Zero tolerance on under-the-table work

Last updated on: February 9, 2017 at 11:37 pm By Jane the Actuary

Rep. Mick Mulvaney, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, disclosed in congressional documents that he did not pay more than $15,000 in taxes for a household employee. That’s according to Politico. Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder acknowledged Tuesday that he had employed a housekeeper who wasn’t authorized to work in the U.S., as the Senate’s top Republican came to his defense and dismissed the issue as a “mistake” that had been fixed. That’s from... Read more

Week 3 – the crazy continues

Last updated on: February 9, 2017 at 9:20 am By Jane the Actuary

I admit I’m still not used to the idea of Donald Trump as president. It certainly doesn’t seem as if it’s possible that this could continue for another 3 years and 49 weeks. And I can’t even keep track of all the crazy that’s happening — and that’s not just coming from the White House. Item 1: Elizabeth Warren is being hailed as a new national hero, for nothing of any significance. She was in the middle of reading a... Read more

The Holocaust and “what happened next”

Last updated on: February 8, 2017 at 9:10 am By Jane the Actuary

If this were any other subject than what it is, this post would be perfect for a click bit headline: “Hitler kills 6 million Jews, and you’ll never believe what happens next!” — But here’s what I want to share with you. I wrote the other day that I’d been reading Final Solution: The Fate of the Jews, by David Cesarani, a very comprehensive book on the Holocaust. Now, it seems to me that most works about the Holocaust stop... Read more

A few words on Depo Provera

Last updated on: February 4, 2017 at 4:49 pm By Jane the Actuary

Here’s what Planned Parenthood has to say about the risks and side effects of Depo Provera contraceptive injection: Some people may get annoying side effects while using the birth control shot, but many of them usually go away after 2 or 3 months. Many people use the shot with no problems at all. Most women have some change in their periods, including bleeding more days than usual, spotting between periods, or no periods. This is most common during the first... Read more

Do you believe in the Singularity?

Last updated on: February 4, 2017 at 4:17 pm By Jane the Actuary

According to Wikipedia, the (technological) singularity is defined as that moment in the future when “the invention of artificial superintelligence will abruptly trigger runaway technological growth, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization.” The more everyday definition of the term, as I’ve seen it used over the past several years, is that point at which a computer/robot becomes so sophisticated in its programming as to become sentient, to have its own wishes and desires, and to ulimately, because those wishes... Read more

Apparently, it won’t play in Peoria

Last updated on: February 1, 2017 at 9:45 am By Jane the Actuary

OK, that’s a lame post title; maybe I’ll come up with something wittier later. But Caterpillar just announced that it is moving 300 top executives and support staff from Peoria to the Chicago area. The local Journal Star reports that Caterpillar’s explanation is that this puts them closer to transportation networks: “What we’re really after here in terms of the location is access to flights and the ability to get to markets more quickly,” [CEO Jim] Umpleby said. “One of... Read more

What next, Boy Scouts?

Last updated on: January 31, 2017 at 9:50 am By Jane the Actuary

Was it inevitable? The Chief Executive of the Boy Scouts of America, Michael Surbaugh, announced yesterday that transgender children will be allowed to register as Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts based on their parents’ declaration on the registration forms that the child is a boy. The article on CNN.com places this in the context of an 8 year old child, Joe Maldonado, who was rejected from Cub Scouts because, though identifying as a boy, this child was born a girl. Is... Read more

Homelessness, healthcare, and, yes, gaming the system

Last updated on: January 31, 2017 at 7:02 am By Jane the Actuary

In the news the other day, “Hawaii bill would classify homelessness as medical condition.” Yes, you read that right: [Hawaii State Senator Josh] Green last week introduced a bill in the Hawaii Legislature to classify chronic homelessness as a medical condition and require insurance companies to cover treatment of the condition. But if a doctor wrote a prescription for six months of housing, where would the patient fill the prescription? That’s where Green wants Medicaid to step in. He wants... Read more

How many Americans should die to save Syrian lives? (A “safe zone” question)

Last updated on: January 30, 2017 at 9:21 am By Jane the Actuary

That’s what it comes down to, ultimately. There are about 12.5 million Syrian refugees, according to SyrianRefugees.eu: According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 4.8 million have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, and 6.6 million are internally displaced within Syria. Meanwhile about one million have requested asylum to Europe. For context, the prewar population of Syria was about 23 million. In 2016, the US resettled 0.1% of this total into the United States. 12,587... Read more

What does democracy look like?

Last updated on: January 29, 2017 at 10:22 pm By Jane the Actuary

Not this: according to a couple recent articles that passed through my twitter feed recently. Tablet published a piece by Lee Smith titled, “The Arab-ization of American Politics“, with a provocative subtitle: “Why do so many Americans mistake what typically signals a failure of democracy for democracy itself?” The crux of Smith’s argument is this: despite the protesters’ chant that “this is what democracy looks like” that we hear repeatedly at these marches, American democracy is not about the size... Read more