Various Thoughts XII

Well we're back to Truth. At least until someone corrects me. It's hard to admit but, I guess, there are occasional instances when I err. I haven't researched the subject carefully enough. That's what happens when I prepare these rants too quickly. But, as the saying goes, I never let facts get in the way of a good rant. Here's the current crop.

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Israel has universal conscription. Men and women. There are exemptions. According to Wikipedia

In 2013, 26% of potential conscripts were exempt from military service. Some 13.5% for religious reasons, 4% for mental health reasons, 2% for physical health reasons, 3% due to criminal records, and 3% due to residing abroad.

Clearly the system isn't perfect. Far from it. But it is fairer than a “voluntary” system that allows so many out of service. We have that in the US and the volunteers are often in need of the money. Even when a “universal” draft existed, those with political connections were able to avoid it. But service by three quarters of our youth wouldn't be bad and would allow them to give thought to their futures as they gave aid to their country. Perhaps we should return to a real universal system and not exempt those who look for ways to avoid the draft. Men and women.

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According to the Washington Post, in an article from 2015 dealing with a fifteen year period at the beginning of this century,

… the federal government has distributed $68 billion in grants and special tax credits to businesses, with two thirds of that transferred to large corporations. Six companies have received $1 billion or more, while 21 have received $500 million or more.

I don't dispute the value of subsidies to those who are providing services for the rest of us, especially subsidies to small farmers and similar individuals who require them to survive, but I sometimes wonder about helping large corporations that appear to extort billions in subsidies from the taxes we pay. Their lobbyists seem to be stronger than ours.

Perhaps those subsidies should come with profit-sharing arrangements, or they should be given in exchange for stock in the corporation that seeks the money. There is no reason why taxpayers should not share the benefits of our generosity with those who receive it.

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I just heard a radio report about a tree being removed from one site to be replanted in another. According to the mover there was a 95% likelihood of survival of the tree. They hedge their bets. If it survives they're right. If not, they warned us that there was a 5% chance of failure. No matter what happens they win.

It's the same with weather forecasts nowadays. Everything is percentages. And there isn't always clarity regarding the place that things will happen. For example, if there's a fifty percent chance that it will rain reported by a New York radio station, all it is saying is that it will rain somewhere. Maybe. If I'm visiting a friend a mile away, should I take an umbrella? The weatherman will be right. Despite the precision of his forecast, and its scientific sound, it's quite tenuous. Will I be wet? There's a fifty percent chance, if I'm in the area where there's a fifty percent chance. All I can do is play the odds. But that doesn't always help. And I don't always know what they are anyway.

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That's enough for now. I'll rant in private for a while.

July 7, 2017