So this morning I saw the headline, "botched execution results in inmate's accidental death," and my first thought was, "Huh?...did they accidentally kill the wrong guy??" No, the story is a little stranger, and disturbingly highlights the peculiarities of human sensitivities. They got the right guy, but the reported horror of this story is that the man died in 40mins rather than 6mins, and reportedly suffered for that time. Sure, I can understand how that would be horrific... but is it really that much more horrific than when things go right? I really have very little opinion on the death penalty, because what would I know? But here's my general impression of what we as a society have accepted is a reasonable practice: some 6-12 people, who've never met the guy (could be a gal, but I'm going to keep writing in the masculine form), decide whether he is to be killed, based on the arguments presented by two parties whose sole responsibilities are to win, regardless of their own moral apprehensions. Then if found guilty, the man is strapped to a table in front of a live audience, for which there is a specific guest list, and murdered... gently.
I can understand thinking the whole thing is horrific, and I can understand thinking it's all very well justified, but what I can't understand is how those who find the whole practice to be generally acceptable would find it SO much less justifiable for the man, who is apparently too evil to live, to suffer before dying. I listened to a reporter who was present at the execution give her sanctimoniously appalled account of events, and the only thing I could think was, "...and your chosen career path is to watch people be murdered...?" Then some other expert came on talking about how offensive it is that in some executions the prisoner dies from excessive anesthesia, and rather than just throwing away the extra chemicals, they are disposed of into the body for which they were intended. To clarify, injecting lethal chemicals into an already dead body = offensive, injecting lethal chemicals into a living body = totally ok.
We joke about the horrors of knowing what goes into the sausage, but it never occurred to me to ask what goes on in the minds of those who make the sausage... and what do they find to be offensive?
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Self-Rent
Would this work?
1) Make enough money to start a business that will buy an apartment complex, and hold cash on hand
2) I rent it out to people, and give them the option to buy their portion of the building over time (eg: $1M property with 10 renters, each with the chance to buy up to $100k)
3) Return an approximate real estate market rate with a minimum and maximum to flatten out bubbles and return a portion of rental income less property upkeep expenses.
4) All money goes into a savings account that the renter is able to withdraw from at any time as long as they live there, and they receive in total, less the cost of repairs, upon moving out.
5) As property is bought back from business, buy another apartment complex and repeat.
Net effect:
1) Company operates like a bank, and would have to hold reserves appropriate to what they could expect renters to withdraw at any given time
2) Company's revenue would be keeping a portion of the total value of the home.
3) Renters have an incentive to keep the building and neighborhood in good shape
4) Renters effectively have the opportunity to purchase a condo with no interest payments, but always chasing the total property value. The faster they buy it, the less they chase, and the less rent they pay.
5) Means that if the renter could buy a condo, they should do that instead so they don't always have to chase the property value. That ensures that this program will continue to reach the target market - renters who have a desire and ability to own something. Should screen for this with applicants (non-paycheck to paycheck, but savers)
6) Could the business file as a bank so it is able to lend itself money to expand? No, because then it would have to cover interest on borrowed money. Just need to make enough to eventually start a lending portfolio as well.
7) Could the business file as a non-profit? Make enough to pay employees and to expand to new properties, and that is all.
8) Could this business be started by the government? Probably shouldn't be, but maybe there are some grants available.
1) Make enough money to start a business that will buy an apartment complex, and hold cash on hand
2) I rent it out to people, and give them the option to buy their portion of the building over time (eg: $1M property with 10 renters, each with the chance to buy up to $100k)
3) Return an approximate real estate market rate with a minimum and maximum to flatten out bubbles and return a portion of rental income less property upkeep expenses.
4) All money goes into a savings account that the renter is able to withdraw from at any time as long as they live there, and they receive in total, less the cost of repairs, upon moving out.
5) As property is bought back from business, buy another apartment complex and repeat.
Net effect:
1) Company operates like a bank, and would have to hold reserves appropriate to what they could expect renters to withdraw at any given time
2) Company's revenue would be keeping a portion of the total value of the home.
3) Renters have an incentive to keep the building and neighborhood in good shape
4) Renters effectively have the opportunity to purchase a condo with no interest payments, but always chasing the total property value. The faster they buy it, the less they chase, and the less rent they pay.
5) Means that if the renter could buy a condo, they should do that instead so they don't always have to chase the property value. That ensures that this program will continue to reach the target market - renters who have a desire and ability to own something. Should screen for this with applicants (non-paycheck to paycheck, but savers)
6) Could the business file as a bank so it is able to lend itself money to expand? No, because then it would have to cover interest on borrowed money. Just need to make enough to eventually start a lending portfolio as well.
7) Could the business file as a non-profit? Make enough to pay employees and to expand to new properties, and that is all.
8) Could this business be started by the government? Probably shouldn't be, but maybe there are some grants available.
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