Category: Social Irresponsibility

  • The Wonk Gap – NYTimes.com — its the lie not the truth that is telling.

    The Wonk Gap – NYTimes.com:

    Rotary International has a 4-Way test that starts with “Is it the truth?” In all we say and do …

    If the facts that are presented are not truthful, then whatever follows in the arguments are bogus. Who benefits and why can not meaningfully be determined.

    Stated differently, often (usually?) based on a careful organization of the facts, the best decisions are self-evident.

    So what does Dr. Paul have to say about outright denial and miss information on the right? He points out the healthcare costs have actually been tame in recent years. Current estimates of the future costs/savings are actually better the GAO had originally estimated. Until recently, healthcare costs had been increasing at about 10% per year over the last 30 some years. All evidence is that these costs are much tamer, just over inflation, for the last few years. And that is prior to Obama care really kicking in.

    I know! I’m surprised too, because Obama care doesn’t do nearly enough to address out-of-control healthcare costs as I would like to see. But shifting people out of the emergency room as the primary care, has got to save tons of money.

    Klugman points out how obvious and untruthful some of the information is that continues to be propagated. At least on PBS, you will find a serious analysis of the issues and usually a fare representation of both sides.

    Why would anyone anywhere continue to accept consistent untruths and even blatant lies?

    I like to hear what I want to hear. But I need to hear what I don’t want to hear. As long as it is factual.

    Counter factual is, will, counterproductive, to say the least.

    Good article Dr Paul. It is too bad that the right people won’t read it. And the people who do read it, probably won’t apply the concept of truth-in-information-sources to their own media noise.

    We all need to unfriend sources who promote bogus information, and let them talk to empty space. Only then will we have meaningful solutions to replace meaningless bickering.

    ‘via Blog this’

  • Holding back the oceans… The Cost of Energy… Compounding and getting worse.

    Holding back the ocean (via The Cost of Energy)

    The inevitability of sea level rise (emphasis added): Small numbers can imply big things. Global sea level rose by a little less than 0.2 metres during the 20th century – mainly in response to the 0.8 °C of warming humans have caused through greenhouse…

  • U.S. National Debt Clock Now and Then (2016)

    If you haven’t visited the US national debt clock recently, you should do so. www.usdebtclock.org

    As of January 1, 2013, the US Federal deficit has now exceeded the size of the annual US economy as measured by GDP: $16.4T vs. $16.3T, respectively.

    But the hidden feature of our deficit that your friendly congressman will not discuss is the HUGE unfunded mandates that are looming large while congress putters around. The unfunded mandates are fully 7 times our current annual GDP. We’re talking Social Security of course, that that is only have as big a problem as the unfunded Drug plan. And both of those collectively are only half of the Medicare unfunded deficit! Ouch! The total unfunded is $122T (or more of course).

    An example is thinking of Social Security as a pension plan. The IRS requires a (publicly traded) company to put in enough money to reasonably cover the pensions that they currently promise. But our federal government has “borrowed” every single dollar ever put into the Social Security. And even if they hadn’t, there’s not enough money there to pay for the retires that we all have promised to pay. And of course, the problem gets bigger and worse every day.

    The compounding effect of not dealing with these issues, makes the problem exponentially worse over time.

    So, while the federal government is fiddling in D.C., the real problems — and solutions — of country are being postponed.

    When fiddling and can-kicking becomes an Olympic event, you can only imagine how hard it will be to beat the US Congress. Might have to split them into two teams so there will at least be a contest for the final match.

    Oh. Wanna have a look at the future, based on various forecasts, check out 2016/2017:
    U.S. National Debt Clock 2016:

    Social Irresponsibility: National Debt
    ‘via Blog this’

  • The next crisis: Sponging boomers | The Economist

    The next crisis: Sponging boomers | The Economist:

    The math is ugly. This is a great article that summarized some really big key issues that arise from the generational move of the Boomers into retirement. BoomAge could be the syndrome.

    Those age 65 or older are expected to consume about $333B more in benefits/services than they paid in taxes. No worries, let’s let our kids and grandkids take care of that bill.

    And the bad thing about doing nothing (gridlock and more) is that it simply delays the solution and compounds the impact.

    Some really cool (ugly really, but interesting) stats are the impact that inflation has had on the US national debt. The young, with debt, benefit from inflation. Older, with savings, get hit. The voting and politically active retirees will increase by almost 10% to 26% of the voters and will have time to push for services, benefits and low inflation.

    Social Irresponsibility: Debt, Population, Inflation, Politics, gridlock, Boomers, Boomage

    ‘via Blog this’

  • DOW’s Solutionism. !:-)

    Dow Solutionism:
    This is a very cool concept from DOW.

    Solutionism… Kinda a cure for consumerism, where it’s all about how much you can consume in your lifetime.

    Maybe this should be one of the cures for consumerism, one of the great Social Irresponsibilities?

    Interesting idea. Work backwards from each problem — and the associated solutions to them — into helping address the root cause of the original problem.

    Generally we tend to symptom solutions, not real solutions.

    Pretty cool ads for greening up the Olympics as well.:-)

    Solutionism. I like it.
    www.DOW.com/Solutionism/
    ‘via Blog this’