Way back in the dim and misty past, a couple of months ago, when the Obama administration announced its support for domestic drilling, I was disheartened, because domestic drilling is a dumbass idea that won't work and creates all sorts of environmental hazards. I realized there were political issues and so forth, yadda yadda -- but it was bad on the merits.
I can't help thinking that in some big giant wheels-of-the-gods grindingly exceedingly small fashion, one of the lessons of the current mess in the Gulf is that when you try to make policy based on the politics as opposed to the merits, you always, always, always get bit in the ass. Maybe in the future the Democrats will support some horrible fuckup of a war and come to regret it, and then they'll learn this lesson forevermore. One can but hope.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Bank Failure Friday
The FDIC heads to Puerto Rico to eat 3 there.
Westernbank Puerto Rico, R-G Premier Bank of Puerto Rico, Eurobank.
Westernbank Puerto Rico, R-G Premier Bank of Puerto Rico, Eurobank.
Our Dumb Media
Nytimes.com:
The Lede Blog
Updates on the Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico
By ROBERT MACKEY 4 minutes ago
A news conference on the effort to contain and clean up the oil spill; Sarah Palin’s Twitter post and more.
Plans
I'm curious - and I guess we'll eventually find out - about how comprehensive both the oil industry and the government's contingency plans for this kind of event are.
Wellhead
This could be an environmental apocalypse.
The worst-case scenario for the broken and leaking well gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico would be the loss of the wellhead currently restricting the flow to 5,000 barrels -- or 210,000 gallons per day.
If the wellhead is lost, oil could leave the well at a much greater rate, perhaps up to 150,000 barrels -- or more than 6 million gallons per day -- based on government data showing daily production at another deepwater Gulf well.
By comparison, the Exxon Valdez spill was 11 million gallons total. The Gulf spill could end up dumping the equivalent of 4 Exxon Valdez spills per week.
The Arizona Horror
Heard a somewhat decent NPR segment earlier about the anti-Latino law in Arizona. Guests were making the point that lots of families are of course mixed with respect to their documentation status, and with the law making it illegal to transport undocumented people it's going to cause tremendous problems for these families even over and above the obvious.
Baseball
Probably the pressure point with the most potential with respect to Arizona is Major League Baseball.
They Just Can't Quit Him
There was something truly weird about the relationship between the DC press and the Bush administration that I never could quite understand. It's like he was their president somehow, the one they grew up with before he regenerated into that weird guy with the funny name. And they keep rooting for his return. I don't think the press is especially hostile to Obama, though they inevitably run with whatever right wing talking point comes through the puke funnel that day, but Bush...he was the one, their first boyfriend or something.
Pedestrian Malls
Somewhat against type, I've grudgingly concluded that creating pedestrian malls is often a bad idea. That isn't to say that they can't work, but often removing cars from a street segment does end up destroying the local retail economy. It can work in places with significant local demand/density, but the idea of creating outdoor malls that people will drive to in urban areas is quite often a bad one. Tbere are successful examples, of course, but doing it right is tricky.
Implanting A Microchip In Glenn Beck's Crotch
I really have no idea what the Democrats think they're doing with this. Durbin's reasoning - hey, we've embraced other stupid identity verification schemes so we'll embrace another! - is just idiotic. It won't actually solve any problems. People will hate it regardless of ideology.
Spilling
I think people are very slow to understand the magnitude of this catastrophe because they keep using the wrong word. This is not an "oil spill," this is "oil spilling." It's ongoing. They haven't turned it off yet. They don't know how to turn it off yet.
Nobody Could Have Predicted
I'd seen the Obama quote about spills and drilling rigs, but I'd missed the Katrina-related part. This was a right wing talking about, but it wasn't, you know, true.
Considered
We'll see...
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is reviewing whether Goldman Sachs employees may have violated criminal fraud statutes in selling off mortgage securities in the months before the U.S. housing bubble burst, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.
Rape
You would think that the administration would be interested in advancing bipartisan (sponsored by Kennedy and Sessions) regulatory reform to reduce the incidence of rape in prison. The changes that Attorney General Holder can implement, to meet a June deadline, were also constructed by a bipartisan (!) panel.
There is a petition.
There is a petition.
Morning Thread
Really glad I don't live on the Gulf Coast this morning. I hear the smell is pretty bad. Drill, baby, drill.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Out
As unemployment benefits run out for more and more people, we can expect even more foreclosures.
One gets the sense that elites have moved on, that the recovery is here and the foreclosure crisis is over. Neither is true.
One gets the sense that elites have moved on, that the recovery is here and the foreclosure crisis is over. Neither is true.
Godwin
Connie Mack:
He can expect a sternly worded letter from the ADL.
(via odub)
Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) ripped into the new Arizona immigration law today, comparing it to Nazi Germany.
"This law of 'frontier justice' – where law enforcement officials are required to stop anyone based on 'reasonable suspicion' that they may be in the country illegally – is reminiscent of a time during World War II when the Gestapo in Germany stopped people on the street and asked for their papers without probable cause," Mack said in a statement.
He can expect a sternly worded letter from the ADL.
(via odub)
Got Excited For A Second
Thought maybe banksters and health insurance executives had been drafted to go clean up oil.
High waves and stiff winds, meanwhile, kept oil skimmers and other environmental cleanup vessels back at port in Venice, La., for the better part of Sunday, allowing the oil slick to widen to about 600 square miles. Those same heavy weather conditions were keeping the sheen safely away from the Louisiana coast, though some communities had deployed booms around particularly fragile shorelines as a precautionary measure.
Drill, Baby, Drill
I'm happy to be wrong, but I really doubt BP will even come close to paying for the true costs of the environmental disaster they're unleashing, with the spill expected to hit the coast on Friday.
While specific events aren't predictable, what is knowable is that these types of things are inevitably going to happen.
While specific events aren't predictable, what is knowable is that these types of things are inevitably going to happen.
Infill
While new SUPERTRAINS are of course very exciting, it's also the case that land use around existing systems doesn't allow them to be used to their potential. A big push for infill development around existing stations could increase the supply of quality transit-friendly development.
Nice People
I do my best not to be charmed by people who work in whatever way towards advancing monstrous policies. Not living in DC makes that a lot easier of course, but I'm really not interested in finding out that Asshole X is actually such a nice person. Someone put this Dave Barry quote on the twitter yesterday:
People who exploit racism to obtain power or advocate for discrimination are not nice people, no matter how charming they are.
A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.
People who exploit racism to obtain power or advocate for discrimination are not nice people, no matter how charming they are.
Drill, Baby, Drill
Must take the costs into consideration, and I'm not even sure who is paying here.
Lawmakers reconsidering:
NEW ORLEANS — Government officials said late Wednesday night that oil might be leaking from a well in the Gulf of Mexico at a rate five times that suggested by initial estimates.
In a hastily called news conference, Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry of the Coast Guard said a scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had concluded that oil is leaking at the rate of 5,000 barrels a day, not 1,000 as had been estimated. While emphasizing that the estimates are rough given that the leak is at 5,000 feet below the surface, Admiral Landry said the new estimate came from observations made in flights over the slick, studying the trajectory of the spill and other variables.
Lawmakers reconsidering:
Sen. Mike Haridopolos, the Senate's incoming Senate president who along with incoming House Speaker Rep. Dean Cannon had expected to push for oil exploration when they take office next year, said he is having second thoughts in the wake of the spill off the Louisiana Coast.
Thursday Is New Jobless Day
448K new lucky duckies.
Still high.
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 448,000 in the week ended April 24, the Labor Department said.
...
The four-week moving average of new claims, which irons out week-to-week volatility, rose 1,500 to 462,500, increasing for a fourth straight week.
Still high.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Rolling Out The Cots
Hopefully they'll spend the session taunting Mitch McConnell with a giant picture of a mint julep.
High School Spycam
Yes, newspaper comments sections are pretty much the worst places on the internets, but it's still shocking how many people think spying on kids is dandy and the real problem is that somebody sued.
Hispanics Hispanics Everywhere
I know Will was trying to suggest that it's those out of touch white elite liberals who only know Hispanics who serve them food and cut their lawns, but it's a completely absurd and offensive suggestion regardless. There are a lot of Hispanic people in this country in all walks of life, and one comes across them pretty much everywhere except perhaps on the Post's politics page.
Drill, Baby, Drill
A report I heard earlier on NPR really made it sound as if there are no good options, and that any realistic options for stemming the flow of oil will take weeks...
NEW ORLEANS — Crews responding to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will soon light some of the petroleum on fire in an attempt to burn it off before it reaches shore.
Lindsey's Game
Rather predictably, our idiotic beltway conventional wisdom peddlers have decided that Huckleberry Graham is now the Johnny Mac/Joe Lieberman Mavericky Last Honest Man. The fact that he hasn't actually achieved anything (by design, most likely) won't impact this narrative whatsoever.
Ah, Washington, where Lindsey Graham is a hero and Dana Milbank is funny.
Ah, Washington, where Lindsey Graham is a hero and Dana Milbank is funny.
Bailout
I haven't been following all of the ins and outs of the situation in Greece, but with all the talk of a Greek bailout it's important to remember that such a thing would largely be a bailout of their creditors. Sure it's the case that sovereign default by Greece would negatively impact them, though I think it's also the case that the damage from sovereign default is generally overstated. Maybe it isn't the right option, but it certainly is an option.
Moratorium
Good.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today a moratorium on official city travel to Arizona after the state enacted a controversial new immigration law that directs local police to arrest those suspected of being in the country illegally.
The ban on city employee travel to Arizona takes effect immediately, although there are some exceptions, including for law enforcement officials investigating a crime, officials said. It's unclear how many planned trips by city workers will be curtailed.
George Will: Hispanics Cut Lawns, Serve Food, And Trespass
George Will's America:
Arizonans should not be judged disdainfully and from a distance by people whose closest contacts with Hispanics are with fine men and women who trim their lawns and put plates in front of them at restaurants, not with illegal immigrants passing through their back yards at 3 a.m.
Exciting New Taxes Are So Much More Awesome Than The Old Ones
According to Ezra Klein, the unelected man who is now in charge of stealing your social security, Pete Peterson, thinks maybe we should have a consumption tax and a carbon tax. Leaving aside the merits of these ideas and focusing purely on the politics, I'm always struck by the fact that Washington elites constantly imagine that they can sell Exciting New Taxes to the public while bumping up the top marginal income tax rate by half a percent or increasing the gas tax by a nickel are politically impossible. Obviously resistance to income tax increases by elites is there because they'd have to pay it, while most exciting new taxes are regressive. Still they also blather on about VMT taxes, because adding a whole new somewhat regressive tax is much more awesome than simply nudging up the gas tax.
Morning
Weren't there like 15 In Search Of documentaries and even a movie around that time about how they so totally found Noah's Ark? Also, Sasquatch.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Guest Post - Backroom Deals or Open Debate?
I’m writing to give you an update about what’s happening with the Wall Street reform bill. Republicans are continuing to help the Wall Street lobbyists by blocking the Wall Street reform bill, preferring backdoor negotiations over an open debate on the floor. While they play their obstructionist games, many Senate Democrats are waiting in the wings to introduce amendments that will strengthen the current bill. Senator Levin and I plan to introduce our bill that will put into practice the Volcker Rule, effectively banning high-risk trading inside the banks which power up the economy by lending to families and businesses. In addition, the bill eliminates the practice of firms betting against their own clients.
Now, I’m not saying that high-risk speculation doesn’t have a place in our financial system – I just don’t want those risky bets to blow up the banks that families and businesses depend on for loans, especially during an economic recession. There’s nothing inherently wrong with collecting fireworks, but you wouldn’t want to store them in your living room!
Of course, before my amendment or anyone else’s can be up for debate, at least a few Republicans will have to decide to protect the financial foundations of our working families instead of seek closed door talks to water down the bill. Hopefully that will happen today.
Now, I’m not saying that high-risk speculation doesn’t have a place in our financial system – I just don’t want those risky bets to blow up the banks that families and businesses depend on for loans, especially during an economic recession. There’s nothing inherently wrong with collecting fireworks, but you wouldn’t want to store them in your living room!
Of course, before my amendment or anyone else’s can be up for debate, at least a few Republicans will have to decide to protect the financial foundations of our working families instead of seek closed door talks to water down the bill. Hopefully that will happen today.
The Skimmer Economy
Some day I hope more people realize that large segments of our economy don't actually do anything (health insurance, much of finance/real estate), they simply position themselves in the middle of transactions and take their cut. That isn't to say there are no transactions which legitimately require skilled middlemen, or that there is no legitimate function for the finance and banking industries, but to a great degree the skimmers just don't do anything productive at all. Except take our money.
Lindsey Graham's Hissy Fit
Again, I really don't get this idea that Lindsey's hissy fit is somehow justified or understandable or... anything other than inevitable. A justifiable hissy fit, if he actually thought Reid was being a bad guy for putting climate legislation Graham claims to support on the back burner, would be to threaten to fuck up all legislation other than the climate bill. That would be, you know, somewhat logical. Graham's not saying this, he's saying he's going to torpedo the legislation he actually claims to support. One pissed off senator can be a giant pain in the ass, and Graham's promising to be a giant pain in the ass on the bill he actually claims to like? Does not compute.
Credit Where Credit Is Due File
I'm sure regular readers know that I'm not a big fan of searching for members of the endangered species of reasonable Republicans and giving them important jobs, but from what I can tell Ray LaHood has been a good pick for DOT.
The Capital Effect
Nothing wrong with good rail service to Harrisburg, but the real goal is, hopefully, good service between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. I'd certainly visit Pittsburgh if there was decent service at a reasonable speed.
Right now the 300 mile trip takes 7.5 hours on Amtrak (I understand it's not the most reliable service) and there's one trip daily.
But PennDOT has gone in another direction, applying for hundreds of millions of federal dollars for further improvement of the existing Amtrak line from Harrisburg to Philadelphia, with a goal of 125 mph service and a travel time of 1 hour and 20 minutes between the cities.
Amtrak and the state already have invested $145 million to improve that connection, a project that boosted ridership by 74 percent, according to PennDOT. It got another $25.7 million for the corridor in January's high-speed rail allocations.
PennDOT also received $750,000 for a study into improving service from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. The study will assess what improvements are needed to increase service from the current one daily round trip to eight, and to increase the speed to 110 mph, similar to service east of Harrisburg.
Right now the 300 mile trip takes 7.5 hours on Amtrak (I understand it's not the most reliable service) and there's one trip daily.
Move
Obviously not realistic for everyone, but in this country we get to vote at the ballot box and vote with our feet. If I were living in Arizona right now I'd be figuring out how to get the hell out.
Offending Sensibilities
I'm not usually one to highlight right wingers saying reasonable things, but I think on this issue it's a positive sign that even Joe Scarborough isn't on board with the Arizona horror show.
How Dare You!
Jan Brewer's a great one.
So disappointing and unfortunate that people might not be interested in visiting a state where they have to show their papers.
Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, signed the bill on Friday, calling it an important step toward public safety that would help control immigration and give the police a tool to root out criminals.
She criticized opponents for not offering more solutions to problems related to illegal immigration and called the idea of a boycott “disappointing and unfortunate” at a time when the state is reeling from the recession and suffering from border-related crime that “continues to harm our economy and stifle trade.”
So disappointing and unfortunate that people might not be interested in visiting a state where they have to show their papers.
Morning and Shit
More theater expected today in the Senate. It kind of bothers me that they're treating this like it is some kind of game. I'll amend that, it doesn't kind of bother me, it bothers me a great deal. Must be time for more coffee.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Optimism!
I certainly can't predict how it will play out, but I'm cautiously optimistic that in the long run the Arizona police state law will ultimately be seen as a colossal mistake which will perhaps lead to better things. That's not to say I'm so optimistic that I think the end result will be worth whatever hideous suffering might be inflicted on people, but ultimately the good guys will...hopefully... prevail.
Mystery of the Day
There are people on the internets (not Digby) who think that Lindsey was actually not going to pull the football away on the climate bill.
Water it down enough so that the base is demoralized and it's a piece of crap no one much wants to support anyway, and then refuse to support it anyway. Is no one paying attention?
...apparently people on the internets includes John Kerry.
Water it down enough so that the base is demoralized and it's a piece of crap no one much wants to support anyway, and then refuse to support it anyway. Is no one paying attention?
...apparently people on the internets includes John Kerry.
Out Of Step
This will happen just as soon as they accept that "real Americans" also live in cities, but isn't it about time that people point out that the South is out of step with the rest of the country. Obama is at 67% favorable in Northeast, 59% in West, 57% in Midwest and...40% in South.
Drill, Baby, Drill
It is inevitable that some of these events will happen. That isn't an argument against all drilling, but it is important to consider the potential costs appropriately.
NEW ORLEANS — Coast Guard officials said Monday afternoon that the oil spill near Louisiana was now covering more than 1,800 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico, and they have been unable to engage a mechanism that could shut off the well thousands of feet below the ocean’s surface.
Affirmative Action Hire Scalia
Perhaps he should declare his appointment to have been unconstitutional?
Everyone's A Liar
The problem with media fact checking is that they almost immediately move to "everyone's full of it," while either nitpicking or just trying to make up falsehoods where none exist. They need to highlight clearly false claims that are actually important, instead of making the exercise unhelpful by reaching to find completely unimportant, irrelevant, or even nonexistent falsehoods.
More Than One Way To Do Things
Reading this post and some of the comments leaves me a bit bewildered. One way to get Republicans on board is to enable them to be divas, flatter them, let them bask in the media spotlight as they play Hamlet for 6 months, and keep offering compromise after compromise while getting nothing in return, on the off chance that maybe, just maybe, Lindsey or President Snowe or whoever will get on board. Another way to do things is to propose popular pieces of legislation and then make the Republicans eat shit every day they fail to pass it, go send out your charismatic leader to give speeches and hold rallies in their states, mobilize your massive community of supporters to take various actions in support of the legislation, etc. I could be wrong that the latter is the better strategy, both politically and in terms of actually getting shit done, but it just isn't the case that the options are kissing up to Lindsey Graham or nothing.
Cappping Urban Freeways
There were lots of bad post-war urban policies, one of which was neighborhood and mobility destroying urban freeways. Finding ways to undo that damage is extremely desirable.
Making Them Eat Shit
I'm much more interested in actually achieving policy goals than playing politics, but what's been truly bizarre during the time the Dems have controlled Congress is their reticence about setting up votes on things to make Republicans eat shit. Perhaps they're doing so now with financial reform. I would like quality financial reform to pass, but if it can't the Dems can at least make Republicans look bad for opposing it.
Hey, A Make-Or-Break Moment
Anyone really think that "break" is one of the options?
Two months after the Marja offensive, Afghan officials acknowledge that the Taliban have in some ways retaken the momentum there, including killing or beating locals allied with the central government and its American backers. “We are still waiting to see the outcome in Marja,” said Shaida Abdali, the deputy Afghan national security adviser. “If you are planning for operations in Kandahar, you must show success in Marja. You have to be able to point to something. Now you don’t have a good example to point to there.”
The battle for Kandahar has become the make-or-break offensive of the eight-and-half-year war. The question is whether military force, softened with appeals to the local populace, can overcome a culture built on distrust of outsiders, including foreign forces and even neighboring tribes.
Ratings
The ratings agencies have been the weirdly largely ignored villains in all of this, clearly more corrupt than some of the other players. As Krugman says, there really isn't anything on the table at the moment to do anything about it.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Decision Points
That is the title of Bush's memoir. It is coming out in November. I know you all can't wait.
Lindsey
How many times will this Lucy and the football game be played by various GOP senators before the administration catches on.
Amtrak
This is a somewhat weird article from the Post, talking about Amtrak and delay problems, and feeding the whole thing through the lens of whether train travel is romantic.
It leads with a Northeast corridor delay which caused by someone committing suicide by train. That's not exactly a structural problem with Amtrak's infrastructure, just... sometimes unforseeable things happen. Elsewhere they do get to the real problem which is the fact that in other parts of the country the problem is that the they share track with freight companies.
Also, this is misleading:
The non-Acela trains in the NE corridor (don't know about elsewhere) also have electrical outlets. That and wireless broaband mean that sometimes I travel and you, dear readers, don't even know I'm gone.
It leads with a Northeast corridor delay which caused by someone committing suicide by train. That's not exactly a structural problem with Amtrak's infrastructure, just... sometimes unforseeable things happen. Elsewhere they do get to the real problem which is the fact that in other parts of the country the problem is that the they share track with freight companies.
Also, this is misleading:
She has never considered taking the Acela. "It's so expensive," she says of the speedier train with WiFi and electrical outlets. "I don't need a plug. All I have is a cellphone. And when it rings, it takes me so long to pick it up because I have to figure it out."
The non-Acela trains in the NE corridor (don't know about elsewhere) also have electrical outlets. That and wireless broaband mean that sometimes I travel and you, dear readers, don't even know I'm gone.
Amazingly Everybody Agrees With Me
One of Tom Friedman's perpetual conceits is that basically everybody agrees with him. The idea that the tea party will become the "green tea party" deserves the kind of response Rahm Emanuel reserves for liberals. They're tribal conservatives, mostly regular Republican voters, and anything reeking of environmentalism will be about as popular with them as tax increases would be.
Boycott
I'm not always for boycotts, but boycotting Arizona isn't simply about expressing displeasure, it's about the fact that large numbers of people in this country have good reason to believe there's a good chance they would not be safe from a law enforcement nightmare if they went there.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has Larry Summers.
This Week has Corker, Brown, and Goolsbee.
Dancing Dave's Meet the Press has Dodd and Shelby.
Document the atrocities!
This Week has Corker, Brown, and Goolsbee.
Dancing Dave's Meet the Press has Dodd and Shelby.
Document the atrocities!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Have Fun Arizona
The only way for them to avoid endless civil rights law suits is if the cops harass large numbers of white people too. Enjoy!
Classy Until The End
Do not understand.
One was directed to his loved ones, said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman. The second, she said, was directed at her - and rather than accepting responsibility for his violent acts on the highways, Yannarell blamed those he targeted.
Ferman said that in the first suicide note, Yannarell - who apparently killed himself with a drug overdose - professed his love to those close to him. Authorities were working to figure out who they were.
The district attorney declined to release a copy of the note directed to her. But, she said, "He was casting aspersions and making nasty comments about the people who were the victims."
Friday, April 23, 2010
Vetting
Chicago's Broadway Bank gets eated.
...and 3 more.
By Becky Yerak | Banking regulators seized Broadway Bank, the family-run lender that helped launched U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias' political career. Giannoulias worked for his father at Chicago-based Broadway before entering politics, and the bank's struggles in recent years with real estate loans gone bad have weighed on Giannoulias' Democratic bid for higher office.
...and 3 more.
They Know Even Less Than What They Say
It's long been an unanswered question to me, whether media critics who write about Fox while peddling absurdities (there's no slant in the news, only the opinion shows!) actually watch or are being deliberately obtuse. I suspect a bit of both, but that to a great degree they just don't even bother to watch.
Baby Steps
I don't think residential parking permits in dense urban areas should be hideously expensive, but they shouldn't be free and households should be charged more for 2nd and 3rd permits.
The point being that cities shouldn't be off limits to car owners, but if you wish to own several cars the city shouldn't provide a crazy subsidy in the form of free real estate for you to do so.
The point being that cities shouldn't be off limits to car owners, but if you wish to own several cars the city shouldn't provide a crazy subsidy in the form of free real estate for you to do so.
First, Assume Away Morning Joe
Everybody in media world agrees. MSNBC is to the left, Fox is to the right, and CNN tries to be down the middle. They all also agree to pretend Morning Joe doesn't exist, even if they're regular guests.
Good
The Arizona illegal-to-be-brown-without-carrying-your-birth-certificate policy is an abomination, so good for Obama to say the Feds will monitor and step in.
Orchestra Troubles
I think the orchestra is great and am a subscriber, but they really need to improve the customer experience. Their marketing is bad, their "community rush" program, while laudable, is needlessly cumbersome when they have 60% attendance. With 60% attendance they should head outside and just start handing out tickets to people walking by. Some ushers and other customer service people are, to put it bluntly, dicks (some are quite nice of course). The venue isn't generally welcoming to patrons.
Sometimes Forgotten
Obviously not true everywhere, but there are places and corridors where transit riders and pedestrians greatly outnumber people who travel by car even though automobiles are given planning priority. Good to see that starting to change.
The Bloomberg administration is moving ahead with what amounts to a radical, river-to-river reimagining of another major corridor: 34th Street, the Midtown thoroughfare that is home to Macy’s — and some of the city’s most congested traffic.
Automobiles would be banned on the block between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas, creating a pedestrian plaza bookended by Herald Square and the Empire State Building.
...
Ms. Sadik-Khan said a city study showed that only one in 10 people travel along 34th Street by car, including taxis; the rest walk or use mass transit. Faster buses would benefit “the majority of the people who are actually using the street,” she said.
Sociopathic Paychecks
Thom Hartman on executive pay. It's from 2009, but in light of the WellPoint news of canceling a woman's health insurance upon receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer, it seems quite timely. Imagine, they have meetings where this kind of abomination is discussed, they do studies of how much money will be saved with graphs, power point presentations and everything. Only a sociopath could then go home and sleep at night.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
So What Will You Do About It?
The ratings agencies are basically unscathed and still have their mandated oligopoly.
WASHINGTON — A Senate panel investigating the causes of the nation's financial crisis on Thursday unveiled evidence that credit-ratings agencies knowingly gave inflated ratings to complex deals backed by shaky U.S. mortgages because of the fees they earned for giving such investment-grade ratings.
Joie de Vivre
I am endlessly entertained by newspaper commenters. This one from an article on farmers markets.
For those of you who 1. want to make shopping a social experience and 2. want to pay 2-3 times as much for "organic" food that is not certified and 3) want to deal with the heat, the nasty people who won't move, the blocked traffic, the lack of parking BE MY GUEST. Farmers Markets are euphemisms for overpriced produce, poorly executed shopping experiences, and time wasted.
What About That Safari Icon
I actually kinda get that since Apple has a brand to protect and because they are the gatekeepers for all of their apps they feel the need to not stamp "Apple Approved" on porn apps, but the internet is a giant porn machine and anything connected to it is too.
Manhunt
Local road rage guy is apparently fleeing. Shot a woman in traffic, and he'd already had two other road rage incident charges. Mild suggestion: if you have a road rage problem, don't carry a gun.
suburban animals!*
*Just a joke referring to all the suburbanites who regularly call urban residents 'animals' in the comments section of my local newspaper.
suburban animals!*
*Just a joke referring to all the suburbanites who regularly call urban residents 'animals' in the comments section of my local newspaper.
Urban Parks
Rittenhouse Square is one of the nicest small urban parks I've seen. It's a great space, in large part because around the square are a significant number of restaurants and other retail establishments, so the square is highly integrated with the urban fabric. There's nothing wrong with more isolated bucolic parks, but in cities they can often be just dead spaces. Some people are comforted by the fact that over there somewhere there's a patch of grass and a few trees, but such spaces are often less accessible and usable by people.
Generally I think in the US we lean too much against having commerce in and around parks, failing to recognize that making places accessible to humans requires things which support human activity like food and other kinds of retail.
Because the small square is surrounded by businesses, I don't think it's a park which actually needs more commercialization to be enjoyed by people, though it may need it for its finances, but still I love this response to the suggestion.
Generally I think in the US we lean too much against having commerce in and around parks, failing to recognize that making places accessible to humans requires things which support human activity like food and other kinds of retail.
Because the small square is surrounded by businesses, I don't think it's a park which actually needs more commercialization to be enjoyed by people, though it may need it for its finances, but still I love this response to the suggestion.
She ruled out advertising inside the square, said that 18th Street might be closed for special events in which Friends would share in vendors' revenues. There might be a seasonal 8-by-12-foot concession booth in the square and maybe more special events within the square, she said.
That letter was answered by an anonymous two-page letter calling Rosen's plan a "disaster," adding that it would be "opening the square to hoards of people and businesses," which sounds a touch, mmm, elitist.
"We have a fabulous square that only needs support from its surrounding residents," wrote the anonymous author.
Thursday Is New Jobless Day
Still high.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The number of people filing an initial claim for unemployment benefits declined by 24,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 456,000, the first drop in three weeks, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
...
The four-week average of new claims -- considered a better gauge of underlying trends than the volatile weekly number -- rose by 2,750 to 460,250, the highest in a month.
The important event next week
Professor James K. Galbraith says The Fiscal Sustainability Teach-In "will be the important event in Washington on April 28. Unlike the other meeting, this one will feature important work by honest scholars. It deserves at least equal attention, and very much more respect."
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Good Morning
What's this? Will Thers now be banned for linking to NTodd for the Vermont House?
Only time will tell.
Only time will tell.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
NTodd for Vermont!
Everybody go and support Atriot Todd Pritsky in his run for the Vermont House. Go NTodd!
Dilemmas
Unless the law was changed in the last several months, "backyard chickens" are illegal here in the urban hellhole. There is a place a few blocks away that sells live poultry, but I must find something else to barter for them. Just how many chickens should I stockpile in my medical savings account? Since I can't keep them in the backyard, I'll need to have the poultry store act as my bank.
Seems to be needlessly complicated.
Seems to be needlessly complicated.
Too Much Parking
Mostly completed new mixed use (retail/apartments) building on Broad St., a main artery in Philly above one of the subway lines. It isn't a perfect development, in large part because it has way too much parking (surface lot). It's 2 blocks from a subway stop. There are 146 units, and 156 spaces for vehicles (resident parking). I don't know whether that was the amount of parking the developer desired, or if the city required it, but I'm going to bet much of the lot remains empty.
We'll see!
We'll see!
Chickens For Checkups
All joking aside, there's a reason we no longer have a barter economy. It's tremendously inefficient. Transactions require a "mutual coincidence of wants," meaning I have to have something you actually want to have in exchange for my heart surgery. Many goods are highly indivisible - can't trade half a live chicken - making precise pricing difficult.
Two Lies
While "nobody could have predicted" is the most popular one, its frequent companion is "even if we had there was nothing to be done." It just isn't true.
Amusingly Uncle Alan started with the first, claiming all the smartest people world he knew didn't predict it, to saying he did predict it all but he was powerless.
Our elites suck.
Amusingly Uncle Alan started with the first, claiming all the smartest people world he knew didn't predict it, to saying he did predict it all but he was powerless.
Our elites suck.
Good Luck With That
Really. Good luck with that defense.
Get a new attorney, quickly.
Blake Robbins should have known better.
So says the official who ran the Lower Merion School District's controversial computer security system when it snapped Robbins' picture in his home and led to his invasion-of-privacy suit against the district.
Even in his own home, the Harriton High School sophomore had "no legitimate expectation of privacy" from the camera on his school-issued laptop, information systems coordinator Carol Cafiero contended in a court filing on Tuesday.
Get a new attorney, quickly.
Hard To Know What To Say Anymore
Ten year old rape victim denied an abortion. It's in Mexico where rape victims are allowed an abortion up to 90 days. The girl is 17 1/2 weeks along, so is being forced to carry the baby to term.
That's some fucked up shit.
That's some fucked up shit.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Barter
Previously I'd said I thought she just meant bargain. I was wrong.
Perhaps my comic book collection will cover my heart surgery.
Perhaps my comic book collection will cover my heart surgery.
Happy Hour Thread
enjoy
...and in case you want to read about lesbian shitasses. Was wondering what Drunk Hulk was talking about earlier.
...and in case you want to read about lesbian shitasses. Was wondering what Drunk Hulk was talking about earlier.
Maverick
When I lived in California, this was one of standard lines, that undocumented workers were deliberately causing car accidents in which the other driver would appear at fault so they could sue and get rich.
True? No idea, but it never made much sense to me...
True? No idea, but it never made much sense to me...
The Show Your Papers State
This Arizona law would be less crazy, though still offensively bad, if we actually, you know, had "papers," but we really don't. Lots of people don't have passports, and no one carries them around. Birth certificates are generally locked away somewhere.
Doesn't Work With All The Cars
One boring point I try to make here is that cars take up a lot of space, and that therefore too much car ownership is simply incompatible with desirable walkable urban areas. Even New York City has a hell of a lot of cars, but it simply couldn't exist in anything resembling its present form if one car per driving age household member was the norm.
The cars we will probably always have with us, but for too long city planners have failed to recognize that catering too much to the needs of automobile owners seriously damages the urban landscape. Cities can't thrive by being giant off ramps for tourists and sporting event attendees.
The cars we will probably always have with us, but for too long city planners have failed to recognize that catering too much to the needs of automobile owners seriously damages the urban landscape. Cities can't thrive by being giant off ramps for tourists and sporting event attendees.
Speech
Looks like this Court is at least consistent in being free speech extremists, which I don't think is such a bad thing.
I'm of course not against animal cruelty laws, but any speech bans make me nervous.
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court struck down a federal law Tuesday aimed at banning videos that show graphic violence against animals, saying it violates the right to free speech.
I'm of course not against animal cruelty laws, but any speech bans make me nervous.
Keeping That Spot On The Tire Swing
I try not to attempt to read the minds of people, so I don't really have any clue why David Gregory has no interest in informing his viewers of whether his guests are full of shit or not, but wanting the liars to keep coming back for more is one theory...
Elections Have Consequences
While I don't feel hopey about everything, I do have a bit of confidence that the Obama administration will make some progress in undoing the Bush era destruction of the executive branch.
(ht reader J)
Washington (CNN) - The Obama administration plans to change the so-called Title IX policy which governs gender equality in sports, eliminating what some women's rights supporters claim is a Bush-administration loophole in compliance, according to a senior White House official.
(ht reader J)
Looks like something that requires a blackboard
Holy Prescott Bush!
There are many reasons to be suspicious, and when you play Glenn Beck's show backwards, it sounds like this.
The Tea Party movement’s dirty little secret is that its chief financial backers owe their family fortune to the granddaddy of all their hatred: Stalin’s godless empire of the USSR. The secretive oil billionaires of the Koch family, the main supporters of the right-wing groups that orchestrated the Tea Party movement, would not have the means to bankroll their favorite causes had it not been for the pile of money the family made working for the Bolsheviks in the late 1920s and early 1930s, building refineries, training Communist engineers and laying down the foundation of Soviet oil infrastructure.
There are many reasons to be suspicious, and when you play Glenn Beck's show backwards, it sounds like this.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Christian Nation
Smart Republicans know to add the prefix "Judeo" and call it "Judeo-Christian." Inclusive, you betcha.
..oops, link got eated.
..oops, link got eated.
Happy Hour Thread
Why do my chosen running routes always seem to start with a downward incline and end with an upward one.
Cities Are Made Of... People!
It's especially bad in DC, but the "monumentalist" vision of cities plagues lots of places.
The Construction Economy
In many places in the country, over the last decade residential construction and its associated activities were the entire economy. That wasn't sustainable.
Silly Felix
Someone should tell him we live in the accountability-free era, where nobody could have predicted except those who did and were right for the wrong reasons. Those who didn't were wrong for the right reasons and are therefore still Very Serious People in good standing.
Hope I Die Before I Get Old
One thing I notice locally is a lot of hipster hating. One can always be a bit bemused by what the kids are up to these days, but relatively speaking the local hipsters seem to be pretty harmless and friendly. I guess it's driven by a combination of the usual resistance to neighborhood change as the hipsters move in, generational clash, and the apparent belief that because they have time to drink coffee in the middle of the day they're unemployed trustifarians (more likely they're students and/or they work service jobs with irregular hours).
Our Bastard
Not as if we have much standing to complain.
Hundreds of Sunni men disappeared for months into a secret Baghdad prison under the jurisdiction of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's military office, where many were routinely tortured until the country's Human Rights Ministry gained access to the facility, Iraqi officials say.
Somewhat Similarly
Obviously the first reason to react to this is that the guy is a racist asshole, but the second reason is that he's obviously completely fucking stupid.
Your Liberal Media
Obviously the first reason to react to this is that the guy is a sexist asshole, but the second reason is that he's obviously completely fucking stupid.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Our media, not theirs
Tonight's bobbleheads at Virtually Speaking are Jay Ackroyd and McJoan - click to listen at 5:00 Pacific (8:00 EDT) or listen to the stream later.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Hysteresis
The important point is that while it isn't structural now, the longer high unemployment persists the more the amount of structural unemployment will increase. There are a couple of mechanisms for this, the most obvious one being that over time, the skills of unemployed workers deteriorate as technology/practices change. This mismatch between skills of the unemployed and the needs of employers grows.
Good Evening
Earlier I heard Dana Milbank on NPR whining about the fact that Obama went to his kid's soccer game without bringing the press. These are very silly people.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has President Scott Brown
This Week has The Clenis.
Meet the Press has Timmeh, Ed Rendell, and Marsha Blackburn
Document the atrocities!
This Week has The Clenis.
Meet the Press has Timmeh, Ed Rendell, and Marsha Blackburn
Document the atrocities!
Head Over to Rising Hegemon
and watch the video. Scum indeed.
I'd love to see an American news show that had the ovaries to air that.
Thanks res ipsa loquitar for reviving that.
I'd love to see an American news show that had the ovaries to air that.
Thanks res ipsa loquitar for reviving that.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Scenarios
I keep trying to come up with scenarios that would allow an international organization to systematically cover-up, and even enable, the sexual abuse of children Like, imagine the Montessori program turned out to be an organization that permitted their practitioners to break molestation laws, and covered up for them.
I can't see how the organization would last a month.
The idea that the Church can have its members pray the hierarchy's way out of this seems absurd on its face. And yet we have seen no RICO filings.
Oh, and by the way, all the talk in the Church hierarchy is that this is all in the distant past. You can be sure that this is not the case.
I can't see how the organization would last a month.
The idea that the Church can have its members pray the hierarchy's way out of this seems absurd on its face. And yet we have seen no RICO filings.
Oh, and by the way, all the talk in the Church hierarchy is that this is all in the distant past. You can be sure that this is not the case.
Does Anybody Remember Science?
Remember that nonsense about how scientists warning about global climate change had their emails stolen and then they got slandered by crazy right wing loons? Funny thing -- it turns out the scientists were right all along!
There really is a very narrow legislative window for the US to do anything constructive about climate change. If I had to bet, I would bet on the window closing and our illustrious Senators and Representatives doing jack shit about this most pressing issue: Glad to be wrong.
There really is a very narrow legislative window for the US to do anything constructive about climate change. If I had to bet, I would bet on the window closing and our illustrious Senators and Representatives doing jack shit about this most pressing issue: Glad to be wrong.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Justice Friday
More like this, please.
The former president of Blackwater Worldwide has been indicted on weapons charges.
An indictment issued Friday charges Gary Jackson along with four others, including former general counsel Andrew Howell and former executive vice president Bill Mathews. The charges against Jackson include a conspiracy to violate firearms laws, false statements and possession of an unregistered firearm.
Run, Lou Dobbs, Run
Whenever I hear about someone like him running for office, I just think... no way it will happen. Running for president is really hard work. Lots of people have the "I'll just say I'm running and everyone will vote for me" idea, but it doesn't actually work.
Substantial
Guess it's true.
Can't wait to find out how many people working for the school district knew about this and thought it was ok.
The Lower Merion School District today acknowledged that investigators reviewing its controversial laptop tracking program have recovered "a substantial number of webcam photos" and that they expect to soon start notifying parents whose children were photographed.
Can't wait to find out how many people working for the school district knew about this and thought it was ok.
The Long And The Short Of It
As Felix says, while there's something a bit odd-seeming about a firm like Goldman Sachs shorting the stuff it's passing on to its clients, it's only really a major problem if they're lying to investors and actually committing fraud, which perhaps they did...
Progress
Troubles for Goldman.
Goldman Sachs, which emerged relatively unscathed from the financial crisis, was accused of securities fraud in a civil suit filed Friday by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which claims the bank created and sold a mortgage investment that was secretly devised to fail.
Sadly It Won't Happen
But allowing bankruptcy judges to deal with residential mortgage debt was always the best way to deal with the foreclosure crisis.
Correction Desk
Last night I wrote that the box turtle line originated from a Red State commenter. Reader E informs me that I am incorrect, and it came from a comment at Ben's own personal site at the time.
Exciting New Taxes
I'm always puzzled when politicians and DC chatterers imagine that while increasing an existing tax by some infinitesimal amount is political suicide, enacting some Exciting New Tax is just the thing.
Box Turtle Ben
For those arriving late (jeebus, it's been six years), an explanation of the nom de tortue. Once upon a time our pal Ben was a speechwriter for John Cornyn. A reporter given an advanced copy of a Cornyn speech highlighted a line about box turtle nuptials, which apparently Cornyn had the good sense not to deliver. A source at the time of Ben's little plagiarism problem told me Ben wrote that speech, though I don't think I've ever confirmed that definitively. However, it was a line lifted from a Red State commenter one of his own commenters, so...
- It does not affect your daily life very much if your neighbor marries a box turtle. But that does not mean it is right. . . . Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
High School Spycam
Totally effed if true.
(ht wb)
The system that Lower Merion school officials used to track lost and stolen laptops wound up secretly capturing thousands of images, including photographs of students in their homes, Web sites they visited, and excerpts of their online chats, says a new motion filed in a suit against the district.
More than once, the motion asserts, the camera on Robbins' school-issued laptop took photos of Robbins as he slept in his bed. Each time, it fired the images off to network servers at the school district.
Back at district offices, the Robbins motion says, employees with access to the images marveled at the tracking software. It was like a window into "a little LMSD soap opera," a staffer is quoted as saying in an e-mail to Carol Cafiero, the administrator running the program.
(ht wb)
Not Just
Your modern teabagger.
(ht reader j)
He said he "worked my way up from nothing" and was not about to allow "somebody else to reach in my pocket and just take it away and give to somebody laying on their ass."
Johnson expressed opposition to President Obama. "It's not just because he's black," he said. "I wish I could tell you that I loved this guy, that he was a great president, that I had faith in him. But I have none. Zero."
(ht reader j)
Box Turtle Ben
If you're a conservative, there's nothing you can do which will prevent you from being embraced and promoted by the liberal media.
Good Bill
While I certainly cheer on new SUPERTRAIN systems, it's also the case that in many places our existing systems are underused due to inappropriate development patterns around stations. There are a variety of reasons for this - sometimes they've become blight-filled neighborhoods, sometimes there are bad zoning codes and other various barriers to mixed use infill development - so implementing policy which tries to tip the balance the other way is a good thing.
An easy way to get more people to use existing transit systems is to provide desirable affordable housing within walking distance of them.
An easy way to get more people to use existing transit systems is to provide desirable affordable housing within walking distance of them.
There Are Things That Can Be Done
One of the things which Jared Bernstein stressed awhile back when I met with him was that until being in this situation he hadn't appreciated just how difficult it would be to actually try to administer the massive fiscal stimulus that they were administering. I appreciate that, especially for an administration rightly concerned that any waste and corruption, real or imaginary, would be used to bludgeon them politically. Basically Jared said it's actually kind of hard to shovel hundreds of billions of dollars out the door. I'm sure this is true, but right now we're in recession, tons of people are unemployed and what's needed is somebody, anybody, spending lots of money. I'll happily offer up my rather filthy urban hellhole to be the recipient of a large street cleaning grant, and those sewer pipes aren't going to replace themselves.
Uh...
To the extent that such distortions are real, they're generally predictable, and since when do Sunday holidays have a major impact on such things...
Maybe get some new economists who are aware of the obvious impacts of these 'distortions.'
Claims have unexpectedly risen two straight weeks, but a Labor official said the Easter holiday and a special holiday in California, the nation's largest state, disrupted collection of jobless data. The distortions should fade over the next few weeks, he said.
Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast that claims would drop to 430,000. Claims have to fall to 400,000 or lower to indicate an accelerated hiring trend, economists say.
Maybe get some new economists who are aware of the obvious impacts of these 'distortions.'
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Heckuva Job
I'm sure all involved were well compensated for their brilliant actions.
Of course we should all remember that there's some risk in any investment, but for employee pension funds "some risk" shouldn't include nontrivial chance of losing 61% of the investment.
In 2007, as the global property price bubble was about to burst, professional investors gave Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund VI International $8.8 billion to invest in properties around the world. Some $452.5 million of that money, 5 percent of the total, came from the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System.
Morgan Stanley has now warned investors it may lose $5.4 billion, or 61 percent, of that total as property values collapse, say the Wall St Journal and Bloomberg Business Week. "That would likely make it the biggest dollar loss in the history of private-equity real-estate investing," says the Journal. "The losses come from investments in properties such as the European Central Bank's Frankfurt headquarters, a big development project in Tokyo and InterContinental hotels across Europe."
Of course we should all remember that there's some risk in any investment, but for employee pension funds "some risk" shouldn't include nontrivial chance of losing 61% of the investment.
B-Roll
I've never really understood why the press is interested in the fake "theater meeting for the cameras." It isn't an actual event, it's completely a performance for the assembled theater critics journalists.
Weird Guy
The VA Gov seems to be into doing really asshole things with predictable responses and then backtracking.
RICHMOND -- Letters telling more than 200 felons in Virginia that they had to write a "personal letter to the Governor" to get their voting rights restored were sent in error, a spokesman for Gov. Robert F. McDonnell said Tuesday, adding that the potential requirement is merely a "draft policy proposal."
Soccergamegate
This just might be the scandal that brings down the Obama administration and prematurely ends our glorious age of socialism.
Nothing To Be Done
Maybe Helicopter Ben just thinks there's nothing more to be done, or maybe he thinks that massive unemployment is the price other people have to pay in order to prevent the risk of a mild uptick in the inflation rate.
Don't Talk About Industrial Policy
One of the more annoying economist-led bits of self-deception has been for years the idea that "industrial policy" is bad and more than that the US doesn't have one. Of course we do and we always have, even if we don't think about it as such.
C4
Somewhat related.
The Dayton Police Bomb Squad assisted the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in the arrest of Daniel Bancroft, 43, and brother Robert for allegedly trying to sell blocks of C4 explosive across state lines in February, according to the FBI.
Paul Zahn, 44, of Bainbridge, was also arrested on charges related to the investigation.
The FBI claims the brothers were going to sell 12 blocks of C4, obtained somehow from the U.S. military, FBI Special Agent Mike Brooks said.
Morning
I got nothin' at the moment. Maybe I should make some coffee.
...and congrats to John! (see post below)
...and congrats to John! (see post below)
What has two thumbs and got engaged yesterday?
This guy!*
*(You can't tell, but I'm pointing at myself with my thumbs. It's a joke. But I really did get engaged to a wonderful woman yesterday, no joke.)
*(You can't tell, but I'm pointing at myself with my thumbs. It's a joke. But I really did get engaged to a wonderful woman yesterday, no joke.)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A Mild Defense Of The Post
While Benen is correct about the odd discrepancy between the Post's coverage of Ensign and Massa, there is one reasonable explanation for some of that discrepancy. The Massa story is more of a "local" story, in that it's about the lives and experiences of Capitol Hill staffers. I don't think that comes close to fully excusing the difference in coverage, but it reasonably could explain a bit of it.
The Weird Politics Of The Gas Tax
I get that increasing the gas tax would be difficult politically, but one of the points I'm trying to make is that the public response to such a thing is completely out of whack given its minimal impact. Plenty of places have managed to increase the sales tax by a percentage point or so - some even through referendum! - and that'll cost a typical consumer a hell of lot more than a dime increase in the federal gas tax.
Also, Al Gore Is Fat
Important to remember that salient point.
The ice block tumbled into a lake in the Andes on Sunday near the town of Carhuaz, some 200 miles north of the capital, Lima. Three people were feared buried in debris.
Investigators said the chunk of ice from the Hualcan glacier measured 1,640 feet by 656 feet.
"This slide into the lake generated a tsunami wave, which breached the lake's levees, which are 23 meters high -- meaning the wave was 23 meters high," said Patricio Vaderrama, an expert on glaciers at Peru's Institute of Mine Engineers.
The Crushing Burden Of A Modest Gas Tax Increase
The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. It's been at that level since 1993. If it had been adjusted for inflation since it would be at 28 cents now. For someone using 25 gallons of gas per week, increasing it by 9.6 cents per gallon would cost an additional $2.40 per week and $124.80 per year, assuming no change in overall demand. That isn't nothing, and any additional burden on poor people is nontrivial, but it doesn't make "it will hurt the poor" a particularly compelling argument against increasing the gas tax.
All The Poor People I Know Don't Drive
Whenever I mention a gas tax increase, a few people jump in and complain that it's bad because it's a regressive tax. It is regressive for people who drive, and I'm certainly for alleviating the burden on the poor in other ways to offset, but the fact is that the regressive nature of the tax is already offset by the fact that poor people are much less likely to own cars and drive.
Obviously this is largely a distinction between the rural poor and the urban poor, and I have no desire to impose additional burdens on the former, but when it comes to worrying about the potential problems facing "the poor," a modest gas tax increase is really not high up the list. If you desire to advocate to improve the plight of poor people, the fight against a gas increase really isn't the most important use of your time.
...to put it another way, if you want to argue that a gas tax increase should be partially or fully used to, say, increase the EITC or to support policies which improve transportation options for the poor, I'm with you.
Obviously this is largely a distinction between the rural poor and the urban poor, and I have no desire to impose additional burdens on the former, but when it comes to worrying about the potential problems facing "the poor," a modest gas tax increase is really not high up the list. If you desire to advocate to improve the plight of poor people, the fight against a gas increase really isn't the most important use of your time.
...to put it another way, if you want to argue that a gas tax increase should be partially or fully used to, say, increase the EITC or to support policies which improve transportation options for the poor, I'm with you.
So Do It
Herbert:
So...move forward!
Ms. Pelosi acknowledged that “there is always a calibration” between concerns about deficit reduction and the spending that is necessary to substantially reduce unemployment. But she believes there are several fronts on which Congress and the Obama administration can — in fact, must — still move forward: on infrastructure and green energy initiatives, for example, and assistance to states hobbled with fiscal crises of their own.
So...move forward!
Literacy Test
From the credit where credit is due file, Fred Hiatt's crayon scribble page gets one right.
Don't Forget The Commuting Costs
It isn't some new discovery that housing costs tend to decrease as you move away from employment centers, but the big question is whether people accurately take the increase in commuting costs into account when they make their home location choices. I certainly don't know the answer to that, but I suspect that people tend to see automobile costs as largely fixed, not variable, and while they might factor in some of the additional cost associated with living in the exurbs, they underestimate that amount.
Nice Work
I guess I'm being part of the problem here, but one day I do hope our media stops obsessing about reality TV star Palin, who will never hold elected office again.
Since leaving office at the end of July 2009, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee has brought in at least 100 times her old salary – a haul now estimated at more than $12 million -- through television and book deals and a heavy schedule of speaking appearances worth five and six figures.
Things Chuck Norris Actually Says
He's been hit in the head a lot.
We all must fight (once and for all and across the board) to elect fiscally prudent politicians like our Founders, those like Thomas Jefferson, who brought down the national deficit though making the Louisiana Purchase and engaging the U.S. in a war with Tripoli.Yes, if only we had a far-flung foreign war to fight and a pressing need to spend money in Louisiana, we'd be kickboxing the living daylights out of that pesky deficit.
Monday, April 12, 2010
What Are They For Again?
Back when I was young and naive I assumed the purpose of journalism was to inform readers/viewers about relevant facts. Apparently we're supposed to figure it all out by ourselves.
Lighttime
It takes me forever to get used to major changes in the amount of daylight. I do not believe it is already 6pm.
Local Kids Done Good
I pick on my local newspapers quite a bit, but they did a good thing with this one.
And Ponies
The only realistic way for a future governor to get a gas tax or similar increase through the legislature is if they actually run on it and win. We should do lots of things and I'll figure out how pay for them later does not lay the foundation for actually getting anything done.
More generally there was a window, after George Bush fucked everything up, for Dems to point out that there are things government does such as fixing bridges that require a bit of money, and not have an immediate taxpayer revolt. I worry that time is gone, but maybe there's still an opportunity for charismatic politicians to make the case.
More generally there was a window, after George Bush fucked everything up, for Dems to point out that there are things government does such as fixing bridges that require a bit of money, and not have an immediate taxpayer revolt. I worry that time is gone, but maybe there's still an opportunity for charismatic politicians to make the case.
Oops
I've long been fascinated with the fact that architects/engineers/construction crews actually manage to put big buildings up without screwing it up. Sometimes they don't.
Our Dumb Discourse
CNN Chyron right now:
That extreme left, always so powerful.
THE SEARCH FOR THE MIDDLE
Extreme left&right dominate headlines
That extreme left, always so powerful.
Our Man In Kabul
I don't know what the hell we're doing in Afghanistan and therefore have no opinion on how nice we should be to Karzai, but it's touching to see that after all these years the favored discourse of foreign policy writers hasn't changed. Fareed Zakaria:
People who disagree with the Very Serious People are unserious, infantile, need to grow up, etc.
The Obama administration needs to grow up, recognize that in the real world Karzai is the best partner it has and roll out the red carpet for him when he finally gets to the White House on May 12.
People who disagree with the Very Serious People are unserious, infantile, need to grow up, etc.
Really?
I really don't think any additional serious legislation is going to make it out of Congress this year, especially immigration reform. Happy to be wrong about such things, but...
Killing Off The Post Office
I can imagine a future where quality reliable universal postal service isn't really necessary, but I don't think we're anywhere near that future yet. I'm sure there are cuts which can be made, and perhaps cutting Saturday delivery service has some merit (though I would hope Saturday branch hours would remain), but I would recommend going very slowly on any cuts which greatly impacted service...
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Crazy China
Where the government can do things like tap your phones and read your email without warrants.
Consumer Electronics
I know it's the internets, where anything can inspire a flame war, but I admit to being puzzled that so many people appear to get really angry about opinions about the iPad. It's a device. Some people might think it useful, others not. Really not much more complicated than that.
Feminist Icon
Quite often we have to wonder just what is the purpose of mainstream news outlets. It certainly isn't to inform readers/viewers.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Face the Nation has Secretaries Clinton and Gates.
This Week has Secretaries Clinton and Gates, along with Senators Kyl and Schumer.
Meet the Press has Secretaries Clinton and Gates, Senators Leahy and Sessions, and a roundtable devised by Satan.
Document the atrocities!
This Week has Secretaries Clinton and Gates, along with Senators Kyl and Schumer.
Meet the Press has Secretaries Clinton and Gates, Senators Leahy and Sessions, and a roundtable devised by Satan.
Document the atrocities!
Morning Thread
by Molly Ivors.
You know, if that MoDo keeps making sense, I'm gonna have to reconsider my entire worldview.
You know, if that MoDo keeps making sense, I'm gonna have to reconsider my entire worldview.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Work
While even cushy high salary white collar jobs have their associated stresses, it is useful to remember that not all jobs are really work.
Bias
No, Media Matters isn't interested in "bias," which requires mindreading to find. Slant and appropriate balance, yes, from news outlets that claims to adhere to such standards (the point isn't that balance is always necessary or good, but for outlets which claim they are balanced it's reasonable to expect them roughly to live up to that claim).
I Guess This Is A Big Deal
tragedy.
MOSCOW — A plane carrying the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, and dozens of the country’s top political and military leaders crashed in a heavy fog in western Russia on Saturday morning, killing everyone aboard.
Some real liberal media
You might want to hear what Stirling Newberry and Ian Welsh had to say about how many crummy things are going on, what a mess the economy is, etc. You can use that link for the stream, or download this podcast.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Restocking*
I perused this in the local bookstore today, and despite what I thought were realistic expectations going in, I was unimpressed with No Apology.
Apparently Mitt Romney loves America, and he's not afraid to defend such a controversial position. There. I reviewed the book.
On the bright side, I enjoyed what I read of Sean Carroll's new book, From Eternity to Here.
*(No, I didn't leave the book there. I just posed it for the photo.)
Friday, April 09, 2010
High School Spycam
The latest...
ruh roh.
A Lower Merion School District official at the center of the "Webcamgate" scandal invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination today.
ruh roh.
Joey The Biden In My Hood
Guess I should have said hello. From White House press pool:
Not sure if that was a Biden gaffe or a mistake by the reporter. I'm sure he meant Pat's, as it says earlier, and not Geno's.
...and yes, that's Pat's.
...ah, just realized poor reading skills on my part. Gower was eating at Geno's, not Biden.
South Philadelphia residents by now are accustomed to high-ranking politicos descending on Pat's, a local landmark. People came running from all directions at the sight of the motorcade.
With Biden was U.S. Rep. Robert A. Brady (D., 1st District of Pa.), and his wife, Debra, and also Philadelphia Mayor Mchael Nutter.
Amid a friendly crush of humanity, Biden chit-chatted with locals. He put his arm around many for cell-phone photos.
One whom Biden embraced was Joe Gower, 31, of Sewell, N.J., who was having a steak sandwich a half-block away at Pat's arch-rival, Geno's.
"I came over. I was hoping it was the President. But I'm happy it was the vice president."
He said he couldn't linger. His steak sandwich was getting cold back at Geno's.
...and yes, that's Pat's.
...ah, just realized poor reading skills on my part. Gower was eating at Geno's, not Biden.
Teens Are Having Sex
I don't know why we have so many demented weirdos in office.
And Wisconsin, how about decriminalizing sex. Idiots.
Southworth, a Republican and a Christian evangelical, took issue with a law Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle signed in February requiring schools that teach sexual education to adopt a comprehensive approach.
Southworth warned that teaching a student how to properly use contraceptives would be contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months behind bars and a $10,000 fine. He said it would be promoting sex among minors, who are not legally allowed to have sex in Wisconsin.
And Wisconsin, how about decriminalizing sex. Idiots.
Easy Columns
Pundits do like to suggest that presidents should look outside the box for a SCOTUS position, but those same pundits would have an easy second column pointing out why that particular choice is completely wrong blah blah blah.
Put your outside the box suggestions in comments! Easy comments for you!
Put your outside the box suggestions in comments! Easy comments for you!
Blood Lust
One thing I've never quite figured out about the wingnut brain is whether their readiness to kill tens or hundreds of thousands of innocent people with nukes is because they see the nukes as a giant external penis or if they just have psychotic death cult psychology and like the idea of lots of people dying.
Nobody Walks To School Anymore
I recognize this is due to a combination of factors including changing development patterns, but the ZOMG YOUR KID MIGHT BE KIDNAPPED reason for it is really a shame.
Gambling Our Way To Prosperity
I do wish the local powers that be would contemplate the implications of having a hard time finding someone to put up the money for a local casino, a business which essentially involves people walking in the door and handing over money and getting nothing in return. Or look at the "success" of other urban casinos around the country.
Nice Work
European hellhole edition.
Scores of Carlsberg workers walked off their jobs in protest Thursday after the Danish brewer tightened laid-back rules on workplace drinking and removed beer coolers from work sites, a company spokesman said.
The warehouse and production workers in Denmark are rebelling against the company's new alcohol policy, which allows them to drink beer only during lunch hours in the canteen. Previously, they could help themselves to beer throughout the day, from coolers placed around the work sites.
But Do You Do That On The Teevee
I really don't understand this statement from Kyra Phillips. It doesn't matter at all what's in her heart, and doesn't matter much what she does in her free time, what matters is what happens when she's on the teevee.
Game On
Unsurprisingly, Justice Stevens has said he's going to retire.
What to worry about more: a bad choice by Obama or Republican obstructionists?
What to worry about more: a bad choice by Obama or Republican obstructionists?
Elections Have Consequences
After cutting aid to higher education, NJ Gov. Christie now wants to add a tuition increase cap.
I think affordable public higher education is a good thing, but the money to keep the system running has to come from somewhere...
I think affordable public higher education is a good thing, but the money to keep the system running has to come from somewhere...
Thursday, April 08, 2010
I'm Sure I'm Missing Something
But I'm just not sure how 7.5% interest rates means DOOOM. Argentina was paying 15% when they defaulted.
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