Economy

What would happen if the price of oil just kept going up, over $100 a barrel? Reuters has an interesting news piece with various economic and business types weighing in. Bad news all around. Why are we trying to drill in Alaska for a year or two worth of oil? Reducing oil consumption is not an option, it is the only option, and we as a country seem to be studiously avoiding it.

President Bush has made reform of the Social Security system a priority of his second term. Articles and speculation about legislation and outcomes are starting to appear, even though the president has not yet seen the recommendations of his special committee. Confused about the basic concepts and ideas? This Associated Press article is a really good question-answer, non-partisan explanation of some of the ideas being talked about right now.

I don't really understand. I would be willing to bet that most of the election officials in charge have used a desktop computer that has crashed or hung or otherwise died on them, so why would they not think that an electronic voting machine could screw up, and that a paper backup would not be necessary?

The Institute for Justice (a libertarian organization) has an interesting map on interstate wine and alcohol shipping restrictions.

As needs in transportation spending have gone up but funding, especially from federal and state sources, have not kept pace, many places are looking locally to tax measures and bonding to fill in the gap. And as roads and suburban areas become more crowded and transit planning demands more funding, many voters are saying yes and ballot initiatives are coming at a record pace.

Mayor Bloomberg finally worked out the long-term numbers then realized that recycling is cheaper then paying to try and ship New York City's garbage to various points along the Eastern seaboard. So now New York City will be recycling more (And here), the question is just when and how.

I was looking at possibly changing my health insurance, always a fun task for the unemployed. The state of New York does actually have some useful information online. They have an interactive report on managed care plans and an HMO guide.

It has become all the more apparent in the past couple years that energy policy is a large intersection between foreign and domestic policy. It would be nice if the current administration (and future administrations) focused much more on conservation and renewable energy sources to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources.