Shipping Notification

I just got the shipping notification, my camera started its cross country trek in Doraville, Ga and is now enjoying the music of Nashville, Tn. I hope it is taking pictures.

On to important national events: Apparently some of FEMA disaster relief credit cards have been used for things like designer handbags or at strip clubs. I can understand being upset about the handbags...but come on...these are folk from New Orleans where people are accostumed to exposed breasts. It is only natural that storm refugees would seek places that remind them of home.

I guess one of the effects of the world where we all get reduced to charity is this micromanagement spending. What people do with their disaster relief funds is really none of our business.

The other big national news is the Congressional investigations into the price spikes in oil. Guess what? The recent reconsolidation of the oil industry has revived the oil monopolies. Like, duh? It also turns out that many of the efforts to control gas formulations have led to single suppliers in markets. It is strange how regulation often leads to markets dominated by one supplier.

Galbraith tried to claim that government regulation was a countervailing force to big business. It seems to me that, more often than not, big government is a resonating force with big business. Regulatory efforts often have the effect of weeding out competition and replacement technologies ... making big business even bigger.