later...

”A book plug, an assertion of unparalleled expertise, and a hilarious proposal that makes no sense — all in one answer? He’s still got it.”

I can’t say as I’ve ever noticed Alex Pareene (the author) before but that’s a couple of great lines. You’ll have to go read the closing paragraph for yourself. And you’ll have to endure Newt Gingrich for a little longer. Even worse -- if his tactics catch on (Hello Herman Cain) -- you’ll have to endure a bunch of people (Sarah Palin) that became famous by running for President -- or just threatening to run. We used to think people like that were funny. Now, they just seem crazy.

Don Brown
November 10, 2011

Writing History -- Reagan

2011-11-10T11:15:00.001-05:00

Immediately after Ronald Reagan’s presidency, the movers and shakers started trying to make Ronald Reagan a historical figure -- in a good way. Unfortunately for them, the truth always comes out. It may take a while. It may take a long while. But it always comes out.

Listening to Rachel Maddow this morning, I learned that the CIA had made videos to brief President Reagan. I, of course, wanted to know more.

The first video is to educate you on how The Great Communicator -- aka Ronald Reagan -- was briefed about national security and foreign affairs. (Sorry about the commercials but it’s CNN. What can you do?)

This video is fromYouTube and was one of the actual videos used to brief President Reagan. First, you can judge for yourself the level of sophistication (or lack thereof) used to reach the target audience. Second, if you have the time to watch all of it, you might wind up asking yourself why we decided to stay there after toppling the Taliban. No one has substantially changed Afghanistan in over 2,000 years. We won’t either.

If you’re young and wondering -- yes, the films do have a 1950’s propaganda feel to them. There was a brief shot of William Casey -- then Director of the CIA -- in the CNN story. If you don’t know about William Casey, you might want to learn a little about him. Some think Ronald Reagan wasn’t a very worldly, sophisticated man. Nobody thinks that about William Casey.

I can’t help but wonder if there is a PATCO video somewhere in the White House archives. I don’t suppose the CIA would be involved in that briefing, so probably not. Pity.

The more you learn about Reagan, the more he pales in comparison to a truly historical figure like George Washington. I know some might think this a small thing, but small things matter. Washington National Airport was renamed to honor Ronald Reagan. A few people saw the wisdom in keeping “Washington” in the name. I suggest it should be the name air traffic controllers continue to use to identify the airport -- “Washington National”. History has found George Washington worthy of memorializing. The jury is still out on Ronald Reagan.

Don Brown
November 10, 2011

Two Thoughts on Taxes

2011-11-09T10:11:00.002-05:00

Some might not like an argument about politics but, lately, I’ve been enjoying them. I learn from them. It’s helpful practice to sharpen my arguments. I really don’t consider them political arguments (I think of it as public policy) but most other people do. And in that our political positions seem to be so fixed these days, we might as well consider them political arguments. Whatever.

During one of these ~~debates~~ arguments, my conservative friend said that we (the United States) should lower our corporate tax rate. I asked what the current rate was -- 30 something percent. (35% is the highest rate.) I asked what was typical in other countries -- no idea. (They’re all over the place. And complex too [duh]. China is 25%, Germany 29.8%, Norway 28%, UK 20-26%, Hong Kong 16.5%. Hong Kong seems to hold some magical place in conservative dogma. I forget why.) I asked what we should lower our rate to -- no idea. I suggested 10%. That seemed agreeable to my friend.

But then I had a question. If we lower our corporate tax rate from 35% to just 10% -- in order to make the United States more “business friendly” and to promote growth -- will corporations then pay taxes? Come now. Everyone knows that GE didn’t pay any taxes last year (along with 30 others including Boeing.) GE’s tax department is legendary. If a corporation is paying 0%, does it really matter if the tax rate is 35% or 10%? I’m sure a tax lawyer will tell you it does. After all, his job depends on it.

From there the argument tacks into how complex tax laws are and that we should simplify them. I agree. Let’s start over. Let’s wipe the slate clean. My friend didn’t think I was doing a very good job of arguing. What’s to argue about? We all think that taxes should be fair, equitable and understandable. Supposed we wave our magic wand and do just that? The slate is wiped clean. You (that means you the reader) can implement whatever tax system you think fair. Poof! It is so.

What happens the next day? You and I both know that there will be a herd of K Street cows shoving their way to the feeding trough on Capitol Hill. And we shall just start the whole process over. Again.

Perhaps this sums it up best, of all the articles I’ve read for this blog.

Simplifying tax code? It's as easy as 1-2-3

”When the U.S. imposed a national income tax in 1913, the law enacting it covered 400 pages. Today, the U.S. Tax Code requires an estimated 15,000 pages spread across 20 volumes.

Amazing, considering that most of the additions of the past 90 years have been loopholes.”

Just how many of those loopholes did you go to Washington and lobby for? Don’t dismiss that question so lightly. I’ve been to Washington and lobbied Congress. NATCA even used to call it “Lobby Week” before they thought better of it. I lobbied for better air traffic controller training. More controllers. Better equipment. I (somewhat famously, in a safety-geeky way) gave a few Congressmen handmade controller pens. That’s not like handcrafted luxury. It’s like homemade-because-we-couldn’t-do-any-better pens. Our two-ended controller pencils (one end red, the other black) wouldn’t write on the new strips so I (and others) took to making our own pens. A 10-billion-dollar budget and controllers had to make their own pens. But I’m drifting off course...

I never lobbied for a tax break. How about you? I’m betting you haven’t. And even the tax ~~loopholes~~ breaks you think are for you (mortgage deductions anyone?) were most likely written for a corporation or industry (house building, mortgage lending, bankers).

The point is, taxes are one of those things that won’t stay fixed. It’s a constant process. And currently, the system is geared so that corporations have the upper hand in how that process works. Your average U.S. citizens didn’t make it “complicated”. Corporations and rich people made it complicated.

To recap, a high tax rate is contrivance if no one is paying it. Corporations can scream that they are taxed at 35% -- “We pay our fair share!” -- while they pocket the money flowing out of the loopholes. (That works for that infamous 90% personal tax rate Reagan used to complain about too, by the way.)

The tax laws are complicated because the people with power want them that way. Nothing being offered in the political realm these days will change that. And even if it is changed (through some miracle) it won’t stay changed.

Don Brown
November 9, 2011

Today’s Photo 11-8-11

2011-11-08T09:40:00.001-05:00

It’s a good thing I get to take pictures right at dawn. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d have time for it. Enjoy. The next three weeks are going to be busy. I’ll post when I can.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
November 8, 2011

Power to the People

2011-11-07T05:42:00.003-05:00

Pretty impressive for a bunch of homeless, radical, unemployed, lazy, pick-your-pejorative, do-nothing do-gooders. Powering “Occupy Wall Street” with bikes charging batteries. We wouldn’t want all that energy (pardon the pun), creativity and ingenuity put to work in our economy.

Stick around for Lemony Snicket. He’s pretty funny. Interesting too.

Don Brown
November 7, 2011

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Intellectual Cat Fight

2011-11-06T05:40:00.002-05:00

I just finally got around to watching last week’s episode of Global Public Square. If you want to see the core debate in America right now -- or if you just want to watch an intellectual cat fight -- this is the video to watch. (I don’t know what’s going on with CNN’s site. The video won’t display with Safari but it does with Firefox. If the video isn’t displayed below, click on the preceding link and read the transcript.)

I’ve read a few books by Niall Ferguson. I liked them all and found them very thought provoking. I have no idea when he turned into the guy that you see here. Perhaps it was when he joined the John McCain’s Presidential campaign. Perhaps it was when he got into an argument with Paul Krugman on economics. In hindsight, neither one of those moves looks very smart.

In short, Mr. Ferguson is a seemingly-good historian with a bad habit of arguing with liberal economists. (Jeffery Sachs is also an economist.) His final argument was somewhat ridiculous from my vantage point.

”Niall Ferguson: Well, I'm sure the Chinese are listening to this debate with glee thinking, well, there are still academics in the west who think that the route to salvation is to expand the role of the state because that's certainly not what is happening in China. It is not what is happening in India. It is not what is happening in Brazil. The most dynamic economies in the world today are the ones which are promoting market reforms and reining in the rule of the state, which in those countries grew hypertrophically in the 20th century and that is a big problem in Jeff Sachs' argument.”

The Chinese -- the communists -- are becoming more successful because they are moving away from the extremes of communism. In the meantime, we embraced the extremes of capitalism. The Chinese have learned from their mistakes. The have left the ideological extremes of Mao and have embraced the practicality of capitalism. The jury is still out on us.

We know what works. President Franklin D. Roosevelt showed us the way by regulating capitalism. In doing so, he saved capitalism from itself. And it worked just fine until we started deregulating the banking industry in 1980.

If you look behind the curtain, the economies that are doing so well -- “the most dynamic economies” (Mr. Ferguson’s words) -- are the ones that are indeed “catching up” (Mr. Sachs’ words). They are the ones that were so far down they had no place to go but up. Fareed played right into this thought with the rest of the show about Argentina, and even with the weekly quiz that highlighted how fast Estonia was growing. Argentina was an economic basket case at the beginning of the century. And Estonia is one of Krugman’s poster-child economies.

The last word -- of course -- belonged to taxes. It takes money to run a government. I don’t know which the rich hate more -- paying taxes or knowing that those very taxes will be what pays to regulate their greed.

Don Brown
November 6, 2011

When In Rome

2011-11-05T08:10:00.002-04:00

Pardon the light posting. I’m in Rome. That’s Rome, Georgia. Beautiful town. But I’m here for a convention so, unfortunately, I won’t get to spend much time seeing it.

Rome, Georgia is named for Rome, Italy. There is a river that winds between the hills here, just like Rome. There’s even a statue of Romulus and Remus, nursing from a wolf. It’s a bit uncomfortable to remember that the statue came from Mussolini.

Life is like that. You never know who will be a winner or loser ahead of time. Empires come and go. Legends live on.

Always keep in mind that we really aren’t that different than the people that came before us. Every generation marvels at the latest technology. Every generation is impressed with the power of the latest empire.

That will have to do for thinking this morning. It’s time to hop on the hamster wheel.

Don Brown
November 5, 2011

Down On the Farm

2011-11-03T07:58:00.002-04:00

Some of you might remember that I once mentioned a book entitled The Omnivore's Dilemma. It was written by Michael Pollan and I still consider it one of the most influential books I’ve ever read. Once you read it, you’ll marvel that we think so little about something that is so important -- Food. Is anything more important?

Anyway, one of the characters Mr. Pollan introduces us to is a farmer named Joel Salatin. Mr. Salatin is a character. One of his most memorable lines (and I’m paraphrasing), “When everyone left the farms to go work in the cities, we were left with a lot of “D” students doing the farming". Mr. Salatin is definitely not a “D” student. Since the book, Mr. Salatin has become somewhat famous. (Actually, before. That’s how Mr. Pollan found him after all.) There’s a story in Time about him. (Sorry, but it’s subscribers only.)

This Land Is Your Land

”In his new book, “Folks, This Ain't Normal”, the 54-year-old farmer-philosopher emerges as a true American throwback: an agrarian libertarian who wants both Food Inc. and Big Government out of his fields. He thinks the ills of America--unemployment, obesity, disaffected youth--can be cured by going back to the land and its values, a return to what he likes to call "normal." It's about better food, yes, but what Salatin is really calling for is responsibility: a declaration of independence from corporations and bureaucracy. He wants us to be full citizens of the food system, like the Jeffersonian citizen-farmers who founded the country.”

I’ve read a few other things about Mr. Salatin to know I don’t want to endorse all of ideas whole hog (sorry, I couldn’t help myself), but the basic concept keeps tugging at my brain. Could we deindustrialize our farms and go back to family-owned farms? Farming is hard work. Really hard work. That’s the reason we hire illegal aliens to do the work. They’re the only ones that will work that hard for poverty wages. But if a man is working on his own land for himself...

The idea just won’t leave me alone. I know people that would love to live in the country. I know people that do, and grow so much food -- as a hobby -- that they wind up giving most of it away. Could we do it? I don’t know. But if we did, we’d have to make significant changes to our public policy. After all that is what gave us corporate farms -- the policies of “Get Big” Butz. (Come on, you have to admit that was a slick turn of a phrase.)

Earl Butz -- former Secretary of Agriculture

”In 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Butz as Secretary of Agriculture, a position in which he continued to serve after Nixon resigned in 1974 as the result of the Watergate scandal. In his time heading the USDA, Butz revolutionized federal agricultural policy and reengineered many New Deal era farm support programs. For example, a program he abolished paid corn farmers to not plant all their land. This program had attempted to prevent a national oversupply of corn and low corn prices. His mantra to farmers was "get big or get out," and he urged farmers to plant commodity crops like corn "from fencerow to fencerow." These policy shifts coincided with the rise of major agribusiness corporations, and the declining financial stability of the small family farm.”

If you have read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I’m sure the reference to corn got your attention. People are astounded when they find out corn is in virtually everything we eat -- from corn-fed beef to high fructose corn syrup. Maybe if deregulation, industrialization, corporatization and all those other phrases don’t get our attention -- maybe, just maybe, the coming diabetes epidemic will.

”"Unless we develop better programs for detecting people with elevated blood sugar and helping them to improve their diet and physical activity and control their weight, diabetes will inevitably continue to impose a major burden on health systems around the world," Danaei added in a joint statement.”

It may turn out that the physical labor of farming is just as important as the food.

Don Brown
November 3, 2011

Today’s Photo 11-1-11

2011-11-01T10:14:00.001-04:00

Okay, this is an experiment and a notice rolled into one. I put this photograph on my personal Facebook page and it didn’t look very good. It looks great when it’s shown at full resolution and full screen. But that’s just another hazard in photography -- what looks great on one screen might not look so hot on another. And if you think that’s bad, you ought to try printing photographs. Oh boy.

Anyway, in case you haven’t noticed, when you click on the picture (like the one below), Google has changed the background to black. Hallelujah! That weakened my resolve to get a Flickr account. Photographs almost always look better on a black background. At least those that appear on a computer screen. Try it out with my old photos here.

This morning’s photo is of the Big Dipper, hanging above the fog on the lake. I hope it looks at least half as good here as it does on my computer.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
November 1, 2011

The Commanding Heights, Too Big to Fail and Deregulation

2011-11-01T06:41:00.001-04:00

The first thing I did when I sat down to write this blog was to go back and see what I said about it all before. It might be illuminating for you too. It is important to note the date (as always) -- February 22, 2009.

Historically Significant

”In my most humble and amateur opinion, this may be the most significant quote of year;

”It may be necessary to temporarily nationalise some banks in order to facilitate a swift and orderly restructuring.”

Alan Greenspan
February 18, 2009”

Sometimes, it’s hard to remember the uncertainty of the past -- the uncertainty while you were in the moment. In the middle of a crisis, clarity is difficult to find. Here’s former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan -- The Wizard -- Ayn Rand’s disciple -- saying that the government might have to take over the banks.

The banks, of course, are part of “The Commanding Heights” of the economy. Along with the one we controllers are concerned about -- transportation. Finance, Energy, Transportation and Heavy Manufacturing. Not only was the phrase (The Commanding Heights) part of a speech from Lenin -- it was also an excellent show on PBS. I read the book -- and can highly recommend it.

I can’t think of a faster way for young people to understand the “big picture” in terms of how our economy changed -- and where we went wrong. And we did go wrong. Keep in mind that we blew up the world’s economy. Over and over and over, we come back to the same point in time where we -- as a nation -- changed. From the PBS page entitled “Key Events”:

”1981 United States -- President Reagan introduces supply-side economics, breaks air controllers' strike, deregulates markets ”

That’s it -- in a nutshell. And air traffic controllers were in the middle of it.

Supply-side economics has been discredited. History has proven PATCO had a point -- and American wages have declined in lock step with the decline of unions. Deregulated markets have given us stolen airline (et al.) pensions, the Savings and Loan Crisis, Enron and The Great Recession.

In my opinion, the case could not be clearer against what I will call Reaganism. It has been a complete and utter failure. The greatest failures can be placed under a single term -- laissez-faire.

”In economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies.”

Regulations -- specifically the banking regulations like Glass-Steagall.

Taxes -- Cutting the tax rates of the wealthy has not only created the social havoc of income disparity, it has indebted the nation. The gutting of “the death tax” -- more properly defined as the Estate Tax (emphasis on “estate”) -- has allowed a modern-day feudalism to take root in America. Not unsurprisingly, the inheritors of great wealth have used that wealth to buy political power to protect their wealth -- at the expense of the rest of the country’s citizens and the country itself.

Tariffs -- Although I don’t delve into this area much just a quick peek at the surface tends to confirm my deeper suspicions. Look at NAFTA. The Cato Institute loves it. The Economic Policy Institute hates it. (Krugman mentioned the EPI just yesterday.) The unions were against it from the beginning. If you think about what has happened to U.S. wages in the last 18 years, you have to wonder where the benefit to the U.S. worker is.

Which brings us to the point. You have to question the old saw, “What’s good for GM is good for America.” More broadly, is what is good for American corporations good for America? In recent times, that answer has been a decided “No”. Look at our current state of affairs. GM used to promise a lifetime career, good pay and good benefits. All three of those promises have been broken. Yet, America has been good to GM. And I must toss in (as I have before), is it even useful to think of corporations as “American” anymore?

Just as corporations have gone “multi-national”, this problem of balancing their power has gone worldwide. The problems that Europe is having aren’t that different than what we in America are experiencing. And the root of that shared problem -- at the moment -- is the banking sector. Our Ronald Reagan was actually following Margaret Thacther’s lead. She cut regulations, broke the unions and bet on banking being “the next big thing.”

Banks were the next big thing -- because government allowed them to be so. They not only got big, they got too big. And three years after they blew up the world’s economy -- they are still too big. As a matter of fact, they’re bigger than ever. As Robert Reich said, “I don’t often agree with Alan Greenspan but he was right when he said last week that “[i]f they’re too big to fail, they’re too big.””

It is high time our government broke up the big banks. It is high time we reregulate not only them but the other industries of the “commanding heights” too. (And yes my friends, that does include the airline industry. ) The balance of power in our country is seriously out of whack. We need bigger unions and smaller banks. Balance is the objective.

We must get the obscene amounts of money out of our political elections. The ones that have the power will not give it up willingly. We will have to take it. Right now, that can still be done with your vote. The season is upon us. Get registered to vote now. Get involved. Get loud. The country you save might be your own.

Don Brown
November 1, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-28-11

2011-10-28T10:32:00.002-04:00

I’m writing. Swear. I just keep getting distracted.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Sometimes, I think the picture would be better without the swans. But I’d rather have them around than not.

Don Brown
October 28, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-27-11

2011-10-27T10:10:00.002-04:00

Yes, I’m still alive. And I have a dozen things to write about. But I just can’t get unbusy. Vacation, planting for winter (I’m in the South) and -- of course -- taking pictures.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
October 27, 2011

Shuffle the Deck Again

2011-10-21T18:19:00.003-04:00

Yawnnnn....

FAA’s Air Traffic Chief Pledges Execution of Capital Programs

”The largest commitment involves the $2.1 billion En Route Automation Modernization (Eram) program to replace the computer system connecting 20 FAA air route traffic control centers. According to the DOT IG, the program is running four years late and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.

“This isn’t necessarily a failure of money. This is a failure of management,” U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said during a hearing on October 5. Grizzle said developers must introduce 200,000 additional lines of software code to the system and complete 18 more en route centers before anyone can consider Eram operationally ready.”

Here’s a crazy idea. Take the last 100 computer programmers Lockheed has hired -- the kids just out of college -- send them out to academy in Oklahoma City and try to make them controllers. Those that make it through, send them to the various Centers and try to make them controllers. Let them work traffic for 2 years and them give them back to Lockheed. They’ll be there in time to work on ERAM.

Or you could reverse that idea -- like they did last time. Take 100 controllers and let Lockheed make them into programmers.

You could do both at the same time. Well, except for the fact that the FAA is short of controllers. (That’s what happens when you let ideologues run your bureaucracy.) Let me restate it. The U.S. Government could afford to do both -- at the same time. And it would be a pittance compared to what it will wind up costing us in the end.

Meanwhile, enjoy watching history repeat itself. No matter how many times they shuffle the deck, they’re still playing with the same cards.

Don Brown
October 21, 2011

Plundered Pensions

2011-10-21T06:14:00.002-04:00

In case you haven’t seen it yet, the author of a new book is making the rounds (The Daily Show, Morning Edition, etc.) selling her new book -- Retirement Heist. It’s going on my “to read” list. (I’m still wading through Shelby Foote’s The Civil War: A Narrative.)

This author -- Ellen Schultz -- used to work for the Wall Street Journal. I’d suggest taking a look at this article from Reuturs:

“Retirement Heist” book asks: Who stole America’s pensions?

”“It wasn’t an accident,” Schultz says in an interview. “It is the result of actions companies took starting in the 1990s to profit from their plans. Employers took perfectly healthy plans with a quarter trillion dollars in aggregate surpluses, and they siphoned out the money through a variety of means.””

And/or this article from Forbes:

Has Your Retirement Been Stolen?

”To be sure, the Employee Retirement Income Safety Act of 1974 made clear that pension assets are to be managed solely for the benefit of participants. But Schultz describes how companies still managed to use the money to pay for severance packages and for parachute payments to executives, among other things. Some companies simply sold pension assets for cash. Now pensions are collectively 20% underfunded.

Many employees are already aware of how this pension-starving affects them. In the book, Schultz writes about how a Delta pilot who’d been receiving a pension of almost $2,000 a month, which fell to just $95 a month after the company went bankrupt.”

You need to keep going in this article. On page two...

”FORBES: What about government employees, or teachers, cops and firemen?

SCHULTZ: There’s been a bit of hysteria over the public plans. For the most part, the benefits aren’t as rich as they’ve been characterized. Most are fairly realistic, and the numbers sometimes look larger than they really are because they include automatic forced retirement savings, for example. The bottom line is that, with some well-publicized exceptions, a lot of these plans aren’t as generous people think they are and aren’t as underfunded as people think they are.”

On page three...

”SCHULTZ: Well, you’ll probably have to continue working longer. You’ll have to save more, which will be difficult. ... Really the only safety blanket that you have is Social Security, which is also under assault. The same retirement industry that dismantled pensions would love to dismantle that program and have a crack at the assets.”

Why yes, I did tell you so. More than once.

Don Brown
October 21, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-20-11

2011-10-20T10:25:00.005-04:00

I am not sure about this vacation concept. I’m worn out. Dash to the mountains. Dash to the beach. Dash home. And the “work” just piles up while you’re away.

My hard drive is full. This is a new problem for me. I’ve never filled one up before. I have to get some photos off of it. (You knew what the culprit was.) I am way behind on email. I haven’t listened to a podcast in days and I’ve barely had time to skim Krugman’s stuff. The yard is a disaster. And here I am, still fooling around with pictures. What can I say?

I’ll save some for a rainy day. But here are three good ones.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)
Hooker Falls, Dupont Forest, Brevard, NC

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)
Sunset, Panama City Beach, FL

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)
Red-Shouldered Hawk, this morning near the lake

Don Brown
October 20, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-17-11

2011-10-17T15:22:00.001-04:00

When in Rome...

Yeah, I had to leave the mountains to go to the beach. Life ain’t fair. But, if that’s all I have to complain about (and it is), I’ve got it pretty good.

No mountains. No Fall colors. But they do have some pretty picture opportunities.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Oh yeah, it’s a snowy egret.

Don Brown
October 17, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-15-11

2011-10-15T04:54:00.004-04:00

Lucky for y’all, I can’t sleep.

The overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway are small, little worlds. You can meet some nice folks. I owe a few of them a picture. Or two.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)
Looking Glass Rock

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)
Fetterbush Overlook

Don Brown
October 15, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-14-11

2011-10-14T05:40:00.002-04:00

It’s a good thing I don’t live in the mountains. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d have time to write.

High Noon yesterday. Table Rock, South Carolina. Sometimes, clouds are our friends.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

P.S. The only reason I’m taking the time to write is insomnia. I’m waiting on the sunrise, on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Don Brown
October 14, 2011

Krugman’s Army

2011-10-10T12:09:00.004-04:00

That’s right -- army. I can feel it. Something is up. I think non-right-wing America is finally getting it. I certainly hope so. As usual, Krugman helps crystalize my thoughts.

Panic of the Plutocrats

”What’s going on here? The answer, surely, is that Wall Street’s Masters of the Universe realize, deep down, how morally indefensible their position is. They’re not John Galt; they’re not even Steve Jobs. They’re people who got rich by peddling complex financial schemes that, far from delivering clear benefits to the American people, helped push us into a crisis whose aftereffects continue to blight the lives of tens of millions of their fellow citizens.”

There’s much more in the editorial. Take the time to read it.

Pictures and videos are very powerful things. I knew when the video of the girls being maced came out that it was going to stick in America’s collective memory. We knew something was wrong -- and it wasn’t the ones that were being harmed that had done something wrong.

If we were right-wing radicals we’d all be screaming about the Constitution right now.

”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

But the Left doesn’t think of that as a right guaranteed by the Constitution, we think of it as a human right -- the right of all people.

Instead of getting all long-winded and everything, I’ll use two pictures to make my point. One is from Krugman’s blog. It’s indicative of the type of people protesting on Wall Street -- despite what a lot of our media would have you believe.

I don’t know of too many homeless or lazy people that graph aggregate demand (even if they did make an error.)

This next one is one you’ve seen before. Right here on this blog.

Remember this guy? He showed up outside a rally President Obama was attending in Arizona. With an AR-15 and a pistol. With the clip in the rifle where you can’t tell if it’s loaded or not. Remember?

You might want to ask yourself why girls shouting on a New York street are being maced but a guy toting an assault rifle outside a Presidential event is being lionized. I bet you know the answer in your heart already.

If you need some help putting what you know into words, I’d suggest you read Krugman.

”The way to understand all of this is to realize that it’s part of a broader syndrome, in which wealthy Americans who benefit hugely from a system rigged in their favor react with hysteria to anyone who points out just how rigged the system is.”

You might even want to join the “army”.

Don Brown
October 10, 2011

NTSB Report CEN11CA516

2011-10-10T09:13:00.003-04:00

It took a little digging but here is the information I’ve been able to find about the aircraft that crashed into Lake Huron -- where the pilot had to tread water for 18 hours awaiting rescue.

From the NTSB: CEN11CA516

”The pilot stated that while crossing Lake Huron at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the engine began to lose power. The pilot contacted flight watch and informed them of the situation. He moved the fuel selector handle and enriched the fuel mixture to no avail. The pilot stated he applied carburetor heat, moved the throttle, and fuel selector switch again, but by this time he was about 100 feet above the water and 15 to 17 miles off shore. He contacted flight watch again to provide a position update and to tell them he was ditching in the lake. The pilot stated that engine power was regained just prior to the airplane contacting the water; however, by that time he was unable to avoid the ditching. The pilot exited the airplane which sank soon after contacting the water. The pilot was able to tread water for approximately 18 hours prior to be picked up by a pleasure boat. The pilot was hospitalized for several days following the accident. The airplane remains at the bottom of Lake Huron in about 210 feet of water. The outside air temperature was 73 degrees Fahrenheit and the dew point was 57 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the FAA Icing Probability Chart, these conditions were conducive for serious icing at glide power. The pilot reported he did not recognize the symptoms of carburetor ice and that he should have applied the carburetor heat sooner.”

The aircraft was a C-150, N3050X.

I found a blog post that fleshed things out a little better.

”"Our agencies have come to the consensus that Lockheed Martin Flight Service played a major part in the lack of response to this incident," referring to the Federal Aviation Administration's move to subcontract flight services to Lockheed Martin, who then consolidated services and closed the Lansing Flight Service. ”

That’s the sheriff being quoted and I’m not sure what agencies “our agencies” refers to.

Just to show you how this goes, I listened to the tapes (okay, mp3 files) available at the previous link, and until you look at a map, you don’t have any idea about the level of confusion. Unless, of course, you have local knowledge. (Just in case the important point escaped you.)

(From Google Maps)

“B” is Harbor Beach, MI. N3050X crashed in Lake Huron a dozen or so miles from there. I believe he was headed for Bad Axe, MI (“A” on the map), not “Big Axe” as heard on the tape. (I can’t find a “Big Axe” in Michigan.) Regardless, the FSS guy heard “Lansing” and that got stuck in his brain. On the tapes, you continually hear him reference the pilot’s initial position report when talking to other ATC facilities trying to locate the aircraft: “29 miles east of Lansing.” As you can see on the map, Lake Huron is over a 100 miles east of Lansing, MI.

Once again, I see the same old errors at play that I see in every incident or accident. And the greatest of these is communications. Start at the very beginning. The only correct way to declare an emergency is with one simple word repeated three times -- “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”.

AIM 6-3-1. Distress and Urgency Communications

”c. The initial communication, and if considered necessary, any subsequent transmissions by an aircraft in distress should begin with the signal MAYDAY, preferably repeated three times. The signal PAN-PAN should be used in the same manner for an urgency condition.”

If you can’t get your mind wrapped around that fact, then get your mind wrapped around the fact that your communication errors will likely help kill you should you ever encounter an emergency. I’m not talking about procedures for the sake of procedures. The words in-of-themselves aren’t important. Getting your mind wrapped around the fact that the wrong words can contribute to your demise is what is important. Okay, I’m going to stop before I go on a full-blown rant about phraseology.

Don Brown
October 10, 2011

Ouch, That Hurts!

2011-10-09T14:01:00.003-04:00

I bit my tongue. It’s the curse of a safety rep. You can’t say anything (yet) if even you want to very, very badly. I’ll wait for the NTSB to do it’s job.

Many, many thanks to a loyal reader, The Washington Post and a certain sheriff in Huron County, Michigan.

Sheriff blames controller’s confusion for delayed rescue of downed NY pilot in Lake Huron

”A pilot whose plane crashed into Lake Huron spent nearly a full day in the water because an air-traffic controller and Coast Guard rescuers were confused about where he had ditched his single-engine aircraft, according to a sheriff’s report.”

”Trapp believed he was speaking with a controller in Lansing, Mich. But a private company hired by the Federal Aviation Administration had consolidated the service, meaning that Trapp’s radio transmission was received in Virginia.”

(I think we all know who that private company is.)

”If the flight service had remained in Lansing, the sheriff said, “the controller would have been more familiar with the area and certainly wouldn’t have questioned what body of water this was occurring over.”

Hanson, a commercial pilot, said he has 28 years of flying experience.”

That would be Hanson, the sheriff, who just happened to be a commercial pilot. I’ll do more research tomorrow. But for today, my son is home from college so I have better things to do.

Don Brown
October 9, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-9-11

2011-10-09T08:26:00.003-04:00

The only appropriate term to describe last night’s sunset is “biblical”. Wondrous. Marvelous. I was moved to look up an appropriate Bible verse. King James version no less.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
October 9, 2011

I Guess I Have to Say Something About ERAM

2011-10-08T13:51:00.002-04:00

My Google News Alert thing-a-ma-jig went from zero to overflowing in one day. It’s set for “+ERAM +FAA” (ERAM alone leads to some strange places). I guess the Inspector General still knows how to get media attention.

My mailbox also filled up. My readers sent me articles from Business Week to Time. (They’re both the same story -- actually written by Joan Lowy at AP.) Please, don’t anybody take that as a complaint. I’d rather hear about the same story a dozen times than not hear about it all. Thanks to everyone that took the time to make sure I was paying attention.

My problem is what do I say that I haven’t already said?

FAA History Lesson -- February 18 (2008)

”The current effort to rewrite the program is called ERAM -- En Route Automation Modernization. If you don’t have time to keep up will all the going-ons in the FAA but you would still like to get a feel for how things are going -- this is the program to watch. And this is the first thing to watch for.”

Does This Apply to NextGen ? (Oct 23, 2009)

”Don Brown, Ex-controller and current nobody

”No one is going to reinvent air traffic control. ATC evolves. Slowly. The FAA may get their ADS-B system but it won’t replace radar. NextGen is just another sales job like URET. URET saved the airlines so much money they went broke. Did I mention it won’t replace radar ? “”

What I Learned About ERAM (March 30, 2011)

”Before I close, I want to reiterate; ERAM has to work. If the FAA decided to scrap the whole thing tomorrow, they’d have to start over the very next day. It’s that important. It is a monumental undertaking. The pressure to keep this ball rolling is enormous. But so are the consequences if ERAM’s shortcomings cause an accident.”

My knowledge of ERAM isn’t getting any deeper. I’m retired. My knowledge is getting staler. But yet, I still see things that I can comment on with a comfortable certainty. For instance, this blurb at the end of an article in Information Week.

Problems Plague FAA's NextGen Air Traffic Control Upgrade

”By 2018, the FAA estimates that, thanks to NextGen, airlines will see a 35% improvement in delays and save more than a billion gallons of fuel.”

No they won’t. They won’t even come close to that. The only thing that will increase capacity by any significant degree is new runways. The only thing that will decrease delays is proper management of capacity. In other words, if we increase the capacity of the system by 35% (by building new runways) without managing the scheduling of those runways...the airlines will just overschedule them like they do now. There won’t be any reduction of delays. Not to mention, the General Public isn’t being told that NextGen gets its capacity improvements from building runways. They think it’s due to all that fancy hardware they’re paying so much for.

It other words, the FAA is still lying to the people it works for -- the people that pay for it all. You might think “lying” is too strong a word. I don’t. Admittedly, I have a strong feelings about telling the truth.

Don Brown
October 8, 2011

Dear 99%er

2011-10-07T15:22:00.001-04:00

I was listening to Marketplace with Ky Ryssdal this morning and I heard this:

”It's protesters who say, in personal detail, how despite doing what everybody says you've got do to -- get an education, work hard -- they're falling behind while the other 1 percent, the rich, get richer.”

Oh, how I remember that feeling. You see, 30 years ago, I was in exactly the same spot with the same feelings. I had been working since I was 16. I had worked my way through college, graduated and...Nothing. Nobody “wanted” me. I had done what I supposed to do. I had held up my end of the social contract. But society hadn’t held up its end of the bargain. Of the two dozen-or-so friends I graduate with in college, only three got hired for “real” jobs.

But that’s where our similarities end. I didn’t graduate with a lot of debt. My parents had helped out and, despite being the worst recession since this one, I was able to work the whole time. As a matter of fact, I never really considered myself unemployed. I took a couple of odd jobs here and there. Once I gave up hunting for a “real” job -- full time -- I went back to work at the job I had had all through college -- pumping gas at the airport. (Just as an aside, a job at a General Aviation airport is was a great place to meet people that run businesses.)

The recession of the early 80s was bad, but it’s nothing like what is happening now. The Great Recession is much, much tougher. The casualties from it are going to be much worse. That -- of course -- means you are going to be hurt much worse.

My whole point in writing this is to say that some of us get it. Some of the “old” folks watching you on the nightly news know what you are feeling. And we recognize that it wasn’t tougher in our time. We recognize that the society we helped build -- or at least allowed to develop -- wasn’t as fair or as just as the one we were given. We fell asleep at the wheel. We let Wall Street and our greed get out of control. We got comfortable. We got lazy.

Keep your eyes open. My generation elected Ronald Reagan because of economic tough times. Trust me, we didn’t all think he was a hero when he was in office -- or afterward. We remember the Iran - Contra scandal. But mostly, we remember he fired the air traffic controllers. We did think that was the right thing to do at the time. At least we let ourselves think that. I thought something didn’t seem quite right about it. But I didn’t know what, much less how to verbalize it. So I let myself be convinced that I was young and stupid.

Don’t let anybody convince you that you are. (Young and stupid that is.) The important thing is what you know in your heart. And yours is in the right place. So stand up for yourselves. Demand better from our society. You have every right to do so and every right to expect better.

Don Brown
October 7, 2011

An ATC What?

2011-10-07T14:06:00.002-04:00

I heard this question the other day...

Athletes Have Coaches. Why Not Everyone Else?

...and I didn’t have a good answer.

”Atul Gawande, professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, was watching the Wimbledon tennis tournament on television when he saw star Rafael Nadal's coach urging him on from the sidelines.

If one of the world's greatest tennis players has a coach, Gawande asked himself, why shouldn't doctors and teachers? In an article for “The New Yorker”, Gawande argues that coaches can help anyone, in any profession.”

Air traffic controllers are in a profession. Can you think of a good reason senior air traffic controllers don’t have a coach? How many times have you heard us complain, “Once someone is checked out they act like they know everything. They stop learning. They won’t listen to criticism.”

Like I said, I didn’t have a good answer to the question. I bet you don’t either.

Don Brown
October 7, 2011

Astro Awesomeness

2011-10-07T11:08:00.001-04:00

A 360 degree picture of the night sky. Zoomable. Rotateable. Click a button and it will map out the constellations. Explore.

Standby transporter room...

....Energize.

Don Brown
October 7, 2011

Insanely Great ATC

2011-10-06T14:05:00.005-04:00

Like the rest of the planet, I’ve been listening to and reading a lot of stories about the passing of Steve Jobs. I try not to be obnoxious about it but I’ve been using Apple products since my kids started grammar school. I haven’t heard that thought today -- one of Apple’s biggest markets used to be schools, back in the day.

We bought one for the kids when they started using them in school. As soon as I tried one I junked my PC and we never looked back. I’m typing this on a MacBook with the iPod hooked up and charging. It’s sitting next to the iPad while the Airport sits next to the old eMac upstairs. When PC users talk to me about virus programs, updating video cards and what kind of processor they have...I just look at them. It’s like they’re talking in another language. I never think about those things. Ever. I want to type a blog post, share a picture, watch a video --- not build a computer.

(Folks at ZTL will remember this machine.)

That thought led me to thinking about ATC. Do you ever wonder about the equipment you use? Who designed it? I know from experience that controllers are always brought in on the tail end of the process. After the engineers and designers and software writers and bean counters and managers and a whole host of people get their say...somebody remembers that controllers actually work the airplanes and they finally show it to us. And you really wonder what they were thinking. Sometimes you wonder if they were thinking at all.

So, for today, I urge you to Think Different.

Forget the hardware. Forget the limitations. Dream of an insanely great workstation. Dream of what will allow you to run an insanely great ATC system. ATC is all about time. Dream of an insanely great clock. One that can be a stopwatch, a timer, a countdown clock. You could even dream of having one of each.

Don’t be embarrassed. I’m not sure if I ever said it, but I actually wrote Steve Jobs one time to try and interest him in designing an ATC interface. He probably only got a hundred or so requests like that every day. So what? Take your idea, write it down and share it with someone. Email the guys up at Lincoln Labs if you want. They’re just people. So what if they’re “smarter” than you. I bet they can’t do what you do -- work airplanes.

I always wanted data blocks to flicker whenever a transmission came from that aircraft. That would solve the problem of pilots not using their callsigns -- amongst other things. How about a “sticky note” for data? You can’t do it right now (whatever “it” might be) but you’ll look at it again in a few minutes. In three minutes the “sticky note” pops back up on the datablock. A touchscreen sounds cool but as I’m finding out with the iPad, you can have a lot of unintended entries. (Trust me, the advertisers have already figured it out.) But don’t let that stop you. Dare to dream.

(Hey! I just moved my spell-checking, pop-up box without even thinking about how to do it or what makes it happen. Imagine being able to do that on the machine you work with 8 hours a day.)

All this is just small stuff. I’m not a visionary. I’m not a dreamer. But some of you might be. Some of you are. Take the time to learn your trade. Then take the time to dream. If two guys in a garage can change the world, you can change air traffic control.

Don Brown
October 6, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-6-11

2011-10-06T12:03:00.002-04:00

It’s absolutely beautiful weather here in Georgia. Fall is on the way, even if it won’t rain.

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
October 6, 2011

Fate in a Few Seconds

2011-10-05T13:08:00.001-04:00

I mentioned this morning that I stumbled on The Powell Memorandum. I was flipping channels and saw Bill Moyers. And -- lo and behold -- Garrison Keillor was talking with him. I caught about a minute of their conversation before I had to move on. This is what I caught.

”Garrison Keillor: You said something a couple years back that I imagine your father would have liked. I'm quoting you here, I think I am quoting you. "The corporate right and the political right declared class warfare on working people a quarter of a century ago. And they have won. The rich are getting richer with which arguably wouldn't matter if the rising tide lifted all boats. Instead the inequality gap is the widest its been since 1929. The middle class is besieged and the working poor are barely keeping their head above water. As the corporate and governing elites are helping themselves to the spoils of victory, access to political power has become a matter of who gets what and who pays for it." Those are fighting words.”

” Bill Moyers: Yes and I wish that more Liberals would use words like that. We are in a class warfare. Every time Liberals stand up for the poor, working class, working men and women, even the middle class, the Right, particularly the Wall Street Journal, fires back they're trying to start a class war. Bull! Class war was declared in the 1970s., and its documented. Its on the record. You can go home and google tonight. Google Lewis F. Powell. Richard Nixon put him on the Supreme Court. But before he was on the Supreme Court, he wrote a famous document in which he called on the business community, corporations and others, to get involved in repealing the New Deal. Crushing labor unions. Fighting government programs that provided a floor under the poorest of our citizens. He wrote that memorandum for the Chamber of Commerce. Its on the record. Go home and google William Simon. Richard Nixon's Secretary Treasury. Wrote a book called Time for Truth in which he called upon the business community, corporations, just like Lewis Powell, to rally to defeat Ralph Nader's consumer programs, the New Deal and so forth. And the conservative movement, beginning with Ronald Reagan when he fired the air traffic controllers in 1981 began that movement. The most they had several aims. One, destroy unions. Because unions, if they raised wages of their workers brought other wages up behind them. Furthermore, unions were the only national organizations that could organize middle and working people across the country to take on the powers that be. To take on the large economic interest. And that demonized Liberals. Demonized Liberals. (applause) Richard Nixon believed not in defeating his enemy. He believed in demolishing and destroying his enemy. Newt Gingrich carried that on. Newt Gringrich introduced vicious political rhetoric 25 years ago when he urged conservative to talk in demonic ways about Liberals. And neutralized the main stream media. And in which they did, because so many people in main stream media are afraid to get as close to the verifiable truth because they would be accused of being unfair. Will be accused of being on the side of marginalized, disqualified, disenfranchised people in this country. So what does the main stream media do now? We go for entertainment, the arguments, the punditry that goes on. And they have succeeded. We are at the end of a 30 year war in which democracy is dysfunctional. Its symbolic only. And the real power that is exercised in our society by increasing smaller number of wealthy people. And that's the way. If you don't mind, let me (reaches for his book) Most of what I learned, I learned from other people. And here's an interview I did with Simon Johnson, Who's one of the most fascinating young economist on the scene today. A Brit who came to this country. Was at the IMF and now teaches at the Wharton School of Business. But he has the best economic website in the country called BaselineScenerio.org. And he wrote an article that I saw on that website called High Noon, Geithner vs the American Oligarchs.

And I wanted to know more. "So I said to him, What are you signaling with that headline Geitner vs. the Oligarchs?" " I'm signaling something a bit shocking to Americans. The situation that we find ourselves in this moment is very strongly reminiscent of the situations we've seen many times in other places. The places we don't like to think as similar to us. Russia, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea. (aside by BM: this is no Marxist by the way) Not comfortable comparisons. We sometimes find ourselves in the grip of the same sort of crisis in the same sort of oligarchs as in those countries." "I say oligarchy is unAmerican term you know. It means a government by a small group of people. We don't like to think of ourselves that way."”

You can find this part of the conversation on Daily Kos.

I assume you caught the part about air traffic controllers. Again. You might want to follow Bill Moyer’s advice and google all that other stuff. If you have an hour and 35 minutes to spare, you can watch the whole thing.

Don Brown
October 5, 2011

The Powell Memorandum

2011-10-05T11:09:00.002-04:00

(As you will be able to tell, I wrote most of this a while back. I should have finished it...because today’s events are catching up with it.)

Tropical Storm Lee won’t stop blowing sand in my eyes and camera so I might as well write. I stumbled upon this document (The Powell Memorandum) the other day and I was thoroughly fascinated. As always, those that have the time should read the whole thing for themselves. Those that don’t...

...I’ll pull out a few quotes. I found it exceedingly well thought out. Perhaps even visionary. Of course, that was before I read up on Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell. I used to just read things and take them at face value. Now, it seems more prudent to consider the source first and then read about them. From Wikipedia...

Lewis F. Powell, Jr.

”Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. (September 19, 1907 – August 25, 1998) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He developed a reputation as a judicial moderate, and was known as a master of compromise and consensus-building. He was also widely well regarded by contemporaries due to his personal good manners and politeness. He has become infamous for drafting the Powell Memo, a confidential memorandum for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that describes a strategy for the corporate takeover of the dominant public institutions of American society.”

Sounds like a nice guy. Until you read this little piece of history from Wikipedia.

”Based in part on his experiences as a corporate lawyer and as a representative for the tobacco industry with the Virginia legislature, he wrote the Powell Memo to a friend at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The memo called for corporate America to become more aggressive in molding politics and law in the U.S. and may have sparked the formation of one or more influential right-wing think tanks.

In August 1971, prior to accepting Nixon's request to become Associate Justice of Supreme Court, Lewis Powell sent to the leadership of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce the "Confidential Memorandum", better known as the Powell Memorandum. It sounded an alarm with its title, "Attack on the American Free Enterprise System." The previous decade had seen the increasing regulation of many industries.”

The key is (of course) “corporate lawyer”, “tobacco industry” and “regulation”. Presto, you see where he’s coming from.

With that in mind, here are some excerpts. There are some that want to argue that this didn’t have much influence on anyone. But if it didn’t, it manages to predict the future course of public discourse in America with an unbelievable accuracy.

”It is time for American business -- which has demonstrated the greatest capacity in all history to produce and to influence consumer decisions -- to apply their great talents vigorously to the preservation of the system itself.”

” What Can Be Done About the Campus
The ultimate responsibility for intellectual integrity on the campus must remain on the administrations and faculties of our colleges and universities. But organizations such as the Chamber can assist and activate constructive change in many ways, including the following:

Staff of Scholars
The Chamber should consider establishing a staff of highly qualified scholars in the social sciences who do believe in the system. It should include several of national reputation whose authorship would be widely respected -- even when disagreed with.”

” Evaluation of Textbooks
The staff of scholars (or preferably a panel of independent scholars) should evaluate social science textbooks, especially in economics, political science and sociology. This should be a continuing program.”

”What Can Be Done About the Public?
Reaching the campus and the secondary schools is vital for the long-term. Reaching the public generally may be more important for the shorter term. The first essential is to establish the staffs of eminent scholars, writers and speakers, who will do the thinking, the analysis, the writing and the speaking. It will also be essential to have staff personnel who are thoroughly familiar with the media, and how most effectively to communicate with the public. Among the more obvious means are the following:”

(Again, it’s best to read all this in context. But if you don’t have time, he’s talking about “think tanks” studying and shaping the issues they want presented and then “selling” the ideas to the Public.)

”Television
The national television networks should be monitored in the same way that textbooks should be kept under constant surveillance.”

”Other Media
Radio and the press are also important, and every available means should be employed to challenge and refute unfair attacks, as well as to present the affirmative case through these media.”

And I’ll close with this snippet, about a time that many of my fellow union members might not remember.

”There should be no hesitation to attack the Naders, the Marcuses and others who openly seek destruction of the system. There should not be the slightest hesitation to press vigorously in all political arenas for support of the enterprise system. Nor should there be reluctance to penalize politically those who oppose it.

Lessons can be learned from organized labor in this respect. The head of the AFL-CIO may not appeal to businessmen as the most endearing or public-minded of citizens. Yet, over many years the heads of national labor organizations have done what they were paid to do very effectively. They may not have been beloved, but they have been respected -- where it counts the most -- by politicians, on the campus, and among the media.”

With the clarity of hindsight, I hope you can see the demonization of socialists and communists. At one time, the people of the Earth did look to those economic systems. That would be back during the last time we found ourselves in a situation where capitalism failed -- the Great Depression. No one looks to those systems now. Yet, capitalism -- unregulated capitalism -- has failed again. The answer now -- I believe -- is the same as the answer was back then: regulate it.

Yet Big Business -- in the form of the Chamber of Commerce -- has succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of the memo in taking over the public discourse of the nation. The have the best arguments that money can buy. The best brains (that are for sale), the best writers (that are for sale) and the best media outlets (that are for sale.) Everybody has a price. And Big Business can afford to pay it.

Don Brown
October 5, 2011

Today’s Photo 10-4-11

2011-10-04T09:16:00.005-04:00

It’s been so long since I put up a new picture you must have thought I stopped. Nope. It’s been so dry that there haven’t been any great clouds -- hence no great sunrises -- in a long, long time. Let me sound flippant (although I really do wonder) -- Georgia is working on becoming a desert.

On the bright side, clear skies mean you can see the stars. If you get up early enough. And I do.

For those that care about photography, I’ve been experimenting with the “White Balance” setting on my camera. All exposures were the same: F4 @30 secs. ISO of 400.

For those that don’t care about photography, the constellation in the left third of the frame is the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), “standing” straight up on it’s “handle”. Enjoy. (You’ll probably want click on the pictures to enlarge them. Stars are pretty subtle.)

"Florescent" setting

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

"Incandescent" setting (old photogs, think Tungsten)

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Auto White Balance

© Don Brown 2011 (Click on the picture to enlarge)

Don Brown
October 4, 2011

Koch Heads

2011-10-04T05:45:00.001-04:00

Hey boys and girls, remember I told you about these guys?

Koch Brothers Flout Law With Secret Iran Sales

”A Bloomberg Markets investigation has found that Koch Industries -- in addition to being involved in improper payments to win business in Africa, India and the Middle East -- has sold millions of dollars of petrochemical equipment to Iran, a country the U.S. identifies as a sponsor of global terrorism.”

Well golly Gomer, it’s not like we didn’t know they were a little nutty to start with. It runs in the family.

”Fred (the father of the Koch brothers) was an early adviser to the founder of the anti- communist John Birch Society, which fought against the civil rights movement and the United Nations. Charles and David have supported the Tea Party, a loosely organized group that aims to shrink the size of government and cut federal spending.

These are long-standing tenets for the Kochs. In 1980, David Koch ran for vice president on the Libertarian ticket, pledging to abolish Social Security, the Federal Reserve System, welfare, minimum wage laws and federal agencies -- including the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency.”

You kids might want to read up on the John Birch Society if you don’t know about it. We used to laugh at those people back when I was a kid, they were such looney tunes.

It’s a long article and I really don’t need to say anything else, do I? Inherited wealth, deregulation and political corruption. It all goes hand in hand.

Don Brown
October 4, 2011

Good Job Rachel

2011-10-02T16:57:00.003-04:00

I am still listening to Rachel Maddow’s podcast every morning. I have intentionally shied away from commenting on her programs because of my previously-mentioned unease about MSNBC’s business model. But, I have to say, Rachel is winning me over.

Friday’s program was all-around great. What sold me on mentioning it was her coverage of the Anwar al-Aulaqi assassination. I’ll leave it to others to discuss (for now) but I’m really troubled by this process. I don’t doubt al-Aulaqi’s (or Awlaki) “guilt”, I am just troubled by the process. Just because Barack Obama is pulling the trigger instead of Dick Cheney doesn’t make the process any better.

While Rachel’s resistance to cheerleading for Democrats at all costs has eased my discomfort, the story I’m going to provide the video on is definitely anti -Republican. Well, as far as it goes. No one has a “bigger tent” -- a more diverse membership -- than the Democratic Party. And religious zealots have a right to be heard and vote in America too. But they scare me. And they have more influence in the Republican Party than I think is healthy.

If you want to see the full-blown zealotry that I’m referring to on display, it would be best to watch this linked video first. If you’re somewhat familiar when this trend -- if you know what the Values Voter Summit is -- then you can proceed to the embedded video below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And if all that isn’t crazy enough for you, you can watch the crazy guy from the NRA verbally set himself on fire. Sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you with the impression that it was just any old gun nut. It’s a vice president of the NRA that is talking crazy. (I’ll remind potential-rabid-gun-nut-repliers that I own a fair number of guns myself. I’m not your enemy. Look in the mirror.)

For the normal, non-political people out there (assuming there are any left), do you see the trend here? I hope and pray that the Democratic Party doesn’t get overtaken by zealots that are only on the opposite side of the political spectrum from the Republican crazies. I know it could happen. Perhaps we are all just doomed to ride the political pendulum as it swings back and forth over time. But, be that as it may, you’ve got to ask yourself if you want to live in the political climate that these people are promoting.

Do you really want to sit in a bar next to a guy that is carrying a gun? Maybe you’re okay with it in Waycross. But how about in Atlanta? And just because I know that line conjured up the comparison between white rednecks and inner-city blacks in the minds of my fellow Southerners...are you really comfortable with the implied racism in all this? Do you see that there isn’t a real difference between black-and-white racism and white-and-arab racism? Both are just as ugly.

I remember the Republican rants from back when Bill Clinton was President. I know that the Republican Party can be mean and viscous to any Democratic President. (Any Democratic leader actually. Ask Nancy Pelosi.) But I know in my heart of hearts that there is a little extra zeal in the hate for Barack Obama because of his race.

To sum it up, I’m not going to go backwards willing and I’m not going to sit idly by and watch my country go backwards either. We’re not going back to the days when abortion was illegal. We’re not going back to the days when racism was tolerated and socially acceptable. I’m sure as hell not going to sit by while the Christian Taliban tries to start a religious war with Muslim theocrats.

The days when teenage boys (in farm country) could carry their squirrel rifle to school and hunt on the walk home are gone. No matter how strong your nostalgia, we can’t go back. There will be happy days ahead (somewhere) but they won’t be Happy Days.

You often hear the refrain from Conservatives as to why moderate Muslims don’t speak out against the Muslim radicals. You can take this as a moderate Christian speaking out against Christian radicals. The separation of Church and State works. We aren’t going to have a theocracy in America. Not if I’ve got anything to say about it.

Remember these words of wisdom (from a better man than me ).

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but the appalling silence and indifference of the good people. Our generation will have to repent not only for the words and acts of the children of darkness, but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light."

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 27, 1965
Atlanta, Georgia

Don Brown
October 1, 2011

Full of Baloney

2011-09-30T11:53:00.002-04:00

I would really hate to be in Jon Stewart’s cross hairs. Especially if I’d done something so incredibly stupid, in such a cowardly way.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Democracy on the Lurch - Wall Street Pepper Spray Incident

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

The Daily Show on Facebook

If you’d like the straight-man take on all this, I’d recommend James Fallows -- here, here and here.

I hope you noticed the appearance of these guys on “The Street”.

Don Brown
September 30, 2011