Other stuff – Page 21 – Outrun Change

More on stealing raisins. Oops. I meant to say, more on implementing the New Deal.

The New Deal policy of confiscating a portion of raisins from farmers every year in order to drive up prices to consumers has been previously discussed here, here, and here.

The Wall Street Journal provides more background on this foolishness that is being considered in the Supreme Court today: The Incredible Raisin Heist / A property-rights challenge to federal marketing orders hits the Supreme Court.

I’ve been wondering what the Raisin Administrative Committee does with all those raisins after they are surrendered by the farmers. Editorial points out the government may sell the raisins on the open market, ship them overseas, or just give them away.

I have to find someone far brighter than me to explain how selling the raisins or giving them away stabilizes prices. Seems that would drop prices to what would otherwise be equilibrium or even lower.

The WSJ editorial outlines the progress of the case through the federal courts. I promise you this is a paraphrase of the editorial and not the outline of a dystopian political novel I’ve been mulling over.

Continue reading “More on stealing raisins. Oops. I meant to say, more on implementing the New Deal.”

Update on marijuana regulation – #17

As a reminder, I’m watching the legalization of recreational marijuana to see what effect heavy-handed regulation has on a newly legal industry. My hypothesis? Overbearing regulation will restrict, if not strangle, an emerging industry.

4/9 – New York Times – Marijuana Taxes Won’t Save State Budgets – The governor’s office has dropped their estimate of taxes from recreational marijuana sales for the year ending June 30, 2015 from $118M back in February 2014 to $69M now.

That is a mere 0.2% of the state budget, less than a quarter of one percent. The trivial amount massively undercuts the concept that pot taxes will be a big help for state budgets, which is one of the secondary reasons touted to legalize marijuana.

Continue reading “Update on marijuana regulation – #17”

Supreme Court to hear arguments whether feds can continue to take raisins without compensation

For reasons that defy logic, common sense, and basic morality, the federal government still has in place a New Deal era policy that raisin farmers must turn over some percentage of their crop to the federal government without compensation.

The purpose of the program is to increase prices to consumers.

No, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day post.

No, I’m not making this up.

George Will points out in his April 17 article, Shriveled grapes, shriveled liberty, the Supreme Court will finally hear oral arguments next Wednesday (4/22) on a case that has been in court for years.

Continue reading “Supreme Court to hear arguments whether feds can continue to take raisins without compensation”

Operating costs per hour for USAF planes

To support a side comment in previous article, I did a quick search on operating costs of fighters. For future reference in other articles, I’ll list some of the info here.

4/2/13 – Time magazine – Costly Flight Hours – This is the longest list I could quickly find. Author cites a researcher who volunteered the info he had gathered from official sources, so take it for what its worth. Cool official pictures for the planes, too. A few highlights:

Bombers: Continue reading “Operating costs per hour for USAF planes”

Current status of Keith Graves, one of the main people in documentary “The Overnighters”

Updates: Multiple updates through conviction and sentencing.

Update 5/19/16: Convicted human trafficker Keith Graves has been moved to a federal penitentiary. Mr. Graves is confined in Victorville Medium II Federal Correctional Institution.

We can drop the word alleged from our discussions of Mr. Graves’ actions while he was living in North Dakota.

Update: Welcome to those arriving on this page via internet search after watching the documentary on PBS. There are many posts I’ve written about The Overnighters. Enjoy!

If you watch the superb documentary “The Overnighters”, you will find that one of the central players is a man by the name of Keith A. Graves. Since the documentary was released he has gotten a lot more public attention and will be in the news even more over the next few months.

I am going to extend my discussion of the documentary beyond what I’ve mentioned before. I’ve been wanting to talk about more things for a long time. My new posts will not be in chronological or logical sequence, instead I will build my coverage one piece at a time.

Because Mr. Graves is such a major part of the story covered in the documentary, I think it is worth following his story. This will reflect back into the documentary as well.

Update: Second superseding indictment adds additional count for another alleged trafficking victim.

Update: Third superseding indictment adds 11th count for the eighth alleged trafficking victim. Also adds a forfeiture claim.

Update 10/1 : Keith Graves trial still set for October 19

Update 10/16: Looks like Keith Graves’ trial is a go for this Monday, 10/19

Full disclosure

Continue reading “Current status of Keith Graves, one of the main people in documentary “The Overnighters””

Update on marijuana regulation – #16

In case you were wondering, I’m watching the legalization of recreational marijuana to see what effect heavy-handed regulation has on a newly legal industry. My hypothesis? Overbearing regulation will restrict, if not strangle, an emerging industry.

Articles discussed in this post: taxes raised from recreational marijuana in Colorado may have to be returned to taxpayers and two radically different plans for legalization in Ohio.

4/1 – New York Times – In Colorado, Marijuana Taxes May Have to Be Passed Back – The taxpayer’s bill of rights in Colorado requires that when the state collects more money that it forecast on passing the state budget, the excess has to go back to taxpayers. Sounds like an okay plan, right?

Wrinkle in that plan is that all programs generating money get hit. Apparently the details in the voter approved plan will require that most or all of the money collected on sales of recreational marijuana may have to be returned to the taxpayers somehow.

To whom and how much remains to be determined. State legislators want to keep the money, of course. So they are trying to figure out how to not return it to the taxpayers.

Continue reading “Update on marijuana regulation – #16”

News reports you may have missed on history books you may have read – April 1

I’ve accumulated a few news articles over the last few years that expound on different books you may have read. If you know the underlying titles (even if you have seen their screenplay adaptations), you are probably aware that for some unknown reason, the staff in bookstores usually misfile the books in the fiction section instead of history, where they belong.

Also a few other news reports you may have missed.

James Bond is an alcoholic with life expectancy of 56.

12-12-13 – USA Today – Yes, Mr. Bond, we expect you to die — from booze. In addition to his expected demise any day now, hand tremors from the cumulative effect of booze would have long since devastated his marksmanship.

How much gold was liberated from Smaug’s cave?

11-6-13 – Wired – Does Smaug Have Enough Gold. An estimate of the amount of gold held in the lair of the dragon Smaug, based on the screenplay adaptation of the historical treatise of Middle Earth, Hobbit.

Answer?

Continue reading “News reports you may have missed on history books you may have read – April 1”

Pending outbreak of hostility between the Federation and Empire. New intel on prospects for Star Trek and Star Wars battle.

Here are some news reports you may have missed.

2/5/15 – Alex Luther at Youtube – To resolve the Star Wars and Star Trek debate, we can view a miniseries now in development. Hat tip to Popular Mechanics: Kirk Battles Darth Vader in This Fan-Made ‘Star Wars. Vs. Star Trek’ Trailer Documentary. (I corrected the title.)

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o5S5tBuNJdM]

Intel analysis on looming war between the Federation and Empire

12/29/14 – Gizmodo – Who Would Win in an All-Out Battle: Star Wars or Star Trek – Analysis evaluates the economic, social, and tactical factors that will be dominant if the diplomatic efforts fail and full-scale war breaks out between the Star Trek’s Federation and the Star Wars’ Empire.

As always, a democracy with freedom that encourages individual initiative has major advantages over a repressive, dictatorial system in which any initiative can lead to a quick Force-caused death.

Continue reading “Pending outbreak of hostility between the Federation and Empire. New intel on prospects for Star Trek and Star Wars battle.”

More on weird worlds far away I’ll never visit. Two federal agents allegedly stole big bucks from Silk Road; one of them allegedly did shake down Dread Pirate Roberts. No, this is not an April 1st story.

Sometimes things go so weird you just gotta’ laugh. Satire site Onion is yet again outdone by reality. Would you otherwise think this was satire? Two federal agents allegedly ripped off Silk Road, allegedly ripped off Dread Pirate Roberts, and otherwise allegedly stole a ~~ton~~ ~~stack~~ ~~pile~~ ~~truckload~~ whole bunch of bitcoins.

3/30 – Wall Street Journal – Former Federal Agents Charged With Stealing Bitcoin During Probe

Ecclesiastes 1:9 says Continue reading “More on weird worlds far away I’ll never visit. Two federal agents allegedly stole big bucks from Silk Road; one of them allegedly did shake down Dread Pirate Roberts. No, this is not an April 1st story.”

About half past 9 tomorrow will be Pi day of the century

March 14 is referred to as Pi day by people who enjoy math. Since pi equals 3.14159, that makes March 14 pi day.

3/14

3.14

Get it?

Well, it’s funny for some of us. Really.

Million Dollar Way points out that tomorrow, March 14, 2015, is the Pi day of the century.

I’ll let Mr. Oksol explain it: Continue reading “About half past 9 tomorrow will be Pi day of the century”

Mali and Central Africa Republic update – 3/8

Not a lot of news from Mali and CAR. Here are a few articles I’ve noticed from recent months. Two terrorist attacks this weekend.

9/19/14 – Wall Street Journal – Spare a Thought for This Little-Noticed Disaster – Charlize Theron calls attention to the humanitarian disaster in Central Africa Republic. She provides good background.

Continue reading “Mali and Central Africa Republic update – 3/8”

A: 48% & 0%. Q: Percent of individual income taxes paid by top 1% of taxpayers and bottom half (projected for 2015)

Table 4 of the Fairness and Tax Policy document from the Joint Committee on Taxation contains projections from the committee for 2015 tax returns. The table projects income and taxes paid by income level.

All of the following income numbers are based on a fairly broad definition of income, starting with AGI and adding items such as employer social security taxes, employer payments for health insurance, workers comp payments, and nontaxable social security benefits.

Key items that jump out at me:

Continue reading “A: 48% & 0%. Q: Percent of individual income taxes paid by top 1% of taxpayers and bottom half (projected for 2015)”

Some days the world goes extra bizarre just to keep me laughing

Yesterday was one of those days the internet went out of its way to keep me laughing at the world’s silliness. Might just be my sense of humor. Or maybe not, so follow along if you wish to see if you can find a few smiles and laughs. Perhaps it is just that I’ve been following the strangling impact of heavy-handed regulation of new industries that these stories are so funny.

Three discussions: Stoner rabbits, marijuana industry as a service niche for CPAs, and Jr Deputy Accountant is back.

Stoner rabbits

The Utah legislators should vote down the medical marijuana proposal because a lot of bunny rabbits and other cuddly little critters will get stoned.

Continue reading “Some days the world goes extra bizarre just to keep me laughing”

Full length book coverage of the systemic academic fraud in athletic programs at UNC-Chapel Hill

I discussed the systematic fraud in the UNC academic and athletic programs in my previous post last October: Two humongous explosions in open frontiers I’m watching – space and education

The short version of the scandal: one department at UNC-Chapel Hill offered paper classes to around 3,100 students over 18 years. A new book points out the courses lifted many students GPAs above the NCAA minimum requirement. One student even made Dean’s list in a semester when he says he did no academic work.

The department running the scheme used codes from three different areas to prevent students from appearing to accumulate too many hours in one department, which would have run afoul of academic rules. To lift students GPAs would need multiple classes for each student. I’ve not seen guesses on how many courses were faked. Do you suppose it was 5 per student? 8? In other words, perhaps 15,000 or 24,000 fake grades.

A new book, Cheated By Jay M. Smith and Mary Willingham goes in to far more detail than the three previous investigations.

The book is reviewed at The Wall Street Journal: Dark Days in Chapel Hill / If you ran a college and knew there was substantial money to be had from sports but no requirement to educate athletes, you might cut corners—that’s exactly what the University of North Carolina did for nearly two decades.

Continue reading “Full length book coverage of the systemic academic fraud in athletic programs at UNC-Chapel Hill”

Has the U.S. just stopped making stuff? Yeah, I’d think so too if industrial output in the U.S. wasn’t at all time record high.

There’s an idea that we don’t make anything in the U.S. anymore. Well, we do import a huge portion of the good stuff we enjoy everyday. Yet we still make a huge amount of stuff here.

Check out this indicator of total industry production in the US. The peak production level is today:

This is from the St. Louis Federal Reserve, which has a humongous database called the Federal Reserve Economic Data, or FRED.

What does the index above cover? From the FRED site:

The Industrial Production Index (INDPRO) is an economic indicator that measures real output for all facilities located in the United States manufacturing, mining, and electric, and gas utilities (excluding those in U.S. territories).(1)

So industrial production in the U.S. is at a record level. Cool.

Want to check out manufacturing only? Okay, here is it: Continue reading “Has the U.S. just stopped making stuff? Yeah, I’d think so too if industrial output in the U.S. wasn’t at all time record high.”