Where My Mind has Wandered

What is the big deal about sliced bread?

The best thing since sliced bread. Yes sliced bread is a good thing. Is it critical when you make a sandwich? Not really. Just grab a bread knife and make two cuts. I understand making sandwiches for six kids all at once is a lot easier with pre-slide bread. And we wouldn't be eating that super-soft, air-filled, mass-produced bread we all eat if it wasn't sliced at the bakery. You couldn't get a knife through it without ripping it to shreds. But I would give it up for some other inventions.

My two favorites at the moment? The first is my new wireless 3G card for my laptop. I have Internet access anywhere I have a cell phone signal. It feels as fast as a typical WiFi signal most of the time, but the speed is secondary to the benefit of almost universal accessibility. I have never been so productive.

The second is 100 percent cotton washable "non-iron" dress shirts from Brooks Borthers. My monthly dry-cleaning bills have plummeted, along with my day-to-day stress level. If I need a clean shirt for the next day I throw it in the laundry the night before. And I am a bit of a shirt snob. Most of my closet contains Thomas Pink shirts, which are remarkably well made and durable, but require frequent dry-cleaning. But my inventory is changing over as I continue to swing by the Brooks Bros. when I am in the airport and pick up new shirts at half the cost. Keep your sliced bread, I want my 3G card and my dress shirts.

One-stop Shopping for Political Polling Data

If you want a statistical look at the McCain misfortunes you need only go to one place: The Polling Report.  The site is without question the most respected source for aggregate polling data, and the site editor -- the oft-quoted, rarely cited Tom Silver -- is the preeminent expert on the true meaning of political polling data in the United States. As the Polling Report shows, McCain's favorable ratings have peaked and troughed over time, but his unfavorable ratings have been on a steady, negative trend since early 1999. His problem isn't with his friends, it is with the enemies he is making.

McCain and the Internet Era

The front page of the New York Times on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 had plenty of material to get my mind going. The first article of interest for me was the story indicating that Sentor John McCain was on the verge of dropping out of the Presidential race becuase his campaign was unravelling. The consensus reason for the imminent demise is a lack of money; his fundraising intake is "drying up." Surprise, surprise. The lack of money isn't the problem, it is the symptom of a campaign that has made no sense. The NYT writers, Nagourney and Kirkpatrick, assign much of the blame to "Republican opposition to McCain's stances on issues like immigration." What Republicans? Every discussion of Republicans these days refers to the ultra-conservatives, the neo-cons and social conservatives that have hijacked the grand old party. Have moderate republicans run out of disposable income? Does the hard-core right-wing of the party control the destiantion of all donations?

McCain's problems began when he conformed his campaign tactics to the popular perception that you have to run to the extreme edge of your nominating party in the primaries to secure the base, after which you run back to the center to cature the general election. I can imagine the conversations in McCain's Senate office when his advisors told him he needed to launch a bible belt tour, starting with genuflecting to the student body of Liberty University. "We will keep it on the down low, nobody will notice." "By the time we hit the general election the Reagan Democrats and moderate Republicans won't remember you were there." In the Internet era everyone from traditional reporters to political junkie bloggers will know where you appeared and what you said within hours. Video of your speech will be on YouTube the following morning. The Republican Moderates and the Reagan Democrats aren't going to forgive your appearance at Liberty University any more than they are going to forgive your steadfast support for the Bush Administration's disasterous and misguided foray into Iraq. Weclome to the Internet era.

I was privvy to a remarkable dialog between two experinced envoys from the left and the right just prior to the 2004 elections. Both agreed that the candidate that was able and willing to run to the center would sweep any presidential election. How do you reconcile that with the need to raise inordinate amounts of money, starting a year before the primary? The consensus answer is run to the extremes, that is where the early money is. I don't think that works for a candidate like McCain. Smart money doesn't follow ideals; money flows as long as the money thinks the candidate can win. For a candidate like McCain that means staying true to what made you popular to begin with, not changing your colors to appeal to a vocal extreme. Act like a front-runner and raise money from your true base and the fringe will fear you and curry your favor. Make the bible belt come to you.

Doing the State's Business, Missouri-Style

The Missouri Legislature has been at the forefront of attempts to marginalize legal abortion providers. Today Republican Governor Matt Blount signed legislation that introduces a new slate of laws that attempt to limit access to an abortion.

This is not a post that discusses abortion rights/right to life as an issue, just an observation of the legal maneuvering around the issue and the potential impact of the aggressive nature of legislation. The legislation bars people affiliated with abortion providers from teaching or supplying materials for sex education courses. The rationale behind the ban is that groups such as Planned Parenthood have a conflict of interest in supplying materials for sex education courses, because they could potentially make money off the female students.

Of course, the legislation allows schools to provide abstinence-only courses. You will not find a limitation on who can teach those courses, no concern over the potential relationship between counsel and commerce. That argument only applies to abortion providers. If you look across the state you will see that this introduces an interesting precedent. Can people who work for companies that make their living providing court-mandated driver's ed and DWI courses speak at schools about driving under the influence? What about the camp fairs held on school grounds?

The U.S. Army faced a similar issue this year when it was revealed that  insurance companies with predatory pricing and sales techniques were routinely allowed to make financial planning presentations on army bases. This is a serious issue, and the basic premise is one I have some sympathy for. I am not comparing Planned Parenthood to to a predatory lender, but the right-to-life movement, and the Missouri Legislators, clearly cast the organization as a predator.

Of course, both camps in the access to abortion battle can simply launch not-for-profit education services independent of organizations that provide service for fees. And both camps are savvy enough and well-funded enough to pull that off.

The law leaves the State of Missouri to decide how absolute this separation of counsel and commerce is. The selective use of this argument may be challenged in court. The Missouri Legislature is not new to having their laws shot down by the courts. But the lawmakers have decided it is worth Missouri taxpayer's money to push the limits of the legal system in this area.

Granted, 15 percent of Missouri high school students have tried methamphetamines, and Missouri’s average annual decrease in meth use is "approximately three times less than that observed nationally", but issues like drug use -- that take a huge toll on the state -- have to take a back seat to pursuing the national right-to-life agenda.