AARP Pissed at Proposal to Adjust CPI Calculation, Food Trucks Being Cracked Down Upon In Midtown, and Praise for the Casey Anthony Verdict

Not too long ago, I talked about a proposal being floated around changing the way the Consumer Price Index was calculated in order to underscore inflation and save the federal government millions by making automatic COLA payments smaller.  This proposal was related to the debt ceiling debate.  Damian Paletta of the Wall Street Journal has an article about said proposal today:

What is “chained CPI,” and why should you care?

One proposal in the budget talks that is getting a serious look from all sides would switch the government’s way of measuring inflation and delivering a big impact on tax, spending, and entitlement programs.
How big? It could save roughly $300 billion over 10 years. That big.
The idea of using this different measure of inflation, known as a “chained” Consumer Price Index, has won support from numerous deficit-reduction commissions as well as many liberal and conservative economists.

It was only a matter of time before the AARP got their dentures all in a fix over this:

WASHINGTON—AARP CEO A. Barry Rand this morning offered the following strong statement as key congressional leaders meet with the President today to discuss a framework for a deal to raise the debt ceiling and to address deficit reduction.  AARP is focused on protecting Social Security and Medicare for the millions of beneficiaries who have paid into the systems over their working lives, and reiterates its position that Social Security and Medicare benefits should not be on the table for deficit reduction.
“AARP will not accept any cuts to Social Security as part of a deal to pay the nation’s bills,” said Rand.  “Social Security did not cause the deficit, and it should not be cut to reduce a deficit it did not cause.  As the President and Congress work to negotiate a deal to raise the debt ceiling, AARP urges all lawmakers to reject any proposals that would cut the benefits seniors have earned through a lifetime of hard work.
“AARP is strongly opposed to any deficit reduction proposal that makes harmful cuts to vital Social Security and Medicare benefits.  Social Security is currently the principal source of income for nearly two-thirds of older American households receiving benefits, and roughly one third of those households depend on Social Security benefits for nearly all (90 percent or more) of their income.  The deficit debate is not the time or the place to talk about Social Security.  AARP will fight any cuts that are proposed to this important program, including proposals to reduce the cost of living adjustment for beneficiaries (COLA)—such as the proposed chained CPI—which AARP also believes should not be considered as part of the debt ceiling or deficit reduction negotiations.

AARP would rather let the country go down in fiscal flames than let one penny get cut from entitlements, but their anger over this is justifiable.  Time and time again, money printing is used to bolster government spending.  By under reporting the effect on prices, the Fed will just print more while Paul Krugman continues to assure us that the core CPI is well within its normal rate.  Meanwhile, the cost of two ply toilet paper goes up and McDonald's portion sizes keep getting smaller.

Today I bought a cheese steak for lunch from a food truck in downtown Harrisburg, PA.  It wasn't particularly my idea, but it turned out to be very good.  Perhaps that's is why this article caught my eye:

MIDTOWN — Driven by police from popular blocks across Midtown, food truck drivers and their fans are struggling to find ways around a crackdown that's threatening to take the wheels off the burgeoning industry.

For more than a month, police have been booting trucks from Midtown under a new interpretation of the city's vending law that says they're no longer allowed to operate from metered spots.

But while some have chosen to pack up shop in search of friendlier pastures, others are looking for new, creative ways to keep their legions of lunchtime fans satisfied without the threat of run-ins with police.

"The truck has been chased away," lamented Bert Meyfroots, of the popular Wafels & Dinges Belgian waffle truck, which has received about half a dozen warnings from police in recent weeks to leave its long-established Friday spot on West 52nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

But instead of packing up, the team has swapped its famous yellow truck for a smaller food cart that now makes its way around the borough, sitting on the sidewalk instead of the street.

Awww, you gotta admire the lawbreaking entrepreneur once again finding his way around moronic government regulations.  Wherever there is demand for a quick bite, portable food stands are sure to rise.

Yesterday, the whole Casey Anthony trial drama finally ended.  I couldn't be more happy.  I have hardly kept up with this case and every time it came on television (which it did quite frequently) I tuned out.  Now when the case started coming to an end, it seemed more and more apparent that the evidence against Casey Anthony was not conclusive.  Because of that simple fact, Anthony should not have been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  William Anderson lays it all out very well in his LewRockwell.com article today:

During the trial of Casey Anthony, the prosecution managed to establish what people already knew:

• The skeletal remains found were those of Caylee and there was duct tape sticking to her skull;
• Casey lied to the police about a number of things;
• Casey denied murdering her daughter;
• Casey was not a person of the highest character.

Some of those things are damning indictments if a woman applies for the Mother of the Year Award or is trying to be a role model to young women. I would hope that none of my daughters turns out to be like Casey Anthony.
However, having a bad character does not mean one is a murderer. If that were so, then Washington, D.C., would be the murder capital of the world. (Come to think of it, not long ago, D.C. WAS the murder capital of the world, and it is true that bad character abounds in that city. Nonetheless, my original point stands.)

I couldn't agree more, emotion often plays too much of a role in these type of cases.  The DSK case is a great example.

I will end with this interesting graphic of "The Working World" from The Big Picture:

Congrats on Japan and the U.K. for being the most taxed, you must be so proud.