Brutal Prisons Are Hurting Us AllJanuary
January 20, 2010
Being "tough on crime" sounds good. But when it leads to long jail terms for minor, nonviolent crimes, and to callous neglect and brutal treatment of prisoners, the result is more hardened criminals and inflated taxes and other costs for all of us. It is interesting that current toughness does not extend to high-level corporate executives convicted of crimes harming tens of thousands of people and involving hundreds of millions, of dollars.
Victor Paschkis Versus Wernher von Braun: Responsibility in Engineering
December 5, 2009
Suppose a computer engineer working for Acme Software is given the assignment of designing a program for identifying people communicating on the internet. The customer is the national police force of Myanmar (Burma), which plans to use the product to locate dissidents. Should the engineer accept the assignment? Victor Paschkis would have said "no", while Wernher von Braun would probably have said "yes". Let's check out these men and the general principle involved.
October 22, 2009
Hey, its not surprising that Republicans are unhappy with the federal government after losing the presidency and control over both houses of congress. But a lot of other people are also upset over current events. Many feel that their views on important matters are being ignored. Some serious defects in our political system may account for this. What are they, and how can we fix them?
The
Energy Crisis: Part 2 &mdash Inefficiency and Waste
August 17, 2009
Big trouble is coming if the growth in worldwide energy demand is not reversed. The technical approach is to increase efficiency of energy use. While useful and important, this is not likely to suffice. We also need to revise the lifestyles that routinely and thoughtlessly waste resources on a large scale. Preaching and nagging won't do the job. Fortunately, there is good reason to believe that public opinion would support effective measures to bring about the necessary changes.
The
Energy Crisis: Part 1 &mdash The Supply Side
July 31, 2009
At current energy consumption rates, the world is headed for big trouble: depletion of fossil fuel reserves and global climate change, The descent into disaster is accelerating due to the rapid increase in energy use by the most populous countries. Our government's token effort to address the problems won't be enough. Much more R&D and investment in a variety of alternative energy sources, and in more efficient energy use is essential. But it is even more important that, as a society, we take effective steps to reduce energy waste.
The
Need for People-Friendly Research & Development
May 4, 2009
Research and Development (R&D) projects paid for by corporations are generally aimed at results profitable to those corporations. Since most R&D today is so funded, many problems important to the well being of people are neglected. Also, since incomes of most scientists and engineers come from corporations, it is hard to find unbiased experts to evaluate the safety and efficacy of many products, including medications. Greatly expanding the role of publicly funded laboratories would go a long way toward solving these problems.
The
War On Terror: An Exercise in Hypocrisy
March 19, 2009
I've expressed opposition to the war on drugs and to the Afghanistan war. Now I'm coming out against the war on terror. This one makes no sense at any level. Most of what we are doing in the name of this war is promoting the cause of the presumed enemy. It is also hypocritical because the US has a long history of practicing terrorism.
Afghan
War Escalation: Out of the Frying Pan into the Frying Pan
February 3, 2009
It looks like those worried that the "Vietnam syndrome" might inhibit US policy makers from aggressively promoting American interests on the international scene can relax. The lessons from the Vietnam War seem to have been safely forgotten, as we appear to be committed to expanding the war in Afghanistan, while maintaining a significant foothold in Iraq. War with Pakistan would be a logical next step.
The Rich and the Rest of Us: Gross Inequality Versus Democracy
January 13, 2009
Both directly, via early campaign contributions, and indirectly, via media control, very rich people determine which candidates for public office are "viable". After elections, their interests and views are treated by politicians with great deference. Great wealth can be deployed in many ways to influence governmental behavior. Wealth and income inequality in the US is large and growing. So a small subset of Americans are a lot more equal than the rest of us. What can be done about this?
The Drug War: Stuck in the Tunnel
December 2, 2008
The war on drugs has been going on so long that it receives very little media attention. But, it nevertheless continues to impact the lives of millions of individual Americans and affects the nation as a whole via a variety of monetary costs amounting to several hundred billion dollars annually. We really can't afford to continue on the present course.
The
Case for Tax and Spend
October 6, 2008
When was the last time you heard a candidate for public office promise to increase a tax? The mantra, "taxation is robbery", once a far-out slogan, has been mainstreamed. But while valid where the government doing the taxing is in the hands of robbers or tyrants, as is the case in some parts of the world, it makes no sense in a civilized country. Since I am not planning to run for public office, I will stick my neck out and defend this very unpopular institution.
Forward to the Past: Junk the Machines, Count Votes Manually
August 5, 2008
The kiss principle, "keep it simple stupid", is an important engineering principle. It is violated, big time, by e-voting systems, an expensive non-solution to a non-problem. Hand-counting of hand-marked ballots works very nicely in most industrialized nations, as well as in many New England towns. Here is why I think this is the way to go.
Cell Phones: Not Definitely Dangerous?
June 19, 2008
Over two hundred million Americans use cell phones. (I just bought one myself.) Isn't it crazy to suggest that they might be hazardous? Surprisingly, there is substantial credible scientific evidence suggesting that significant risks are associated with heavy mobile phone use over many years. This is another instance of a crumbling regulatory system. Here I try to clarify the issues and suggest remedies.
On Liberty and Fluoridation: Another Look
April 26, 2008
The American Dental Association, The National Institutes of Health, The National Academy of Sciences, The US Public Health Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all agree that fluoridating our water supply to combat tooth decay is a great idea. They may be right, but I think there are good reasons to check out the wardrobe of this emperor.
Fluoridation No! Seat Belts Yes!
February 27, 2008
I generally oppose the idea of laws restricting individual behavior that does not affect other people. Apparent examples are fluoridation of water supplies and requiring the use of automobile seat belts (and motorcycle helmets). The critical difference between these cases was made clear to me by a jarring experience that fine-tuned my thinking.
Regulating the Invisible Hand: A Contradiction?
January 15, 2008
The Adam Smith free market concept is a great idea for setting prices in a rational, decentralized manner, depending on the independent actions of numerous consumers and suppliers. But, in practice, real world conditions are such that the invisible hand often needs help from other mechanisms, principally governmental regulatory agencies. Free market purists usually, but not always, vigorously resist such deviations. This discussion focusses on serious problems related to pharmaceuticals, and also touches on a few other areas such as agriculture. Finally, it addresses the question of the viability of a regulated free market.
Electoral Kludge
November 19, 2007
For over two centuries, the US has put up with a system for electing presidents that makes no sense. This was made clear in a number of painful cases, but, so far, nothing has been done about it. Now there is a proposed solution that looks like it is simple enough and has enough support to be adopted.
Killing People Is Wrong: What About Abortion?
October 16, 2007
Previously, I presented an argument for a strongly enforced rule against killing, and showed that it is broadly applicable, protecting, for example, elderly and senile people. In the present essay, I discuss entities not covered by this rule. In particular, I show that fetuses are not covered, so that abortion is not murder.
Why Should Killing be Illegal?
September 26, 2007
We hear a lot about a "right to life", which seems like a simple notion, easy to justify and to apply. Actually, as is shown here, demonstrating the need for a strongly enforced rule against killing is surprisingly interesting. The nature of the argument helps clarify some very important issues, including abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment.
The Patent Game: Multiple Monopoly
September 8, 2007
Our patent system relies on the granting of monopoly privileges to persuade people to create and to reveal new technological ideas. This system never really worked all that well and, in recent years, has been rewarding lawyers more than anyone else. What are the problems, and what can be done about them?
Jobs
August 4, 2007
From fruit pickers to computer engineers, American workers face a cloudy future. There is already a lot of fog obscuring what is happening. This is an effort to pierce that fog to get a realistic view of the exporting of jobs and the importing of workers.
Man Rescues Coast Guard
July 8, 2007
The Coast Guard often comes to the aid of people in serious trouble, exhibiting great courage in effecting rescues. This is about Michael DeKort, an engineer who, at great risk to his career, came to the aid of the Coast Guard. He demonstrated how an ethical engineer should behave when the going gets rough.
Why I Would Like to be a Republican
June 5, 2007
If you want to be on the winning side, it seems obvious that you should join up with the really good fighters, those who have the skill and will to win. For some of us, there is a serious problem when applying this idea to politics, but I have found a surprisingly simple solution.
Bloated Ballots
May 24, 2007
Cluttering ballots with races for court clerks, state university trustees, dozens of judges, and decisions about routine bond issues strikes me as a bad idea. It may look like true democracy, but, for reasons presented in this essay, I think this is an illusion.
The Great Sarasota Undervote Mystery
May 2, 2007
How did it come about that over 18,000 voters in Sarasota County, Florida showed up to vote, but didn't vote in the hard fought battle for the House seat vacated by Katherine Harris? Were they too angry about a nasty campaign to vote? Did they fail to see the race on the ballot due to bad ballot design? Was the touch-screen system too slow for fast voters? Was there a program bug? Was there foul play? This is a report critiquing the work of some first-rate computer detectives who tried to solve the mystery. This episode clearly illustrates what a frustrating task it is to evaluate the accuracy of e-voting results.
Money Talks, and Nominates--and Elects
April 10, 2007
More about elections. Even the best candidates can't win if nobody ever hears about them. Nobody hears about them if the media ignores them. The media ignores them if they don't have a lot of campaign funds. They can't raise money if nobody hears about them--unless they are wealthy or have the backing of wealthy people or organizations. What can we do about this?
Instant Runoff Voting: Looks Good--But Look Again
March 26, 2007
Instant runoff voting is an improvement over plurality voting in that it allows a voter both to support a third party candidate and to help choose between the major party candidates. But it has some serious drawbacks not shared with alternative schemes with the same benefits.
Range Voting: Packing More Information into a Vote
March 11, 2007
This is about a different type of voting system that allows voters to express their views more completely. One important advantage is that third party candidates do not have a "spoiler" effect.
E-Voting: A Closer Look
March 1, 2007
In my February 5 blog, I discussed e-voting systems in some detail. Here I focus on some specific issues such as why there is so little public discussion of hand counting of ballots, tactics used by e-voting system vendors, the Holt Bill, more about costs, and some possible solutions to a major problem associated with hand counting. I also elaborate further on why the use of machines increases vulnerability to fraud.
Redistricting: A Nasty Political Problem with a Nice Mathematical Solution
February 14, 2007
Drawing legislative district boundaries for federal, state, or local government is a difficult problem, highly susceptible to manipulation for a variety of purposes. It is difficult even to define what a fair result would be. An attractive solution, presented here, is to use a conceptually simple mapping algorithm that generates a unique solution in which the districts are compact, and where there is no opportunity for manipulation.
E-Voting: Big Risks for Small Gains
February 5, 2007
E-voting is vulnerable to virtually every corruption technique applicable to manual voting systems. There is also an unbounded set of cheating methods, many of which are extremely difficult to protect and guard against. Some of these can have very large scale effects. E-voting is also almost always more expensive than manual systems and offers very little in the way of compensating advantages.