• Let’s try this numbers thing again

    Here’s a few numbers I saw in the Times recently. These concern the (FL) House budget proposal that was released last week.

    $2.5 Billion – what you get when you subtract state revenues from state expenses (ideally that number equal to, or less than $0).

    $1 Billion – proposed cuts to human services.

    8,000 – terminally ill Medicaid patients who’d have their hospice care eliminated (as proposed).

    $278 million – proposed reduction in nursing home funding.

    5 percent – proposed reduction in staff responsible for investigating child abuse (in some FL counties).

    $0 – taxes or fees the legislature would consider increasing to avoid these cuts.

    There are lots of people who feel our government wastes money, and in some cases they are probably right. The way our Republican friends in the legislature have tried to cut this waste (albeit in the good years) is to cut taxes – to starve the beast, as they say. My problem is I don’t see human services spending as a waste, or “big government” run amok, or living outside our means, or providing disincentive for personal responsibility. I see it as being decent.

    Yeah, yeah… you’re saying. I’ve said all of this before. I just can’t help myself. Some of the choices we make collectively, as a society, drains me of all my optimism.

    I suppose I’d better get to bed. Wasting your money can take a lot out of a guy.

  • More proof that I am full of crap

    In a post this weekend, I linked to a McClatchy article which indicated Obama’s lead over Clinton was 1858 – 1270 – per the AP.

    Today, I read an AP article stating the delegate count was 1631 – 1501.

    That’s a pretty big difference, especially considering both figures are supposed to come from the same source: the AP. After reading a little more closely, it seems the first number was the Texas state convention delegate count – NOT the overall delegate count for the (nationwide) Democratic nomination.

    While a lot of folks are saying Clinton doesn’t have much of a chance, the nationwide race is a lot closer than my post made it seem. (Like any of you really care, or are surprised that I made a mistake.)

    I don’t even have a good excuse. I was finally starting to a little feel better this weekend. I had a lot of time to relax… or do a simple google search. I could just delete the post, you know… try to pretend it didn’t exist. I suppose even I have a few standards… even if checking out facts that seem to good to be true isn’t one of them.

  • .00617284

    The Rays won their opener this afternoon. I didn’t see much of the game due to the early start, but what I saw looked pretty good. Shields picked up right where he left off last season, the bullpen didn’t collapse (even after a terrible error by Wheeler), Aki turned a couple double plays at his new position, and Dioner Navarro went three for four and was complimented on his base running.

    It’s only one game, but you’d rather win it than lose.

    I got a little carried away at lunch today. One of my coworkers was bad mouthing the home team, and we mixed it up a little (verbally – in a good natured way). It ended with me borrowing his desk calendar, flipping to September, and writing: “The Rays have a winning record – JK.”

    Short of putting money down, I thought that was pretty bold… and possibly foolish.