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July 14, 2015 07:50 AM UTC

Tuesday Open Thread

  • 35 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument an exchange of ignorance.”

–Robert Quillen

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35 thoughts on “Tuesday Open Thread”

    1. Is that the scientific consensus now, that Pluto is not a planet? I memorized Mother Very Thoughtfully Made A Jelly Sandwish Under No Protest, and now have to come up with another mnemonic?

      I am enjoying the apolitical scientific hoopla, though. It's refreshing.

      1. Scientist are still arguing this one, often for non-scientific reasons. But whether you call it a planet or a dwarf planet, there's still "planet" in there.

    1. I'm not an English professor (far from it), but the missing "is" helps the tempo and balance of the statement (i.e. poetic timing).

      Had the quote started "A discussion …" then your missing "is" would also balance and support the tempo of the statement as well.

    2. I don't know when this quote comes from but it's a more old fashioned phrasing and not a mistake. The "is" doesn't have to be repeated. Think of it as being implied by the context.

  3. There was an interactive question on the NY Times page titled something like "after Pluto, what should NASA explore next?"  I'll suggest an attempt to find the brain of one of my favorite religious righties, Ted Cruz. 

  4. A great piece this morning in USNWR: "What Have We Been Smoking?"

    In the trailer for the 1930's film "Reefer Madness," the voiceover warns of "debauchery, violence, murder, suicide, and the ultimate end of the marijuana addict – hopeless insanity." Hopeless insanity is about right as a description for those who seduce us into arresting, prosecuting and imprisoning people over pot. To have metastasized our prison system and militarized drug interdiction in supplier countries – making drugs attractive and giving drug producers the boon of a lucrative black market – is insane. This isn't merely bad governance, bad health policy and bad economics. It is madness, and it must be stopped. It is time to repeal prohibition throughout the United States.

  5. Next week, my wife is retiring from the federal government after 35 years of service.  As part of the retirement process, we have been presented with several choices, including the option to retain her $155,000 life insurance policy.  We wanted to do so, but upon my investigation we learned that the coverage that was currently about $600/year would suddenly increase to $4,200 per year in retirement.  A quick check via Geico revealed that she could receive the same life insurance coverage via a private insurer for the same $600/year, or slightly higher if she didn't get a medical exam.  In other words, if we chose to continue the coverage via the federal government, it would cost an additional $72,000 in after-tax dollars over 20 years versus obtaining private coverage.

    My concern is that we determined this only after extensive research on my own, possibly helped by my CPA status.  In other words, there was no information provided to us, much less highlighted, that continuing the insurance coverage would be so incredibly costly.  I suspect that thousands of federal retirees have been suckered into this scam, costing them many millions of lost retirement dollars.

    I also heard from a friend that Colorado's PERA is similar, which means that thousands of CO retirees are also being screwed.

    Does anyone have experience with this situation?

    1. Hmmm…I don't know itlduso,

      Term or whole life? If term, how long is the term?

      $600/yr for $150k looks too good to be true. Average life expectancy at age 60 is 24 years (female), That's 24 years of premiums. 24 x 600 = $14,400. It's hard to see how an insurance company would make money on that, no matter how well the stock market does. On the other hand, 24yrs x $4200/yr = $100k, which doesn't seem out of control.

      Personally, I don't plan on having life insurance when I retire, unless I still have some debt. But by then the kids will be on their own and the house will be paid for. And my wife works, so she won't be strictly on SS survivor benefits. 

      1. Hi ajb.  The private life insurance quote I received (via Geico, but the results showed several other insurance companies) was for a 20 year level term policy (i.e., no increase in premiums for 20 years — my wife is 58 years old).  One quote was for about $600/year, medical exam required.  Another quote was for $965/year with no medical exam required.

        So, it appears it truly is possible to get these policies.  My concern is about the way the federal government (and, possibly PERA) does not provide adequate disclosure about the huge increase in the post-retirement life insurance cost.

          1. Thank you, Progressicat.  I am now wading through the 248 pages of the FEGLI Handbook.  Fun!  I also had a lunch meeting with a financial planner. I’ll let you know what I conclude.
            Thanks again.

    2. I have a horrible blind spot on PERA retirement, maybe because retirement is still a distant dream for me. There's a townhall type call-in tonight on PERA, so I'll ask about rate increases on life insurance and see what they say. Algernon  could probably tell you exactly, if you can get him to tell you in less than a treatise.

  6. Here's a good (quick) read: Coal is getting killed in the bond market.

    Bonds are where coal companies turn to raise money for such things as new mines and environmental cleanups. But investors are increasingly reluctant to lend to them. Coal bond prices tumbled 17 percent in the second quarter, according to an analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence. It's the fourth consecutive quarter of price declines and the worst performance of any industry group by a long shot.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-13/the-latest-sign-that-coal-is-getting-killed

    1. That's a great piece.  Coal is the #walkingdead.  Would someone please tell McConnell that the real War on Coal is being executed by his pals on Wall Street?  Is the New Belgium boycott in Craig still a thing?

       

      1. The boycott's still a thing, among folks who think that this will help them save coal mining. A futile effort, as Bloomberg and others, including you, have written.

        Meanwhile, the craft brewers from all over the state stand united in asking the Governor to balance energy development with environmental stewardship. I've got an article about half way written. Thinking of posting it on kos, to branch out some.

         

      2. Does one laugh or cry that those for whom these couple hundred jobs at Colowyo are so dear batted nary an eyelash or actively cheered as millions of manufacturing jobs have been lost or forgone in this country?

        Cronk like fire rocks.  Fire rocks burn.  Not like stupid workers who only power economy and feed stupid families.

  7. This site has been so helpful to me today.  Here's another thought:

    I formed a 501(c)(3) called "Save the Cloud Forests Foundation".  I was interested in trying to raise funds for a cloud forest research station in Ecuador at a place called Bellavista Cloud Forest Preserve.  The money would be used to construct a research building, equip it with microscopes and computers, and fund scholarships for student visits from local schools and higher education institutions.

    I was thinking of using an environmental crowdfunding site to fund this project.  Does anyone have experience/thoughts of this idea?

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