We went to see "Lincoln" this afternoon. Everyone should see it. Not because of the great acting, though that was at least serviceable.
See it for the politics.
If you still think that the present exchange of vitriole among American political figures is unusual in our history, the movie should disabuse you of that notion.
The plot is centered on events leading to approval by the House of Representatives of the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery. You might think this would be a slam dunk for Union politicians, especially Republicans. You'd be wrong.
See the movie and find out why.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Seventy Years Ago: Nationwide Gas Rationing
There's a war on, you know! The soldiers need gasoline. And rubber is in short supply. November 26 saw nationwide gas rationing.
Take a look here at rationing books, stickers, stamps and rules.
Take a look here at rationing books, stickers, stamps and rules.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Scratching My Head Over GMO Amendment
I just took a look at the agenda for the Oriental Town Board meeting on December 4. A public hearing has been announced to discuss Growth Management Ordinance amendments addressing Adult Bookstores, Adult Entertainment, Internet Sweepstakes/Electronic Gaming, and Tattoo Parlors.
You can find the proposed texts here. Be sure to check it out soon - postings on the town web site are frequently removed rather quickly.
I'm sure there's a rational explanation for why the town is expending so much effort and concern on this subject, but danged if I can figure it out.
Tony Tharp, one of our erstwhile journalists, has tried to figure it out as well. Here's his take on it.
I could be wrong, but as far as I can tell, there is no place inside the town limits of Oriental that meets all the criteria set forth in the draft ordinances.
On the off chance that I'm wrong, one proposed ordinance measure for internet sweepstakes requires a $5,000 fee for a permit and a $2,500 fee per terminal or connection point, including wireless. The maximum number of terminals allowed is six. That adds up to $20,000 in fees just to get started. Plus a proposed annual tax of $2,500 per business and $500 per gaming machine in operation or stored on the premises. That adds up to $5,500.
By the way, we do not currently tax any business. For the past several years one of our board members repeatedly claimed that our fee for a sign permit ($25) was driving businesses out of Oriental.
Surely someone can explain all of this to me.
You can find the proposed texts here. Be sure to check it out soon - postings on the town web site are frequently removed rather quickly.
I'm sure there's a rational explanation for why the town is expending so much effort and concern on this subject, but danged if I can figure it out.
Tony Tharp, one of our erstwhile journalists, has tried to figure it out as well. Here's his take on it.
I could be wrong, but as far as I can tell, there is no place inside the town limits of Oriental that meets all the criteria set forth in the draft ordinances.
On the off chance that I'm wrong, one proposed ordinance measure for internet sweepstakes requires a $5,000 fee for a permit and a $2,500 fee per terminal or connection point, including wireless. The maximum number of terminals allowed is six. That adds up to $20,000 in fees just to get started. Plus a proposed annual tax of $2,500 per business and $500 per gaming machine in operation or stored on the premises. That adds up to $5,500.
By the way, we do not currently tax any business. For the past several years one of our board members repeatedly claimed that our fee for a sign permit ($25) was driving businesses out of Oriental.
Surely someone can explain all of this to me.
A Notable Passing
I never know how to react when I learn that a contemporary has passed on.
Dean Faulkner was William Faulkner's niece and stepdaughter. I knew who she was when we were both students at Ole Miss. I don't know if she knew me. A friend of mine dated her from time to time.
She was the last living Faulkner. Last year she published a memoir of the Faulkner family. I need to read it.
I'm sorry I'll never have the chance to discuss it with her.
She was a literary figure in her own right.
The end of an era.
Dean Faulkner was William Faulkner's niece and stepdaughter. I knew who she was when we were both students at Ole Miss. I don't know if she knew me. A friend of mine dated her from time to time.
She was the last living Faulkner. Last year she published a memoir of the Faulkner family. I need to read it.
I'm sorry I'll never have the chance to discuss it with her.
She was a literary figure in her own right.
The end of an era.
Hostess Demise
Michael Hiltzik, writing in the Los Angeles Times, makes it pretty clear that Hostess' problems were caused by management, not the unions.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has studied W. Edwards Deming's insights into quality control. He attributes 85-90 percent of quality control problems in any enterprise to management, rather than workers.
It is clear from Hiltzik's summary, citing chapter and verse, that Hostess' problems could have been resolved long ago by exercising quality control. Instead, they rewarded their top level magement and raided the pension funds.
It's an all too common story.
But it helps keep up the income share of the top decile.
And then there's this observation.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has studied W. Edwards Deming's insights into quality control. He attributes 85-90 percent of quality control problems in any enterprise to management, rather than workers.
It is clear from Hiltzik's summary, citing chapter and verse, that Hostess' problems could have been resolved long ago by exercising quality control. Instead, they rewarded their top level magement and raided the pension funds.
It's an all too common story.
But it helps keep up the income share of the top decile.
And then there's this observation.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Broken Income Distribution System
This is a nice display over time of the percentage of national income received by the top decile (tenth). So why should the top 10% receive half of all national income? Because they are so productive? So essential to the economy? Because they make so many things? If you believe any of those explanations, you've never met one.
These are the real moochers, parasites or leeches. Our economy worked better when the top decile received only about a third of the national income.
Even that is a disproportionate reward for what they contribute to society.
We should so manage our economy as to promote general prosperity, not to promote increased concentration of wealth at the top. It works better that way.
These are the real moochers, parasites or leeches. Our economy worked better when the top decile received only about a third of the national income.
Even that is a disproportionate reward for what they contribute to society.
We should so manage our economy as to promote general prosperity, not to promote increased concentration of wealth at the top. It works better that way.
Do We Have A Broken Election System?
Today's New York Times has an editorial addressing how to fix a broken election system.
Some of the ideas make sense and some of the comments are especially pertinent.
On the other hand, relatively few of the problems identified by the NY Times affect elections in North Carolina.
In Pamlico County, our election system is not broken. It functions quite well. Can it be improved? Yes.
Our voter turnout exceeded the state average - 71% for Pamlico County; 68% for the state of North Carolina. We make it easy for voters to cast their ballots by conducting early voting for longer hours, having many voting locations (ten polling places for 9600 registered voters), and having well-trained election officials.
Unlike other locations in North Carolina and around the nation, we had no long lines. Most of the time, the longest wait was about five minutes. We did have printer breakdowns at two locations, and the line grew to about half an hour at Arapahoe until we installed backup equipment and procedures to keep the lines moving.
A major factor in our success has been thorough planning and preparation. That happens because we have a superb Director of Elections: Lisa Bennett. Pamlico County is fortunate to have her.
Some of the ideas make sense and some of the comments are especially pertinent.
On the other hand, relatively few of the problems identified by the NY Times affect elections in North Carolina.
In Pamlico County, our election system is not broken. It functions quite well. Can it be improved? Yes.
Our voter turnout exceeded the state average - 71% for Pamlico County; 68% for the state of North Carolina. We make it easy for voters to cast their ballots by conducting early voting for longer hours, having many voting locations (ten polling places for 9600 registered voters), and having well-trained election officials.
Unlike other locations in North Carolina and around the nation, we had no long lines. Most of the time, the longest wait was about five minutes. We did have printer breakdowns at two locations, and the line grew to about half an hour at Arapahoe until we installed backup equipment and procedures to keep the lines moving.
A major factor in our success has been thorough planning and preparation. That happens because we have a superb Director of Elections: Lisa Bennett. Pamlico County is fortunate to have her.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
More On The Dust Bowl
I was born in Oklahoma in 1937, near the end of the Dust Bowl period. I was a couple of hundred miles east of the Dust Bowl, in Tulsa. By the time of my first memories, about 1939, the Dust Bowl catastrophe was abating.
In 1949, I was in the eighth grade in a rural school east of Oklahoma City. As a part of our elementary school curriculum, eighth grade boys had to take a course in agriculture. I think the girls took home economics.
We boys learned about measures to take to control erosion by wind and water. We learned about planting wind rows of trees between the fields to moderate the wind. We learned about contour plowing and crop rotation, and natural methods of controlling agricultural pests. We learned about use of natural fertilizer and the benefits of using legumes, including alfalfa, in crop rotation. Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil and reduce the need for artificial fertilizers.
All of these methods were put into place out in the Oklahoma panhandle, and the dust bowl began to subside.
But it came back. In 1950 and 1951, whenever there was a sustained wind from the west, we would have vast sand storms in Oklahoma City. The storms would dim the sun and occasionally mid day would look like late evening. This was the beginning of another period of drought that lasted seven years.
In June of 1954, I flew from Denver to Tulsa by way of Amarillo and Oklahome City. Our twin-engine Convair flew low enough that I could see drifts of sand across Southeast Colorado, Eastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma. The sand piled up at each fence corner.
It looked pretty grim.
By 1957 the drought was over.
In 1949, I was in the eighth grade in a rural school east of Oklahoma City. As a part of our elementary school curriculum, eighth grade boys had to take a course in agriculture. I think the girls took home economics.
We boys learned about measures to take to control erosion by wind and water. We learned about planting wind rows of trees between the fields to moderate the wind. We learned about contour plowing and crop rotation, and natural methods of controlling agricultural pests. We learned about use of natural fertilizer and the benefits of using legumes, including alfalfa, in crop rotation. Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil and reduce the need for artificial fertilizers.
All of these methods were put into place out in the Oklahoma panhandle, and the dust bowl began to subside.
But it came back. In 1950 and 1951, whenever there was a sustained wind from the west, we would have vast sand storms in Oklahoma City. The storms would dim the sun and occasionally mid day would look like late evening. This was the beginning of another period of drought that lasted seven years.
In June of 1954, I flew from Denver to Tulsa by way of Amarillo and Oklahome City. Our twin-engine Convair flew low enough that I could see drifts of sand across Southeast Colorado, Eastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma. The sand piled up at each fence corner.
It looked pretty grim.
By 1957 the drought was over.
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