General Motors: Your Automotive Public Option

Ayn Rand couldn't have imagined it any better: a government with a majority ownership stake in a car maker lobbing sound bites that damage the "competition."

While it's not Ray LaHood's fault that the U.S. government got into the car business, his comments suggesting that Toyota drivers should stop driving their cars did a nice job of underscoring the folly of this type of government intervention.

Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that congressional investigators are questioning Toyota's fix to their safety problem. Just imagine the board of Pepsi presiding over hearings to decide if Coke is really "it."

Obviously, the government should have the authority to ensure that vehicles sold in the U.S. are safe to drive. What it should not have is the authority to buy car companies.

All of this really shines a bright light on the insanity of the health care "public option" that congressional democrats and others on the left want so badly. It is crystal clear to me that the same conflicts of interest would arise on a regular basis. The idea that it would "increase competition" and "keep the insurance companies honest" is laughable. Our health care system needs fixing, but the answer is a market-based solution, not public health care. This piece by John Stossel still holds up very nicely on the topic.

It's pretty simple. The government should stay out of business, out of the way of business and out of my business.

Time for DISH Network to Dish up the HD Locals in Rochester

DISH Network doesn't offer local networks in HD in Rochester. I'm not entirely sure why this is, but I was not made aware of it when I signed up for DISH after getting my nice, new HDTV.

I can get the locals in HD with an antenna, but there are some reception issues. The biggest problem I'm facing is that CBS is the local channel with the biggest reception problems. WROC, the local CBS affiliate, has it's tower on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton, rather than Cobbs Hill in Rochester, where all of the other TV towers are located. For me, that means really poor reception, and with HD the channel just goes out completely when reception is bad. Much of the time it is downright unwatchable. The big problem is that the Superbowl is on CBS this year. One of the big advantages of having a nice big TV is the Superbowl party that goes with it, and it looks like it won't be happening for me this year.

If you're considering getting DISH Network somewhere other than Rochester, check out this link for a list of cities where they offer HD locals:

http://www.expertsatellite.com/dish-tv/local-channels-dish-tv-hd-local-channels.html

If it doesn't say "HD Local Channels" next to your city, they they don't offer them in your area.

If you have DISH Network in Rochester, please send them an email and let them know that you want them. Here's their email form:

http://www.dishnetwork.com/customerService/contactus/email/default.aspx

Dear iPad: iRead on a Kindle

I've been shocked that no one is strongly challenging the idea that the new iPad is going to kill the Amazon Kindle. Reading books on a back lit LCD screen doesn't work. Try it on your laptop. I guarantee you will want to scratch your eyes out of your head in about 20 minutes.

The beauty of the Kindle and other e-readers is the e-ink technology that really feels like reading a printed page. If people were cool with reading books on a computer screen, don't you think that might have caught on by now? Battery life is also a major issue. I can read a whole book without charging my Kindle, while the iPad will need to be charged mid-chapter.

I think the iPad looks cool (although I'm not clear on who will buy it or why), but it's not going to catch on as a book device. Magazines, newspapers, blogs and other light reading content may work fine, but not books.

Another problem for the iPad is the content model. With the Kindle, I can simply subscribe to content or buy books without paying for the 3g connection on top of that. With the iPad, you would have to buy a data plan and then purchase any content you want to access on top of that. So, to subscribe to the New York Times, I would have to pay $30 a month plus the subscription fee. No thanks.

So please shut up about this thing being a Kindle killer. People who buy every Mac product don't read books, anyway. They spend all of their time at coffee shops trying to be seen using Mac products. People who buy Kindles are people who love to read. The Kindle does the job very well.

Plus, I am really starting to get creeped out by Steve Jobs. He just looks like every weird dude that no one wants to talk to at a party. I love my iPhone, but I would happily smash it into a million pieces in exchange for never again having to see this guy prance around the stage in jeans and a tucked-in long-sleeve black t-shirt. We all know you're rich and eccentric, Steve, but how about mixing in a belt or something? And stop naming your products after lady napkins. You're scaring the kids.

The State of the Union: Bored

Barrack Obama rambled on for 71 minutes last night about a whole laundry list of things. Rather than a "State of the Union" speech, it was really a political strategy announcement by a floundering president. The basic message was that the good old government is going to do lots of great stuff to make your lives better. It's also going to freeze spending at these oh so modest levels. Whatever. Harry Reid said it best during the speech without uttering a word:



That whopper of a yawn gets a big amen from me, Harry. Only Clinton's SOTU speeches rolled on longer that this one in recent years, but not by much. If you like to hear yourself talk almost as much as Bill, you have a problem.

I did like what he said about nixing the capital gains tax on small businesses. I really hope he follows through on that one.

Other than that, I raise my hand to my mouth with Harry Reid and give my jaw muscles a good stretching.

Paterson chooses the way of master

With his new budget that taxes all things enjoyable - from alcohol to Coca Cola - Governor David Paterson has chosen to be our master, rather than a public servant.

Instead of dealing with the state's unsustainable approach to government, he has decided to take the easy way out and take more of our money in new and creative ways. I don't blame this all on Paterson; our state government is probably the second worst in the nation after California, and it has been so for quite a while. He's just trying to survive in the post apocalyptic wasteland that is Albany.

The line about him choosing to be a master is actually a reference to a great article in Reason Magazine this month. It talks about how public employees have become our masters. It singles our California and New York and the ridiculous pension entitlements that both states have gotten themselves into. It makes an airtight case that public employees no longer work for the public. We work for them. Read it here:

http://reason.com/archives/2010/01/12/class-war

Now when we buy a six pack, more of our hard-earned dollars will go to pay for sweetheart pension deals and benefits that far outclass what we can expect in the private sector...just one more reason I have to get out of this state.

Obama goes to school

As President Obama gears up to address the nation's school children this week, the media narrative has focused on conservatives who oppose the speech and/or plan to keep their kids from seeing it.

This is predictable politics, of course. There can be little doubt that lefties would have squawked had Bush planned a similar move. The tone of the media coverage would certainly have been different, but pointing out these media double standards is a full time job for which I don't have time.

People can certainly do what they wish, but I personally think keeping your kids out of school or making too much noise about the speech is a little silly. Obama is far too smart to get political in a speech like this. The White House has said it will be "about personal responsibility and challenging students to take their education very, very seriously." In other words, please pack a pair of Ray-Bans to protect their young eyes from the glittering generalities.

This is a shrewd political move. All BHO has to do is stand there spout phrases from "The More You Know" PSA's in his staccato baritone, and he'll be portrayed as a hero. This will be a welcome break from the barrage of very humbling developments this summer has brought, sinking his approval rating into the very human 50/50 range.

The story coming out of the speech will be how big it was of BHO to remain apolitical. The White House is certainly hoping this back to school move will move Obama back above the fray.

Check out Monroe Rising

You may have noticed that this blog isn't getting updated very often. In order to offer more timely commentary, the writers of this blog have joined forces with the like minded folks at www.monroerising.com. Check it out.