November 2005

There were 22 posts published in November 2005 (this is page 4 of 4).

“Anti-Terror” Measure Voted Down In UK

I’m not going to pretend I know much about politics in Great Britain. Nor am I offering an opinion on the merits of the plan which the House of Commons voted down.
But to the extent this indicates an ending of the era where legislators grant the executive a blank check of governmental power anytime he shouts “terror!”, I think it’s a welcome sign.
In a similar vein, Congress appears to be poised to rescind some of the federal surveillance and search powers it authorized under the USA Patriot Act in 2001.
Good.

Traffic Cam Sham

Say Uncle asks if red light cameras are about revenue or safety.
Given that the research on safety is mixed, I think it must be about revenue, since it seems the main people pushing these devices are those who stand to financially profit from them.

America’s Price Detector

I wonder if he knows how much a gallon of milk costs:

On the November 4 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed that the price of gasoline was $1.29 per gallon in April 2005. During a segment in which he lamented the current popular discontent over high gasoline prices, Limbaugh stated, “Gasoline price goes up, it comes down. … It was $1.29. When was it $1.29? Seven months ago.” But according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the national average price of regular conventional-formulation gasoline was $2.20 per gallon on April 4. The last time the national average gasoline price was $1.29 or below was March 18, 2002.

I don’t suspect Mr. Limbaugh does a lot of shopping and comparing at gas stations. Which means he has about as much expertise on that as most of the other subjects he spouts off on.