The Wheel Goes Round and Round

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So your wife says some really stupid stuff while your driving through Utah and Idaho. What do you do? If you're this guy you record it while your driving (not the brightest thing to do in and of itself), then post the video online so the world can revel in your wife's dingbattedness. My first thought was, "I wonder if this guy's still married" but then it occurred to me that given the intellect she displayed his wife may not be aware that he'd punk'd her. Enjoy.

SueMo Was Right About Trader Joe’s Coming to Winston-Salem

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One of the problems that newspapers have is that if they want to retain even a semblance of their status as a real news operation they can't just print any old rumor that comes across their desks. That's why it wouldn't be fair to the Winston-Salem Journal to say that they were scooped by a margin of about two months when SueMo, probably the most connected person in Winston-Salem, wrote on Facebook that she'd heard a rumor that Trader Joe's was coming to Winston-Salem.

If you're a Trader Joe's fan then today brought you some welcome news, as reported on the Winston-Salem Journal Facebook page. When they get around to putting a story on their website I'll try to remember to link to it.

Down Goes Print Advertising! Down Goes Print Advertising!

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The Atlantic has a pretty stunning graph showing the decline of print advertising over the last 10-12 years, and worse, the acceleration over the last couple of years. (h/t to Ed Cone for the link).

The decline is stunning. "Last year's ad revenues of about $21 billion were less than half of the $46 billion spent just four years ago in 2007, and less than one-third of the $64 billion spent in 2000," Mark Perry writes. In the next few years — and hopefully, in the next few decades (I like print!) — we'll see papers and magazines continue to invest in their websites and find advertising and pricing models that support journalism independently. Otherwise, one hopes that rich people continue to be fond of paying for the production of great writing on bundles of ink and paper.

The Rich Really Are Different

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Whenever I read something that essentially says, "This group of people is different because…" I immediately think, "Well, I know X person who fits that group and he definitely doesn't fit that mold." And of course it's true; any time you make a general statement about a group you're going to have lots of exceptions, but it's important to remember that those exceptions don't necessarily disprove the general statement. That being said check out this article that explores some research that's been done about the affect that money has on people. The research shows that money changes people, and not always for the better:

In fact, a number of new studies suggest that, in certain key ways, people with that much money are not like the rest of us at all. As a mounting body of research is showing, wealth can actually change how we think and behave—and not for the better. Rich people have a harder time connecting with others, showing less empathy to the extent of dehumanizing those who are different from them. They are less charitable and generous. They are less likely to help someone in trouble. And they are more likely to defend an unfair status quo. If you think you’d behave differently in their place, meanwhile, you’re probably wrong: These aren’t just inherited traits, but developed ones. Money, in other words, changes who you are.

Do We Follow Florida’s Lead?

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Today in my email inbox I found the press release copied below. Why would anyone outside of Florida try to sell the rest of the country on an idea by saying that it started in Florida? Have they not read one of Carl Hiaasen's novels? Whatever. I know a lot of people who'd support this idea, even if the Florida legislature is involved:

For Immediate Release                                                                                   Contact: Ray Wotring

March 1, 2012                                                                                                  Phone: (703) 383-0907

Florida Legislature officially calls for Congressional term limits

Fairfax, VA – The Florida legislature today officially called on the U.S. Congress to pass and send to the states for ratification a constitutional amendment limiting Congressional terms in office. The resolution, passed by acclamation in both houses of the Florida legislature, will be sent to the president of the United States, Speaker of the U.S. House, president of the U.S. Senate and each member of the Florida Congressional delegation.

"Florida is the first state to take this step, but it will not be the last," said Philip Blumel, president of U.S. Term Limits. "With term limits polling at all-time highs and the Congress at record lows, pressure is building around the nation for Congress to take action."

Sen. Jim DeMint and Rep. David Schweikert have introduced a constitutional amendment (SJR 11 and HJR 71, respectively) limiting congressional terms in the Senate and House.  While the Florida action does not specifically mention any specific legislative proposal, they are the first state to go on record in the past decade supporting a congressional term limitation constitutional amendment.  Voters overwhelmingly supported Florida's state constitutional limits on state legislators in 1992 with 77 percent support. Polling from Quinnipiac University in 2009 suggests 82 percent of Floridians continue to support term limits on public officials.

Nationally, the support for term limits remains strong with 78 percent of Americans supporting congressional term limits according to a September 2010 poll conducted for FoxNews by Public Opinion Dynamics.  Support is strong across partisan lines with 84 percent of Republicans favoring the idea while 74 percent of Democrats and 74 percent of Independents also support limiting congressional terms.

U.S. Term Limits' Blumel urged Congress to move forward with the DeMint and Schweikert amendments saying, "Passage of congressional term limits is a foundational reform needed to re-establish a sense of reality to Washington, D.C., where the entrenched political leadership no longer represents the current thinking or interests of the voters in their former home states."

Passage of the term limits constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate, and ratification by ¾ (38) of the states in order to become part of the Constitution.

The Florida resolution was introduced by State Rep. Matt Caldwell (HM83) in the Florida House and Sen. Joe Negron (SM672) in the Senate.

"The evidence is in. Term limits work," said Rep. Matt Caldwell of Lehigh Acres. "New York, Illinois and Florida have all been faced with tough decisions on how to balance their state budgets over the last few years.  Only one of these states has term limits and only one of these states has cut their budgets to match their revenues and refused to raise taxes."

"Congress is on a collision course with federal bankruptcy and our last, best hope is to bring serious and permanent change to Washington, D.C.," he said.

U.S. Term Limits is the leading national advocacy group supporting congressional term limits.

###

U.S Term Limits is a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization that works to promote term limits at all levels of government. For more information or to arrange an interview, please call Ray Wotring at 703-383-0907. U.S. Term Limits is a nonprofit501 (c) (4). It is located at 9900 Main Street, Suite 303 Fairfax, VA 22031 info@ustl.org

 

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9900 Main Street, Suite 303
Fairfax, VA 22031

 

Linxplained

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The folks at Freakonomics explain why Jeremy Lin's success was actually predictable:

An average point guard selected in the NBA draft from 1995 to 2009 posted a 5.8 Win Score per 40 minutes (WS40) in his last year in college.  In 2009-10, Lin posted a 8.0 WS40, which meant he was an above average prospect.

Lin’s above average Win Score was driven by his ability to excel at shooting efficiency from two-point range, his ability to get rebounds, and his ability to get steals. When we look at which college factors predict an NBA player’s productivity, we find that it is these very same factors that matter: shooting efficiency from two-point range, rebounds, and steals.

Now what factors don’t matter? We found that a player’s height, age, and other box score numbers are not associated with more NBA production later on. In addition, appearing in the Final Four – a factor that clearly impacts draft position – doesn’t suggest higher production in the future.  In sum, what Lin didn’t have in 2010 wasn’t related to his future NBA prospects.  Consequently – contrary to what people in the NBA thought back in 2010 — people outside the NBA argued (again, back in 2010) that Lin might be worth a look.  

I smell a Moneyball moment for the NBA. 

State and Local is Where It’s At

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For those of you who think all the political action is in Washington, DC I have to tell you that the real action, at least in terms of entertainment value, is in the state and local arenas. A perfect example:

Lewisville Losing a Good Man

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Cecil Wood, Lewisville's Town Manager, is retiring today. That's too bad for Lewisville because Cecil's a good man and has been a tremendous asset to the town. During my service on the Planning Board I've had a chance to work with him over the last couple of years and have truly enjoyed spending time with him and seeing him in action. He really is one of the good guys.

Here's a nice story in the Winston-Salem Journal about Cecil's retirement.

Imposing Religion

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In reading an article that a friend sent to me I found this quote from President Kennedy:

I believe in a President whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition to holding that office.

With a slight change it adequately reflects my view on the proper role of religion in American society:

I believe in a citizen whose religious views are his own private affair, neither imposed by him upon the nation or imposed by the nation upon him as a condition of citizenship.