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Recount

Just a reminder about the second section to the 14th amendment to the US Constitution, to be kept in mind whilst watching or discussing the film Recount.

Just one thing I want you to keep in mind if you happen to see or hear about the film Recount:

But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

From the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, Section 2.

(Note that the age and sex provisions do not reflect modifications imposed by later amendments that apply to the laws regarding voting, specifically the 19th and 26th amendments to the US Constitution.)

Thank you.

Politicians Suck at Math

Take 5 minutes to do some math on the gas tax holiday and find out how bad politicians suck at math.

Let’s do some math here:

  • $0.184 per gallon tax
  • $3.00 per gallon cost
  • 35 mpg fuel economy
  • 60 mph speed
  • 3 months of driving 24/7

First, how many total miles is that?

We’ll call it 90 days which is 2160 hours.

At 60 per hour that’s 129600 miles.

At 35 mpg that’s 3702.9 gallons; call it 3703.

At $3/gallon that’s $11109.

With the tax it would be $11790.

Total savings if you were to use 3703 gallons of gas? $681

You can also get that by multiplying 3703 × $0.184 = $681.352

Let’s make it a whole year of nonstop driving. A leap year.

366 × 24 × 60 = 527040 miles.

527040 ÷ 35 = 15058 gallons.

At $0.184 tax per gallon you save: $2770.67

And you’d still pay $45174.

And to drive 527040 miles is over twice the difference from the earth to the moon (384403 km).

Good luck driving even 100000 miles during the gas tax holiday.

It really doesn’t take an economist. A pocket calculator would suffice.