tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44827044046289965102024-03-14T01:10:39.772+13:00Dismal Soyanz's House of Incredulity"Sometimes, when you are
a Bear of very Very Little Brain,
and you think of Things,
you find sometimes that a
Thing which seemed very Thingish
inside you
is quite different when it
gets out into the open
and has other people
looking at it."
-A.A. MilneDismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-67716313982570332352008-11-06T13:26:00.001+13:002008-11-06T13:28:05.580+13:00$500 transfer - what multiplier effect?The Maori Party have advocated a one-off transfer to families of children living in poverty. In itself I have no major issue with this. I would have liked to see a little more detail on the thinking behind this move though. It's a lump sum transfer and should be recognised as such. The question is whether the intention of the transfer has been clearly laid out and whether any real analysis has been done on how it would achieve its objective.<br /><br />I was somewhat dismayed by Peter Sharples using the term "multiplier effect" on radio and in the presser. No, Peter, there is no real multiplier effect here because it is one-off. First of all, don't even think of bringing retailers into the equation. They are not going to respond to such a small amount by increasing orders - not least because the orders for the Christmas period were likely placed months ago. Second, if shopkeepers believe this is a one-off then why should they change behaviour? The size of the transer is so small that it is not going to add to employment, and therefore will not add to expenditure over and above the initial sum. Your multiplier, Peter, is bogus. Please try to get a proper economist into the Maori Party.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-39687612845979915832008-11-06T13:24:00.001+13:002008-11-06T13:26:33.004+13:00The election is nearly overBoy, am I glad that the election is nearly over.<br /><br />The inane ads from all parts of the political spectrum are pathetic and we shall be wonderfully freed of them come Saturday.<br /><br />However, the underlying childishness will still be there - no matter the make up of next parliament.<br /><br />Many people view politicians with very little respect. You would have thought that the institution which has the power to influence the life of every man, woman and child in this country would be held in higher regard. Yet it is not. Why? Because despite all the good work that goes on the lasting image we have is of pompous MP's hlding up cardboard signs at press conferences, or the PM explaining why it isn't actually her signature on the bottom of a painting. Not biggies in the wider picture I hear you say. Unfortunately, that IS the wider picture. If (or maybe that should be "when") we see our politicians engage in silly behaviour knowing full well that they are going to be under scrutiny from their electorate, it is reasonable to expect them to be doing equally silly stuff at other times.<br /><br />Bill English says something dorky. Yeah, like Michael Cullen doesn't say stuff that makes me cringe (rich pricks, anyone?). Even Helen Clark's "You might be able to shout at home" comment was unworthy of a PM. How about banning Dihydrogen monoxide? I'm sorry but the starting point with politicians is to assume he/she is a clown until proven otherwise.<br /><br />Will we ever see the day when the political parties (especially the two big ones) do not need to descend into muck racking to defeat an opponent?Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-76404831839706348512008-10-29T17:47:00.002+13:002008-10-29T17:51:52.008+13:00What's wrong with this situation?8-year old boy goes to gun fair.<br />8-year old gets to fire an Uzi at a pumpkin<br />Uzi recoil jerks the gun upwards<br />8-year old shoots self in the head and dies<br /><br /><a href="http://news.smh.com.au/world/police-ponder-charges-in-boys-gun-death-20081029-5b4t.html">http://news.smh.com.au/world/police-ponder-charges-in-boys-gun-death-20081029-5b4t.html</a>Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-15680720966579833652008-10-29T17:19:00.002+13:002008-10-29T17:23:41.596+13:00They should have speed limiters on mobility scootersAnd from the file on how this country's Laura Norder situation is going to the dogs, we have this gem in the Herald about <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10539912">a man in a mobility scooter who ran over a girl</a>.<br /><br />Okay - no one expects to attacked by a dentured member of Hell's Angels on four wheels but at 14 I would have thought she ought to be a bit more agile than that. Maybe too many pies from the school canteen?Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-32476513334999474132008-10-28T07:05:00.002+13:002008-10-28T07:11:15.119+13:00When it's broke, make sure it's truly f**kedThe Greens have siad the RBNZ should require the Aussie banks to <a href="http://www.greens.org.nz/node/20242">suspend dividend payments</a>.<br /><br />So the global financial system is under stress. Hey, let's get in there and make sure it really dies. If the Green's believe that the RBNZ is not charging enough for making credit readily available then the proper response is to say that the RBNZ should be charging a higher effective interest rate.<br /><br />But then the Green's along with CAFCA have a lifelong habit of taking pot shots at the Aussie banks, regardless of whether it is warranted or not.<br /><br />Vote for M.E.*?<br /><br />*Myopia ExtremisDismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-43408077412756498002008-10-28T07:00:00.002+13:002008-10-28T07:02:30.142+13:00NZ First to work with anyoneAccording to this morning's Radio NZ news, Winston Peters is prepared to work with anyone after the election. Obviously this includes Asian jockeys ...<br /><br />Brokeback Mountain anyone?Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-9033094837505634882008-10-18T13:42:00.003+13:002008-10-18T13:52:01.929+13:00Oddly enough I agree with Keith Locke...... when he said:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>"However, it would be quite wrong to take from [the <a href="http://www.greens.org.nz/policy/population">Green's population policy</a>] that we are asking parents to have less kids,” Mr Locke says.</blockquote>It should be <strong><u>fewer</u> </strong>kids.<br /><br />Unless of course they are going to be skinny ones.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-80208531263279804672008-10-16T16:23:00.001+13:002008-10-16T16:25:24.509+13:00The Long and the Short of ItMost of us are starting to get crisis fatigue (on top of which election fatigue is starting to set in, too). Everyday there seems to be a new story about a financial institution going under or some knee-jerk government reaction. Coming as this does just before important elections for little ol’ Aotearoa New Zealand, there is a real temptation to unhook the modem and go hide in some secluded backwater (you know, like Christchurch).<br /><br />That said (being an economist, I always have a “but”), something I find fascinating about much of what is going on around us is the temporal aspect of it all. We seem to have a disconnect between what is “in our face” and the longer term outlook. The value of the mortgage backed securities is a case in point. No one wants to buy them but chances are they will have some (if not a lot) of value several years down the track, even after taking into account a proportion of constituent mortgages that default.<br /><br />Similarly, the way we (well, financial institutions directly but the general populace have acquiesced in this) compensate the sellers of financial products is skewed toward the short-term. You sell the product and get the commissions. Big bonus. Several years down the track, after you have taken your golden handshake or jumped ship, the underlying turns toxic.<br /><br />Of course, without having crystal balls it is a little petty to expect that we will be able to foresee all the bad stuff that will happen. But the thing is we don’t need to see it exactly. All we need to know is that something bad is going to happen. Things happen in cycles. Sometimes the cycles are elongated and sometimes they are shallow but they cycle. And if the cycle happens to be accentuated, well the drop is going to be case of “I get to see my lunch for a second time”. Why are we surprised that we are getting the payback for a) dodgy lending practises/housing policies, b) incentives for banks to put stuff off balance sheet, c) over-reliance on ratings agencies, d) a belief that the work of some executives is actually worth many millions of dollars? [How many so-called “hundred year events” have you experienced? Ok – they are not necessarily related but I’ve lived through six economic/financial crises of varying magnitudes and several “hundred year” weather patterns.]<br /><br />Too many people believe they fully understand what is going on around them. They don’t. They have heuristics that are seemingly confirmed but they don’t actually understand. For some things that is ok. I get into a lift with only a rudimentary understanding of how the counterweight helps stop the thing plummeting 20 storeys down. But if I am signing up for a mortgage that has the potential to leave me homeless or even just take a massive chunk out of my disposable income in a couple of years, by closing my eyes and just signing I am abrogating my responsibilities. Worse still the grinning salesman who says “keep the pen” after I sign.<br /><br />It seems that the vast majority of humanity does not want to look ahead. To paraphrase Douglas Adams, if we had foresight we may well have never come down from the trees. But all we need to know is that things will turn sour at some point in the future and then ask ourselves “How confident am I that my decisions today are going to stand me in good stead when the shit hits the fan?”<br /><br />There is a wonderful comment in a Freakonomics post comparing the behaviour of mortgage lenders and pregnant teenagers – both profess to not knowing how it happened.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-47666632766873483142008-10-16T15:44:00.002+13:002008-10-16T15:55:10.085+13:00Why I Dislike Winston Peters, Reason #492It was inevitable that NZF would again trot out the xenophobic rhetoric that so enamours Winston with the intellectually challenged.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/vote08/4729478a28435.html">Stuff:</a><br />"When times are tough internationally immigrants are attracted to New Zealand like moths to a neon light."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10537842">NZ Herald:</a><br />"He said immigration policy had to be "smarter" and added: "We must have a population policy - and one in which ordinary New Zealanders can have an input.<br />"It must be linked explicitly to labour market needs. No job - no immigrant."<br />Mr Peters said no one should be let into New Zealand unless they had a job and those seeking to join families in this country would have to be immediate family only."<br /><br />Apart from the fact that it is already relatively hard for unskilled migrants without a job offer to come to NZ, I believe he is trying to say all those Somali taxi drivers with PhDs should not be allowed in...<br /><br />The man makes me sick and I can only hope that enough peopple do not vote for either NZF or Labour so that he has no chance of getting back into parliament.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-57755755380586985392008-10-13T16:05:00.002+13:002008-10-13T16:13:27.263+13:00A Grey Swan?I'm in the middle of reading "The Black Swan" by <a href="http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/">Nassim Nicholas Taleb</a>.<br /><br />I find his writing style a little tiresome after a while but the ideass in the book make for a must-read for anyone in finance and economics.<br /><br />Although current events are not beyond the realm of probability - indeed, a lot of people foresaw the problems in some form or another - some of the ideas are really applicable. Hence the current "crisis" is a grey rather than a black swan.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-78163982797323769702008-10-10T11:50:00.002+13:002008-10-10T11:52:34.298+13:00been away from the blogI had an extended holiday from the blog due to other commitments. Things are not much better time-wise but with the political silly season really upon us, along with some rather dubious economic decisions taking place around the globe, I feel the need to vent my spleen on occasion.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-75943211565346545502008-06-23T11:59:00.002+12:002008-06-23T12:05:32.337+12:00Oil - Speculators - Only for the weak mindedA lot has been said in the medi over recent months about the role of speculators in pushing up the price of oil.<br /><br />The Economist has a good piece on oil. In it, they highlight a key fact that has been overlooked by the feeble-minded: That oil speculators cannot push the price of oil futures above the price that markets are willing to pay for delivery just before expiry.<br /><br />So for example, if the refinery is only willing to pay $100 per barrel, then that is what the final futures contract must be worth immediately prior to delivery. You then work backward by induction over the earlier contracts.<br /><br />So if speculators are willing to push up the price of oil, it is only because the refineries are also willing to pay that much for physical delivery. Not the other away around.<br /><br />A virtual chocolate fish to anyone who can point to a leading politician who actually has publicly acknowledged this.<br /><br />Of course since when did logic mean an end to populist soundbites.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-36447825346772171872008-06-19T20:09:00.002+12:002008-06-19T20:19:27.764+12:00Diluting the liquorAccording to Aunty Helen, there is a causative relation between alcohol outlet density and criminal behaviour.<br /><br />Hmmm.<br /><br />TVHE prodded that one with a stick and found it wanting.<br /><br />This is policymaking by playing around with the edges for the sake of being seen to do something. Does reducing the number of liquor outlets mean there will be less crime? Forget about the stats - someone please tell me how it is meant to work. I really don't see the linkages.<br /><br />On top of that, any first-year uni student who has done a stats course should be able to tell you that correlation is not causation. It staggers me that the pollies can stoop this low. Yes - it's de rigeur for Winnie What-me-baubles Peters - but for a PM to use that sort of flawed logic shows how desperate she must be to get the populist vote.<br /><br />As soon as you start using (and accepting) this kind of shoddy reasoning, sensible policymaking goes out the window.<br /><br />Let's get the election over with and try to get back some sanity... pleeeeease.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-38457033957237757562008-06-11T15:40:00.003+12:002008-06-11T15:43:42.390+12:00You've come a long way, baby.... Now eat lead!The <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1024243/First-polar-bear-swim-Iceland-15-years-shot-dead-police-sightseers.html">story of the polar bear that made it across to Iceland</a> and was promptly shot for its effort kind of sums up my view on life.<br /><br />You can struggle to achieve something meaningful but if it doesn't suit the guy with the uniform, you are for the taxidermist.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-17170898256186549282008-05-16T17:00:00.003+12:002008-05-18T16:31:45.311+12:00Poneke has goneSeems like Poneke has upped sticks and left the blogging world.<br /><br />I saw a post on another blog but can't for the life of me remember.<br /><br />Thanks, Poneke. Yours was a blog that was most enjoyable to read. Kia kaha.<br /><br />Update: He's back now. Yay! Same bat channel, same bat URL.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-66304732945037820892008-05-16T16:53:00.002+12:002008-05-16T16:57:48.537+12:00The upside to mental illnessSufferers of mental illness can have such an unusual view of the world that it can be very creative. van Gogh is but one example. In <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/science/13case.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin">this case</a>, in the final months of her life, a woman finds love - imaginery but love nonethless.<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Her delusions, unremittingly ugly, had suddenly grown beautiful. In the end, the<br />psychosis was her friend.</em></blockquote><br /><br />I'll drink to that.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-85497534112540939742008-05-14T17:25:00.002+12:002008-05-14T17:30:31.491+12:00Civility on the declineSomething for the grumpy old types:<br /><br /><blockquote><p><strong>Poll: Everyday civility declining in Utah SALT LAKE CITY</strong>,<br /><br />May 11 (UPI) -- Residents of Utah are growing increasingly concerned that everyday civility is in decline, a poll indicated.<br /><br />The Deseret Morning News said Sunday a poll it conducted with KSL-TV indicated most Utah residents believe civility in their state has declined during the past decade.<br /></p><p>The Dan Jones & Associates survey of an unspecified number of people found that<br />67 percent of respondents said civility had declined, while 11 percent said civility had improved in Utah.<br /><br />When asked in what ways civility declined, more than 90 percent of those who saw a problem cited cell-phone use, language and driving as the most troublesome violations of civility.<br /><br />The Morning News said other problem areas included table manners, dress, e- mails and customer service.<br /><br />P.M. Forni of Johns Hopkins University said such problems are rarely addressed in normal society.<br /><br />"People, in general, in surveys see the problem but very seldom do they see themselves as part of the problem," said Forni, who heads up the university's Civility Project.</p></blockquote><br /><br />82% of respondents told the interviewer to go take a running jump.<br /><br />And to borrow from Scott Adams, 72% of all statistics are made up.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-27431919444331143322008-05-13T15:44:00.002+12:002008-05-13T15:47:32.407+12:00Blogging like it is<a href="http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/images/pearls21467080080512.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/images/pearls21467080080512.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-66270753689919025482008-05-08T18:32:00.002+12:002008-05-08T18:43:30.329+12:00On this, the greens are rightI am rarely in agreement with the Greens, as I view them as a lobby group trying to play with the big kids.<br /><br />However, their scepticism about the move to push transport's entry into the ETS back by a couple of years is quite justified. <br /><br />The ETS is a tax. It is intended to affect the price signal by making it more expensive to undertake activities that in whatever way add to emissions. While Helen Clark is also right in saying that fuel usage has dropped as the price has risen, that is a red herring. The underlying rationale for an ETS must be that the market price does not reflect the externalities caused by using petroleum products. That does not change whatever the "fundamental" price is. <br /><br />If this is an attempt to soften the cost of fuel increases for the lower income groups then it is pure electioneering. Regardless of how well-off one is, the cost should capture the externalities.<br /><br />I am pretty ambivalent about the ETS or even carbon taxes. I use a car only during the weekends and am a very low mileage driver. Some people may complain that the car is the only way they can get to work. Well that's the trade-off you have to make to live in the Big Smoke. Nothing, not even housing, comes for free. *snort*Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-86272682475915405942008-05-01T17:44:00.002+12:002008-05-01T17:49:40.845+12:00Another penis story....In what is fast becoing a regular spot for news story relating to parts of the male anatomy we have this:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>Angry wife severes husband's penis<br /><br />April 11, 2008<br /><br />A housewife in the Philippines cut off her husband's penis while he was sleeping in their house because she suspected he was having extra marital affairs, a police<br />officer said. Police officer Rolly Lipata said 37-year-old Lenly Bayabado had long suspected her younger husband's infidelity, prompting her to cut off his organ.</p><p><br />Lipata said neighbours rushed the screaming victim, 32-year-old Joelito, to a nearby hospital in the Manila suburban city of Pasig after the attack. Bayabado underwent several hours of operation so his organ could be re-attached, but hospital sources said there was no guarantee he would still be able to perform sexually.</p><p><br />Bayabado denied he was cheating on his wife and said he will not file charges against her because he wants to keep the family <strong>intact</strong> for the sake of their four children.<br /><br />DPA<br /></p></blockquote><br /><br />"Intact" is not really the word I would use there..... Of course, she should have just sent him to the Congo and got it shrunk down to nothing. Much less bloody I rather suspect.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-83156462195064965562008-04-30T15:44:00.002+12:002008-04-30T15:53:19.592+12:00The homeownership ideologyI am thankful we have not had the same extent of poor lending decisions for homeowners as the US has had. However, <a href="http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-columns/op-eds-columns/the-homeownership-ideology/">this article</a> by Dean Baker highlights the ideological basis that propels many into unsound mortgages.<br /><br />I particularly like this part:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>Of course only an ideologue would view homeownership as an end in itself. One of<br />the reasons that millions of families face foreclosure and/or the loss of their<br />life savings is that the ideologues of homeownership continued to promote<br />homeownership even when it was clear that buying a home would be financially<br />detrimental.</em></blockquote><br /><br />I don't agree with Dean Baker all the time but on this point I'm 100% behind him:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>In the interest of promoting better housing policy in the future it is important<br />to have a public acknowledgement of the follies of homeownership ideology. We<br />don't have a bottomless pit of money to satisfy their perverse ideology. If<br />homeownership does not make economic sense, then we should not tell people to<br />sacrifice healthcare and other essential needs to make the ideologues happy.<br />It's time to force some honesty into the discussion of housing policy - renting<br />sometimes make sense.</em></blockquote><br /><br />If a mortgagee sale house is empty, does a chicken coming back home to roost make a sound?Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-29004213004323529602008-04-24T16:42:00.002+12:002008-04-24T16:58:12.385+12:00From the world of the occultGiven this little piece of exciting world news,<br /><br /><blockquote><em><strong>Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital<br />Reuters Wednesday, 23 April 2008</strong><br />Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of<br />using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and<br />attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft.</em><br /></blockquote><br />I can see a market for all those "Add inches!" spammers. Clearly the Congo will be awash with men concerned that their members have been minimised by magic.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-9191221253133005332008-04-22T07:12:00.002+12:002008-04-22T07:35:20.299+12:00DHBs III heard a <a href="http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/inst/inst-20080420-0812-Insight,_20_April_A_Rescue_Plan_for_Health-048.mp3">good piece on National Radio</a> on DHBs.<br /><br />The key part of this item for me was the recognition by the DHBs themsleves that they needed to act more co-operatively. Somewhat ironically, the Minister of Health said that DHBs would be encouraged but that the model would not be changed.<br /><br />I am glad that there is enough foresight and "can-do" attitude in the DHBs that allows them to improve the provision of health services off their own back. Now some will say that is eactly what the model intended but I am rather sceptical of that. The DHBs - as evidenced by HBDHB - were pretty much left to sink or swim on their own.<br /><br />What of the future? The sharing of services and administration across DHBs ought to continue and be actively encouraged by MOH. An admission that the model was insufficient would be good but unlikely. Could there be a move back to an overarching single administration? I rather doubt that it would become reality within the next three years if for no other reason than the work required to set it up properly. But I hope that if it does come about, it will ot be because of someone in Wellington saying we need to change the model for the sake of change but rather because they see the benefits of where the DHBs themselves have led the system.Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-20496641303556597322008-04-18T16:19:00.001+12:002008-04-18T16:21:56.473+12:00Your attitude sucksI happened to be killing some time around Molesworth Street t’other day during the middle of the mad commuter rush home. A nice shiny new BMW SUV comes around the corner. The driver, whose appearances should not be used to prejudge him, was middle-aged, white, wearing a suit (well a jacket at least) and balding … and talking on his cellphone.<br /><br />I was somewhat happier when I saw him pull into a parking space to carry on his phone conversation, although better that he had never started it while driving. As soon as he pulls over he grabs a plastic sleeve folder and starts rummaging through it, still talking on the phone. "Fair enough," I think "He obviously can’t talk on the phone, look for something in his folder and drive all at the same time." After all, he only has two hands.<br /><br />Eventually Mr Unsub (I’ve always wanted to use that term) puts down the phone, rummages a bit more then puts the folder away as well. That’s when I notice he is not wearing a seatbelt either.<br /><br />This guy embodies so much that is wrong with our driving culture:<br /><ul><li>I do what I want to do – too bad about the risk to others. </li><li>I do what I want to do – too bad if I put myself at risk</li></ul><p><br />I actually have less of a problem with the second except that as a taxpayer, I will be picking up the tab when you crash your Remuera Tractor and end up with permanent brain damage.</p><p>No amount of legislation will change this type of attitude. </p>Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482704404628996510.post-4323057526458529702008-04-18T16:17:00.000+12:002008-04-18T16:19:15.649+12:00Guns and butter<p><br /><a href="http://nudges.wordpress.com/">Nudges</a> is a great economicky type blog by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. Recently they had a post about where (presumably US) income taxes get spent. I was gobsmacked when I read that over 40% goes to past and current military spending. </p><p><br />Are you feeling safer already?</p>Dismal Soyanzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15527794711511575050noreply@blogger.com1