Party identification holds more significance than the quality of the candidate up for election. The two party system does not give voters much choice. I think a third party would help reflect the views of more moderate voters.
The message to people is to vote your conscience, however please refer to the party platform so we can tell you what your thoughts are.
For empirical evidence of how voters behave, please view the ANES data: http://www.electionstudies.org/
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
o FTC Toughens Endorsement Rules For Bloggers
Going forward, the FTC will require bloggers to clearly state when they receive cash or "payment in kind" for endorsing a company's products or services. So if Blackberry pays a blogger $5k to say good things about the new Blackberry Curve, the blogger must disclose he or she was paid by Blackberry for the rave review.
Failure to disclose the connection could lead to fines of $11,000 per violation. Its a way to separate unbiased endorsements from paid endorsements.
Does that mean the government cannot pay public relations firms to promote certain programs or laws without full disclosure? Does that mean the "earmarks" on spending that benefit special interest groups have to be reported? Because as a lawmaker, you want to endorse a bill independently and not get paid in kind with political favors or campaign funds, right? I think the FTC rule should be pushed to its logical conclusion, that if you get a kick back or pay someone for opinions or votes, the public should know about it.
Failure to disclose the connection could lead to fines of $11,000 per violation. Its a way to separate unbiased endorsements from paid endorsements.
Does that mean the government cannot pay public relations firms to promote certain programs or laws without full disclosure? Does that mean the "earmarks" on spending that benefit special interest groups have to be reported? Because as a lawmaker, you want to endorse a bill independently and not get paid in kind with political favors or campaign funds, right? I think the FTC rule should be pushed to its logical conclusion, that if you get a kick back or pay someone for opinions or votes, the public should know about it.
Friday, October 2, 2009
o Chinese Money Habits
This is from a post on http://www.wisebread.com.
1. Being frugal is a virtue - Being frugal did not start as communist propaganda. Actually it is a concept that has been taught for thousands of years. The classic Chinese text Dao De Jing states that the three greatest treasures one can have are love, frugality, and generosity. Frugality is really a integral part of the Chinese culture.
2. Save as much as possible
3. Pay for things in cash - Chinese people are wary of debt.
4. Always look for a bargain
5. Your salary is not a secret
6. Cash gifts are the best
Maybe, if economists would have known a little bit about Chinese culture, they would have downgraded their foreign consumption expectations. OMG, there are a billion people in China with disposable income now that the USA has outsourced jobs to that nation. Therefore, they will all buy TVs and drink Coke and upgrade their I-pods every year. Wrong, they will buy nothing. And time has run out, because now our debtor nation has no purchasing power either. Coal is being added to the consumption economy furnace through low interest rates, yet the flames shrink and the embers turn from white hot to red to grey. The Fed and the US government are no wiser than the Little Match Girl, yet they have to come up with the ideas to resuscitate the economy. Scary.
1. Being frugal is a virtue - Being frugal did not start as communist propaganda. Actually it is a concept that has been taught for thousands of years. The classic Chinese text Dao De Jing states that the three greatest treasures one can have are love, frugality, and generosity. Frugality is really a integral part of the Chinese culture.
2. Save as much as possible
3. Pay for things in cash - Chinese people are wary of debt.
4. Always look for a bargain
5. Your salary is not a secret
6. Cash gifts are the best
Maybe, if economists would have known a little bit about Chinese culture, they would have downgraded their foreign consumption expectations. OMG, there are a billion people in China with disposable income now that the USA has outsourced jobs to that nation. Therefore, they will all buy TVs and drink Coke and upgrade their I-pods every year. Wrong, they will buy nothing. And time has run out, because now our debtor nation has no purchasing power either. Coal is being added to the consumption economy furnace through low interest rates, yet the flames shrink and the embers turn from white hot to red to grey. The Fed and the US government are no wiser than the Little Match Girl, yet they have to come up with the ideas to resuscitate the economy. Scary.
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