Nicholsclan.com : a dimension of mind...

Obviously, I'm on the Wrong Drugs

Perhaps more research is warranted, but this data seems to assert that I should be giving up my morning coffee for hash brownies. It apparently will make me more productive at work.

I Guess I'm Not Angry Enough

Who'd have guessed that my blog wasn't angry enough? At least I'm pretty sure no one can claim I'm just an uneducated right-wing parrot on the lunatic fringe. Well... at least not the right-wing part.

I suppose this is a political blog, although that is more by coincidence than design. I'm still dedicated to my mission of just uncluttering my head by ranting here, but in the last many years, politics is what makes my blood boil. I do sometimes wonder what I'll talk about in 2009 should the Jeb Bush - Terry Schiavo ticket not sweep the next Presidential election.

Social Insecurity

I'm confused by the whole Social Security "crisis" which is looming. And what's confusing me about the crisis seems rooted in the politician's and pundit's confusion over what Social Security is today.

On the one hand, Social Security is run as a "pay as we go" system. That is, the money I contribute today is not invested for me. It goes to pay for current recipients. If there's money left over once the government has paid all the current recipients, it goes toward building some laser guided doohickey or subsidizing goat farmers. The amount I'm ultimately eligible to collect may be based on the amount I contribute over the years, but that's just an accounting trick. The money isn't actually managed that way.

But if this is really the way the system is set up, then I fail to see where the crisis is. If the government has been skimming the surplus for all the years one existed, shouldn't it now be liable for the underfunded account during the baby-boom bubble? After all, isn't that Finance 101? You don't get reward without risk. If, instead of squandering that money on scientifically implausible Star Wars weapons systems, they had invested that money as any good bank or insurance company would have, would there be any account shortfalls at all?

And the proposed "private accounts" solution really seems to muddle my mind. The basis of private accounts is that I personally will get to invest the money I pay in. It is the performance of those specific dollars in the market which will determine what I have available in benefits when I retire. But doesn't the very premise of this solution fly in the face of the "pay as we go" model in the first place?

One aspect of "private accounts" is the investment of that money in the open market. But let's set that aside for a moment. Let's focus on the "private" part. If the money I pay in is my own private virtual account, then Social Security is really managed as an insurance policy. If the policy provider mismanages the funds or their actuaries blow their estimates on how long I'll live, the company is still liable for the value of the policy.

On the other hand, in the "pay as we go" model, the taxes in should match the flow out in any given year. This means that either the older boomers will get fewer benefits, the young boomers and Gen-Xers will pay through the nose, or both.

So I think that before we can determine whether or not there is a crisis, and if so, what a viable fix might be, we, as a nation, must figure out what Social Security actually is and begin treating the money commensurate with that conclusion. We can't keep changing the definition every time a different guy gets up to the podium.

My Kinda Meal

Okay, if you want to read the whole article, go ahead. But personally, I stopped after paragraph 2 and started planning my summer vacation to Decatur, GA where I will seek a place called Mulligan's to try the house special:

The dish, a specialty of Mulligan's, a suburban bar, is a hot dog wrapped by a beef patty that's deep fried, covered with chili, cheese and onions and served on a hoagie bun. Oh yeah, it's also topped with a fried egg and two fistfuls of fries.

Mmmmmm mmmmm. That's good eats.

Rugby Fan Cuts off Own Testicles

These people take their rugby (or maybe their drinking) way too seriously!

Pizza and God

A recent Gallup poll finds that one third of Americans don't believe there is evidence to support evolution. Further, 45% believe God created humans in their current form within the past 10,000 years. And people wonder why we are falling behind the rest of the world in science? C'mon, isn't this the 21st century incarnation of the Flat Earth Society? Recall that the church once proclaimed the Earth was the center of the universe and the Sun and everything else revolved around it.

Science is good for us. I know this to a certainty because a research study in Italy found that people who eat a lot of pizza are less that half as likely to suffer a heart attack as those who only nibble occasionally. My heart should be beating strong two years after I'm dead. That is, unless the creationists are right and the rapture comes first, which would make all that pizza eating in vain. So I guess I'll just have to keep eating pizza on faith. Or something like that...

Current Events Update

Now that the Palestinians and the Israelis have agreed to sign a peace treaty, how long do you think it will be before GW and Condi take credit for it? Do you suppose he really poisoned Arafat? Otherwise, I'm having trouble seeing how he gets to put this on his resume.

I'm pretty sure I blogged this before, but I want to get it out again. If this prediction is right,then I'll be famous. If it's wrong, you'll forget I ever wrote it. I'm thinking the easiest way to get "out of Iraq" is to get into somewhere else. After all, we all forgot about the shambles we left in our wake in Afghanistan once we entered Iraq. Wouldn't the strategy work again?

The saber rattling over Iran has already begun. The elections in Iraq have been held. And a big chunk of GW's fans will forgive him all the mis-steps in Iraq once he whoops 'em all up for an invasion of yet another harbor for terrorists.

I hope I'm wrong.

Scot Free

As I depart Scotland, I have find mixed feelings. It has a great culture of sandwiches and pubs. And those who know me understand that this is not a fondness to be taken lightly. A word about their sandwiches is in order. It's so refreshing to find that even the generic sandwiches you find in company canteens and convenience stores have a bit of imagination to them. At home, if you get a turkey sandwich it would consist of turkey and bread. Here, it might have bacon, pesto mayo, and pickle. By the way, I've no clue what they pickle here that goes on sandwiches. It's brown and pasty, but awfully good if you're brave enough to eat it. And the beers are so much more interesting. I can't imagine why some of the locals drink Bud. But then I don't drink Genny in my neighborhood either.

And I also like the music. Not bagpipes mind you. They grate on your nerves pretty quick. But the popular music here is mostly 70's and 80's rock and roll. They play it live in the clubs, pipe it onto the airplanes, and in restaurants. I'm probably just getting old, but the techno hip-hop rap stuff that passes for popular music at home has an effect on me similar to bagpipes.

All in all, Scotland seems to be one of those rare places that while not terribly exciting to visit, it would be a right fine place to live... if you could afford it.

Fried Scot

The scotch cuisine is best summed up as "fried". They even advertise it. A bacon, sausage, eggs, and griddle cakes meal is known as a "fried breakfast". There are "chippers" everywhere. They are small stands where you can get fried fish, potatoes, something that resembles a corn dog, and even a deep fried Mars bar. Honest. They batter and deep fry candy bars. It's wonder anyone lives past 30.

And it shows too. While you don't see as many really obese people here as in the States, by casual observation, most everyone here is overweight. You see a very few people who are obviously genetically thin, but they are the sort that come off as too skinny. Everyone else has a gut, and I don't mean just the guys.

Superbowl Is Not 'Real' Football

It turns out that the Superbowl will be televised in Scotland. However, it's billed as the biggest American sports event. That is, when it's billed at all. Most of the focus here is on "real" football (soccer). After that, there's a big rugby tournament going on which is getting a lot of attention. The local university's girls field hockey team will be having a match soon. the superbowl ranks somewhere after that. Honestly, I think the only reason it's getting any attention at all is because it's on at 10:40pm here and doesn't have a lot of competition in that time slot. A few of the pubs (pronounced "poobs" over here), are even running superbowl specials and staying open until 3am to show the game. But that seems more about selling beer.

And they won't be showing the U.S. commercials, so what's the point?

It's Hard To Be Scotch in Scotland

I've been in bonnie Scotland a scant two days now, and I'm just getting so I recognize the native language as English. I frequently find myself listening to the locals speak and relishing the sound of the delicious thick accents - only to realize that I have no bloody clue as to what they are saying. Still, it's great to listen to.

I've also discovered that this is not an inexpensive place to be. Despite the pound trading at about $1.85, prices here would be typical of an even exchange rate. So you're paying almost twice as much for everything. Thank goodness for expense accounts.

And in case you're interested, Scotland does follow my global rule of beer. That is, you can only get a decent brew in a country where it's cold. Despite how good a cold beer tastes on a hot day, more tropical climes just can't seem to pull off a palatable bucket of suds. It's cold here. And keeping to form, there are many good beers, ales, and lagers to sample. And since some of the beers here qualify as a self-standing meal, you can write those off on your expense account as well - I hope...