Education and Transportation, or lack thereof

Warren Buffett makes it rain!  Read on to see why I posted a picture of  Buffett...

I was reading the Star Tribune, and I saw a few articles that caught my attention.  On the same page of the paper, there was an article about how the Republican-dominated MN Legislature wants to cut the state's higher education budget and the K-12 and Pre-kindergarten budget. (Sidenote: The higher ed bill is sponsored by Michelle Fishbach, no relation to Michelle Bachman.  What is it with this state and people named Michelle bach-something?)  Now, this was not in today's people, but these same Republicans also also want to cut funding for public transportation.

Never mind that the wage gap between educated and uneducated workers is increasing.  Never mind that education in schools is supposed to prepare the next generation of workers.  Never mind that early education provides the highest return on investment of any public spending.  Never mind that the University of Minnesota's research helped create Minnesota's thriving Medical devices industry.  Never mind that public transportation system allows people to get to work and contribute to the economy - and is in fact supported by businesses!  No, these things aren't important, right?

Republicans say that cuts such as these are necessary to close the state's $5.1 Billion deficit.  Horse shit.  What we need to do is reform the tax code so that the wealthy pay their fair share.  By his own admission, Warren Buffett pays a lower percentage of his income in taxes than his secretary does.  Buffett even bet $1 MILLION that no Fortune 500 CEO pays a higher percent of their income in taxes than their receptionist.  So far no one's taken his bet.  And over in New York, billionaire residents of a luxury building pay more than their janitors.

Why does this happen, you ask?  Well for starters, much of wealthy people's income is capital gains, which is taxed at 15% no matter how much money they make.  In addition, hedge fund managers are often allowed to defer their income, allowing them to earn compound interest on his money before paying taxes.  Don't ask me why on that one.  Rich people like Buffett also can take advantage of all the deductions in our tax code - mortgage interest, business travel, etc.  In addition, though Federal Income tax is generally progressive, state and local taxes are heavily regressive - the poor pay a much higher % of their income on sales and other local taxes.

Well, that was a long post, but if you're confused just remember this:

We can afford and must provide good public education and transport services - we just need billionaires to pay their fair share of taxes!

Sweet music videos: 6 foot 7 foot and Freaks and Geeks

I try to keep this blog on topic for the most part, but we all have to be entertained sometime, right? Check out this Lil' Wayne video:



I didn't like this song at first, but it grew on me for some reason.  You gotta watch and listen closely - Lil Wayne acts out close to every bar of the rap.  Dude who raps after him sucks, though.  Still the coolest music video in a while, if you ask me.  My favorite bar is: You know father time / We all know mother nature / It's all in the family but I am of no relation

The beat's sick, too.  Squash banana!

Here's another video - this one's by Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover:



I discovered this when one of my friends was listening to this in a car the other day.  I know Donald Glover from Community, and from his sketches back when he was on College Humor, of which my favorite was bro rape.  So when I heard he was a rapper, I thought it might be joke rap, a la Lonely Island (who are hilarious by the way).  But Donald Glover is serious about his Childish Gambino project, and he's actually got some skill.  Favorite line: You get sloppy drunk, I stay whiskey neat / Your clique should be cancelled, Freaks and Geeks

I gotta go to work so I'm out, peace.

JJ's Workers Union Update - 6 Jimmy John's Employees Fired

This is the JJ Workers Union logo - gotta love the cats, they are sweet!

It's been a while since I posted about the Minneapolis JJ's union election, and there have been a few updates.  First, 6 union organizers were fired, ostensibly for posting copies of this poster at Jimmy John's stores:

Franchise owner and overall douchebag Rob Mulligan claimed that the posters were defamatory, and "clearly crossed the line of protected activity".  While I'm sure he wasn't too happy to see these posters up at his shops, the union has a point.  

JJ's store policy is that you cannot call in sick.  If you are sick, you are supposed to call around and find a replacement worker.  However, if you wake up and notice that you are sick, the chances of you actually being able to find a replacement worker are pretty fucking slim.  So what do people do?  They go to work sick, which is unsafe for customers and coworkers, not to mention shitty for the sick person.

I'm also not sure this is the real reason for their firing.  In the Minneapolis Starbucks unionization drive, union organizers were fired and then rehired numerous times.  I think it's a scare tactic to lower support for the union, should they chose to call for another election.

The union responded to these firings, however, by filing a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.   In this complaint, they argued that the 6 fired employees were "engaging in protected concerted activity".  To be honest, I don't know the particulars of how they will decide.  If you know the law, let me know in the comments!

I have been considering writing a rap about working at Jimmy John's.  If over half of the responses to this poll are yes, then I will record this rap and post it on the blog:

Should I write a Jimmy John's rap?

Happynomics - England creates national happiness index

David Cameron, England's Prime Minister, has devised a system for tracking their national happiness :) - see this article from the Irish Times or this from the NY Times).  Apparently they want to ask a portion of their population four questions:

1. How happy did you feel yesterday?  

2. How anxious did you feel yesterday?  

3. How satisfied are you with your life nowadays? 

4. To what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?

They will then add up all the responses and calculate and publish an index quarterly, similarly to the way Gross Domestic Product (national spending) is looked at now.  The article mentions that there comes a point (I believe research has estimated it at about $70,000 annual income) when increased wealth no longer makes people happier.  At this point, enough is enough, and the law of Diminishing Returns begins to set in.  For example, buying a house when you used to be homeless might make you a lot happier!  But buying a second house after the first one, probably not as much.

My take: I think this is a great idea!  For too long, countries have used GDP and GDP per capita as one of the only ways of measuring how the country is doing.  As to how this could affect public policy, research shows that after basic needs are met, happiness is more affected by relative income - so governments should try to preserve income equality.  Being happy is also a more ambitious goal than "maximizing gdp", because it takes into account the environment, culture, infrastructure, commutes, and mood of a place and time.  And who would argue that a country would be worse off if their GDP decreased but they became happier?  For some more examples of the shortcomings of GDP I will leave you with this quote from one of my heroes Robert Kennedy:

"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."

Epic Bike ride(s!) in the works

Most of my posts have been pretty serious lately, and they've all been about politics/economics and such.  My only recent post about bikes was this one, and that one was definitely a Debbie Downer too.  So because it's finally looking somewhat like spring outside, I want to tell you about a few bike rides I am planning.

First, early this summer I want to take a week off work and bike over to Wisconsin and back.  I haven't traveled on my own since I went to Oaxaca, Mexico (which I highly recommend - cool place, and the food is delicious!) when I was in high school.  I want to get out on my own and just explore.  I'll probably have to figure out a basic route, but other than that I want to be able to just go wherever the wind may take me (which may be to get some beer and cheese - I hear that's what they do in Wisconsin).  I'll pack a bunch of food and water, and camp out in the woods at night.

Later in September, I'm planning to go on a ride to Duluth, Minnesota with my mom and girlfriend.  It should be a few day's ride each way, so we'll have to take another week off work.  Duluth is right on the coast of Lake Superior, but this "lake" is more like an ocean.  The water keeps going past the horizon, as far as you can see.  I'm thinking September will be a good time for a ride because it won't be as hot as July/August, but October is kind of too late because it could be snowing already, which would SUCK.

Well, thanks for reading!  Not sure what you will get out of this, but hopefully you were entertained.  Speaking of being entertained, I'm off to go watch some Justified, which is a sweet show.

Economics in the News: Early Education bill is introduced in MN Legislature

I was surprised to see this article in the normally conservative Twin Cities paper the Star Tribune the other day.  The Minnesota Legislature is introducing an bill that plans to restructure how the state spends its $400 million early education funds.  Impressively, the bill has bipartisan support and will likely pass.

The article does a good job stating the need for this money - in Minnesota, half of children are not ready for kindergarten at age 5, and like I mentioned in this post, preschool/head start programs generate a 16 to 1 return on investment over time.  Just think about that!  16 to 1!  As in every $1 that we invest eventually earns $16.

So how much of the state's budget is devoted to early education spending?  Less than one percent.  And this bill, though it does help increase quality child care programs and access to childcare for poor people, does not increase the amount of spending.  In Kurt Vonnegut's words, So it goes...


PS. I am doing my taxes, and it looks like I'll be getting $300 as part of the extension of the "Bush Tax Cuts" / Bush Spending on Rich Motherfuckers and Corporations (BSRMC).  Yeah, that's right, I just made that an acronym.  So I should be happy I get this $300, right?  Well, seeing as the BSRMC will cost $3.7 TRILLION over the next 10 years and there are 300 million people in the US, 3.7Trillion/300 million/10 years = $1,233.  The way I see it, W. owes me about $900.  I accept personal checks and/or cash.  Oh, and the BSRMC did not stimulate the economy, either.

Lil wayne says it best:

CRA-A-A-A-ZY Driver in Brazil hits 20 Bicyclists!!

(Hat tip to Brian DeMarco for showing me this video)


The above video took place at a Critical Mass gathering in Porto Alegre, Brazil.  (If you're not in the know, Critical Masses are large bicycle rallies where bikers take over an entire street).  Here's a link to a more detailed article about this...

Thankfully, no one was killed, but 12 people were hospitalized because of this crazy motherfucker.  Almost as disturbing as the driver's lack of empathy were the Porto Alegre police chief's remarks:

"This is no Libya," said the chief, Gilberto Almeida Montenegro. "Here we have complete freedom to protest, as long as you tell authorities. Do your protest, but don't interfere in the flow of automobiles. If you interfere, there will be confusion, chaos and accident."
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/bicycle/detail?entry_id=84019#ixzz1FPbuoLRi

Can you believe that?!  Some nutcase runs over a bunch of people peacefully riding bicycles, and the police chief blames it on "confusion, chaos, and accident"!  Un-be-fucking-lievable.  Imagine if someone had taken a gun out, shot, and wounded 12 people - hard to imagine that being called an accident.

To be fair, sometimes I get a little annoyed at people riding on bikes on the road, too.  For example, for a while in Minneapolis, every Friday afternoon there was a "Critical Mass" during rush hour that just happened to be on my way back from work.  These bikers held up everyone's commute every week for an extra 45 minutes, and for what?  I support their right to be on the road, but I don't think they accomplished anything but pissing a bunch of people off.

But I wouldn't drive my car through a bunch of them.  As ODB would say, that's enough to make someone go CRA-A-A-A-A-ZY