Sue Everybody! Punitive Damages!

The title is a reference to an early Jerky Boys crank call, where they called a lawyer and made an absurd claim ending with the caller wanting to sue everyone, including the lawyer on the line. This new suit against McDonald's by a California woman over Happy Meals isn't exactly as stupid, but close. From CNN:

Parham, a 41-year old state employee, says her kids repeatedly ask for Happy Meals, mainly for the toys. "We have to say no to our kids so many times and McDonald's makes that so much harder to do. I object to the fact that McDonald's is getting into my kids' heads without my permission and actually changing what my kids want to eat."

I'm 42. I have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, so I have some basis for comment here. There is no word in the English language they hear more than "no". It is a word I am happy to issue. Kids are Want Machines. Parents guide children by saying "yes" to things they approve of, and "no" to things not approved of. Any parent is, in my opinion, abdicating the most basic role of the parent when they decide saying 'no' is too strenuous an act for them to carry out on an ongoing basis. Lovely, but typical for our times.

In the Kole house, the kids know better than to ask Dad for McDonald's. It ain't happening, with one significant exception. When we are doing a long drive, I will take them to a McD's with a "Playplace" in it. That way, they can stretch their legs and generally be kids in a way being cooped up in a car for hours denies. Isabel has been to McDonald's less than 10 times in her life, despite two of their restaurants within a mile of our house, either of which we will drive past, depending on which way we're headed out of our neighborhood.

I hope this mother does what we did here, and remove the TV from her house. If one would give up so easily to McDonald's commercials, it's going to have a lifetime of frustration. Suits will undoubtedly have to follow to toy makers like Mattel, and then later Anheuser-Busch, and General Motors. Not sure what recourse you'll have if the kiddos are introduced to cocaine and gangs.

This is a frivolous lawsuit as Exhibit 'A'.

Balanced Budget, Explained With Pork

It seems the public perception is that balancing the budget would be impossible, that it would require a Herculean amount of political courage to cut out all the fat necessary to end deficit spending.

Alas. Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie trims the fat to show just how absolutely huuuuuuuge the cuts would have to be:



No reason not to cut to at least the balancing point. Heck, maybe even get into that deficit. Congress Critter, you can even leave your leather jacket on.

New Podcast Almost Ready

Now that the nature of the thing has been decided, I've begun assembling bits for the first episode of "This Podcast Could Be Your Life".

I interviewed Steve Wainstead as my first guest, drank a beer, and discussed some Bucket List stuff. In the next day or two, I'll have it in finished form. Stay tuned!

Podcast Decided

I've come to a conclusion about a podcast direction. It's going to be a personal thing, and hopefully entertaining to listeners.

I'll call it "This Podcast Could Be Your Life". That's a tribute to The Minutemen, and their great song, "History Lesson, Part 2". I took a great deal of inspiration from them, and specifically this song, over the years for the DIY ethic, and in particular the line, "Punk rock changed our life".



The plan is to simply talk about and play things that are important to me. Old WCSB pal Keith Newman and I share an outlook on great radio- it's personal and at least a wee bit obsessive. People get drawn into the lives of great radio personalities on the basis of the things they can relate to, and to the passion the host has for these things. Howard Stern is my favorite case in point, at least up until he got divorced.

So, I have a minor format that I've been working on. "Minor" because I don't want it set in stone. I like having features that recur, but not every time, and not in a set order.

Big Respect. I want to give a nod to someone important to me in each podcast. The title is a tribute to Mike Watt of the Minutemen. Watt has his own lingo, and when he speaks glowingly of someone, he often says "Big respect to...".

Musical Rediscovery. In going through old radio show tapes and in ripping old 7" records to digital files, I've rediscovered some great music, and want to share it. I'll focus on one artist each time.

Bucket List Report. No, I'm not dying, but I like the concept of the 'Bucket List'. It keeps me focused on goals. When I'm not striving for something, I get listless, so I'm making it an active priority to continuously put some goals out there. The first things I'll cover are travel related.

Radio Days Flashback. Those old radio tapes have some real gems. There was a lot of crap, too, but I'll spare the world and myself, acting like the latter never happened.

Mike Kole Drinks a Beer. Once upon a time, I was a home brewer, and even wrote articles about beer. Sometimes I even got paid for it. I really enjoy craft beers, and have missed beer over the last 8-10 years. Isn't that strange? I'm actually making a podcast as a tool for enjoying a beer once in a while. Well, when I'm a candidate for office, I feel I always have to be 'on', and I never drink. Throw in Lyme Disease, and I really just can't handle very much alcohol, so I've stayed away from it. But I do miss the enjoyment of one really good one now and then, and I've learned how to manage the symptoms of Lyme, so why not bring it in? Sad thing is- and this will annoy my drinking friends- I rarely even drink the whole thing. I get my fill in 4-6 ounces anymore. Go ahead- tell me I'm old. It's cool.

Mike Kole Drinks a Root Beer. Over the past decade, I discovered root beer as a lovely substitute for beer. Plus, with a horrible kidney stone episode in 2006, I learned I had to stay away from sodas with phosphoric acid, which means all colas. No Coca-Cola! I really am getting old. Funny how diet gets shaped by disease.

People In My Life. This will be the best thing. At least, this is the thing I'm most looking forward to: Interviews with friends. I've been taking stock of my friends and family and really getting to how great they are, with fantastic stories to share.

Beyond these, I figure there will be reports on family, travel, hockey, Where's George?, and yes, political opinion.

One-Eyed Views Of Economics

I swear, the willful ignorance is growing and growing. There are two ways to balance budgets: increase income, and decrease spending. In any responsible person's personal budget, the first thing one does when the income sags is to cut spending. Not borrow and spend. Cut. Then, after stabilizing the budget, look for other sources of income.

Well, I used the word 'responsible'. So, here comes the 'Chart of the Day' from Reuters.
Oh, I love the one-eye blind preaching in the article:

This chart should be ingrained in the mind of anybody who cares about fiscal policy. The main things to note:

• Federal taxes are the lowest in 60 years, which gives you a pretty good idea of why America’s long-term debt ratios are a big problem. If the taxes reverted to somewhere near their historical mean, the problem would be solved at a stroke.

Here's the foil, because one good chart deserves another, and because I care about policy, without taking the belief that all we're spending on right now is good, necessary, and proper:And, using the above Reuter's paragraph as a building block, here's the other side of the coin:

"Federal taxes are spending is the lowest highest in 60 years, which gives you a pretty good idea of why America’s long-term debt ratios are a big problem. If the taxes spending reverted to somewhere near their historical mean, the problem would be solved at a stroke."

So, let's end with an update to their conclusion:

If you were structuring a tax code budget from scratch, it would look nothing like this. But the problem is that tax hikes budget cuts seem to be politically impossible no matter which party is in power. And since any revamp of the tax code budget would involve tax hikes cuts somewhere, I fear we’re fiscally doomed.

Federal fiscal policy goes like this: We're committed to spending, so let's figure out ways to get the money. Why are we committed to spending what we're spending? Anyone have any interest in that? Why are so many elected officials, and worse, pundits, willing to accept that all spending is good, and must, I mean MUST, be underwritten?

This position is the extreme on one end. I'm not the extreme on the other. I'm not saying 'Cut it all!" I'm saying, "Let's cut to the historical mean." That's a moderate position.

Note to my Democratic friends: Look at the spending as % of GDP chart. Remember the Clinton years? You know, the ones that were so glorious, at least as heard told during the 2008 campaign season? What did federal spending do during that shining era of surplus? Yeah. It went down. Then, it went up sharply in the middle of the Bush years, and continued upward sharply into the Obama Administration. Over to the tax chart, you'll notice that taxes went up during the early Bush years, and then down in the middle and into Obama's term.

Seminar On Gerrymandering Upcoming

The gerrymandering of districts is the act of drawing a map with political boundaries that serve to assure that the party in power stays in power. Libertarians, myself included, have long campaigned against this practice, urging instead for districts that are compact and geographical in nature, thereby allowing voters to more accurately select representatives that reflect the geography.

Common Cause Indiana is hosting a lunch seminar that addresses these issues.

When: Friday, December 17, 2010, 11am - 1pm
Where: Senate Chambers, Indiana State Capitol

Panelists include The Honorable Theodore Boehm, Indiana Supreme Court; Dr. Michael McDonald, Associate Professor of Government and Politics at George Mason University; and Virginia Martinez, Esq., Legislative Staff Attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).

Register via this link. I'll be there. Look for me!

This is extremely timely, as the Indiana Legislature is charged with redrawing the map this year once the 2010 Census data is released. The release is expected to happen in February 2011, and the Legislature will be looking to act quickly. Proponents of an honest redistricting need to be active right away.

OK Tea Party, Have At 'Er

I hope this causes incredible cognitive dissonance for many. From the Indy Star:

Operators of the popular Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky are seeking state tax incentives to build a creationism theme park at a nearby site -- a project that Gov. Steve Beshear officially will announce today.

That's a nice test for those who believe in Creationism and limited government. But, this item really has something for everyone:

Advocates for church-state separation question whether the tax incentives would raise First Amendment issues.

Louisville attorney David Tachau, who successfully sued over a state appropriation for a religiously affiliated pharmacy school, said he would have to further research the issue.

"It certainly sounds as if the mechanism for supporting a particular religious dogma would violate the establishment of religious prohibitions in the state and federal constitutions, but there may be slippery ways this could pass muster," he said.

There are some days I wish I did talk radio. Hmm... There's that podcasting...

A Complete Herbert

One of my favorite 'new' hobbies is Where's George? You've seen dollar bills stamped with the website and messages like 'track this bill'. Yeah, I do that. I've always been fascinated with currency and coins, thanks to the influence of my Dad, who has been a lifelong coin collector. It isn't just inflation and the Federal Reserve policy that holds my interest regarding Federal Reserve notes.

Here's my Where's George profile, for your amusement. The dynamic map is pretty great. Put your cursor over any state and you will see how many of my bills have been tracked there. Click on the state and you will see in which counties.

The diaspora are interesting. I can recall trips by some hit clusters (Niagara Falls, NYC), and you can see how I've beaten a path between Indianapolis & Cleveland by way of Columbus. Almost a perfect line on I-70 from Indy to Columbus, then up I-71 to Cleveland.

Some 'Georgers' are complete Herberts. They go to the bank every day and get straps of $1 bills, mark them, and conduct all of their transactions in ones. The last thing I need are my friendly bank tellers thinking I spend all my time at strip joints.

Thinking About Podcasts

I've generally enjoyed the experience of producing the LPIN's podcasts, but have been thinking of doing something more creative, probably in place of the LPIN one. The last thing I really need is another project. I'm looking to reduce projects, not take on more.

So, there have been two ideas I've been tossing around. One involves interviews with members of the Cleveland punk/underground/indie rock scene. The other is some kind of, dare I say, variety show?

The punk show is pretty straightforward. It occurred to me that the scene is getting elderly in a hurry. The bands I have in mind are generally not current ones, having played from the mid-70s to early 90s. There are a lot of fascinating characters in that scene, and a lot of stories to document. I know that many of these folks aren't going to be writing these things down. That's too much like work. Talking for interviews is easy and fun besides. Now, it has also occurred to me that I don't live in Cleveland. No big deal. I wouldn't want to be the only one doing the interviews. There are better connected people who have interviewing skills that can also do them.

The variety thing... Well, that's not straightforward. I have a lot of interests, and also am not a fan of regimenting or formating a show in a rigid fashion. Why not talk about hockey, root beer, politics, music, and have an interview with a friend all in one show?

The punk thing would be for posterity. The stories are invaluable, and I would work as a sort of archivist. The variety thing would be my favorite kind of 'radio'- totally idiosyncratic, where the process is the fun, and bonus if anyone listens. I'm sure my Libertarian / political friends would push me to continue the LPIN podcasts. Preferences?

Sad News - David Nolan, R.I.P.

Libertarians across the country were saddened to learn that a co-founder of the Libertarian Party, David Nolan, had died suddenly Saturday night. The Libertarian Party was actually formed in Nolan's living room. There are many articles in response. Here's a small sampling:

Libertarian Party's blog

The Advocates For Smaller Government blog

Tucson Citizen

Freedom's Phoenix

Independent Political Report - the comments are loaded with tributes

David Nolan was on the current Libertarian National Committee, and just recently ran for US Senate against John McCain. He invented the "Nolan Chart", a later version of which is now used by the Advocates For Smaller Government, which we all use for outreach at events.

Greg Noland administers 'The World's Smallest Political Quiz', which incorporates 'The Nolan Chart". Photo from recent Good Earth Festival in Atlanta, IN.

David was apparently driving to an event to support the Advocates. He had created a fundraising event for his upcoming birthday - Tuesday - asking Facebook friends to support the Advocates as a birthday wish. Link to the page to donate in David's memory.

I had the opportunity to meet with David at several LP national conventions. My lasting impressions of him are of his calm demeanor at the microphone during heated platform arguments, as the voice of reason, but as one deeply respected by each of the various factions within the party. The room always got respectfully quieter when David Nolan began to speak.

Better Off Without TSA

I would rather go back to the days of no screening whatsoever in airports. It's a whole lot of cost, invasion of privacy, loss of decency, and hassle for very little in return. Are we safer? I don't think so. Interesting discussion from Bob Greene at CNN:

The atmosphere at the airport is as free-and-easy as in a public park. The official assumption is that the people around you pose no threat; from the moment you walk through the front doors of the airport until the moment you step onto the plane, not a soul will stop you or ask you a question.

Would you feel safe? Would you want to live in such a country?

You did, if you were a citizen of the United States before the 1970s.

He's right that the people who are working the jobs are bewildered. They probably believe in what they are doing. But their belief doesn't change the invasive nature of what they do, and it certainly doesn't eliminate the possibility that some lunatic can think of another way of commandeering a plane that doesn't require any metallic object.

Indy Tax Dollars

I can't imagine why the great Indy Tax Dollars hasn't been on my blog roll and "Hot Off The Press" feature. Fred McCarthy's writings have been excellent, and I've followed them for at least five years.

Big oversight on my part, corrected today.

TSA & My Market Response

The "Don't Touch My Junk" event has interestingly had both left and right speaking out against the TSA's invasive searches. Hopefully something will come of it. I used to love to fly. Not anymore. It's a real drag anymore.

My favorite experiences flying came about 10-12 years ago, back when I lived in Cleveland and a close friend moved to New York City. Cleveland and Newark, New Jersey are hubs for Continental Airlines, so I signed up for their frequent flyer program and their email sale alerts. On Tuesdays, Continental sent emails with weekend deals. Depart this Saturday, return on Monday. Gave you no time to plan, but they had planes to fill, and I could jump on it, taking the 6am flights in both directions. I would roll in to the airport with a small carryon bag around 5:15, and would have plenty of sitting around time. I would show up for work Monday at 8:10, and sheepishly say, "Sorry I'm late."

I wouldn't try that anymore, even if I were still single. Now you need to be in the airport at least two hours before the flight. Coming home from Manhattan, I took the Grey Line bus that picked up at the Javits Center near Madison Square Garden. I'd wake up at 4 and get on the bus at 4:30am, 12 years ago. It was hellish, but then I could function on 4 hours sleep. Now I'd have to get up at 3am, shower and pack, and probably get a cab around 3:20 in order to get to Newark at 4am. Forget that! That extra hour makes a huge difference, especially to someone who can now only barely function on 8 hours sleep.

When I travel today, I have a load of things I bring in one backpack, necessitating the use of six bins. They want the shoes in one bin, then the belt, wallet, coins, and lip balm in another. The jacket in another. The laptop in another. The cameras and associated gear in another. The podcast gear in another. A total pain to repack it all.

I had one goofy experience with a money belt. I was going to Ecuador for a month and was bringing $1,000. That's not the kind of money I want in my wallet, so I had the lion's share in a money belt inside the pants. This was 2008, so the scourge of TSA was upon us, and I had to request a private screening. TSA wanted to know why. This was getting stupid. I didn't want to say, "BECAUSE I HAVE A HIDDEN MONEY BELT THAT I DON'T WANT MY FELLOW PASSENGERS TO SEE", so I told him I couldn't say. That raised his suspicions, and brought out two supervisors. Once behind a closed door, I told him about the belt, and my reluctance to announce it. Heaven only knows what they were thinking I had as we went to the private room.

It's all a nuisance to me. I used to happily jump on a plane in favor of a four-hour drive, even if I had to rent a car. Not anymore. The line is now 10 hours. The airfares are expensive, the hassle is irritating, and I'm not interested in some TSA peon groping my kids. They actually travel pretty well by car, so if I didn't get the tickets for our upcoming flight to Costa Rica via frequent flyer miles, I would be vastly more interested in driving there- and that's taking into account the need to rent a 4-wheel drive to deal with Costa Rica's horrible roads. That's about what it takes for me to want to fly- free airfare.

There are substitutes. I love road trips and I love trains (not that the latter go anywhere I want to go out of Indy), so there are alternatives. As usual, the market provides choices, and I have to believe this latest episode is going to hurt the airlines some more.

So, may both sides of the political spectrum continue to complain about TSA. In the scheme of things, I'd like to see TSA abolished before the repeal of Obamacare.

Jonesy's Jukebox Is Back!

Sex Pistols' guitarist Steve Jones hosted some of the most entertaining radio over a 4-5 year run on LA radio station Indie 103.1, until the station suddenly changed formats. Jones did a perfectly freeform show, playing songs he wanted to play, telling stories about his bands' good ol' days, jamming impromptu riffs on his acoustic guitar or even whistling tunes, and fantastic interviews. I loved listing to the podcast versions when I had lengthy car travel for work, and was quite saddened when Indie 103 vanished.

Now Jonesy's Jukebox is back! It's on legendary LA station KROQ-FM, 106.7, and yes home of Rodney Bingenheimer's "Rodney On The ROQ" show.

It does not appear that the show is available in podcast form yet, but you can listen live or to archived bits via the station's website. The show airs live every Sunday from 7-9pm Pacific (10-midnight locally) and can be streamed live.

LA Weekly story on Jonesy's return.

Many, many thanks to Bryan Stumpf for tipping me off to the new show!

Horns of the Burnout/Excitement Dilemma

When it comes to politics, I go through cycles of excitement and burnout, and usually it's an either/or proposition. Not now. This time, it's both.

I was wholly burned out up until I saw the results of the elections the following day. But, seeing Chard Reid get more than 7% in his US Congress race, and 9.45% here in Hamilton County really picked me up. Seeing our base on the federal races go from 1-2% to 4-8% in every single Indiana congressional district is positively uplifting.

But, I'm still burned out. I'm tired of politics. I'm very interested in re-broadening my horizons again. I've missed music, and want to buy a guitar and bass, and play in a band again. I want to play with my kids more.

I'm not at all excited about the Republicans winning office. Sure, I'll probably get gridlock, which is usually my best bet for limiting government. History tells me the Republicans won't cut anything, but slow the growth rate. Sorry, that's not the real deal. Watch what happens when they confront the debt ceiling. That will tell you whether the commitment is to maintaining the size and scope of government, or to sustainable government.

Add to this the remaining staggering idiocy. I was reading a leftward blog this morning and saw a post suggesting that... Hold on. I have to quote it, just to capture the sheer stupidity in its full essence:

Had we just devalued the dollar to about 70 percent of the current worth, and at the same time devalued all property, wages and prices by the same amount, we would be super competitive in the world, we could afford to produce and sell products worldwide instead of sending our jobs overseas, and people could afford to stay in their homes.

In context, that line is about class warfare. This is one person's suggestion that would presumably improve the lives of the lower and middle classes.

Inflation improves the lives of exactly one class of people- landlords. The rents go up in pace with inflation, while the landlord pays off the mortgages with less valuable dollars. Everybody else pays higher prices for everything: food, gasoline, rent, cars, everything. So, who can best afford to pay the difference when gas goes from $2.50/gallon to $3/gallon, as it did this week? Why did the price go up? Because the Federal Reserve bought a bunch more of our debt, thus weakening our dollar. This continues the trend of monetizing debt that began in August. It hasn't weakened by 70% yet, as the genius on Masson's Blog desires. That's probably only going to be good for 1 or 2 point increase in the inflation. I figure the guy who makes a quarter million a year can better afford to shell out an extra $5 at the pump each week, an extra $25 at the grocery store, etc. If I wanted to crush the poor, the BEST tool I could think of would be inflation.

So, with this kind of idiocy running rampant, I get torn on the consideration of forging on or giving up. Yes, libertarians have momentum, but stupidity that willfully ignorant seems impossible to overcome.

More Unofficial Returns

I've done some analysis on the basic numbers for all races involving Libertarian candidates in Hamilton County. Here's the link.

In Summary: Our numbers are going up despite our candidates not having huge advertising budgets. We do a fantastic job of taking advantage of earned media. The base of the Libertarian Party in Hamilton County is growing at all levels, but most significantly at the top of ticket, where voter confidence was previously very low. The key now is to translate more votes into more candidates for future ballots, and more volunteers to walk neighborhoods and work phone banks and polling places. We may be getting near to Malcolm Gladwell's tipping point, where we start electing officials to office in Hamilton County!

Unofficial Returns

Unfortunately, I did not win in my bid for County Council. That's okay- I'll take stock in the positives:

I enjoyed going door-to-door to talk issues with my neighbors. I know that more people have an understanding of what a Libertarian would do in office if elected, and dispelled some misnomers.

We found where some of our supporters are. I am hopeful this will result in more people active with the Libertarian Party.

The support of friends was tremendous! Many, many thanks to friends who braved the cold to pass out palm cards on election day, including Jim Hurst, Mark Kolovrat, Craig Witt, Lars & Pami Noldan, and Matt Mulder.

The unofficial returns have me getting 6.9% of the votes, with the Democrat getting 24.8%, and the Republican 68.3%. This was the first time this Council seat had a three-way race. It was unchallenged in 2006 with the Republican unopposed, and in 2002 Libertarian Gregg Puls got 11%, but there wasn't a Democrat in the race. Now we know where the baselines are for this area.

The best Libertarian showing in a three-way County Council race was in 2002, when Terry Baker got 8% in the district that includes Noblesville.

The turnout was really low. Just 44% of registered Hamilton County voters appeared at the polls. That's disappointing, but consistent. 4 years ago, the turnout was also just 44%. It just goes to show that even though there is more media buzz and more commercials on TV, the result isn't necessarily translating into more voters.

More later on the Libertarian numbers for Hamilton County and across Indiana. Very encouraging!!!

Ready To Vote!

I'm up early and ready to vote. I hope you will be voting too! The votes we cast are crucial in getting policies that will grow our economies, or our governments. In my Fishers precinct I will be voting for:

Rebecca Sink-Burris, US Senate

Chard Reid, US House of Representatives, District 5

Mike Wherry, Indiana Secretary of State

Eric Knipe, Indiana Auditor

Mike Kole, Hamilton County Council, District 2

The rest will largely be a lot of blanks. Why? I won't vote for a candidate who doesn't represent my views in a high percentage. I don't expect 100% agreement. I know that isn't possible. But nor will I vote for someone I agree with less than half of the time, just because they are 'the lesser of two evils'. The lesser of two evils? Now that's a wasted vote!

Congratulations, Chard Reid!

Chard Reid is the Libertarian candidate for US House of Representatives in District 5. Reid is seeking to replace Republican Dan Burton, and his chances just got a healthy boost as the Indianapolis Star has endorsed him! From the Star endorsement article:

Reid, a young economics teacher at Plainfield High School, has taken the fight to Burton on taxes and the deficit. He maintains that the 14-termer has not worked for systemic change despite his conservative persona. Reid also offers thoughtful ideas for cutting spending, simplifying the tax code and reforming entitlements.

Reid represents the best of Libertarian small-government ideals. He would be a refreshing departure from the incumbent's complacency and cavalier attitude toward ethics.

I couldn't be more proud of Chard! Every Hamilton County voter will be able to vote for Chard, as the 5th District covers our county entirely.

Audio On Fishers Lawsuit

I was recently interviewed by Chris Spangle, Executive Director of the Libertarian Party of Indiana, for the party's podcast. The lawsuit against the Town of Fishers is discussed in detail.