Cab Thoughts 11/19/11

I expect that the Penn State nightmare will be front and center in the news and the courts indefinitely and that some people will be judged. Yet the perpetrators of the mortgage disaster remain untouched and are avidly watching the ticking clock of the statute of limitations. Why is that?

Politicians and nations are more symbolic than poets. China is upset that the United States is putting soldiers in Australia. How many? 2,500. China's area: 9,596,961 sq. mi. Population: 1,336,718,015. There are 300 people with AIDS in China for every soldier that will be in Australia.

Natural gas provides 17% of Pennsylvania's electricity, up from 2% in 2001, a more than 700% increase. Natural gas' gain has been coal's loss. Coal provides 46% of Pennsylvania's electricity and has declined from 57% in 2001. The carbon emission with gas is 50% of coal and this is clearly environmental progress. I don't doubt that regulation has been a factor here but the main factor has been the gas drilling, particularly shale. All the political posturing in the world cannot match the aggressive development of a cheaper alternative.

in 2007 there were 18,000 homicides in the United States. There were 37,000 suicides. That is astonishing.

12% of American Armed Forces veterans are unemployed and 100,000 are without homes today.

Americans between the ages of 26 and 64, 19.9% are without health insurance at any one time. In my experience this is usually a choice of one bill over the other.

If a state university is a creation and responsibility of the state, is the state responsible for school liabilities?

Are there female pedophiles?

I have a new plan. I want to start a virtual country. I think many would consider it avaunt guard and up to date. We could sell passports, flags, apply for admission to the U.N. (they hate borders anyway), get an embassy in some country which doesn't read their mail well or has a sense of humor. We could have parties, write a constitution, form religions. Maybe even a history. We could make a fortune with college students.

"Pure battery electric cars will most likely remain a niche for some time to come," said Bill Reinert, Toyota's U.S. national manager for advanced technology. "The market for these products is nearly all regulatory push, not market pull." Interestingly, they have a very high rate of pedestrian accidents because the pedestrian can't hear them coming.

Interesting article on paid informers said they are paid only if the target goes to jail and many always wear wires, constantly trolling the streets listening for a suspicious phrase or conversation.