Something does not add up

How is it possible that the Howard County Police can come to the conclusion within five days that a child's death was accidental, but it takes more than 5 months to investigate a botched police raid?

It seems clear that either one investigation was too hasty or the other is being intentionally delayed. I suspect the latter.

Ask not what the county can do for you...

I am going to make the bold call that much more good could have been done for the community if Virgin Mobile would have simply sold the tickets at a market clearing price and donated 100% of the proceeds to a worthy private charity. But hey, it's their money, let them drop the tickets from helicopters if they want to.

Lying while telling the truth

Ulman and Beilenson wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post about the Healthy Howard Access Plan. I found this anecdote interesting:

Our program has saved lives because of easy access to our network of specialists and participating hospitals. In one instance, a plan member who had been without insurance for years was having chest pains. She said it was the type of pain she would have tolerated before, but now that she has coverage, she went to the emergency room. She was immediately admitted and quickly had triple-bypass surgery; she has since fully recovered.

That sounds pretty impressive, but I’d like to hear more details about this. As we know, HHAP is not insurance. As such, there is no risk pooling and there are no reserves sitting around from which medical expenses can be paid. Therefore, someone (probably the patient) had to pay for this triple bypass surgery. Surgeries are already extraordinarily expensive thanks to unionized labor and government regulation in the medical field. Although I am sure the intent was not to intentionally mislead, Ulman and Beilenson presented this example in such a way that the average reader who is not well informed about HHAP would probably assume that the bypass surgery was performed at no cost to the patient. That ain't the case.

Drumroll please

At first I thought I had confused Explore Howard with The Onion. But the Forest Diner actually is on Preservation Howard County's "endangered site" list. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing at all against the Forest Diner. I just think it's a little ridiculous to put such an uninteresting building on an endangered site list.

Locally grown foods

Interesting blog post on the environmental benefits of locally grown foods. The conclusion is as follows:

Don’t get me wrong, I love farmers’ markets. We go to our local one sometimes and it’s a fun family event for us. We love the giant, wonderful tomatoes and strawberries that you can’t get at the supermarket. I’d hate to see the experience replaced by the efficient alternative I just described, but then, I understand that farmers’ markets are more of a premium boutique community experience than an efficient (or “green”) way to buy food. The real reasons to enjoy your farmers’ market have nothing to do with it being somehow magically environmentally friendly. It’s the opposite.

Too often, environmentalists are satisfied with the mere appearance and accoutrements of environmentalism, without regard for the underlying facts. Apply some mathematics and some economics, and you’ll find that a smaller environmental footprint is the natural result of improved efficiency.

I, news report

What is sort of fascinating about the media response to the death of Michael Jackson is that his death took everyone by complete surprise, yet there were fairly robust and detailed television specials airing about his life within a few hours of his death. This whole process took place with no organization other than the invisible hand of the market.

The title of this post is a reference to this famous essay.

Don't go away mad

Libraries deliver equal opportunity in education through books, e-resources, instruction, classes and events. We respect the freedom of all students of all ages to experience all points of view, igniting the power of knowledge.

-Valerie Gross, Howard County Library Executive Director and CEO

That is the quote which appears on a Choose Civility poster for the “Respect Others’ Opinions” (.pdf) civility mandate. Although I am not a fan of publicly funded libraries, I embrace anyone who expresses a willingness to accept the opinions of others.

Unfortunately, some people who are in the employ of the Howard County Public Library don’t see things in the same way in which Valerie Gross claims to see things. Someone (I don’t know and don’t care who) is more than willing to suppress any opinions which are critical of the Howard County Public Library.

It all started on the Open Source blog which is hosted by the HCPL. The blogger made this statement (not sure how long this link will work, but the cache page is here):

These efforts are all focused on helping Howard County Library offer educational experiences, to all people, without charge. These educational experiences are designed to enhance the quality of life of those who attend and participate - ideally every resident of Howard County !

Since I know that there is no such thing as a free lunch, I simply pointed out that libraries are not free simply because they don’t charge a fee. Libraries are costing us plenty. The money being spent on new library construction and operations over the next 5 years would replace Mount Hebron High School one and half times (not that I think that would be a good alternative use). So libraries aren’t free, they are very expensive. I subscribed to the comments RSS and forgot about it.

Over the course of a couple of months, someone new would add something critical of my initial comment, and I of course would respond since I like to debate these issues. The comment thread grew to 7 comments, 4 of which were mine. I guess my most recent comment sent someone at the library over the edge (perhaps the blogger or an administrator) because the entire blog post was deleted. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but the comment was civil and I summed up by stating that the library system is a complete waste. So much for embracing the opinions of others!

Park month

Ken Ulman will proclaim July as “Recreation and Parks Month” in Howard County. By stealing from taxpayers to fund public parks, Ulman and other thieves born of democracy are destroying wealth rather than creating it. From a cost benefit perspective parks make us worse off, not better off. This is not my opinion, this is an economic fact.

Unlike public goods (roads, national defense, etc.), parks are private goods in that they are rival and excludable. They are not underprovided in a freed market. The reason there are few private parks is because few people are willing to pay for them. The land that the parks sit on nearly always has higher economic value if put to another use. The biggest cheerleaders of public parks are those who frequently use them or those who simply like the idea of them. The reality is that there are probably more people in Howard County who pay taxes and never set foot in a park than those who use them. Most local parks are ghost towns two seasons of the year.

I wish our elected officials had the good sense to realize that government is a “necessary” evil. Political “leaders” should be trying to think of ways to make government services unnecessary rather than trying to find new ways to destroy our hard earned wealth by providing services for which the costs exceed the value. Rather than attempting to minimize the size and waste of government, politicians force the tentacles of government into more and more areas where government does not belong.

Interestingly, one of the best private alternatives to public parks of which I am aware is something very local. It is, of course, the open space provided by the private Columbia Association.

Happy wealth destroying month!

Another thought about the IMP lawsuit

One thing that I did not consider in my last post about the Merriweather monopoly lawsuit, is that perhaps it is not Live Nation that is acting like a monopoly, but rather the musical artists themselves.

According to the reports I have read, the complaint that IMP has about Live Nation is that Live Nation is able to lock up the most popular acts with exclusive contracts. It occurred to me that this is likely to be the exercise of monopoly power by the musical artists themselves, not Live Nation.

Think about it this way: the Jonas Brothers, for example, are a wildly popular act. Their popularity gives them extreme market power. It would make a whole lot of sense for the Jo Bros to try to get large concert venue owners to pay them a large payment up front in return for an agreement to play those venues at a reduced price so that the Jo Bros can capture all the consumer surplus from the deal. This is similar to the business model of various buyers clubs that charge annual membership fees but offer goods at a reduced price.

Perhaps IMP could try that, too. IMP could offer a program in which concert goers are charged an annual fee, but allow those who pay the fee to purchase concert tickets all season long at a reduced price. After all, Merriweather has a monopoly in LOCAL live entertainment venues that are capable of attracting larger performers.

Don't pass go, collect $200

IMP, the company that is operating Merriweather Post Pavilion, has filed a lawsuit against Live Nation (the owner of Nissan Pavilion and many other concert venues across the country). The suit claims that Live Nation is operating as a monopoly by locking up deals with artists to perform exclusively at Live Nation venues.

I am always suspicious of claims that X company is a monopoly. Often, the parties making this claim are doing it simply because the alleged monopoly firm is a better competitor. So natch, even thought I know jack squat about the entertainment biz, I am skeptical of IMP's lawsuit.

Monopolies sell their goods or services at the price in which marginal revenue equals marginal cost. Marginal revenue is always less than the price, because as the price falls to sell one more unit of output, the lower price must be taken on all previous units of output. I would think that the marginal costs of putting on a concert are pretty low, as most of the costs are fixed (cost of the stage and equipment, insurance, security, etc.) Although, the performers probably get a payment which is some function of the level of attendance. That payment, which obviously goes to the artist, is probably the largest component of marginal cost and is probably pretty uniform across most areas of the country.

Therefore, I find it difficult to believe that Live Nation can increase their fixed costs by an amount required to get an act to perform only at a Live Nation venue and still be able to make more money than without incurring the burden of those additional costs and letting the act play whatever venue it wants.

One thing I noticed by briefly comparing prices online between Nissan and Merriweather is that Nissan seems to be much better at segmenting the market than Merriweather. Nissan has about 6 different price levels of seating with different prices depending how close you are to the stage, whereas Merriweather only has lawn seats and maybe two levels of prices in the pavilion. It seems like Nissan has a strong advantage by charging more for the better tickets. Oh, and Nissan's lawn tickets are consistently cheaper than Merriweather's for similar acts.

I think what is really going on is that Live Nation is just a better run company than IMP.

Parking permit

I found a staff parking permit at Centennial Park. Now I guess I can park anywhere I want when I visit there. Wahoo!

Elkridge raid still not resolved

Integrity. Pride. Community. These are values that are represented by the badge of the Howard County Police Department, and these words are prominently displayed on the HCPD website. Many of the rank and file police officers embody these qualities everyday as they do their jobs patrolling the streets. I have a great deal of respect for the many officers who display these values.

However, tomorrow will mark the 5 month anniversary of the police raid of an innocent man’s home in which a family pet was shot two times and killed by a SWAT team member during a no-knock raid. The home was raided because a police assault rifle was stolen from a police car, and the investigators mistakenly thought that the assault rifle was in the possession of the victim. It turns out the homeowner was completely innocent. 5 months have elapsed and the investigation as to how this raid was handled has yet to draw to a close. On top of that, the police department top brass has chosen not to keep the community abreast about what is going on.

In fairness to the police department, there are two sides to every story. As bad as this series of events may make the police department appear to even the most unbiased and reasonable person, the police should have the opportunity to explain their side. This is why it is important that the results of the investigation be made public. After all, this is the exact same SWAT team that would show up at your house after someone leaves a bogus tip.

I am not concerned with specifics about this case (identifying the officer who was the shooter, etc.), but it is imperative that the public be made aware of what kind of evidence was presented to the judge who approved this no-knock warrant, what alternatives to a raid of this type were considered, what alternatives to deadly force are available to the police when dealing with animals. We pay a lot of taxes in this county, and our police department is given every advantage from the best equipment to the best training. Stonewalling the public is simply not acceptable.

By continuing to let this investigation drag out, the leadership of the HCPD is demonstrating that the values of integrity, pride and community are completely foreign to them. Additionally, they are showing that honesty and responsibility are foreign to them as well. It also reflects poorly on County Executive Ken Ulman that this is going down on his watch.

If the top brass continues to keep the public in the dark on this matter, perhaps Howard County Police Chief William J. McMahon should be given a special badge to wear. One that reflects his values of hubris, chutzpah and flagrant disregard for the public.

Ummm, yeah

Local environmental guru Stan Sersen tells us, in this month's column for the biz monthly, how not all developers are evil. Well, what he actually says is that developers like him are not evil. The other developers are evil, greedy people who want to develop farmland and open space without regard to anything but short term profits. I don't agree with his take on this matter.

Anyway, the part of his column that really had my attention was the following:

According to the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and its National Resources Inventory Urbanization and Development of Rural Land 2001, the decline of manufacturing jobs in the United States has now elevated the housing market as the scaffolding that is holding up the American economy.

So when the housing market collapses, as it has recently, the economic impacts are more devastating and harder and harder to recover from. That's why new ways of development are being sought within our communities, abroad and at home.

I thought it was strange that the Dept of Ag would opine on manufacturing jobs and the housing market. That struck me as a little outside the realm of their expertise (if they have any expertise). Even more odd was that the report was using data from 2001, which was before the housing boom took off. I found this all to be so bizzare that I took a look at the report that Sersen referenced (download it here) to see exactly what the Dept of Ag had to say about such matters.

The report does not say anything at all about manufacturing jobs or the housing market. Sersen must be seeing things that aren't there.

Funniness

God texts the 10 Commandments:

1. no1 b4 me. srsly.

2. dnt wrshp pix/idols

3. no omg's

4. no wrk on w/end (sat 4 now; sun l8r)

5. pos ok - ur m&d r cool

6. dnt kill ppl

7. :-X only w/ m8

8. dnt steal

9. dnt lie re: bf

10. dnt ogle ur bf's m8. or ox. or dnkey. myob.

M, pls rite on tabs & giv 2 ppl.

ttyl, JHWH.

ps. wwjd?

Doctor! Doctor! Give someone else the bill

I read a somewhat interesting article in the Sun about a doctor who is attempting to establish a patient owned geriatric practice. The doctor had some interesting things to say about the state of medical care:

"Marcus Welby had thousands of patients, but 90 percent were healthy," she said, which is why the television doctor played by Robert Young could devote his time to those who most needed him, Elon said.

But things have changed drastically since Medicare was begun in the 1960s, or even since she entered primary care practice in the 1980s. Now she has more patients in their 90s than under 60, she said, and many more of them are frail with multiple medical problems. But Medicare doesn't cover the intangibles involved in spending enough time with the frail elderly to get to know them and thereby provide good medical care.

I find it hard to believe that a typical doctor's patients were any healthier in the 60's. Since this article focused on older patients, it seems likely that many sickly geriatric patients today would have already died if they had reached old age in the 60s.

However, a more interesting and relevant fact about medical care in the 60s is that back then, people paid for 62% of physicians' services out of pocket. Today that figure is about 10%.

I think that fact is the root of many of the problems in the medical biz. Everyone wants the best service, and they want someone else to foot the bill. This creates disharmony between the act of patient care and doctors' ability to earn a living.

Government Motors

George Will nails the GM debacle. My favorite part:

Washington's "rescue" of GM began because GM is "too big to fail," and bankruptcy is (well, was) "unthinkable." Big? GM's market capitalization, $375.8 million on Wednesday, is about the size of California Pizza Kitchen's ($340 million) -- is it too big to fail? -- and one-eleventh that of Harley-Davidson ($4.3 billion). Fail? If GM has not already failed, New Coke was a success.

The administration is determined to prop up GM as a jobs program for the UAW and Midwestern states rich in electoral votes. This frenzy will intensify as the administration's decisions deepen the debacle.

Green is for $

Like a lot of people, I am all for helping the environment. But unlike a lot of people, I am interested in doing things that make sense and pass a simple cost benefit test. Primarily, this means I am opposed to government subsidy of green technology. Therefore, I am skeptical of many environmental ideas hatched by government and “green economy” folk. Case in point is a fellow that wrote an article in the Biz Monthly, Stan Sersen. I don’t doubt his desire to help the planet, but he is not a clear writer who never states the extent of what his reasoning implies and he is spreading misinformation about the economic benefits of a “green economy”.

The Green Economy is about creating long-term solutions, and hence jobs, that will keep money invested in the local economies. After all, that was once the backbone of this country. In 2006, the Baltimore-based International Center for Sustainable Development issued a study to the state of Maryland, titled "Economic Development Potential of Clean Energy Technology in Maryland."

This 283-page report summarized that, with just a low level of effort (20% energy-efficiency improvement, 10% renewable energy increase and 10% ethanol production increase), 144,000 jobs can be created in Maryland alone. The report further states in the summary, "At the highest level of effort ... the economic impacts more than double."

I took a look at the 283 page report that Sersen references (download it here), and it calls for the creation of a “Maryland Clean Energy Center” that is funded to the tune of $15 million by the State. The MCEC will be a private 501(c)3 so it can be run by industry people like Sersen, natch. The MCEC’s stated mission is to “promote the growth of clean energy industry in Maryland.” The writers of the report also want to create a “comprehensive legislative agenda for promoting clean energy development in close cooperation with industry, the legislature and the governor’s office.” In other words, Sersen wants government handouts and special legislative benefits, although he never finds the courage to explicitly state that in his sales job of an article.

So in essence, the economic benefits that are alleged to come from the “green economy” are really just using the force of government to give financial incentives and special favors to an inefficient industry so it can grow at the expense of and compete with a market driven industry. Is that what passes for economic progress these days? I hope not.

Congress to be replaced with computers

I've written a computer program to do the job of our elected "representatives":

10 Gleefully waste tax dollars on unnecessary pet projects
20 goto 10