Tuesday, March 25, 2008

I want to "go green" but can't!

This article came at the perfect time as I look to purchase a hybrid SUV and I haven't found anything that I like, that's in my price range. I have even extended my price range because I understand that going green costs more... but, it looks like I am not the only one.

According to a recent study by University of Maryland many consumers want to go green but can't...
"But while 83 percent of adults said they wanted to protect the environment, and 59 percent said they like trying new technologies to help the environment, about 42 percent said such technologies were hard to find. "

Monday, March 24, 2008

XM and Sirius- Monopoly, of course not!

Big surprise, someone else is merging... In the satellite radio industry it only makes sense. Being that the growth is hardly noticeable and they were fighting over the same partner agreements pricing themselves into non-existence...

Sirius and XM- I wish you both luck. With people spending less and less time in their cars and hopefully more time on public transportation (this is me being hopeful here people!) there will be no radio listening. People will just grab their iPods and go... make your own radio...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080324/bs_nm/xm_sirius_antitrust_dc_8

Poor Salmon

I knew that the Salmon runs in Oregon had been on a decline, and I guess it would make sense that the same would be happening in California, but the numbers are staggering:

"Five years ago, the peak was 872,700 returning spawners. Roughly 90,000 were
counted in 2007, and only 63,900 are expected to return to spawn in fall 2008."


It's a sad thing to imagine not being able to grill salmon in the summer- that doesn't mean that we all deserve to eat salmon every day, but like many fish, they are good for you, and it would be a shame to not be able to receive those healthy benefits. And without some serious action like:
  • dam removal or adjustment
  • decrease in pesticide usage
  • decrease in fishing off the coast in order for the salmon to feed
But, that means that we would have to make a lot of sacrifices. Less irrigation support, less fishing for other seafood that salmon need to survive and a decrease in pesticides. All of these things come at a sacrifice of another, but isn't the point to keep everything in balance. Just a few changes in these areas could bring our salmon runs back into a middle range. We might not be able to eat salmon every day, but we would spare ourselves the reality of never being able to eat it again.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Rates, oil costs, Bear Stearns, oh my!

The theme song for the economy right now should be something like: the theme from Jaws: da-dunt, da-dunt da-dunt, da-dunt. You get the idea...

I love that Bernanke has decided once again to lower interest rates. (Insert sarcastic, sly smile here). I was an economics minor and the first thing they teach you is to let the economy balance itself out. We all remember the supply and demand graph. And yet, we aren't doing that here. Understanding that the US could fall into a SERIOUS depression if we actually did just let the economy balance itself out. It might be just what we need.

Because if you ask me, we have all been making some pretty silly decisions lately:

  • Giving loans to people that couldn't afford them
  • Racking up crazy amounts of national and personal debt
  • Polluting the earth beyond recognition
  • Scaring ourselves into believing that a war will somehow make us more secure

It's pretty old school- but it's almost like a life- changing heart attack. We need something to shock us back to reality. Because, where we are with all these safety nets and free passes, is not safe, and certainly not real.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Education and Economics

It was only a matter of time before the Subprime crisis hit the people that really need loans- college kids. In this article in the Boston Globe it's a sad statement of our society when we can't even afford college anymore becuase no one will give you a loan.

I would never have made it through undergrad if I didn't have private loans available to me. St. Mary's was a great school, but it was not inexpensive. And there are so many middle-class kids like me who won't be allowed the same opportunities if we continue on this path.

I don't have kids yet, but if I did I would be scared to imagine paying for my kids' education, my own college debt, my mortgage, life, etc. It's scary! Makes me want to move to Sweden where they pay outrageous taxes, but their health care is free, and their education is free through a college degree. But... that means that there is no chance to pay for a better education or a better surgeon, you get what the government supports.

There is no easy answer, but I wonder if we might be better off if we just take the government out of all of the equations. Privately fund everything from: health care to education to the road maintenance crew.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

What are the 3 E's?

The three subjects I am most passionate about are:
  • Education
  • Economics
  • the Environment
I thought about putting Politics on the list, but sadly, I don't have enough faith in our politicians to actually do anything useful or worth mentioning.

I am not going to put any parameters around what exactly will be covered on any of these, because I am interested in most everything. But, these three areas will be the focus.

Hope you enjoy!