Opinari.net
Opinari - Latin term for Opinion. Opinari.net is just what it seems: a cornucopia of rants, raves and poignant soliloquy. |
Friday, November 25, 2005
Instapundit links to a post that suggests repealing the charitable contribution deduction. I have to disagree stringently with that position. Professor Reynolds opines that it is surely better to eliminate the deduction than to risk the corruption associated with the myriad charities out there. However, there are worthy charities that deserve contributions, charities that would suffer without the requisite deductions. Just this year, my wife and I have given to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Salvation Army, the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, and several initiatives at my alma mater, not to mention a weekly tithe and offering at our church. Three things influenced the amounts of money contributed to these causes:
- The sheer act of charity.
- Matching employer funds (with the exception of tithes and offerings, of course.)
- The deductibility of the contributions.
This is not to say that we would have withheld charitable giving without #3, but the level of charity would have been lower, not only because #3 provides further incentive to give, but that the amount of money from which we could have drawn the funds would have been ultimately less. Professor Reynolds prefers to throw out the baby with the bath water. I prefer to either keep the system of deducting charitable contributions as is, or go with an overhauled tax system altogether. Labels: Archives_2005
.: posted by
Dave
6:23 PM
Saturday, November 19, 2005
"There's always next season."
Vanderbilt 28, Tennessee 24.
Ugh.
I was 12 years old last time the Vols lost to Vandy. The 'Dores picked a good time to finally come through. This just isn't one of the worst Vol offensive units I have ever seen, I think it is THE worst. I think even the Alatorre/Olszewski offense was better than this one. in years past we would have put away teams like this one, but not in 2005. We're stopped on 4th and less than a yard inside the 5. We drop a sure TD pass on the sideline. We have two guys going for an interception, and they let the receiver outbattle them for the ball. We take bad penalties, and we make the least of every opportunity the other team gives us. To go from a preseason #3 ranking to this is just painful to watch as a fan. Fortunately, we only have one more game to watch before we can utter that mantra usually reserved for mediocre football programs: "There's always next season."
Well, we find ourselves mired in mediocrity now, and that mantra has more appeal to it than General Neyland's axioms at this point. So, in the spirit of the fast approaching holiday season, I am going to start my Christmas wish list early.
I wish for a quarterback that can throw an accurate deep ball, and who can stand in the pocket without being shellshocked.
I wish for a group of running backs who can finish the job in the red zone without fumbling and without being stopped short of the end zone.
I wish for offensive lineman who can avoid costly penalties.
I wish for more linebackers like Kevin Simon.
I wish for a healthy Jason Allen for the 2006 NFL Draft. The kid is a player.
I wish for another group of defensive lineman like the ones we had this year.
I wish for a special teams group like the ones who showed up for Vandy, and not the ones who showed up for Georgia and Notre Dame.
I wish for our punter to never throw another pass.
I wish for our wide receivers to learn to catch the ball with some consistency.
I wish for John Chavis to remain a Vol as long as is humanly possible.
I wish for whatever offensive schemes the Vols have been running since 1999 to be cast aside for something more like the Auburn Tigers, who run between the tackles and throw vertically.
I wish for the fans to take a deep breath, and realize that as fortunate as the Vols were in 1998, this one was just the opposite. This team is just a handful of plays from being 8-2. The 1998 team was a handful of plays from having 5 losses themselves. That's what makes this game special, and that's why fans will be back in droves in 2006.
I wish for the coaches to realize how close they were to a successful season, and for that realization to motivate them to turn up the heat that much more.
I wish for the same result that came about following the Vols' last losing season - an 11-1 record, a top 5 ranking, and an SEC Championship.
Like I said, "there's always next season." Sigh.Labels: Archives_2005
.: posted by
Dave
4:09 PM
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Today, Michael Silence links to Smijer in a post concerning the death penalty. Most death penalty debates I have had have centered around the argument that executions do not deter murders. This is not an argument that I find particularly engaging because I couldn't care less if the death penalty is a deterrent. If a murderer is going to kill, he is going to kill.
There should be stringent controls on the process, and every effort should be exercised to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused. Wholesale executions have the adverse affect of desensitizing society to the taking of human life.
That beind said, I believe that executions in extreme cases have two positive results: justice and a guarantee. It is just in the sense that the executed party received an appropriate sentence for the crime. It is a guarantee that some left-leaning liberal judge isn't going to grant clemency, or that some incompetent prison guard isn't going to be looking the other way when the convict escapes.
If John Wayne Gacy or Ted Bundy kills my child, I want to make damned sure that he never walks the streets again. Furthermore, I want to ensure that the punishment fits the crime. It is this that compels me, and thousands of others, to support the death penalty.Labels: Archives_2005
.: posted by
Dave
2:04 PM
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Bad news for the BushCo/Cheney/Halliburton tinfoil hat brigade:
Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We theorize that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.
The tinfoil hat - a conspiracy in and of itself. Those Bushies are brilliant!
Courtesy of Slashdot.Labels: Archives_2005
.: posted by
Dave
3:42 PM
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Yesterday's Elections:
What I've been hearing all morning is that Election Day 2005 was some sort of repudiation of the President and his policies, and the alleged scandals of his administration. Let's think about that position for a minute:
New Jersey went from being governed by a Democrat to being governed by a Democrat.
Virginia went from being governed by a Democrat to being governed by a Democrat.
California voted against conservative ballot initiatives.
San Francisco voted for liberal ballot initiatives.
Texas voted for a conservative constitutional amendment.
So let me see if I understand this correctly. New Jersey and Virginia remain as before. California shows itself to be just as liberal in 2005 as in 2004. Texas proves just how conservative it really is. And San Francisco is still the liberal enclave of the West Coast.
So we're left with the status quo. And this is a cause for Democratic glee? Talk about lowering the bar.Labels: Archives_2005
.: posted by
Dave
10:39 AM
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
My son's second Hallow'e'en, as Tigger.:
Sometimes, it's great just to sit back and watch your kidsLabels: Archives_2005
.: posted by
Dave
12:47 PM
| |
Recommended Reading
|
