As you may have figured out, my name is Matt Griswold. This is where I think aloud, tag the trappings of the interwebs, and rant about all things interesting and ridiculous. You can reach me at mgriswold[at]gmail.com
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
-- Ronald Reagan in a speech to the White House Conference on Small Business (Aug. 15, 1985) via
This quote was deserving of a visualization :)
#GiftIdeas: a TSA-proof metallic ink-printed garb for the constitutionally-inclined traveler in all of us :)
As today's fortune would have it, I've stumbled upon the most wonderful Letters of Note, which holds in its collection a variety of hilarious, poignant, and otherwise not-intended-to-be-published-online memorandum. Above, a correspondence to the censor rating "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".
This is the next best answer to the Morgan Library (still my favorite museum in NY)
There are only three things you can be sure of: death, taxes, and that I'll take interest in the yearly infographic that wears the name of the first two. New to the 2011 edition detailing the Federal budget comes a handy comparison across the previous decade... fiscally-minded humanoids (read: anyone who can't print their own money) should take note of the discrepancy hovering in the lower-right corner: an 8% increase in revenues against a 53% increase in expenditures.
This is a scary, indefensible and completely bipartisan SNAFU.
If you want a real bonus outrage, consider this: the operation getting the biggest taxpayer subsidy of all — the federal government — pays bonuses to its employees too. This year it plans to hand out about $1.6 billion of bonuses, despite running more than $1 trillion in the red.
Allan Sloan, “Mad Money” (FORTUNE, 4/13/09)
