When is a government benefit not a government benefit? Apparently, when you are on the receiving end of it. So says a recent column by Bruce Bartlett, former Treasury Secretary under George H. W. Bush, today in the Fiscal Times. In a stunning table that was also referenced by the Economix blog, it shows that… Continue reading When is a government benefit not a government benefit?
Useful Computer Utilities: KeePass
Some time ago I blogged about the password manager I had been using for many years: Password Safe. It’s a great program, one that I recommend wholeheartedly. However, I’ve since switched to a new manager: KeePass. Like Password Safe, it is a pretty functional password manager that allows you to automatically generate and save passwords.… Continue reading Useful Computer Utilities: KeePass
Opting out of the health care market
Lawsuits have been filed, conflicting court decisions have been handed down, and ultimately, the Supreme Court will decide whether Obama’s health care reform will be constitutional. The main argument proffered by those against the bill is that the law regulates economic inaction, something that opponents claim Congress does not have the power to do. But… Continue reading Opting out of the health care market
National Internet ID: A Bad Idea
The Obama administration is talking about creating a unique “Internet ID” for web users in the U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is quick to say it isn’t a national ID card, or even a government-controlled system, but private creation of “trusted digital identities”. Although there are plenty of times where the need for a trusted… Continue reading National Internet ID: A Bad Idea
Hawai’ian Honeymoon
Julia and I went on our honeymoon over Christmas. We went to Hawai’i’s Big Island for a week, and it was absolutely amazing. Pictures and our trip after the jump…
Wedding Photos
We’ve posted our wedding photos here. Another big thanks to Steve and Kelsey from Holm Photo. Also, in my last post about the wedding, I forgot to mention our fantastic officiant, Tomkin Coleman. He helped us create a ceremony that was meaningful and truly our own. Thanks again to everybody!
Wedding thoughts
It’s hard to believe that Julia’s and my wedding was over a month ago. We switched from wedding planning back to campaign mode so quickly, the past month just flew by with no time to sit back and reflect. Now that the election is over and things are a little slower, although unsettled, here’s the… Continue reading Wedding thoughts
Local Elections and Turnout, Part 2
In my last post, I took a look at the turnout in House districts that the DFL lost. Today, a coworker asked me about districts that were close, but were won by the DFL candidate. Good question. So I put together the following table of districts where the DFL candidate won. I chose districts not… Continue reading Local Elections and Turnout, Part 2
Local Elections and Turnout
Lots of people have shared a lot of analyses on Tuesday’s elections, much of it on a national scale. They try to make guesses about what the elections say about Obama, or the Republican agenda, on certain subgroups of voters, and so on. I don’t have any great insights into any of these things. I… Continue reading Local Elections and Turnout
Final Election Push
It’s a few days before election day. So what exactly is at stake?