Author Archives: lmruhland

About lmruhland

I'm a 2008 college grad with a B.S. in biology.

In vino veritas?

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Lauren Ruhland, MCPP science editor and 2008 summer intern

Michigan’s current law prohibiting out-of-state vinyards from shipping wine directly to consumers fell afoul of the state Supreme Court, which ruled in September that the law is unconstitutional because it discriminated between Michigan and non-Michigan wineries.  How did your lawmakers respond?  Not by opening up the market and letting consumers choose between a wide range of grape-derived alcoholic beverages.  Instead, they’ve drafted a bill to prohibit all wine deliveries, whether the vendor is within or outside Michigan.  It’s expected to reach the floor just in time for the holiday season.

Admirably sustainable lives on the rumps of hippos and hyenas

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–Lauren Ruhland, Science Editor and 2008 MCPP itnern

“Ask Ethan,” Spiked Online’s satirical ethics column, is one of my favorite reads.  Its author, the pseudonymous Ethan Greenhart, has come up with sustainable solutions to dilemmas like “Is it ethical to use toilet paper?” and “Is it ethical to use pig fat for fuel?“  Greenhart doesn’t limit his column to merely ecological issues; for instance, he recently commented on the financial crisis.  To mark the release of his new book, Can I Recycle My Granny and 39 Other Eco-Dilemmas, he sat down with a Spiked editor to talk about his work:

Brendan O’Neill: Ethan, there’s a recession looming. People are worried about their jobs and homes. They’re fretting over the money in their bank accounts. Yet in your new book, you have a chapter on ‘mosquito rights’ and whether it is ethical to send bed nets to Africa! Doesn’t this show how petty environmentalism is, even how anti-human it is? You’re having a laugh, right?

Ethan Greenhart: I never have a laugh. And if you got as far as the chapter titled ‘Is it ethical to laugh?’ you would know that. Look, nothing better sums up the need for my brand of environmentalism – what I refer to in the book as my zero-carbon, no-driving, faeces-recycling lifestyle – than the current credit crunch. Who do you think brought about this recession? It wasn’t mosquitoes. They live admirably sustainable lives on the rumps of hippos and hyenas. It was human beings – overweight, overdressed, overrated human beings and their insatiable lust for new-fangled mod cons, like smoothie makers or life-support machines.

…

BON: To avoid confusion, let me clarify something: are you saying people should be bumped off? Allowed to die? That things like the ‘credit crunch’ might be avoided by reducing the number of people? If you think humanity is a plague on the planet, as someone like John Gray at the LSE does, then there must be a cure of some kind… Tell me, what’s the cure for the human plague?

EG: No, no, no! You are not going to corner me into saying something scandalous! People try that all the time. They send me letters asking the most outrageous things, like ‘Is it ethical to murder my mother?’ or ‘Is it ethical to import apple-flavoured beer from Belgium?’, in the hope that I will say ‘yes’ and shame the environmentalist cause forever. No, I am not saying people should be killed off. Per se. I’m saying it would have been better if they had never existed. And it will be a glorious day when they no longer exist. The measures through which their non-existence might be brought about are far too complex to go into in a telephone interview.

I would call “Ask Ethan” great satire, if it weren’t so well supported with real-life examples of people who are making similar declarations.

A century of presidential soundbites

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–Lauren M. Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern & Science Editor

The 1908 election was marked by a major technological change in the way candidates campaigned– both candidates (Republican William Howard Taft and Democrat William Jennings Bryan) were recorded on phonographs, allowing their speeches to be heard (not just read) by voters around the country.  From ScienceNews:

Whether for profit or prestige, the 1908 campaign was the first in which presidential candidates recorded their own voices for the mass market. “We now have Records by Mr. Bryan and Mr. Taft, so that no matter how the November election may result, we shall have Records by the next President,” an advertisement in the September 1908 Edison Phonograph Monthly exclaimed. “Now, for the first time, one can introduce the rival candidates for the Presidency in one’s own home, can listen to their political views, expressed in their real voices, and make comparisons.”

It sounds fun and exciting in retrospect, but it has me wondering what sorts of media will be used to bring candidates’messages to their voters in the next century.  Obviously, we’ve already come a long way.

Pandora saved?

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–Lauren Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern & Science Editor

Way back in July, Hannah Mead offered up criticism of the system by which internet radio services were charged much higher royalty fees.  This weekend, it appears that the House took a break from thinking about the economy to do something about the fee structure that threatened streaming music sites like Pandora:

Congress is close to passing legislation that would buy extra time to finalize an agreement intended to save the emerging Internet radio market from a crippling hike in copyright royalty rates.

The House on Saturday unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., that would greenlight an anticipated agreement between Webcasters and SoundExchange, a nonprofit that collects royalties on behalf of recording copyright owners and artists from Internet radio stations and other digital radio services.

The two sides have been negotiating new royalty rates following the federal Copyright Royalty Board’s ruling in March 2007 that dramatically increased the rates that Internet radio stations must pay artists and record labels. Internet radio stations say the new rates — which most but not all are paying — would effectively put them out of business.

It seems that the proposed legislation extends a deadline for these negotiations and gives the eventual outcome legal backing. Rates for traditional radio airplay (set by the Copyright Royalty Board) are low, because that medium is considered free advertisement for artists and their albums.   Internet radio was considered a different beast because the ability to make preferences in customized “stations” made it more like a product itself as opposed to advertising. (The article says that the National Association of Broadcasters, which represents AM and FM stations, “has withdrawn its own objections to the measure.”  This implies that they had previously lobbied for the distinction.)

Despite my disdain for inefficient bureaucratic institutions like the Copyright Royalty Board, I use streaming internet radio a lot.  It allows me to share my quirky musical preferences with people I think may be interested.

MI house members’bipartisanship on $700B Paulson plan

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–Lauren Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern & Science Editor

Michigan’s representatives, like those from the rest of the country, were deeply divided on the Paulson plan’s vote this afternoon, which eventually failed 228-205. Michigan’s house delegation tilted toward a “nay” vote, with nine against and six in support. I’m a little surprised that during an election season marred by bitter partisan bickering, conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats–along with moderates of the red and blue flavors–are able to put their differences aside and stand together on any issue, even if their conclusions are derived from very different (and even contrary) thought processes.

A district-by-district breakdown follows below the fold. Continue reading →

A personal tale of health care US vs. UK

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–Lauren M. Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern & Science Editor

Brinley Bruton describe her own very different experiences with two bouts of pyelonephritis (advanced kidney infection), each taking place on different sides of the Atlantic Ocean.  Though it seems obvious that she preferred the care she received in the U.S., she’s still willing to see its faults for what they are and offers praise for the compassion and professionalism of her health care providers in the U.K.  The piece is a long two pages and doesn’t wade particularly far into the policy debate surrounding health care, but it does raise some important questions about the consequences of health care reforms.

[W]hile I recovered fully in both cases, the care I received felt quite different. In New York, I never feared that I would be overlooked. At my doctor’s office in upscale Gramercy Park, he and his nurses took their time seeing me, and were always at pains to reassure me. On my first visit, the receptionist let me sit in an empty consulting room so that I wouldn’t have to weep in the waiting room. She checked in on me and brought me water.

But unlike the personal care I received in the U.S., in London, I felt like I was on a vast and often creaking conveyor belt, and there was a big risk of falling through the cracks. British care is socialized — and feels that way.

Shopping in Berkeley

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–Lauren Ruhland, 2008 MCPP Intern & Science Editor

This Los Angeles Times article explores the Berkeley Bowl, a produce market where you can get lectured about political correctness while fighting for the chance to glance over the 40 different kinds of tomatoes. Despite its location in perhaps the most liberal city in the nation, the proprietors take a hard-line view of property rights– get caught “tasting” produce just once and you’ll be slapped with a lifetime ban:

Store manager Larry Evans says the policy is a fair response to doctors, lawyers and college professors who help themselves to bags of cookies, nuts and vitamins, stick their fingers in pies and guzzle from bottles of sake, assuming the rules don’t apply to them.

“There’s a sense of entitlement to this town,” Evans said. “People think, ‘If I want to do it, I’ll do it, just try and stop me.’“

Seven years on the job, he said, has given him insight into the city’s sometimes sharp social elbows.

“Berkeley residents are angry — they’re mad at the president, the economy, all kinds of stuff. And this is the place where it seems to get released, the local supermarket.”

If I’m ever in the area, I think I have to check out the store for myself.  They carry eight different types of mango!  With its wide selection of merchandise, the Berkeley Bowl seems to be doing OK even as the locavore movement is taking off around the country.  At the very least, they’re doing well enough to turn away customers who disparage their employees.

“I don’t like to see them berate employees,” [bowl co-owner Diane Yasuda] said. “I’ll say, ‘I’m sorry, but we just can’t seem to please you. Why don’t you shop somewhere else?’“

“Poor governance creates poor policy. That’s what we have.”

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–Lauren Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern

It doesn’t get much more explicit than that.  From the Associated Press via Mlive:

Michigan’s economy suffers not from a dependance on auto manufacturing but from poor governance, said Robert Genetski, an economist from Chicago.

Genetski, Heartland Institute policy adviser, offered research that showed Michigan’s decline from being one of the healthiest economies in the nation in the 1960s to the poorest in the nation the past five years.

“Michigan ranks 50 out of 50 states,” he said.

Although many blame the state of the manufacturing industry for the state’s tough economic position, Genetski disagrees.

“Poor governance creates poor policy. That’s what we have,” he said.

He said Michigan governance is moving away from classic principles of a strong economy: low tax rates, free markets, protecting individual property rights and stable prices.

In addition to the article linked above, there’s more from Robert Genetski here.

Fed bailouts and public schools

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–Lauren Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern

Over at National Review, Michael J. Petrilli compares the recently announced federal bailouts of large financial firms with the phenomenon of states bailing out their largest and most troubled school districts:

Predictably, some education analysts are already pointing to the market meltdown as a cautionary tale about deregulation and “privatization.” I don’t know enough about high finance to say whether the 1990s-era policies that removed barriers between bankers and other investors led to this malaise. But surely there’s a better lesson in this mess for schools than just the “regulation is good” storyline that certain interests want to peddle.

Namely, in the education sector also, organizations are more likely to be bailed out if they are considered “too big to fail.” States have a long history of coming to the rescue of huge urban districts, long after they have demonstrated an utter inability to get results or balance their books. It’s only the small fry — tiny, public charter schools — that actually go under. As well they should, if they aren’t getting the job done for kids or they aren’t spending public funds prudently.

Petrilli’s case in point is the troubled Detroit Public School system.  He urges the state to declare DPS bankrupt and overhaul its operations, as opposed to bolstering the failing district with endless funding bailouts.

Giving a new meaning to “voting with your wallet”

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–Lauren M. Ruhland

Jones Soda, the bottling company famous for flavors like FuFu Berry and Cherry Manilow, is running a marketing campaign urging you to select a beverage based on your presidential pick.  Michigan is one of three markets in which consumers can find “Pure McCain Cola” and “Yes We Can Cola.”

Visitors to their website (CampaignCola.com) can also select “Ron Paul Revolution Cola” or “Capitol Hillary Cola.”  If you’re sick of the whole process, you can effectively make a “write-in” vote and purchase a custom case of “Ameri-cola” with a picture of your choosing.  Currently, Obama is leading the four drinks in sales with 47%, followed by Paul with 29%.  McCain keeps in third place with just over 13% of the market,  but this doesn’t necessarily mean disaster for the Republican ticket– the ad campaign is targeted at youth who may not be of voting age.

McCain and Obama Talk Science

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–Lauren M. Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern & editor, MichiganScience

Last year, a group of citizens interested in science decided to invite the major party candidates to an independent debate on science and technology policy and founded Sciencedebate 2008 in the process.  Both Barack Obama and John McCain declined to debate the issues face-to-face, but each agreed to answer Sciencedebate’s 14-question survey on topics ranging from national defense and health care to innovation and the state of the world’s oceans.  Among the highlights:

On innovation: Obama says he would increase science funding and funding to Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics (STEM) education, citing our technology trade deficit with China as a symptom of problems with the current system.  McCain emphasizes the “well-established entrepreneurial spirit and creativity of America’s thinkers and tinkerers,” but also promises funding hikes for research in growing fields like nanotech.  He would also create a White House Science and Technology Advisor to guide the nation’s science policy.

On climate change: Both candidates support a cap-and-trade system to manage carbon emissions.  Obama says he would work with the United Nations and fellow G8 members to address the issue; McCain would institute big incentives for the development of zero-emission autos.

On education: Obama and McCain both want to spend more money educating America’s schoolchildren, who lag far behind their peers in math and science.  Specifically, both hope to increase teacher pay in order to attract more qualified science teachers.

The whole thing is pretty long, but it provides a lot of insight into the policies that could come into effect under either of the likely next Presidents.  Both McCain and Obama suggested spending increases or expansion of current programs in almost every question.

Prior Proper Planning…

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–Lauren Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern

In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, the Department of Energy says it may be willing to open up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to alleviate a potential “economically-threatening disruption” in the oil supply and a subsequent increase in fuel prices.  Given that the SPR exists and this is its stated purpose, I guess it could make sense for them to act right now.

Unfortunately, they can’t do it.  The system designed to provide the country with petroleum in times of emergency is inaccessible during a power outage, and electricity hasn’t been restored yet.

As the folks over at Knowledge Problem point out, both threats to the oil supply and big power outages are fairly rare.  “If the two kinds of events were uncorrelated, then simultaneous power outages and economically-threatening disruptions in oil supplies would unlikely in the extreme,” they write. “But the two kinds of events are not uncorrelated, obviously.”  There are generators at the site, but they aren’t powerful enough to pump oil out of reservoirs.

Mayor rated low, but DPS worse

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–Lauren Ruhland, 2008 MCPP intern

If you didn’t get one of the 25 seats reserved for members of the public at the governor’s removal hearing for Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick this morning, the whole thing is being streamed on the Free Press’s website.

To coincide with the hearing, the business organization Detroit Renaissance released a poll of city voters’opinions on different current and potential governmental leaders and city institutions.  A whopping 80% of Detroiters are dissatisfied with the direction the city is heading, and almost as many (73%) view the mayor unfavorably.  69 percent of respondents think Kilpatrick ought to resign.

Despite their largely unfavorable impression of the mayor, only 69.5% consider his performance to be “fair” or “poor.”  Contrast that with their rating of the performance of Detroit Public School board– 89.5% place it in those two categories.

In other words, an alleged perjurer, facing ten felony counts ranging from obstruction of justice to assault, who is being called to resign by two out of three constituents, is still percieved to be doing his job more effectively than the city’s school board.