I understand the sentiment behind these government fraud/waste stunts, but they do really annoy me for several reasons. First, they reinforce the notion that waste and fraud are rampant, thus making people even less confident about government and playing right into the right-wing narrative that government is useless. Second, and more importantly, it completely obscures… Continue reading The Fraud/Waste Panacea
Delinking Health Care
You’d be pretty annoyed if your cell phone contract followed your job, or if your employer dictated which brand of car you could drive. Yet when it comes to health insurance, the notion that your employer gets to decide for you, and that if you switch jobs there is no guarantee you can keep your… Continue reading Delinking Health Care
Consumer Financial Protection
Unfettered competition is the lifeblood of the free market. So you would expect that those businesses that love the free market would love as much competition as possible, right? Not always.
Pawlenty’s content-free campaign
I used to think TPaw was Minnesota’s Don Quixote, tilting at windmills without a chance of getting the nomination. Given the terrible field for the Republicans so far, however, it’s not as impossible as I once thought, and that’s a bit frightening.
U.S. Bank and customer choice
Predictions of the end of free checking seem to have come true, at least for U.S. Bank: I recently received notice that my free checking account, which I’ve had for over a decade, will now have a monthly fee attached if I don’t carry a minimum balance or do enough in direct deposits. Since my… Continue reading U.S. Bank and customer choice
The DREAM Act explained
So apparently somebody pretending to run for president slammed the DREAM Act today while visiting Ellis Island. For those not in the know, the DREAM Act allows children of undocumented immigrants to conditionally receive permanent residency for going to college or serving in the U.S. military. This would reduce the deficit by about $1.4 billion… Continue reading The DREAM Act explained
Happy Birthday, Minnesota
Today is Statehood Day, Minnesota’s birthday. 153 years ago today Minnesota became the 32nd state in the U.S. Since then, Minnesota has done pretty well. We’ve had things we can be proud of. Like all places, we’ve had things to be not so proud of. Hopefully, we’ve learned from the mistakes so as not to… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Minnesota
These Things I Believe
Aside from the successful mission against bin Laden last weekend, it’s hard to find any positive news in the political sphere these days. Congress is talking about deficits, debt ceilings, inflation, bond vigilantes, and budget cuts. GOP presidential candidates are talking in South Carolina about how we have enough fossil fuels in the U.S. right… Continue reading These Things I Believe
Computers break in strange ways
I’ve been incommunicado for a bit due to yet another computer malfunction. This was a truly bizarre one, and the diagnosis I made, strange and unlikely as I thought it was, turned out to be correct. It’s a reminder that computers can fail in rather odd ways.
IT Security Survey
I’m currently working on my MSST Capstone project, which is going to focus on IT security in small organizations and small businesses. If you work in a small business, especially if you have an IT role, please fill out a short survey I’ve put together. It’s 36 questions, mainly yes or no, so it shouldn’t… Continue reading IT Security Survey