http://www.genecowan.com/blog/ Complaints and comments from my brain to yours en gene@genecowan.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-09T21:29:00-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/conservatives_its_all_about_ignoring_the_very_very_obvious/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/conservatives_its_all_about_ignoring_the_very_very_obvious/#When:21:29:00Z A headline on CNN.com says: Why are conservatives happier than liberals? My initial reaction was to answer the question thusly: because conservatives ignore facts and don't engage in any of that pesky "thinking for themselves." Then I read the article and was astonished to discover that this is basically the conclusion of the study. A study published in the journal “Psychological Science” says it’s because conservatives are better at rationalizing inequalities. Regardless of someone’s income, marital status or church attendance, people with right-wing ideologies report greater satisfaction with their lives than those with left-wing beliefs. Researchers found that conservatives also score highest when it comes to the ability to justify inequalities. For example, a conservative might support the idea of a meritocracy – that if you work hard and perform well, you’ll move up the economic ladder… and if you don’t, you probably won’t. But the study shows liberals tend to be troubled by this. Inequalities take a greater psychological toll on liberals, apparently because they can’t rationalize away the gaps in society and thus end up more frustrated by them. The study goes on to say that this research can be applied to areas other than economic inequalities. One example is that feminists may not be as happy in their marriages as more traditional women because they’re frustrated with the division of domestic chores. These latest results go along with a Pew poll from 2006. It found 47% of conservative Republicans described themselves as “very happy”, compared to only 28% of liberal Democrats who felt that way. I've always found that ability to rationalize inequalities to be the cornerstone of conservatism. It explains how poor and downtrodden people continually vote Republican despite the fact that when Republicans are in power the poor get poorer. Which brings us to another interesting article: The past three decades have seen a momentous shift: The rich became vastly richer while working-class wages stagnated. Economists say 80 percent of net income gains since 1980 went to people in the top 1 percent of the income distribution, boosting their share of total income to levels unseen since before the Great Depression. Despite the historic magnitude of this shift, inequality has thus far had little traction as a political issue. Many Americans seem to accept the conservative view that escalating inequality reflects “free market” forces immune to amelioration through public policy. As Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson put it, perhaps a bit defensively, the growing income gap “is simply an economic reality, and it is neither fair nor useful to blame any political party.” Paulson’s assertion, however, is strongly contradicted by the historical record. While technology, demographic trends and globalization are clearly important, purely economic accounts ignore what may be the most important influence on changing U.S. income distribution — the contrasting policy choices of Republican and Democratic presidents. The Census Bureau has tracked the economic fortunes of affluent, middle-class and poor American families for six decades. According to my analysis, these tabulations reveal a wide partisan disparity in income growth. The real incomes of middle-class families grew more than twice as fast under Democratic presidents as they did under Republican presidents. Even more remarkable, the real incomes of working-poor families (at the 20th percentile of the income distribution) grew six times as fast when Democrats held the White House. Only the incomes of affluent families were relatively impervious to partisan politics, growing robustly under Democrats and Republicans alike. The cumulative effect of these partisan differences is enormous. If the pattern of income growth under postwar Republican presidents had matched the pattern under Democrats, incomes would be more equal now than they were in 1950 — a far cry from the contemporary reality of what some observers are calling a New Gilded Age. Anyone who can interpret a simple graph knows that the economy is strongest and our fiscal health better under Democratic presidents; one needs only look at a graph of the Federal budget deficit over the last few administrations to see that. I think I've posted that here before, you can search if you like. Such a graph shows a slow, steady march toward a budget surplus over the Clinton era, then a steep, harrowing plunge back into a hellishly large deficit almost immediately under Bush. And yet, people voted for Bush (twice) because... well, I don't know why. Right = Wrong 2008-05-09T21:29:00-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/year_three_a_report/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/year_three_a_report/#When:18:24:00Z Three years ago, I made the somewhat bizarre -- yet adventurous -- decision to move away from Washington, DC, where I'd lived my entire life. On May 10, 2005 I arrived in San Jose, California determined to start again, to try to avoid the terminal boredom that had set in over 39 years in DC. Here's a report of how it's all going so far. MONEY Naturally, the most important aspect. This is California, after all -- where gas has been $4 for quite a while, sales tax is 8.75%, and housing costs are probably a little more expensive than on the moon. Still, I'm quite proud of the fact that I've been able to keep my head above water despite some scary, panicky stretches -- and managed to purchase my little dream bungalow, albeit at California prices. When I arrived in California my estimates showed that I would be able to survive for two years with the proceeds from selling my Arlington townhouse. In the event, I was able to stretch those funds for three years (while still keeping 12% in reserve) by the good graces of friends who sent freelance and part-time work my way. Although I enjoyed working for myself and the sabbatical it allowed me, as my savings began to dwindle I came to the realization that a full-time job was absolutely necessary in Silicon Valley. I had given myself two years to realize the goals of house-job-relationship; the house took only 6 months, the job took nearly 3 years, and the relationship? That's still in the "to do" column. Three months ago I met the "job" goal, landing a design job that covers my expenses -- just -- and gives me a sustainable platform to build my California future on. The uncertainty is finally over, for now. HOUSE One of my goals was to purchase a home in California with the assumption that California real estate always appreciates. Oh, then there was this real estate implosion. Just my luck. As of today, Zillow values my home at $10,000 less than what I paid for it in 2005 -- bad news, of course, but still more than what I owe on it. I have a five-year plan for the house; my hope is that the value will creep back up over the next couple of years and I will at least break even if and when I sell. Meanwhile, I am very happy in my neighborhood, where we all know each other and congregate around dogs in the front yards. HEALTH I've just had another checkup with the cardiologist, and there doesn't seem to be any cause for worry -- at the two year mark I'll be taken off another prescription, so one less pill to take is cause for celebration. Especially since it is the most expensive one in the cocktail. My diet is mostly under control, notwithstanding a donut every six months or so; but my exercise habits are atrocious. For a while I was walking a mile or two a day, but then stress over running out of funds and losing my house took over and I began to slack off. By the time I went to DC in January to investigate moving back, I was no longer exercising at all. Today I am working an average of 11 hours a day, and in the time I have left I tend to vegetate and zone out or catch up on sleep -- another thing that I'm not doing much of. Still, my blood pressure is now normal as is my cholesterol, although I still need to work on raising my "good" cholesterol and lowering my triglycerides, both of which go hand in hand with exercise. FAMILY I feel increasingly cut off from my family. I didn't see them every day when I lived there, and it almost seems as if they have visited me more out here -- so far I've been visited by my brother, sister, aunt, father, and mother here in San Jose; in fact my mother has been here multiple times. Still, I feel like I am not in the loop. Things happen back home like engagements or moves or health issues and I don't find out about them until much later. FRIENDS As time goes by, friends back in DC are drifting away from me. I made an effort, from keeping a local phone number to emailing and phoning them; but over time I began to realize that people from back home were never taking the initiative to contact me. I felt like I was putting so much energy into maintaining these relationships but ultimately it didn't seem to matter. There are one or two people back home that still keep in touch; a few acquaintances have actually moved to the Bay Area; but for the most part my DC ties are fading. I haven't really replaced them in California. I have only a few friends here, and a handful of acquaintances. At first I spent all my time alone, working at home; now I am so busy that I never socialize. And of course, there's that whole "horrible at meeting people" thing. WEATHER When it comes down to it, this is the biggest reason to move to California -- the Santa Clara Valley in particular. If one looks at a single day in comparing DC and San Jose, they don't seem that different. But the weather in San Jose is so consistent -- sunny clear skies, warm temperatures -- that the changing weather patterns in DC seem crazy. It is a rare thing to see a 40° day here, and I can't imagine dealing with temps below that or higher than 90° anymore. On top of that, the humidity levels here are consistently in the 45-50% range, half that of DC. When I moved here, the chronic cough that I'd had for years disappeared, leading me to believe that it was related to the humidity. I don't miss the snow, I don't miss the rain, and I don't miss the heat. In fact, there are only two things I miss, nature-wise, about DC: thunderstorms and fireflies on a summer night. In compensation, I have lush greenery and flowers year-round, fragrance of flowers everywhere, and hummingbirds that buzz around like mosquitoes. PLACES I'd planned to take advantage of California -- within an hour of my house is San Francisco, Napa, the ocean, mountains... and I've failed to do so. Oh, I've been up to San Francisco a few times, to Berkeley and Oakland; to Santa Cruz once or twice a year, Half Moon Bay, Monterey and Carmel. Every time I manage to get the time (and someone to go with me) to schedule a weekend visit somewhere I wonder why I don't do it more often. The Paul Masson Winery, high in the Santa Cruz mountains, the Lick Observatory overlooking the valley -- long windy drives with spectacular payoffs at the top. A weekend in Reno was disappointing, the inside of the casino was only marginally more interesting than the boring city streets. One thing I've not done despite my plans: Disneyland; although it looks like that will finally happen this summer. This category goes hand in hand with the one above; I never go places alone as I find it too boring. And I just don't have enough friends or someone special to go places with. HAPPINESS This is the crux of the matter, isn't it? Am I happier in California than I was in DC? I don't know how to quantify happiness. I'm a relatively analytical person and don't know how to graph my emotions. My gut feeling is that I am marginally happier here. Despite this winter's uncertainty about money, my house, and a job, I still feel somewhat less stressed here. However, now that I am working long hours, commuting, and dealing with the frustrations of my new job, it will be interesting to see if I am heading back into the same life I had before. I guess that's something I'll assess for year four. Stay tuned. Life... Don't talk to me about life. 2008-05-09T18:24:00-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/a_prairie_airport_companion/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/a_prairie_airport_companion/#When:19:53:01Z The line inched along, four supervisors stood watching blankly, the fat lady barked, the gentleman operating the scanner was very jittery about shaving kits and computer batteries and needed to have every other bag checked, and in the lifetime it took to go through, you started to sympathize with all the Republicans who've complained about government inefficiency over the years, except it is a Republican administration that runs this operation, but never mind. Details, details. Love me some Garrison Keillor. Right = Wrong 2008-05-01T19:53:01-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/i_dont_think_better_late_than_never_applies/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/i_dont_think_better_late_than_never_applies/#When:02:08:01Z White House admits fault on 'Mission Accomplished' banner By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent (04-30) 18:14 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The White House said Wednesday that President Bush has paid a price for the "Mission Accomplished" banner that was flown in triumph five years ago but later became a symbol of U.S. misjudgments and mistakes in the long and costly war in Iraq. Thursday is the fifth anniversary of Bush's dramatic landing in a Navy jet on an aircraft carrier homebound from the war. The USS Abraham Lincoln had launched thousands of airstrikes on Iraq. "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," Bush said at the time. "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11, 2001, and still goes on." The "Mission Accomplished" banner was prominently displayed above him — a move the White House came to regret as the display was mocked and became a source of controversy. After shifting explanations, the White House eventually said the "Mission Accomplished" phrase referred to the carrier's crew completing its 10-month mission, not the military completing its mission in Iraq. Bush, in October 2003, disavowed any connection with the "Mission Accomplished" message. He said the White House had nothing to do with the banner; a spokesman later said the ship's crew asked for the sign and the White House staff had it made by a private vendor. "President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific and said `mission accomplished' for these sailors who are on this ship on their mission," White House press secretary Dana Perino said Wednesday. "And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year." The headline on this article makes it sound like the White House admitted that they had put the banner up to refer to the Iraq war; in fact, the White House simply lied again, putting forth the ridiculous story that the banner was meant to refer to the carrier crew. Total, unmitigated bull. And the dig at the end -- blaming it all on the media -- is designed to ridicule anyone who points out the administration's hubris. Right = Wrong 2008-05-01T02:08:01-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/lord_wont_you_buy_me_a_mercedes_benz/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/lord_wont_you_buy_me_a_mercedes_benz/#When:13:27:00Z Why are gas prices so high? Must be because of god. Maybe if we sacrifice a few goats he will make more of it. Right = Wrong 2008-04-26T13:27:00-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/the_end_came_so_quickly_we_didnt_even_notice/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/the_end_came_so_quickly_we_didnt_even_notice/#When:21:24:01Z I'm in the mood for bulleted lists today. The bees are all disappearing. Costco is rationing rice, oil and flour because of dwindling supplies; shortages and skyrocketing prices. The dollar is rapidly becoming worthless. It is no longer cost-effective to farm out our manufacturing to China, nor our customer service to India. Our mad idea that we should use food for fuel means that corn is in short supply and prices are way up; this means that farmers wanting to cash in are planting corn like crazy and not other staples. My prediction? Soylent Green makes its real-life debut within a few years. Right = Wrong 2008-04-21T21:24:01-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/i_guess_this_appeals_to_the_few_die_hard_nuts_still_voting_republican/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/i_guess_this_appeals_to_the_few_die_hard_nuts_still_voting_republican/#When:20:39:00Z So, John McCain's brilliant idea: suspend Federal gas taxes for the summer. Seriously, does anyone think this is a good idea -- or that it will help anyone? Let's see. The Federal gas tax is 18¢ per gallon. He wants to suspend that from Memorial Day through Labor Day, a period of three months. Now, let's rip it apart. Let's say I have a typical car, it gets 25 miles per gallon and I fill it up once a week. At $3.90 a gallon for 10 gallons, I pay $39. For three months, I'd only pay $37.20. Whoa! I'm swimming in savings! Of course, gas prices won't be going down during those three summer months. So the odds are that I'd be paying more than $3.90 a gallon by that time anyway. McCain claims that there will be enormous economic stimulus with this tax suspension. Does he really think that I'm going to take my $1.80 in savings and plow it back into, say, housing? And does he really believe that in the space of three months the costs of food and other commodities affected by gas prices will readjust downward? The cost of this boondoggle would be something on the order of $9-10 billion. Gosh, for a man who wants to stay in Iraq for a hundred years, he's forgotten that those kinds of occupations cost lots of money. In an era where bridges are falling down, he wants to take $9 billion out of the funding for infrastructure? et cetera. This kind of fiscal aptitude makes George W. Bush look like a whiz kid. Right = Wrong 2008-04-21T20:39:00-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/unless_they_get_dana_carvey_back/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/unless_they_get_dana_carvey_back/#When:18:19:00Z It occurs to me that if Hillary Clinton should become president, it means that another glass ceiling will be shattered for women: female comedians will finally be in demand in political satire to play the president! Fun Stuff 2008-04-20T18:19:00-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/pcification/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/pcification/#When:20:14:00Z Sometimes I encounter something in Mac OS X --especially since the update to Leopard -- that is bizarre or counterintuitive. Like this message, which immediately reminds me of the kind of error I'd expect to find in Windows: Gosh, no wonder I couldn't access the movie I wanted... my Internet connection is online! The War with the Customer 2008-04-18T20:14:00-08:00 http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/its_the_planets_time_of_the_month/ http://www.genecowan.com/blog/index.php/weblog/permalink/its_the_planets_time_of_the_month/#When:13:58:00Z I've espoused my earthquake theory before -- that notable earthquakes always happen in the middle of the month -- and April was no exception. The earthquake that hit Southern Illinois this morning was a 5.2, not quite as strong as the one that hit in October only a few miles from my house here in San Jose; but it was felt over a wide area (as far as Florida) by people who don't ordinarily expect to be jolted out of bed. Now I'll have at least 2 relatives who understand why I was so -- well, shaken -- by the 5.6 earthquake in October. As I told my cousin Kirk in Southern Illinois, he'll now enjoy the game of "feel a vibration, run to the USGS website." And the middle-of-the-month theory? Today's the 18th. April 18th. The 102nd anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake. [Update, April 19: Oh, and we had three earthquakes here in San Jose yesterday as well. Ranging from 2.6 to 1.2, they weren't even worth mentioning.] Life... Don't talk to me about life. 2008-04-18T13:58:00-08:00