What Caught My Eye Today - Barack Obama's plan for healthcare

Fred's Note: It occurs to me that in recent posts regarding the upcoming U.S. Presidential election that I am guilty of doing the same thing as various media outlets by rendering opinions on statements that I may have taken out of context. To be fair, I'm not a professional journalist and doubt very much that my blog will ever reach the critical mass that the New York Times does. However, the information is readily available to anyone who truly wants to make an informed decision come Election Day in November. With that in mind, over the next several days and weeks, I'll be posting excerpts from the websites of both the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney and the incumbent Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. It goes without saying that I will be adding some color commentary, but the content is from the candidates themselves.


Fourth in our series, Barack Obama's plan for health care. Due to the fact that most of Obama's plan for health care has already been enacted as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, we start first with a listing of specific provisions contained within the legislation followed Obama's stance on health care.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), together with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, represents the most significant regulatory overhaul of the U.S. health care system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. PPACA includes numerous provisions to take effect over several years beginning in 2010.

• Guaranteed issue will require policies to be issued regardless of any medical condition, and partial community rating will require insurers to offer the same premium to all applicants of the same age and geographical location without regard to gender or most pre-existing conditions.
• A shared responsibility requirement, commonly called an individual mandate, requires that all individuals not covered by an employer sponsored health plan, Medicaid, Medicare or other public insurance programs, purchase and comply with an approved private insurance policy or pay a penalty, unless the applicable individual is a member of a recognized religious sect exempted by the Internal Revenue Service, or waived in cases of financial hardship.
• Health insurance exchanges will commence operation in each state, offering a marketplace where individuals and small businesses can compare policies and premiums, and buy insurance.
• Low income individuals and families above 100% and up to 400% of the federal poverty level will receive federal subsidies on a sliding scale if they choose to purchase insurance via an exchange.
• The text of the law expands Medicaid eligibility to include all individuals and families with incomes up to 133% of the poverty level, and simplifies the CHIP enrollment process. In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court effectively allowed states to opt out of the Medicaid expansion, and some states have stated their intention to do so.
• Minimum standards for health insurance policies are to be established and annual and lifetime coverage caps will be banned.
• Firms employing 50 or more people but not offering health insurance will also pay a shared responsibility requirement if the government has had to subsidize an employee's health care.
• Very small businesses will be able to get subsidies if they purchase insurance through an exchange.
• Co-payments, co-insurance, and deductibles are to be eliminated for select health care insurance benefits considered to be part of an "essential benefits package" for Level A or Level B preventive care.
• Changes are enacted that allow a restructuring of Medicare reimbursement from "fee-for-service" to "bundled payments."

And now, the President's take on arguably his greatest legislative accomplishment of his first term in office.

President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act to restore health care as a basic cornerstone of middle-class security in America. The Affordable Care Act will make health care more affordable for families and small businesses and brings much-needed transparency to the insurance industry. When fully implemented, the Affordable Care Act will keep insurance companies from taking advantage of consumers—including denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and cancelling coverage when someone gets sick. The key phrase is "when fully implemented". A bunch of big ticket items aren't scheduled to take effect until 2014 and some won't see the light of day until 2020, four years after Obama leaves office (assuming he wins a second term in November). Among the benefits of the Affordable Care Act:

• 34 million more Americans will gain coverage—many who will be able to afford insurance for the first time. The irony here is that will the law suffers from a lack of popularity (56% of Americans don't like it), everyone likes the fact that more citizens will have health care...due entirely to the law that they don't like.
• About 95% of Americans under age 65 will have insurance. I guess the thing Obama didn't consider was whether or not Americans actually wanted to have health insurance. As it turns out, most healthy people (those that have no immediate need of health care) don't like the fact that the government is forcing health insurance on them, while those in need of health care really like the fact that they have health insurance to help them manage costs.
• The law will slow health care premium growth rates, adding another $2,000 to family savings by 2019. According to analysis the Congressional Budget Office conducted in 2009, close to 80 percent of the population should see a reduction in premiums ranging from 0% up to 40% (in extreme cases), which the remaining 20% will see an increase in premiums up to 13%. So I guess, this statement is mostly accurate (at least 80% of it).
• As many as 17 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance.
• Nearly 3.6 million seniors who fell into the Medicare “doughnut hole” last year saved an average of $604 on prescription drugs. This is that extreme case I mentioned earlier.
• The law is expected to reduce the deficit by $127 billion from 2012 to 2021. Truth be told, actual savings is anyone's guess. Prior to the Supreme Court ruling allowing states to opt out of Medicare, the CBO pegged savings at close to $210 billion; after the ruling the new savings estimate came in at $87 billion.  And given the fact that the federal debt stands at roughly $16 trillion, I'm not sure a few billion dollars here or there is gong to matter much.

You can read up on Barack Obama's position on the healthcare here. Next time, Mitt Romney's energy plan.

Did You Know? #6

What is the highest number of Olympic medals the United States has earned in a single Summer or Winter Games?

The United States won 239 medals (78 gold, 82 silver and 79 bronze) at the 1904 Summer Games that it hosted in St. Louis. The 104 medals won at the 2012 Summer Games in London is the United States sixth largest tally. In addition to the 1904 Summer Olympics The United States earned more medals in 1968 (Mexico City - 107 medals), 1984 (Los Angeles - 173 medals), 1992 (Barcelona - 108 medals), and 2008 (Beijing - 110 medals). The United States has a won 2399 medals in the 26 Summer Olympics it has competed in which ranks first among all nations competing in at least one Summer Olympic Games. The former Soviet Union is second with 1010 medals.

The most medals the United States has ever won at a Winter Olympic Games is 37 (9 gold, 14 silver and 13 bronze) at the 2010 Games in Vancouver. The United States has won 253 meals in the 21 Winter Olympics it has competed in which ranks second among all nations competing in at least one Winter Olympic Games. Norway is first with 303 medals.

What Caught My Eye Today - U.S. Presidential Campaign, Taxation, Toplessness

U.S. Presidential Campaign - Every election season we hear reports on just how lousy voter turn out was. Kind of a sad commentary for the bastion of democracy, but we'll dwell on that topic some other day. Is it ever so slightly possible stories like this one might add some credence to the notion that "my vote doesn't really matter."? Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are locked in a close race to amass the requisite 270 Electoral College votes for victory. And the contest is exactly where it was at the start of the long, volatile summer: focused on seven states that are up for grabs. The analysis found that if the election were held today, Obama would have 19 states and the District of Columbia, offering 247 votes, solidly in his column or leaning his way, while Republican Romney would have 24 states with 206 votes. Seeing as I live in one of the 42 states (and District of Columbia) where the result of an election more than tow months away is already a foregone conclusion, I guess I can just skip the whole thing. Obviously, I'm not taking into account the importance of voting on local issues like asking my state to tax me more for services I will probably never use (again, I digress), but you can sort of see where I'm coming from. The Presidential election is like the "main event" and the vast majority of us are basically being told "don't bother". Nevertheless, on the off chance that the polls are wrong, maybe we should stick around and see how things evolve. Here's how the main two contenders stack up as of today (according to the Associated Press):

SOLIDLY DEMOCRATIC (186): California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
LEANING DEMOCRATIC (61): Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
UP FOR GRABS (85): Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia
LEANING REPUBLICAN (47): Arizona, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina
SOLIDLY REPUBLICAN (159): Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Taxation - I went off on the wealth gap situation in America back in July (click here), but given the emotional response that this topic evokes, its not terribly surprising to see another survey (this time from our friends at the Pew Research Center) confirming the obvious--rich people have too much bloody money! As the income gap between rich and poor widens, a majority of Americans say the growing divide is bad for the country and believe that wealthy people are paying too little in taxes, according to a new survey. The poll found that many Americans believe rich people to be intelligent and hardworking but also greedy and less honest than the average American. Damn straight. There's no way those rat bastards deserve to be making more than me. 58 percent, say the rich don't pay enough in taxes. Even among those who describe themselves as "upper class" or "upper middle class," 52 percent said upper-income Americans don't pay enough in taxes. See? The rat bastards feel guilty that they make more than me...as well they should. The results reinforce a tide of recent economic data showing a widening economic divide. America's middle class has been shrinking in the stagnant economy and poverty is now approaching 1960s highs, while wealth concentrates at the top. Well-off people do shoulder a big share of the tax burden. Though households earning over $1 million annually comprise just 0.3 percent of all taxpayers, they pay 20 percent of all federal taxes the government is projected to collect this year, according to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan group that studies tax policy. In contrast, households earning $50,000 to $75,000 a year accounted for 12 percent of taxpayers and contributed 9 percent of federal taxes, the center's data showed. Some 46 percent of households pay no federal income tax at all, although they do pay payroll, excise and other taxes.

Toplessness - This last story is why the First Amendment of the U.S. State Constitution (that would be Freedom of Expression) makes me proud to be an American. Some two dozen topless women protested in a New York City park as part of what they called "National Go-Topless Day" to draw attention to inequality in topless rights between men and women. There were topless men in the park, too, but nobody paid them much attention, a disparity, organizers said, that demonstrated the need for the event. I'm a bit biased what with being a guy and all, but I'm not surprised. Think about it. Have you ever seen a set of man breasts and thought to yourself, "Grrr, baby, grrr."? Yeah, I thought not. "We say there is nothing wrong with the female nipple," an organizer of the event, told the crowd that quickly formed around her in Manhattan's Bryant Park. Amen to that. References to "nip slips" and "wardrobe malfunctions" cheapen a beautiful, beautiful thing...two things actually. It is legal for women to go topless in public in New York City but laws vary widely across the United States. Similar protests were scheduled in about 30 U.S. cities and 10 around the world.

What Caught My Eye Today - Cycling, Texas, New Hampshire, Air Travel

Cycling - The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency erased 14 years of Lance Armstrong's career, including his record seven Tour de France titles, and banned him for life from the sport that made him a hero to millions of cancer survivors after concluding he used banned substances. Seeing as Armstrong retired from competition in 2011, I'm not sure this will sting as much as being stripped of all of his titles. USADA said it expected cycling's governing body to take similar action, but the International Cycling Union was measured in its response, saying it first wanted a full explanation on why Armstrong should relinquish Tour titles he won from 1999 through 2005. Armstrong said that he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, calling USADA's investigation a "witch hunt" without a shred of physical evidence. There was a quote from Armstrong's former manager Johan Brunyeel that said Armstrong never backed away from a fair fight, but one cannot help but wonder if Armstrong had truth on his side, how is it that this became such an unfair fight in the first place. The other aspect of this story that I just cannot wrap my head around is this turf war between the USADA and cycling's governing body (UCI). You would think that the UCI would have a much more evested interest in dealing with Armstrong than the USADA, yet it's investigations concluded with no finding of guilt on Armstrong's part. It's sort of hard to believe that the USADA had a personal vendetta against Armstrong that led to it rigorous pursuit of Armstrong. But knows. One thing that is beyond dispute is the $500 million that the Livestrong Foundation has raised for cancer research and the tremendous support Armstong has given to cancer patients and survivors all the world over.

Texas - As if the negative political ads aren't enough, now a county judge in Lubbock, Texas, predicts possible "civil war" if President Obama is re-elected. How telling is it that stories like this don't even surprise me anymore? The judge was on a local TV news show making his case for a tax increase, when he said hiring extra sheriff's deputies would especially be needed if Obama wins in November. "He's going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N., and what is going to happen when that happens? I'm thinking the worst. Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe. And we're not just talking a few riots here and demonstrations, we're talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy. Now what's going to happen if we do that, if the public decides to do that? He's going to send in U.N. troops. I don't want 'em in Lubbock County. OK. So I'm going to stand in front of their armored personnel carrier and say 'you're not coming in here'." Wow. This dude total live on a different plane of existence than the rest of us. Do us all a favor, will you? Stay there. Later, the judge said his original comments were taken out of context. But as the county's emergency management director, he said he has to keep a "worst case scenario" in mind if Obama returns to the White House and Democrats control the Senate. Yes, yes. By all means. Lock up the women and children. The Democrats are coming! The Democrats are coming! Honestly, is civilized discourse completed dead in this country?

New Hampshire - A Republican candidate for sherriff of Hillsborough County in New Hampshire backed down from a suggestion he would use "deadly force" to stop doctors from performing abortions, saying he "let his imagination get out of control." Do you think? The heated rhetoric came at a time when the Republican Party is already dealing with fallout from comments by Todd Akin, candidate for the U.S. Senate from Missouri, suggesting that women rarely get pregnant from "legitimate" rape. I love this last part. The candidate has made it clear in earlier campaign releases that he "decidedly" does not have law enforcement or legal experience. In the past he owned and operated a limousine service. Who needs actual job experience when you can rely on outrageous hyperbole and have just a good of a chance (perhaps even better) of getting yourself elected to public office. It's almost enough to make one feel ashamed to be part of such an electorate.

Air Travel - A Frenchwoman endured an 18-hour journey from the Pakistani city of Lahore to Paris and back again after sleeping through her plane's stop in the French capital. Good for her. As for me, I can never get comfortable enough to catch even the shortest of naps on a flight of any length. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) are investigating how ground crew failed to notice the woman during the plane's two-hour stopover at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Forget about the ground crew, what about the freaking flight crew on the original flight or the one on the return flight. One has to believe that making sure getting all the passengers off the plane is listed on a checklist somewhere. The woman left Lahore to fly to Paris via Milan, but did not wake up to get off the plane. The woman did not mention her mistake to cabin crew and the matter only came to light when she was stopped by immigration officials on arrival back in Lahore. An airline spokesperson said PIA were investigating the incident and the French subcontractor responsible for passenger handling in Paris. "We have put questions to this French firm also about the incident but it is also the responsibility of the passenger to check about the destination and disembark when the plane arrives at the particular airport." Yeah, yeah. Blame the passenger. Seriously, no one noticed this broad was still on the plane?

What Caught My Eye Today - Mitt Romney's plan for healthcare

Fred's Note: It occurs to me that in recent posts regarding the upcoming U.S. Presidential election that I am guilty of doing the same thing as various media outlets by rendering opinions on statements that I may have taken out of context. To be fair, I'm not a professional journalist and doubt very much that my blog will ever reach the critical mass that the New York Times does. However, the information is readily available to anyone who truly wants to make an informed decision come Election Day in November. With that in mind, over the next several days and weeks, I'll be posting excerpts from the websites of both the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney and the incumbent Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. It goes without saying that I will be adding some color commentary, but the content is from the candidates themselves.

Third in our series, Mitt Romney's plan for health care.

Health care is more than just one-sixth of the American economy. It is an essential source of well-being for individuals and families.

The United States health care system is blessed with many extraordinary strengths. It produces and attracts the best and the brightest across all fields of medicine, and provides unparalleled innovation, choice, and quality of care. But it also faces significant challenges: high cost, inefficiency, inconsistency, and tens of millions of Americans lacking insurance coverage. On his first day in office, Mitt Romney will issue an executive order that paves the way for the federal government to issue Obamacare waivers to all fifty states. He will then work with Congress to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible. In place of Obamacare, Mitt will pursue policies that give each state the power to craft a health care reform plan that is best for its own citizens. The federal government’s role will be to help markets work by creating a level playing field for competition.

Mitt will begin by returning states to their proper place in charge of regulating local insurance markets and caring for the poor, uninsured, and chronically ill. Certainly not the most far-fetched proposal to come out of the Romney campaign, but here's the thing, if the states were as efficient as Romney's suggests, why does so much of the health care system reside at the federal level? This has been the case long before Obamacare got enacted. States will have both the incentive and the flexibility to experiment, learn from one another, and craft the approaches best suited to their own citizens. I think it is a bit unrealistic (and a lot unfair) to expect states to get health care right the first time around. However, do we really want to entrust our health care to "trial and error" in hopes that our state governments will eventually figure things out. Admittedly, I'm skeptical, but then again I live in California, the poster child for dysfunctional government. Proposed initiatives include:

• Block grant Medicaid and other payments to states
  To be honest, I don't actually know what this means, so the only comment I can make here is, "Say what?"
• Limit federal standards and requirements on both private insurance and Medicaid coverage
  Here's how I see this playing out. Fewer standards leads to more loopholes. More loopholes leads to more exceptions. More exceptions leads to higher costs and more inefficiencies. So how will this make things better?
• Ensure flexibility to help the uninsured, including public-private partnerships, exchanges, and subsidies
  I hate to be a killjoy, but what makes Romney think that more flexibility will lead to more altruistic behavior on the part of insurance companies and health care providers?
• Ensure flexibility to help the chronically ill, including high-risk pools, reinsurance, and risk adjustment
  I guess my faith in the charitable nature of for-profit corporations (who, by the way, have to answer to shareholders) is not as strong as Romney's is.
• Offer innovation grants to explore non-litigation alternatives to dispute resolution
  Oh yeah, those will work.

Competition drives improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, offering consumers higher quality goods and services at lower cost. It can have the same effect in the health care system, if given the chance to work. Proposed initiatives include:

• Cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits
  Given that this is standard boilerplate text in any Republican platform issue, I'd be surprised if this wasn't part of Romney's plan.
• Empower individuals and small businesses to form purchasing pools
  Maybe it's just me, but this sounds rather similar to provisions in Obamacare.
• Prevent discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage
  This one, I absolutely know is part of Obamacare.
• Facilitate IT interoperability
  On one hand, since I work in the IT industry, thanks for the job security, Mr. Romney. On the other, as someone who advocates for smaller government, I find it curious how Romney plans to facilitate IT interoperability without imposing some sort of federal standard.

For markets to work, consumers must have the information and the power to make decisions about their own care. Placing the patient at the center of the process will drive quality up and cost down while ensuring that services are designed to provide what Americans actually want. Proposed initiatives include:

• End tax discrimination against the individual purchase of insurance
  Odd. I didn't know there was any tax discrimination.
• Allow consumers to purchase insurance across state lines
  How is this different from Obamacare?
• Unshackle HSAs by allowing funds to be used for insurance premiums
  Isn't this sort of akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul. The whole idea behind Health Savings Accounts is that individuals covered by high-deductible health plans can receive tax-preferred treatment of money saved for medical expenses. How does diverting money from for actual expenses to insurance premiums do anything to reduce health care costs?
• Promote "co-insurance" products
  I hate to be repetitive, but "Say what?"
• Promote alternatives to "fee for service"
  Whenever I read an grandiose statement like this without and substance to back it up with even a single example, I tend to believe, that the person making the statement doesn't really have a plan and is just playing off a nice sounding sound bite.
• Encourage "Consumer Reports"-type ratings of alternative insurance plans
  And this is going to help in what way? I've read plenty of "Consumer Reports"-type ratings on banks, airlines, you name it. If I took those ratings at face value, I'd never have another credit card or get on another airplane.

So there you have it. But don't take my word for it, form your own opinion's on the Romney health care plan. Here's where you need to go (click here). Next time we'll see how Barack Obama's health care plan measures up.

What Caught My Eye Today - Olympics, Air Travel, Congress, Town Names

Olympics - Some unfinished business from the recently completed Summer Games in London. Who got the most booty? Approximately 10,500 athletes participated in 302 events in 26 sports. Of the 204 nations (or to be precise, National Olympic Committees) participating, 85 received at least one medal; 54 won at least one gold medal. Bahrain, Botswana, Cyprus, Gabon, Grenada (a gold medal), Guatemala, and Montenegro won their first Olympic medals. Yup, goose eggs again for Bangladesh. The top five nations in medal count were:

1. United States - 104 (G: 46; S: 29; B: 29)
2. China - 88 (G: 38; S: 27; B: 23
3. Russia - 82 (G: 24; S: 26; B: 32)
4. Great Britain - 65 (G: 29; S: 17; B: 19)
   That be what you call home field advantage. This is Great Britain's second highest medal tally ever, trailing only the 146 medals it won at the 1908 Games, which coincidentally was the first time London hosted the games.
5. Germany - 44 (G: 11; S: 19; B: 14)

See you all in Sochi, Russia in February 2014.

Air Travel - Another slightly dated story, but way too amusing to pass up. An emergency layover in Syria's capital was bad enough. Then passengers on the Air France flight were asked to open their wallets to check if they had enough cash to pay for more fuel. Seriously, who could make this up? The plane, heading from Paris to Lebanon's capital, diverted amid tensions near the Beirut airport . Low on fuel, it instead landed in Damascus, the capital of neighboring Syria, where a civil war is raging. Last time I checked, Israel was in the same neighborhood, but maybe the French pissed those guys off too. An Air France spokesperson explained that the crew inquired about passenger cash only as a "precautionary measure" because of the "very unusual circumstances." I read in a separate story, that the flight attendants got enough donations from the fine folks in first class. Good thing too. I'm not sure the poor bastards in steerage would have reacted very well to yet another hidden fee. Sanctions against Syria complicated payment for extra fuel. The spokesperson went on to say Air France found a way to pay for the fill-up without tapping customer pockets — and apologized for the inconvenience. Let me guess, free upgrade coupons for Syrian President Bashar Assad and his family next time he goes on vacation (subject to blackout dates and UN travel sanctions).

Congress - As much as it pains me to say this, it appears the dumb ass comment of the year will not be awarded to Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman thanks to the distinguished gentleman from the great state of Missouri, Republican Representative Todd Akin. It seems the Congressman knows more about the female anatomy than the rest of us. In an effort to explain his stance on abortion, Representative Todd Akin, the Republican Senate nominee from Missouri, provoked ire across the political spectrum on Sunday by saying that in instances of what he called "legitimate rape," women’s bodies somehow blocked an unwanted pregnancy. "It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare," Mr. Akin said of pregnancies from rape. "If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something: I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child." Let's take this from the beginning shall we? First, can we get a clarification on the difference between "legitimate rape" and the illegitimate kind. Sorry, but I'm unfamiliar with the distinction between the two. Second, dude what doctors have you been talking to? You should really, really look into getting yourself a new physician. Third, and I mean this sincerely, you know that when you say stuff like this out loud there is the possibility that someone will hear you, right? In related news, there were reports out of Washington that the entire Democratic leadership was heard breathing a huge sign of relief that incumbent Democrat, Claire McCaskill might actually be able to hold onto her Senate seat, especially if Akin does not bow out of the Senate race.

Town Names - No redeeming quality whatsoever in this last item except perhaps that most of you can thank your lucky stars that you don't reside in one of these places. A recent poll of respondents in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa has crowned Toad Suck, Arkansas, as having the "most unfortunate" town name in the United States. Toad Suck reportedly takes its name from a once popular drinking location for boaters on the Arkansas River. The town's website explains, "While they waited, they refreshed themselves at the local tavern there, to the dismay of the folks living nearby, who said: 'They suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads.' Hence, the name Toad Suck." I don't want to get off on a tangent here, but maybe the townsfolk of Toad Suck might want to consider getting their drinking water tested. The top 10 "unfortunate" town names are: 1. Toad Suck, AR; 2. Climax, GA, 3. Boring, OR, 4. Hooker, OK, 5. Assawoman, MD, 6. Belchertown, MA, 7. Roachtown, IL, 8. Loveladies, NJ, 9. Squabbletown, CA, 10. Monkey's Eyebrow, KY. For my money, Assawoman is #1.

Did You Know? #5

Which city has been rejected the most times by the International Olympic Committee to host an Olympic games?

Detroit, Michigan has been had its bid rejected 7 times (1944, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972).

Other cities that have been rejected multiple times include: Budapest, Hungary (5 times: 1916, 1920, 1936, 1944, 1960); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5 times: 1920, 1948, 1952, 1956, 2016); Istanbul, Turkey (4 times: 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012); Madrid, Spain (3 times: 1972, 2012, 2016); Buenos Aires, Argentina (3 times: 1956, 1968, 2004); Brussels, Belgium (3 times: 1916, 1960, 1964); Havana, Cuba (3 times: 1920, 2008, 2012); Lausanne, Switzerland (3 times: 1944, 1948, 1960); Minneapolis, Minnesota (3 times: 1948, 1952, 1956). Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo,

Japan are finalists for the 2020 Summer Games to be awarded in September 2013. Tokyo has previously hosted the 1964 Summer Games.

What Caught My Eye Today - Syria, India, Antarctica, Olympics

Syria - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government. Is it just me, or does this secret order not seem so secret. The fact that I read this in Featured Headlines on Yahoo News suggests otherwise. Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad. Precisely when Obama signed the secret intelligence authorization, an action not previously reported, could not be determined. Maybe that's the secret part! A White House spokesman declined comment. Sure, now they are tight-lipped. A little late for that, don't you think, Sparky?

India - Busy week for the Asian sub-continent. India plans to launch a mission to Mars next year, putting an orbital probe around the red planet to study its climate and geology. The mission would mark another step in India's ambitious space program, which envisages the Asian giant's first manned mission in 2016. One can only assume that the timing of this auspicious undertaking coming two days after a power outage leaving 700 million citizens without electricity is completely coincidental. The estimated cost of the mission is between 4 and 5 billion rupees ($70 - $90 million dollars). India began its space program in 1963 and has developed its own satellites and launch vehicles to cut dependence on overseas agencies. In September, 2009, India's Chandrayaan-1 satellite discovered water on the moon, boosting the country's credibility among established space-faring nations. But the program suffered a major setback in December 2010 when a satellite launch vehicle blew up and fell into the Bay of Bengal after veering from its intended flight path. Yeah, complete system failure does tend to bring that celebratory mood back down to earth.

Antarctica - Not a lot to say here; it's just you don't see the frozen continent making it into the headlines very often. Drilling of the seabed off Antarctica has revealed that a rain forest grew on the frozen continent 52 million years ago. Sediment cores drilled from the ocean floor off Antarctica's east coast revealed fossil pollens that had come from a "near-tropical" forest covering the continent in the Eocene period, 34-56 million years ago. analysis of temperature-sensitive molecules in the cores had showed it was "very warm" 52 million years ago, measuring about 20 degrees Celsius (68 F). Higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were thought to be the major driver of the heat and ice-free conditions on Antarctica, with CO2 estimates of anywhere between 990 to "a couple of thousand" parts per million. CO2 is presently estimated at about 395ppm. The ice on east Antarctica is thought to have formed about 34 million years ago. It has been suggested that there would be major impacts to global temperatures were the ice to recede, because it is an integral cooling mechanism for the planet, regulating the temperature by reflecting the sun's energy into space. Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I wonder if I should trade my timeshare in Hawaii for some nice beachfront property on the South Pole? You know, before prices start to go up.

Olympics - When Olympic medalists return to the United States, they're in high demand. They'll also draw some unwanted interest from everyone's favorite bureaucrats: the IRS. Medalists will have to pay hefty taxes for standing on the podium in London. It's not the value of the medal itself that will require a separate line on this years tax returns, it's the tax on the prize money that comes with a gold, silver or bronze. See this is why no one likes the tax man. The United States Olympic Committee rewards Olympic medalists with honorariums. A gold medal brings $25,000. Silver medals get you $15,000. And a bronze is worth $10,000 which translate to tax bills of $8,986, $5,385 and $3,500 respectively. Rumor has it that there is bi-partisan support in Congress to pass a tax exemption law for medal winners. Of course, they're going to have to find a way to fund this tax break, so I won't be holding my breath on this one.

Olympics - Six days into competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, medals have been awarded for 89 of 302 events. For the first time, The United States tops the medal table in both total medals and gold with 37, 18 of which are gold. Japan (19), Germany (17) and Russia (17) round out the top 5. Host nation, Great Britain is starting to hit its stride with 15 medals, good enough for 7th on the medal table. In the run for the gold, the United States and China have a sizable lead over South Korea with 7 golds (8th in total medals), France with 6 (6th overall) and Great Britain with 5. Out of the 209 nations compete in the Games, 49 have been awarded at least one medal. Alas, poor Bangladesh is not one of them.

What Caught My Eye Today - Barack Obama, India, Postal Service, Olympics

India - Grids supplying electricity to half of India's 1.2 billion people collapsed on Tuesday, in the second major blackout in as many days. More than a dozen states with a population of 670 million people were without power. Revised estimates put the number at closer to 700 million which, for those of you who like context, is the same as the entire population of the United States, twice; or if you prefer a more global perspective, 10% of the world population. Either way...damn, that's a lot of people. The outage was the worst to hit India in more than a decade and embarrassed the government, which has failed to build up enough power capacity to meet soaring demand. India's Power Minister blamed the system collapse on some states drawing more than their share of electricity from the over-burdened grid. India's electricity distribution and transmission is mostly state run, with private companies operating in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Less than a quarter of generation is private nationwide. Although I don't mention it here, it seems India relies upon the honor system to ensure that there is enough energy to go around. No doubt a noble idea. Then again, so is world peace. More than half the country's electricity is generated by coal, with hydro power and nuclear also contributing. Power shortages and a creaky road and rail network have weighed heavily on the Asia's third-largest economy's efforts to industrialize. Grappling with the slowest economic growth in nine years, the government recently scaled back a target to pump $1 trillion into infrastructure over the next five years. Yeah, these guys can't catch much of a break at the Olympics either. The world's second most populous nation has managed just one medal so far, a bronze in Shooting. Still that one more than our hapless Bangladeshi friends have managed. More on the Olympics in a moment.

Barack Obama - A study from Ancestry.com has determined that President Obama is related to John Punch, the first black African enslaved for life in America--which would make Punch the 11th great-grandfather of Obama. I'm telling you, this guy's family tree must look more like a tropical forest than a tree. The connection is made through Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunhan. Punch tried to escape indentured servitude in colonial Virginia in 1640 and was punished by becoming enslaved for life. Records show that Punch had children with a white woman, and her status as free was passed on to her offspring. Punch's descendants became successful landowners in the slave-owning state of Virginia. This would mean that the first documented slave and the first African American president have a shared lineage. Anyone want to place bets on whether or not someone (paging Michele Bachmann) tries to draw the conclusion that Obama's root can be traced by to slave owners? Ironic, wouldn't you say? Genealogists seem to be fascinated with the current president's family tree: The site has also traced an Irish branch of Obama's family. And researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society claim he is the distant cousin of movie star Brad Pitt and six past presidents, including George W. Bush. In all fairness, what else do genealogists have to occupy their time? This sort of thing is pretty much what they do.

Postal Service - Here's an amusing followup to an item I mentioned in my lavish praise of Congress' recent accomplishments. In the 18 months, the 112th Congress has been sworn in, the House has introduced 60 bills to rename post offices. 38 have passed the House and 26 have become law. Not a single bill has come to the House floor aimed at reforming a Postal Service, which is bleeding billions of dollars because of Congressional mandates. Naturally. That would require some actual decision making and, I daresay, compromise. The United States Postal Service just defaulted on a Congressional mandate to pay $5.5 billion to "prefund" health benefits for future retirees, and will miss an additional $5.6 billion payment due on September 30. The Postal Service is trying to pull itself out of a $22.5 billion budget shortfall. Still, the USPS could have it worse; it could be facing a the $1.1 trillion deficit facing the U.S. government. Come to think of it, maybe the Postal Service should look elsewhere for solutions to it's budget crisis. I'm not sure Congress is a beacon of fiscal discipline.

Olympics - Five days into competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, medals have been awarded for 71 of 302 events. The People's Republic of China tops the medal table with 30 medals. 17 of which are gold, which apparently is all that really counts unless, of course, you happen to be one of those 142 athletes who received a silver or bronze medal. The United States is second with 29 medals. Japan (17), France (13) and Germany (13) round out the top 5. However, if you gauge success solely on gold medals, then the top five looks like this: China - 17, United States - 12, South Korea - 6, France - 5, North Korea - 4. Host nation, Great Britain is tied for 8th with 9 medals including 2 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze. For an Olympics remarkably short on controversy (despite the media's fervent attempts to create some), we finally have one, sort of. A scoring controversy in Fencing? No. Sour grapes over the performance of a rather gifted young swimmer? Not so much. Racist remarks on Twitter? Nope. All of these happened, but the controversy I'm referring to comes from the world of badminton. I kid you not. In successive games two opposing women's doubles teams lined up against each other and tried to lose. It appeared they were trying to secure a more favorable draw in knockout play or, in the case of a Chinese team, to avoid playing their fellow countrymen until the finals. Badminton World Federation officials were aghast, even though it isn't uncommon in sports for teams to attempt to manipulate results in pool play to set up the best possible route in a playoff. An elaborate disciplinary machine was churned up, and eventually all eight athletes were thrown out of the competition, which inspired frustration, outrage, finger pointing, and one of the most enduring parts of Olympic competition: nationalistic indignation. The Chinese, to their credit, declined to even appeal. Yeah, they did it. Indonesia did at first, but eventually they sheepishly pulled the argument and conceded the point. That left South Korea in the awkward position of saying that while it appeared they were trying to lose on purpose, the truth is their players were just terrible. I'm going stop now. How in the world could I possibly top this?

What Caught My Eye Today - Barack Obama's plan for jobs and economic growth

Fred's Note: It occurs to me that in recent posts regarding the upcoming U.S. Presidential election that I am guilty of doing the same thing as various media outlets by rendering opinions on statements that I may have taken out of context. To be fair, I'm not a professional journalist and doubt very much that my blog will ever reach the critical mass that the New York Times does. However, the information is readily available to anyone who truly wants to make an informed decision come Election Day in November. With that in mind, over the next several days and weeks, I'll be posting excerpts from the websites of both the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney and the incumbent Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. It goes without saying that I will be adding some color commentary, but the content will be from the candidates themselves.

Second in our series , Barack Obama's plan for jobs and economic growth.

The President is taking aggressive steps to put Americans back to work and create an economy where hard work pays and responsibility is rewarded. We’ve added back more than 4.4 million private sector jobs and seen 28 straight months of job growth—but there’s more work to do. When President Obama took office, he both addressed the immediate economic crisis and laid the foundation for a U.S. economy that’s built to last.

• Putting Americans Back To Work: When President Obama took office, the economy was losing more than 700,000 jobs per month. President Obama acted quickly to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which cut taxes for small businesses and 95% of working families. It also included emergency funding to support about 300,000 educator jobs, more than 4,600 law enforcement positions, and investments in the clean energy sector that supported 224,500 jobs through 2010. Through May 2012, the economy has added 4.4 million private sector jobs over 28 consecutive months of job growth. In his State of the Union address, the President laid out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last—an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values. I have to say, I'm a bit underwhelmed by Obama's plan, or lack thereof, regarding the economy. Almost all of his positions regarding the economy highlight past accomplishments. No offense, Mr. President, but we live in a world where "What will you do for me?" counts for much more that "What have you done for me?". I'm not saying that's fair, but that's the world we live in.
• Investing in American Manufacturing and Innovation: President Obama wants to grow high-technology U.S. manufacturing capacity and supply clean energy projects with American-made parts and equipment. That’s why he’s provided tax incentives to and made investments in clean energy technologies such as wind turbines and advanced car batteries. He has launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, a national effort to invest in technologies that will create high-quality manufacturing jobs and enhance America’s global competitiveness. He also signed the America Invents Act, historic patent reform legislation that will help American entrepreneurs bring inventions to market sooner, helping to create new businesses and new jobs. While amounting to a snooze-fest for most of the general population, the America Invents Act is a pretty big deal and has the potential for paying vast dividends in terms of preserving the United States' place at the top of the value chain. But again, what is the plan for the next four years.
• Supporting Small Business: President Obama has passed tax cuts for small businesses 18 times and streamlined the patent process, providing a new fast track option to cut wait times by two-thirds and help small business innovators move ideas from the lab to market. The Affordable Care Act provides small business owners with better affordable health care options for employees, simpler administrative operating rules, and billions of dollars in tax relief. Eighteen times? I don't remember that many, but I will chalk that up to either boring press or a lousy PR guy in the Obama Administration. And I'm not sure I'd be touting the Affordable Care Act as the silver bullet that will solve all that ails the nation just yet. Most of provisions don't kick in for another two years.
• Made in America: President Obama created the National Export Initiative, an effort to help businesses compete in the global marketplace and double our nation’s exports by 2015, a target we’re on track to meet. To level the playing field for American businesses and workers, Obama signed trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. Together, the agreements are estimated to increase exports by approximately $13 billion and support more than 70,000 American jobs. More great sound bites, but where is the substance?
• Rescuing the U.S. auto industry: President Obama made the tough and politically unpopular decision to extend emergency rescue loans to the American auto industry, saving more than 1 million jobs and preventing the loss of over $96 billion in personal income—and the collapse of manufacturing in the Midwest. Other than getting his health care reform legislation enacted, this is probably Obama's next biggest achievement. And for once, I agree that he should use this in his stump for another term. Romney doesn't really have a leg to stand on with regard to this one issue.
• Wall Street Reform: President Obama passed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to hold Wall Street accountable, prevent future financial crises, and end the era of "too big to fail." Wall Street reform ensures that if a financial company fails, it will be Wall Street that pays the price—not the American people—and sets ground rules for the riskiest financial speculation. President Obama also enacted a Credit Card Bill of Rights to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive practices, like over-the-limit charges and hidden costs. Too bad Congress has done a great job of doing practical nothing to enact any of the provisions of the legislation. More than likely, the opposition will spin this as Obama being unfriendly to big business and entrepreneurship. A bogus claim, but since when has that mattered?
• Protecting Consumers: Through Wall Street Reform, President Obama created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency defends consumers from unfair and abusive financial practices and makes sure that credit card companies and mortgage and payday lenders follow the rules. Again, unless the Democrats manage to keep a majority in the Senate and, somehow, take back the House, I fear this act will be much ado about nothing

Once again, I urge you to form your own opinions rather than rely on my brilliant insights or anyone else's. You can read up on Barack Obama's position on the economy here. Next time, Mitt Romney's stance on health care.

What Caught My Eye Today - Michele Bachmann, Israel, Congress, Time, Olympics

Michele Bachmann - Minnesota Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann has alleged that Huma Abedin, one of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's top aides, has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. This should be good. Bachmann cites reports that Abedin's long-deceased father once "crossed paths of people" associated with the organization. If that isn't ironclad proof, I don't know what is. Based on this information, Bachmann alleges that Abedin is helping Islamists "secretly burrow their way into our government." Well, duh. With a name like Abedin, he must be be a radical Islamic fundamentalist. Fellow Republicans, including Senator John McCain of Arizona, are condemning Bachmann for launching "an unwarranted and unfounded attack on an honorable woman." Bachmann refuses to relent, and Abedin is now receiving death threats. I sometimes wonder what sort of cranial wiring it takes to to dream this stuff up. Seriously, was it a slow news day or what? You wouldn't believe how many media outlets picked up on this story. I have to confess I was laughing after reading this, and then it dawned on me that some poor guy has received death threats based on the preposterous rantings of a government official who clearly lives in a different reality than the rest of us. Shame on me, and shame on Michele Bachmann.

Israel - Moshe Silman, a son of Holocaust survivors set himself on fired during a protest and later died of his burns. If memory serves, this is not the first time someone has resorted to this form of protest. Don't help me...it'll come to me. A few years ago, Silman lost his business and incurred a small debt, and his nightmare began. Tangled in a web of bureaucracy, he was harassed by various government agencies. His appeals for public housing were ignored until, on the brink of homelessness, he set himself alight in public at a rally marking the anniversary of last year's protests for social justice. Yup, I definitely remember reading something like this...oh, when was it? February, 2011...just before spring. Same part of the world too, I think? The demonstrations following his self-immolation reveal that a portion of the Israeli population is "like a powder keg ready to explode." Ah ha! Arab Spring. That's it! Of course, I'm not sure I would have predicted that Israel would be prone to this sort of protest. Then again if you had asked me in January 2011 if Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and Syria were all going to be subject to regime change and/or civil war, I probably would have said no that that as well.

Congress - The U.S. Congress has sent only 54 bills to President Barack Obama so far this year, including 14 to rename post offices, 9 to approve real estate transactions, and 6 to renew existing laws. That record puts the current Congress on track to be one of the least productive sessions in recent times. THUD! That would be me falling out of my chair at that shocking revelation. Truth be told, I'm surprised they were able to agree on that many.

Time - A new study used atomic clocks to confirm Albert Einstein's prediction that time runs faster the higher off the ground you are. For every foot about ground, a person ages about 90 billionths of a second (0.000000009) faster over a lifetime. Let's put some context to this, shall we? The average global life expectancy in 2010 was 67.2 years which equates to 2,403,043,200 seconds. Now, let's say that you choose to spent your entire lifetime in residence at the summit of Mount Everest (elevation 20,029 ft). Well, my friend, you would be 2.6 ten thousands of a second older than the dude who decided to spend his lifetime at sea level. But maybe we aren't thinking big enough. What if terra firma just isn't your deal? Let's say you spend your lifetime on the International Space Station, with has an average orbit of about 230 miles (1,214,400 feet) about the earth. Well now we are talking about some serious aging, just over one hundredth of a second (0.01). Bottom line, well I'm not sure there is one. I probably lost the vast majority of you at that "90 billionths of a second" bit.

Olympics - Three days into competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, medals have been awarded for 38 of 302 events. The People's Republic of China and the United States top the medal table with 17 medals apiece, though China has more gold (9 to 5). Japan (11), Italy (8) and France (7) round out the top 5. Host nation, Great Britain is tied for 10th with 3 medals, a silver and 2 bronze.

Did You Know? #4

How much of the U.S. tax dollar is spent on Healthcare?

In 2011, 23.7% of every tax dollar was spent on healthcare. The complete breakdown of 2011 taxpayer receipts (according to the White House) looks like this:

• National Defense - 24.9%
• Health care - 23.7%
• Job and Family Security - 19.1%
• Education and Job Training - 3.6%
• Veterans Benefits - 4.5%
• Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment - 2.0%
• International Affairs - 1.6%
• Science, Space, and Technology Programs - 1.0%
• Immigration, Law Enforcement, and Administration of Justice - 2.0%
• Agriculture - 0.7%
• Community, Area, and Regional Development - 0.5%
• Response to Natural Disasters - 0.4%
• Additional Government Programs - 7.9%
• Net Interest - 8.1%

In 2010, the breakdown was as follows:

• National Defense - 26.3%
• Health Care - 24.3%
• Job and Family Security - 21.9%
• Education and Job Training - 4.8%
• Veterans Benefits - 4.1%
• Natural Resources, Energy and Environment - 2.1%
• International Affairs - 1.7%
• Science, Space, and Technology Programs - 1.2%
• Immigration, Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice - 2.0%
• Agriculture - 0.8%
• Community, Area, and Regional Development - 0.5%
• Response to Natural Disasters - 0.4%
• Additional Government Programs - 2.4%
• Net Interest - 7.4%

What Caught My Eye Today - Mitt Romney's plan for jobs and economic growth

Fred's Note: It occurs to me that in recent posts regarding the upcoming U.S. Presidential election that I am guilty of doing the same thing as various media outlets by rendering opinions on statements that I may have taken out of context. To be fair, I'm not a professional journalist and doubt very much that my blog will ever reach the critical mass that the New York Times does. However, the information is readily available to anyone who truly wants to make an informed decision come Election Day in November. With that in mind, over the next several days and weeks, I'll be posting excerpts from the websites of both the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney and the incumbent Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. It goes without saying that I will be adding some color commentary, but the content will be from the candidates themselves.

First up, Mitt Romney's plan for jobs and economic growth.

Fostering job creation through economic growth will be Mitt Romney's top priority from his first day in office. Romney plans to introduce 5 bills on his first day in office:

• The American Competitiveness Act: Reduces the corporate income tax rate to 25%
  Given that the U.S. has the distinction of having the highest corporate income tax rate on the planet (39.2%), this sounds like a good idea. However, what Romney neglects to say is that Obama has a similar proposal to cut the corporate tax rate (though only to 28%) and that even if this tax cut goes through, the U.S. will continue to have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, so it is not exactly clear to me just have much of any impact this will have one way or the other. I suspect not much, but it sure sounds good, don't it?
• The Open Markets Act: Reinstates the president’s Trade Promotion Authority to facilitate negotiation of new trade agreements.
  Pretty much every President, regardless of party affiliation wants this authority. Basically, this legislation allows the President to expedite the implementation of free trade agreements, like the ones Obama signed with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. So good luck with that, Mr. Romney. Unless the Republicans take control of the Senate, Romney will face the same obstacle that Obama has. Oh, didn't you know? Obama tried to renew the bill but got rejected by the Senate.
• The Domestic Energy Act: Directs the Department of the Interior to undertake a comprehensive survey of American energy reserves in partnership with exploration companies and initiates leasing in all areas currently approved for exploration.
• The Retraining Reform Act: Consolidates the sprawl of federal retraining programs and returns funding and responsibility for these programs to the states.
  I'm sure there is a "drill, baby, drill" reference in here, someplace. Here's the thing. Domestic oil production is at a 10 year high as are stockpiles, not that gas prices reflect that (which is where I suspect, Romney is going with this). Most experts agree that supply is not as much of a factor as speculation when it comes to the price of oil.
• The Down Payment on Fiscal Sanity Act: Immediately cuts non-security discretionary spending by 5%, reducing the annual federal budget by $20 billion.
  A whole $20 billion? Whoop-de-do! That amounts to just over 1.5% of the 2012 budget deficit. Way to reach for the stars, big man.

Tax Policy: Romney will hold the line on individual income tax rates and eliminate taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains for low- and middle-income taxpayers. He will eliminate the estate tax. He will immediately lower the corporate income tax rate, and then explore opportunities to further lower the marginal rate while broadening the tax base. He will also begin the process of transitioning to a territorial corporate tax system. A territorial system must be designed to encourage multinational companies to bring their profits back into the U.S. and it must avoid the creation of incentives for outsourcing. Great news for all of lower and middle-class working class stiffs who lie awake at night trying to figure out how to shield their stock portfolios and inheritances from the big bad tax man. And don't even get me started on which off shore tax havens I should set my my "blind trust" in.

Regulatory Policy: As president, Romney will work to repeal laws like Obamacare and Dodd-Frank that have given bureaucrats unprecedented discretion to craft unpredictable, job-killing regulations. Romney will also initiate the immediate review of all Obama-era regulations with the goal of eliminating any that unduly burden the economy and job creation. he will impose a regulatory cap on all agencies at zero dollars, meaning that an agency issuing a new regulation must go through a budget-like process and identify offsetting cost reductions from the existing regulatory burden. Other initiatives in a Romney Administration will include a new, cost-conscious approach to environmental regulation; an increased role for Congress in the approval of new regulations; and reforms to the legal liability system. So in a nutshell, if it is in any way connected to the Obama administration, it must be bad for business, stupid, illegal or some combination of all three. But hey, at least Romney is applying the same standard for everything.

Trade Policy: Romney will work to open foreign markets for American goods and services on terms that work for America. Romney will submit pending Free Trade Agreements to Congress, conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, and seek Trade Promotion Authority to pursue new trading relationships. He will also create the "Reagan Economic Zone," a multilateral trading bloc open to any country committed to the principles of open markets and free enterprise. Romney will also ensure that existing trade agreements are enforced. Romney will seek to build a constructive relationship with China on the basis of mutual respect, while also making clear that the United States will no longer tolerate Chinese practices that unfairly benefit their economy at the expense of ours. Yeah, I think we covered this already. I suppose, if Romney wins in November, that all this idyllic hyperbole (wishful thinking seems a bit harsh), won't really matter in the giant scheme of things.

Energy Policy: Romney will pursue an energy policy that puts conservative principles into action: significant regulatory reform, support for increased production, and a government that focuses on funding basic research instead of chasing fads and picking winners. Romney will streamline federal regulation of energy exploration and development so that the government acts as a facilitator of those activities instead of as an obstacle to them. He will significantly expand the areas available for energy development, including in the Gulf of Mexico, the Outer Continental Shelf, Western lands, and Alaska. He will strengthen partnerships with Canada and Mexico to expand opportunities for American companies in the development of those nations’ resources. And he will encourage continued development of unconventional reserves like shale gas and oil that hold enormous promise for expanding the base of U.S. reserves. Here's a fun fact. If you substitute Obama everyplace you see Romney's name, you pretty much have the same energy policy.

Labor Policy: Romney will protect the worker rights and employer flexibility crucial to innovation, economic growth, and job creation. His first step in improving labor policy will be to ensure that our labor laws create a stable and level playing field on which businesses can operate. Romney will seek amendments to the National Labor Relations Act that protect free enterprise, free choice, and free speech. The Act must be amended to ensure that it does not allow the National Labor Relations Board to constrain companies in their investment decisions. I don't profess to know squat about labor relations and, to be honest, I'm not sure the need for unions is the same as it was when they first came into being. The workplace has evolved a bit since 1827. However, I find it curious that in one breath, Romney says he will protect worker rights and in the next he plans to gut one of the organizations whose sole purpose is to do just that. And another thing, since when have worker rights and employer flexibility ever been in alignment?

Human Capital Policy: Romney sees two important objectives that America can pursue immediately to build on the extraordinary traditional strengths of its workforce. The first is to retrain American workers to ensure that they have the education and skills to match the jobs of today’s economy. The second is to attract the best and brightest from around the world. Romney will focus retraining efforts on a partnership that brings together the states and the private sector. Romney will also press for an immigration policy that maximizes America’s economic potential. He will raise the ceiling on the number of visas issued to holders of advanced degrees in math, science, and engineering who have job offers in those fields from U.S. companies and will also work to establish a policy that staples a green card to the diploma of every eligible student visa holder who graduates from an American university with an advanced degree in math, science, or engineering. That comment I made about Romney's Energy Policy above by and large applies here too.

Fiscal Policy: Romney will immediately move to cut spending and cap it at 20% of GDP and to cut non-security discretionary spending by 5%. He will also work to reform Medicaid, converting it to a federal block grant administered by the states, and he will provide the leadership necessary to make progress in reforming other entitlement programs. He will undertake a fundamental restructuring of the federal government that places the burden on the federal agency to establish why a program or service must be provided at the federal level and gives to the private sector and the states whatever functions they can perform more effectively. Finally, he will pursue a Balanced Budget Amendment. Yeah, yeah. Good for you.

Should you wish to draw your own conclusions, I applaud you. Here's where you need to go (click here). Next time we'll see how Barack Obama's plan measures up.

What Caught My Eye Today - Poverty, Olympics, Berlin

Poverty - An Associated Press survey found the official U.S. poverty rate will rise from 15.1% percent in 2010 to as high as 15.7% in 2011, the highest level since 1965. Among the survey findings:

• Poverty will remain above the pre-recession level of 12.5% for many more years.
• Suburban poverty, already at a record level of 11.8%, will increase again in 2011.
• Part-time or underemployed workers, who saw a record 15% poverty in 2010, will rise to a new high.
• Poverty among people 65 and older will remain at historically low levels, buoyed by Social Security cash payments.
• Child poverty will increase from its 22% level in 2010.
• The poorest poor, defined as those at 50% or less of the poverty level, will remain near its peak level of 6.7%.

It's a shame that the one bright spot in all this--Social Security--is headed for insolvency. But that is not the most discouraging thing. Nor is the fact that none of these statistics come as much of a surprise. To me, the biggest tragedy here is that neither of the candidates for President seem to have the slightest interest in talking about how they plan to tackle this issue.

Olympics - Guor Marial, a South-Sudanese refugee qualified for the Olympics last October after meeting the Olympic "A" standard with a run of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 32 seconds at the 2011 Twin Cities Marathon. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires athletes to be full citizens of the countries they represent. Though Marial has lived in the U.S. for 11 years, he has yet to gain full citizenship and his status as a permanent resident isn't enough to allow him to wear red, white and blue at the games. Marial was born in what is now the Republic of South Sudan, a newly independent country without a National Olympic Committee, an IOC requirement for nations to be able to compete in the games. I appreciate the fact that without rules there would be chaos, but still, you have to feel for this poor guy. With no country to represent, Marial petitioned the IOC to run as an independent participant under the Olympic flag. Just days before the Games begin, Marial found out the IOC will allow him to run in the Olympic marathon as an independent participant under the Olympic flag. I don't imagine I will have much to praise the IOC about in the coming days, but they did the right thing here. Bravo.

Olympics - Incidentally, although the Games don't officially begin for two more days, competition is already underway in soccer stadiums across the United Kingdom as women's group play commenced. For those of you who keep track of stuff like this, early results include: Great Britain 1 - 0 New Zealand; Canada 1 - 2 Japan; France 2 - 4 United States; and Brazil 5 - 0 Cameroon.

Berlin - By far, the most amusing news item I've read in a long, long time. The sleepy hamlet of Mittenwalde in eastern Germany could become one of the richest towns in the world if Berlin were to repay it an outstanding debt that dates back to 1562. A certificate of debt, found in a regional archive, attests that Mittenwalde lent Berlin 400 guilders on May 28 1562, to be repaid with six percent interest per year. How much could that possibly amount to?. The debt would amount to 11,200 guilders today, which is roughly equivalent to 112 million euros. That doesn't seem so bad. Adjusting for compound interest and inflation, the total debt now lies in the trillions. Halt deine Fresse! The debt-laden German capital would have difficulty meeting Mittenwalde's demands anyway. According to a report released by the senate finance administration in June 2012, Berlin is already close to 63 billion euros in the red. Indeed. I don't know about you, but if I'm a Berliner and some wichser from Mettenwalde came looking for payback, I might feel compelled to say, "fahr zur holle" (Fred's note: Assume it's funny. Trust me, it's not worth the effort to translate).

Did You Know? #3

What do the following have in common? Beef Production, Cement Work, First Aid to Animals, Hog and Pork Production, Nut Culture, Rabbit Raising, Stalking.

These are merit badges formerly offered by the Boy Scouts of America. In some cases, the entire subject has been dropped from the merit badge roster. In others, the merit badge's name has been changed, with or without significant revision to the badge's requirements. At the start of 2012 there were 129 merit badges, with another 5 expecting in the next couple of years: Search and Rescue, Programming, Game Design, Animation and Signs, Signals & Codes. Click here to see the complete list of current merit badges.

What Caught My Eye Today - Olympics, PACs and Canada

Olympics - For those of you living under a rock or otherwise preoccupied, the 2012 Summer Olympics kick off this Wednesday, with some preliminary soccer matches in advance of the official opening ceremonies this Friday.  So, on one hand you'll see a lot more postings on this topic than usual, but on the other, I promise that most of my stuff probably won't make the scant 3500 hours of coverage, our friends at NBC will be offering (more on that in a moment). To wit, I give you this first little gem on the ultimate underdog nation. Bangladesh is home to more than 152 million people, making it the eighth most populated country in the world, yet its Olympic futility is so bad it makes one wonder if a statistical mistake has been made. Bangladesh has never won a single medal at the Olympic Games and is unlikely to do anything to change that tortured record over the next few weeks. Of the International Olympic Committee's 204 members, 80 have never medaled. Many of the nations are tiny by comparison, although Myanmar (the world's 25th most populated country) and Nepal (45th) are also on the medal-free list. Meanwhile, Tonga (195th in population) has an Olympic silver, Barbados (181st) a bronze and Iceland (178th) two of each. The Bahamas, ranked 177th, has excelled with 10 total medals, four of them gold. Perhaps most extraordinary about Bangladesh is not its dearth of medals, but that it has never had an athlete qualify for an Olympics based on performance in competition. Every one of the country's representatives, stretching back to 1984, has been courtesy of the IOC's wildcard system, devised to assist competitors from nations low on the international sports pecking order. That is the case again for London, where a four-strong Bangladesh team featuring an archer, a gymnast, a shooter and a swimmer will march in the Opening Ceremony, all of them thanks to the wildcard allotment. Kind of makes you hope that one of these wildcards can somehow manage to make it beyond the first round. Not likely, but one can always hope. So 3500 hours, huh? I did some checking and if you take 17 days of competition multiplied by 24 hours, that gives you 408 hours or roughly 12% of the 3500 hours of boob tube coverage that NBC is offering. That's a lot of coverage...which is my way of transitioning to this next item.

Television - Binge viewing is transforming the way people watch television and changing the economics of the industry. The passive couch potato of the broadcast era turned into the channel surfer, flipping through hundreds of cable channels. Now, technologies such as on-demand video and digital video recorders are giving rise to the binge viewer, who devours shows in quick succession, episode after episode, season after season. Ain't technology grand? And how about that advanced civilization we are all so proud to be part of. We've evolved from mere couch potatoes to hardcore bingers. Way to go, team. Brain chemistry plays a role in bingeing. Viewers identify with characters on screen and subconsciously begin to mimic their emotions—be it sadness or triumph or anxiety, and each emotional state triggers different brain chemicals, which linger. The urge to sustain that inner experience leads you to press "play" on the next episode, and the one after that, the equivalent of the book you can't put down. Longer, uninterrupted viewing sessions can lead to a deeper virtual-reality experience of the narrative. It can seem more real, from a neurological point of view. I'm going to go off the reservation, just this once and suggest a couple of remedies for those of us suffering from binge viewing. Option 1, read a book; option 2, go outside and get some fresh air; option 3, get a life, you degenerate blight on humanity!

Political Action Committees (PACs) - 0.000063 percent of the United States' population, 196 super wealthy people, have given more than 80 percent of the Super PAC money spent in the current U.S. presidential election. Freedom of speech or buying an election? I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

Olympics - For the first time in history, the U.S. Olympic team will have more female athletes competing than males in this summer's Games in London. The 530 member team consists of 261 males and 269 women. First time for everything, right?

Canada - The average Canadian is now richer than the average American. The net worth of the average Canadian household in 2011 was $363,202, while the average American household had a net worth of $319,970. I never liked those Canadians; they talk funny.

What Caught My Eye Today - Colorado, Warner Bros., Syria

Colorado - I bet if you asked most Coloradans they would be hard press to recall a month as lousy as July has been. Half state got ravaged by firestorms and if that's not enough, some whack job takes completely takes leave of his senses in the middle of a packed movie theater. A gunman in a gas mask and body armor killed 12 people at a midnight premiere of the new "Batman" movie in a suburb of Denver early on Friday, opening fire on moviegoers after hurling a gas canister into the theater. Armed with an assault rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, he wounded 59 others with gunfire during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" at a mall in Aurora. Arriving on the scene within 90 seconds of the first emergency calls, police immediately took into custody the suspect in a parking lot behind the cinema, where he surrendered without a fight. President Barack Obama and his Republican presidential rival, Mitt Romney, toned down their campaigns, pulled their campaign ads from Colorado and dedicated their scheduled events to sympathy for the victims. I am generally an optimist. Sure, my sense of humor is a bit twisted, but I really am a glass half-full sort of guy. Then something like this happens. I cannot help but wonder what sort of world we live in where someone has the capacity and will to commit such an atrocity. However, I'm confident this feeling will pass as the survivors of this tragedy show us all what it means to get back on their feet and get on with the business of living. See...glass half full. Warner Bros. - The midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises," of one of the most anticipated films in years became enmeshed with a horrifying tragedy. The shooting reverberated through Hollywood and upended carefully laid plans for the global release of "The Dark Knight Rises."

Warner Bros. quickly canceled a premiere planned for Paris and canceled press interviews in France. "Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident," read a statement from Warner Bros. "We extend our prayers and deepest sympathies to the victims, their loved ones and those affected by this tragedy." I cannot imagine a worse nightmare scenario for a movie opening than this. It almost makes you feel sorry for the guys in the corner office...almost.

Syria - What a mess. The Syrian uprising, also referred to as the Syrian civil war, is an ongoing internal armed conflict in Syria. It began in March 2011 with public demonstrations as part of the wider Arab Spring and developed into a nationwide uprising. Protesters have demanded the end to nearly five decades of Ba’ath Party rule, as well as the resignation of Bashar al-Assad. On July 15, the International Committee of the Red Cross assessed the Syrian conflict as a "non-international armed conflict" (the ICRC's legal term for civil war), thus applying the international humanitarian law under the Geneva Conventions in Syria. According to various sources, including the United Nations, between 18,925 and 50,170 people have been killed, of which about half were civilians. Thousands of protesters have been imprisoned, and there have been reports of widespread torture in the government's prisons. International organizations have also accused the government and Shabiha of using civilians as human shields, and of intentionally targeting civilians. The U.N. refugee agency said between 8,500 and 30,000 Syrians had entered Lebanon in the past 48 hours, and thousands of Iraqis have also returned home, a bitter trip for many who fled to Syria from their own country's civil war. Jeez. Some people just cannot catch a break. The U.N. refugee agency estimates that some 120,000 Syrian refugees were in neighboring countries and another 1 million were displaced inside Syria. Note to self: glass half full, glass half full, glass half full...

Did You Know? #2

What do Helium, Neon, Argon, Radon, Xenon and Krypton have in common?

They are noble gases. Noble gases are a group of chemical elements with very similar properties: under standard conditions, they are all odorless, colorless, monatomic gases, with very low chemical reactivity. The abundances of the noble gases in the universe decrease as their atomic numbers increase. Helium is the most common element in the universe after hydrogen. The prices of the noble gases are influenced by their natural abundance, with argon being the cheapest and xenon the most expensive. Noble gases have very low boiling and melting points, which makes them useful as cryogenic refrigerants. Noble gases are commonly used in lighting because of their lack of chemical reactivity. Argon, mixed with nitrogen, is used as a filler gas for incandescent light bulbs. Some noble gases have direct application in medicine. Helium is sometimes used to improve the ease of breathing of asthma sufferers. Xenon is used as an anesthetic because of its high solubility in lipids, which makes it more potent than the usual nitrous oxide, and because it is readily eliminated from the body, resulting in faster recovery. Radon, which is highly radioactive and is only available in minute amounts, is used in radiotherapy.

What Caught My Eye Today - Healthcare, Supreme Court, Citizenship

Healthcare - Alaska's Governor Sean Parnell announced his state will not set up a program allowing residents to buy health insurance across state lines as envisioned under the Obama administration's new healthcare law, leaving that task to the U.S. government. Parnell said it is too expensive for the state to set up an insurance-exchange program, as required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and that the federal government should bear the responsibility of creating and running the exchange. Bear in mind that this is the same state that in 2011 sent $1174 checks to every one of its residents as a result of Alaska's vast oil wealth. But I digress. Under the healthcare law, states must have insurance exchanges in place by 2014. If states decline to set up their own exchanges, the federal government will establish an exchange. Alaska, at Parnell's direction, was one of the states that sued to overturn the healthcare law. The U.S. Supreme Court last month upheld the U.S. healthcare overhaul, but allowed states to opt out of the provision to expand the Medicaid program for the poor, which is jointly funded by federal and state governments and represents the biggest spending item in most state budgets. Five Republican governors (Wisconsin, Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Alaska) have said publicly they will refuse the broader eligibility criteria that aims to provide insurance to an additional 16 million Americans nationwide.I know we haven't heard to last of this debate, not by a longshot. But I wonder, is it really the interests of the citizens that these governors are basing their decisions on or something more...oh, I don't know...maybe something more political?

Supreme Court - Justice Antonin Scalia said he hasn't had a "falling out" with Chief Justice John Roberts over the Supreme Court's landmark 5-4 decision validating much of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. Isn't that nice? One less thing to worry about. The Supreme Court earlier this month upheld much of Obama's signature health care law, with Roberts siding with the court's liberals to uphold the hotly debated core requirement that nearly every American have health insurance. The decision allowed the law to go forward with its aim of covering more than 30 million uninsured Americans. Since then, Roberts has been the focus of derision from some of the nation's leading conservatives, and there have been reports of fractures in the relationships on the court's conservative wing, of which Roberts and Scalia are members. Scalia emphasized "the court is not at all a political institution" and said he believed "not a single one" of his Supreme Court colleagues considers politics when making decisions at the court. "I don't think any of my colleagues on any cases vote the way they do for political reasons," he said. "They vote the way they do because they have their own judicial philosophy." I want to believe Justice Scalia, I really do. Perhaps I've just become too jaded to accept his assertion as absolute truth. I happen to agree with the Roberts decision and think his rational was spot on. That said, I think Roberts was motivated by something much bigger than this one opinion. Roberts believed that the integrity of the Supreme Court was at risk and he needed to do something to "stop the bleeding" so to speak. Perhaps that is not political motivation, but it certainly goes far beyond judicial philosophy.

Citizenship - Members of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's posse said in March that there was probable cause that Obama's long-form birth certificate released by the White House in April 2011 was a computer-generated forgery. Posse? Really? Now, Arpaio says investigators are positive it's fraudulent. Of course they are. The Arizona posse's chief investigator said numeric codes on parts of the long-form birth certificate indicate those parts weren't filled out, yet those sections asking for the race of Obama's father and his field of work or study were completed. So-called "birthers" maintain Obama is ineligible to be president because, they contend, he was born in Kenya. Seriously, guys, the dude has been in office for almost 4 years. You need to get over this. However, Hawaii officials have repeatedly verified Obama's citizenship, and courts have rebuffed lawsuits over the issue. The Obama campaign declined to comment on Arpaio's allegations. No doubt because they have their hands full playing tit-for-tat with the Romney campaign. But a special assistant to Hawaii's attorney general, said his state's vital records are some of the best-managed and have "some of the strongest restrictions on access to prevent identity theft and fraud." In a other news regarding Sheriff Joe... A civil trial is set to begin this week in a lawsuit that accuses Arpaio's office of racially profiling Latinos. The suit is a precursor to a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit that alleges a broader range of civil rights violations against Arpaio's office. I'm sure these two stories have nothing to do with the other.

What Caught My Eye Today - Political Campaigns, Globetrotting, Supreme Court and the Kilogram

Political Campaigns - John Sununu, a top surrogate to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, issued a withering attack against President Barack Obama accusing him and his campaign of being "a bunch of liars" for their attacks on the presumptive GOP nominee. Is it just me or can you not say Sununu without giggling just a little bit? Obama's campaign is on record for suggesting Romney might have committed a "felony" for misstating his role at Bain Capital back in 1999. Sununu issued a nearly equal counterpunch, telling reporters Obama "comes out of that murky political world in Chicago where politician and felony has become synonymous." Sununu added, "I am shocked that the president introduced the word 'felon' into the political discourse." That's the ticket. Rather than take the high road, why don't we just pile on the hyperbole. What are we...like five? Later Sununu said, "I wish this president would learn how to be an American." When asked to clarify what he meant by that statement, Sununu explained he only meant that he wished Obama would adopt the "American formula" for creating businesses and introducing an environment where "entrepreneurs can thrive." I'm sort of surprised he didn't trip over himself what with all that backpedaling. When asked to respond to Sununu's statements, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign said the Romney campaign "has officially gone off the deep end." Does this sort of remind you of that time in first grade on the playground when Sally called Tommy a "poo-poo head" and Tommy replied by saying "I know you are, but what am I?" Christ, it's not even August yet. We still have almost 5 more months of this nonsense.

Globetrotting - Since becoming secretary of state in 2009, Hillary Clinton has logged 351 days on the road, traveled to 102 countries and flown a whopping 843,839 miles, according to the State Department. So like are those anytime miles or are they subject to blackout periods? Clinton just completed a 13-day journey of 27,000 miles (about 2,000 miles more than the circumference of the Earth) visiting France, Afghanistan, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Egypt and Israel. Damn. She got more stamps in her passport in one trip than I have in my entire life. Clinton broke the previous record last month, eclipsing Madeleine Albright's total of 98, when she traveled to Finland for number 99 and then hit the 100 mark in Latvia. You know, it is sort of a shame that Hillary is already on record as saying she won't sign on for a second stint as Secretary of State should Obama win a second term. She certainly seems to have a knack for it. I wonder what she's going to do with all that free time? Then again...2016 is only 4 short years from now.

Supreme Court - Here's a shocking revelation from our friends at Gallup.The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, anchored by Chief Justice John Roberts' majority opinion, has apparently caused a major shift in Republicans' and Democrats' views of both the court and Roberts. Whereas Republicans were initially highly favorable toward Roberts in 2005, when he was considered a conservative justice appointed by a conservative Republican president, their opinions are now more negative than positive. Democrats, initially evenly split in their views of Roberts, now appear to be big fans, with a +35 net favorable over unfavorable rating. Wow. I'm stunned. The guys that Roberts sided with like him more than they did while the other guys like him less. Who would have thought such a thing possible? Seriously, we needed a poll for this?

Kilogram - We Americans mock the metric system more than we probably should. After all, we are one of the few countries that does not use this as our primary system of measurement. That said, maybe that isn't such a bad thing. Turns out, all is not well in the metric world. Hidden in a vault outside Paris, vacuum-sealed under three bell jars, sits a palm-sized metal cylinder known as the International Prototype Kilogram, or "Le Grand K." That's right, this is no ordinary K; it's Le Grand K. I love the French. Forged in 1879 from an alloy of platinum and iridium, it was hailed as the "perfect" kilogram, the gold standard by which other kilograms would be judged. Not to split hairs, but if its made of platinum and iridium, shouldn't it be called the platinum-iridium standard? Gold just seems to cheapen it, don't you think? At its most recent weigh-in in 1988, it was found to be 0.05 milligrams—about the weight of a grain of sand, lighter than its underling replicas. If you are anything like me, your reaction to this story can probably be summed up in two words--Who cares? Turns out this is sort of a big deal. It’s bad news when your standard is no longer standardized. While no one’s worried whether a single kilogram of apples is a hair lighter or heavier at the produce stand, a small discrepancy can become a gargantuan one if you’re dealing with, say, a whole tanker of wheat. The kilogram is also used as a building block in other measurements. The joule, for instance, is the amount of energy required to move a one-kilogram weight one meter. The candela, a measure of the brightness of light, is measured in joules per second. If the kilogram is flawed, so are the joule and candela, which could eventually cause problems in an array of industries, particularly in technology. Hold the phone. You're not telling me that Le Grand K is going to screw with the Privacy Settings on my Facebook account? That crap is already hard enough to manage. Forget what I said earlier. I hate the French.