Thank Democrats

Parking at the gym a couple days ago I noticed that the car in the next parking spot had a bumper sticker that stated “If You Receive Social Security, Thank Democrats”. After I rolled my eyes I thought about it and was less annoyed because after reflection realized that it was at least honest. Honest in making explicit the notion that a monthly social security check should be considered payment in return for a vote. Certainly no politician or the democrat party will ever actually say this (I failed to record the bumper sticker’s origin) but that doesn’t mean that no one thinks it.

Trouble thy name is Social Security. Ostensively social security is funded by the so-called “payroll” tax of which the employer (in a nonsensical world where any employer just has money around to pay for things like this instead of just paying employees less to cover it) and the employee both pay half. For many years social security took in more than it paid out and used the surplus to purchase bonds. The administration has maintained a cut in the payroll tax since the 2009 stimulus creating a deficit in anticipated social security funding. This deficit, along with an increase in beneficiaries per payee, has resulted in social security paying more than it takes in forcing the program to tap into its bonds. That’s what they’re for though, right? That’s right but, the demographic trends alone are not promising requiring even higher taxation rates and/or decreases in benefits for social security to continue.

The bond surplus was expected to last until the year 2041 in 2007. On April 23, that number was revised down to 2033. That’s right, over five years the condition of the social security trust fund has moved eight years closer to bankruptcy. The bonds will be exhausted and there won’t be enough taken in to pay promised benefits. And there’s no reason to believe that the bonds will last even that long based on what has occurred over the last five years.  Because of these shortfalls and a rapidly approaching absolute bankruptcy the program is essentially in turmoil. The way that it works, paying current beneficiaries from the taxes collected today from tomorrow’s recipients is nothing more than a pyramid scheme, problem is that the bottom keeps shrinking and the top has more longevity than once upon a time. Thank Democrats.

Workplace Shenanigans - 4/27

I actually had to say this this morning: Look man, I cannot hold your hand through every step of the installation of a Windows media player codec pack and because of that fact I am not to blame because you clicked yes to install the Ask toolbar. My involvement in this story came about because our company has a less than attentive IT organization which is, if not understandable, at least begrudgingly acknowledged because it is located two time zones away on the other side of the country.

Earlier today, someone in my office received some extraneous video tangentially related to his job duties that he was invited to do whatever with that he chose to scrutinize in order to offer comment to a group of people I’m sure will delete his email response almost immediately. The video was a 60MB high definition file lasting one minute and did not play on his machine. His immediate reaction was to install a newer version of Windows media player, of which, I’m fairly certain he already had evidenced by the nearly identical machine on my desk. When that failed his assessment was that it must be that his computer was running Windows XP. He brought the video to me and it did play on my secondary Vista machine.

I converted it to AVI but all the codecs on his machine were inadvertently erased when he “upgraded” media player. I sent him the link to a codec pack that he came to my office no less than five times to ask questions about downloading and installing. I told him once he had the executable running to say yes to installation dialog boxes and then he came to complain to me about installing the inane Ask toolbar which he swears he did on my advice because I said to click yes. I made the statement above yet he persisted till I gave up the point and admitted my crime rather than listen for another second. After two hours of dawdling the video was a success but he forgot that it didn’t have sound when played on my machine and that led to another visit. Sometimes I think people who don’t have computers at home shouldn’t be allowed to touch them anywhere.

Adventures in Bike Comuting - 4/20

I happen to be a bicycle commuter. Not all of the time, typically from spring through fall and between 2 and 4 days a week. I know some people who ride year long cold or hot and rain or shine. Not me, every morning getting ready for the day I attempt to catch the weather channel at eight minutes past whatever to get the local forecast and gauge whether or not it’s worth it or if I want the comfort of steel and glass to surround me. The reason I commute is because I prefer two wheels to four in almost all short travel distances not requiring carrying anything or including anyone else and it’s kind of reassuring fitness wise, in my mind covering for my evening beverage preferences. There’s no altruism to my riding, I don’t believe I’m saving the planet or anything as a result and I don’t go very far and the mileage on my oil reliant transportation options reflects that.

There’s a relatively lightly traveled, low speed limit road with a generous riding shoulder that I prefer to take home on afternoons that I ride because it runs parallel to a main road that takes me past my housing development and down back through trails adding a few miles. This road also happens to be home to a high school. Last Friday I was riding home and apparently school got out the same time that I happened to pass through. It turned out to be a life lesson in location avoidance. I probably should have known better but I have no idea or any desire to understand the schedule of neither this or any high school nor the logistics of the student parking lot. Apparently the parking lot in question has half a dozen exits onto the normally serene street perpendicular to the lane I ride home on. Every one of those exits last Friday had some car in it populated with a teenager’s blank stare foretelling the doom of a premature and ill-advised rush into traffic.

Perhaps I’m obtuse for bringing it up or for making broad judgments about teenage drivers but I’ve got some slightly soiled undergarments in support of my point. It’s highly probable that there exist teenage drivers that pay attention all the time but I’m not going to put myself in a compromising situation on benefit of the doubt alone. It’s all about risk and sometimes it’s not just worth it and I’ll take being a bit prejudiced against teenager on this one. A friend of mine reminded me that last Friday also had the dubious distinction of being a holiday of sorts for pot heads, perhaps which had something to do with the preponderance of blank stares and impending fear of me becoming a hood ornament.

No Primary for you New Mexico!!!

I never understood why it is that primary elections have to be separated by so much time. I understand the main reason is that it supposedly allows candidates to build organizations and to build on successes from results in so-called “key” states. But what exactly defines a “key” state and why should anyone trust those who decide that definition? Even though I almost certainly planned to vote for Mitt Romney in New Mexico’s Republican primary I am disappointed that, for all intents and purposes, his nomination is assured. It’s frustrating to live in a state that time and again just doesn’t have any say with regard to the nomination of presidential candidates at the party level. Those in New Mexico wanting to support someone else should have been able to. But they have no choice. Presuming that success as determined by Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina is the only way a candidate can build their case for nomination doesn’t make sense to me. And the negative assumption that allowing the nominating process to build throughout the early part of the year, culminating in a large scale primary on one day or spread over several days throughout the same week or two week period in May wouldn’t work can’t be proven because it’s never been tried in modern times. And modern times with obsessive internet and cable news coverage lead me to believe that it could work. Why not give every primary voter a chance?