Cab Thoughts 1/21/12

Of all the horrible nonsense that has arisen to attack or defend candidates one of the more amazing has been the history of the wife of Rick Santorum, the family values entry in the race. While going to school to become a nurse, she ended up moving in with the guy in the apartment upstairs, an older and rather famous local obstetrician and one of the few city guys doing and supporting abortions. And he actually delivered her. Really going back to her roots. She lived with him for five years. He was interviewed about her recently. He is 93.

American produce CO2 at a per capita average of 17.6 tons, according to an EIA study of state-level emissions released last week. China's per capita output is 9 tons. Everyone is excited that China is beginning to grow its production and worried about the greenhouse contribution. But these numbers are bit misleading. The U.S. has an integrated energy system, China does not. What this means is that a small percentage of Chinese are using a lot of energy and a lot are not. Who will cutting back hurt? And, incidentally, who's gonna bell that cat?

The incidence of autism in children under 15 is 1% in the U.S., it is 2.4% in South Korea.

One wonders at the emphasis the press puts on these little topics like the money Romney made from his speeches or that Gingrich made from Fanny Mae. Fanny Mae is a corrupt organization; get after it if you are offended. Obama is going to raise one billion, billion, dollars to run for an office that pays, ostensibly, 400,000 dollars a year. Get after it if you think it stinks. They must just think we're morons, it's that simple.

If all the people who voted for Obama in the last election vote for him again, he will win. If he does not win, does that mean that those who voted for him in 2008 and did not in 2012 became racists during his term?

An Onion headline, "Witch Who Granted Beyonce Beauty and Fame Takes Singer's First Child", put me on the floor laughing. I relayed the headline to three women in the office and not one cracked a smile. This, like Catch 22, has become a new noninvasive Barr Body test.

The Steelers are 25 million dollars over the cap. Have the present teams been built sacrificing the future teams? Is it just like social security? Are they doomed?

There are 2500 hedge funds in the United States. Several fund managers have been arrested in the last several years. It would be interesting to know the percentage of hedge fund employees involved nationally. The rules are not always clear for these people but some of the crimes are pretty egregious. But when Paulson had lunch with some hedge fund guys and mentioned the plan to abandon Lehman, they all left lunch to call their attorneys, not their traders.

What is going on with Washington/politics/Republicans that all the candidates have wives with M.S.? So Newt dumps wife after dx. of M.S.. Now Romney's wife has M.S. too and he did not dump her. Will the antipathy to Newt become attraction to Romney? No chance.