Dutch Parents vs U.S. Law Enforcement

In the U.S. we spend about $60 billion annually on our drug war, about $213 per capita. That’s $213 each year for each and every person. If you’re a family of four, about $1,000 of your money goes to the drug war each year*.

The Netherlands spends a bit over $400 million, or about $24.00 per person. You did read that correctly – we spend about 10 times as much per person as The Netherlands.

In the U.S. we put the burden on Law Enforcement to stop people from using drugs (thus, our much higher cost), The Netherlands puts that burden on parents.

It’d be one thing if The Netherlands achieved the same results as we do. But they don’t. They blow us out of the water. Twice as many teens in the U.S. smoke pot as teens in The Netherlands. And the same goes for other drugs and all age groups.

Which system produces the better results?

As well, there are a number of by-products, or consequences, of these two approaches. One is that while the U.S. system teaches people to avoid law enforcement, the Dutch system relies on and teaches personal responsibility.

Which system likely benefits society the most?

Smoking pot is stupid. Continually spending money on our continually failed wars on prohibition is?

* Now, lest you think that you don’t pay much in taxes so therefore don’t bear much of this burden, think again. Everything you purchase has a higher price because of the taxes that the retailer, manufacturer, and distributors pay and because of the higher wages that they pay to overcome their employees tax burden. Trust me, you pay your $213 every year. And we haven’t even addressed the estimated $32 billion in tax revenue we’re missing.

NOOD's impact & very quick survey results

Before we go on, if you haven't already Click here to take survey

All media and the TSA are reporting zero problems at TSA checkpoints today with lines much shorter than normal. NOOD, National Opt-Out Day, must be a failure.

Not. A few key points. By all appearances the number of people flying today seems at an all time pre-Thanksgiving low. Until actual stats come in this is purely anecdotal, but it seems a lot of people have stayed away from air travel because of TSA. I'll also note that Amtrak is busier than ever with many media outlets reporting a lot of traveler stating that they're choosing alternatives to their normal air travel because of TSA.

Second point - TSA are not using the full-body scanners. Reports from across the nation are that the scanners are either not being used at all or only very sporadically. Clearly TSA got a message this past week.

OK, some very quick survey results starting with the race to see what forum generates the most responses.

Tripadvisor: 490
Flyertalk: 28
Thirtythousandfeet: 2
Airlinecrew.net: 2
Crusty Logic: 5*
No Response: 187

* I assume that a major portion of the No Responses are actually Crusty Logic folk since I didn't add this question until 5 days after the survey went up - so I'll give myself a nominal second place :-)

Brief top responses:

91.2% US
2.2% Canada, OZ, Switzerland.
Plus respondents from 18 other countries

53% male
41% female
3% homosexual male

Average:
14 Domestic R/T
3 Int'l R/T
28 trips through TSA per year
22% have been through full-body
73% have opted out

55% of travel is business, 45% is leisure

Impact on future travel:
35% eliminating future air travel until TSA changes
12% reduce air travel by 80%
10% reduce by 60%
23% reduce by 40%

68% of those who've been through new TSA procedures multiple times say that it gets more difficult emotionally with each time, 31% say it stays the same.

A very quick calc of the stats indicates that 73% of respondents fly at least 4 round-trips per year thus at least nominal frequent flyers (I should have included a question on silver/gold/plat status - oh well).

Note: That 35% eliminating future travel seems rather high. Other numbers are not out of reality.

More later

Survey Update

I had a couple of requests for custom versions of the TSA survey so people could see what their forum members opinions are. I've added a question to the bottom of page 1 for people to select how they found out about the survey. If you'd like your group/forum added please let me know.

I'll try to get either updates stats posted later tonight or in the morning and hopefully will get the online dynamic stats and charts setup tomorrow.

When TSA Starts Running Obamacare

In TSA And What We Can Look Forward To For Healthcare I wrote about an experience I had with a horrible mess caused by TSA in Chicago O'Hare last spring and imagined them running healthcare. Let's think about this again in light of what we've seen recently. Imagine Janet Napolitano and John Pistole (Head of TSA) or other similar government bureaucrats managing your healthcare. Think about what this government agency thinks it can require of you just so you can board a plane. Now think how much further they'd likely go 'for your health'.

Backscatter Full-Body Scanners Dangerous?

Dr Manny Alvarez, an ob-gyn, put up an article on foxnews.com today stating that there is no danger in the backscatter x-ray scanners. This is not something he can say even remotely conclusively. The fact is that we DO NOT KNOW what the potential harm from these machines is. Ionizing radiation with Backscatter is very different from standard medical x-rays. There is currently NO public testing information available on these machines, let alone peer reviewed studies. There have been a number of concerns raised by radiologists and others that have not be addressed.

Of further concern is that TSA will not allow either it's own employees or airline passengers to wear a Dosimeter around the machines.

These machines may be just as safe as TSA says they are (if so, why not allow the Dosimeters?). But they may be far more dangerous. We simply do not know at this time so going through one (or working beside one as many TSA employees do) is fairly risky at this point.

Opt-Outs are popular

Yesterday it was announced that airline pilots are special and will soon be able to opt-out of humiliating nude-o-scopes or gropings at TSA checkpoints (congrats to them btw). They join members of congress and many other government employees who are special enough to opt-out of this administrations policies. Will flight attendants be next? Oh, and apparently Muslim women may be able to opt-out of the groping - they can grope themselves and then have their hands tested for explosives residue (details of this policy aren't clear).

Obamacare was supposed to be the great equalizer. Everyone on the same plan. Yet McDonald's and a large number of unions have been given permission to opt-out of Obamacare. By some estimates as much as 21% of the U.S. population has been given an opt-out for Obamacare. If it's so great, why are all these opt-outs needed?

TSA Survey

OK, finally got the survey up. It's rough, but should do the job. When I get time I'll set up a results page in the survey engine, but until then I'll post aggregate results here.

Click here to take survey

2010.11.20 Results - Sorry it's taken me so long post these. Very briefly, 41% male, 59% female, 88% US citizens, Avg age = 43. Avg 22 trips through TSA per year. Feelings about someone seeing you or spouse nude = very bothered. Seeing daughter nude = between very bothered and terrified. Feelings about grouping; you = very bothered, spouse between very bothered and terrified, daughter = terrified (understandably). Concerns about radiation between No Concern and Very Bothered (somewhat surprising its this low). More on responses for actual TSA experiences later along with updates to the above.

Several people suggested a question on how much of people's travel is leisure vs business and if the new TSA will impact future travel. Great ideas. Both added.

Varying Modesty and TSA's Impact On Teens

What may seem fine in the world of John Pistole, Janet Napolitano, and Barack Obama, may not be so fine in the world of you or me.

Modesty is an interesting thing. Generally most males don’t give a rip who sees them nude, women tend to lean a bit more towards the reticent side. But there are people of both genders who run the gamut from absolute terrifying fear to overly outgoing exhibitionists. Are those on the terrifying fear end supposed to stop flying?

How about people who have been raped or sexually assaulted and for whom either of the new options could be prohibitively traumatic? Are these people just not supposed to ever fly again? What did they do to deserve this?

There is also an interesting inter-personal thing with couples. Many men are more protective of their wives and girlfriends bodies than their wives and girlfriends are. For many couples going through Barack and Janet’s Kabuki Theatre, the guy will be far more bothered than his girl over some other guy seeing her nude or someone groping her vagina and boobs in public.

I wonder too about the impact on teen girls. Will a 14-year-old girl who has gone through Janet’s new TSA a number of times on family trips get so de-sensitized to others touching her or seeing her nude, so routinely, that a sexting request for a picture or some guys roaming whatever will seem more normal than perhaps it should? “Fifty guys at the airport have seen me nude, what’s the harm in one more?” Teen guys may be salivating at the gift TSA is giving them*.

Put these last two issues together and what do you get? A boyfriend convincing your daughter that other guys have seen her body, but he hasn't. And he's her boyfriend, so why them and not him? Same for getting to feel her up.

What could possibly be the unintended consequences of these new policies?

* I realize that many teen girls are already pretty quick to send a guy a pic of herself nude or let guys do whatever with her body. Many, and perhaps most, aren't so quick though. This is about the latter.

Will Muslims Be Screened Only By Other Muslims ?

CAIR has filed a complaint against TSA that the new procedures violate Islamic teachings. Yesterday rumors started floating around Washington that Barack and Janet were working on a solution. Will the solution be that passengers who opt out of the full body radiation experiment and porn show be allowed to request a pat-down, in private, by someone not just of their own gender, but also of their own religion? Any problems with this?

Full Body Scans Provide NO Additional Safety !!

For anyone who has missed it in all of the articles floating around. Full-Body Scans and Enhanced Pat-Downs provide NO additional security or safety. They will detect a few things that the old system didn't but they will not detect some things that the old system did. And BOTH systems miss a myriad of things.

We've got 38 holes in airline security for terrorists to exploit. The old system plugged 5, the new system plugs a different 5, both still leave 33. And for this people want to take the risk of additional radiation and some horny perp getting off on looking at their wife or daughter nude?

It Doesn’t Get Any Better

Many things get easier each time we do them. The more I tie my shoes, the easier it gets. Same with a bow tie when I used to wear one. The more I use my camera the easier it gets (though my pictures don’t necessarily improve). Even going through airport security has gotten easier over time. Each new addition by TSA, laptops, shoes, liquids, was a pain the first time, but got better by the second and simply became part of the new normal.

Getting groped or displaying your nude body for a stranger doesn't though. Most of the people I’ve talked to who have made several trips through Barack and Janet's New Kabuki Theatre for Pedophiles have said that it doesn’t get better, and several have said it actually gets worse.

One woman said that the first time was unnerving, the next three or four were tolerable, and she said she thought she was normalizing it. The last two though, have left her feeling traumatized. One guy said that he was part of the no-big-deal crowd and happily went through the NoS without much thought, until the sixth time, when he said he was rather bothered by the thought of it and that being bothered has increased with each successive trip.

Another person said that her 8-year-old daughter was concerned the first time, bothered more the second, and now refuses to go on a trip with her mom next week.

And these are all seasoned travelers.

I’ll put a survey up tomorrow morning to see what others experiences have been.

Barack and Janet’s Kabuki Theatre for Pedophiles

A follow-up to last Wednesday's post.

For about a decade now we’ve all been participants in Kabuki Theatre every time we fly a commercial flight in the U.S. Security experts overwhelming agree that most of what the TSA does at their checkpoints has nothing to do with actual security. It just makes the flying public feel better.

Going through TSA has become increasingly irritating. Wait for someone to check my ID, wait at the x-ray belt, grab 3 bins, take out my laptop and put it in one, put my jacket, liquids, and other stuff in a bin, take off my shoes, put my shoes in a bin, wait in socks to go through the metal detector, keep an eye on my stuff so nobody grabs any of it, put everything back together after being cleared through. It’s a pain. It’s irritating. But whatever.

My wife has an artificial hip thanks to a running accident several years ago so she gets to go through a pat-down - every flight. Royal PITA! Some months ago she was in a foot cast so they said they had to take her back to the back for a special x-ray. Thirty-eight minutes and six x-rays later she finally emerged. I can certainly understand their wanting to take every precaution with her, she’s a cute blonde Swede.

Until very recently we put up with it, mostly with good humor. It’s a pain. It’s irritating. It takes a bit more time. Whatever. Putting up with all of it for a bit of theatre wasn’t really a big deal (though I did my fair share of complaining).

What Obama, Janet Napolitano, and TSA are doing now, with Nude-o-Scopes and enhanced groin grope pat-downs, for nothing more than theatre, is a big deal.

Let’s weigh the two sides, increased security vs. invasion of privacy and danger to health, and see what we come up with.

Increased Security ?

The Nude-o-Scope (NoS) will be able to detect some things that the walk-thru metal detectors (WTMD) are not able to. On the other hand, they cannot detect other things. Of nine probable risks, a WTMD can detect five, leaving us vulnerable to four while a NoS can detect, well, five, leaving us vulnerable to four. Two of the five a NoS can detect are at least different than what a WTMD can detect.

For example, the Nude-o-Scope cannot detect many powders such as the PETN used by the Christmas Day Underwear Bomber last year. This coming Christmas one of his friends can go to Detroit airport and have a very good chance of waltzing right through Janet’s latest and greatest security with the exact same powder in the exact same place as Abdulmultallib.

Box-cutters will now be easier to get onboard. A NoS sees through to your skin, but not through it. Wrap your favorite weapon in some leather, apply KY liberally, insert in rectum. Barack and Janet’s Nude-o-Scope won’t see a thing, nor would a pervert groping your (or John Tyner’s) junk. With a bit of will-power I’d bet you could get a gun through easier today than any time in the past few years. Or, like Abdullah Hassan Tali al-Asiri, just stick a bomb up there and make life easier.

And this is just the front door. What about the back door, side door, and windows? There are a number of other ways a determined terrorist can get stuff past security.

Do you feel safer now that the TSA are groping people's genitals, looking at us nude, and performing a radiation experiment on us?


Invasion of Privacy and Danger to Health ?

So what will all of this so improved security cost us?

The Nude-o-Scopes cost about $200k each to purchase and $40k each to install. They require more TSA personnel to operate and will incur an estimated $11k per year in maintenance. Your tax dollars at work. And this is the least of the issues with Barack and Janet’s Kabuki Theatre.

Radiation may be a greater threat than Islamic terrorists. Even TSA's own experts have stated "we could see maybe 10 extra cases of cancer per year." Other experts have put the potential risk much higher. We simply don’t know the risks. They may be as minimal as the TSA states, they may be much greater. Supporters of NoS’s say that the radiation from a NoS is the equivalent of about 2 minutes of solar radiation at flight altitude. One problem with this comparison is that we’re talking about very different wavelengths, which makes a huge difference. Also, if that were true, why is the TSA working to exempt pilots and flight attendants from NoS scans due to radiation concerns? Further, in a hospital you have a very highly educated radiologist and other knowledgeable folks overseeing x-ray machines, who’s doing this for the backscatter machine you go through at the airport?

Our privacy of modesty is gone. What is the guy in the back room seeing when you step into the NoS? (And yes, it is likely to be a guy, as TSA have stated that this will not be gender specific and the vast majority of TSA employees are male.) The TSA has refused to release any image from the new backscatter NoS (the only images they have released are from a millimeter-wave machine which produces a much different image). The only known image, by artist John Wild, is much lower resolution than the machines are advertised to be capable of. Suffice it to say, the guy looking at the image of your wife is seeing a pretty detailed image of her - nude.

Virtual Shave. Doing a Google search on backscatter I ran across a comment on a sex board that said “the best feature [of the body scanners] is that they virtually shave her bush.” Not a clue who this person is, if it’s pure speculation, or he’s a TSA employee who actually knows. But I wouldn’t want my 16-year-old daughter getting a virtual shave, down there, for some minimum wage guy in a back room. Perhaps we’d all feel better if they had Catholic Priests doing the viewing.

What’s Next? Not long after walk-thru metal detectors were deployed in airports we saw them popping up in courthouses, stadiums, high schools, malls, and elsewhere. Will this happen with Nude-o-Scopes? Who will be looking at those images? Given the amount of stuff shoplifted every year I’d be amazed if we don’t see them turning up in the exits from some stores within a couple of years. More radiation? More people seeing us nude?

What do you think? Are the costs of Barack and Janet’s new show worth it for all of the extra security? You know what, if these new measures provided a big increase in security, I’d probably roll with them. But they provide no extra security. Personally I’m not a big fan of incurring a bunch of costs for nothing. Even if there are no better alternatives, why make these changes if they’re not going to do anything?

However, is there a better alternative? Something that very likely would have stopped the shoe bomber, Christmas day bomber, and even 9/11? Who is the one nation that is a bigger target for terrorists than the U.S.?

Israel’s El Al airline has not even had a close call since September of 1970. Not that there haven’t been attempts. They’ve had far more attempts than have U.S. airlines.

More later.

Thankfully, Republicans Lost The Senate!

The Teaparty has gotten a lot of gruff from the Republican establishment (and the media) that it’s the Teaparty’s fault that Republicans didn’t get a majority in the Senate. Much of this centering around Teaparty candidates Christine O’Donell and Sharron Angle.

O’Donell quickly proved problematic. Mike Castle, her Republican primary opponent, would very likely have won this seat for the Republicans. Likewise, Sue Lowden, who Sharron Angle defeated in their Republican primary would likely have won that seat for the Republicans. Unlike O’ Donell though, Angle was considered a solid and credible candidate.

But something far, far, far, more important than winning the Senate happened. The Republican establishment was given a message that the people electing them are not happy - with them. They’ve become way too soft and irresponsible when it comes to the size and influence of government.

Did they get the message?

It doesn’t appear so. Yesterday there were a number of events in Washington for the freshman class of lawmakers. Rather than working with the Teaparty to resolve overlap issues, the establishment Republicans appear to have chosen a more antagonistic approach. To be fair, the reaction of the Teaparty Patriots group to this was rather immature and ignorant causing some supporters to understandably distance themselves.

However, what the establishment Republicans are completely missing is that the Teaparty isn’t just some run-amok special interest group (or group of groups). This amorphous group called The Teaparty represents the people, AND, the will of the people. Ignoring this thing, as nebulous as it may be, is stupider than choosing Nancy Pelosi as a leader again.

The Republican establishment needs to get the message. They need to realize that the people who elect them want a very substantially smaller and less intrusive government. They want representatives in office who will deliver. If they don’t get the message this time, they’ll likely get a much stronger version next time that will include a lot of incumbents losing their seats and a huge loss in the house.

Three Mouse Trainers

Well, dreams do come true. Sort of.

In the past few days I’ve seen three mouse trainers. People who, after being blocked by a truck in the left lane not moving over when he should, eventually pulled in front of the truck and slowed enough to train the mouse driving it. In all three cases the mouse eventually pulled to the right and the trainer moved on down the road.

The funniest was a guy driving a Smart. If you’re not familiar with them, Smart’s are very small, especially compared to a semi truck. I really wish I could have taken a picture of this huge semi truck on the tail of this tiny little Smart who was training him on road etiquette. I’m pretty sure the mouse driving the truck was well aware of what was going on, when the Smart flashed his headlights at him several times the trucker looked in his rearview mirror. The mouse could easily have moved to the right to let the Smart pass safely by.

Disclaimer: I do not recommend becoming a mouse trainer unless; you know you will not be breaking the law in doing so, and, not creating a danger for yourself or others.

Next Hoop ?

While we’re on Islam and Security…

With the latest round of airport security screening changes I can imagine a bunch of Muslims sitting around smoking hooka and falling over laughing at how much control they’ve gained over us. They do something, we jump.

Every time they initiate some terrorist action, failed or successful, our feckless Homeland Security and TSA react, effectively causing all of us to react.

Put explosives in a shoe, now we all have to take our shoes off every time we go through security. Put some stuff in liquids, now we’re limited to no liquids larger than 3 oz and yet one more hassle of taking them out of our bag and putting them in a little clear plastic bag (and no longer can we bring home a bottle of 17 year Auchentoshan in our carry-on).

One stuffed some explosives in his underwear so now our wives and 14-year-old daughters are getting a choice of having a nude image taken for some strange guy in another room to gaze at, or they get an ‘enhanced pat-down’ that includes the TSA employee groping her breasts and genitals (enough to make sure that nothing tiny is hidden anywhere within)*. Sadly, both of these are easily bypassed as the full-body scanner only sees through to the surface of skin so many things hidden inside a body cavity (anus or vagina) can’t be seen nor can something hidden in folds of fat. And, while Superman couldn’t see through lead, full-body scanners apparently can’t see well through some leather (EG, animal skin) so an explosive, gun, or other device could presumably be hidden with some well-done leatherwork. Cows may have just become more sacred to Muslims than Hindus.

Last week they put some explosives in printer cartridges so now printer cartridges are being restricted. And TSA thinks this is the only thing they can hide something in?

Where will restrictions on the freedom we’ve enjoyed for so long end? We’ve already seen airport like screening popping up in government buildings. Will we start to see these same security screenings taking place on subways? Trains? Buses? When rumors swirled that the Mall of America was a target of Muslims their security people began serious discussions about screening for everyone entering it.

“I just want to buy some underwear.”

“I know ma’am, but we need to inspect the underwear you’re wearing to make sure you don’t have a bomb in them.”

And those guys sitting around smoking hooka continue to laugh and dream up the next hoop.


* The image on the original full-body scanners wasn’t very revealing. The image on the newer backscatter machines currently being rolled out are apparently nearly indistinguishable from a black and white photo of someone standing fully nude. Interestingly, while TSA released copies of what the original millimeter-wave images looked like, they have so far refused to do the same for backscatter images. A low-resolution image from an older backscatter machine is here. A better and higher resolution version of this could be your wife or daughter!

Protected By A Veil

France, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, and other countries have recently made news for bans on women wearing Burqas.

CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, has fought against requirements that women not wear Burqas, Veils, and similar head coverings in drivers license, ID card, and passport photos.

Here's one good reason why veils are a bad idea:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328204/Elizabeth-Smart-kidnapper-refused-let-detective-veil.html

What if… We Could Train Truckers Like We Train Mice?

Have you ever been driving down the highway, moved to the left lane to get around a slower car, and suddenly, BAM! It ain’t happening. There’s a truck in the way. And he ain’t budging.

You flash your headlights and… Nothing. No effort to move over so you (and the cars that are now piling up behind you) can get by. You can see a half mile or more of completely clear freeway in front of this guy, but you can’t get to it.

Sunday night I was dreaming about mice… and a trucker who’d blocked me earlier in the day.

If you put a mouse in a maze, he’ll wind his way through until he finds the cheese at the end. The first time he doesn’t even know the cheese is there, but by the second or third time he’s learned a bit, and he works hard to get it as quickly as possible.

He continues to learn with each attempt. He learns which paths are dead-ends that slow him down and begins to avoid them. Interestingly, if, on the last straightaway, just in front of the cheese, you put an electrical shock, he’ll remember it, and find an alternative route. Even though he can see the cheese sitting there, and can’t see the electricity, he remembers the shock, and goes around to the back. Smart little critters.

What if, I dreamed… We legislate that every trucker have an electrode in their seat, with universal remotes for them sold at local Target stores? If a trucker doesn’t move over after you flash your headlights, you press the ‘Mild Reminder’ button, and ‘zzzt’, he gets a slight bit of excitement.

Still hasn’t moved over? You can opt for the ‘Moderate Persuasion’ button. This one was fun because I could see him in his rear-view mirror. He jumped a little. Oh the temptation…

Thus endeth the buttons on the remote. But not my dream. If you’re geeky enough to know what Virtual Easter Eggs are, then you’ll have already googled your third alternative. While holding down the power button on your remote, press the ‘Mild Reminder’ twice, and then press ‘Moderate Persuasion’ once. You’ll likely see the truck swerve right and left a bit, but he’s gotten the message, and he doesn’t want to find out if there’s a fourth option.

This could work even if you’re driving a Smart, Mini-Cooper, or Harley. Talk about power to the little guy!

Alas, even my dreams must eventually lean a bit more Libertarian (as enjoyable as the thought of those very un-Libertarian electrodes was).

What if… Every time a trucker needlessly blocked someone, the blocked driver eventually made their way safely in front of the trucker and slowed his left lane blocking self down a bit? Just enough to cause him to have to downshift four or five gears and then upshift back through those same gears to get back up to speed. Would this be enough of a PITA for him to eventually learn that blocking the left lane can be a bit of a dead-end?

If only this weren’t a dream.

After I woke up I thought about my dreams.

What if…, thought I, we didn’t have to treat truckers like mice?

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Prologue: Since my dream, that every time I see a truck, I imagine a mouse driving it. Hah!

Almost Legal

Election day is always exciting for me, even when my candidates or ballot measures lose. It’s democracy in action like nowhere else on earth. Even though I very strongly disagree with his policy positions, it was still kind of exciting to see Barrack Obama elected in 2008 - we elected our first black president and we saw the power of citizens.

-----

California’s Prop 19, to fully legalize marijuana, didn’t pass. Latest results have it at 46.5% Yes to 53.6% No. Much of the news media are touting this as much more of a defeat than it really is though.

Think back perhaps 10 or 20 years. Would there have even been 20% support for such a measure? My guess is that pot will be decriminalized in California within 4 years. The war on it has simply proven too costly for too little benefit.

For the pro-legalization crowd there may even be a very substantial silver lining in this defeat. If this had passed it would have made California the only place in all of North America where pot could be legally purchased. Similar to what happened in The Netherlands, potheads would have flocked to California to experience smoking pot legally.

It’s one thing for the local populace to smoke it legally, it’s another to have an influx of potheads*.

There will very likely be several additional states joining California with legalization propositions on their ballots in 2012 and 2014. My guess is that California will still be the first, but a handful of others will follow two and four years later.

Just having a proposition like this on the ballot in all of these states will send a message to law enforcement and the judiciary that criminalizing pot is far from universally supported. Having 45% of the citizenry say so in an election sends an even stronger message. This, together with states legalizing medical marijuana, will ease enforcement efforts in these states, and thus, help reduce pot tourism to California.


* Potheads are generally not a problematic bunch. Just compare the crowds in a pot selling coffeeshop in Amsterdam to those in a bar, there or in the U.S. I’ll take the potheads any day.

Amsterdam is, even with their high pot and prostitution tourism, mostly U.S. folk, united in saying that they do not want to again criminalize these vices. They do not want the problems we have with prohibitions. However, as I discussed here, some of the border cities, such as Maastricht, are limiting sales to citizens only.

ObamaCare and Innovation

A couple of days ago I got to tour the 3M Innovation Center. The products this company makes are truly amazing, both in the technologies involved and in the sheer number of different products. The average person in the world (yes, the entire world) interacts with 31 different 3M products each day of their lives! Do you have a cell phone with a display? 3M product. You see over 21 roadsigns each day that use 3M reflection technology. EVERY semi truck trailer in the U.S. with those red/white blocks along the bottom is 3M technology. Your car uses 3M adhesives as do most planes in the air. If you have fillings, crowns, or braces in your mouth they are very likely made by 3M. If you watched the Chilean mine rescue you saw a number of 3M products from the face masks to the coatings on the Oakley sunglasses they were wearing.

Yes, this company goes way beyond post-it notes and Scotchguard.

For the computer geeks (others can skip this paragraph) who want to measure their overclocking in multiples instead of percents, there’s a new chip cooler using 3M’s Flourinert liquid*. They can produce this liquid with just about any boiling point so the cooler is much simpler, much less expensive, smaller, and does a better job of cooling than any existing liquid cooling solution. Basically there’s a liquid container bonded to the chip, a small radiator in the top of the case with a cooling fan, and one tube connecting the two. The Flourinert boils, vabor bubbles up the tube to the radiator, cools, and falls back down the same tube as liquid. They were running an Intel Core i7 980 at 13Ghz with this little rig. It was fun to watch how much the bubbles increased as the CPU worked harder and got hotter.

One product they’re hoping to have FDA approval for later this year is a new micro-needle technology. It’s basically a half-inch round transdermal patch with anywhere from 50 to 1,500 extremely tiny needles (try 50μm in diameter for small!). The needle tips are pre-coated during manufacturing with the vaccine or other medicine. When the patch is applied to your skin these microscopic needles go just below the surface to what is known as the stratum corneum**, the meds dissolve, are absorbed by your capillaries, and conveyed throughout your body.

There are a number of benefits over syringes such as reduced chance of infections and other complications, higher efficacy (eg, more likely to get meds to where they need to go), and use of solid meds rather than liquid so they’ll last longer and not require refrigeration. Since micro-needles generally require less than 1/10th as much med, vaccine supplies cover about ten times as many people which will help eliminate problems such as we’ve recently seen with the scarcity of H1N1 vaccines.

This is all in addition to MUCH LESS PAIN for recipients. I hate getting shots. I’m very much looking forward to these things!

One really huge advantage to micro needles is cost savings. With a typical syringe injection only about 1/16th of the meds injected actually make it to your blood where it does any good, micro-needles deliver over 90%. This can reduce a $30 vaccine to $3. Because the solid meds are more stable and don’t require refrigeration there is also less waste (an estimated 15% of injectable meds are thrown out each year). And if they can be easily and safely self-administered there are potential savings in doctors office visits.

Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. 3M invested years and hundreds of millions of dollars developing this technology – for one reason – profits. They know, that if they are successful, privately run medical clinics will beat a path to their door. This product represents a lot of cost savings to the clinics as well as a benefit to attract new customers.

Without the profit potential, companies like 3M will not take the risks and make the investments to develop new technologies like this. Competition among medical clinics, drives competition in medical products, that drives 3M to do what it does.

If the U.S. medical care system were like the NIH in the UK, 3M and other companies would not invest in such risky new technologies. There is simply not enough of a payoff.

So, the next time you get a shot, think about it. They are injecting about 16 times as much med in you as needed. Overall this shot is costing about 10 times as much as it will when micro-needles are available. Under Obamacare there will be many fewer technology advances and products such as micro-needles will likely never be developed.

The more government involvement - the less competition. The less competition – the less innovation. And personally, I really like innovation that takes away real pain – like SHOTS!


* Flourinert has been around for about 40 years. It’s none electrical conducting so you can drop entire circuit boards in it. In fact one of it’s first uses was to help cool a Cray Supercomputer (and these always had clear plexi-glass side panels and bubblers in the bottom, purely for effect – very cool).

** Lightly scratch yourself with your fingernail. You may have reached as deep as the stratum corneum.