Knell of Doom

Last week the first baby boomer applied for social security.

People may play politics all they want but the iron laws of mathematics cannot be toyed with. In the next decades more money will go out of the social security fund than comes in. Much more. If the politicians can't make provisions now, then how will they ever be able to do it in the future?

We need to note that the Democrats in particular have blocked any reforms. They may become known in history as the party that created social security in the twentieth century and destroyed it in the twenty-first century.

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Pictured: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935.

Chess Blog Carnival 2

We are up and running! Thank you Samurai Chess. See the latest edition of the Chess Blog Carnival at
http://samuraichess.wordpress.com/2007/10/13/chess-blog-carnival-ii/

I'm still under the weather but this shows the power of community. When one guy falls by the wayside, others step up.

Help Samuri Pawn!

Samuripawn has taken over the chess blog carnival due to my illness. Thank you Sam!

See Samuri Chess at:
http://samuraichess.wordpress.com/

So Very Sorry!

I've been sick all this week and have been in bed. Have done only basic things. Hope to get Carnival up tomorrow.

The Day Your TV Stops Working

18 months from now, broadcasters will stop sending analog signals in the US. This means that millions of people like me who refuse to invest in hi-def or cable or satellite dish receivers will turn on their TV's and get just snow on all their channels. Me, I just think that I watch TV too much, so I just use some "rabbit ears". If my TV were to stop working, that would probably be for the best.

Interesting angle from the Washington Post today.

Government is worried that Congress will face the "perfect storm" from the public when this happens. They're talking of spending millions in consumer education, and new regulations requiring retailers and others to join in "educating" the public about this. They are also worried that Hollywood may take a big hit when millions like me might simply stop watching TV - or else drastically change our viewing habits.

Unstated in the article is an important question about the job of government. I expect it to protect me - police, firefighters, etc. I expect it to look our for the overall economy. Education, yes. --- But is it part of government's responsibility to ENTERTAIN me, too?

If the entertainment industry fails to educate the public and suffers thereby, is that government's fault? And if I, myself, fail to follow the news, is that government's fault? In short, is it government's job to save the fool from the consequences of his actions?

Chess Blog Carnival: Only 2 Days Left

Sunday Sept 30, is the last day for Chess Blogs and other chess sites to submit articles for inclusion in the October Carnival. It will be published on my blog on October 1. The Carnival is an opportunity for readers to sample chess content from the net and for bloggers to showcase samples of their work. Other chess sites may participate, too.

Here is a link to last month’s carnival:
http://jacklemoine.blogspot.com/2007/09/chess-blog-carnival-1.html

This is the organizing document for the carnival:
http://jacklemoine.blogspot.com/2007/08/chess-carnival.html

Submit articles to the carnival here:
http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_2250.html

What Is This Kyoto Treaty Thing?

Can somebody please explain to me what the big deal is with the Kyoto Treaty on global warming? One of the first things George Bush did was to come out against it. He did a trip to Europe in 2001 (before 9-11) and was roundly denounced for it. Afterwards, a funny thing happenned. The obvious question was posed . Why hadn't any of the other countries ratified it?

Before Bush there was Clinton. The treaty had come up for a vote in the US Senate. It was unanimously voted down. This always struck me as a significant fact. Every Democrat had voted NO on the treaty. AND no other nation had ratified it.

After the Bush European trip, where all those politicians had bashed Bush and America for the attention of all those voters back home, European ratification became an issue. So, they had a big meeting in Vienna (rather than just going ahead and ratifying it). There they added a little clause at the end of the treaty. "None of this is legaly binding." Then they ratified it.

This has always struck me as a significant addition. Since then the announcement by one nation or another that they will fail to meet their Kyoto targets has been a routine part of the news.

So, what's the big deal with this Kyoto Treaty thing?