1. Even as states like Connecticut are abolishing the death penalty, we learn that another man was wrongfully executed in Texas many years ago. I’ve never taken a confident stance on the death penalty either way, but I think I’m ready to officially and confidently oppose it, simply because the government makes too many mistakes and “death is the ultimate oops cost“. Follow @MikeRiggs to learn more about government mistakes, especially pertaining to violence (warning: may make you angry).
2. NPR has 50 years of government spending in one graph. It doesn’t show the growth in government spending, and they try to say with a straight face that a change of 18% to 24% of GDP is “roughly” the same, but it is very interesting to see the proportions. I didn’t know, or had forgotten, how much defense has dropped as a percentage of spending since the Cold War – even though that’s largely just because other things like Medicare and Medicaid have grown so much. Also interesting that the share of interest is smaller than it was 20 years ago and about the same as it was 50 years ago, due to interest rates dropping so much. I wonder how long they will stay low, and what will happen if interest rates rise along with the projected growths in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid…
3. The Economist argues that the election encourages America to feel worse about itself than it needs to: “People tend to think in black and white. America is either in decline or it is ordained to be for ever the world’s greatest nation. Government is either paralysed or it is running amok, stifling liberty and enterprise and snuffing out the American dream.”
4. If you want to get down and dirty with a nerdy analysis of Mitt Romney’s positions based primarily on his many Republican debate performances, check out Expected Optimism’s detailed posts (see the first paragraph for links to other categories).
5. A Russian satellite has taken the most detailed single picture of Earth yet with this 121-megapixel shot. I’ve always been amazed at how completely uninhabited the Earth looks from daytime at these distances. Contrast this with a night shot, and I’m awed both by how much mankind is affecting this planet, and how little.
6. Random funny Internet pic of the day. (Future of Ron Paul’s Campaign edition)
Hey, thanks for the link. I’ll take “nerdy” as a compliment! Your comment on #5 reminds me of Carl Sagan’s “The Humans” video (speaking of nerdy). “It’s not hard… to be impressed with ourselves, how we’ve transformed the Earth for our benefit and convenience. But a few hundred miles up or down, there are no humans. Our impact on the universe is nil.”
Hey, thanks for the link. I’ll take “nerdy” as a compliment! Your comment on #5 reminds me of Carl Sagan’s “The Humans” video (speaking of nerdy). “It’s not hard… to be impressed with ourselves, how we’ve transformed the Earth for our benefit and convenience. But a few hundred miles up or down, there are no humans. Our impact on the universe is nil.”