First Blog

Fake meat has stormed the country.   Many celebrate the vegetable protein based products for climate, for nutrition, and for reduction of meat consumption.   The beef industry clearly hates this, and only now are developing their talking points. Testing to scale always reveals the nooks and crannies of risk. So, what’s coming for fake meat?   Here’s the shortlist. Too much sodium –   the old standby Variety – more and more variations of fake meat will be developed.   Expect less expensive products using more plentiful vegetable proteins. Chemistry – what new chemicals are used; what old chemicals are used to excess; how do these chemicals interact? Allergies – it is a certainty that allergies will be discovered supporting unusual affectations Headaches – every new item on the menu causes headaches in many.   They’re coming. Digestion problems – many, probably thousands will endure digestive problems due to overconsumption. Cancer – certain digestive tract cancers will be

Regulation without representation is a corollary of “taxation without representation.” Both are dangerous, and in unmitigated multiplicity   both are illegal and unethical in the schema of democracy.  Indeed, regulations that cost citizens money to comply become a form of taxation.  To govern by regulation is a post modern form of dictatorship.  Petulance is not a form of governance, though the US Congress may claim an exemption. 

What has happened to the US Government?  It seems like Congress is doing little, either party, preferring to squabble internally, or not allowing compromise.  Sometimes both.  The consequence is that the President makes regulations and takes other executive actions.  Both parties here.  The courts have become the legislature, assuming the job of interpreting the law in some preferred fashion – and their “legal” arguments are increasingly weak and partisan*.  I believe this era of polarized politics is the root cause of the dysfunction. I believe some persons or some organizations are at the switch, keeping this state of conflict at high tension.  For some of these, the goal is the reshaping of America toward some uncertain model.  For others, there seems to be a harkening to return to the traditional certainty and comfort of a remembered past. The central issue these days is Obamacare.  It seems no one likes it much, at least those paying the full freight of premiums.  But whi

Bill de Blasio . It used to be that college students would imitate adults.  Wearing suits and elegant attire, they would act as mature as they could. Nowadays, it is the reverse.  Adults are imitating college students, supporting all manner of youthful positions, mostly extreme uncompromising views – the typical fair of sophomores.  Case-in-point.  With NY City in grief over the loss of a police officer to assassination, the mayor jets off to Europe to hang with a bunch of protesters with seeming goal simply to protest. The man seems to be singularly immature, usually a recoverable illness, but not in his case. --------------------- Presidents . Clinton was bogged down a lot by personal issues. Bush was bogged down by wars in the Middle East. Obama was bogged down by trying to remake the US and the world into a globally unified enterprise.   The question is: Who’s taking care of our country?  This includes the bridges and roadways, the waterways and schools, the power plan

June 12, 2012 One claim made by many pundits these days is that the United State has too many regulations,   that regulations are stifling to the economy, that regulations are so arcane they are difficult to penetrate.    True or not, let’s look at the situation.   It is a fact that regulations are necessary for the proper administration of government.   A population of 250 million is too large to handle by local and arbitrary means.   Regulations can serve to stave of legal actions of almost every variety.   Second, with too many regulations there are a number of unanticipated consequences.    A couple of definitions: Policy: A consistent guide to be followed under a given set of circumstances. Procedure: A procedure is a sequence of steps for completing a given activity. Regulation:   Statements to explain the technical, operational, and legal details necessary to implement laws. Law: A   system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to gove