Category: ethics

stupid States have no helmet laws

On By Rick McIn ethics, government2 Comments

I don’t like government regulations. But mandatory helmets for motorcycles is a no brainer. And State without a helmet law needs to have it’s head examined.

… A report released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) finds that no progress was made in reducing motorcyclist deaths in 2011.

Based upon preliminary data from 50 states and the District of Columbia, GHSA projects that motorcycle fatalities remained at about 4,500 in 2011, the same level as 2010. Meanwhile, earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration projected that overall motor vehicle fatalities declined 1.7 percent in 2011, reaching their lowest level since 1949. Motorcycle deaths remain one of the few areas in highway safety where progress is not being made. …

freakonomics

Between 1994 and 2007, six states repealed laws that required all motorcyclists to wear helmets. Here’s a look at per-capita organ donations from male victims of motor-vehicle crashes in those states versus all other states.

lobbyists write American laws

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, government, things getting worseLeave a comment

That’s the fact, Jack.

NY Times op-ed By PAUL KRUGMAN”

Florida’s now-infamous Stand Your Ground law, which lets you shoot someone you consider threatening without facing arrest, let alone prosecution, sounds crazy — and it is. And it’s tempting to dismiss this law as the work of ignorant yahoos. But similar laws have been pushed across the nation, not by ignorant yahoos but by big corporations.

Specifically, language virtually identical to Florida’s law is featured in a template supplied to legislators in other states by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a corporate-backed organization that has managed to keep a low profile even as it exerts vast influence (only recently, thanks to yeoman work by the Center for Media and Democracy, has a clear picture of ALEC’s activities emerged). And if there is any silver lining to Trayvon Martin’s killing, it is that it might finally place a spotlight on what ALEC is doing to our society — and our democracy.

What is ALEC? Despite claims that it’s nonpartisan, it’s very much a movement-conservative organization, funded by the usual suspects: the Kochs, Exxon Mobil, and so on. Unlike other such groups, however, it doesn’t just influence laws, it literally writes them, supplying fully drafted bills to state legislators. In Virginia, for example, more than 50 ALEC-written bills have been introduced, many almost word for word. And these bills often become law. …

Lobbyists, Guns and Money

One day historians will marvel at the stupidity of having for profit corporations write legislation.

related – Wikipedia – ALEC

This American Life – RETRACTION

On By Rick McIn Apple, audiocasts, ethicsLeave a comment

This guy’s a liar. Or is he just taking artistic license?

This weekend, esteemed radio program “This American Life” aired “Retraction” — a stunning refutation of its most popular episode ever — “Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory“, which aired on January 6.

A “Marketplace” investigation has revealed that Mike Daisey fabricated or exaggerated aspects of the stage play upon which the segment is based. …

The crimes of the Chinese, Foxconn, Mike Daisey and ourselves

It’s a fascinating story. But the most interesting aspect of all is how superbly This American Life handled the retraction. I listened to the hour long show twice.

TAL – 460:RETRACTION

If you’ve no time to listen to hour long podcasts, here’s a quick summary:

‘This American Life’ Issues Stunning Retraction On Show Critical Of Apple, Foxconn

This will go down as one of the best examples ever of how media should handle stories later proven to be untrue.

It’s fair to the liar. Well done Ira Glass.

Journalism lives.

entertainment industry lawyers / lobbyists LIE

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, movies, music, TVLeave a comment

That’s their job.

Lawyer / lobbyists sell their souls for money.

Everybody knows it. … So why does anyone believe a word they say?

Comic author Rob Reid unveils Copyright Math (TM), a remarkable new field of study based on actual numbers from entertainment industry lawyers and lobbyists.

Rob Reid is a humor author and the founder of the company that created the music subscription service Rhapsody.

TED Talks – Rob Reid: The $8 billion iPod

Click PLAY or watch it on TED.

(via Michael Geist)

why we share online …

On By Rick McIn blogs, books, ethics, friends, internet4 Comments

Jeff Jarvis, author of Public Parts:

We are sharing for good reason—not because we are insane, exhibitionistic, or drunk. We are sharing because, at last, we can, and we find benefit in it. Sharing is a social and generous act: it connects us, it establishes and improves relationships, it builds trust, it disarms strangers and stigmas, it fosters the wisdom of the crowd, it enables collaboration, and it empowers us to find, form and act as publics of our own making.

For individuals, sharing is a choice; that is the essence of privacy.

Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, told me that before the net, we had “privacy through obscurity”. We had little chance to be public because we had little access to the tools of publicness: the press, the stage, the broadcast tower (their proprietors were last century’s 1%). Today, we have the opportunity to create, share and connect, and 845m people choose to do so on Facebook alone. Mr Zuckerberg says he is not changing their nature; he is enabling it. …

read more on Buzz Machine

Jeff Jarvis is defending sharing in an Economist magazine debate with Andrew Keen.

I voted for Jeff.

Online sharing is one of the best things that’s happened in my lifetime. But I’m surprised bloggers have not changed the world MORE.

If you are against empowering idiots to spew hate and misinformation online, your best argument is a blog called “LITERALLY UNBELIEVABLE“:

… examples from Facebook of people who think stories from The Onion are real.

You’d successfully argue that many people shouldn’t be allowed to share online. 🙂

(via Kottke)

who accumulated $14 trillion debt?

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, government1 Comment

And who holds that debt?

George W Bush was by far the worst President from an economics point of view. I always felt his goal (Cheney’s goal) was to shovel as many dollars to rich friends as possible.

Leave a comment if you’ve got data to refute these numbers.

(via myinnermonoblog)

why I love Glee

On By Rick McIn ethics, music, TV3 Comments

I don’t know anyone who disliked Friends as much as I did.

Four Six (Dana had to correct me.) good looking white people whining about their lives. 63 Emmy Awards. That’s my definition of over-rated.

Glee, in contrast, tries to tackle important issues. They did a terrific job on Rachel’s nose.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/34004085

Glee doesn’t always hit the right note. But when they do, it’s awesome.

… less Hebraic and more Fabrayic …

That mash-up was voted Best Glee Song of All Time by TV Line readers in a July 2011 poll.

jobs and the “wealth gap”

On By Rick McIn Apple, audiocasts, economics, ethics, Google, governmentLeave a comment

Jeff Jarvis is at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the elite of the elite.

The theme is “jobs, jobs, jobs.”

… They’re discussing growth strategies and so far we’re hearing the same notions we hear elsewhere in Davos, the complete trick bag: spend money on infrastructure, be nice to business, regulate less, reform taxes, reform immigration. OK and OK.

“The problems of job creation are more complicated than that. …

Buzz Machine – Efficiency over growth (and jobs)

For example, Apple and Google are two of the wealthiest companies in 2011, but they don’t have many employees. Some jobs have been eliminated by technology. Others are gone overseas because people just as competent as you are willing to do it cheaper.

Obama’s State of the Union again chastised the American rich for not doing enough. That might be good politics, but it’s not going to do anything to create many American jobs nor reduce the “wealth gap“. I appreciate that he’s trying. … It’s better than nothing.

Is there any solution?

I don’t think so after listening to a new BBC audiocast documentary: The Wealth Gap: The View from London.

The future looks grim for most wealthy nations. The “occupy” protesters, most jobless, will continue being frustrated. And the rich will get richer. If you try to tax them, they’ll relocate abroad.

source – BBC – The Wealth Gap – Inequality in Numbers

If you have a job, I’d recommend you keep it. And start putting away emergency resources. (I’ll not be following my own advice, as you might guess.)

… One of the few bright spots is philanthropy – Davos 2012: Bill Gates commits $750m to fight AIDS

this is the Obama I want

On By Rick McIn ethics, governmentLeave a comment

A guy who stands up for what’s right, even when it’s not politically convenient.

GOP candidates are silent when audience boos a gay soldier at their Orlando FL debate. Rick Santorum doesn’t even acknowledge the soldier’s service. The Commander in Chief calls them out on their failure to honor our men and women in uniform.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

We’ve seen far too little of that Obama since he became President.

The clip is from an October 2011 Human Rights Campaign dinner.

President Newt?

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, product complaints2 Comments

What am I missing here?

Isn’t Newt Gingrich the lowest of the low? An egomaniac with no morals whatsoever?

The guy who earned $1.6 million consulting for Freddie Mac?

Why did South Carolina Republicans vote for a guy so brashly amoral?

He can’t win the Presidency. And the Republican establishment knows it.

That would be a disaster for the USA. And the world.

related – Democrat Chris Dodd is a scumbag, happy to sell his soul for $1.2 million / year as chief lobbyist for the movie industry. He and Newt will be in the same circle of Hell, so far as I’m concerned.