Friday, November 06, 2015
0.773 cheers
Two halfway decent moves from the Fed govt this week. I can't get excited over either one, but even SLIGHTLY good moves are so rare that they deserve a sort of one-finger pat on the back.
(1) Eliminating the file-and-suspend loophole in Social Security. This was a hugely popular topic on money-talk shows in the last couple years. A personality pattern emerged: the people who used this trick were 'sneakers'. Not exactly cheaters, just the type who get a thrill from pulling a fast one. They weren't gaining much. The trick required a fair amount of work on their part, and even more work by SS itself. I'm glad to see this little 'occasion of sin' removed. Social insurance shouldn't be a game.
(2) Stopping the Keystone pipeline. Another 'occasion of sin'. In this case I was among the sinners. My instant response to the pipeline was YES! MORE OIL! MORE JOBS! GREENIES HATE IT, SO IT MUST BE GOOD! After closer examination, I realized it was a trick. This particular pipeline wasn't about American oil or American jobs at all. It was meant to bring CANADIAN oil to New Orleans for EXPORT. We were getting rooked into spending lots of money so Canada wouldn't have to build its own pipeline from the tar sands to Vancouver.
Good riddance to both.
Labels: Carbon Cult
¶ 11:40 AM
