CBO Budget Deficit Projections

Photo courtesy of http://perotcharts.com/

Enough Said.

I Hate Change....

I'm a little frustrated with American Airlines right now. I had to change seats three times today in an effort to adjust the weight distribution on an ATR-72 on my return flight leg from DFW to LIT. Three times. I started in 17B - the back row - which is really the front row considering the plane exits through the rear. Yes, I picked that seat intentionally so I could get off first but now I realize it matters not which seat you select because you are subject to being moved.

How high are the chances you'll be moved? I'm 2 for 2 as of today. You see, last week I also had to fly on this royal POS plane and was instructed to move then also. That time I started off at the front of the aircraft and was asked to move to the rear because of weight distribution.

I'm starting to think the flight attendant picks on me (really several of us had to move - 6 last week and today something like 5 then 8 then 5 again) because of my (cough, cough) weight. The captain calls the flight attendant on the phone and says we need "about 6 people to move from the rear to the front because we are tail-stand" and she spots me and thinks "he's got to move - that'll certainly help" and I get the finger. Literally. Today I got pointed at 3 times to move. I started complaining on the second finger-wag and she completely ignored my protest. The third time I inquired with an obvious question - why not let everyone get seated and all the luggage loaded and THEN decide how much weight (how many fat people?) to move? Might make a little more sense than bouncing the same fat guys all over the plane. But she was just following orders.

So why this plane? Why now? Last week the flight attendant sat near me and we chatted about the plane. That would be the nice flight attendant - not the evil, finger-wagging, ignoring automaton from today. I've ridden on the ATR-72 in the past - way back there. The one I was on last week looked ancient inside. She said that the peak DFW to LIT routes need more seats and the plane that had been on that route, an ERJ-145, only seated 50. This ATR-72 seats 72. Of course, I was perfectly fine with the ERJ because it was a 1x3 seat configuration and I could always land a seat on the 1 side. Having (cough, cough) wide shoulders (yeah, that's it) it's nicer for me. Plus, I really don't like people all that much and sitting as close as you do in those side-by-side seats really makes me ill. I'm not to the point of wearing a mask like a lady I saw today on another leg but close.

What else stinks about the ATR-72? How about it being a twin turbo prop? That take-off is anything but smooth. It's choppy with a wobble and that weightless feeling on and off while it climbs. Puke. Not at all like a jet.

And what chaps me more than anything - I have several of these already booked. Yeah, I had no idea. I thought I was booking a CRJ. . Unless I want to get back home on a non-peak period (early morning or early evening), I'm stuck on one of these monsters. Either that or switch carriers. I'm not sure it's worth that just yet.

Oh, it's also slower in the air and so my 58 minute flight is now something like 75 minutes. Bummer.

Tax Day Tomorrow

There are a lot of blogs and articles out there about taxes, fiscal responsibility, and the like. When considering the bleak financial outlook of our country, I get a sick feeling. I honestly believe some dramatic changes are necessary. Continuing to widen the base of the pyramid by expanding tax cuts and growing the number of Americans paying no income tax from 40% to 50% is not a wise move.

I like the concept outlined by Ari Fleischer here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123958260423012269.html

If you pay taxes, you'll find the statistics about how much the base has widened even under GWB from 2001 to 2005 interesting considering how we're told only the upper class received tax cuts during his Presidency. If you don't pay taxes, you probably won't like the article or Fleischer's suggestions.

President Obama has been preaching that the wealthy should be paying their "fair share" of taxes. Sounds good as he reads it from a teleprompter and sounds all Robin Hoodish and all but he cleverly doesn't define what "fair share" actually means. Currently 10% of Americans pays 70% of the taxes. Fleischer asks should it be 75% or maybe 95%? I wonder where it ends. I think we collapse before it gets there. What do you think?