Some observations while perusing the headlines at lunch:
- From the “Did Dinosaurs Drink Kool-Aid” Department: CNN is reporting that a dinosaur mass grave has been discovered in Switzerland. This area contains the bones of one animal per 100 square meters, so the entire area might contain bones of 100 more Plateosaurus. Evidence found at that site indicates that a government dinosaur had recently visited.
- From the “And Speaking of Dinosaurs” Department: CNN is also reporting that George Bush has rejected an attempt to increase the gas tax to pay for infrastructure repairs, wanting congress to first examine how it sets priorities. Remember, folks, that the gas tax is an interesting oddity. As people drive more, income from the tax goes up, but as the price goes up, including tax increases, people drive less. Combine that with more fuel efficient cars (which reduce the gas tax), and you have less infrastructre spending (especially compared to the 1960s, putting the dollars in the same year of reference). Of course, we know what this really means is that Bush wants the spending for the war and his pet projects, not what congress wants. But then, who needs to repair a 60-year-old infrastructure that is critical to interstate commerce. We all know what that did to Eisenhower’s reputation.
- From the “And Speaking of Dinosuars Redux” Department: CNN is also reporting that GM is working again on a battery-powered electric car. Hopefully, with the trend towards hybrids, they will support unlike their last all-electric car. But then again, we know that the real answer is ethanol, because who needs corn for eating.
