…in one basic chart.
The voters no longer pick the politicians; the politicians pick the voters.
Of course, we also suffer from the “I hate Congress but I like my Congressperson” syndrome.
Category Archives: Social Commentary
Killed By Safety
In the book, I describe how a launch abort system could end up killing the crew on an otherwise-nominal flight. Here’s a real-life example of someone who was killed by a safety device.
I recall that my late grandmother (she’d be almost a hundred and twenty now if she’d lived) refused to wear a seat belt, because she was afraid she’d end up being trapped in the car.
The Tree Rings Of Pyongyang
The latest from Mark Steyn.
Sexbots
Will they put human prostitutes out of business?
This sort of begs the question of what will be a sexbot and what will be a human in the future.
Your Faith In Humanity
Thirty-eight questions that will utterly destroy it.
I think my favorite is whether or not NASA invented thunderstorms to cover up the sound of space battles.
[Via Geek Press]
Safety First?
Alan Boyle has the storya prequel story of his interview of me in Second Life last night.
Virtually Speaking, Science
I’m going to be talking to Alan Boyle in Second Life this evening, about NASA, safety and the Russians.
Republicans Aren’t American
So says Howard Dean:
He was addressing a Democratic crowd in Colorado, and went off on a tirade against Republicans. Yes, he really did say that Republicans aren’t American. And that they should stay away from the United States, and go to Russia where they belong. One gets the feeling that if the Democrats ever have the opportunity, they will have us all arrested. Or deported.
The totalitarian impulse never lies very far below the surface of the Left.
Google Glass
Why I’m sending it back.
Right now, it looks like a solution seeking a problem. The first issue will likely be addressed (and only be addressed) by a HUD built into contacts. Which I won’t use, because I hate the very idea of contacts.
P. J. O’Rourke
“What I would tell the graduating Rutgers class of 2014.”
Here you are graduating from Rutgers, which is, as I mentioned, the 69th-best university in America. Maybe Rutgers should add more vegan selections to its cafeteria fare. U.S. News & World Report scorekeepers go for that kind of thing. Actually, you’re tied for 69th with Texas A&M, an NFL first-round draft with a small college attached.
Your most famous alumni are Garret A. Hobart, 24th vice president of the United States, Ozzie Nelson of Ozzie and Harriet, Mr. Magoo, and seven former governors of New Jersey. Given the recent history of that office, I promise not to tell anybody. (Gov. Kean went to Princeton.)
And you just wasted $100,308 on tuition, fees, and room and board, assuming you were able to zip through Rutgers in a mere four years. Although you only wasted $53,996 if you were living in your parents’ basement. But you wasted $156,404 if you’re one of those bridge and tunnel people from out of state. Let’s call it a hundred long. Approximately 14,000 of you are graduating this year. That’s $1.4 billion wasted.
Why do I say “wasted”? Those of you who are, know why. Those of you who, for reasons unfathomable, are sober on this occasion may need it explained.
I have done research. I used the same tools for deep and comprehensive understanding that you used for your essays and term papers—Wikipedia and random Internet searches.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (at least as reliable a source as the National Association of Cats and Dogs), the average starting salary for a newly graduated B.A. is $45,633.
Not bad, you say. There’s almost rent and a car payment in that, after taxes. But “average starting salary” assumes you’re salaried. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 75 percent of college graduates are in the labor force. Maybe the rest are on a grad-school full ride getting a Ph.D. in string theory.
There’s reason to doubt it. A study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows 44 percent of recent college graduates are underemployed. A report in The Atlantic claims half of those recent graduates are working “in jobs that don’t require a degree.” And, in a National Center for Education Statistics survey, 48 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds with student-loan debt say they are unemployed or underemployed. Can you spell KFC?
I wouldn’t bet on it.