Blogging The Tennessean

The most frequent question asked by children has to be, "Why?" Sometimes it seems that as adults, we don't have the time or interest to continuing questioning things around us. These are just a few questions about headlines on the front page of The Tennessean today.

Public option includes opt-out
In an effort to make the attempted take-over of the U.S. health care system by the federal government more palatable, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev, has promised that the legislation will include a provision allowing states to choose not to participate in the "public option." Why should anyone believe anything Sen. Reid has to say? Once that power is granted to the federal government, it will only expand.

Lottery chief: Game would help education
Apparently we need another lottery game, Mega Millions. It is said the game would increase lottery sales $30 - $40 million annually, making an additional $10 - $15 million available for education. Where does the other $20 - $25 million go (the majority of the revenue)? The Tennessee Lottery website states that more than $1.5 billion has been raised for education. In light of that figure, assuming it is true, what will another paltry $10 mil do? Basically it will continue to add tax burden to those that play, like the guy in the story hoping for a home in the Bahamas as he cashed his $6 winning ticket.

Halloween can be a walking nightmare
The article provides a good reminder to parents to ensure their children are properly supervised and are visible as they go out for halloween. The statistics used the basis for the article are likely incomplete. In terms of raw numbers, the premise of the article is probably true...twice as many children are hit by a vehicle while walking on halloween than any other night of the year. I suspect an underlying reason is that there are many times the number of children out walking on the streets after dark that night compared to other nights. In reality, children could be less likely to be hit by a vehicle. Each accident is a tragedy. Accurate reporting will not diminish the loss.

Survey: Hiring expected to rise in next 6 months
The lead in to the article states, "Results from a new economic survey may ease concerns about rising unemployment and its effect on consumer spending as forecasters say more employers appear willing to hire in the coming months." Hopefully that will be the case. What impact will the increasing load of government regulation have on hiring? It's been shown that an increasing minimum wage increases unemployment. What impact would government controlled health care have (shudder)?