An Antidote: Jumbotron Dance Succeed

Courtesy of Succeed Blog.



(With a tip-o-the-hat to Waldo.)

One Vote

Well, congratulations are due to the Republicans here in Virginia for their victories, statewide. They inherit a gigantic budget crisis, which they will no doubt try to "solve" on the backs of the poor, our schools and further degradation of our transportation infrastructure. It also means that redistricting is going to be an absolute knife fight, given the Democrat's razor-thin margin in the state senate.

On a personal note, I take some pride in the fact that my precinct only went for Bob McDonnell by one vote. What's frustrating is that I think I know who that vote is. I have a neighbor I am confident would have voted for our ticket had she come to the polls. Should I have called her at 4pm while I was handing out sample ballots at the precinct?

They say that one vote doesn't matter. In this case, for my precinct, it did. One vote would've tied East Leesburg for the Democrats in the most Republican election in Virginia in fifteen years. I consider that a small victory.

The next four years will be interesting, to say the least.

Two Science Links

Please come out and vote tomorrow for Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner and Steve Shannon. Your vote matters. As always, I'll be manning the table at the East Leesburg precinct. Come by, vote, and say hi!

In the meantime, here are two rather interesting science links for the day.

Security Measures lead to false sense of security. - Funny thing about science and marketing, they're often unrelated and in conflict, especially when it comes to "security."

Blue Energy - Another interesting and minimally-polluting idea for generating electricity, this time from salinity gradients.

An Interlude: Mobile Homes

One of the better ads.



(With a tip-o-the-hat to SeanMike.)

On The Proper Use Of Markets

One of the fundamental differences between (traditionally) Republican principles and Democratic principles is the superiority of "the market." Republicans have generally been in favor of using the market to allocate any and all resources, while Democrats have asserted that there are some things that should not be valued by price in markets, but have intrinsic, external value superior to that which would be assigned by a market.

In this video, Michael Sandel does an excellent job explaining and summarizing this point.



Well worth a watch.

(With a tip-o-the-hat to the "Ex-Nortel Employees" LinkedIn Group.)

Competition Is American

Great new ad from MoveOn.

"Mr. McDonnell's Bogus Roads Plan"

The Washington Post has endorsed Creigh Deeds for governor of Virginia. They have especially harsh words for Bob McDonnell's false roads plan.

The Republican candidate, former attorney general Robert F. McDonnell, offers something different: a blizzard of bogus, unworkable, chimerical proposals, repackaged as new ideas, that crumble on contact with reality. They would do little if anything to build a better transportation system. - The Washington Post

Some of that bears repeating:

A blizzard of bogus, unworkable, chimerical proposals, repackaged as new ideas, that crumble on contact with reality.

Kind of like his grad school thesis.

And lest people accuse the Post of being lukewarm in their support for Mr. Deeds, the following should be informative.

As we noted in endorsing Mr. Deeds in June's Democratic primary, his record in the legislature ably blended the conservative interests of his constituents with an agenda reflecting the prosperous, politically moderate face of modern-day Virginia. He has been a longtime champion of a more enlightened, bipartisan system of drawing voting districts, a stance to which Mr. McDonnell only recently gravitated. He has played a constructive role in economic development by shaping the Governor's Economic Opportunity Fund, which provides incentives for investors in Virginia, and he has stood for responsible environmental policies, including green jobs and alternative energy research. Despite his rural roots, Mr. Deeds has been ideologically flexible enough to support abortion rights; press for background checks on firearms buyers at gun shows; oppose displaying the Confederate flag on state license plates; and warm to equal rights for homosexuals. - The Washington Post

On November 3rd, vote Creigh Deeds for governor.