About 20 years ago I was driving down Cermak Road in Cicero, Illinois, when I passed a Cicero police car that had pulled someone over for a traffic violation, and I thought, "Man, that's got to suck!" Just imagine being that motorist: Cicero had been mobbed up since Al Capone took over and made it his headquarters in 1924, local newspapers routinely discussed the brothels … [Read more...] about Extortion and Lies in Melrose Park
Dollhouse – A Late Review
An organization that provides people whose personalities can be "wiped" and replaced with whatever a paying client needs/wants. When I first heard the premise of Dollhouse, I thought that it would play itself out pretty quickly and get boring and predictable - that it would be some sci-fi version of a soft porn Fantasy. Boy was I ever wrong. I'm never sure where they're going … [Read more...] about Dollhouse – A Late Review
Scattershot 2009-04-15
Things I'd probably tweet about if yada yada yada: I know it doesn't make sense, but I think I resent the costs of tax compliance---Quickbooks, organizational fees, Turbo Tax, filing fees, audit defense---more than the taxes themselves. Teabagging. I don't get it. Yeah, Boston. Yeah, it's slang. I still don't get it. Is Joe the Plumber teabagging? 'Cause that would just make … [Read more...] about Scattershot 2009-04-15
Anti-Stimulation
I just filed my taxes. In addition to the paperwork (filed electronically) I just sent the United States Government a depressingly large amount of money. I figured I would owe them a bit this year, but I must have goofed figuring out my withholding because it was a lot more than I thought. Last night, I heard the IRS commissioner talking about how the IRS stimulated the economy … [Read more...] about Anti-Stimulation
Samuelson’s Complaint
It's been a few weeks since I've done any long-form blogging, but the normally sensible Reason website just linked approvingly to a Washington Post op-ed by Robert J. Samuelson that cries out for a response. He's talking about Obama's "green" energy plans and how we improve our economy: Since the dawn of the Industrial Age, this has been simple: produce more with less. … [Read more...] about Samuelson’s Complaint