There’s a news item circulating that a number of college presidents recommend lowering the drinking age to 18. According to the reports, the presidents believe it would reduce binge drinking.
NewMexiKen has a better idea. You must be 21 to drink alcoholic beverages unless you are a high school graduate. My plan might reduce binge drinking AND lower the drop out rate.
Commenting on today’s NewMexiKen poll, Tom has provided some interesting thoughts about being rich. I’m not certain I agree completely with his framework, but I find much of it compelling. Rich is surely better defined by accumulated wealth than by annual income.
I don’t believe you are “rich” if you cannot afford to send your children to college without incurring long term debt (you or them). I don’t believe you are rich if your home is your sole source of savings. I don’t believe you are rich if you finance your car (unless by choice). I don’t believe you are rich if you cannot, as Tom suggests, sustain your lifestyle (without debt), even if your annual income drops substantially.
You might be quite comfortable. You might have a lot of discretionary income. But to have any meaning at all — “possessing great material wealth” — being “rich” surely implies money and lifestyle markedly different from middle class.
I tested the download speed just now and recorded 10.19Mbps. That’s with Qwest broadband with optic fiber to the neighborhood. I’m paying for the 12Mbps tier, but I’m reasonably happy.
Apple has extended subscriptions to MobileMe another two months due to the problems we’ve had. Better that there weren’t any hassles, but I admire them for giving their customers an adjustment up front. I have a free 60-day trial that has turned into 150 days and my problems have been minor.
AAA insurance customer service on the other hand sucks. When I called to cancel the policy for my dad’s townhouse, they told me there would be a $40 charge — this on a $200 annual premium. When I grumbled that we’ve sold the property, not just cancelled the policy, I’m told that she (the customer service rep) will waive the charge. So if you don’t complain, you pay $40. Nice.
Then yesterday, after nearly two weeks, I called to ask about the refund. She’ll send out the check today this customer rep tells me. How long do you wait if you don’t ask?
And don’t even get me started on Tucson Electric Power.
NewMexiKen was partially successful in last week’s plan to buy the winning Powerball ticket.
I was able to buy a ticket.
. . . landed on the Patuxent River in Maryland on this date in 1814. It took them five days to reach Washington.
Bill Clinton is 62 today.
I love this rant from ‘Burque Babble first posted here two years ago. (This is just an excerpt, you should read it all.)
What’s this I hear about New Mexico going to two automobile license plates? If it ain’t bad enough that we’re gonna get more than one area code, now we gotta consider getting all cosmopolitan by stickin’ another license plate on the front of our cars. What’s next, High Occupancy Vehicles lanes? Light rail? Thai restaurants in the South Valley?
I’m afraid NM is losing that inefficient, podunk feel that brought many of us here in the first place. …
Thankfully, we haven’t turned all HOV lanes and pad thai yet. As I’ve mentioned before, NM has a stunningly high number of folks who not only don’t have two license plates on their car, they don’t even have one metal license plate. Instead, there is a piece of paper illegibly stuck inside their dark-tinted rear window.
Jill, official oldest daughter of NewMexiKen, reports on Aidan (he’ll be five one month from today):
Byron’s office had his summer picnic today at a waterpark.
Aidan was somewhat discouraged because most of the slides and water activities were set up for people 48 inches or taller, and he isn’t quite there. After we stood in line for a ropes course only to find he couldn’t reach the rope, I suggested we walk over and join [his brother] Reid in the “little kids” area.
We walked over to that section; Aidan took one look and said, “Oh I can’t go in there, Mommy. I would feel foolish.”
By the way, Aidan and Reid’s older brother Mack competed in his second full triathlon Sunday and placed fourth. Anyone who finishes a triathlon gets my applause, especially a 7-year-old. And the distances were longer this week than previously, so a real achievement. Awesome little guy!
Maybe part of it is just August — last year I had a poll on your least favorite month and August edged out January. I see that FunctionalAmbivalent is taking some time off to reconsider his blog.
Maybe an exciting new NewMexiKen poll would help.
At Saturday’s Saddleback Forum (NewMexiKen and family lived just down the road for 10 years), Senators Obama and McCain were asked to define “rich” with a number. They were asked the question in the context of taxes and so answered with an income number (though one could argue that rich is defined by net worth and includes much more than income).
Granted then, that like so much of our discourse, this is too simple to be very meaningful, but —